Page 77 of To Kill a Badger (The Honey Badgers Chronicles #6)

“W hy the fuck are we back in Paris?”

It never occurred to Keane that the She-badgers would actually take them back to Paris. The scene of their “crime.”

“Where did you think we were going?” álvarez asked. Keane didn’t appreciate how she always sounded like he had to be the stupidest man she’d ever come across. It was her tone. He hated her tone!

“I didn’t think we’d be coming back to Paris. The place where we’re wanted fugitives!”

“Calm down, cat. It’s fine.”

Keane reached out for Nelle, and she immediately gripped his hand with her own.

That one move was the only thing keeping him from killing and eating the four badgers while they drove past the Champs-élysées.

A sight he would have normally loved to stop and look at, but at the moment couldn’t be bothered to do more than simply note it was there.

When they finally parked in the city and got out, he was shocked when the Russian led them through a bunch of back streets until they reached an entrance that was nothing more than a grate in the ground.

The Russian yanked the grate free and motioned to Keane.

He shook his head. “I am not going down there. Nope. Forget it.” When he felt that foot against his ass just before he went flipping in, he reminded himself he would have to kill all these old crones the first chance he got!

* * *

“Stop kicking me!” Keane yelled from the darkness when he landed.

Nelle glared at Rutowski.

“What? I was just helping.”

“I hate you.”

The female laughed, and Nelle decided to ignore it for now. She knew how Keane felt about underground spaces, and the abandoned mines and catacombs under Paris would do nothing but send her poor cat into a mire of misery.

She landed next to him and immediately put her arms around his waist.

“Are those human skulls ?” he demanded, pointing.

“Yeah. Let’s just go,” she said, following after the other four, who had already landed and were walking away.

It was nothing but darkness in these passageways, since the tours didn’t come to this particular location. But they were all nocturnal species. They could see most of what they needed.

But as she took Keane’s hand and led him deep under the city, she could feel him panicking. He was doing his best to hide it, but his heart rate increased, his breathing became shallow. At any moment, he was going to panic and shift to cat, and then she had no idea what the hell would happen.

Stopping abruptly, she turned to him and went up on her toes.

Putting her hand on his shoulder, she pulled him down until she could press her lips against his.

She slid her tongue into his mouth and teased his until it reached out for her.

He released the grip he had on her hand, so he could wrap his arms around her waist and lift her up.

Nelle completely forgot why she had started kissing him, because she was too busy kissing him. Their hot breath mingling; their hands holding onto each other; her breasts pressed against his chest.

She wanted him to take her right here and now, pressed up against a wall that may very well have some skulls there, too. She didn’t care. She just wanted him. Now.

“Are you two done ?”

Rutowski’s teenager voice cut through the darkness and their lust in a way Nelle’s own mother couldn’t have.

Pulling away from each other, they both looked at the She-badger and snarled.

“Hey, I get it,” she replied. “My husband does the same for me. But we gotta go. Now .”

Grudgingly, their bodies heated and ready, Keane lowered Nelle to the ground, and she released him.

“Later,” he growled before grabbing her hand again and following after the most annoying females Nelle had ever had the misfortune of meeting.

* * *

“It does not open,” the Russian said about the door she’d been pushing and then banging on for the last five minutes.

“Is there something behind it?” Keane asked. “Like concrete or boulders?”

“No. It is simply steel and securely lock—”

He slammed his shoulder against the door, sending it crashing into an empty hallway. Taking Nelle’s hand, he walked inside, ignoring Rutowski’s “Impressive” comment.

It was, however, harder to ignore álvarez’s “He’s just horny” response.

But before he could tell all four of the She-badgers to “shut the fuck up,” an armed fox came into the hallway Keane was walking down.

The male’s eyes got big at the sight of Keane, and he ran off in the opposite direction.

As they kept going, more armed foxes appeared; this time with more extreme weaponry. Then he saw Elise.

“Mes amis!” she gasped. “What are you doing here? Why did you not come through the store like always?”

Wanting to know that, too, Keane faced Rutowski, but she merely walked past him and Nelle and over to Elise.

“I thought you had already fled my beautiful country,” the fox said, motioning them closer. “Come, come!”

She led them down the passageway and turned a corner, which led to another door.

This one was open and brought them into the big space Keane had been in before beneath the dress shop.

Already having been here and knowing what was around and how to get out, he immediately relaxed.

He never thought he’d be so happy to be around foxes.

“What has happened?” Elise asked as she led them past all the busy workers.

“The Group came for us.”

“So? They are friends, no?”

“Not to us.”

“They would drag you home, yes? But you would be home and away from here. You should be home, my friends.”

“We’re not done here.”

Nelle pulled away from Keane so she could stop right in front of Rutowski.

“You keep saying that . . . why?”

“I thought you wanted to know who betrayed you, and you won’t believe it coming from me.”

“You know what? I don’t want to know. Because I’m done. I’m done with you. I’m done with France. I just want to go home.”

Nelle faced Elise. “Can you arrange transport for me and Keane?”

“Of course. This way.”

“So you’re just going to walk away from this?” Rutowski continued, as Keane followed Nelle and the other badgers followed them all.

“Yes, I am.”

“That is not going to make your family look good.”

“You said my family didn’t matter, remember?”

“Yeahhhh. I was kind of shittin’ ya about that.”

Nelle froze mid-step before spinning around. “What?”

Rutowski shrugged. “I lied. Your family’s crazy powerful.”

“Then why did you tell me—”

“You were just so insulted when I said they weren’t that, ya know . . . I kind of ran with it.”

Nelle’s hands clenched into fists and, for a moment, there was nothing but silence as the pair eyed each other.

But then, one of the crones snorted, and all four of them burst out laughing, leaning against one another, unable to catch their collective breath. Simply having a grand old time at Nelle’s expense.

“I’m sorry,” Rutowski said around her laughter. “I shouldn’t have . . . it’s just . . . you were just so pissed off !”

“Still! She’s still pissed off!” álvarez said on a burst of more laughter.

* * *

Elise quickly stepped between her old friends and her newer ones. The cat was quick, so he grabbed Gong Zhao before she could get her hands around Tracey’s throat.

Elise knew she had to calm this situation down quickly. Like her mother, Gong was not a woman who appreciated being laughed at.

“I cannot believe you still play these games, Tracey Rutowski!” Elise admonished.

“It’s not my fault she’s so sensitive!”

“This is why Edgar Van Holtz sent The Group for you. He hates you, too!”

“He’s just an uptight prick.”

“You are all so short-sighted,” Elise went on, years of annoyance catching up with her. “There is no time for the games you four play!”

“Just get us out of here,” Gong said to Elise. “I’m done with them.”

She understood the girl’s anger and motioned her toward her office.

But then Tracey said, “It was Zeus.”

The cat stopped before Gong, but both seemed confused.

“What was Zeus?”

“How do you think Manse knew you were here?” she asked Gong. “Jules knew. She knew you were in Paris, but not where you were at that moment.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Tell her, Elise. She’ll believe it from you.”

Elise met Gong’s gaze straight on. “It is true. It was Zeus.”

“What did you expect?” Trace asked. “He’s in love with you, and you hooked up with this one.

” She pointed at the cat. “You know how bears are. Very sensitive. They either crumble from the rejection, heading off to find a body of water to either feast on salmon or seal, depending on the species. Or they get vengeful and rip up the inside of your car.”

The cat very quietly asked, “Where is he?”

“That can wait,” Elise tried to reason. “You should go back to America.”

“No,” the cat said. “Where is he?”

Finally, Elise admitted what she didn’t think she’d have to and knew, even before saying the words, how badly it would be received, “At the moment, we are sure he is at Sch?fer-Müller chateau with Jules and Johann.”

Now Gong and the cat focused back on Rutowski, and Gong said, “Your plan of joining badger families together has been so successful.”

* * *

“This has to be Johann,” the crone insisted. “But we can still talk to Jules.”

“Are you insane?” Nelle asked with all seriousness. “She betrayed us. She betrayed you. ”

“No way. I’ve known Jules for years; she would never—”

“She did not want it to work, my friend.”

Nelle was so happy to hear the fox’s voice cutting through the crazy.

“What?”

“This is your idea of combining badger families to fight together, yes?” Elise shrugged. “Jules was never going to let that happen.”

“Since when?”

“Since forever! She likes the control she has when there is anarchy.” She motioned to the other foxes near her office. “ We have people to answer to. Badgers do not. She does not. She would not give that up for you, my friend.”

“Warned you,” Nelle reminded Rutowski.

“Shut up.”

Deciding they were done, Nelle announced, “We’re going home.”

“Not until I kill Zeus.”

Nelle turned to Keane. “I’m sorry . . . what?”

“He dies.”

“That’s a little overdramatic.”

“He almost got you killed while trying to have you kidnapped because he saw us cuddling on the couch. I’m not letting that go.”

“Keane—”

“He’s right,” Rutowski chimed in, and Nelle could hear it.

In the female’s voice. She was grabbing onto this with both hands, but Nelle didn’t know why.

What was going on? What was she hiding? She was clearly hiding something!

Rutowski should be furious that Jules had betrayed them.

That she’d fucked up her little badgers-united plan.

But she was only pretending this rage Nelle was witnessing.

She knew she was, because she could see it on her face. On the face of her She-badger friends.

Something else was going on. Nelle simply didn’t know what yet.

“Can you help us, Elise?” Keane asked.

With a reluctant nod, Elise replied, “Of course. This way, my friends.”

The crones began to follow, but Nelle caught Rutowski by the bicep and pulled her close.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I know it’s something. And when I find out, chances are . . . I’m going to kill you.”

“You know, sometimes, in the right light, you act just like your mother.”

“Bitch,” Nelle snarled as the crone walked away.

* * *

It was just starting to get dark when Charlie put out all the baked goods she’d made throughout the day on the outside picnic tables.

The waiting bears lumbered over and began feasting while she, unnoticed, walked out the yard gate, past all the cats enjoying a family barbeque, down several blocks into full-human territory, and got into the two-door blue Honda waiting for her.

She had just started the car when the passenger door opened and Stevie got in, a backpack held in her lap.

“What are you doing?” Charlie asked her sister.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Okay, you’re not—”

“You either bring me,” her sister happily threatened, “or I tell the bears their cupcake supplier is about to do something stupid.”

“Stevie,” Charlie reminded her sister, “you don’t fight. I’ll spend all my time protecting you.”

“You won’t. I promise.”

“If at any time you freak out and shift—”

“I won’t do that at all. I promise. I’m medicated, and I’ve done all my calming exercises today. But I’m coming. So just deal with that emotionally, and let’s go.”

Charlie dropped her hands into her lap and debated what to do.

“I’m not letting you handle this alone,” Stevie explained. “I know I’m not your go-to girl when shit goes down—”

“That’s not it.” Charlie scratched her forehead. “I always told Max that if she ever involved you in some crazy shit without my express permission, I would beat her within an inch of her life.”

“You’ve always been a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ matriarch. I’m sure she’ll get over this betrayal.”

Her baby sister pointed at the watch on her wrist. The one Tock had picked up for Stevie in Switzerland a couple of years ago. It was a simple device that gave her the time, date, and included a stopwatch. But it was unbelievably precise.

“We are running out of time,” she said.

And Stevie was right, so Charlie grudgingly pulled onto the street and headed out.