Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Rescue [The Shifters of Alligator Bend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (14 page)

Oscar increased his pace once Adele licked all the cum off of Xavier’s cock, and Xavier leaned back on the bed to enjoy the show. Even though he was done, he enjoyed watching Adele getting fucked by his best friend. He loved the way her breasts bounced with each thrust, the way her hair fell in her face as she tossed her head back in response to the stimulation.

The biggest thrill, though, was when Oscar reached around and pinched one of her nipples, rolling the puckered nub between his fingertips. In that moment, he sent Adele over the edge. Xavier watched her face as the orgasm raced through her, seizing up all her muscles. Her eyelids fluttered and her lips pressed together in a thin line before she screamed with the pleasure that filled her body. Behind her, Oscar stopped moving and gave a long, low groan, consumed by his own release.

“We hate to leave,” Xavier whispered, slowly rousing himself from the bed. “You know that, right?

Adele smiled. “I know. And I hate that you have to go.”

“Come out to the houseboats when you’re done with work on Friday,” Oscar said, leaning over to give her one more kiss. “We’re gonna be workin’ on a new plan to rescue Rosaline and Armand, and figurin’ out how to save Georgina. Can you give us some help?”

“I’ll be there. Now go, get back to your congregation. We all have work to do. I’ll see you both tomorrow night.”

* * * *

Adele was surprised to find that her day flowed smoothly. She was still worried about Georgina, and still desperate to figure out how to rescue Rosaline and Armand, but the experience she’d shared with Xavier and Oscar that morning and the night before left her feeling more hopeful. She knew they would all get through this.

Throwing herself into her lab work, Adele busied herself with research, and then settled down to work on writing her final exam for the semester. Throughout the afternoon her thoughts turned to Georgina and the pain she would feel when the banishment ceremony happened, but Adele reminded herself that this was the only way to save her life, and that it was the best possible solution.

The sun was beginning to set when she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Adele said. She checked her clock. She wasn’t expecting any students that day, and most of the department was gone for the evening.

“Surprise!” Georgina said, striking a silly pose.

Adele jumped out of her chair and rushed to hug Georgina. “How? How did you get out?”

Georgina laughed. “It wasn’t that difficult. It required more patience than anything else, really. It was a matter of staying in gator form and biding my time. I had to figure out the entrances and exits, figure out where the security cameras were and whether or not they tracked motion. I had to figure out how often his security guard walked the premises. Fortunately, I was the only gator in his collection at that point, so I was the only one in the habitat and didn’t need to worry about contending with other animals. I just had to wait and figure out the vulnerabilities in his system so I could shift back to human form and bolt before anyone noticed.”

“Still, that couldn’t have been easy all by yourself.”

Georgina shrugged. “I had no choice. My survival was at stake. The security at Villemont’s mansion is tight, and I didn’t want to endanger anyone in the congregation. Plus, I couldn’t link up with the other gators from that far away. But I didn’t want to stay there any longer than I had to. I guess I’m just perceptive.”

“What about Serafine? She has ESP. You couldn’t communicate with her?”

Georgina shook her head. “It’s a limited range, remember? I was much too far away for her to be able to pick up on what was going on in my head.”

Adele moved back to her desk and started packing her bag. She didn’t want Georgina to see any trace of disbelief on her face. Georgina was smart, and despite her tendency to blow off fieldwork trips, was a stellar student. But her story didn’t add up. For all Georgina’s abilities, Adele couldn’t quite believe she’d managed to escape such a well-secured mansion so quickly.

Something about Georgina’s demeanor was off, too. Even if the escape had been plausible, Adele couldn’t imagine Georgina looking that well-rested. But her student’s voice was animated, her eyes were bright, and she seemed ready to take on the world. She definitely didn’t look or sound like she’d overcome a terrible ordeal.

“We should head over to the congregation right away,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her suspicion. “They’ll be ecstatic to see you. Plus, they’re probably getting ready to do the banishment spell. God, I’m so relieved. We were all so distraught, thinking we’d have to do the ritual to save your life.”

“Let’s go, then. We definitely need to make it back as soon as possible.”

“Okay. Let me check if the department has any boats that are currently free. That will save us the trouble of going through a rental company.”

“I have a rental, actually. My initial plan was to get out and go straight to the congregation. But I changed my mind and came to see you first. Anyway, I do have a boat for us. Let’s go.”

Adele almost asked Georgina how she managed to rent a boat without having a boating license or credit card on her. Her wallet had been left on her houseboat before the party. It was more efficient for her to leave everything behind, rather than risk losing it in the chaos of the rescue mission when she shifted. There was no way Georgina would have been able to procure a rental without those two things. But she didn’t think it would be useful to question her, at least not right then. The last thing she needed was Georgina getting defensive. She wouldn’t get any answers if Georgina didn’t trust her.

They arrived at the congregation just as the sun was beginning to set. Georgina handed control of the boat over to Adele as the boats came into view. With a mischievous wink, she dropped to the floor of the boat, so that it looked like Adele was steering alone.

Manuel was strolling on the deck of the main houseboat when Adele pulled up.

“Hey there!” he called, waving. “Xavier and Oscar told me you wasn’t comin’ out until tomorrow night!”

“Change of plans,” Adele said with a grin.

“Well, I’m always a fan of a good surprise.”

“In that case, you’ll love what I’ve brought with me.”

Georgina jumped up with a smile on her face. “Hey, Manuel. Anything important happen while I was gone?”

Manuel’s eyes widened. “Well, hot damn!” he cried. “What ya doin’ back, girl? Did Adele here bust ya out without tellin’ us?”

“I wish,” Adele said with a laugh as Manuel helped both women up to the houseboat. “She managed to get herself free.”

“Well I’ll be,” Manuel said, his eyes shining. “Damn, you have no idea how relieved how I am, how everyone else is gonna be. We didn’t wanna have to banish you.”

“Believe me, I’m glad I don’t have to go through that, either. Getting captured was awful enough, thank you.”

“This gives me hope that we’re gonna get my wife and son back.”

“Of course we’re going to get them back,” Adele said.

“Hey, what’s going on out here?” Oscar asked, stepping out onto the dock. He grinned when he saw Georgina, and rushed to swoop her into a hug.

“How the hell did you get back in time? God damn, Georgina, we were so scared.”

Georgina laughed. “It’s a long story. Let’s go inside, and I’ll tell everyone. Hopefully supper’s ready, because I’m starving.”

Adele grabbed Oscar’s arm and held him back as everyone else rushed into the cabin.

“Something doesn’t seem right to me,” she whispered.

Oscar raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that something about Georgina’s story just seems off to me. Have a listen for yourself, and tell me what you think.”

Oscar nodded. “I will.”

* * * *

“It was really easy for me to figure out the flaws in the system,” Georgina said to the crowd that had gathered around, excited to hear about her adventure and escape. “Whatever Villemont paid for the guards and cameras, I’m not entirely sure he got his money’s worth. The cameras were based on motion sensors, and the alarms were disabled by the zookeeper plugging in a key code. Of course, I was in gator form the entire time. Right before he was supposed to come in and make the rounds to check the animals, I hid out in a nearby bush. He keyed in the number, opened the door, and the second the camera started tracking him, I darted through. Didn’t think I was going to make it before it shut, but I made a good sprint and got through just in time.”

“So then what?” Oscar asked. As he listened to Georgina’s story, he found he couldn’t help but agree with Adele. Her escape story seemed way too good to be true. It shouldn’t have been that easy. “Did you just shift into human form and make a run for it?”

“I stayed in gator form as I made my way across the premises. I didn’t know what lawn security was like, of course. As a gator, I could hide. If I got caught, it would be easier to pass as an escaped gator than a strange woman running loose on the property. I moved as quickly as I could until I got to the gate, and once outside, I shifted and made a run for it.”

Oscar nodded. “What about clothes? I can’t imagine nobody would have paid no mind to a naked woman sprinting down the street.”

He thought he detected a look of panic in Georgina’s face, but she went right on with her story, as though he was silly to ask such a ridiculous question.

“Well, I didn’t shift back into human form right away, of course. I stayed as a gator, taking care to keep near bushes and other places where I wouldn’t be seen. It was a long crawl, but I managed. When I got into town, it was all a matter of waiting. I crawled along until I got myself to a Goodwill store and bided my time. It was late evening, and they were gonna be closing for the day. I just lurked until someone came and dropped off a bag after-hours. The nighttime donation bin was full, so they tucked it behind. That’s when I shifted back, and tore in. The clothes didn’t fit so well, but they sufficed.”

“So where did you sleep last night, then?”

“Oh, I got a cheap motel. Slept in because I was exhausted, then got up and bought some clothes that fit me right. Then I went and rented a boat, went to Adele’s office, and the rest is history.”

Now Oscar knew she was lying. He knew perfectly well that her wallet was still lying on her dresser, where she’d left it before the first botched rescue mission. He turned his head slightly and raised his eyebrows at Adele. She gave him a slight nod.

“How did you get the money?”

Everyone in the room turned to look at Adele, whose hands were suddenly shaking. Oscar felt his stomach clench as a feeling of tension settled in the air.

“What do you mean?” Georgina asked with a laugh.

Adele stiffened and suddenly seemed angry. “I mean that part of the plan was that you were going to leave your wallet behind so nobody would have to worry about picking it up during the mission. The plan was for you to leave it in your bedroom rather than taking it into New Orleans. So how did you get the money to buy new clothes? How did you rent a boat without your ID?”

“I don’t think you have the right to question me,” Georgina said, her voice icy. “It was your fault I got captured in the first place.”

Adele sighed and rubbed her temples. “I don’t know how many times I have to explain myself. Villemont’s event didn’t get scheduled until after ours. I suppose I should have booked the entire place, but quite honestly, I was so caught up in planning that it didn’t quite cross my mind that it would be an issue.”

“It ain’t your fault,” Xavier said. He turned his focus to everyone else in the room, taking care to make eye contact with Manuel and Andre in particular. “Don’t you all go blamin’ her. She’s done nothin’ but help us. Without her signature, Georgina wouldn’t have gotten access to the Aquarium. It was her idea to throw the party, too. It ain’t like we had any better ideas.”

“Of course you’re defending her,” Georgina snapped. “Don’t you have any loyalty to your family?”

Oscar instinctively reached out and placed a hand on Adele’s shoulder. He felt Xavier slide an arm around her waist.

“Let’s keep our heads together,” Oscar said. “Things didn’t go as planned the other night, and we didn’t accomplish our mission, but it don’t make any sense to be snippin’ at each other.”

“Besides,” Xavier said, “things not goin’ accordin’ to plan last night don’t change the fact that it doesn’t make sense that you got new clothes and a boat without any money. I hate to say it, but it does seem kinda suspicious.”