Another foot and he’d be able to kill him.
Six inches…
One…
“Vic!” Alyssa whispered.
Vic?
Yes.
Simon reached out and hauled the man inside. He came with a gasp and a struggle, but Simon was quick to muzzle him with a hand over his mouth. Then he leaned in and whispered, “Quiet. It’s me.”
Vic stopped struggling immediately and Simon dropped his hold. They both had their adrenaline amped and their hearts racing, but a quick look told him Vic was human and under control.
“What did you see?” Simon asked Vic.
“Smoke through the laundromat, but there are people in there. Robbing the place.”
“Fuckers,” Alyssa cursed. Vic ignored her.
“If we leave them alone, think they’ll just take the vending machine money and leave?”
He wanted to say yes. He wanted to reassure Alyssa, but he knew it wasn’t true. “If they were just thieves, they would have broken the door and robbed in quiet. These guys made a big, bad boom to get everybody running outside where they can be picked off one by one.”
Alyssa frowned. “But why kill my tenants?”
“Just a few. Cover for when they shoot me. That way it’s not a shifter revolt; it’s an accident because of a psycho. A shifter killing his alpha gets attention, but a random crazy person…”
“Is just crazy,” she murmured.
Vic’s eyes widened. “The Jacksons are already headed out. And Mrs. Cooper. They were in the hall?—”
Alyssa shouldered forward. “I got them. I know what to do.”
Simon’s heart lurched at that. His brave woman pushing forward like the boldest army ranger. He had to stop himself from grabbing her back. But she was safer away from him, so he stepped aside.
“Vic, go with her. Guard her six.”
“No. It’s not me they want.” That was Alyssa, her voice hard and quiet. Then she looked at her brother and the two communicated something silently. It was quick and intense, and though Simon didn’t understand how it worked, he could see when Vic locked into her opinion.
“She’s right,” Vic said. “I’m your beta. My place is with you, guarding your six.”
Simon didn’t like it. Hell, everything in him rebelled at it. He wanted his mate safe, and he sure as hell didn’t fight with a team. But the military had drummed that particular idiocy out of him. They needed to end the mastermind behind this attack. And that would require stealth and coordination. Much easier done with a partner.
So he bowed to the logic of the situation, though he still hated it.
Worse, they were out of time. He could hear people upstairs coming out of their apartments.
“I’ve got this,” Alyssa said, and he nodded.
“Go fast and quiet. And be careful.”
“Roger that,” she said. Then she flashed a quick grin. “I’ve always wanted to say that.” Before he could manage to process her humor, she was slipping out and down the hallway. Which meant he had to focus on what he needed to do.
“Got any rope, Vic? Mountain-climbing equipment? Something?”
“Yeah, in my apartment.” Then Vic nodded his understanding. “You want up on the roof.”
