Page 41 of Furry Equations
“Definitely time to go.”
They made their way to the exit, his arm around her waist keeping her close. The night air hit her flushed skin as they emerged onto the street. Jax and his men weren’t here yet—Marcus had intentionally parked a few blocks away to avoid being boxed in when trying to leave.
Headlights swept around the corner ahead and an SUV accelerated toward them, engine roaring. Marcus pushed her behind him, but she was already moving, yanking him toward an alley. They barely cleared the corner before gunfire erupted.
“Still think this was a good idea?” she gasped as they ran.
“Actually,” he pulled her around another corner, “seeing you in action is incredibly attractive.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Natalie laughed despite the danger, adrenaline making her giddy. “You have serious issues, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.” He pressed her against a wall as footsteps thundered past their hiding spot. “Though you seem to like my issues.”
“God help me, I do.” She fisted her hands in his shirt, pulling him down for a fierce kiss. When they broke apart, she whispered, “For luck.”
His eyes glowed wolf-gold in the darkness. “I don’t need luck. I have you.”
More gunfire interrupted the moment. Marcus cursed, then lifted his phone. “Jax? Now would be good.”
Seconds later, screeching tires and shouts filled the air as Jax’s team converged on the vehicle with the gunshots. Marcus kept Natalie behind him as they edged toward the street, though she noticed he didn’t try to stop her from picking up a piece of pipe as a weapon.
“My car’s two blocks east,” he murmured. “Ready to run?”
She kicked off her heels, gripping them in one hand and the pipe in the other. “Born ready.”
They made it halfway to the car before Vanessa appeared, gun raised. “Going somewhere?”
Natalie’s blood ran cold. “Vanessa? But... you screamed when we found a spider in the lab!”
“Amazing what money can motivate people to overcome.” Vanessa’s smile was sharp. “Now, about that research?—“
Natalie threw her shoe.
The stiletto caught Vanessa in the face, making her stumble. Marcus moved faster than humanly possible, disarming her in one fluid motion. Jax appeared seconds later, subduing Vanessa as she cursed colorfully.
“A shoe?” Marcus raised an eyebrow as they rushed to the car. “Really?”
“Hey, it worked.” She grinned, still high on adrenaline. “Though I liked those shoes.”
“I’ll buy you new ones.” He helped her into the car, then slid behind the wheel. “A whole closet full.”
“Careful,” she warned as they peeled away from the curb. “A girl could get used to that kind of treatment.”
His hand found hers, squeezing gently. “That’s the idea.”
They drove in comfortable silence for a while, both processing the evening’s events. Hopefully, the mole inside the company tried to access her fake files just like before. The Vale computer techs were ready to lower the boom. If not, this whole plot was for nothing.
Marcus’s phone rang and he tapped the icon on the navigation screen.
“Tell me you got him,” Marcus said.
“Sorry, sir” was the reply. “No activity. Maybe they knew we were on to them.”
Marcus grumbled and squeezed the steering wheel until the wood creaked. “Thank you. Keep me updated.”
“Yes, sir.” The connection ended.