Top Gun Tiger (Protection, Inc 7)

No. Not Destiny. That had to be her tiger. Just like she’d said, it was taking control of her. At any instant, she’d shift against her will, and become the predator.

She’d been afraid that she’d hurt him. But he was afraid that she’d shift and attack her enemy. And then Ayers would shoot her down.

Ethan grabbed her and held her tight. She kept on snarling, but he didn’t flinch. Pressing his body into hers, his cheek against hers, he whispered, “Destiny, hold on. I know you don’t want to do this now. And I know you can keep control. Be the nerd girl I—” He barely stopped himself from saying, “I love.” She didn’t want to hear that.

“I’m friends with,” he substituted. “Mudpuppy. Come on, mudpuppy. You can kill him as yourself. Get your own revenge for Shane and Justin and Catalina and all the rest. It’ll be more satisfying. You know it will. You want my gun? I’ll give you my gun.”

The quivering, catlike readiness in her body eased. She stopped snarling, cleared her throat, and looked up at him. Her eyes were human again, the warm brown he loved. Trying to smile, she said, “Thanks. But it’s my gun, jarhead. And I don’t know how long that lasted, but you might want to use it now.”

She was absolutely right. Reluctantly, Ethan let go of her, crawled further away, and peeked over the wall. Once again, there was an exchange of fire that did nothing but make them both duck back to their positions.

Destiny crawled to join him. She whispered, “Let’s get him to talk some more. Then we jump the wall on the other side. If we’re quick, he won’t be able to adjust his aim in time.”

Her mouth was so close to his ear that he could feel the movement of her lips. It sent a hot shiver of desire through him. It wasn’t the time, it wasn’t the place, and he wasn’t the man she wanted. And yet he still longed desperately, impossibly, unhappily to take her in his arms again, but this time to kiss her. To strip off her clothes and see her naked body because she wanted him to, not because she’d had to shift and everything she’d worn had been destroyed. To get down on his knees and taste—

Destiny lifted her head and yelled, “I don’t believe a word you said! I caught on to you when you said those weren’t velociraptors. What did you say they were? Achilles Bats? I never heard of them. I bet you made them up!”

As Ayers shouted back, “You’re just showing your ignorance,” Ethan and Destiny began crawling across the garden, trying not to snap any twigs or rustle any leaves. When they reached the wall on the other side, they could still hear their enemy’s voice, now too far away to discern the words but with the arrogant tone distinctly audible.

“Let’s run for the jungle,” Ethan whispered. “If he follows, we can ambush him. We can crawl behind the tower, then run from behind it.”

Destiny nodded. They vaulted over the low wall, then immediately dropped down behind it and began rapidly crawling for the tower.

A shattering roar filled the air. The stone road shook, and half the fruit fell from a nearby mango tree.

Ethan glanced over his shoulder. He would have thought that after the hell pig and the Achillo-whatevers, nothing could shock him anymore. But what he saw froze him in place. Towering over the garden walls—over the trees in the garden—over the building they were headed for—was a Tyrannosaurus rex.

He’d seen them in pictures and movies, and skeletons at museums. But nothing had prepared him for the real thing. Its size alone was almost impossible

to comprehend in a living thing. It was at least twenty feet tall and thirty feet long, from gigantic head to lashing tail. Every one of the glittering fangs that lined its gaping jaws was the length of Ethan’s forearm. Its tiny yellow eyes gleamed evilly from a face covered in armored plates as it swiveled its monstrous head toward them.

Ayers was nowhere to be seen. But as Ethan met the intelligent gaze of the T-Rex, he realized that it wasn’t another cloned animal. It was Ayers himself—in his shift form.

Ethan also realized that they’d never make it to the jungle. Long before they reached it, the T-Rex that Ayers had become would take two immense steps and squash them flat. Even Destiny’s tiger couldn’t run fast enough.

Ethan stood up straight and fired at a yellow eye. The T-Rex twitched its head, and the bullet bounced off its cheek. Desperate to protect Destiny, Ethan fired again and again in rapid succession, trying to get off his best shot before the dinosaur charged them. He’d hit the hell pig in the eye—surely he could make this shot!

But the eyes of the T-Rex were embedded in cavern-like sockets protected by scales as tough as Kevlar, and the dinosaur wasn’t as reckless as the hell pig had been. It ducked and weaved, making itself an impossible target. Every one of his bullets bounced off its scaly armor.

Disbelieving, Ethan heard his gun click on an empty chamber.

“The tower,” whispered Destiny. “It’s our only chance.”

He grabbed her hand, and they sprinted for the entrance. The T-Rex roared angrily, loud enough to make their ears ring. The thud of its footstep shook the ground, nearly knocking them off their feet. Ethan didn’t dare look back. He put on an extra burst of speed, giving it everything he had. With his longer legs, he outpaced Destiny, so he was half-dragging, half-carrying her as they burst through the open doorway.

An immense reptilian snout slammed into the narrow doorway, shaking the tower. The T-Rex roared in frustration, sending a fog of hot lizard breath over them.

Destiny and Ethan began tearing up the spiral staircase that wound around the inside of the tower like a gigantic spring. The T-Rex couldn’t get in, but the T-Rex was also a man with a tranquilizer rifle and no doubt a regular gun as well. But once they got to the top before him, they’d have a massive advantage. It was far too tall for the T-Rex to reach, and no one in their right mind would want to climb a narrow staircase to try to attack enemies above.

Once again, Ethan’s legs gave him the edge in speed. There was just enough room for two to walk abreast, so he put his arm around her waist and hauled her up with him. They reached the roof in record time, then dropped down, gasping and panting. They’d just run flat-out up the equivalent of ten steep flights of stairs. Even for a Recon Marine and a shifter, that was a lot.

But they only took a moment to catch their breath before looking down. The T-Rex was still a T-Rex, stomping around the base of the tower and roaring impotently. Every time it thudded its foot down, the tower quivered.

Doubtfully, Destiny asked, “Think if we stay here long enough, he’ll go away to call for backup?”

Ethan shrugged. “I’m hoping if we stay here long enough, he’ll get frustrated enough to turn back into a man and try climbing the steps. Then we take him out the instant he pokes his head into reach.”

The T-Rex cocked its gigantic head. There was a cunning gleam in its reptilian eyes that Ethan didn’t like one bit. The dinosaur edged closer until it got a grip on the tower with its little front arms. They didn’t look strong, but the entire tower shook hard enough to knock Ethan and Destiny into each other’s arms.