Page 53 of Enter the Lair

Sarah and Devon entered the Ranger Station.They were greeted by an officer Sarah had never met with the name tag Smith.

“Hello, Miss.Marksmen.”

Sarah smile was stained.“Call me Sarah.Where’s Bob?”

“He said he would meet you in the briefing room.”He buzzed the side door to allow her entrance to the interior of the station.When Devon attempted to follow.Smith raised his hand.“He can’t go in there.”

Sarah pointed to a door halfway down the hall.“I’ll be in that room right there.Wait here for a couple of minutes so I can talk to Bob.”She felt Devon’s denial.“Please.”She didn’t want to be separated any more than he did, but they needed information and she couldn’t get it if Devon was there.

Devon halted.He was giving her what she wanted, and he hated it.

Once through the locked outer door, she turned to Smith.“Get Bob now,” she demanded.

Smith took off down the hall as she entered the briefing room.She poured herself a glass of water.It rested on her lips when Gerald walked in from the side door.She silently berated herself for forgetting about the side entrance to the room, trembling at the knowledge that even the station was no longer safe.

“Hello, Sarah,” Gerald said in a mocking tone.

Sarah put the glass back on the table.“I shouldn’t be surprised that you managed to buy your way in here.How do you expect to abduct me from my own office?”

“I’m not.You’re going to come with me willingly.”

Sarah huffed.“Wow.What color is the sky in your world?”

Gerald pulled his cellphone from his pocket, clicking it on before turning it toward her.“As blue as Racheal’s beautiful eyes.”

Sarah stared at Racheal’s azure terrified eyes.She was gagged and bound with her hands in front of her.Red and purple bruises marred her tear-streaked face.The time stamp on the photo was two hours old.

She forcibly controlled her cats urge to shift and remove the threat in the room with her.Devon was right.She needed him.She’d won this battle, but her cat was looking for a chink in her armor.It wanted out, needing to protect her.She felt the rub of fur against her skin, struggling to break free.She was in trouble.

Brian Marksmen entered the side door.The distraction gave her a reprieve from her cougar as it assessed the new threat.He turned to Gerald.“Can I have a moment with my daughter?”

Gerald didn’t seem happy about the interruption.After a dirty look at Brian, he left.

Brian’s face looked pained.“Sarah...”

Sarah stepped forward.“How can you even face me?”She snapped.

He held up both his hands.“Sarah just listen to me for a moment.”

“How could you let them do that to Racheal?She adored YOU.”She yelled.It was true, despite her father’s sordid past Racheal had adored her suave father.Admittedly, Racheal saw the best in everybody, but Brian had shown more interest in Racheal’s accomplishments than her own.

“Racheal was never supposed to be hurt.Neither were you.I just wanted you both to have the advantages of the shifter species without having to be tied to those mongrels,” he said in a rush.

“You don’t know them.”

“They killed DONNY.”He yelled.

Sarah felt like he’d slapped her.“Who did?”

“Donny was tracking a lioness.We needed a female.The only Cascade female at the time was too old to breed.”

Sarah let her family’s depravity set in.“He hunted a female lion shifter and her mate killed him.”

“Yes.”

“Then it was his own fucking fault,” she said coldly.

Brian smacked her.“Don’t you dare talk about him that way!”