all over the building. Where’s the rest of your crew?”
“It’s just me,” Jackson repeated. “One hacker can do an amazing amount with a good computer system. Yours is excellent.”
Another hard crack. This time she heard Jackson’s grunt of pain.
Paisley turned to Eli. “Can’t he turn into a bear and bite their heads off?”
“Not a good idea,” Eli said regretfully. “A dishonest military equipment company is the last place you want to have finding out that shifters exist. Right now, he’s in danger of being killed. If they knew he was a shifter, he’d be in danger of being locked up and experimented on for the rest of his life. I know what I’d rather risk.”
Paisley shuddered. “Me too. How do we rescue him?”
Eli frowned, his fists clenching. “Wish I knew how much of the security they’ve turned back on. Well, we’ve got to risk it. I’ll take—”
A different man’s voice spoke. “Hey. What’s that in his ear?”
A loud rustle sounded, and then the oily man’s voice spoke again— directly into the mike. “Ah-ha. Hello there. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”
Eli’s blue eyes met Paisley’s. She knew him well enough now to know that the cool stillness that settled over him was the calm before the storm.
He took the earbud from her and put it into his ear. “I guess you’ve got the laser trip wires turned back on, huh?”
A pause. Still holding her gaze, he nodded. “Fine. Let’s negotiate a surrender. I want me and my partner released unhurt at the end of this. But first, I want to bring some samples of the armor up to the office, and have you show me exactly how I put it on wrong.”
Paisley wished they’d had time to actually discuss a plan, but she had a pretty good idea what he had in mind. She pointed at the cat-sized ventilation duct she’d crawled in from.
Eli nodded, mouthing, “Good luck.” Then he mimed clawing.
Paisley felt a fierce grin settle over her face. It remained as bared teeth as she became a cat.
“Yeah. I’m that guy.” Eli paused, listening. “No, we just wanted to make a point. If you can demonstrate that the armor works when it’s used as directed, we’ll walk away.” Eli paused again. “Glad we’re on the same page. I’m in R&D. Nice trap you’ve got on the body armor, by the way. What is it, a tranquilizer dart?”
He crouched and hid the empty antidote syringe under a dummy. Paisley leaped into the duct. As she bolted into the darkness, she heard Eli replacing the first screw on its screen.
Air burned in Paisley’s lungs as she ran faster than she had ever run before. Now she knew long it took to go through the maze of ventilation shafts between the room Eli was in, and the room where Jackson was being held hostage. She didn’t believe for an instant that SmartDefense intended to negotiate a surrender. They just wanted to get Eli up to the room so they could interrogate him, and then they’d kill him and Jackson.
Paisley was their ace in the hole. She had to get there before Eli and Jackson had to choose between fighting against terrible odds, or revealing the existence of werebears to the worst possible people.
Bright spots danced before Paisley’s eyes by the time she reached the screen in the office wall. She sank down behind it, panting, and peered out, safe in the knowledge that no on the room could see into the duct.
Eli was already in the office, held firmly between two big guards. A pile of bulletproof vests lay on the floor nearby. Reed must have agreed to the demand Eli had made in R&D, and attempted to lull his suspicions by letting him bring up samples.
Four more guards stood with guns aimed and ready. Two of them were guarding Eli, and two were guarding Jackson.
Paisley barely stopped herself from screaming with fury at the sight of Jackson. He sat on the floor with his back to the wall, his face bruised and battered. Blood had run down his face and soaked into his white shirt. His eyes
“It’s just me,” Jackson repeated. “One hacker can do an amazing amount with a good computer system. Yours is excellent.”
Another hard crack. This time she heard Jackson’s grunt of pain.
Paisley turned to Eli. “Can’t he turn into a bear and bite their heads off?”
“Not a good idea,” Eli said regretfully. “A dishonest military equipment company is the last place you want to have finding out that shifters exist. Right now, he’s in danger of being killed. If they knew he was a shifter, he’d be in danger of being locked up and experimented on for the rest of his life. I know what I’d rather risk.”
Paisley shuddered. “Me too. How do we rescue him?”
Eli frowned, his fists clenching. “Wish I knew how much of the security they’ve turned back on. Well, we’ve got to risk it. I’ll take—”
A different man’s voice spoke. “Hey. What’s that in his ear?”
A loud rustle sounded, and then the oily man’s voice spoke again— directly into the mike. “Ah-ha. Hello there. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”
Eli’s blue eyes met Paisley’s. She knew him well enough now to know that the cool stillness that settled over him was the calm before the storm.
He took the earbud from her and put it into his ear. “I guess you’ve got the laser trip wires turned back on, huh?”
A pause. Still holding her gaze, he nodded. “Fine. Let’s negotiate a surrender. I want me and my partner released unhurt at the end of this. But first, I want to bring some samples of the armor up to the office, and have you show me exactly how I put it on wrong.”
Paisley wished they’d had time to actually discuss a plan, but she had a pretty good idea what he had in mind. She pointed at the cat-sized ventilation duct she’d crawled in from.
Eli nodded, mouthing, “Good luck.” Then he mimed clawing.
Paisley felt a fierce grin settle over her face. It remained as bared teeth as she became a cat.
“Yeah. I’m that guy.” Eli paused, listening. “No, we just wanted to make a point. If you can demonstrate that the armor works when it’s used as directed, we’ll walk away.” Eli paused again. “Glad we’re on the same page. I’m in R&D. Nice trap you’ve got on the body armor, by the way. What is it, a tranquilizer dart?”
He crouched and hid the empty antidote syringe under a dummy. Paisley leaped into the duct. As she bolted into the darkness, she heard Eli replacing the first screw on its screen.
Air burned in Paisley’s lungs as she ran faster than she had ever run before. Now she knew long it took to go through the maze of ventilation shafts between the room Eli was in, and the room where Jackson was being held hostage. She didn’t believe for an instant that SmartDefense intended to negotiate a surrender. They just wanted to get Eli up to the room so they could interrogate him, and then they’d kill him and Jackson.
Paisley was their ace in the hole. She had to get there before Eli and Jackson had to choose between fighting against terrible odds, or revealing the existence of werebears to the worst possible people.
Bright spots danced before Paisley’s eyes by the time she reached the screen in the office wall. She sank down behind it, panting, and peered out, safe in the knowledge that no on the room could see into the duct.
Eli was already in the office, held firmly between two big guards. A pile of bulletproof vests lay on the floor nearby. Reed must have agreed to the demand Eli had made in R&D, and attempted to lull his suspicions by letting him bring up samples.
Four more guards stood with guns aimed and ready. Two of them were guarding Eli, and two were guarding Jackson.
Paisley barely stopped herself from screaming with fury at the sight of Jackson. He sat on the floor with his back to the wall, his face bruised and battered. Blood had run down his face and soaked into his white shirt. His eyes
Similar Books
