Page 51 of Grizzly Sleuth
Svetlana woke in a cage in the back of a rumbling truck, still furry, unlike Yuri, who sat knees tucked to his chest in his own metal prison.
His head lifted as he heard her stir. His lips tugged downwards. “I’m sorry, Svetty.”
Ra-ra-rawr. She tried to say not your fault, even if it was! But it emerged as a growly noise.
“Guess maybe the bear thing runs in the family.” He tried to speak lightly, but the same despair and fear coursing through him also flooded her.
“You might want to stay furry,” he added. “It’s cold in here, and those pricks won’t even give us a blanket.”
Grawr.
“Yeah, I agree. We should eat them.”
Not what she’d said, but the idea had merit.
A glance around showed no one with them, which led to her tapping herself, pointing at Yuri, then lifting both paws in a shrug. Would Yuri understand?
“I don’t know if they caught Idris. I didn’t see him, which is a good thing. He’ll come to our rescue.”
A few days ago, Svetlana might have scoffed. Why would a stranger risk their life for them? However, having gotten to know Idris, she didn’t doubt for one minute he’d do his best to come to their aid.
If he could.
Did he manage to follow? Would he wait for his friends to join him? How long would that take? Days at least. She could only hope they’d live that long because when they finally arrived at their destination, a sense of foreboding chilled her through and through, and it only deepened when the balding doctor from the television emerged with a smile. “Sibling therianthropes. My lucky day! Who shall I test first?”
Chapter Fifteen
From inside the automated restaurant,Idris had watched as several cars parked in front of the hotel where he and the siblings shared a room. Armored soldiers, clad in body armor that included helmets and weapons, spilled out of the vehicles. Had they come for him, Svetlana, and Yuri, or was this just a coincidence?
The arrival of a military truck answered that question. A soldier exited the cab and went to the back, rolling up the canvas and providing a glimpse of a cage within.
The hunters had found them, leaving Idris with a difficult decision. Race inside and see if his presence could make a difference, or bide his time, remaining in hiding in the hopes an opportunity would arise. His bear might be mighty, but even he had his limits. He’d do no one any good if captured or killed.
A dinging had him glancing behind to see his order sitting on the counter. He’d lost his appetite, but leaving it behind might seem suspicious to the staff working in the back.
He snagged the bag and exited the restaurant, sidling away from the hotel, doing his best to avoid being noticed even as he struggled with his next move. Forget following. Not only couldhe not see a way to reach the parked car, but the keys remained in the room.
His ears pricked as he heard faint screams. Seemed like Yuri wasn’t going down without a fight. Perhaps he and Svetlana would manage to break free.
A hope dashed as an oversized dolly emerged from the truck and got wheeled into the hotel. Why else would they need it unless they had a big bear to move?
Whup.Whup.Whup.
The familiar sound had him glancing to the sky in time to spot a large military helicopter passing overhead, most likely to grab Levy and return him to his lab so that he could torture Yuri and Svetlana with his perverse science.
There had to be a way to stop the doctor and help his new friends—and lover.
Before an idea had fully formed, Idris strode the sidewalk, moving away from the hotel at a rapid pace. Away from the truck he couldn’t follow. Stowing inside or under it would have been almost impossible with all the soldiers milling around, which left him only one crazy option—the helicopter, large enough to carry troops or equipment. If he could manage to slip inside and hide, he’d score a free ride to Levy’s lab, but that plan required him not getting caught.
The trip on foot didn’t take long with his quick pace. He lost sight of the helicopter, but given the lack of space in the area, the buildings tight to one another, and the fact he didn’t see it parked in the street, that left only one spot it could be. The hotel’s roof.
He couldn’t see it from the ground even when he craned. Was it there? If he was wrong, then Yuri and Svetlana were fucked. No time to second-guess; he had to act fast.
In good news, the guard from the night before didn’t appear to be monitoring the main doors. Should he enter? How badlywould he stick out? The number of people he’d seen at the other hotel must have depleted the ones staying here. At the same time, he couldn’t forget his wanted status. Anyone within would be on the lookout for the giant brown complexioned man, but at the same time, only a madman—or a desperate one—would be so bold as to brave the belly of the beast.
Before he could talk himself out of it, and lose his only chance, Idris headed for the entrance, an idea forming in his head. After all, he held a bag of food and delivery was quite common. He stalked past the glass doors and readied himself to shake the bag if anyone questioned his presence. To his surprise, no one paid him any mind, despite there being several hotel employees gathered at the front desk. Judging by their excited voices and flailing hands, they gossiped. Must not be every day they had the KGB staying en masse, or did their excitement stem from the helicopter? He really should have tried harder to learn Russian.
Idris made his way to the elevator without issue, getting off on the first floor to hit the stairs, the logic being he’d be less likely to run into people. He took the steps two at a time, already knowing from their last incursion that the stairs didn’t stop at the last floor but went up to the roof. Before he could ascend that last flight, voices beyond the door on the sixth had him stopping for a listen.
