Page 22 of Grizzly Sleuth
Not the destination he’d expected, then again, where else could they go? Svetlana and Yuri couldn’t exactly return to their truck-house, even if they knew where the KGB had parked it. The vehicle was much too noticeable. Going to Idris’ place was out of the question. No way he could sneak into his apartmentwithout being seen—either as a bear or a naked man. Not to mention, Idris had been compromised. He’d shredded his clothes in the hotel room. Pants holding his keys. His wallet with his fake ID. No address, however the KGB likely wouldn’t have problems tracking down his address. And they would be doing that, not just because of the deaths at the hotel. The guy who’d seen him shifting had gone missing.
His own fault for being a pussy and not killing the fucker when he had a chance. But, no, his own damned morals wouldn’t let him slash a man when he was down. That weakness might well be his downfall.
Once inside Boris’ house, Svetlana slid from Yuri’s back, and the other man shifted.
“Close the door, would you? I’m going to see what Boris has in his closet,” Yuri stated as he left the room.
Idris nudged the portal with his nose then sat down. No way would he be swapping shape again until he knew he’d have something to wear. He’d already shown his dick off enough for one day.
Svetlana planted her hands on her hips and grimaced as she glanced around. “What a pigsty.”
He didn’t disagree. His sense of smell, amplified in this state, had him snuffling at all the horrid smells.
“Thank you for helping Yuri rescue me,” she stated, crouching in front of him. She showed no fear or repugnance as she grabbed his furry cheeks and planted a kiss on his nose.
He blinked in surprise.
“Such a brave thing to do, but dumb. You could have both been caught,” she chastised before standing to face her brother as he returned, holding out some hideous garments.
“The man didn’t have much left clean in his closet.” Yuri held out a loud patterned shirt that hurt the eyes with the color combinations and a pair of green track pants.
Before Svetlana left the room, she snickered. “Oh, this will be interesting.”
Idris sat down and bit his paw, the sharp pain of it enough to have him bare-assed on the filthy floor. Gross. He quickly stood and put on the clothes, the shirt big enough to accommodate—thank Boris for having a beer gut. The pants, however, came halfway up his calf and squeezed uncomfortably tight around his thighs and ass.
Not his best look, and probably why Svetlana burst into laughter at the sight of Idris when he joined her in the living room. It helped that Yuri had the same problem, his own outfit just as hideous.
Yuri smirked. “You and I could be twins.”
“Kind of wishing I was color blind right now,” Idris grumbled.
“It could be worse. At least we’re alive,” Svetlana stated, which led to him frowning.
“How’s your face?” He’d noticed it before, but, in the heat of the moment and escape, couldn’t address it.
“It hurts.” Svetlana grimaced. “I must be a sight.”
The bruises had already begun to blossom, leaving her cheeks mottled, her nose swollen, and the soft tissue around her eyes turning dark. Her lips had also swollen, making them puffy. But even beaten, her beauty shone through, a terrible thought to have after what she’d gone through.
“Do you need to see a doctor?” He worried about a possible fracture.
She shook her head. “I’ll heal, unlike Boris.” She nudged the body on the floor. “Can one of you dump him somewhere else? I am not in the mood to smell cadaver.”
“I’ve got him.” Yuri slung the body over his shoulder and must have found a basement, since Idris heard steps going down. The stained carpet barely showed the fresh blood, butIdris could smell it. Needing distraction, he turned to Svetlana. “Did you find out why the KGB were after you?”
“Not me, Yuri.”
“Me? Why? I haven’t done anything.” Yuri, who’d returned quickly from dumping the body, grinned cockily. “At least nothing recent.”
“According to Ivan, the asshole who rearranged my face, someone bribed an official in the KGB to capture you.”
“Capture? Those fuckers were shooting at me,” exclaimed Yuri.
“Only after they ran out of darts, I’ll bet.” Idris had noticed the tufts littering the floor as he raced to aid his bearish friend.
“Ivan seemed to think that it was all right to inure you so long as they brought you in alive.”
“Did this Ivan say who bribed his boss?” Idris had a niggling feeling.
