Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Rescue [The Shifters of Alligator Bend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (16 page)

“Where we goin’ instead?”

Adele was silent for a few minutes as she navigated to the park and drove until they were secluded. Hopping out of the car, she hurried to join Xavier in the back.

“I was hoping the two of you could join me back here for a few minutes before I took off for the hotel.”

Oscar didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried in to her other side. Xavier kissed her before he moved his mouth down and slid each of his fingers between her lips, one at a time. Oscar kissed her before he reached into her skirt and began stroking against her clit and G-spot, and Adele moaned into each mouth as it pressed against hers. Gradually, the man who wasn’t kissing her began to nibble at her neck and collarbone, so their lips and teeth were always on some part of her body. With each gentle press of teeth into skin, the pleasure grew even faster. When Xavier released her hair and raced his hand up her shirt to reach her other breast, Adele’s cunt seized up with orgasm, and then release flooded her body. She was grateful that Oscar’s mouth was bound to hers, because it would have been too difficult for her not to scream if her tongue had been free. Instead, she moaned into him, feeling her pleasure reverberate against his lips.

Adele gasped for breath as both men slowly pulled away. “I really, really missed the two if you.”

“We missed you, too, baby,” Xavier said. “But this is almost over. And then, we’ll have all the time in the world for each other. At least, if that’s what you want.”

Adele smiled. “I know I don’t want to spend four days away from you again.”

She was reluctant to move back up to the driver’s seat, but also knew that Oscar and Xavier had people waiting on them. Oscar got out and returned to the front passenger seat, giving her room to move around to the front. As she steered through the city, Oscar reached over and began to lightly caress her thigh. Xavier, sitting in the back, reached forward and tickled her neck.

“Careful,” she said with a laugh. “The last thing we need right now is for me to get in a wreck.”

“We’ll be careful,” Xavier whispered in her ear. “I promise, we won’t ever let anythin’ bad happen to you.”

When she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, Adele parked the car and got out with them. Xavier walked around and gave her a deep, long kiss, and Oscar came up to kiss her as well, his tongue lingering between her teeth.

“See you tomorrow,” she whispered.

“Five o’clock,” Xavier said. “The deal is supposed to go down at six fifteen.”

“We’ll be waitin’,” Oscar said. “And thank you again. It means a lot to us.” Xavier squeezed her hand and followed Oscar to the hotel. They both turned and waved at her as they disappeared into the building.

* * * *

At five twenty, Oscar was pacing around the hotel room. He couldn’t stop worrying about the possibility of things going wrong, of someone getting injured or killed, of losing Rosaline and Armand for good. Those weren’t the only thoughts running through his head, either. During his brief separation from Adele, he found that he couldn’t get her out of his mind. The thoughts that had been running through his head and heart, the ones he had been so afraid to admit to himself, had taken a firm grip on his consciousness. He couldn’t deny his love for Adele any longer. But he still wasn’t sure that she was going to become his mate, and the thought of losing her terrified him just as much as the thought of losing Rosaline and Armand. He planned to tell her how he felt as soon as the rescue was over, but he couldn’t help but worry that, once all was said and done, she was going to leave him and Xavier behind.

“Calm down,” Manuel snapped. “You’re makin’ everyone else nervous, too. Especially me. And I don’t need that right now.”

“Sorry.” Oscar sat down on the couch, but even that didn’t stop his anxious energy. His leg began jiggling as though it had a will of its own.

“Where’s Adele?” Manuel asked. “I thought you said she was gon’ help us. Don’t tell me she screwed up again.”

“Adele did not—” Oscar started to say, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He got up and hurried to answer it. Adele was standing there, just as expected.

“What’s the crowd like in there?” she whispered.

Oscar leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. “Unfortunately, that ain’t the welcoming you can expect from most of the people in there.”

“I’ll manage,” Adele said, flashing a nervous smile.

“What’s goin’ on over there?” Manuel called out. “She comin’ in or what?”

Oscar sighed and opened the door, letting Adele in.

Andre jumped to his feet. “Okay, she in on the plan? Did you boys brief her properly? I don’t want any mistakes this time. Not one. That clear?”

“Don’t worry,” Adele said. “Oscar and Xavier did a good job of filling me in last night. We go, I distract the people making the sale, and you bust out the gators. I’m still worried that it’s a trap, but I’m all in.”

Manuel snorted. “A trap? How could it be a trap?”

Oscar jumped in. “She’s just lookin’ out for us. Always potential for danger.” He knew Manuel and Andre refused to believe there was anything suspicious about Georgina’s story. Not that it mattered. They’d still all be taking the risk to save their family.

“It ain’t a trap,” Andre snapped. “And I don’t like the implication that we don’t know what we’re doin’.”

Adele went pale. “That’s not what I meant. I just—”

“She’s just lookin’ out for us,” Xavier said. “Which is mighty nice of her, considerin’ how you treated her a few days ago.”

“Okay, we ain’t gettin’ anywhere,” Oscar said. “Let’s just get going.”

“Georgina’s kidnapping was staged,” Adele burst out. “I think she’s working with Villemont. They arranged it, and now she’s in on the sale, too.”

“Your opinions didn’t sit too well with us a few days ago,” Andre said, his tone cool with measured anger. “What makes you think we wanna listen to ’em now?”

Oscar knew he had to jump in and stick up for Adele. “It would explain how she managed to get free so easily,” he said. “And how she managed to rent a boat without a license or credit card.”

Andre’s face was rigid. “No. It ain’t possible.”

Adele turned to Serafine. “You believe us, don’t you?”

“Back on the boat, I said Manuel was makin’ a mistake by judgin’ you. My opinion ain’t changed.”

“Then why won’t you convince him?”

“Won’t do much good to use magic to turn stubborn heads. They’ve gotta learn it for themselves.”

“We believe her,” Xavier said.

“’Course you believe her. But I don’t.”

Andre sighed. “We’re runnin’ out of time. We need to head over there soon. This ain’t the moment for fightin’.” He turned toward Adele. “If you’re goin’ to help, help. We gotta get movin’. No more blamin’ people or bein’ suspicious. Just keep it to yourself and let’s rescue our family.”

Adele nodded. “That’s fair.”

“Think you can control your accusations long enough to do that?” Manuel asked sarcastically.

“That’s enough, Manuel,” Oscar said, trying to control his temper. “You want to get this rescue mission going, let’s move out. If she gotta keep her thoughts to herself, so do you. Xavier and I don’t take too well to someone pickin’ on our mate.”

Manuel sighed. “Fine. Let’s get goin’. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

“Thank you,” Adele whispered, taking Oscar’s hand as the group filed out of the hotel room and hurried down toward the Aquarium. It was a smaller group this time than before. Serafine was staying behind at the hotel, as were a few other gators who were on backup. It was just Manuel, Andre, Oscar, Xavier, and Adele. Too many hands would make the situation more complicated. They were all silent as they walked. Manuel and Andre were both fuming, Adele seemed too nervous to talk, and Oscar wasn’t about to risk ruffling any feathers. He could tell that Xavier was being cautious, too.

As they approached the back doors of the Aquarium, Oscar dropped Adele’s hand. He briefly tested the handle. He wasn’t surprised to find it locked. Channeling all of his strength, he threw his weight against it, and it yielded with such ease that he almost stumbled.

They heard an alarmed voice from down the hall. “What was that? Who’s there?”

Adele took off running toward the direction of the voices. “Stop or I’ll call the police,” she called.

The rest of the group rushed behind her to find a security guard stepping out of a small office with a severe expression on his face.

“You’ll call the police?” he asked, reaching toward his belt as if preparing to grab a weapon. “Who are you people, and what are you doing on the premises? The Aquarium closed an hour ago, and anyway, you have no reason to be back here.”

Adele showed no fear, and instead walked even faster. “I’m a biology professor, and I’m here to stop the unlawful transaction happening here tonight.”

The guard laughed. “What are you talking about, lady? There’s nothing going on here. Everyone has gone home for the night, except me. Now, turn around and leave before I have to be more forceful.”

“I see Villemont is paying you off, too. Let me through to the alligator exhibit. I am not letting anyone get away with this.”

The guard grabbed Adele’s arm. “Just a minute, lady—”

Oscar didn’t let him finish. He reached out and grabbed the guard’s other arm, pulling him away from his mate. Oscar could feel his teeth beginning to change and fought to keep his gator self back. The last thing he needed at the moment was a sudden shift.

“Not so fast,” Oscar said, accentuating his words with a growl. “You do not touch her, or you will answer to me, understood? Now, we are going to the alligator exhibit, and you are not going to stop us. Is that clear?”

“I—I can’t do that.” The guard was trying to look tough, but Oscar could feel him shaking.

“You can, and you will. You’re outnumbered, and you’re not stupid. Now get out of our way.”

Oscar pushed the guard aside and stormed through the back offices until he reached the door that led to the main floor of the Aquarium. He raced up toward the second floor, where the gator exhibit was. Adele hurried on ahead of him, moving so quickly that he soon lost sight of her. He hung back a moment so the rest of the group could catch up, and as they approached the exhibit, Oscar could hear Adele yelling.

“This sale is illegal, and I
will
call the police,” he heard her say.

Oscar listened for a reply. Instead, he heard a gunshot and a scream.

“Shift into gator form,” Xavier yelled. “If they’re armed, we have a better chance if we’re gators.”

“We’ll never take them down that way,” Oscar yelled back. “Humans have the advantage on dry land. We work best in water.”

“No, we gotta change,” Xavier said as they ran. “We’re safer that way.” He stopped, dropped the pack he had been carrying, took a deep breath, and let the change overtake him. The second the change was completed, Xavier dashed toward the sound of the gunshot.

“No way in hell,” Manuel said, and kept running.

Oscar began to realize that Xavier probably had a point. Although he didn’t want to lose his human speed or height, but there were some useful aspects to shifting. In their alligator form, bullets wouldn’t pierce their skin. His powerful jaws and tail would come in handy.

He decided to let Manuel and Andre handle things in human form and closed his eyes. At first, his mind was racing, and it was difficult to find the focus he needed to change. So he let his anger take control and send his alligator instincts into overdrive, giving him one of the fastest shifts he’d ever experienced.

Just as Oscar let the change take over his body, he heard another bullet fly from a gun. This time, though, the following sound wasn’t a scream. It was a groan, and it came from Manuel. Racing toward the display, his stomach knotted when he saw Manuel crumpled on the floor.

Pausing just briefly enough to take stock of the situation, he found some relief when he realized that Adele had not been shot. Unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly safe, either. Instead, she was pressed up against the glass of the alligator display, Villemont’s gun pointed directly at her.

Andre seemed to be in the best position. He had a museum employee in a headlock, and Oscar presumed it was the person Villemont had managed to bribe in exchange for his family members.

Oscar realized he wasn’t the least bit surprised when he saw Georgina standing in a corner, looking terrified and lost. Xavier had his attention focused on her as well, and when she saw them, her skin grew even paler than it already looked. Oscar wished that he was in human form so he could demand an explanation from her, but that would have to wait.