The One's You Love (Cat Johnson Chronicles Book 2)

by Katerina Degratte

  "Can you come over now?" I ask in a rush. "It's important."

  "What happened?" Her tone is more awake at my alertness. I can't put the situation into words over the phone, though. It’s too much. Just way too fucking much. Out of all of the things people could do to me, why take my brother? Why not just go straight for me instead of the whole runaround?

  "I'll explain when you get here."

  "I'll be right over." I can hear her locking up her door in the background. Thankfully, she should be here soon. There isn’t as much traffic at 2 a.m. Colin … I try to keep my shit together and not start bawling. That won’t get me any answers.

  "He tastes funny." Charming tries to bite his leg, and I immediately try to shoo him off. For all I care, Charming can make a meal out of him once I’m done.

  I slap the shapeshifter across the face to get him to wake the hell up. There’s still a heartbeat, so he’s still ticking. I can't even make myself feel bad about the damage I caused. This fucker was posing as my brother, for god’s sake!

  "What do you want?" he groans. Teeth are rotten, gums fleshy that I feel a shiver run through my spine. This job should allow me to use the company's credit card for some new threads with how many clothes that got ruined on the job.

  "Who hired you?" I yell in his face.

  "Why should I tell you, stupid bitch?" The shapeshifter screams back, despite his position. Great with the derogatory terms. "Your brother was supposedly one of your best friends, and it took two, maybe three days for you to notice I wasn't him. Even with all the slip-ups. I’m surprised you didn't notice sooner," he mocks.

  I take that stupid grin off his face by kneeing him in the groin.

  "I didn't ask for your fucking commentary. Who the hell hired you?" I demand again.

  "Please don't hurt me." He shapeshifts into Susan's form, and I'm tempted to gut him right fucking there.

  "Is this for money?” My voice is shrill, sickened at all of this. He nods, it was always about payment. “I have some stashed away I could give you if you answer the questions." Sure, that'd burn through my emergency fund, but this is too important.

  "I guess I did my job for him, and maybe you look like you could take him on." The shapeshifter goes back to Colin's form.

  I punch him in the jaw. "Wear some other fucking face, asswipe!"

  He just maniacally laughs, an look that would never be on my brother's face.

  "Why do you seem less inclined to punch this face?" he retorts.

  My lips curl back from my teeth. "You're disgusting."

  "Or I could appear as the lover," he muses, transforming to a pretty girl with aqua hair. Raven. "Please don't hurt me, Cat." Eyes pleading with me as he's having fun with his shapeshifting show.

  "Are you going to tell me who took him, or am I going to have to kill you?" I snarl, punching the Raven look-alike. These games growing tiresome quickly. I just needed to find Colin! I didn’t even know if he was still alive…

  "With how long he’s been with your brother, it's likely already too late anyway." He shapeshifts to the face of Brian, making me tempted to set him on fire. He’d rather show me then tell me who took him evidently. "This face stole your brother."

  Of fucking course. What did I do to him that he would stoop that fucking low?

  I hear the front door opening, as a set of feet rush in. Raven. "Sorry, the door was unlocked. What's he doing here?" She grimaces. She must have been having her own bridges burned there, I’d have to ask her about that later. "What happened to you?" Raven gasps.

  "What?" I yell back, not understanding.

  "You have cat ears, cat eyes, and holy fuck, a tail!"

  Fuck, finding pants that fit is already hard enough as is. I must have gotten some of the chemicals on me when Maori fell onto that table.

  “That doesn't matter right now." Though, my brain is begging to look in the mirror. “This guy isn’t him. He’s a shapeshifter. Brian took my brother." The words come out of my mouth on autopilot, and I'm still having a hard time believing them.

  What has Brian done to Colin so far in all this time he’s had him? Would he just be a corpse? How far was Brian willing to go to get payback?

  Raven puts her heeled boot against the shapeshifter’s neck. Breathing getting thinner for him, as it pinches his airways. "Take us to where he is," Raven demands, it isn’t a suggestion.

  "What, no please or thanks? Just ordering me around? Ungrateful humans." He scoffs. "Don't know why I bother working with them. Always so eager to screw me over.”

  "How'd you find out?" Raven asks me.

  "He tried to kill me in my sleep." I leave out the part where Susan was warning me to wake the fuck up.

  I adjust the shapeshifter’s restraints to make sure he can't escape. "Show us where they are!"

  He rolls his eyes. "Can't believe you didn’t figure that out much, sooner since it's in the same building that you work. Talk about clueless."

  For good measure, I grab some duct tape that I had lying on the bookshelf a few feet away from my bed.

  "I don't know if that's really—" His words are cut off as the tape is sealed over his mouth. I don’t want to deal with more of his snarky remarks.

  "Thanks for coming over so fast, Raven." I'd give her a small smile in other circumstances, but I just don’t have it in me right now.

  "We'll get your brother back." She grabs my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I can only hope that she’s right. I’m supposed to be the person to take care of Colin, not the person who’s daft enough to let him get kidnapped.

  Chapter 20

  Maori

  The night sky is a beautiful sight. In the city, you can’t see things as well with all the bright lights around. Here, though, with the trees towering over you can see a clear view the stars and the moon that paint the sky. Beautiful.

  “Hey, Maori.” Tiger catches me off guard, walking over to lay beside me. He’s finally talking to me again without a sarcastic witty response. Thank the heavens. It was getting kind of lonely, and those spiders gossip so fucking much. And the downside of being stuck in these damned woods is I don’t have access to WiFi, so I can’t look up funny videos or research random topics as I see fit. I’d have to ask Cat to bring something with her next time; my brain feels like it’s deteriorating.

  “Have you seen those crappy webs Shira has been making? I mean I swear, she acts like she’s a crack addict with how unstable they are. I heard a bug managed to escape her grasp.” One of the female spiders is chattering away. What better things are there to do in the woods? I guess gossip doesn’t just stick with humans.

  “At least she makes her own,” Holly retorts, her eyes darting to a male spider that kind of just went from web to web. As long as it doesn’t include making his own designs. “Besides why does she stick with bugs? Those hardly fill us at our size now. I was thinking more so bunnies or squirrels.”

  “Some just aren’t meant for this.” The first female spider talks again.

  “Hey,” I greet, wondering what could have changed in Tiger’s mind since the argument the other day.

  “Do you remember when Cat’s friend came by here with Cat’s brother a few days ago?” Tiger asks, looking uneasy.

  Where was this leading? He wasn’t going to tell me Colin was evil, was he? Colin could be overbearing and sweet, but not evil.

  “Yeah, so what?” I ask. “I think it's already been covered care of by Cat that humans shouldn’t be allowed to come and go from here as they please.” So, I’m really not in the mood for some mood crushing lecture, especially when it isn’t me who brought Colin here. I didn’t even suggest the idea of bringing him here. “They're not exactly friends, anyway.” I’m not sure where Cat stands with Raven. Human relationships are so confusing. That's why it's much better to be a cat. They don’t hide shit from you. What you see is what you get.

  “I met him a few times when Cat and Susan were an item.” Tiger explains. Ah back to those days when it was the four o
f us in that apartment. Tiger not being around much, but making an occasional appearance.

  So, whoopty damn doo. It would have been surprising if he hadn’t. Colin, and Cat have always been close.

  “Tiger, can you please get to the point and not beat around the bush? I’m too tired for that,” I hiss. “Do you know if there's the equivalent of a library around here?” Maybe there’s a little wooden tome or something of that sort that has an array of pages.

  “Maori fucking listen! This is important!” I’m cut from my daydreams as he yells out to me. “The one who was here was not Colin. He smelled off, and his behavior was off. If you weren’t too distracted by the grooming Cat was giving you, you would have noticed that! There wasn’t any recognition in his eyes when he saw me. They didn’t have their hopeful childlike spark,” he explains, and my mind is racing. Cat had so many enemies, so I guess it’s possible it could have been a someone else somehow. Colin would never want to venture into a place like this.

  Oh my god. Tiger had suspicions for the past few days and didn’t say jack shit? What the fuck? The mystery guy or woman could have killed Cat by now.

  Cats enemies include Susan, but she’s dead. Brian! Brian who didn’t even want her accepted by HQ to come back after the incident that happened with me growing ten times larger. “Why the hell didn’t you say something sooner?” I shoot daggers at Tiger with my eyes.

  His shoulders slump. “Sorry, I was still being all pissy.” He didn’t warn me of a life-threatening situation, because his tail was still slumped between his legs? Fucking ass.

  If that shapeshifter, or clone, pr whatever it was that was around Cat, she was in trouble! “I have to help her!” I exclaim.

  Who knows what other aces Brian has up his sleeve? The fact that he would go so low as to go after Colin was sickening. I guess he really doesn’t have any standards.

  Tiger puts a paw on my arm, looking at me desperately. “You can’t expose yourself like that, Maori. If humans see your form, they’ll shoot at you!” The words are lost on my ears, my mission. I can’t have Cat face the biggest issue to arise alone.

  “I didn’t say you had to go, Tiger. I was saying I’m helping my human. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” A new regained sense of purpose flows through my veins.

  “You said you wanted to check out the book area,” he offers, not wanting me to leave the safety of the branches.

  “If I’m alive afterwards, then we can go there.” First mission is to save Cat and her brother. If it's not too late.

  Chapter 21

  Cat

  Raven, the shapeshifter, and I get to HQ headquarters after what feels like a century long drive. When in reality it was maybe ten minutes max, but the stress was eating me alive.

  “What room are they in?” I yell out to the shapeshifter, needing to know.

  The shapeshifter just shakes his head, indicating towards the duct tape sealing his lips.

  I rip it off, not showing any mercy. No guilt felt, as there were a few pieces of flesh that got ripped off as well with the strength of the rip.

  “Basement,” he coughs out. Great, so the furthest room to get to from the entrance. Had to make it work either way.

  “Let’s go.” I holster him up, Raven quick to be by my side as we make our way out of her car, and start walking towards the building. The process takes devastatingly long as I scan my keycard in. It takes a few tries since I’m rather shaky, and can’t get it to stay still enough to scan. “The fuck-” I start, but Raven lays a hand on my hand with the keycard.

  “I can get it, Cat,” Raven offers. She manages to get hers to go through on the first try, much to my relief. We make it through the tall glass doors, immediately rushing to the counter. Ignoring all the questioning looks as we make our way.

  “What's going on, guys?” A slim guy with glasses at the counter asks, seeing that we have a prisoner in our grasp. It doesn’t help that I’m on a probationary period. “Cat, did you get into cosplay? Looks realistic.” He stares at the cat ears, gasping as my cat ears twitch in annoyance.

  “I need to go to the basement,” I tell him. He opens his mouth as if to argue, but I beat him to it. “Brian kidnapped my brother and has him down there.”

  “That’s not possible. He wouldn’t do something like that. And you aren’t authorized to go to all parts of the building with your probationary period.” I don’t need the rules or the ethics talk right now. I need to get to the basement.

  “I need to go there now.”

  “We can have someone else check it out when there’s time.” And how long could that take? Minutes, hours, days? Raven takes the lead, yanking the keycard to the basement, that’s on a tab underneath the counter while he’s distracted with giving me the order of speech. “You can’t take that!” he tries to yell, but we run as soon as she has it. Or try to run with a captive as fast as my legs will take me, while holding the captive. Maybe Brian would accept him as a trade for Colin, doubtful though.

  He presses a button on the intercom. “Cat has gone to the basement. Having gone mad as she thinks Brian took her brother. Try to intercept her when she gets there.” He orders out. Bloody brilliant.

  I may have gone mad, but I wasn't making this shit up.

  We’re at the end of the hall, and luck is on our side as we get into the elevator, showing the card for the right location. Much to our dismay some of the other HQ members are waiting in there for us.

  “Well, you ladies are some rogues, aren’t you?”

  “Shut up,” I shoot back.

  “I’m just saying—” The rest of the words are lost on me as the elevator opens to the basement. Brian sitting in the middle of the room, as if he was waiting for me to arrive. Colin’s eyes are shut. I worry until I can see the slight tremor of his chest breathing air in and out.

  “We’re here to protect you.” One of the other soldier boys are at the door, but Brian snaps it shut. Leaving just the five of us in here alone. Protect him, or me, or did the men even know?

  “Thanks for the concern, but this is a fight I have to have myself.” Brian’s eyes never tear away from mine. “I figured you would eventually lead her here. Can’t trust the demon sort.” The snarls glaring at the shapeshifter, who manages to squeeze out of my arms, during the confusion.

  The shapeshifter growls in response. “You’ll regret saying that!”

  The huge glass doors of the basement are clear, so they can see that I wasn’t as mad as a hatter for thinking Brian took Colin. It was a large area, with brick walls nearly thirty feet going both directions. About twenty feet tall. Just a throw away area where documentation got tossed when the jobs were done.

  “She wasn’t lying! He has someone trapped in there!” One of the soldiers struggles at the doors to no avail. “Please turn yourself in!” He yells towards Brian, but those words are lost on his ears.

  “Why did you do this Brian?” I ask him, not understanding what Colin had to do with any of this. I always knew Brian was a scumbag, but I never thought he would stoop so low.

  He stands up walking towards me, as I momentarily feel frozen. Attack him, go to Colin’s aid? “Why?” He circles me, as if he’s a vulture stalking its prey. “You ruined my life!”

  “I hardly call falling down the rabbit hole ruining your life!” I call back, referring to the time I stumbled across the organization when Maori ran off.

  “Not that. Think back to high school.”

  Just another day of hellish high school. I was at my locker, set to grab my stuff for the end of the day. Unknown to me there was a surprise waiting in there for me, because when I opened the door thousands of worms came falling down. I let out an unearthly screech as they fall towards me. Struggling to get them off, and stomping them into the ground.

  A few onlookers see but just find it amusing. One runs off.

  “I told you I would do this to you, Cat. Years ago, in that 8th grade science class,” I hear Brian’s voice behind me. One of m
y many bullies who would aim to make my life a living hell.

  These aren’t just regular worms, either. I see the ones that stuck, chewing through my clothes. Some cause flesh wounds on my shoulders. Seeing in horror as they’ve eaten through my textbooks in the locker as well, I aim to get them off. Seeing pieces of my hair being chewed off. Was there anything they couldn’t chew through?

  “Are they eating through things? It was just supposed to be a scare tactic.” Brian backs off, as if not expecting that. He’s not gone soon enough though as the principal rounds the corner.

  I think I got all of them off. But find another on my neck, a shriek following as I tear it and the flesh off it was chewing at, stomping it down with my combat boots.

  “What's going on here?” He looks between the two of us.

  Brian’s eyes plead out to me to not tell, to cover his actions with a lie. Fuck that! “Catherine’s just being weird—”

  “He put these flesh-eating worms in my locker!” I point an accusatory finger at Brian. Immediately jumping back to get rid of the worm on my finger. I’d have to use the gym lockers, and see if that had a spare uniform around for me to wear.

  “Catherine, go to the nurse's office. Brian, we need to talk.”

  “I got expelled and lost my football scholarship. You ruined my life!” Brian screams at me. Something that happened eight years ago causing so much pain and resentment, to get us here. A gun pulled out.

  “You brought that upon yourself. You tried to kill me!” I blurt out, not seeing how I’m to blame for his shitty actions.

  “Well it's not going to be a mere ‘try’ now.” Everything goes in slow motion as the bullet leaves its barrel. The rooms glass doors being broken through, as I see my familiar feline friend. Her jumping right in front of the bullet meant for me.

  “Fuck! That was meant for Cat, Maori.” The company's soldiers surrounding him, as they get in through the hole Maori made. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of me,” Brian warns. He throws something that causes a puff of purple smoke to come up. It clouding everyone’s vision, as we’re all in a smoky cloud. Once it clears, and things can be made out, he’s gone.