Romance: Wanted by the Alpha Lion (A BBW Paranormal Suspense Romance) (Heroes of Shifter Creek Book 2) (32 page)

III.

The night appeared dark and lonely. Clouds muddled the sky, and doom seemed foreshadowed in the wind. Cassius stood alone at the meeting spot, there even before his commander. He went over the strategy in his mind:
don't approach, act like a college student, tell no one the plan
.

He could do this. He felt prepared.

"Ready, huh, Little Morello?" Commander Jones asked as he walked up with Nina.

"The Morellos are always ready," Nina sneered, looking as beautiful as ever.

"We'll see about that after the mission. This proves the mice from the men."

"Oh, I love that book. The end is so well written."

"When I first started, the guys used to call me Slim 'cause I was reading that book. No more though."

"What happened to them?"

"Most of them died. As it goes."

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry."

"It's part of the job." He shrugged. "Things happen."

"It's still sad, no matter what."

Cassius didn't speak - he didn't think it was appropriate.

The others arrived, and they traveled to the bar together. Commander Jones still explained details of the mission to them as they went, but kept it mostly quiet. Cassius felt his heart in his throat as they traveled closer and closer to the bar. He wasn’t sure he actually felt ready, though he’d lied to himself he was. Who was he kidding, acting like he could manage one of these undercover missions?

“Feeling all right?” Nina asked him with a smile. “You’re looking a little pale.”

“I’m okay,” he answered. “I’m ready.”

“You look like you’re going to be sick. Buck up, cowboy.”

One of the nameless, a short girl with short black hair and stocky shoulders, walked ahead of the group, determined to prove herself. She wore a black dress that showed off the more muscular parts of her body - she almost looked like a weightlifter stuffed into an ill-fitting feminine shell. Jimmy and Orion watched her, snickering to each other as Leo rolled his eyes. The three looked at home without Petey - Jimmy and Orion found someone else to make fun of, and Leo kept his look of disapproval. Commander Jones let the nameless girl go ahead of them, stepping forward with his long legs to Nina and whispering for her to hang back.

Cassius watched his face, trying to find any nervousness in the lines of it. Commander Jones noticed him looking and gave him a nod. Cassius wasn’t sure if it was a nod of confidence or of dread, but he took it as some kind of motivator.
Have to do something, right?
The nameless girl walked into the bar without looking back. Cassius wanted her courage.

“We don’t know her, understand?” Commander Jones said softly to the group.

“I didn’t learn her name anyway,” Orion snickered.

Cassius and Jimmy chuckled as the others rolled their eyes. The other nameless talked to each other quietly, ramping themselves up. Commander Jones took a deep breath and opened the door for them with a slight smile. Each SEAL nodded at him as they separated to different parts of the building. The bar looked largely empty with only a handful of young Russian women huddled together by the dance floor. They looked up at the fresh meat and giggled to each other as they looked the new men up and down.

“Let’s get our drink on!” Jimmy grinned, moving toward the bar and appearing very much the college bro.
Probably from experience.

Cassius looked back to Commander Jones, but he’d disappeared. Cassius frowned, his heart racing faster now without supervision or leadership. He rushed to the bar with the others, appearing very much the outcast of the group. Even Leo put on the bro facade, giving a nod to the huddled women and approaching them, asking them if they’d like a drink. Nina gave Orion a smile with a gesture towards Leo. He shrugged and wrapped his arm around her waist, whispering something Cassius couldn’t hear.

He leaned against the bar, wondering what he should do. Should he drink? Should he play the game? Should he disappear into the non-existent crowd and never be seen again? The others laughed loudly at the other side of the bar. He longed to be as carefree as them, to fit in wherever they went.

“Hello.” A female voice stirred him from his longings. He looked up into the face of a pretty blonde woman with shining, light blue eyes. He felt even more nervous.

“Hi, do you speak English?” he asked before thinking.

“I do,” she answered with a raised eyebrow. “That’s why I greeted you in English.”

“Sorry, this is my first time at a Russian bar. Or a bar at all.”

“Hell of a bar to choose. You might want to be careful around here, kid. What can I get for you?”

“What do you suggest?”

“I like Moscow Mules myself. I have a lot of experience making them,” she said, winking.

“I think I’ll have a whiskey then.”

“Oh, okay.”

He chuckled. “I’m kidding. I’ll take the Moscow Mule, thank you.”

She smiled. “You got it.”

Cassius surveyed the scene. Nina and Orion danced on the dance floor as Leo and Jimmy chatted up the ladies. The nameless in the booth still sat there, whispering to each other and watching the women fearfully. The nameless woman stood in the corner, watching everyone with an eagle eye without holding a drink or seeming inconspicuous at all.

“Here you go,” the bartender returned. “So, tell me about yourself. Looks like you came in with a bunch of foreigners.”

“Yeah, we’re college students,” he answered, sipping the drink. “Wow, this is really good.”

“Thanks. College students, huh?”

“Yeah, this is our first night out. This is one of our first stops of the night.”

“I see. You are out pretty early for this crowd. Normally only Narcs come in so early.”

“Narcs?”

“We get a lot of those here.” She leaned in to him. “Organized crime, you know. Watch your back, kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” he whispered back. “I’m a dangerous man.”

“I’m sure you are. But these are
actual
dangerous men.”

“I can handle it. I’m a philosophy major.”

She laughed and pulled back out of the secret conversation. “So, what’s the deal with everyone. Who’s the guy dancing with the girl? Tall, dark and handsome?”

“Oh, that’s my brother.”

“He hasn’t even acted like you exist, but she keeps looking at you. A romantic interest?”

“No, no. Ryan would never take that.” He kept careful to use different names for his comrades. He thought it would be safer.

“I think she likes you. And you do look lonely.”

“Thanks, I was working on my lonely look.”

She laughed again, excusing herself to make drinks for a few people who’d walked up.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Commander Jones suddenly appeared at his side. “Gotten any information from the bartender?”

“We’ve made small talk,” Cassius answered. “Trying to make friends.”

“She’s friendly. Doesn’t usually tell me much, but I don’t know if our personalities mesh well. She must like your vulnerability.”

“What?”

He knocked him in the shoulder playfully. “I’m kidding, Little Morello. The good thing is you haven’t approached anyone like Gaddy did.”

“Gaddy?”

“The girl in the black dress.”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t learn her name.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Hey Vince,” the bartender returned. “Nice to see you. Are you playing tonight?”

“Hey Amy. Not tonight. I have a job watching college kids now.”

“Fancy that! I’ve been talking to…” She made a face, realizing she hadn’t learned Cassius’s name.

“Casey,” Cassius answered.

“Casey here for a while. He’s a nice kid.”

“He seems nice enough, yeah.”

She leaned in and spoke low, “Something’s going down tonight. You should get these kids out of here.”

“We’ll be moving on soon. Bar hopping.”

“I’m warning you. Get these kids out of here.”

He nodded. “Gotcha. Can I get a beer before we blow this joint?”

She grabbed a bottle of beer and cracked it, “On the house, my man.”

“Thanks.” He gave Cassius a knock on the back and disappeared again into the crowd.

Amy smiled, then helped some more customers. Cassius gulped his drink, feeling nervous again. In the crowd, he saw Gaddy (was it Gaddy? Or Maddy? Haddy?) wiggling her shoulders flirtily at one of the men that’d been on the presentation, Ivan Romanov. Cassius cringed - the interaction didn’t look to be going well. The other nameless men were gone, nowhere in sight. Leo too had disappeared somewhere, but Jimmy and Orion were dancing and enjoying themselves. Nina appeared out of the crowd, walking toward Cassius with a grin.

“Hello.” She patted his shoulder. “Getting close with the bartender?”

“I guess so,” he answered. “You dancing?”

“I have been dancing. Did you see Hernandez? She’s going for it.”

“I thought she was Gaddy.”

“I think Jones calls those three we don’t know all Gaddy. I don’t know why.”

“Huh.”

“Hello,” Amy approached again. “Can I get you a drink?”

Nina responded in Russian, saying something that made Amy laugh. Amy gave her a few beers and watched her go. Nina winked at Cassius as she went, moving back into the crowd.

“You didn’t say she was Russian,” Amy said. “That should keep you guys a little bit safer. Looks like Gregor is even talking to her.”

His gaze shot to her direction. Gregor Marscakova, one of the leaders of the group, talked to Nina with a smile, whispering in her ear and making her laugh. Orion and Jimmy kept an eye on her, whispering to each other as they continued dancing near her.

“Looks like she’s trying to make you jealous.” Amy leaned on her hands and batted her eyes at Cassius.

“Yeah, right.”

“She is. She seems quite interested in you.”

“Sure.”

“Look, I think you should talk to her about it.”

“I don’t think so.”

She pulled a napkin out of the napkin receptacle and wrote down a string of numbers. “Talk to her and tell me how it goes. You all really should get out of here. I’m serious.”

“What’s going on?”

“They’re getting a delivery tonight, and they’re on edge. They don’t like strangers here.”

Commander Jones appeared again, returning a number of glasses to the bar, “We’re going somewhere else.”

Cassius nodded, tucking the napkin in his pocket and waving goodbye. Jones grabbed his arm and dragged him through the crowd into a secluded area and out the back way. He cautiously pulled him to an alcove where they could hide.

“We’re in trouble,” he whispered. “A lot of it.”

Oh no. We’re dead.

IV.

“What’s happening?” Cassius whispered back urgently. “The bartender said they were getting a delivery tonight.”

“Yeah, those other guys with us went outside to keep watch, but they saw them. Thankfully, none of us approached them and they came in a little after us, so I don’t think they suspected anything. Gaddy blew her cover though.”

“Hernandez?”

“Is that her name? I call them all Gaddy.”

"Why?"

"It was a kid in my first mission who was never meant to survive. I find those ones quick."

“How did you know he wasn’t meant to survive?”

“The stupid decisions he made, the way he never listened to instruction. I can’t be bothered by people who can’t listen to instruction.”

Two of the henchmen burst out of the bar holding Gaddy or Hernandez’s limp arms. Cassius remembered their faces, but not their names (they were too long and had too many consonants.) They dumped her on the ground and cursed and spit on her. She retched on the asphalt of the alley, red vomit spilling out of her mouth.

Cassius almost moved to help her when one of the men kicked her in the stomach, but Jones held him back. Cassius simply watched as she retched and cried. Jones pulled out a gun from his waistband, loading the trigger quietly and screwing on a silencer.

“Should I…” Cassius started.

The men turned to the alcove, hearing the noise. Jones glared at his hiding mate, then raised the gun. Two quiet shots - the men were down. He waited a moment, making sure neither moved. Hernandez or Gaddy laid still on the ground, no longer retching out her insides.

"Should we do something for her?" Cassius asked.

"There's nothing to do."

The door opened again, this time with the other SEALs spilling out. Nina had something red smeared on her dress and face. Jones moved out of the darkness, motioning for them to follow. Jimmy stared down at Hernandez or Gaddy, his mouth slightly agape. Leo knocked him in the shoulder and pushed him to go. Jones led them through the shadows, making sure they weren’t seen.

Cassius kept seeing Hernandez or Gaddy heaving with sickness, literally puking her guts out. Every time he closed his eyes, there she was. He thought too of Amy with her warm smile and her kind words.
She knew something - she knew what those bad men would do.