Heartfelt (18 page)

“Conrad, that’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? Think about it. Casey had been friends with Jackson since high school. But it was when Jackson’s father, William Carter, put Jackson and Lacey in danger, that Casey changed his relationship with his friend. He became a protector. That first situation with Carter led to more danger and more humans involved with the colony and learning our identities. It all goes back to human activity.”

There, he’d spoken his truth. Asia already knew how he felt about humans, but this direct accusation that they were the source of the were-cats’ dangerous encounters would be hard for her to take.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Her words came out quiet, somber. “Your mind has been poisoned by your upbringing, Conrad. You’re better than this. Human behavior is different than ours, but they are not as a whole evil.”

He peered at the approaching preserve, the reality of what waited there rumbling in his chest, and felt the years of loneliness and feeling different swirl in his gut. But the years of living among humans had shown him what they were like. Egotistical, careless, short-sighted, brutal.

“I’m sorry. You see things differently.” Even to his own ears he sounded detached.

He didn’t want it that way, but it was self-preservation. An old pattern that had always kept him safe.

“No, I’m sorry. For you. Such a belief will harm you and those you love.”

He clenched his jaw, fears creeping through his body. Maybe he’d been too quick to let down his guard and trust his heart. “Let’s table this and get our game faces on, what do you say?” He tried for levity, but it flopped on the floor when he saw a wall go up in Asia’s eyes.

“Sure.”

He pushed the exchange out of his mind as he pulled up onto the grass and parked beside Asher’s Tacoma. He needed all his brain cells working on what was to come.

Kennedy nodded, the signal that she’d shut down security. Without talking, they all walked the short distance to the place in the fence where Conrad had cut it. He motioned them through, then squeezed through himself.

With Conrad at the lead, Asher, Asia, and Tizzy sprinted to the far side of the building, while all the other were-cats but Kennedy set up watches in pairs throughout the treetops. Kennedy, with her tablet, joined Ben and Sterling and Jackson and Lacey in patrol on the ground.

At the far side of the building, Tizzy crept toward the building. She studied it for a minute, no more, than leaped high up the two stories to the flat roof. She landed softly, and Conrad watched as she stole across the roof.

Dawn had not yet arrived, so darkness permeated the grounds. He suddenly realized the humans with them were at a disadvantage. They couldn’t see in the dark. He turned in their direction and saw the two groups back in the trees, each sporting a flashlight. He sighed, feeling stupid. It should have been covered in the planning meeting, but at least Sterling and Lacey and Ben and Jackson, seasoned investigators, knew what they needed. He grimaced to himself. Even after what he’d spouted in the car with Asia, he realized he did trust the humans in their life. But, admittedly, he believed they were the exceptions.

He turned back and saw Tizzy signal them to follow her. He signaled Asia first to climb up. She leapt to an overhang halfway up. Another jump and she was on the roof.

Conrad flashed her thumbs up, and motioned the others to follow. Quickly, they each made their way to the roof, where Tizzy had located an access hatch. She’d checked out the other end, she whispered, and it led down a ladder and into a large storeroom.

The idea of dragging Casey up the ladder didn’t set well with Conrad, but they’d have to make it work.

Inside the storeroom he saw the others look around, sizing up what was stored there. Adrenaline pushed him to move, find Casey. He opened the door at the other side of the room, just to peek out. He saw an empty hall. He gathered scents. An odor of alcohol and other chemicals mixed with human scent wafted to him. He didn’t know any of those scents, but he paused when he picked up the whiff of were-cat.

He motioned everyone out and together they followed their noses down a hall that circled to the right. This was the second floor, the one where they’d found Asia’s mother.

The rooms they needed were close.

Conrad jogged to another room. It was a room they’d seen before. It was different this time. The men in the beds were gone. He kept following the hall, suspicion spiraling up his spine.

Tizzy sprang ahead, peeking in windows and moving, room after room. She raised her nose at the precise moment Conrad caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Casey was close.

Sprinting to catch up with Tizzy, he stopped short at her side when he got a whiff of human. Two of them. Conrad motioned to Asher and pointed in the direction that the scent was coming from.

Conrad and Asher marched around the corner, Asia and Tizzy fading back momentarily.

Asher’s face took on a look of focused concentration as he and Conrad approached two guards sitting at the door of a room.

“Hey, you there. Stop. This is a restricted area,” ordered one. Both guards jumped up and pointed guns.

“Stay where you are,” ordered the other guard. “What are you doing in this building?”

“Sorry, sir. We’re lost. Where are the baby tigers?” Conrad fixed his gaze on the guards, waiting for Asher’s nudge to take effect. When he saw one of the guards reach for his radio, Conrad leaped on him, knocking it out of his hand. The radio flew across the floor and smashed into a cement wall, splintering into pieces.

Then the pressure of Asher’s nudge took over. Conrad didn’t know what the nudge suggested, but he could guess by the men’s subsequent action. One of the men unlocked the door to the room they’d been guarding while the other sat on the floor, a slack expression on his face.

Conrad tossed the guard still standing to the ground, but he didn’t need to, he realized. Asher had nudged them both to sit still on the floor, just outside of the room.

Inside, Conrad found Casey, alone, lying in a bed, unconscious. “Asher,” he whispered, “find a tablet with Casey’s records in it.”

Meanwhile, Tizzy and Asia ran into the room and straight to Casey. Tizzy checked his pulse and his respirations, then stopped to release her breath. “Thank God,” she whispered.

“Casey, can you hear me?” Tizzy shook him gently.

Casey murmured something unintelligible and his eyelids fluttered.

“Stay with him, please, Tizzy.” Asia peered over Asher’s shoulder as he stared at the tablet. “Here, let me take that. You’re already expending energy and brain activity to keep those two under the nudge.”

“Thanks.” He walked to the door and leaned against the doorframe, his brow knitted in concentration.

Urgency pulsed through Conrad, waiting for Asia to find useful info on Casey. He focused his keen hearing, testing for sounds from outside the building.

With a wave, Tizzy caught his attention. “I’ve been monitoring for sounds. Nothing has popped up yet.”

“Okay, I have Casey’s information.” Asia didn’t look up as she scrolled down the chart. “He’s received one injection of Ativan, a sedative. That probably was the injection the big guy gave him when he caught Casey. The second is scheduled for nine o’clock tonight.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh, he’s scheduled for an implant in the morning at eight.”

Conrad quickly flipped through reams of thoughts in his mind. “Were-cats have fast metabolism. We may be able to rouse him enough to get him up. It’s five thirty right now.”

Tizzy’s eyes widened. “We’ve got to get him out of here.”

“Right. Let’s get him on his feet, if we can.” Asia pulled Casey up and he tried to talk again, then slipped back down. “Help here?”

Conrad raced to the bed. “Let me try picking him up. He can revive as we go.”

Asher grabbed the key ring off one of the guards and the guns. He winked at Conrad. “Watch this.” He reengaged with the guards. The men stood and walked into the room and sat down. “I told them to wait here.”

Asia pulled at Casey’s left side with help from Tizzy. Conrad lifted him, groaning. “He’s big but so am I,” he grunted.

Asher locked the door and caught up with the others. As they trotted back toward where they came in, Conrad picked up new scents. Human and were-cat. “Keep your senses tuned in. We don’t want any surprises.”

With stealth and speed on their side, the four of them made it to the storage room door. Tizzy flew up the ladder and opened the hatch.

With Asia’s help Conrad moved Casey to his shoulder and headed up the ladder. As he got closer to the opening the scents grew more intense. He peered into the darkness and found the other colony members. Something restless in his gut told him other subtle sounds from somewhere farther away were going to be bad news.

Asia and Asher climbed out after him and closed the hatch.

“Where am I?” Casey tried to lift his head.

“You’re with me. Conrad. I’ve got you, man. Keep quiet.” He motioned to the others with him to jump down. Ideas for getting Casey and himself to the ground floated around in his mind. If Casey was still too sedated to walk, it was going to be nearly impossible.

“I’ll take him.” He hadn’t noticed Tizzy standing behind him. “I’m strong enough and I can make it one jump. Easy cheesy. Trust me.” Her eyes met his, challenging him.

“I don’t feel right about it, Tizzy.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“You’re so small. I can’t expect you to be able to do this.”

“You’re seeing me as a human. I’m not. I’m not as strong as you are but I’ve got what it takes. I’ll take care of him.”

Reluctantly, he laid Casey over Tizzy’s shoulder. She immediately walked to the ledge.

“What’s happening?” Casey’s voice was getting clearer but he still slurred his words.

Conrad heard Tizzy’s sweet voice assure Casey. “It’s okay. Hang on tight. I’m about to jump.”

Conrad held his breath.
Oh God, what have I done?
Then he heard Tizzy’s feet thud. He ran to the edge and watched her carry Casey into the woods.
I guess she was right. She could handle him.

He leaped to the hangover, then to the ground. He stood just inside the forest for a moment, gathering information from his senses. The sounds he’d heard a few minutes ago seemed to have quieted down. The scents still wafted in the air, prickling his skin. It was his signal to get off the grounds.

He threaded his way to where he saw the others waiting. Casey was standing beside Booker, his arm draped over Booker’s shoulder as he appeared to be delivering his healing touch.

“Good to see you upright and conscious,” Conrad said, grabbing Casey’s hand. “With some help can you make your way to the vehicles?”

Casey growled quietly. “Of course. Let’s get moving.”

While the others surrounded Casey as they trotted through the forest on the way to the fence, Asia fell back with Conrad.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a whisper. She ducked to avoid a branch, but barely missed a beat.

“Yes, are you?”

“I am.”

“Did you hear or see anything suspicious while you were waiting? In the trees you had a good vantage point.” His heart was heavy, unsure of himself with Asia. Their conversation in the car about humans left a sore spot between them. But again, there was no time to talk. “I heard and smelled things.”

“The animals are making sounds. I heard that and smelled a variety of animal scents.” Her breath was heaving now. “But yes, I also smelled humans and were-lynxes. The were-lynxes smelled peculiar.”

“Yup. That’s what I thought.”

The light of dawn hadn’t quite reached the forest floor, but the were-cats threaded skillfully and swiftly through the trees. Suddenly, Conrad stopped. “Someone or something is coming toward us.”

Asia had stopped, too. They exchanged a knowing look. “What should we do?”

“You should go with the others. Tell them to get to the vehicles and get Casey out of here.” His gaze lingered on her. Shadows fell across her face, but he could see her features clearly. Conrad wanted to hold this image of her, her lovely face, for as long as he could.

Her eyes hardened. “I’m not leaving you.” She turned to see the others had stopped a few yards away. “Go,” she whispered. It was quiet but with their keen hearing they heard her. “We’re going to draw the men away.”

Conrad took off sprinting, dropping his feet to the ground in loud thuds, heading through the trees past the research building on the side closest to the approaching sounds. Asia picked up a large stick from the forest floor and followed him, thrashing the stick through the undergrowth.

The leader of the group of men spoke in low tones, but his voice came clearly. “You in back, follow the stinkin’ intruders going toward the fence. The rest of you come with me.”

Asia eyed Conrad. She motioned with her head toward the direction they’d been running in. He nodded, pressure building in his body. By the volume of the man’s voice and the intensity of scents, he gathered that the approaching group of men and were-cats were still about one hundred yards away.

A hard knot gripped his stomach. He could see in his mind’s eye that something big was upon them. The others wouldn’t have made it to the vehicles yet. He hoped they wouldn’t get cut off from an escape.

Asia grabbed his hand and pulled. Side by side they thudded through the trees, the sounds of their opponents growing nearer. At least his plan was partially working. He and Asia were drawing the menace away from the others. But still, a part of the group could be gaining on his friends.

“I’m going up for a minute. Look around,” Conrad whispered to Asia.

She nodded and stood close the trunk of the tree as he climbed through the branches to get to the top. He peered in the direction of the voices. He easily found them, marching forward in his direction. He counted twenty men in plain black short-sleeved shirts and black pants. Their muscles bulged and their faces were grim, determination knitting their heavy brows.

His pulse pounded, though, at the sight of about the same number of were-lynxes in the formation. They didn’t look like any were-cats he’d ever seen. They marched on two feet, standing upright on two, furry human-like legs. They wore the same dark uniform, but their large, furry arms poked out of the uniform shirt. Their fur-covered human hands sprouted long claws. And their heads, with big cat ears tipped with tufts of fur, had faces of a very large lynx or bobcat. Their jaws were enlarged, and from their mouths he could see long fangs protruding.