The Panther's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance (11 page)

“The yellow one,” Josie nodded across the street to a small house that was two stories high but looked like someone had grabbed a house and squeezed it extremely hard together. She had seen the Hyenas hanging around there several times. In fact, she had seen more men from other Clans hanging around there, looking both ways before entering, hoping no one saw them slipping into the house where the half-naked slut was waiting for them.

“Okay,” Wahir nodded to her. “Make sure that they follow you and I’ll deal with the Hyenas. We’ll meet up after you’ve shown them that this has been a waste of time.”

“Got it,” Josie nodded to him, still feeling unsure about all of this. He was outnumbered, but Wahir was certain that he would be fine. She didn’t want to insult him, but at the same time, she would feel a lot better if there was just one other person going in there with him.

“Then go,” Wahir said, slipping into a cantina and gesturing for Josie to leave.

Looking as suspicious as she could, Josie made sure that her stalkers could see her and that they were more interested in her. Glancing over her shoulder, she made sure they were there. Two figures, walking against the crowd made their way after her, certain they were keeping the right distance from her as they moved like golems.

She made her course south, looking for places to take them. She moved at a cautious pace, not wanting to outrun them or to put distance between them. She would take a corner and wait for them to catch up, watching as they made their way after her, talking into the radios, updating who else was out there.

When she was tired of playing the game of cat and mouse, Josie decided it was time to get back to Wahir. No matter how confident he was in his skills, there was no way he would easily take three Hyenas together. She made her way into a back alley that was a dead end, an easy place for her to confront the Hunters.

There was a small part of her brain that was concerned they would shoot her dead right there in the alley but she was unarmed and she wasn’t interested in threatening them. She just wanted to confront them, ask them what they were doing following her. If anything, it would be good fun at the very least. She would chance it.

The man and the woman rounded the corner and stopped immediately when they saw Josie. Both of them had their hands hovering over the handles of their pistols on their hips, the holster unbuttoned and ready to shoot her down if they so much as felt a little insecure about her. She looked at them and sized them up. She was certain in a fight, she could hold her own against both of them. She didn’t work out every day for nothing. She was ready for a brawl whenever she needed to be.

“Be advised, target has stopped,” the woman said into her radio. It was hard to tell if behind her glasses she was looking at Josie, but she had a pretty good idea that she was looking right at her. “Contact.”

“You were given orders to remain at the resort,” the man said to Josie. It was odd, she didn’t remember him in the room with Auben or the others. The woman wasn’t there either. These two were just lackeys.

“Is that why you’re following me?” Josie asked them. “Or were you thinking I’d take you somewhere?”

“She’s just a decoy,” the woman said, her fingertips brushing the handle of her pistol. “Bitch has us following her. We should have kept on the other.”

“Should of, would of, could of,” Josie said with a simple shrug. “What are you going to do about it?”

“We’re taking you into custody,” the man said stepping forward and reaching for her.

It frustrated Josie to no end that men always thought they could touch her, that they could handle her if they wanted her to move or to come a certain way. They always thought touching her would somehow give them the authority or privilege they lusted for, to actually put their hands on her. But Josie wasn’t just some piece of meat for them to handle and to play with. No, she was a person who had the freedom not to be handled by men whenever they saw fit.

She snatched a hold of his wrist with her left hand and planted her right hand on his elbow, driving him into the wall headfirst. The hard, stucco wall met his head mercilessly as it crunched his skull. The man’s glasses bent and his hat fell off before he crumpled to the ground. The woman, all talk, turned out that she didn’t have the game she was sporting.

Reaching for her pistol, Josie launched at her and slammed her into the wall as well, knocking both of them unconscious in the flickering of a second. They dropped, crumpled on top of each other like rag dolls. She stared at them and shook her head. That was insultingly easy. They weren’t planning on her being able to do anything.

She was hoping the Hyenas would share their ignorance.

Making her way back through the town, she kept her eyes over her shoulder and glanced down every alley that she passed, looking for any sign of trouble or other stalkers that might be following her. From everything she could see, she was alone, but that didn’t mean that she was confident in her ability. There was something about surveillance that made her feel like she couldn’t do anything right. She didn’t understand how you could see every little spot where people could hide. There were practically a million places where a person could watch her in secret. But, she did the best she could do, scanning everything.

At the point where she found Alizea’s house again, she was still feeling fairly confident she hadn’t been followed and she had effectively avoided any kind of tail. As she made her way to the front of the house, there was something alarming about the whole thing. It looked like she was going to have a clear entry into the home. Wahir must have already gone inside and as she approached it, she wondered if there was anything inside left for her to do.

It was quiet. He must have gotten the drop on them and dealt with them accordingly. He seemed to have a score to settle with the Hyenas. She couldn’t imagine a reason why he would actually stick his neck out for her, otherwise.

Pushing open the door that was slightly ajar, Josie stepped into the house and immediately felt something cold inside of her. She could feel there was something wrong here. Something was seriously wrong. She took another step into the room and felt something ripple down her spine, causing her to shiver and stare around for something to give her a hint as to what had happened in here. There was blood on the walls, blood that made her heart race faster and faster.

“Is there anyone there?” A voice called from the other room.

It was the kind of voice that had been through something, maybe nothing, maybe a lot, but definitely something. She took a step forward and realized it was Kheem. He sounded bad, like he’d been beaten or that he was exhausted. She began to walk faster, kicking herself for having taken so long to get to him. She should have come for him first thing. She should have come for him at all costs. What had she been thinking?

Rushing into the next room, she realized she was in the kitchen. The kitchen was completely demolished. There were cabinets that had been smashed, utensils were scattered all around, there was shattered plates and shards of glasses, and a bloody knife was stuck in the wall. Nervously, she took a step toward the knife and looked around the island of the kitchen. She could see feet and cautiously walked around the island, looking for who the feet belonged to. Staring at the body, she realized that it wasn’t one of the Hyenas, but it was Wahir.

“Wahir?” She hissed, looking around.

If she were planning an ambush, this is exactly what she would do. She would drop Wahir right here in the middle of all of this and then sneak up behind her. The fact that no one hopped out just yet might mean that there was probably no one around to come up with that kind of a brilliant plan. Wahir was in bad shape, his hand was clutching his neck and there was blood smeared all over his fingers and face. His skin looked pale and his lips were trembling as his whole body shook like he was extremely nervous about something.

“God, Wahir, hold on,” she said.

“Too late,” Wahir shook his head.

From the blood that was covering him and spread across the floor, she knew that he was right. Something inside of her told her you didn’t just give in to the demands of someone like that. You had to stay with them and keep them encouraged. You had to keep hope alive until the end. As she looked at him, she turned around and saw that Kheem was certainly in the next room, tied to a chair and blindfolded.

“Got Dubaku pretty good,” Wahir murmured. “Slashed Alizea too.” He looked at her with a struggling expression on his face, like he was trying his very hardest to stay with her. “Sorry I let you down.”

With a few raspy breathes and a shallow pulse, Wahir was gone within seconds, just long enough for her to keep a strong face. She couldn’t hold it for long and thankfully, his neck went slack, his head lulling to the side as his eyes stared vacantly into oblivion. Her ally was gone, but she now had Kheem with her. Standing up and stepping away from Wahir, she headed into the living room where Wahir was tied to a metal chair.

He was blindfolded and bruised pretty badly, but he looked like he would be just fine with a good night’s rest. If they were lucky, they would be out of here in a few hours, completely safe from everything that was happening around here. Grabbing the knife out of the wall, she started hacking away at the bonds that kept Kheem tied to the chair. She hacked them away and he quickly started to help her.

Ripping his blindfold off his face, he quickly launched out of the chair, cupped Josie’s face, and kissed her as passionately has he had ever. She kissed him back, her lips hungry for him again. She closed her eyes and realized how much she missed him. God, it fell good to have his hands on her again, his lips pressed against hers. This was her home. This was everything that she needed.

“I knew you’d come for me,” Kheem exhaled with a smile on his face.

“I couldn’t leave you here with them,” Josie whispered to him. “We have to go, though. They killed Wahir.”

“I know,” Kheem said, nodding to her and wrapping his arms around her, hugging her close to him. “I heard everything.”

“He told me to distract the Hunters,” Josie shook her head. “I never should have left him.”

“He injured two of them pretty bad,” Kheem told her. “He just came in blind and didn’t stand a chance. Did you say Hunters?” Kheem’s face was wrought with worry at the sound of their name.

She forgot that he hadn’t been there when the word was out. He’d been locked in here the entire time. He had no idea what was out there for them. They were in serious trouble if they didn’t get away from this house soon and back to the resort.

“Yeah,” Josie told him somberly. “There are a lot of them. They’ve taken over the majority of the island. They’ve got it on lockdown and they’re hunting for anyone linked to the violence. Their leader said that we were safe if we stayed in the resort.”

“Do you trust them? I mean, they could be lying to all of us, getting us all in one place so that they could kill us,” Kheem said nervously.

“Maybe,” Josie shrugged. “But we don’t have much of a choice. If they’re going to kill us, then we’re not going to stand a chance. We have to trust them.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Kheem said. “Where’s Ony?”

“He’s with Karen and King Ronald and the others are making sure that he’s safe from the Hyenas and Jaguars,” Josie told him. “He should be absolutely safe. With everyone around him.”

“Then we need to move,” Kheem said to her with a serious tone, a tone that was entirely fearful, but trying his hardest to stay strong.

Chapter 9

“They killed Wahir?” King Ronald looked as if he might pass out from the news.

Jamar wasn’t looking any better and Jonathan simply kept his head down. He was devastated and furious, but he wasn’t the kind of person that showed any of his emotions. They were all visibly depressed and unsure of what they were going to do now that news of Wahir’s death reached them. His death was going to give them all anxiety and fear.

The Hunters had invaded, the Hyenas had killed one of their friends, and the Jaguars were nowhere to be found. They were in the worst possible situation. Nothing was going to plan. The only thing that they had going for them was the fact that Kheem was now safe.

“This is a nightmare,” Jonathan said with all seriousness. “We need to make sure the Hunters know about Alizea’s home. We need them to wipe out all of these bastards once and for all.”

“Getting a little emotional,” Josie said to him. “Wahir made his decision. He knew what was happening. He knew exactly what he was doing. Don’t think that he went into this blind.”

“How do we know the Hunters won’t be coming for us when they’re done with the Hyenas and the Jaguars?” Kheem asked the question that was on his mind more than anything else.

He’d been mulling it over the entire walk back. She knew that it was haunting him and that until he got the answer, he wasn’t going to be able to let it rest. In fact, it was just bothering him more and more with each passing second.

“Because their leader is an honorable man,” King Ronald said with venom in his voice.

It was obvious now, more than ever, that King Ronald hated Kheem above all other things that were happening right now. She didn’t get his animosity, especially after everything that had happened this far.

“Do you think that everything is fine now?” Josie asked King Ronald. “I know that Wahir is dead, but now that everyone is back at the resort, will they leave us alone?”

“Perhaps,” Jamar said with a shrug. “It’s hard to tell.”

“Maybe we should go get Ony,” Josie said to Kheem while the rest of the Lion leaders took in the information that Wahir was dead. It hit them pretty hard. She didn’t blame them for their sorrow. In fact, she felt guilty that Wahir was dead more than anyone else out there. He was a good man.

“About Ony,” Jonathan said, clearing his throat and drawing their attention. “Perhaps it’s better if we keep him protected for the time being.”

“What?” Josie lifted an eyebrow and looked at Jonathan. “I think my child will be better kept with us.”

“You think so? Haven’t you been wandering around dealing with everyone but your child?” Jonathan bit back at her venomously. “You’ve spent your time playing with your lover. Now, you’re suddenly interested in your child’s whereabouts.”

“You best watch your tone,” Kheem said, taking a step forward, putting himself between Josie and Jonathan.

“And you,” Jonathan took a step forward toward him. “The absentee father figure. Do you really think you’re in any shape to protect your child from the men and women who are trying to take them? After all, how many times have they gotten the better of you? You’re not the best in protecting the people you love, are you?”

Kheem’s fists tightened and Josie could feel her fingers constricting as well. She wouldn’t sit by and let Jonathan deal with them in this way. She was tired of letting people treat them like this. In fact, she was done with everything having to do with King Ronald and the rest of this place. She would be better off anywhere else. She didn’t need to be treated like an inferior second-class citizen anymore. She wanted to be an equal with everyone else again. Things needed to be put back to the way they used to be.

“Josie, Kheem,” King Ronald’s voice called out to everyone in the room, vying for reason and peace.

She looked at him, wondering how much longer he was going to let things build and still do nothing. He had lost the respect of Josie and Kheem, how many other Clans were done with him because of his way of dealing with the Hunters and the renegade Clans. This was his last chance. After this, she was done with King Ronald if he didn’t act.

“Perhaps it is best if you listen to reason,” King Ronald said to them. “Neither of you seem to be cut out to be parents. Perhaps it would be better if you surrendered Ony to those who are actually equipped to defend those you love. My associates and I would be more than happy to help take care of Ony. After all, it’s a dangerous world and things have been disastrous as of late.”

Josie couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe he was actually saying this. Did he really think they were failing at this? That they were somehow incompetent? Because they weren’t. They were doing the best they could with what they were given. Without any support, they were just two people against all odds. Her fingers tightened once more, ready to strike out at him.

“Over my dead body,” Josie said.

“We figured as much,” Jamar took a step forward.

“Wait,” King Ronald held up his hand again. “Understand where we’re coming from. The death of Wahir will make us look weak to the other Clans. With the Hunters and the two rogue Clans, my strength is dwindling to nothing. The Lions have been in charge since we took everyone over from Africa to Tarobi.

This was my kingdom and now it is down to nothing. My people will turn against me soon and I cannot have that. The Hunters will find Wahir dead and they will also know I am weak. They’re going to turn their back on me as well. War within our kingdom is inevitable and we do not have the public support to win it. It is a lost cause.

With Ony, we will be able to return one day with greater numbers, trained and equipped to retake the island from whoever claims my seat. With the Jaguars and the Hyenas gone, who knows, perhaps we will be able to return sooner. If you willingly help us, then I will be much obliged, but I have a feeling that I know you very well. You don’t seem like the couple who are willing to be a puppet for my reign. But, if you agree to help us, you will have access to your child and a place in our future kingdom.”

“Go to hell,” Josie said viciously.

She didn’t need to think about it. She had heard enough. She was not going to let her child be a flag for his stupid political game for something that wasn’t even worth it. Tarobi was a glorified prison. They could do so much, but instead, they worked meaningless jobs in the shadow of vengeful Hunters who would be more than happy to kill them all. No, she couldn’t do this. She loved Ony too much and they deserved more than that.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t hear reason,” King Ronald shrugged. “Very well,” he said without a drop of remorse. “Kill them.”

Jamar was the first to launch at Kheem, rushing him without hesitation, eager for a chance to attack the man who had seemingly survived every other dangerous encounter that had come his way. Whatever Jamar thought he was capable of, Josie seriously doubted that he would have what was required to bring Kheem down. The man was unstoppable.

That was what she was learning more and more about him with each passing struggle they had. Kheem met Jamar with his fists ready, swinging them hard at his face and making contact the moment he came within range. Josie turned and looked at Jonathan who was coming closer to her with each step. He was moving at a slow pace, deliberate and trying his hardest to intimidate her with his serious presence.

She knew Jonathan wasn’t a killer. He was a bureaucrat and he was here just to put down the weak little girl. Well, she was more than eager to show him that she wasn’t someone to underestimate. In fact, she was going to mess him up real good.

“Just give up,” Jonathan said to her with a cold voice.

“Never,” she said.

She swung for him, aiming for his face and watched as he stepped back from her, dodging the blow. It was exactly what Josie was hoping he would do. While he shied away from the punch, all he did was lean back. He didn’t pivot or step backwards. So she took her chance. Kicking him hard in the groin, she watched his knees snap together hard and his face pucker with the sudden shooting pain in his groin.

As his hands clamped down on his groin, she swung her fist again, swinging upwards and catching him in the jaw as his head whipped back and he tumbled backwards. Josie had been in her fair share of fights and she knew how far she had to go before she hit that line that she couldn’t cross. She knew that you could only take a fight to certain limits before it became deadly.

She was ready to cross that line.

Slamming her foot down hard on Jonathan’s throat, she tried her hardest not to let the sound of his windpipe crunching bother her too much. His eyes were wide and his arms were splayed out across the floor as his dazed mind tried to recover, before she stomped the hope out of his life. His hands snapped to his maimed throat, but there was nothing he could do. Shifters were notoriously tough, but she had seen a man die from that before. She wasn’t playing around with him.

Jonathan had outlived his welcome in her world and it was time for him to retire. His eyes widened, bugging out in horror as they bulged inside his sockets, his legs kicking, trying their hardest to find footing so that he could stumble away for help. He tried to stand up, but Josie planted her foot into his back and kicked him over, leaving him to die in the middle of the stage in the auditorium.

Assuming Kheem was going to be the stronger fight, King Ronald had rushed to the help of Jamar who was taking a beating from Kheem. It wouldn’t be long before people started to transition and Josie knew once everyone started turning into animals, this fight was going to get a lot worse.

So she rushed to help Kheem who was starting to take the worst of the battle with the two men. She watched King Ronald dig his knuckles into his side and knock the wind out of Kheem. He dropped to one knee at the edge of the stage and Jamar got his revenge by swinging his fists viciously at Kheem’s head.

Kheem spun after receiving the blow on the side of his face, spinning and toppling off the side of the stage. Josie watched in horror, not sure what she could do. They were strong and they were better at fighting. Both of them had been in wars before. Both of them had actually killed men with their bare hands.

She needed a weapon. She needed something that would level the playing field. If they transformed into lions, there was no way that she was going to be able to hold her own well enough to have any distinct advantage. No, she needed something more substantial than that.

Before she could find anything, her eyes were drawn to the two figures lurking on the edge of the stage. Their bodies started to dance, launching this way and that, writhing and flailing as scarlet ribbons danced out of their back. It took a moment before she realized that there were bullets ripping apart the wall behind them, flecks of wood and velvet from the curtain. Her mouth dropped opened as she took a step back, watching as Ronald and Jamar were ripped apart by the silent bullets that only made sounds when they impacted the wood, hissing through their bodies like lethal whispers.

She couldn’t believe her eyes, not that she wanted to, either. It was horrible to see as parts of them ripped open and soon they both dropped backwards, landing hard with a splatter. The moment both of them hit the floor, she watched as their vacant eyes stared off into the unknown, blood pooling under them at an alarming speed.

When she opened her eyes, she looked to the back of the auditorium where there were two figures holding very large, very fancy rifles that looked like they could rip through the wall like hot lead through warm butter. Josie knew that if they turned those weapons on her, there was no chance that she was going to survive. Her only hope was to surrender and she did so willingly. Slowly, she raised her hands up over her head, surrendering to them and closing her eyes, praying that they wouldn’t kill her immediately.

“We surrender,” Josie said to the two figures that started to move forward down the walkway. They took cautious steps. The first had their rifle trained on her while the other was very interested in Kheem who was still trying to get up off the ground.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” the person approaching her said sternly. She noticed that at the end of the man’s rifle was a very long silencer – that was why she wasn’t able to hear the bullets ripping apart King Ronald and Jamar. “Don’t make any quick movements. Stay where you are,” the man looked over his shoulder to his friend. “That one clear?”

“Yeah, it’s the Panther,” the second person replied. “We’re clear.”

“Jesus, you people sure know how to get in between a rock and a hard spot,” the man told her, taking off his facemask. “Cardel of the Hunters, at your service. We found Wahir and when we showed up, we heard the commotion. Figured you two could use some support.”

“You just killed King Ronald,” Kheem took the hand of the second Hunter and let him pull him up to his feet. The person looked Kheem up and down before turning back to Cardel.

“Suppose we did,” Cardel shrugged. “You know the law of the treaty. No Shifter is allowed to attack another Shifter or declare war. If you ask me,that looked like a declaration of war to me, didn’t it to you, Dutch?”

“Sure did,” the second person said without a drop of emotion in his voice.

“As for you two,” Cardel took over from that point, “I think you might want to prepare something for the rest of the survivors. I doubt they’re going to be so forgiving as we are. Or maybe they will. As far as I can recall, I think the Shifters are having a bit of a hierarchy rearrangement.”