“You think they’re planning something bigger?”
“I don’t know, but I’d say we have to hurry.” Without hesitation, the two men jumped out, making sure to close the doors as silently as possible. As they crouched down, using the shadows of nearby buildings for cover, old memories started to resurface. Warren remembered all the times he would go on rounds with Leo, searching abandoned villages for signs of the enemy. Most of the time, they wouldn’t find anyone. One time, however, they found a little girl picking through the trash, looking for something to eat. They had carried her back to camp. The last Warren had heard she had been adopted.
He smiled. Leo might be a pain in the ass, but he was halfway decent sometimes.
The two men approached the warehouse. “Shh, I can hear talking.” Leo stretched his hand, preventing Warren from taking a step forward.
“You guys better let go of me right this instant or I swear, the second I get free, I’ll kill every last one of you.”
“Such a feisty girl. We like that. You’ll be a lot of fun for my comrades. They like the dramatic American girls…”
“Go to hell, you pig.”
“You’ll pay for that… little girl.” The sound of a harsh slap echoed in Leo’s skull. He couldn’t stand the thought of someone laying a finger on Roxie. His whole body started to tremble. He just couldn’t control himself any longer. He started to transform, his body becoming blurry.
“What are you doing?” Warren hissed, seeing his partner betraying their plan. They were supposed to sneak in together, not charge in there like a bunch of animals. But before Warren could stop him, Leo was already growling as a giant bear, his large body towering over Warren’s crouched form. “You can’t –”
Fueled by rage, Leo didn’t think twice before he charged into the warehouse, crashing through a nearby window. The glass shattered all over the ground, small pieces digging into his skin, but he didn’t care. At that moment, all that mattered was Roxie. He had to find her. He had to save her. He got up on his hind legs and roared loudly, giving away his position.
And it was a mistake. An even bigger mistake than what he had done ten years ago. In an instant, there were at least fifteen guns pointed right at him, the little red dot of a scope hovering over his heart.
“We thought you might join us, Leo.” A man with a long beard stepped out of the shadows, a smirk on his face.
Leo took a step forward, his lip curling with anger.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He snapped his fingers and the light in the back of the room turned on, revealing Roxie for the first time. The man stretched out his hand, placing the cold barrel against Roxie’s temple. Her eyes grew big as she noticed Leo. “What are you doing here? You have to get out! These men are –”
Before she could finish her sentence, the leader butted her with the handle of his gun. “Shut up.” He whispered in her ear, pulling her hair back.
Leo nearly lost it. His whole body was shaking. He was two seconds away from charging at this man, but if he did that, then Roxie would get shot… What was he supposed to do?
Chapter Eleven
“Look… we can all walk away from this situation without anyone getting hurt.” Warren had climbed through the window with his hands up and the sniper still slung over his shoulder. “We know you don’t actually want the girl.”
“Ah, the bear’s faithful companion.” The leader smirked. “You two were together when you murdered my father. It’s only fitting that you should be together now when I’m about to destroy your lives.”
“We know you want revenge… we know you want us. Now let go of the girl and we’ll go with you willingly. We’ll do whatever you want.”
“No. Warren, you can’t do that. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me!” Roxie tried to struggle against her bonds. The leader pulled on her hair even harder.
“Shut up bitch, let the mutt talk.” The leader whispered into her ear, his tongue coming dangerously close to her skin.
“Don’t you dare touch her.” Leo had turned back into a man, every fiber of his being shaking with anger. “Or I swear, I will kill you.”
Warren glared at Leo, praying he wouldn’t do anything rash again.
“Such a bold threat from someone with a bunch of guns pointed at his chest.”
“I don’t care. I’ll rip out your throat before any of them can even pull the trigger.”
The man grinned, running the gun along Roxie’s chest. She shivered, her heart pounding a mile a minute. She couldn’t quite understand why she was in this situation. One moment, she was filling out applications, the next she was being thrown into the back of a van. Now, here she was, tied to a chair. She wished someone would give her some answers for once.
“We can settle this peacefully,” Warren called out, hoping to diffuse the situation. “No one needs to get hurt.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Wade. You two must die. I just haven’t decided how I’m going to do it yet. Do I kill you now, in front of this girl, or do I kill you after I have made her beg for her life? Or maybe you’d prefer to die after her brains have been splattered on the ground.”
Leo took a step forward, his whole body shaking. “I swear to God if you do anything…”
“Leo, don’t!” Warren grabbed his hand before he could do something that would get them both killed.
Roxie looked at the two men with fear in her eyes. The barrel of the gun felt so cold against her temple. She had been saying a prayer under her breath for the last five minutes, not knowing if and when this man would pull the trigger. Her life started to flash before her eyes. It hadn’t been a very good one, but she certainly didn’t want it to end. She couldn’t leave her brother all alone in the world. While the men were distracted, she started to rub her wrists together, hoping to cut through the rope that held her hostage. If she could only get free, she would be able to shapeshift and give these brutes a piece of her mind. Tied up like this, however, she risked dislocating her arms or worse – she could transform incorrectly and she didn’t even want to fathom what that might feel like or what it would result in.
“Listen. Just let go of the girl and we’ll do whatever you want.” Warren repeated, taking the gun off his shoulder. “We understand that you’re angry about what happened ten years ago, but there’s no need to bring her into this. She had nothing to do with it.”
“Doesn’t she now? You know who else was innocent? My fiancée. She didn’t survive the massacre that you started. She was pregnant with my child. The Gorillas were the only group that protected her from the extremists who wanted to kill her for her bastard child – for my child. I did everything to protect my family and then you came in and destroyed everything – my family, my home, my whole life. Why shouldn’t I kill something you hold precious?” He asked, his voice shaking. Roxie flinched as she heard him taking off the safety. His finger was on the trigger now. All he had to do was pull it and her brains would be all over the place.
She shut her eyes tight, praying for a painless death.
Leo lost all control. Shapeshifting, he started slashing at all the nearby men. They crashed into the wall with such force that they didn’t get up again. Some of the other men were rattled, their sights getting skewed as they stepped back. Warren quickly turned into a wolf, rushing them, hoping that no one got to their senses and fired.
The leader dropped his gun as Leo grabbed his arm, crushing it between his jaws. He screamed out in pain and punched Leo in the nose, blurring his vision and making him let go. Roxie fell over in her chair, her head banging against the hard concrete. She groaned and tried to wiggle away.
Across the room, Warren was covered in blood as he ripped out the throats of some of the terrorists. Their guns were scattered all over the room. Behind her, she could hear the sound of Leo growling and struggling with the leader.
Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the room. Everyone stopped before Leo’s monstrous roar bounced off t
he wall. With a mouthful of blood, Warren dropped the man he was currently tearing limb from limb and ran to Roxie’s side, his large body covering her. She held her breath, seeing the large animal so close to her. If she wasn’t a shifter herself, she would’ve been both frightened and amazed by the sight.
Warren leaped behind her, joining Leo in attacking the leader. He had his gun in his hand, his other arm hanging limply by his side. There was blood running down the gash and he looked very pale. Warren wondered why Leo hadn’t just killed him when he had the chance. He growled, stepping closer. Leo following suit. Neither one of them cared that there was a gun pointed at them. “Don’t come any closer!” He said, his fear starting to seep into his words. “I’ll shoot!”
Leo seemed to almost snicker. Suddenly, he charged, swiping at the man’s hand at the same moment he pulled the trigger. The sound of the bullet exploding out of the chamber was deafening. Then, they both heard Roxie’s scream.
***
Roxie felt like her head weighed a ton and her eyelids were made of lead. As she tried to move, she felt the scratchy surface of unknown bedsheets. Where was she?
While still in the darkness of semi-unconsciousness, she tried to remember what had happened.
The only memory she had was being tied up in a warehouse with a bunch of creeps who kept asking her where Warren and Leo were, but of course, she didn’t know. She hadn’t seen the two men since kicking them out.
Then, the leader started to torment her with his gun, pushing it against her lips, asking her to suck on the barrel. Roxie nearly got herself killed by talking back to him, but she couldn’t control her temper. If she hadn’t been bound, she would have ripped that man to shreds.
The hours dragged on before Leo burst through the window as a bear, looking to take everyone by storm, but he was ambushed. He should have known better. Roxie remembered the two men fighting in their animal forms. They were powerful and elegant in their movements, making her stare at them in amazement, despite the urgency of the moment.
The image of Warren tearing someone’s arm off stuck in her mind. What had happened to them? The sounds of two gunshots echoed through her mind. Had they gotten injured? Were they even still alive?
It took a lot of effort to open her eyes, her eyelids slowly peeling apart. A bright light flooded her vision, forcing her to close them again. She whimpered, her eyes irritated. Where was she? Why was everything so bright?
She tried again, her senses coming back to her. To her right, she could hear a beep, beep, beep sound that was slowly getting faster. Straining her hearing, she could also make out the sound of water dripping in the distance. As she took a deep breath, she picked up on familiar scents. Warren and Leo! They were there, right beside her.
Her eyes shot open and she instantly regretted it. The bright light was blinding. She tried to pull up her hand to shield her face, only to find out there were a series of strange wires stuck to her arm. “What the…?” Her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton.
“Shh. Don’t strain yourself.” Warren’s smooth voice broke her confusion as he rested his hand on hers, trying to calm her down. “You’re safe now… there’s no need to worry.” He squeezed her hand, gently rubbing it with his thumb. “You’re safe now…” He repeated.
She turned her head to look at him, squinting through the light. “Where am I?” She asked, her voice hoarse.
“Here, have some water.” This time, it was Leo who spoke up, gently pressing a glass to her lips. Roxie drank from it, thankful for the cool liquid as it ran down her throat. She hadn’t realized just how thirsty she really was.
Trying to sit up only made the two men stop her, resting their hands on her shoulders. “You shouldn’t move too much…” Warren explained.
“Why?” Roxie asked, looking between the two men.
Leo sighed. “You were shot… I tried to stop it… but I was too late.”
“I was shot?” Roxie couldn’t believe what he was saying. She moved her body slowly, trying to pinpoint exactly where her injury was.
“Yes. Through the chest… you were lucky… if it was just an inch or two to the left… it would’ve pierced right through your heart.”
“Even so… Warren had to run as fast as he could to get you to a hospital. The cowards destroyed my truck. It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”
“I don’t understand… I don’t feel like I was shot.” Roxie gingerly felt her chest, but all she felt was a dull ache.
“You’re a shifter. We heal rather quickly.” Warren whispered, wary of where they were. “We were surprised when you showed us your true form… but we’re glad. If you were human, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
The three of them fell into silence as the seriousness of the moment settled. They had come close to losing it all. “I’m sorry…” Leo whispered, hanging his head in shame. Maybe if he had listened to Warren, none of this would’ve happened.
“Don’t be,” Warren said. “If you hadn’t charged when you did, that bullet would’ve gone right through her skull. For once, your desire to kill everything in sight actually helped the situation.”
“I still don’t understand…” Roxie’s head felt muddled. “Why did they come after me? What was that guy talking about?”
Warren sighed, sitting on the edge of her hospital bed. “It’s a long story.”
“And I want to hear it. I want to finally figure out what happened to you two – why you are constantly at each other’s throats. I nearly died because of something you’re hiding, something from your past. I deserve to know.”
“She’s right.” Leo cleared his throat. “Ten years ago, Warren and I were in the Navy Seals together. We enlisted with some fellow shapeshifters as a special group created by the American government to take down high-threat terrorists. Warren signed up with his entire pack. They were famous for being the best trackers in the field.” Leo repositioned himself in his chair, looking uncomfortable.
“One day, we got the mission to go after the Mach Gorillas. They were a group of extremists who were planning to build and launch a missile. We, of course, couldn’t let that happen. Warren’s pack tracked them down and we spied on them for quite a while. Some of the wolves in our group even infiltrated their lines and managed to gain their trust. Soon, we were sure that we had them exactly where we wanted them. They were vulnerable and all we had to do was get in their base of operations and take the leader hostage.”
Roxie listened to the story intently, drawn in by the seriousness of Leo’s voice. “Everything was set up and everyone had taken their position. Everyone but me. I thought it would be a good idea to just rush in there, catch them by surprise and make myself a hero. It didn’t exactly work out like that. I rushed in before the mark and some of the terrorists saw me. They detonated a series of landmines they had all over the camp. People were screaming everywhere. Guns were fired. It was hell. By the time I stumbled out of the camp, everyone was dead. Everyone but Warren and me…”
“So that’s why you hate Leo so much…” Roxie whispered, looking over at the wolf. “You blame Leo for the death of your pack.”
Warren grounded his teeth together. He was trying to forget the past. “Yes.”
Neither of them said a word. “I know now that it was a stupid and reckless thing to do. For years, I never apologized for what I did. I tried to convince myself that I had done the right thing. That anyone would’ve done the same, but if I had just listened to orders like I was supposed to… Warren’s family would’ve still been alive.”
Roxie was about to say something when a nurse walked in, carrying a tray of food. “Ah, Miss Moreno. It’s good to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?” Roxie didn’t know how to respond. Did this woman know that she was a shifter and capable of expedited healing?
Warren squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry… She’s a good friend of ours and she’ll take good care of you. She was overseas with us. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be alive today.
Took care of us when we stumbled out of that failed mission.” Warren was trying hard to forgive the bear. After all, it had been more than a decade ago, but he just couldn’t forget about his pack.
“I’m sorry…” Leo got up, running his fingers through his hair, looking upset. Before anyone could stop him, he stormed out of the room.
Roxie felt like she should say something, but all she could do was look at the bland hospital food that was being placed in front of her.
Warren left as well, leaving her alone with the nurse that started to take her vitals, trying to start up a light conversation. Roxie, however, just wanted to follow the two men out.
Chapter Twelve
“What was all that about? Don’t you think we should be in there with her, comforting her in her time of need?” Warren asked, catching up with the bear in the hall.
“No, I don’t. Don’t you see we’re just causing her more harm than good? If it wasn’t for us, she wouldn’t be here right now. And if it wasn’t for me charging into that camp all those years ago… we wouldn’t have people trying to get their revenge on us.”
“Look. We were in the Navy Seals. There are always going to be people coming after us, trying to make us pay for what we did. What we did was in the name of our service.” Warren said, placing his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “I’m willing to put the past behind us… if you agree to do the same. I can now tell that you regret what you did.”
“I do…” Leo looked up, sadness in his eyes. “And I’m sorry it took me all these years to admit it.” He sat down on a nearby bench, his head in his hands. “I feel terrible.”
Warren was surprised. He never thought he would see the bear break down like this. Even after the initial incident, Leo had never once apologized for his actions. He had simply held fast to the thought that he had done nothing wrong.
“It’s fine…”
“No, it’s not. I killed your whole pack. I killed them.”
“Anything could’ve triggered those mines. You just happened to be the catalyst…”
Claimed by Two Navy Shifters Page 9
