A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

Withdrawing a blade from my boot, I approached Ryder from behind. With a quick leap into the air, I slashed at the rope, cutting it clean through. His body fell, but I caught him before it could hit the ground and gently laid him down. Moonlight just barely filtering in through the barn’s wooden slats, illuminated his bruised face.

He moaned and opened his eyes. He blinked, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Briar?”

"I'm going to get you out of here. Just stay quiet for a couple of minutes."

He nodded, and I lowered his head carefully to the ground and straightened. As far as I knew, there were only two guards standing out front. If there were more, then my plan might not work.

I quietly approached the barn door and peeked through the wooden boards. One of the guards held a cigarette between his fingers as he puffed clouds of smoke into the cool air. The other guard was on the ground, leaning against the barn door. The light of his phone brightened his face. Not the most attentive guards. Hopefully not the brightest either.

Scratching the side of the barn, I made a strange mewling sound. The guard with the cigarette lowered it and tilted his head, listening. I cooed again, trying to sound like a wounded animal.

"You hear that?"

The shifter on the ground raised his head. "Should we get Jackson?"

The cigarette guard glanced at the main house. “Nah. He just left here. If we go get him, he’ll be pissed if it’s nothing. Go check it out. It's probably just one of the humans.”

“Aw, man. I hate dealing with them. They’re all used up. You go.”

These guys were lazy and idiots. Two things I could work with.

Cigarette man sighed. “Fine. But if one of them jumps on me and gives me fleas, I’m sleeping in your bed tonight.”

Phone guy laughed. “Man, you’ve already got fleas. That’s what Sally told me anyway.”

The wide door opened and cigarette man stepped into the shadows of the barn. I yanked him into the darkness with me, snapping his neck before he could utter a word. I dropped his body to the ground, only making enough noise to sound suspicious. He should be out for hours until his body healed.

“Mark?” Phone man took a tentative step toward the open door. He was within arm’s reach.

I risked the exposure to snatch him too. He was bigger than I expected, but after a slight scuffle, I managed to bring him down before he could sound an alarm.

I searched the area. Cypress and gum trees lined the property, and there was a swampy area further back. That would explain the mosquitos still around, despite the cool air.

What I needed was a vehicle, one I could jump-start. Several cars polluted the compound, but I doubted a lot of them would start by their dumpy, outward appearance. I settled on an old Ford pickup and hoped their slogan: Built Ford Tough proved true.

Keeping it in mind, I slipped back into the barn and carried Ryder to the door.

"You're going to get yourself killed,” Ryder whispered, with barely enough energy to hold his arms around my neck.

I gently laid him down in the opening of the barn. “Tonight is not my night, son.”

I dashed back to where they were keeping the humans and broke their chains free. Two of them moaned but didn't speak. Either they were too malnourished or possibly drugged up. I was careful when I lifted their bodies one by one; even the man felt as if he were a child, small and fragile. I set them next to Ryder.

One of them, a woman with stringy brown hair, reached up and gently touched my cheek. “My angel."

"I'm no one's angel, lady.” I stood and listened. Everything remained quiet.

Returning to the barn one last time, I searched the barn for lighter fluid and matches. It took a little longer than I wanted but eventually I found them. I crept outside and kept to the shadows while I formulated a plan.

The tricky part would be getting several outbuildings to burn at the same time. I would need to be fast and create as much chaos as possible. I chose a shed closest to the house and three other of the smaller shacks at the rear of the property.

I started with the furthest building on the property, using only a little bit of the gas. I needed to ration it out among the cabins, and besides, I only wanted enough to capture their attention. Just as I was dumping the flammable liquid on the third one, a door opened to one of the small cabins. I ducked in time before being spotted, then peeked around.

A tall and extremely large shifter man stretched his arms to the sky, wearing only his boxer shorts. He grumbled something about a skunk and walked back inside, closing the door behind him. I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped my shoulders. I didn’t want to have to fight that one. The commotion would wake the others.

Using the last of the gas, I created a torch out of sticks and dried leaves. Hurrying so the fire didn’t reach my fingers, I pressed it to the ground. Flames ignited. I sprinted as fast as I could to the next one and lit it on fire as well.

By the time I was to the shed near the house, people had already begun to shout about the fire. And just like I wanted, chaos ensued. Several people ran from the main house when they saw what was happening. Someone drug a watering hose and began to spray down the cabins. Other people filled buckets of water from a spout behind the house.

Just like I wanted, everyone’s attention was focused on the flames.

I sprinted across the gravel driveway until I reached the old pickup truck. It would only be a matter of minutes or less before Jackson realized this was a trap to get Ryder. I slipped inside and fumbled with the wires, trying to remember how to start it from the criminal past of my youth. I finally found the ones I needed and yanked them free. Pressing them together, the engine came to life. There was so much shouting I doubted anyone heard the engine, despite it being loud.

I sped to the barn doors and, one by one, I placed the humans into the back of the truck, reminding them to keep their heads down and to stay quiet. I added a couple of blankets from the barn hoping they had the sense enough to use them. They were fading in and out of consciousness.

Ryder’s turn. I returned for him, finally feeling like I might actually pull this off, but when I entered the barn, Ryder was sitting up and staring into the darkness.

“Let’s go,” I bent down to pick him up, but he shook his head.

"It's too late."

"No it's not. The truck’s just outside."

His gaze lifted above my shoulder to something beyond. I clenched my jaw shut and lowered my head. We weren’t alone.

"I'm surprised anyone came for him.” Jackson stepped out from the shadows.

Chapter 29