“Thanks, I hope I don’t have to use it.” Menot flipped the charm over in his hand.
“You don’t use it, you wear it. It will do all the work for you.” Theirno stood up. “Maybe I should go with you. In case you need back up. Everyone could use a dragon in their corner.”
“Suit yourself.” Menot shrugged and slipped the necklace around his neck. “We’ll take my truck.”
Menot took Theirno down the staff elevator since it was a straight shot to the parking garage. He kept glancing over at Theirno. His thoughts kept going to the same thing. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
“Why would you help me?” Menot asked as he led Theirno to his truck. “You don’t even know me.”
“Not too long ago, I was faced with a similar situation, but I was unable to help. I’m just trying to make up for what I couldn’t do then,” Theirno said, then went around to the passenger side of Menot’s truck.
“I appreciate it,” Menot said getting in to the driver seat.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Theirno warned.
Menot peeled out of the parking garage and headed to the warehouse district that Antoine drove to last night. He prayed this was where he took Foxy. He didn’t realize how much he needed her until he was faced with losing her.
The warehouse district was dark. Most of the lights had been busted out, leaving the place in shadows and darkness. A few of the roads were filled with the homeless making shelter for the night with tents of cardboard and tarps. It would be hard to track Foxy with the strong smell of decay. Menot rolled down his window, hoping to catch her scent through the smell of impending death. It would be easier if his bear did the tracking. He stopped his truck where he lost sight of Antoine last night. They were deeper into the warehouse district and further away from the luckless lanes of despair.
“I’ll go on foot. You follow behind me.”
Menot got out of the truck and eased the door shut. Theirno slid over to the driver side and adjusted the seat for his extra height. Theirno nodded to him when he was situated. Menot didn’t waste time when he stripped his clothes off. He took off the charmed necklace and tucked it in his pants pocket and handed Theirno his clothes. He walked to the front of the truck and Theirno turned off the lights while he shifted to his bear. He walked to the edge of the warehouse and sat down. Closing his eyes, he took in all the scents around him. One scent stuck out from the rest, the scent of blood. Antoine. He opened his eyes and stood up. Looking back at Theirno, he gave him a nod to follow. In the distance, he could see a pair of car headlights. He didn’t wait to see if they would turn in his direction.
Menot turned down the road on the right and followed the bloody scent. The copper smell was hard to miss, and it got stronger the further down they went. Please don’t be Foxy’s. Menot picked up his speed and ran. The weight of his body thudded with every step. He followed the scent around another corner then he heard it. Music played, echoing out from a warehouse.
Theirno pulled the truck to the side and got out, bringing Menot’s pants with him. Menot shifted and waited for Theirno to catch up. He quickly pulled on his pants. Can’t go on a rescue with your slong hanging out. Together they quietly eased up to the warehouse the music came from. From the looks of the other warehouses, there were doors on both sides of the building. Hoping the back door would give them the element of surprise, they crept around to the back side of the warehouse. The music was loud enough to hide the noise of Menot breaking the lock on the doorknob with a tight grip and a firm twist. He cracked the door open just enough to see what was going on. The scent of magnolias wafted out the door. Foxy. He knew immediately she was in there, though he couldn’t see her. All he could see was a row of crates stacked fifteen feet high. There wasn’t anyone in view, so he opened the door a little wider and slipped through. Theirno followed through the partially opened door and eased the door closed behind him.
They were blocked by a wall of crates. Menot eased his way to the right. He quickly picked around the side of the stack of crates. Hanging from the ceiling was a grate with a woman tied to it with rope. Her head was hanging limp, but he knew it wasn’t Foxy. Menot signaled to Theirno that he was going to go to the other end. Foxy’s that way so that’s where he needs to be. He slowly made his way to the end where the music seemed to get louder. He peeked from around the crates. Foxy was in nothing but a g-string, giving Antoine a lap dance. Before it could register in his mind what she was doing, she grabbed for the gun sitting on the arm of the chair. She didn’t make it and she stumbled back clenching at the glowing blue rope around her throat.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Antoine stood up. He grabbed the gun and pointed it at Foxy.
Enraged, Menot ran out from behind the crate. The shot rang out just as he jumped in front of Foxy. The bullet pierced through his shoulder but Foxy was unharmed. The front door of the warehouse burst open, but Menot didn’t know who came in behind the crates. Antoine pulled the trigger again as he aimed at Menot, but his gun jammed. Antoine threw down the gun and muttered words. With a grin he took off in the direction Theirno was waiting.
“Get out of here,” Menot told Foxy as he started sitting up.
A blue glowing rope slithered like a snake from under the chair. It came his way and tried to wrap around his leg, but when it touched him the blue glow faded away and fell limp to the floor. Shots rang out on the other end of the warehouse. Manot looked up to Foxy wondering why she didn’t leave. That was when he noticed her face growing pale. The blue rope around her neck was cutting into her neck. He could see blood dripping down her neck. Magic! Quickly he stripped off the charm necklace and placed it over Foxy’s head, letting it hang on her neck. The blue rope lost its glow. It turned to a regular brown rope and Foxy took in a deep breath. Wrapping his hands around the rope, he used the strength of his bear to break her free. She slid the ropes off her arms and engulf him in a tight hug.
“Stay behind me,” he told her.
Menot looked down the warehouse in the direction Antoine ran. Tactical police were on the left shooting at Antoine, but the bullets never reached him as if he had a shield blocking his back. He was facing to the left where Menot had left Theirno. Blue sparks flew from Antoine’s hands toward Theirno, who didn’t seem bothered by it at all. Theirno blocked every spark that flew at him, sending the sparks flying off in random directions. It reminded him of a video he played as a young boy. Menot ran over to the crate he came from, pulling Foxy along with him.
“Stay here.” He positioned her behind the crates. “Make yourself as small as possible so you don’t get hit by a stray spark.”
“No, I’m coming with you.” Foxy held on to his hand.
“Baby, I swear I’ll come back for you. I need to help Theirno.” He kissed her hard before leaving her behind the crates.
He eased himself down the line of crates, trying not to draw attention. Every spark Theirno sent back just barely missed Antoine. Antoine screamed with frustration and threw out two sparks at once. Just as Theirno blocked the spark, sending it back, Menot hit Antoine from the side. The push sent Antoine right in the path of his own spark.
Antoine screamed as the spark hit his chest. He flew back against the crate the police team was hiding behind. Antoine fell face first onto the floor in a limp lump. Detective Haze stepped out from behind the crate with two men from the tactical team.
“I believe this is your murderer,” Menot told him as he walked over to Antoine’s body. With his foot, he flipped Antoine over onto his back. His chest was a blackened mess, charred from his own spark.
“Jasmine!” Foxy came running out from behind the crates. “Menot, she’s still alive.”
They all looked up to the crates hanging above them. The man that went missing from the club was hanging lifeless from one of the crates. Jasmine hung from the other crate, but she wasn’t moving. The glowing ropes holding her to the crate began to fade as the life drained from Antoine. When the ropes turned brown
again, Jasmine began to slip from the crate.
“I got her,” Theirno placed himself underneath Jasmine. When the ropes came loose, she fell into Theirno’s arms and he gently laid her on the floor.
“Get a medic in here,” Detective Haze called out.
“How did you find us?” Menot asked the detective as Foxy went to slip on some clothes.
“I had a warrant for Foxy’s phone, and I tracked it here. Seems I got the wrong person, but it led us to the real culprit.” Detective Haze checked Antoine for a pulse.
“How is that possible? I lost my phone when Antoine grabbed me.” Foxy came back over to them. She had a red mini dress pressed against the cut on her neck.
“Actually, I found it.” Menot pulled her phone from his pants pocket where he placed it before leaving the club. He held it out to her. She placed her hand over his and stepped closer to him.
“I’m glad you found me. I didn’t think you would even look for me,” she told him looking up at him with those beautiful eyes.
“Baby, I will always come for you.” He pulled her close and pressed his lips against. She wrapped her arms around him, and he winced when pain struck his shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” she back up. “You took that bullet for me.”
“I was just covering my fox. Any man would have done the same thing for the woman he loved.” He smiled at her and pulled her close, claiming her lips again.
“I hate to break up your reunion, but I need statements from you,” Detective Haze interrupted them.
“I think you should look in the crate at the end down there. You’ll have all the evidence you need to close the case. Antoine had been at this for a long time,” Foxy told him.
“Unbelievable.” Detective Haze shook his head. “My case was solved by a stripper and her bouncer.”
Thirteen
Foxy stood outside of the warehouse answering Detective Haze’s questions, refusing to go to the station, while a medic took care of the cut around her neck. One shift would take care of the wound, but it seemed to make the medics feel better if they wrapped it. She made a list of customers that suddenly stopped coming in. Not everyone was reported missing, so it gave him something to go off to try and identify who the hands belonged to. CSI was inside taking pictures and collecting evidence. Medics carted Jasmine away on a stretcher. Since she was a shifter, they believed she would make a full recovery. As one ambulance drove Jasmine away, Menot sat in the back of another getting his shoulder wrapped. No doubt refusing to go to the hospital as well. It took over an hour of statements and questioning for the detective to let them leave. Foxy couldn’t have been happier to get away from the warehouse district.
“How are you doing?” Menot asked as he opened his truck door for her.
“I’ll be fine. They found my bag inside, so I’ll be able to get into my apartment.” She got in and slid over. “I just hope Jasmine will be okay.”
“You think she’ll be nicer to you now?” Menot asked climbing into the driver seat. Theirno got in on the passenger side, sandwiching her between them.
“I highly doubt it. I’m sure she’ll blame me for this, even though I saved her from being killed.” Foxy shrugged. It didn’t matter either way.
They rode back to Heads N’ Tails in silence. Foxy laid her head on Menot’s shoulder as he drove. Every so often, Theirno would quietly sing along with the music. Foxy couldn’t seem to grasp how he was happy after what just happened.
“Why are you so cheerful?” She asked him.
“Any time you go into battle and come out alive is always something to be cheerful about.” Theirno replied.
“I guess you’re right.” She looked up at Menot.
It could have easily gone the other way with her had Menot not shown up. Antoine would have shot her, then killed Jasmine. Menot pulled into the parking garage but didn’t park.
“Do you want me to drop you off at your ride or are you coming up?” Menot asked Theirno.
“I think someone owes me a stiff drink,” Theirno said.
“I can handle that.”
“How about two?” Foxy said between them.
“Deal,” Theirno agreed.
Menot pulled into a spot down from her car. He held the door open for her to slide out. Together they rode up to the 10th level in the staff elevator. Foxy held Menot close, not caring if Tony saw them. No one was in the hall when the doors slid open. Menot didn’t pull away from her.
“You’re not worried about Tony anymore?” She asked him as they stepped from the elevator.
“He knows already.” Menot shrugged. “He didn’t fire me on the spot, so we have that going for us.”
“Tony’s one thing, my customers are a different story. So, once we enter those doors it’s strictly a work relationship.” She set her boundaries. She couldn’t have customers seeing she was taken. That’s the quickest way to lose money in this business.
“I can handle that. I told you. I won’t come between you and your money. I’ve seen you do your thing and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I personally love when y’all do your thing,” Theirno interrupted. “I’d like to see more do their thing.” He nodded toward the door. Foxy let out a laugh and stepped away from Menot.
“Alright, let’s go,” she told them.
Passion was dancing on stage and waved as they came in. The club was as busy as always. Tony was bartending, which meant Nina was on break. They went down to the end of the bar where Menot stood most nights.
“I’m glad to see you made it back.” Tony wiped the bar in front of them. “Should I expect Detective Haze to come busting down the doors?”
“We just left the detective. Can we get a round of vodka?” She asked Tony.
“How about a shot of Moonmist?” He offered.
“Even better,” she agreed.
“Tell me what happened.” Tony poured them each a shot of Moonmist and one for himself.
They each tossed back their shot and set the empty shot glasses back on the bar. Foxy told Tony how Antoine had grabbed her before work and what happened with Landon and Jasmine. Menot explained how they found the warehouse and what they found when they got there. Theirno told him about Antoine’s attack and the police busting in, only to take cover.
“Where were you when Theirno was fighting Antoine?” Tony asked Menot.
“Oh, he was covering his fox.” Theirno winked at Foxy.
“Hey, I did save us from being there all night with you two slinging sparks back and forth,” Menot claimed.
“How did you bounce those sparks off?” Foxy asked Theirno.
“When I was younger, I ran into some bad luck with a witch. My sister, Mara, taught me how to deflect. I’m not that great with aiming it back, as you saw, so she created the charm you’re wearing to block or neutralize magic.”
“Well, thank her for me.” Foxy took off the necklace and handed it back to Theirno.
“I would but she isn’t with us anymore.” Theirno looked over at Tony.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Foxy felt bad about saying anything at all.
“It’s okay,” Theirno said. “We lost her to dark magic long before she died.”
“At least something good came from her magic.” Tony filled the shot glasses with a double shot of Moonmist. “You two can have what’s left of the night off.”
“That’s good because I wasn’t planning on clocking in.” Foxy laughed. “I need to shift so I can get rid of this blood necklace I have going on.”
“Yeah, I don’t want you bleeding on my stage,” Tony agreed.
“Let’s go for a run,” Foxy suggested to Menot. “We both need the healing.”
“I agree with you there.” Menot nodded. “Theirno, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done tonight.” He shook Theirno’s hand. “You’re alright in my book.”
“And you in mine,” Theirno replied.
“Tony, we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Come up to the restaurant tomorrow before work. Dinner’s on me because you’re not getting hazard pay for tonight.” Tony smiled.
Saying goodbye, Foxy and Menot headed out to the elevator. On the way down Foxy insisted on driving. She didn’t want Menot using his arm until he was able to shift. The wound on her neck stung from the gauze pulling at the drying blood. His gunshot wound had to hurt more. When they exited the elevator, Foxy took his hand in hers. He smiled and kissed her forehead.
“You should stay at my apartment tonight. You know, so I can nurse you back to health.” She pulled her keys from her bag and unlocked her car.
“Sure, I would have invited you over to my house but all the furniture doesn’t arrive until Daylyn gets here tomorrow.”
“Is Daylyn one of the guys living in your house?” She asked then got in the driver seat.
“Yeah, him and Brayson,” Menot said as he got in.
“You should invite him to go with us tomorrow. Show him around a little.”
“I’ll see if he wants to ride up here.”
Foxy drove out to the park. She pulled into the same parking lot as the last time they were there. She wasn’t planning on running to the small lake like they did last time. They just needed the healing power of the shift to start the healing process. They shifted out by the car after throwing their clothes in her car. Foxy dashed into the wood line and waited for Menot. He had a slight limp from his shoulder wound. The more they walked around the woods the less his limp would show until it finally went away. That was how she judged their time out there. She wanted to make sure he healed properly. The more time they spent as their animals, the faster they healed. After an hour of chasing each other through the trees, they headed back to her car. Menot’s limp wasn’t noticeable anymore. When they arrived back at her car and shifted, Foxy looked in her side view mirror. The cut around her neck had completely healed. There wasn’t even a red line to show where it was. Menot’s shoulder wasn’t completely healed. It was now a red puffed up scar inside of a bullet hole.
On the way to her apartment, they stopped by a drive-thru and grabbed some food. She dropped Menot off at his truck so he could follow her to her apartment. It wasn’t too far from Heads N’ Tails so it only took them a few minutes to get there. They parked it the parking garage attached to her apartment building. Before she could get out of her car, Menot came around to open the door for her as he did often. As she got out, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers.
Covering His Fox: Paranormal Dating Agency (Heads N’ Tails Series Book 4) Page 8
