When He's An Alpha (The Olympus Pride #2) - Suzanne Wright Page 0,76
black Charger with blacked-out windows drove down the street, slowing as it reached the shelter. The front passenger window lowered, and the barrel of a gun poked out of it.
Havana’s stomach pitched as she glanced to camera four’s view and saw her body jolt. She swayed and then dropped to her knees while the car sped away. Watching the screen, her devil let out an eerie growl.
Beside her, Tate bit out a harsh curse. “Replay the footage from camera one, Dawn. This time, zoom in on the Charger. I want the license plate number, and I want a clear image of that fucker’s face. The angle’s just right. I caught a quick glimpse of him just now.”
Havana joined the others in leaning forward as the footage replayed. Dawn paused it and zoomed in, allowing them to read the license plate. Then she zoomed in even more, and Havana found herself looking right at her motherfucking shooter. Well, sort of. He was wearing a balaclava, but she could see those piercing, ice-blue eyes clear as day.
“He just had to cover his face, didn’t he?” grumbled Luke. “I can’t see the driver from that angle.”
“He probably wore a balaclava too,” said Farrell.
Aspen bit her lip. “Although it’s not the same car that was at the motel, it could be the same shooter. Maybe even the same driver. They’re either the jaguars or lone shifters, since Gideon likes to use loners to do his dirty work.”
“Why cheetahs?” asked Tate. “You think you recognize the shooter?”
“No, but … well, it’s weird. This morning, I watched a clip on the news about a full-blooded cheetah who attacked a zookeeper. Later on, I saw a guy wearing a cap that had a cheetah’s head on it. And then I met a little girl here today who has a plush cheetah toy.”
Bailey nodded. “Then our boy has gotta be a cheetah.”
Tate raised a hand, his gaze on Havana. “You’re honestly basing your belief that the shooter’s a cheetah on the simple fact that, three times today, a cheetah somehow featured in it?”
“Well it makes sense,” said Havana.
Aspen hummed. “I’d have to agree.”
Tate gave a quick shake of his head. “Right. Well, whatever.”
Havana looked at Dawn. “I’d really like to thank the person who saved my life today.”
“I’ll take you to her.” Dawn worried her lower lip. “I shouldn’t have asked you to keep teaching the classes.”
“Don’t take on the weight of this,” said Havana. “If they hadn’t targeted me outside here, they’d have done it somewhere else, and there might not have been a healer close by like there was today.”
“She’s right,” Corbin told the cougar. “The blame’s not yours.”
“Havana, you need to be careful from here on out,” said Bailey. “Whoever was in that Charger either followed you here or knew where you’d be.”
“No one followed her,” Deke asserted, speaking for the first time. “We’d have clocked them.”
“Then someone knows my routine,” said Havana, her stomach churning.
“Now’s the time to change it,” Tate told her. “Take a different route to and from work. Switch up your schedule. And don’t go too far from home.”
“I’d already planned to take those measures,” said Havana. Although it would gall her to restrict herself, she knew it was best to stay close to the Olympus Pride so that she had their backup—especially since she could very well need the help of a healer again at some point; the pride had two.
“We should leave. First, I’ll call River and see if he can find out who that Charger is registered to,” said Tate, referring to his pride mate who was also a police officer. “It might take him a little time, because he hasn’t started his shift at the station yet.”
Havana pushed to her feet. “While you make your call, I’m going to thank the woman who saved my life.”
Afterward, they all exited the building. As Bailey hurried to her car with Corbin, Tate whispered something to Luke and Farrell, who then said their goodbyes and crossed to an SUV. Tate and Aspen stayed exceptionally close to Havana as she made a beeline for her car.
She swallowed on noticing the bloodstain on the ground. Her blood. She also noticed that Tate snarled at it, clenching his jaw so hard it had to ache.
“I’ll drive,” he declared. “I don’t want you girls alone.”
Havana frowned. “Shouldn’t you be with your bodyguards?”