Force of Nature (21 page)

“Tell on him? Are you serious—” Her head suddenly throbbed with pain. He’d hit her again with the gun. “If you fucking hit me again, I’m going to make you sorry.”

“You’re going to make me sorry? Oh, and how do you plan to do that?” Solomon said as he waved the gun around the crowd of people. “You think I won’t shoot these people and blame it all on you?”

One had to love Vegas people. They were watching this man waving a gun around them, a bloodied person in his arms, and not one of them came to help her. She supposed they were playing it safe, but what the hell? Then she noticed a camera or two. Okay, maybe they thought this was a movie or something.

CJ had had enough. “Like this, asshole.”

She brought her foot down hard on his instep. His howl of pain had him tightening his grip on her arm. CJ felt the flesh of her forearm sort of tear. She tossed her head back, hoping to break his nose, but it at the very least made him let her go. The gun going off made her flinch, but before she could recover, she was suddenly on the ground and freed. As she tried to turn over, she watched Austin tear into Solomon.

CJ watched in fascinated horror as Austin did a partial shift. His hands became clawed weapons and his jaw morphed into a scary version of the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. All she needed was a cape and a basket and the scene would be complete.

She felt hands on her, but she couldn’t hear anything. She looked up into the face of Dallas and while she was sure he was speaking, she couldn’t for the life of her figure it out. Something about blood and ambulance. CJ looked over at Austin just as she was pressed back onto the floor.

Or she fell.

Her body began to burn. Well, burn would have been nice, she thought. Right now it felt as if someone had put a torch in her belly and she was going to burn from the inside out. She looked down to see if someone would put her out and that’s when she saw the blood.

“Oh God, I’m bleeding. What happened? Did I fall?” CJ lifted her hand from the bloody mess on her shirt and held it to Dallas. “Did someone hurt me?”

Other than the burning, there wasn’t any pain. But that soon changed and she heard someone screaming. She wanted them to stop, but she was suddenly very lightheaded. And then she was very cold.

People were beginning to fade in and out. First there was Dallas then Phil. She saw her mother and then her grandma. But they sort of became Nancy then Holly. Finally, she closed her eyes only to jerk them back open when someone said her name.

“Stay with me, sweetheart. Come on, keep your eyes open so I can make sure you’re not going into shock.” Phil smiled at her and she tried to smile back, but her lips quit working.

“Baby. Oh Christ. Listen to me baby. We have to get you somewhere that I can…we have to take her somewhere now.” She wanted to reach up and smooth the wrinkles in Austin’s forehead as he spoke but she couldn’t make her hand raise. And he was shouting again.

She started to fade out. She thought that was the perfect name for the way she was feeling.

Fading away. Then a stupid song popped in her head. She was humming it when she felt someone slide their hands under her.

The pain ripped through her. It made her scream and she couldn’t have held back even if she’d tried. When she looked in the face of the man who held her, Austin looked as pale as a sheet. Her last thought was that he looked so afraid.

~Chapter Twenty-One~

Austin watched the nurses come and go. No one came to where they were sitting. He glanced around the room with a sardonic grin. He probably would avoid them too.

In addition to him and his family there were the two Adkins boys, Phil, and any number of flack-vested men and women. There were so many initials and letters across their fronts and backs that he was reminded of a chalkboard with primer letters on it. He glanced over when his mom sat beside him.

“She’s strong. And the doctor said she was going to be all right. Besides, I believe she’s too stubborn to die. She’s pretty upset with you yet as well.”

Austin burst out laughing then hugged his mom to him. “I believe you’re right. She did seem to want to tear into me when she woke up, didn’t she? She seemed to be fairly pissed that she was brought here without her permission. She said I could count on her to kick my ass when she woke up.” Austin wanted her to. He wanted her healthy so that she could get up and berate him for calling the ambulance. The ride here to the hospital might have been funny if he’d not been so terrified out of his mind for her.

One of the agents came to stand next to him and his mom. The agent cleared his throat before speaking. Austin stood up and the man backed up two steps.

“Mr. Force, we need to ask you a few questions about what might have happened in the hotel lobby.” He took another step back before he continued. “Mr. Solomon…he…we don’t know what happened.”

Austin didn’t look at Phil, though he was sure the man could hear them speaking. But he did look at his mom, who got up and walked away after a short nod. He was sure she knew as well as he did what had happened to the man, but there was no reason to get her involved unless he had to.

“Happened? I’m not sure I understand your question. My wife was shot by Mr. Solomon.

The man, I believe you people had under surveillance.” Austin took a step toward the man and was happy to see him back up two. “Have you arrested him yet?”

The agent, Agent Jimmie Oliver Austin thought his name was, looked like he turned green.

Austin could smell the man’s fear as well. It came off him in waves.

“He’s dead. I…we found him…he was…destroyed.” Oliver sat down abruptly and put his head between his legs as he continued. “Never in all my years have I ever… He was torn apart.

Not just, you know, his arms and legs off, but torn to pieces. Small, little bitty pieces. We found parts of him over a ten square foot area. The coroner said that the man or men who…whoever did this didn’t use a knife or a blade but had simply ripped him apart.”

Austin did look at Phil then and the man winked then saluted to him. Austin sat down and pressed his hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out into laughter. It wasn’t funny that the other man was dead. It was just funny to see Phil so casual about it.

When Austin had seen CJ drop to the floor in the hotel lobby, he’d only looked away from Solomon for a second, maybe less. Then he was simply gone. When Austin went to CJ’s side, Phil was gone suddenly then he was there again as Austin carried CJ to the lobby area and put her on one of the couches.

Before he could ask Phil where he’d gone, where Solomon had gone, a doctor had come forward and started working on CJ. The ambulance was pulling up when CJ came around.

“What’s going on? Austin? Phil?” CJ looked confused at him until she looked down at herself. “Oh Christ, I’m bleeding. That fat bastard shot me. Austin, go get that prick and chew him up. But don’t swallow. You’ll get a belly ache.”

Austin didn’t move. The doctor simply stared at them before he made a small laugh. “She’s out of her mind with pain.” He gave a short nod before going on. “Yes, she’s in so much pain.

That’s why…I mean, why else would she want you to chew someone up and not swallow.”

He looked so desperate for Austin to agree that he nodded. Austin thought the man had encountered another paranormal in his life and had tried to explain it away just this way. The medic came in and took her away before either man could say any more about what CJ had said.

That had been over four hours ago. As soon as she’d gotten here, they had taken her up to surgery.

“Are you asking me if I killed Solomon?” Austin asked Oliver. “Because I assure you, I didn’t. The last I saw of him, he’d just shot my wife.”

Agent Oliver sat up then. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was pale. “No, sir. We’re not. We just wondered if you might know…one of our other agents is…” The man looked around before continuing in a much lower voice. “We have an agent who is a wolf. I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but I saw him morph. He told me you were one too. He said you were a leader.”

Austin looked around the small area and didn’t feel another wolf. He looked back that the agent. He looked better, Austin thought, but not yet great.

“Alpha. I’m an alpha. And there is no other wolf in this room other than myself and my family among your supernaturals. What’s his name?” Austin did laugh when the agent looked sharply around the room. He must not have known that there were others around him all the time.

“Other supernaturals,” Oliver’s voice practically squeaked. “What do you…? What are they and who? I should have been told that I’m working with others.”

Austin wouldn’t give up the others, but he would let the man know what he was working with. It might come in handy if they needed to speak with the others they dealt with.

“In this room alone you have a vampire, weretiger, a werepanther, and two shifters.” Austin never broke eye contact with the man. “The shifters, before you ask, can shift into nearly any animal there is. And no, I won’t tell you who they are. They’ll either tell you or not depending on if they ever trust you enough to do so.”

Oliver looked around the room again before looking back at Austin. “I suppose you know that I’m not anything. How? How did you know what was in the room with us?”

“Scent. I can smell better than most animals, as can the others. Some have a better sense of smell, some hearing. There are a few who are very good at both. I doubt there’s any one of them in this room who doesn’t know every word we’ve said. And we’re not a ‘what’ but a ‘who,’

agent Oliver.”

He had the good grace to flush. “I’m sorry. This is all so…I know you find it hard to believe, but I do have an open mind. I’m just, it’s hard to imagine anyone like you and the others are around. Please forgive me.”

Austin nodded. He stood up when his mother came toward him, as did the agent. She looked down the hall and Austin saw the doctor coming toward them. For as much as Austin wanted to run the man down and demand answers, he knew that it would get him thrown out of the hospital and when his mother was finished kicking his ass, CJ would too. So he waited for the news as he held his breath.

~~~

CJ jerked awake. The pain of the quick movement made her moan and before she could put her hand over the pain in her belly, Austin was suddenly there. He held her gently but firmly, but it was still very painful.

“You’re all right. Shhhh, it’s okay, I’ve got you, babe.” She wanted to curl into his warmth, but knew she would hurt more if she did. She gave him a little push and he moved back, but didn’t let her go.

“Don’t think...” She had to swallow twice, her throat was so sore. “Don’t think that’s going to get you out of trouble with me. I’m still pissed at you.”

His grin made her heart flip, but she felt too weak to get into anything much more than a verbal match with him right now. She looked down at the IV in her hand and saw her ring was missing.

When he’d slipped it on her finger at the wedding, she couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.

A moonstone surrounded by eight diamonds, each a different hue of blues, gold and white. The band was engraved with a pair of wolves that were paired nose to nose and their paws touched over a heart. He’d shown her that inside the band were the years that each person who had used it had carved the year they’d gotten married. The first born had used the wedding band for several generations starting in the early seventeen hundreds. Austin told her they would have it engraved when they got home.

“I have it,” he told her when she asked. “They don’t want you to wear anything just yet.” He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. “I’ve missed you so much.”

She looked at the door when it opened. Austin didn’t so much as stand in front of her as he’d completely blocked whoever had come in from seeing her. The low growl made the hair on her neck and arms raised.

“I just want to talk to her. I promise I’ll make it quick.” The man sounded nervous, scared, actually. “Please, Mr. Force, just let me finish my job and I’ll leave you both alone.”

“Austin, what’s going on?” She touched his arm and felt the muscles ripple beneath her fingers. Her whole body contracted with need and he growled again, this time, she was sure, at her.

“Behave,” he whispered to her, then continued toward the man. “This man, this agent Ed Aguilar, was the one who was to be watching over you while this was taking place. He didn’t do his job and you got hurt. He wants to ask you what you know and has been waiting like a vulture for two days to do so.”

CJ was surprised that she’d been here two days, but decided that now was probably was not the time to say anything about it. Instead, she smoothed her hand down Austin’s arm and laced her fingers in his.

“Austin, let the man ask his questions. The sooner he gets this done, the sooner we can be alone and talk. You and I have unfinished business to settle.”

His hand flexed in hers slightly before he answered. “All right, but I’m not leaving. He can either ask you with me here or not at all.” The agent nodded and Austin glanced back at her. “If you mean bringing you here then that’s settled. You were hurt, an ambulance was called, and you were operated on. End of discussion. If you mean anything else, then I’m game.” The cheeky bastard winked at her then he turned back to the agent. “Finish and hurry up.”

The questions were mostly about the contact she’d had with Solomon and then a man named Sims. Also did she know anyone named Baker? For the most part, she couldn’t answer about the latter man. She’d never heard of him and until the lobby, had never met any of them. The only conversation she’d had with Solomon was over the phone prior to that.

“Why did you go down to meet him, Mrs. Force? When you knew that he was the one who stole the truck?” Austin started to speak, but she answered the agent before he could.

“The hotel called to say our wedding pictures were finished. And if you are accusing me of something then you’d better tell me what it is or this conversation is over.”

The man shifted on his feet a little, looking very uncomfortable all of the sudden. “No.