The Baby Shift- Arkansas Read online

  “What the hell happened last night?” Wesley said as he took in his location. He was lying on the floor out in an open forest. He sat up abruptly.

  “We were attacked. By the Boon, I think. Dan and I managed to get out alive. But now it would seem we just walked into more trouble.” She looked at something behind him.

  “What do you mean more trouble?” Wesley said as he turned around to see what he was looking at.

  A man was standing beside Dan—a man with golden eyes and long flowing hair that was as dark as night. "Angel."

  The man popularly known as the Lone Wolf, walked forward to stand over him. He wore a black vest and blue jeans. “I must say, it hasn’t been easy tracking you down,” Angel said.

  “Yet, here we are,” Wesley said.

  “Yes. So, I suggest you make this easy for both of us and stay put. I have already informed the resistance of our location. They’ll send a chopper in anytime soon.”

  “I’m not working with the Boon,” Wesley said.

  Angel shook his head. "That's for Carl to decide. Frankly, things don't look good for you, especially with the latest attack by the Boon. You and Kean were the only ones who knew about the location. Then there's the fact that Kean is probably dead now after the attack."

  It was like getting stung by a thousand bees. Wesley turned to Kate. She lowered her gaze. “Is this true?” he said. “How...”

  Angel raised an object in his hand. "I took this phone off your pocket. I don't know the password, but I'm sure the tech guys can crack it. Hopefully, it would let us know who else you were in comms with, and of course, if you led your mentor to his death."

  Wesley rose to his feet. “How dare you accuse me of...”

  “Now, now, false shifter. You may be a pure-born, but even with your superhuman strength, you stand no chance against a shifter in animal form. So, before you make your next move, you should...”

  The phone in Angel’s hand suddenly sprang into life, ringing loudly within the quiet forest. Angel looked at it and frowned. He stared at Wesley. “Now I am going to put this phone on speaker and let you speak to whoever it is on the other end. If you do or say anything funny, I promise you; I will rip your throat off. Understood?”

  “Who’s the caller,” Wesley asked.

  “Kean Grayson.”

  Confused, but eager to talk to a mentor he thought dead only a few seconds ago, he nodded. Angel held the phone close to Wesley. “Kean?” Wesley said.

  “Kean is currently unavailable right now,” an unfamiliar voice said on the other end.

  “Who is this?” Wesley asked.

  “The name is Sergio Milosevic. I believe Kean must have mentioned me more than a few times.”

  Wesley sighed. Sergio was once the mentor and father figure to Kean. That was back when Kean used to be a member of the Boon. “What have you done to him?”

  “Now boy, you know I love him as much as you do. I wouldn’t dare harm a hair on his head, unless...”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless I absolutely have to. And if you do not bring the woman to the location I will send to you in a second; I definitely will have no option than to. Bring her to me within an hour, and your friend will be safe. And come alone, or he dies too.” Then he hung up.

  Angel looked at Wesley with some level of uncertainty. “I wasn’t expecting that,” he said.

  “I have to go save him. You have to let me go.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Then you’ll have to kill me on the spot!”

  Angel sighed. “I meant, I can’t let you go alone. I’m coming with you. One of us is in trouble, and I’m not ready to sit back and watch him die. I know what he means to Carl and the rest of the organization.”

  The phone beeped. Angel glance at it. “He just sent the location. A warehouse on Creek street about a mile from here.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Kate said. “It’s me they want.”

  Wesley shook his head. "I love Kean, but I would never risk your life to save his. We have to try to break him out or die trying. It's my fault he's in this mess. I was unconscious while they took him away, just like I hid in that hole while..."

  “Stop, Wesley. None of this is your fault,” Kate cut in.

  “Keep her safe,” Angel said to Dan.

  “I will,” Dan replied.

  “We need a plan,” Wesley said.

  “I already have one,” said Angel, tossing Wesley’s gun to him. “I’ll tell you about it on our way.”

  As soon as the two men disappeared into the bushes, Kate turned to Dan. “We have to help them. Remember, your mission is to keep us both safe.”

  “I know,” Dan said. “I’m just trying to figure out how to do that without getting you in danger. They will need backup to get past all those shifters. I just lost an entire team, so I can’t use more FBI resources on this.”

  “You don’t need to,” she said. “I have a plan of my own. Do you happen to have Instagram on your phone?”

  He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, why?"

  “I’ll explain on our way,” she said.

  As he expected, the warehouse had men guarding the compound. Wesley counted four of them parading around the building and two of them at the entrance. He hoped Angel could find a way to sneak past them and into the building according to their plan. For now, he had to focus on playing his part. The men guarding the entrance seemed to be expecting him as they did not say a word while he passed. They did, however, have their eyes fixed on him.

  The interior of the warehouse was large and spacious. There were a few rusty cars here and there, and doors leading into other halls were scattered all around. Wesley saw the man with grey hair standing in the middle of the hall with two other younger men beside him. He had an air of importance around him. Even before he said anything, Wesley knew this was Sergio Milosevic.

  “I don’t see the woman with you, Wesley,” Sergio said.

  “You don’t think I’d be stupid enough to just walk in with her. She’s somewhere close, and I’ll tell you where after I confirm Kean is alive and in one piece.”

  “I am a Boon. I will live and die by my word. We both know I would take no pleasure in killing a man I once considered my son. Give me the woman, and I will let you and Kean leave here alive.”

  “Let me see him first,” Wesley said. He felt the sweat break out on his forehead. Whatever Angel was doing right now, he had better hurry. He wasn’t sure for how long he could distract these men.

  “I see you brought your gun,” Sergio said, glaring at him.

  “What, did you think I’d come in here unarmed?” Wesley said.

  “And that, my friend is why I can’t let you see him. I’ve heard stories of how quickly and effectively you use a pistol. Tell me where she is now, or I’ll have my men tear you apart right here. We can still seek out the woman, but you’d be dead.”

  “Let’s not get too hasty,” Wesley said, backing up as the two younger men took steps forward.

  “Why, look what we have here,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Wesley turned around to see who it was. Three men had stormed into the warehouse. It was Garett and his two goons.

  Sergio stared blankly at them, but Wesley had never felt so relieved. “How did you know where to find me?” Wesley said.

  “The woman was smart. She logged into her Instagram some minutes ago and posted a pic with her live location, which was here. The tech guys picked it up, and Carl asked us to come check it out.”

  Wesley shook his head. "They have Kean, Garett. I know you hate me for pulling a gun at you and stealing your car, but if it helps, she's not carrying the elite shifter. Our intel was wrong, and you nearly killed an innocent woman. Now get over yourself and help me take down these Boon scum."

  The werebears beside Garett began to roar, getting ready to shift and attack the members of the Boon who still seemed indifferent about the whole situation. Just as the first set of hair was about to grow on the werebears, something happened that would forever be the shock of Wesley's life. Garett abruptly whipped out a pistol from his jeans and put a bullet in the head of each of his two men, one by one. They both fell to the floor, their bodies deformed in mid-shift.

  "Garett, What the fuck!" Wesley said with his mouth wide open. He pulled out a pistol of his own and pointed it at Garett. All Garett did was smile at him.

  It was Sergio who spoke. “You see, Garett here has been one of my most trusted men. I assigned him the task of keeping watch over the affairs of the resistance a long time ago, knowing we would need him one day.”

  Wesley said, “But it makes no sense. Why would you try so hard to kill the mother of the elite shifter?”

  Garett replied this time. “Because you are right. She isn’t the mother of the elite. She was oblivious, of course, but she was nothing but a decoy. The real carrier of the elite child is in a place far, far away. Where you may never find her. Kate is just a phony that the resistance would have thought dead and forgotten had you not been stupid enough to stop me from killing her yesterday.”

  “You traitor!”

  “True, but at the end of the day, YOU will be seen as the traitor. The gun I used in killing these two dimwits was your gun. You left your briefcase in the car you stole, remember. My car— which was bugged all along.”

  Wesley said, “that’s how the Boon found us at the FBI safe house. You were tracking the car all along.”

  Garett winked. “You bet.”

  Wesley felt the hatred rise from within him like never before. His hand tightened around his weapon. “You bastard. I’m going to...”

  “Oh no, you don’t,” Garett said. “Not if you still want to save your little decoy bitch.” He turned to the open door and said, “bring them
in.”

  Wesley felt the toxic anger in him dilute itself into frustrated worry as he saw the two guards he had earlier seen at the door walk in with two new hostages. Dan and Kate had knives held to their backs as they were guided into the warehouse.

  Garett was saying, “of course, after receiving instructions from Carl, I had to alert my true brothers of the fact that these two were lurking around the premises. So, Wesley, unless you want to see her guts spilled all over, I suggest you drop the gun.”

  Kate and Dan were shaking their heads, silently begging him not to do it. Trying to let him see the obvious. None of them was of use to the Boon anymore—not even her. If he dropped his gun, they would all be slaughtered. But Wesley could not bring himself to watch her die. So, he slowly lowered his weapon.

  Then two creatures came out of nowhere. They zipped through the air, the wolf and the bear, cutting down the men holding Kate and Dan hostage in one perfectly-coordinated attack. The two hostages were suddenly free. Wesley returned his gaze to Garett, but the latter had dodged behind a parked car.

  Garett rose slightly and opened fire on him, causing Wesley to take cover behind a larger metal box. The bear, which Wesley knew had to be Kean, ran straight for Sergio. The man shifted in an instant and became a large golden-eyed grey bear. The went straight for the other men beside him. They shifted into tigers and met him head-on. More Boon agents ran in through the entrance.

  “Go! Hide!” Dan yelled at Kate as he picked up two knives from his dead captors and tried to fend the shifters off. She ran straight for a nearby doorway and disappeared into it.

  Wesley and Garett continued to exchange bullets from their hiding places. His aim was impeccable as usual, but Garett was too quick to take cover every time he was about to shoot. So, Garett took a shot at him, but there was a loud click. He had run out of bullets. Taking the momentum of the shock, Wesley raised his weapon, took aim, and shot. There was another loud click—his time, from his gun.

  Before he could think of his next move, Garett dashed out of his cover and ran straight for the doorway that Kate had gone through. Wesley's eyes widened. He left his position and chased after him.

  When he entered into the room, he found it empty except for Kate, who was crouching in a dark corner as if terrified by something she saw. Wesley sensed movement beside him and turned. The blow came out of the dark, so suddenly, it was all he could do to raise a hand to shield his face. The large bear paw struck him, however, and sent him smashing against the hard floor.

  Wesley's world spun. The wound at the back of his head began to hurt again. He found himself fighting hard to stay conscious. Sharp claws dug into his back, leaving deep red marks. He bit back the cry of pain that threatened to escape his lips. He would not give Garett the satisfaction of hearing him scream. He did, however, hear Kate's cry of anguish as she called out his name. Wesley spun around at threw a hard punch. It caught the creature on the jaw, causing it to stagger to one side.

  He tried to use the slight respite to get to his feet, but the bear recovered quickly and sent another paw flying at him. This time, it caught him squarely in the chest, and Wesley felt like his lungs had collapsed. He could hardly breathe as he flew four feet across the room right into a wall. There he lay, unable to move as blood oozed out of his back and chest.

  “You have to shift, Wesley,” he felt, rather than heard Kate saying to him. “You have to shift now, or we both would be dead. Lions didn’t kill your family. Bad people did. You have to accept that this is who you are and that something good can come out of a shifter. You said you wished you could have helped your parents - but the truth is you would have died with them. You couldn’t help Kean because you were unconscious. But now you can do something. You can save me, and you can save yourself. You are a lion, and it’s time you accept that.”

  Wesley’s swollen eyes opened. The bear was almost on top of him now. He closed them once more. And let himself go.

  The lion in him came roaring out of his slumber. At first, it was only his arm that shifted, and with it, he effortlessly caught the bears next blow. Then his entire body metamorphosed in a single shudder. He was a lion—one that was just as large as the bear cowering in front of him. Wesley roared—a feat he hadn't been able to achieve in over a decade. Then he leaped for his opponent. Garett stood no chance. The lion dug his large claws into his stomach and tore a deep hole into him. With his sharp teeth, Wesley snapped at Garett's throat and felt the warm meat in his mouth. He sunk his teeth into the bear and chewed on him. It tasted fantastic. He was beginning to see red, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was tear the bear apart.

  With one final cry of pain, the bear fell to the floor while the lion continued to hack, slash, and bite until the movements became nothing but little flinches. Still, Wesley continued, unable to stop the building rage.

  “He’s dead, Wesley. He’s dead,” Kate called out.

  Only after hearing those words of finality from a soothing voice, did the lion stop to look at what he had done. The bear had stopped breathing.

  Chapter 5

  They were at the resistance-designated building in Castle Rock, Arkansas. Wesley, Kate, and Angel stood outside a room, waiting anxiously for something inside. The door finally opened, and two men walked out. There sat Carl Stevenson and Kean Grayson.

  “I don’t know which to do first,” Carl said, looking at Wesley. “Apologize for believing those traitors over you, or thank you for helping us defeat the Boon.”

  Wesley said, “I was only doing my duty, sir. Just like you were. There’s no need for apologies or gratitude.”

  “Maybe. But I’m sorry, and I thank you all the same.”

  “Did he say anything?” Angel asked.

  "No," Carl said. "Sergio would never give up information on the Boon. His phone, however, doesn't have the same commitment. We had our tech guys hack into his device after we brought him in. We have the whereabouts of the real elite carrier. Kean will oversee the team that will bring her in."

  “So, what happens next, for me,” Kate said.

  Carl smiles. “This isn’t your fight, Miss Henderson. You have suffered enough already. You and Wesley will be given rooms to stay the night. A chopper will come to take you to your homes tomorrow morning.”

  He called one of the guards in the room and asked him to show them to their rooms. They were led to a corridor and were both assigned rooms opposite each other.

  “Have you heard from Dan,” Wesley asked once the guard left them alone in the corridor.

  “He said he was going to try to convince the FBI to work with the resistance on eradicating the Boon for good. After what happened at the safe house, he doesn’t think they’ll hesitate.”

  “Oh, good,” Wesley said. “And thank you. For helping find my lion again.”

  She smiled—the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. "That was all you. You were brave enough to face your fears."

  At this point, he wanted to tell her how terrified he had been at the thought of losing her. He wanted to tell her no one had ever been able to see into his very soul the way she did. But she was a normal woman, who had suffered enough of the shifter life to last anyone a lifetime. A woman who deserved peace and tranquility in her life. So instead, he said. "Goodnight, Kate."

  “Goodnight, Wesley,” she replied.

  He turned around and turned the lock on the door of his room. “Wait,” he heard her say behind him. When he turned around, she was smiling brightly at him. “Now that it seems the father of my baby wasn’t real, I need someone to help me pick out baby names.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t mind helping you with that.”

  Kate opened the door and walked in. Then she turned around slightly, “come on in.”

  Wesley followed her into the room. It was modestly furnished with a well-laid bed in the middle of it.

  “We may not see each other after tomorrow,” Wesley said, standing beside her.

  “Is that what you want?” she took a step forward.

  “No,” he said.