Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,54

a lot of people who work for them. lowlifes and crooks, but still. I don’t want to have to kill anyone.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I might not have taken the Hippocratic Oath, but I’m still a medical professional. I can’t hurt anyone.”

“The goal here isn’t to kill anyone, Poppy,” Nick reminded her. “We need to arrest them, remember? We want them to face criminal charges. There are officers here with Agent Lewis. Just like we discussed earlier, the agents that are here won’t get involved because Carl and Carson will most likely shift into their panther forms. It’s going to be fine, Poppy.”

She gave him a curt nod and headed toward the exit to wait for her cousins’ arrival. Shaw was hot on her heels. He took her hand in his, and they walked out together.

“You’re going to be okay, Poppy. You can sit this out if you want.”

“No,” she quickly said. “No. If they don’t see me, they’ll know something is up. I just hate that this is happening.”

“I know.” He took her into his arms and brushed his lips against her forehead. “I better go get into position.”

She nodded against his chest, and he kissed her softly. He walked away, going toward the road. He had to stay hidden and out of sight as he shifted into his tiger form. It would be the fastest way to get to Poppy to let her know they were coming.

She was standing alone in the parking lot. Shaw had been asked to pace the length of the driveway, but he didn’t like it. He felt like it was too exposed. Poppy was in clear view of whatever her cousins had planned as soon as they began driving up the long driveway. Hopefully they would be distracted enough by the large white tiger that was going to stalk their vehicle as they approached.

It didn’t take too long for the Cains to show up, rolling up the driveway in the same red pickup truck. As soon as he spotted them, Shaw booked it, running like the tiger he was. He knew the moment Poppy had spotted him. She squared off her shoulders, and her jaw clenched. Shaw went to sit beside her, sitting back onto his haunches like a guard.

Carl and Carson got out of the truck with speed. Carson kept on walking until his face was inches away from Poppy’. Shaw growled from deep in his throat in warning.

“Shut the fuck up,” Carl warned him. “You don’t scare us. Did he put the money back into the account?” He pulled out his phone and showed her the screen. It was his banking app. There were zeros across the board. “Because these still say that it’s all empty.”

“You never gave us the account number,” Poppy pointed out. “You said you wanted an account that was different from the ones Shaw cleared.”

“Didn’t Curtis tell you?” Carson asked, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Shaw spotted how the man’s hands were slowly shifting into panther claws. He was getting ready to strike Poppy if he didn’t like the answer. Shaw leaned his body forward, his large paws stretching into Carson’s direction threateningly. The shifter made no move back.

“No, he didn’t.” Poppy’s answer was clipped.

“Well, why the fuck not?” Carl spat out the words. “Where is he? Why don’t I see him?”

“He’s going to be here in a second.”

Shit.

No sooner were the words out of Poppy’s mouth, than Shaw smelled it. The lie. It was heavy on the air, and just as quickly as he had caught on, so did the other two shifters.

The next few moments were a flurry of ugly action.

Shaw lunged for Carson who was halfway through his shift. He pinned him down, caught between man and beast. Poppy grabbed for Carl, and they tumble to the ground. They four tussled, no one getting the upper hand.

Then more bodies were added to the mix.

Shaw counted at least another four more panthers, but it was hard to tell. It was clear that they were Cain cronies, who had been waiting down the road to attack. Shaw was glad that Nick and his crew were waiting in the background, shifted and ready to fight . Lions were added to the mix.

Different colored furs blended together as the fight began in earnest. Roars and growls echoed through the air, and it was hard to tell what animal had made which sound. It wasn’t a good sign that the smell of blood wafted up into his nose.