Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection

by Kerry Adrienne

  “One with a salad bar,” he amended. It wasn’t like they’d find a vegetarian restaurant in this neck of the woods. Although if they managed to, he’d go there for Denise.

  Damn. It must be love.

  Chapter 20

  Denise found little to laugh about later that night when Jack told her she had to stay in the van while he and Yogi went into Reliance.

  “You can’t leave me behind!”

  Jack’s tongue pushed his lower lip out. “From what I discovered earlier, that place has doubled the number of security guards and added at least four new cameras, one on each entrance. More of us going in means more of a chance we’re going to get caught.”

  Yogi crossed his arms. “We have to go in? You can’t hack them from the outside?”

  “No. It’s a closed system, networked only to the other computers in the building according to the contracts signed with their IT company—which I was able to find. The good news is that most any computer terminal inside should give us what we need. But we have to avoid those guards.”

  “There’s only four of them,” Denise protested. “I’ve broken into more secure places than that!”

  Jack’s bright golden features darkened. “I get that, but it’s my reputation on the line here—”

  “I’ll keep her with me,” Yogi offered.

  Denise beamed at him, but Jack wasn’t having it. He put his hands on his hips. “Not good enough, I’m afraid. If she goes—and that’s still a big if—then she stays with me. That’s the only way I can guarantee she won’t give us up if she gets pinched.”

  “I wouldn’t do that. In fact, it’s usually me saying that to new team members.”

  Jack cocked his head at her. “Forgive me for saying this, but I can’t take your word. Yogi, I know. We’ve worked together on and off for years. He’s vouched for you and I trust him, but I can’t blindly extend that to you. If you go in, you stick to me like a cheap suit. This way, you getting caught is not even a question.”

  Denise could tell Yogi didn’t like that from the firm set of his jaw, but he eventually nodded.

  “Excellent.” She smiled and went to get her backpack.

  Earlier, Yogi had taken her to her rental cabin so she could grab some clothes and supplies. Opening her bag, she took out her utility belt and wrapped it around her waist, adjusting the built-in sleeve that held her lock-picking set before it slipped out.

  Jack whistled. “Nice. What’s in that little pocket?” he asked, pointing.

  “Gourmet dog treats. You’d be surprised how many animals will eat them. These are infused with a strong sedative. I always carry them—in case the animals I’m trying to rescue give me trouble.”

  “And that other black-and-green canister?”

  “Bear mace.”

  Yogi snickered. “Works for me. Let’s go.”

  Jack grunted and picked up his own bag. She’d seen him stow his laptops, rope, and an assortment of weapons she didn’t want to examine too closely inside it.

  Even though she didn’t need help, she let Yogi adjust the straps of her backpack before fixing her half-balaclava mask over her mouth and nose.

  Yogi gave her a thumb’s-up before they moved out.

  She trailed after the men, glad Jack hadn’t asked about the nondescript lipstick-sized tube next to the bear spray. That one was there in case things went sideways.

  Every girl is entitled to at least one secret weapon.

  Chapter 21

  The interior of the building hadn’t changed at all as far as she could tell. It was still a sterile utilitarian workplace for humans and a hellhole for animals.

  “I don’t believe this,” she hissed at Jack and Yogi. “They’ve got another chimp!”

  She was looking over Jack’s shoulder as he typed like a demon on a computer in one of the lab’s few offices. He’d pulled up the security feeds on the screen and had a command-line terminal floating over it.

  Most of the researchers at the facility had desks in the lab spaces, not far from their work benches, but there were a few private offices reserved for senior scientists and their clerical personnel. They were in the one marked, ironically, chief.

  The quality of the office chair told her this was where the big boss sat. Denise didn’t think it was a coincidence that there was no name or personal effects. What Reliance was doing was illegal, and whoever was calling the shots was aware of that. He or she obviously didn’t want their name associated with whatever they were doing.

  Maybe I should have dug deeper. She should have figured out exactly what they were doing with the chimps and other animals. Just getting the records they possessed for the animals they weren’t supposed to have had been enough for her to intervene. However, after seeing how carefully anonymous this office was, Denise had to wonder what other diabolical acts Reliance was up to.

  I hope the spineless little worms who run this place shit their pants when the chimps went missing.

  Denise gritted her teeth, eyeing the door. The hallway outside it led to the main lab space, where the lone chimp was being kept.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Yogi warned. He was perched on the desk, looking like the world’s hottest paperweight.

  “But—”

  “No, Denise,” he said gently. “Jack hasn’t turned off the cameras so we can keep an eye on the guards. Which means the security office can see what we see. If you go get that animal now, the rent-a-cops will come running.”

  Jack grunted in agreement. “Douglas said the data is a priority. We’ll look at the cage after we’re through here, once we don’t need the feeds anymore.”

  Denise rocked on her heels—she wasn’t sure why she had to wait. The camera was above the door to the lab, positioned to get the best view of the room. If she stood directly under it, she could get a closer look at the cage without stepping into the video’s frame. She could figure out which type of cage they were dealing with…

  Without lifting his head, Jack swore. “There’s a guard entering the building. He’s supposed to be two buildings over. Not sure why he deviated routes. We may need to take him out of the picture before he stumbles over us in here.”

  Yogi hopped off the desk. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “You don’t mean in a permanent way, right?” Denise felt compelled to ask. Even though she wasn’t too fond of the people who voluntarily worked in places like this, she understood it was a just paycheck to most of them.

  “Please,” Yogi said dismissively before walking silently from the room, moving quickly against the wall to avoid the hallway cam. In seconds, he had melted away into the darkness.

  “That did not answer my question,” Denise said, aware Jack wasn’t paying her any mind.

  He was still tapping away, commands flying across his screen. “Starting the download now,” he murmured, his eyes fixed forward.

  Denise ran her teeth over her lower lip. Yogi would kill her if she went to check on the chimp…but the lab was literally just a few steps away, in the opposite direction of the encroaching guard.

  I could just take a quick peek. She would be back in less than a minute.

  The sound of the clacking keyboard covered the sounds of her footsteps. She was at the door of the lab a scant thirty second later, the night vision monocular she’d borrowed from Jack in her hand.

  Those fuckers! Now that she was close enough, Denise could see the cage clearly. This one was set on a bench with an oversized lock, not a digital one. Instead, it was a thick commercial-grade padlock.

  That wasn’t the issue. Her bolt cutters could take care of the lock. However, under the magnification of her monocular, she could see a thin wire running along the mechanism, one that had no business being there.

  The damn thing was booby-trapped. If the door was opened, it would trigger something. An alarm probably. But why would they bother to booby trap the cage… Unless they were expecting us to come back.

  Fluorescent light flooded the room as som
eone flipped the switch on. “Stop right there!”

  Denise pivoted, coming face to face with an armed security guard.

  For a rent-a-cop, the guy pointing a gun at her was massive. This guy rivaled even Yogi in height, which was the only reason for what she did next.

  She dove into a forward tumble, rolling in a little ball—right through the giant’s legs.

  “Hey, you little bi—”

  He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Mid-tumble, she had grasped the first cylinder she could reach on her belt before shooting to her feet. The giant got a mouthful of bear spray before he could aim his gun.

  “Argh!” The man dropped his gun as his hands flew to his neck. Coughing and choking, he bent low enough for her to get him again, this time in the eyes.

  Kicking the gun away, Denise reached into her pocket for the zip ties she had snagged from Yogi’s pack.

  “Sorry about the shot in the mouth. If I had been able to reach with the first try, I would have only gotten your face, but you’re too tall.”

  Darting in and out, she worked quickly to tie his hands together. He tried to kick out at her, but she was too quick for his blindly flailing feet. To be safe, Denise used one of the longer ties to bind his ankles.

  If any of the other guards were near—and she would bet her fortune they were—they would have heard this guard’s shouts and coughs.

  Yogi and Jack were going to kill her if she’d just alerted the cavalry. Standing on her tiptoes, she checked the window built into the door before running back down the way she’d come. Denise skidded to a stop as she rounded the corner.

  In front of her was another hulking security guard and a man in a suit. They were standing in front of the open office door where Jack and Yogi were, their hands held up.

  Denise ducked back around the corner before peeking out again. Of course. Hulk number two was holding a gun on them.

  Fuck-a-doodle-do. If Hulk two didn’t have a gun, she was sure Yogi could take him. His speed and reflexes were supernatural.

  But the guard did have a gun, so what was she supposed to do now? If she charged them, the guy might turn and point the gun at her. The distraction would give Yogi a chance to take him down, but it would almost definitely get her shot in the process.

  “What are you doing in my office?”

  Denise snapped her attention from the Hulk to the man in the suit. He had said that. He was the head scientist!

  The man wasn’t what she pictured. A spare figure in a tailored suit, he wasn’t wearing glasses or a lab coat. Barely taller than she was, he stood with his hands on his hips, managing to convey his supercilious disdain despite the fact his back was to her.

  He didn’t seem at all intimidated by the very large men who had broken into his office. Probably because he has his own armed muscle.

  Delaying further would just give Reliance’s henchmen more time to get there. She had to act now, and there was no time to think of something better. She was out of options.

  Sucking in a deep breath, Denise hurried forward, trying to move as silently as possible in her running shoes. She only caught a glimpse of Yogi’s eyes as she approached, but the warning flash they gave her was enough to let her know he did not approve.

  The minute shake of his head—the one telling her to back off—didn’t tip off the Reliance goons until she was almost on top of them. By then, it was too late.

  Denise whipped the cylinder from her belt and jumped as high as she could, leaping to climb up Hulk number two like a tree. She latched onto his shirt with one hand, using the other to jam her lipstick Taser into his thick neck.

  The security guard crashed down like the ton of bricks he resembled. He landed with a meaty thump, one that was accentuated by the staccato pings of metal hitting the floor.

  Yogi dashed from the office. Before she could blink, the guard’s gun was in his hand.

  For a second, she was worried he would shoot the head scientist. Instead, he took out the clip and popped the bullets from the chamber. Once he was done, he advanced on the now-quailing scientist.

  She was right there next to him. “Who are you?” she asked the suit. “I want a name.”

  The man didn’t answer. He turned to run away, but Yogi picked him up by the scruff of his neck. It was far too easy for him. If he wasn’t careful, he could kill the man accidentally.

  “No, put him down!” She stepped up to them, yanking on the man’s collared shirt until Yogi dropped him.

  “What are you planning?” Yogi growled.

  “This,” she replied, drawing her arm back. She punched the suit with all her strength, her fist smashing into his face. The scientist crumpled to the floor next to his guard, unconscious.

  Jack chuckled from inside the office. “Dayum, girl.”

  Yogi frowned. “I could have taken care of that.”

  “If one of you had hit him, you might have killed him,” Denise scoffed, waving a hand over the bodies. “Look at the twerp! He’s my size. Besides, wouldn’t you rather his sins be exposed to the world? It would be a lesson to the others like him.”

  She turned to Jack. “Do you have their data? I’m sure there’s enough dirt there to hang this guy.”

  “The copy is done—finally. There were a few more gigs of video files than we anticipated, so getting it all took a little longer than I calculated. Now we just let my virus scramble their system and Bob’s your uncle.”

  She and Yogi exchanged a loaded glance at the mention of the video files, but Jack didn’t seem to notice their trepidation.

  “Why don’t you go and grab that last monkey? I’ve taken care of the cameras. They’re on a loop now,” Jack said absently.

  “Yes, please!” That was a great idea. Taking Yogi’s hand, she led him to the lab.

  “You took out another one?” He sounded shocked.

  She shrugged. “Never underestimate a determined animal activist,” she said with a frown.

  The guard was still making a racket. She looked around. “Let’s stuff some of those paper towels in his mouth,” she suggested.

  “No need.” Yogi knelt, taking out the roll of duct tape he’d stashed in her bag. He applied a strip to the man’s mouth. “You know, I bought this roll to use on you.”

  Denise sniffed. “Lucky for you that you didn’t try.” She gestured to the man lying prone at their feet. “Just look at what happens when you cross me.”

  Yogi chuckled and she forgot about the guard, moving over to the cage.

  Tentatively, she handed the monkey one of her special treats through the bars. The animal eagerly took it. “The cage is wired. It’s rigged to an alarm.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I did some EOD in the army.”

  “EOD?”

  Yogi bent and started fiddling with the wires underneath the table.

  “Explosive Ordinance Disposal,” he said, flashing her a quick but heart-stopping grin. “An alarm on a cage should be cake after that.”

  “Wow,” she said, her head drawing back to admire the view as he bent over.

  Focus, Denise. Her hormones were already getting a workout around him, but throw in a little bomb-disposal skill into the mix and she was about ready to pass out.

  Yogi finished messing with the wires and straightened. “That should do it. Getting this little guy out should be no problem now.”

  “It’s a girl, but that’s okay. Here,” she said, reaching into her bag for her portable bolt cutters.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said, grasping the bars on the door and yanking.

  The thin metal joint in the corner bent. Putting a hand in the opening, he pulled again until the entire door separated from the frame.

  Denise blinked. Then she remembered the Jeep. He’d pulled the car from that ditch without a winch or any tools. She shook her head at the wrecked cage. “I guess I’ll just have to get used to the fact that the man I love is basically the Wolverine.”

  “What did you say?”

 
; Denise looked at him blankly before her mind replayed her words. She clapped her hands over her mouth.

  Yogi’s grin could have lit up the room.

  Did I just…

  “Yep, you said it out loud,” Yogi said, sounding way too satisfied.

  A throat cleared. “Monkey is escaping,” Jack said from the door. “You know, in case you were interested.”

  Mortified, Denise looked wildly around. The chimp was halfway across the room.

  Yogi leaned forward. “You better get her,” he said in an undertone. “Animals can be a little unpredictable around me.”

  “Oh, of course.” Denise hurried after the chimp, her cheeks flaming.

  She scooped up the monkey, refusing to look at either of the men. She didn’t have to see their faces to know they were amused. Their laughter was a clear indication.

  Chapter 22

  After what seemed like an eternity, Yogi pulled Jack’s van into the empty driveway of the boarding house on the Wyoming-Colorado border. He had left his Jeep there before they headed to Reliance, intending to use it as a fallback position in case they failed tonight and needed to regroup.

  He’d originally planned to take the Reliance data to the chief immediately, but there was no way that was happening now.

  She loves me.

  For the entire ride, Denise had kept fussing with the chimp. She was still blushing and avoiding his eyes as they unloaded their gear—which was taking entirely too long.

  He felt like pumping his fist in the air in victory. Denise loved him. And as soon as he got rid of Jack and the chimp, he could show her he loved her back.

  He studied the monkey. It looked sleepy enough for him to handle safely. Tossing his and Denise’s packs on the porch, he took the drowsy animal from Denise’s hands and shoved it at Jack.

  “Take this and go,” Yogi said before taking his mate in his arms and bending her back in a Hollywood-style kiss.

  Yogi had always believed the idea of time standing still was a cliché. He knew better now. Pouring his heart and soul into the kiss, he drank deep until Denise’s body was putty in his arms.