Alpha Unleashed Page 6

  Meanwhile, Alyssa drove into the parking lot of a three-story apartment building. Though the blacktop was cracked with weeds, there was a brand-new carport, and she pulled into the first space. “He built that,” she said, a note of pride in her voice. “Kept him in beer and babes for a month.”

  “Only a month?” he asked.

  She shot him a dry look. “He’s living here rent-free.”

  “You own the building?”

  She flashed him a smile. “Bought it a few years ago for a song. Detroit real estate being what it is.” Then she turned to the squat rectangle structure with a fond smile. “It’s ugly, but it’s all mine. Laundromat on the first floor, apartments on two and three.” Then she gestured to the brightly lit interior. “I used to work here.”

  He nodded. “I remember.”

  “So when old Mr. Delgado wanted to sell, I sweet-talked him into selling everything to me.”

  He’d bet everything that she had negotiated like a tigress and that they’d both loved every second of it. He would have said just that, but his senses were locking in to the city. The noise was constant, the lights dizzying even in this poorly maintained neighborhood, and the smells made his stomach churn. His bear didn’t like any of it, grumbling in his mental cage, but the man sorted through the sounds. Cars, trucks. Music from down the street. A couple arguing closer by, but not a threat. Both man and beast hated the poisonous city smells, but it wasn’t as bad as he’d feared.

  Alyssa pushed through the front of the laundromat. The space was clean, the machines well maintained though aging, and the scent of chewy brownies and caramel popcorn wafted out in a sweet puff. He heard someone inside munching and words from someone else.

  “Put that away,” said a young man. “You’re going to be high as a kite while you walk home.”

  “But it’s so good,” muttered a woman.

  Simon stepped inside and saw a young black man lounging against a counter, his frame thin, but the muscles already bulging. His face was all good-natured cheer as he shook his head at a middle-aged woman in a muumuu that hung on her moderate frame. She was a large woman who’d recently lost weight, and she shoved another handful of popcorn into her mouth before firmly shutting the lid on a brown tin. Right next to her, a dryer was going with a dizzying array of colors tumbling around inside.

  “Lyssa! Good to see you,” the woman called. “I been sharing my popcorn with Malik here.”

  The boy raised his clean hands and shook his head. “I ain’t touched a crumb. That’s all you, Ms. Turley.”

  “Have the migraines been bad lately?” Alyssa asked as the dryer dinged and slowed.

  “Plumb awful,” the woman responded as she popped the tin open again and grabbed another handful. “I could barely see to come here tonight.”

  “Then you sit down and rest. Malik—”

  “I’ll fold up your dresses nice and neat for you, Ms. Turley,” the boy said as he crossed to the dryer and began pulling out muumuus in a blinding array of colors and designs. Apparently, he’d done this a lot because he didn’t even blink when he shook out some very large underwear.

  “Well, thank you boy. Don’t mind if—”

  “And I think you should put this away for now,” Alyssa interrupted as she neatly grabbed the popcorn tin and set it out of the woman’s reach. “Save it for tomorrow.”

  Which is when Simon finally remembered that scent. Cannabis on the popcorn and a baggie filled with brownies. And also from Ms. Turley’s pores. Lord, just standing near her was giving his bear a contact high.

  Meanwhile, Alyssa stepped behind the counter, obviously checking on things while Malik finished with the woman’s laundry. A few minutes later, the lady was carrying a basket of muumuus and brownies out the door.

  “Be careful walking home, Ms. Turley,” Malik called.

  “I will,” she called back in an exuberant singsong. “I surely will.”

  The door shut behind her, but Simon listened to her tuneless humming as she walked away. Then his attention was taken by Malik, who had straightened to his full height as he looked at Alyssa. “Been a busy night down the street. About average here.”

  Alyssa nodded as she shut the cash register. “Looks good,” she finally said. “Any other problems?”

  “No, ma’am.” The response was as sharp as a salute and Alyssa patted his arm.

  “Then keep on keeping on. We’ll be downstairs.”

  The boy nodded, still standing straight as an arrow as she walked through to the back of the laundromat. Simon followed a step behind watching everything as they stepped into the main hallway of the apartment building. There were only two apartments on this floor. The laundromat took up the rest. When he thought she’d go to one of the doors, she surprised him. She headed to the back staircase and down to the basement level.

  “Who’s the pot dealer? Malik? You?” he asked.

  “It’s legal now or mostly, so don’t give me any attitude.”

  At the moment, the attitude was all hers. He was just gathering facts. “You’re not a legal dispensary.”

  She shot him a look. “And I’m not dealing. Neither is Malik.” She jerked her chin toward the street. “It’s two doors down. About half my business comes from people starting laundry here then wandering down there.”

  He thought about it and understood the economics of the situation. He also didn’t have any moral outrage. It was a complicated world and people did what they needed to get by. Besides, there was more than enough for him to process when they pushed into the basement floor where metal cages surrounded storage. Apartment numbers were written on small signs attached to each padlocked door, protecting boxes and old furniture in a slightly musty display.

  All except one cage with the number one on it. In it was a cot and a very angry brother. Vic stood as soon as they entered, a look of fury on his face.

  “What the fuck, Alyssa? You didn’t have to keep me locked up.”

  She stepped onto the concrete floor and Simon slipped in beside her. She moved forward quickly, but stopped just short of his reach. “How do you feel?”

  Four words but they held a wealth of meaning. Simon couldn’t understand all the undercurrents, but he guessed she was equal parts afraid of her brother and afraid for him.

  “I’m fine, Lys. Really, I am.” Then his gaze caught Simon’s and relief cascaded through his features. Vic was a large man with hard, ropy muscles, but his face was as expressive as the most innocent of children. Every emotion flashed on his features and shocked relief screamed loud enough that even Simon could see it. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

  “You risked your sister’s life in sending her to me.”

  Both Alyssa and Vic jolted at that. Vic opened his mouth to speak, but Simon didn’t give them the chance.

  “And now that she knows what I am, my life is at risk. Many alphas would kill for such a transgression.” It was an exaggeration, but it wasn’t a lie. Fortunately, Carl—the new leader of the Gladwin bear clan—was known to be rational. Some even called him progressive, and among shifters, that was a rarity.

  “I didn’t know, Simon.” Vic gripped the chain-link fence around his cage. “But you’re the only one who can help me. I’m changing into a monster.” His voice had tightened with fear, but Simon ignored it.

  “You risked my life and hers for a lie.” He stepped right up to the fence. “You are not my friend.” He glanced over at Alyssa. “And he is a terrible brother.” With a nod to her, Simon completed his turn and began walking back to the stairs. Behind him, Vic called out.

  “Wait! Simon, I’m not lying.” He rattled the edge of the cage and cursed. “Damn it, Alyssa, let me out! Simon!”

  He heard the rattle of keys as Alyssa unlocked the cage. Her voice shook as she spoke. “Is he right, Vic? Is this all some kind of stunt?”

  “No!” Vic’s answer was vehement, but it was Alyssa’s cry of surprise that had Simon spinning around. He caught sight of Alyssa flying b
ackward into the next cage, propelled by the force of Vic pushing his cage open. Even more surprising, the metal frame of the door banged backward hard enough to bend, and the clang was deafening.

  That was a surprise to everyone. Vic paused a moment, his eyes widening as his sister caught herself against the opposite cage and pulled herself upright. But then his attention spun back to Simon.

  “Come back here!” Vic bellowed, the cry deeper than a moment before. And a scent pervaded the area. Thick, oily, and nauseating. It was nothing Simon had ever smelled before, and the word “wrong” screamed in his head.

  Simon stepped back down the stairs, using the one second he had to analyze the situation. His conclusion was very simple. Something was wrong and it centered on Vic who was barreling forward, his hands clenched into fists and his face pinched tight.

  “Stop right now!” Simon ordered, his voice reverberating in the concrete and metal space.

  Vic didn’t stop. He grabbed Simon’s arms with unnatural strength. “Listen to me!” he growled, his breath foul.

  Simon reacted immediately. He broke Vic’s hold and slammed the man back. But Vic was larger, and the solidity of his frame made it like pushing a brick wall. The man went nowhere, but at least Simon was free.

  Simon ducked around to the side, his nostrils flaring. The smell was awful and it made every part of him rebel, especially his grizzly. Inside his mind, the bear fought to get out, but Simon refused. He’d been animal for too long lately. Another shift would likely be his last. He’d never come back to being a man. And even if he could, he was in the basement of a laundromat in Detroit. Someone would shoot him long before he regained control. Therefore, his grizzly remained locked away.

  No problem. He had bested Vic before as a man. He would do so again now. He just had to be logical.

  He ducked to the side though there wasn’t a lot of room between cages. Step one: Begin with reason.

  “I’m listening, Vic. Why did you want me here?”

  “You have to help me!” the man bellowed. He was still going for a grappling hold, his arms spread and his hands extended like claws. Easy to avoid assuming Simon kept well out of reach. Then Alyssa’s voice cut through the room.

  “Vic, calm down. He’s right here.”

  Vic swung his head around, the movement including shoulders and torso. It looked like a bear pulling his massive body to the side more than a man twisting. “Don’t talk to me, you bitch. You did this to me.”

  Hell. Alyssa’s face tightened, her expression flattening down as she set her feet. “Calm down. I did what you wanted. I brought him here.”

  Vic wasn’t listening. Instead, he was lumbering toward his sister and Simon watched with detached surprise as the man’s profile seemed to elongate. Maybe. It was hard to tell and no time to evaluate. But it raised enough of a question that Simon accepted the grim reality of what he had to do. If Vic was indeed turning into a bear—and his rational mind could barely fathom the concept—then Simon had to force the full change. He had to see it for himself to understand what was going on and prove that this wasn’t some elaborate, incomprehensible hoax. And the only way to do that was to push the man into a blind fury.

  But first he had to get Vic’s attention.

  “I’m over here, you idiot,” he taunted. “You want my help? Come and take it.”

  Vic swung back, but Alyssa didn’t keep quiet. “Don’t be a fool, Simon. He’s dangerous.”

  Maybe. Maybe not. But she sure as hell couldn’t defend herself from her brother. Not at his current size and strength.

  “Look at me, moron,” he taunted. And when Vic turned, Simon struck. Two quick jabs to the face, hard enough to snap Vic’s head back. Also hard enough to make Simon’s hand pound. The bones of Vic’s face were hard as hell. And not shaped right.

  Vic roared and charged, still going for the grappling hold. His friend had always been more of a wrestler than a boxer. Simon danced around, punching as hard as he could in rapid fire. His blows weren’t meant to take Vic down. The only safe space in this tight basement was inside Vic’s cage. He had to maneuver them there. That meant quick jabs and fast feet as he backed into the cage. Vic would follow because that’s what angry bears did. The plan was to get Vic inside the cage, then dance around to get himself out.

  That was the plan and it started to work. But he hadn’t counted on the smell. Worse than a dozen terrified skunks because at least those scents were natural. This smelled like industrial waste mixed with decaying flesh. And every time he took a breath, he wanted to gag. It destroyed his timing, shorted out his oxygen, and definitely gave Vic the upper hand.

  “Simon, get back! Get out of the way!”

  Alyssa’s voice rang with command, but Simon had no intention of obeying. He had a plan that was working if only he could keep from choking on the stench. And all the while, Vic’s body seemed to grow bigger and a little faster. Every time Simon connected, the impact seemed to strike against harder and harder flesh. Like pounding a wall that only got stronger the more times you hit it. Or perhaps his own hands were swelling. Had he damaged them?

  Jab, jab, jab. Pause. Jab, jab, jab.

  He set up a rhythm, pacing everything to an internal metronome. He even measured his breathing and picked out his targets with mathematical precision. The only random element in his attack was where he put his feet. In and out of reach, forward and back, stronger, slower, all at random and according to whatever opportunities Vic gave him.

  When he couldn’t punch Vic in the direction he wanted, Simon slipped into that location and lured the man forward. And step by smelly step, he drew Vic into the cage.

  At least Alyssa was safely outside the cage. Now all he had to do was dance around his bloodied friend and get out. Except he hadn’t expected Vic to change. True shifters change in a kind of glow. They suck temperature from the air, pull life from the ground, some seem to take the power out of the wind. Everyone was different, but they all had a soft yellow shimmer as the body changed from one state to another, often too fast for the human eye to catch. But back when he was a kid, he’d filmed himself changing just to watch it frame by frame.

  Vic did none of that. His change was instantaneous, and though there might have been a dip in temperature, Simon was too busy scrambling backward to really notice.

  Vic became huge. Like grizzly bear huge, but as a man. And he had thick fur on his torso and arms, bear claws for hands, and a large mouth. And the stench was horrendous.

  Simon gasped in shock as he scrambled backward, but he was inside the cage. There wasn’t anywhere to go and he banged backward into the cot. The impact caused him to suck in air, and that set off his gag reflex. He started choking, fighting to keep from vomiting while Vic roared forward. Simon’s mind was still reeling, unable to process what had happened. That was not a normal shift. Vic wasn’t a bear but he sure as hell wasn’t human, either. And while his mind stuttered and his breath choked off, Vic attacked.

  Simon rolled, able to do that much despite the way his body rebelled. Inside his mind, his own grizzly surged. It needed to fight and it wanted to kill. He held it back by sheer will. He could not shift here. Not against Vic, not with Alyssa just a few feet away. It was too dangerous for all of them.

  But that meant it was him against a monster double his size inside an eight-foot cage.

  Chapter 6

  Alyssa couldn’t stop screaming. At least not inside her head. It truth, her one and only scream had drawn in enough of the stench that she’d gagged. Holy hell, that…thing stunk. And that thing was her brother.

  That was horrifying enough, but now Simon was trapped inside the cage with it. No way could he fight. He was scrambling and choking just like she was. Even Malik stumbled the moment his feet hit the floor, a gun lax in his hand as he gagged from the stench.

  “Don’t shoot,” Alyssa managed to wheeze. It was too dangerous with Simon in there. Malik was a great shot, but she couldn’t risk he’d hit the wrong man. And sh
e sure as hell didn’t want to clip the right one and just make it more angry. “I have…plan.”

  And she did. Sort of. But her mind was still screaming from the sight of her brother turned monster. He was the size of a bear with fur and claws. And he was in a killing frenzy. He was roaring as he lunged for Simon who just barely managed to roll aside, his own breath ragged from the stench.

  Her brother turned and swung thick hairy arms at Simon, but he was off balance. It took her a moment to realize that his pants were hobbling him. The jeans were too tight and hadn’t ripped like the tee had. The seams on the legs were splitting and the button had popped, loosening the waist. But the groin had to be squeezing Vic’s balls hard enough to make him sing soprano. It sure as hell was hampering his movements, which was the only reason Simon was still alive.

  Vic’s roar came out again, this time higher in pitch. He tore at the denim, ripping it easily with his claws and drawing enough blood to make Alyssa whimper. Whatever this thing was, her brother was inside it. She didn’t want it bleeding out.

  “Get out of there!” Alyssa screeched at Simon. It was a stupid thing to say. She could see that he was trying, but Vic was flailing at his jeans with big movements in a tiny space. One wrong step, and Simon could be knocked unconscious.

  At least he wasn’t gagging anymore. He definitely had a green cast to his skin, but probably no more than she. And his eyes were narrowed in concentration.

  Oh God, was he going to kill Vic? He’d been brutal as he punched her brother, but there hadn’t seemed to be much damage. Blows, yes. Blood, no. And Vic had been pissed, but she’d seen more brutal fights between ten-year-old boys, so she hadn’t interfered.

  But this was different. This was a dangerous fight with a monster. She didn’t want him to kill Vic, but what could he do? She scrambled sideways, grabbing the stun gun from the nearby table. That was her plan. It wasn’t the kind that could send out darts. It was just a handheld model that she’d have to slam into his furry gut. But maybe if she could get Vic to come at her, she could zap him before he ripped her to pieces.