Shifted Perceptions (Alpha Division)

by C. E. Black

  “Charming,” I replied to Stone, as I turned to him. “Are they all regulars?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  I shrugged, “They’re looking at me like I have two heads.”

  Stone chuckled, as a man with dark, unkempt hair walked up from behind the bar. Human. “The usual for me, Doug. What would you like, Foxy?”

  “What’s the usual?”

  “Beer.”

  “Then I’ll have the usual.”

  He nodded to Doug and smiled back at me, but it still didn’t reach his eyes. “You definitely don’t have two heads, but if you did, I don’t think anyone would mind seeing two of your beautiful face.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re right, though. They’re all regulars, and we don’t see new faces around here often.”

  “Sounds comfortable.”

  He only nodded, as I watched him take the beers from Doug. “Come on, let’s get a table.”

  With a nod, I followed him to one of the tables in the back corner and I didn’t miss the fact that he made sure he sat where he could see the whole room, including the front door and the back hallway. It’s where I would have chosen to sit if asked, but I wasn’t asked. Instead of taking the seat directly in front of him, though, I pulled the chair around to sit beside him. It wasn’t the best view, but it was better than putting my back to everyone.

  His eyes widened a little in surprise, but he smiled and took a sip of his beer. I did the same and waited for more of his date questions, but they never came.

  Just as he opened his mouth to say something, we were interrupted, as a shadow fell over the table blocking the light from the lamp hanging above us. Stone didn’t turn to look at the intruder, but his eyes darkened to a shade I hadn’t seen yet. A lesser woman might have been shaking in her boots, but I wasn’t a lesser woman. I was intrigued.

  I tore my eyes away from his angry expression and looked up, way up at the man that stood in front of us. He was huge, his muscles stretching his plaid shirt, as he towered over us. His brown hair was shaggy, his face gruff and for a moment his blue eyes sparkled down at me before they became flat and expressionless, as he turned his attention to Stone.

  “What do you want, Ben?”

  “Sir, I need to talk to you.”

  “So talk!” I turned to Stone, surprised by his nasty attitude. Did he know who, or what, he was talking to? Ben wasn’t human and he wasn’t the type of shifter you messed with and lived to tell about it.

  “Business, Sir,” Ben said, never breaking eye contact with Stone, his posture defiant.

  Stone narrowed his eyes, obviously displeased with both the interruption and Ben’s attitude. He stared at him a moment longer, his jaw ticking, before he finally turned back to me. I raised an eyebrow and watched, fascinated, when his expression softened. Not by much, but enough to put someone at ease.

  “Sorry, but I have to deal with this. You’ll be okay here?”

  “Yeah,” I waved my hand and nodded. “Go take care of business. I don’t want your bar to suffer because you were having a drink with me instead of working.” I lifted my beer and took a swallow, as he stood, shaking his head. “I’ll be right back,” he said and walked away with Ben on his heels.

  I watched them turn the corner into the back hallway, then shifted my attention to the rest of the bar.

  One guy caught my attention, mostly because he was the only shifter in the room not watching me out of the corner of his eyes. He was a lion shifter with golden hair that hung down to his shoulders and he was leaning forward, holding the hand of the woman seated in front of him. She was staring at him like he was her world and I wondered what such a loving couple was doing in a gang like this. I also wondered where the rest of his harem was.

  Two more females glided past me and headed toward the couple. And there they were, I thought, as they both sat down on either side of the male. I didn’t want to sound stereotypical, but most lion shifters were polygamous, both the women and the men, though, I’d run across a few that weren’t.

  The four of them looked comfortable and as the two new women looked at the man and he them, the same love shined in their eyes. Hmm, a loving foursome, a pride for all intents and purposes, were part of an organization that dealt in drugs, weapons, and murder. I narrowed my eyes in thought, as I glanced around at the rest of the people in the bar. I found more couples slow dancing, one even making out in the corner. These people didn’t look like killers to me.

  Then my eyes caught sight of Flick and Flack or I should say Puckered Lips and Smiley. They were sitting on the other side of the room, glaring holes into my forehead. I smiled, waved, and drank in the glory of their scowls, especially when I saw the nasty bruise Puckered Lips was sporting. Smiley wasn’t so smiley tonight either. My grin widened just for them. The room was filled with more assholes than I thought.

  “You know, you shouldn’t taunt them.”

  I looked up at Stone, smiling for all I was worth. “I wasn’t taunting them, I was just saying hello.” I looked around him, but didn’t see Ben anywhere.

  “Sure, you were. And earlier today you were just offering them coffee and cakes when they came for a visit.”

  “My mama taught me to be the perfect hostess,” I winked

  “Well, I have to say, I am impressed by your hosting skills. Surprised actually.” He raised an eyebrow, as he looked me over, taking in my long, yet slender frame. “Those two aren’t ones for being all that neighborly and you had them eating out of the palm of your hand.”

  “More like shoving it down their throats.”

  He chuckled and this time I saw his eyes light up with real humor. “That you did. I’m impressed.”

  “Thank ya. So, why don’t you sit down and we can talk some more, or do you want to dance?” I pursed my lips, as I narrowed my eyes playfully. “Didn’t you promise to make it up to me with dancing?”

  “Hey!” A guy called out, claiming both mine and Stone's attention. He weaved through a small crowd that stood by the pool tables and made his way over. As he plunked himself down in Stone’s empty chair, the stench of alcohol wafted off of him, burning my nose. The human was slap-ass drunk.

  “I’m Jerry,” he held out his hand and I shook it politely before pulling away. His hand was sweaty, giving me the urge to wipe mine off on my jeans. Then I remembered they were my favorite pair and stopped.

  “Hi Jerry, I’m Foxy.”

  “Foxy? I like that name. Foxy name for a foxy girl,” he laughed and slapped his hand on the table, causing my beer bottle to wobble. I grabbed it before it fell and looked up at Stone. He was staring at Jerry with a blank expression on his face.

  “I had to come over and say hello to Stone’s new woman,” he hiccupped. “Cassie isn’t gong to be happy, man,” he continued, not realizing Stone’s expression wasn’t so blank anymore.

  “Man, when she sees you, you better watch out. Cat fight! Meow!” He threw his head back and laughed. I looked up at Stone and raised an eyebrow.

  “Jerry,” Stone warned and I started to feel sorry for the drunk man. If eyeballs had lasers, Jerry would be a goner.

  “So, where are you two going?” Jerry asked, ignoring Stone. Bad fucking idea in my opinion. “It looked like you were about to leave.” He listed to the side, then straightened up again. “You just got here and I haven’t had a chance to say hello. You going to the scrap later on?”

  I didn’t know what he was talking about, but Stone’s face was so red, I thought he was going to have a coronary. “We were just about to dance, Jerry. Does that jukebox over there have anything worth dancing to?”

  “Actually, I said if you were lucky.” Stone’s eyes bore into mine intently, his face purple with anger. “And I’m afraid your luck has run out tonight.” I stiffened slightly as a small tingle of fear ran up my spine, though I held my smile and tilted my head in confusion. What was he talking about?

  “Something’s come up,” he continued, “and I have to go. Maybe another time?” he asked, and
smiled tightly, as he held his hand out to me.

  I breathed a silent sigh of relief and nodded. He was just pissed about Jerry. I placed my hand in his and stood. “Of course...”

  “But, Sir,” Jerry burped and I scrunched up my nose in disgust. “Don’t you want to take her to The Pit?”

  My eyes widened. “The Pit?” I asked Stone, watching as his own eyes widened slightly before narrowing into tight slits. Jerry stood suddenly and took a wobbly step back. “I’m sorry, sir. I thought–”

  “That’s enough, Jerry,” Stone snapped. The way he focused on the drunken man, I could see he would bring retribution down on the poor guy for opening his mouth, but I was still confused. Was The Pit what I thought it was?

  “Yes, Sir,” Jerry mumbled before running off. I watched him scurry out of the bar, before turning back to Stone. “So, what is this pit Jerry was talking about?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” Stone replied, closing his hand around my arm and gently pulling me towards the door.

  I allowed him to lead me through the door and out into the parking lot, before I dug in my heels. Stone stopped, but didn’t let go of my arm, as he looked at me curiously.

  “I’m not worried about it,” I said. “But I am curious. Jerry asked if we were going to the scrap, so are we talking a fight here? Is that what The Pit is?” Stone’s expression was a closed book. I got nothing. “Tell me.”

  He sighed and looked away, his head shaking in exasperation. I waited, though not patiently, as I tapped my foot. His eyes connected with mine and our gazes locked uncomfortably. If I didn’t know better I would have thought he was reading my mind, but that was impossible. I lifted my chin and firmed my jaw. I wasn’t leaving here without answers.

  Stone nodded, happy with whatever he saw. Pulling his hand away, he said, “I wasn’t sure you would be interested, but now that I think about it,” he said. “With the way you took down Chris and Stevenson–”

  “Who?” I interrupted.

  “The two guys I sent to pick you up today.”

  “Oh, Ken and Barbie,” I nodded, crossing my arms.

  Stone’s eyebrows furrowed before he shook his head. “You are something, you know that?”

  “We’ve already established that, Stone. Now, you just have to define what that something is.”

  “I’m still working on it,” he chuckled. “As I was saying, after the way you took down my men, I think you might be more interested than I thought.”

  “Interested in what?”

  “Come,” he held out his hand. “I’ll show you.”

  I hesitated, hoping this wouldn’t come back and bite me in the ass. The mission demanded I get answers, so I knew I needed to follow Stone and find out about this pit. It could lead me to Red, but it could also be a trap.

  With his large, warm hand encasing mine, I followed Stone to the car. Here’s hoping I didn’t end up as someone’s fur coat.

  Chapter 10

  The place was packed with shouting, excited people. They cheered and hollered, jumping up and down, waving their hands, as they watched the fight going on in the arena below. The building was huge and built like a stadium, with seats going up the sides and around. And down at the bottom, where Stone and I stood, was the arena. Oval shaped with a dirt floor, the sides were enclosed with a twenty foot high fence. It was The Trench all over again.

  I did notice a few differences, though. One being, this building was not secretly hidden in a basement, but open for anyone to see. Built in a large field right outside of town, it was hard to miss. Second was the fighters weren’t in their animal forms. I knew they were shifters, but they circled each other as humans, making it look more like a raw MMA fight.

  “What is this?” I asked Stone, as I took turns watching the fight and getting a feel for my surroundings.

  “Welcome to The Pit,” he said, glancing down at me. His face was unreadable and I got the sense that he was waiting for my approval. He wasn’t getting it.

  “Huh, do you impress all your dates with illegal fighting?”

  He tilted his head, as he studied me. “No. And I will admit, this isn’t exactly legal, but we run a clean show here.”

  “Clean show?” I asked doubtfully.

  He gave a single, tight nod. “No drugs allowed in The Pit. If you’re caught using or fail your drug test, you’re out.”

  I glanced back at the ring and watched the fighters intently. They were kicking the shit out of each other for sure, but I didn’t see anything abnormal. Their eyes were normal in color and neither were they drooling that nasty red foam. But most noticeable was that If they were drugged, they would have shifted uncontrollably.

  “I have some business to take care of,” Stone said, gaining my attention again. “Will you be okay here with Ben?”

  I looked over at Ben and smiled. “Yep, we’re good. I can handle Ben if he gets out of line.” Ben’s attention was on the crowd, his gaze roaming the spectators, but I saw him roll his eyes at my comment.

  “I’m sure you can,” Stone chuckled. “I’ll be back soon,” he said before walking over to Ben. He whispered, “Watch out for that one, she can take you down.”

  Ben nodded, as his eyes met mine, “I know.”

  “But if something happens to her, you’ll have me to worry about.”

  “Understood.”

  “Good,” Stone said and walked away.

  I watched him disappear into a darkly lit doorway on the other side of the arena. I stood next to Ben and asked, “Where is he going?”

  “That’s where the fighters get ready. His office is back there too.”

  Ben crossed his arms and continued to keep an eye on the crowd, as I watched the fight, impressed with their skills. Wincing when one of the men did a swift uppercut, knocking the other off his feet, I tilted my head to speak without taking my eyes off the fight. “How are you doing, Ben? Love the name by the way. Makes you look smart.

  “Shut up, Foxy.”

  “Seriously, it suits you.” He only grunted and my jaw clenched in anger. I took my eyes off the ring and leaned closer. “Why the hell didn’t Teij tell me you’d be here, Bear?”

  “You didn’t look surprised when I walked up earlier.”

  “Good acting,” I growled. “Why are you here?”

  “The same reason you are, the mission.” Bear narrowed his eyes, as he glanced at me.

  “Really?” I asked. “Does Teij even know you’re here?”

  Bear’s arms dropped to his sides, as he turned to completely face me. His expression was one of pure shock. “What the hell, Foxy? Of course he knows.Why else would I be here?”

  “I don’t know,” I raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”

  “I am not a traitor, Foxy, and you know it,” he growled. His face turned red, as he glared down at me.

  “Just asking,” I shrugged.

  “What about you?” he suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing on my surprised face. “You looked mighty cozy with Stone tonight at the bar.”

  “What? You know how this works.”

  “What does Paul think about the way you're going about it?”

  “Who cares what Paul thinks,” I hissed. “What does that even have to do with anything?”

  “Just asking,” he shrugged, mimicking me, as he went back to scanning the crowd.

  “You didn’t answer me. Why didn’t Teij tell me you were here? And how did you get inside so quickly? I’ve only been here a couple of days.”

  “I’ve been here a few days,” he snapped. “Pretended to follow the circuit and started asking around to see if anyone needed a bodyguard. I got lucky when Stone hired me.” I nodded and looked around the arena. No one was paying attention to us, but we really needed to watch what we said.

  Bear’s eyes cut to mine briefly before looking away. “As to why Teij kept you in the dark? I don’t know. But he had to have a good reason.”

  “Right.” Like punishing me for getting one of our own captur
ed, or worse. And now I was questioning Bear’s loyalties, when I knew without a doubt he’d be the last one to do something like that. And from the look on his face, I could tell I messed up. He wasn’t just pissed, he was hurt. Just one fuck up after another, I thought.

  “Listen, Bear, I believe you. I just had to ask, you know? I trust all of you guys. Well, most of you...”

  “We’re a team, Foxy. You have to trust all of us or none of us. If you don’t, it could bring us all down.” Bear’s voice softened, as he spoke and I knew I was forgiven for being such a bitch. He was right too, of course, but... “I can’t change overnight, Bear, but I will try.”

  He nodded and I pushed away those thoughts and focused back on the job. “Have you seen Red?”

  “No,” Bear sighed. “I’ve looked, but I’m not left alone often and no one is talking.”

  “What about The Pit? Is it as legit as Stone claims?”

  “Yep. They’re volunteers and get a fair cut of the winnings. Even the losers get a little compensation. And all fighters are drug tested before each fight. I’ve seen no sign of the drug being made or being used by anyone.”

  “Shit,” I hissed. That sounded almost noble. Where the hell was Stone hiding his dirty little secret?

  “But,” Bear murmured, turning his head closer to mine. “I did notice some guys entering a hidden door earlier, before the fights began. It was back there,” he nodded toward the doorway Stone had gone through. “I plan to check it out tonight, if I can get away from my babysitters.”

  I glanced around. “Where are your babysitters now?”

  “They’re around. Your boyfriend’s coming back.”

  Watching Stone walk leisurely toward me, his confident stride demanding respect and his suit twisting and bunching in all the right places, I was sure I felt my thong falling down on its own. My body didn’t care if he was one of the bad guys and my mind was starting to agree.