The bouncers stepped between Slade and Pinky. The bigger one grabbed Pinky and shoved him to the door. “Leave.”
“Okay, don’t fucking touch me.”
The blue-haired waitress chased after Pinky and the bouncer. “The bitch started it.”
“Did not.” Cricket frowned. “Hey, whatever happened to the customer is always right?”
Slade held her back and whispered in her ear, “We’ll scent his location later.”
She nodded. A good plan. Maybe while the asshole slept.
Pinky brandished a large serrated knife and stabbed the bouncer in the gut. The bouncer groaned and fell. The blue-haired waitress screamed, and Pinky pushed her against the second bouncer then dashed out. Pinky sprinted toward his bike, and as the injured bouncer’s blood spilled between his fingers, the other bikers realized what happened and rushed forward. Slade gave chase, and Cricket followed. “Let’s get him.” He mashed the accelerator, and she had only seconds to hop on before they took off on windy dark roads.
She yelled, “Stop, damn it!”
His fangs were out. “He stabbed the bouncer.” He continued the chase.
“To trap us.” She punched his back. “Idiot!”
Slade slowed as Pinky turned left on a fork. He moved the motorcycle to a turnoff and stopped. “Shit. You’re right.”
“The question is who is he working with?”
Slade cocked his head. “He’s waiting for us.”
The sound of police sirens and a helicopter headed toward them.
Slade’s claws emerged.
Cricket took off her helmet and cocked her head. “He’s talking to someone. On the phone.”
He listened. “Damn. He’s identifying us.”
“We need to hide the bike and go wolf,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Slade sped off.
Respect from an alpha warmed her heart, but no time for celebrating until they got far away enough to shift.
Slade stopped, pushed the bike toward an embankment and into the underbrush.
Cricket stripped and so did he. They shifted and hid in the dark forest. Overhead, the police helicopter hovered over them as Pinky’s motorcycle got closer. Searchlights beamed into the forest. She blinked. “The cops will get that asshole.”
Like a silent night owl, a darker helicopter, military-grade appeared in the sky. It aimed and released two heat-seeking missiles, hitting the police helicopter and it exploded in midair. Metal and flames raining everywhere.
Cricket whimpered. “We need to run. Now.”
Slade didn’t argue. They ran deeper into the forest.
Slade’s first priority, protect Cricket at any cost. After blowing up the police helicopter, the dark helicopter shone its light down into the forest. Who were they? Werewolf hunters or enemy werewolves? Bad news either way.
He turned. Too slow. “Come on.”
Panting, she caught up with him. “I’m not an alpha, remember?”
Slade spotted a tree with a large cavity. “Hide in here. I’ll get them to chase me.”
“Sorry, but I won’t allow them to snag our top alpha bachelor.”