Chapter 5

Chapter Five

KIARA

Shit, shit, shit, shit.

In all the research I'd done on Jasper, I found no signs that he was a shifter. Scenting the air gave me absolutely nothing on his animal. But he knew what I was, and he wasn't afraid to say it out loud, even with a human in the room. The poor store worker was just an innocent human. It was my damn fault he was being held hostage right now. I got tired of waiting and sent him back there to try and draw Jasper out. Walker warned me that he was dangerous. I shouldn't have gotten the human involved.

"Let him go, Jasper. You're in the middle of a mall. Someone's going to notice eventually. It's not like you're going to be able to walk out of here."

Jasper sneered, his grip shifting from the back of the clerk's shirt to his neck. Cal. I knew his name. I looked him up. He wasn't a threat. An innocent guy who played nerd games with his friends and didn't do anything dangerous. Hell, he'd never even gotten a parking ticket. His record was squeaky clean. He was probably terrified, and that pissed my lioness off.

"You're going to be alright. Just don't move," I said in an attempt to reassure him. He had his hands up, like that might actually help keep Jasper calm. It wouldn't do shit, not with a trapped shifter in the room. Cornered animals were dangerous.

"Don't lie to him," Jasper snapped. "If you want him to live, then you need to leave."

"Not gonna happen, Jasper. Let the civilian go."

The door to the back of the shop cracked open, and the store owner's son called through it. "They're here!"

Jasper didn't look away from me, but he nodded once. "Alright, change of plans. Me and the human are going to take a little walk. If you try anything, I'll put a bullet in his brain. Capisce?"

I didn't want to let him leave, but I couldn't let Cal get killed because of my pride. I took my finger off the trigger, slowly holding my hands up.

"Alright. You win."

Jasper looked triumphant, shuffling towards the side to give me a wide berth. He was edging his way towards the door, and I hoped once he got outside, he'd toss Cal away and run so I could chase after him. There was always the added chance that he'd shoot Cal anyway to stall me long enough to escape, but it was better than letting him die right here and now.

Except Cal wasn't willing to take that chance. As soon as he got close enough to the shelf with the figures on it, he picked one up. And when Jasper gestured at me with his gun hand to get back, pulling it away from Cal's head, he struck.

Smashing the figure in a human's face would've disoriented them long enough to escape. Doing it to a shifter just pissed him off. It did make him let go for a second, though, and Cal took advantage, throwing himself into an aisle and scrambling away. Jasper didn't hesitate to start shooting, and I heard Cal yelp as he ducked for cover.

I pointed my gun at Jasper, but before I could get a shot, the stupid shop owner's son tackled me. I saw him coming, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Jasper long enough to dodge him. He tried wrestling my gun away, but an elbow to the eye subdued him long enough to give me a window to open fire. It pulled Jasper's attention off of Cal, and he fired back at me instead. I had to duck behind the counter with the register for cover, glancing around it to pin where Jasper was moving. He kept shooting, the bullets hitting the walls and the counter I was behind long enough for him to race out the front door, the shop owner's son following and heading in the opposite direction once he got out.

I went after Jasper, since he was the unknown shifter willing to hurt civilians, but he was fast and I couldn't catch up to him before he jumped into an unmarked SUV and sped off. Even if my car was parked closer, I wouldn't have been able to catch up.

With a frustrated snarl, I spun around, pulling my phone out of my pocket. Walker answered on the first ring, surprise in his voice.

"Catch ‘im already?"

"We've got a problem. You failed to mention this guy was one of us."

I wasn't the only shifter who worked in this business. Walker hired other shifters because it gave our animals a way to work off energy and instinct without getting any suspicious looks from humans.

"Shit. What kind?"

"That's the thing. I don't know. He didn't have a scent I could pick out. So either he's good at hiding it, or he's mated in. But he knew what I was, and what I do. And he wasn't afraid to talk about it in front of a damn human."

"There were civilians present?" Walker hissed. "Are you insane? I–"

"He took him as a damn hostage when he saw me, Walker. It wasn't like I planned it. I… Shit. Cops incoming. I gotta go."

It didn't surprise me that the humans called the cops, but it did make my job more complicated. I had a permit to carry and in this state I was allowed to fire back in life-threatening situations, but cops didn't exactly like bounty hunters. They always caused me trouble when they first showed up.

I went inside the shop anyway. I could've turned around and left, but I needed to check on Cal. I found him hiding in the back of the shop behind a cardboard display. When I peeked around it, he flinched, scrunching down further.

"Are you hurt?"

He looked up at me incredulously, which, fair, I deserved that. He was probably freaking out. I offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet.

"He's gone, but the cops are going to be here in a second. Do you need an ambulance?"

He gaped at me but said nothing as I pulled out my conceal carry license and my bounty hunter license to give to the cops. It was easier if I had things readily available. I would have also put my weapon on the counter or in plain sight, but I didn't have a chance before they burst in, guns drawn and shouting.

"Hands in the air! Let me see your hands!"

Cal yelped, ducking with his hands up again. I felt bad for him. On the business end of a gun twice in one day.

"My name is Kiara Santiago. I'm a bounty hunter. I have my license and my permit for my weapon in my hand."

"Where's your weapon?" one officer demanded.

"Right side holster. Safety is on. It was discharged three times in an attempt to subdue the criminal shooting at innocent bystanders."

I didn't move when they took my gun or my papers. They put me in cuffs, but that wasn't unusual. They needed to make sure I wasn't the threat. After a search to make sure I was unarmed, they started calling in the information on my license to check it as they stood over me. I tipped my head in Cal's direction.

"He was held hostage and shot at. Someone needs to check him for injuries. He might be in shock."

The officer glanced at his partner, who holstered her weapon and went to check on Cal. He looked uninjured, and I didn't smell blood, but I didn't want to assume. Another officer brought a chair for him from the back room and they let him sit down while they peppered him with questions. He kept shooting me uncertain looks, but he answered them honestly, which worked in my favor. He told them I only drew out my weapon when he was in danger, and I didn't fire until he was clear.

With his testimony, they uncuffed me and handed me my papers. "We can't give you back the weapon just yet. Weapons aren't allowed on the property. You'll have to pick it up at the station."

A pain in the ass, but not unexpected. I just nodded. "Sure. Can I have a copy of the report? I need to give it to my boss."

The officer dipped his chin to acknowledge me. He didn't seem to have a problem with my career, and he gave me the information I needed to pick up my weapon before moving on to check over the scene.

I stuck around long enough to make sure Cal was okay. He was shaken up and pale, but uninjured aside from some bruising on his neck from Jasper's hold on him. He got lucky that he didn't die for the little stunt he pulled with the action figure. Even the officers told him that wasn't a smart thing to do. The shop owner arrived eventually, fretting over his employee and the state of his store, and a few of Cal's friends showed up not long after that. He was safe for now, but I'd need to keep an eye on him. There was the potential that he pissed off something dangerous enough to come after him for revenge.

Handing him my card, I gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry you got caught in the middle of that. If you hear anything about their whereabouts, let me know."

He took it, but just kind of stared up at me like I was insane. I got that a lot.