Page 22 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)

T he councilman jerked awake, yelping as the sudden movement caused the blade to press harder against his skin. “What? Who’s there?”

I wish I’d prepared a cool response, but I’d been a little too focused on the getting-answers-and-not-dying plan to come up with witty dialog. “It doesn’t matter. I know the council is controlling the coyotes and that the burrow created a toxin to attack wolf shifters.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” He was careful to keep his body rigid, so the blade didn’t dig deeper.

“Shut up! I don’t have time to waste with your lies,” I snapped. “We’re going to keep this short and sweet. Give me the answers I want, and I’ll be gone. No one needs to know about my visit or what you told me. How did you poison the wolves?”

“Honestly, I think that information is too difficult for you to understand,” he protested, clearly stalling for time.

The fingers of his left hand were creeping toward a pocket on the side of the chair. Was he going for a phone or a weapon? Keeping the knife firmly against his neck, I leaned forward over the chair until I could slip my fingers in the pocket.

“I don’t think so,” I snarled, pulling out the slim device and shoving it into the pocket on the side of my thigh. Thank goodness these yoga pants had pockets. Why anyone thought pocket-less yoga pants was a good idea, I’d never know.

The councilman moved faster than I’d expected, grabbing my wrist and giving it a hard twist. Biting my lip, I barely kept from crying out. The last thing I wanted was to give him the pleasure of knowing he’d caused me pain.

I let the knife slide against his skin, leaving a long, thin line of blood. “Careful. The next time, you may end up needing stitches.”

“You’re hurting me!” he whimpered.

“Do you hear that?” I tilted my head, pretending to listen to something. “Oh yeah. It’s the sound of me not caring. How did you poison my wolves?”

I realized my mistake too late.

“Charlee!” He spat my name as though it were something gross in his mouth. “Couldn’t stay away, I see.”

“I would have happily stayed away,” I snarled, “but it seems the burrow will not let me go.”

“Because you belong to us.” Each word was filled with venom and absolute conviction.

“I belong to myself. No man has the right to take that from me.”

He had the nerve to chuckle. “We both know that’s not true. For such an independent little rabbit, you sure were quick to let those mutts get their paws all over you.”

“Don’t talk about them like that!” For the first time since arriving in the burrow, my hand shook.

He instantly seized on the sign of weakness. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Those pathetic dogs are dying, aren’t they? Or are they already dead? How long has it been since they started showing signs of exposure?”

“Last night.”

He barked out a harsh laugh. “Then, by my calculations, they should have died around sunrise.”

“They’re still alive.” I pressed the knife tighter into the fat roll around his neck.

Every fiber of my being wanted to make him pay for his cruelty, but I needed to control my rage before my emotions made me do something I’d regret.

He shook his head, then stiffened, remembering the blade. “Impossible! That toxin is deadly. The wolves we have tested it on lasted less than eight hours. One wolf made it to twelve hours, but he was the strongest of the test subjects.”

They’d killed wolves? I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. Where had the burrow’s test subjects come from? I’d known for most of my life that the council comprised monsters, but I hadn’t realized just how far they would go to preserve their way of life.

“My mates are still alive, and you’re going to tell me how to counteract the toxin,” I demanded, proud my voice didn’t shake.

“How should I know?” He huffed. “We never wanted to reverse the effects. Every wolf shifter we kill makes the world a better place.”

“No! You’re lying!” I shrieked, unable to bear the thought of a future without Linc and Copeland in it.

The council had to have an antidote. What if one of the coyotes was accidentally exposed?

Even if they didn’t care about their hired henchmen, the council was greedy.

Surely they’d want an antidote they could use as a bargaining chip if the werewolves threatened their way of life?

Like a hey-we’ll-cure-you-if-you-turn-a-blind-eye-to-all-the-creepiness-going-on-around-here type of thing.

“Dear, I’m retired now. Occasionally, I’ll read the lab report. But I much prefer to spend my valuable time discussing issues with the rest of the council and providing companionship for the females.” The smugness in his voice made me want to gag.

I doubted there was a single female in the burrows who wanted this creep’s companionship. They say there is someone out there for everyone. For him, it was a therapist.

“The wolves have done nothing to you or anyone else in the burrow!” I gritted out between clenched teeth. “They don’t deserve to be hurt.”

“You belong to us, and by not sending you back, those flea-bitten mongrels interfered in matters that didn’t concern them.

If you’d been a good girl, none of this would have happened.

So honestly, their deaths are your fault, not ours.

” His tone was that of a teacher disappointed in a troublesome student.

“No! You sent coyotes onto pack land and purposely set fires! Then you somehow left a toxin meant to kill my mates. I had nothing to do with this evilness!”

“Charlee, Charlee, Charlee.” The councilman clicked his tongue. “Those are the consequences of your actions. The wolves are collateral damage. But now you’ve learned a valuable lesson. We always win.” Leaning his head back against the chair, he laughed.

He was far too comfortable for a man with a knife to his throat. “You’re an arrogant prick.”

“I have every right to be. Haven’t you realized we’re always going to be two steps ahead of you?” His condescending tone grated on my frayed nerves.

“You’re going to give me the reports,” I demanded. “And I want every single file the burrow has on this toxin.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he snorted. “Those files are all kept in the lab. And I only get summary reports on my computer at my office in the council building. So, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. Checkmate, sweetheart.” His sneer of victory caused something to snap inside me.

He thought I would curl up and cry, but he hadn’t counted on one thing: the all-consuming power of my desperation. I’d come this far, and I wasn’t leaving without the information I needed. Either I got those files or I’d die trying. This made me far more dangerous than he could’ve ever suspected.

“Get up.” My words were low, but something in my tone had him hurrying to comply without protest. “We’re going to the lab.”

“Are you crazy?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Charlee, even if I let you into the lab, you’ll be arrested before you can escape. There’s no chance you’ll leave with your precious information, so what is the point of this?”

“Enough talking. Start walking.” I moved behind him, pressing the knife against the inside of his upper arm.

It was an unusual choice, but the one that gave me the highest odds of taking him out if he fought me. Threatening a victim with a knife to their neck seemed to be the go-to move, but the man was taller than me, and keeping the knife in position was too risky.

“If you move, I’ll slice open your brachial artery, and you’ll bleed out so fast that not even your healing abilities as a shifter will save you.

I’ll escape, and you’ll be dead before you can call for help or alert anyone to my presence.

So, I suggest you move nice and steady. I’d hate to nick you if you make any sudden moves. ”

I could tell he wasn’t sure if he should believe me or not, but thankfully, he was unwilling to take the gamble.

He complied, walking slowly down the hall and through the kitchen.

As we passed the beautiful cherry-oak knife block, I grabbed another knife that I could press to his back for a little added control.

“Where are your zip ties?” I asked.

“I don’t have any—” he began, but immediately shut up when I started yanking open drawers.

Everyone has a kitchen junk drawer filled with all the things you never saw together in any other place—except possibly in a serial killer’s murder and torture bag.

His was the third drawer I opened. Duct tape, super glue, thumbtacks, rubber bands, various bits of cord and string, a pair of yellow kitchen gloves, as well as non-threatening items like used batteries, paperclips, old ink pens, and scraps of aging paper.

In the back, I found thick black zip ties.

“Put your hands behind your back,” I ordered, bracing for him to fight me.

To my immense relief, he obeyed without argument. It was awkward with only one free hand, but with a bit of fumbling and the help of my teeth, I got the zip tie pulled tight. Deciding I might need them later, I tucked a couple more ties, as well as the roll of black duct tape, into my bra.

The medical building that housed the lab was less than half a mile from his home, which we could walk rather than take a car, and risk catching the attention of any guards from the headlights or sound of the engine when we arrived.

It wasn’t a hard walk; nevertheless, by the time we reached the side door, he was sweating as though he’d been the one who’d swam a lake. If we’d been natural rabbits and predators had attacked, this plump man would’ve been one of the first to get eaten.

We stopped in front of the door, and going up on tiptoe, I whispered near the back of his neck, “You’re going to let us in with no fuss and without triggering any alarms. If you do anything stupid to draw attention to us, I will kill you before they get here.”

I cut the zip tie and waited. But despite my threat, the stubborn man remained motionless, making no move to type in the code.

My patience was running thin. Every minute he wasted was a minute closer to me losing my wolf mates forever.

“Choose your next move wisely. You can sacrifice your life and protect the burrow’s secrets by alerting the guards, or you can be a good boy and open this door with no tricks or chaos.

” I gave him a shove toward the door. “Unlike the conniving liars that comprise the council, I keep my word. Give me what I want, and I’ll let you live. ”

With his life on the line, the councilman was no longer in the mood to play hero. Stepping closer, he tapped in the code, then pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner beside it.

I held my breath, waiting for alarms to blare, but the only sound was the soft click of the bolt clicking and a hiss as the door slid open.

So far, so good, I thought to myself.

We stepped inside. “Where do we need to go? The sooner I get the information, the sooner you’ll be free of me.”

His shoulders tensed, but then he sighed. “Most of the files are in the record room. Down the hall, third door on the right.”

“Let’s go.” I pushed him in front of me, keeping my knife between the inside of his arm and his side.

He led the way down the hall and toward the record room, pausing just long enough to type in another code to unlock that door.

When we stepped inside, I was relieved to find a bank of computers against one wall and filing cabinets against the opposite.

It looked like the type of place where you’d find answers.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize I had another problem. I could zip-tie his wrists again, but how could I focus on searching for the information I needed while keeping a man twice my size under control? The moment I was distracted, he’d attack.

Searching the room, I spotted an office chair rolled under a desk. “Sit.”

He did as I commanded. Moving behind him, I pressed the knife to his neck. “Put your arms behind your back.”

He did, and I zip-tied his wrists a second time, pleased to see I was getting faster. With a little more practice, I could probably be an expert at abducting people.

Pulling the roll of tape from my top, I moved in front of him and began wrapping it around his chest and the back of the chair. As I leaned closer, struggling to reach it thanks to his significant girth, the councilman lifted one of his legs.

Using his thigh, he knocked me off balance so that I fell onto him. Before I could react, he buried his face against my breasts and rocked his hips upward, letting me feel his less-than-impressive erection.

I scrambled away from him. “What is wrong with you?”

“You belong to me! Why did you ruin everything, you selfish brat?” His face had turned a strange maroon hue, and his breathing was coming in ragged gasps.

Was he angry, turned on, or having a heart attack?

Please be the latter, I begged the universe.

Not feeding into his tantrum, I began wrapping the tape around his legs.

The councilman wasn’t done. “I’d already filled out the paperwork. When your heat started, I was going to have my way with you.”

I paused, raising an eyebrow. “With what? That baby carrot in your pants?”

“How dare you speak to me like that, little girl!” he roared.

Ignoring him, I finished taping him to the chair. I used the entire roll, not wanting to risk him working himself free while I searched through the records.

“This is overkill,” he snarled.

I couldn’t help but notice he resembled a cocoon a beautiful butterfly was preparing to burst free from, except he was more of a slimy worm, and he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“It’s perfect. Now, stop talking before I decide to cover your mouth…

and possibly your nose, too. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do, but it’s on the list if I don’t get what I want. ”