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He lumbered along to the door of the kitchen. He lay down again and stared at the door. He sniffed the air. He had always been able to rely on his scent more than anything when he had shifted.
He smelled cologne, alcohol, and sweat. Typical for Sinsations. He sniffed again, focusing. Then he caught it, her perfume. She was still here, but the scent came from the kitchen.
He listened intently and heard deep voices speaking brashly. He heard Liz coughing and responding quietly.
He let out a low growl, but not loud enough for anyone to hear. It was hard to contain himself when he knew something was gravely wrong.
He pawed the kitchen door open slightly and snuck around through the back. The shelves were lined with pots and pans, concealing his form. He immediately heard his worst nightmare, Liz gasping for breath while she was being threatened.
“Who hired you?” The voice was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Liz gasped for air and breathed heavily.
“I told you,” she said, straining for words. “I was hired to be a champagne girl, that’s all.” She gasped again. “I don’t know of any plans or spies.”
Ben was surprised she wasn’t breaking. Knowing how strong she was, he wasn’t really that shocked, but she seemed to beprotectinghim. She should never have to do that. That was his job.
He found a shelf with no pans lining it. He could see Gio, one of his cousins, walking around the kitchen, presumably looking down at Liz. He held a white dishcloth in his hand.
“You think we’re stupid?”
“No!” Liz said in her innocent, flirty tone. “You’re the Moretti family. You hold the power in this city.”
Ben saw Gio reach down aggressively and heard Liz begin to choke.
“Save the flattery, bitch,” he said with fury.
Rage blossomed in his chest like never before. He had never been one to kill without a reason, but right now, he had every reason. He snuck around to another crack in the shelves, angling for a better view.
Liz sat strapped to a chair. Her hair was soaking wet, and she had bruises on her face. His muscles tensed and his heart began pounding. He knew he would need every ounce of strength he had to give these motherfuckers what they deserved.
They tipped the chair back and sprayed water from a nearby sink over it. She gargled and choked. They leaned the chair back down and took the cloth off her face. She hunched over and gasped for breath.
Gio squatted down and lifted Liz’s chin to face him.
“One last time,” he said, grinning maniacally as he brushed her hair behind her ear. “Who are you talking to?”
She looked into his eyes full of anger and spat in his face. He stood to wipe it off, and Vito walked over from around the corner, pulling her hair back hard. She groaned as he readied the chair for another waterboarding.
Ben couldn’t take this any longer. He sprinted from behind the shelves, using every ounce of his power, and caught Gio in his claws. The man screamed in anguish, and Ben swiped his chest, watching the blood spill over the kitchen floor.
He heard Liz scream, and the other Moretti boys scrambled to exit the kitchen. He kept the leader pinned down with his paw as he watched the others running away. Vito turned to look back at him, fear emitting from his eyes.
Ben roared at him, his eyes expanding to a terrifying state. Vito quickly scrambled to close the door and lock it. Ben looked back down at his cousin, barely breathing and staring up at him.
“Please …” Gio begged.
Ben looked at him with rage in his eyes. He deserved no last words.
He abruptly leaned down and bit Gio’s neck, shaking his head back and forth. Afterward, he looked down at him. He was dead, and it was a pity he couldn’t maul the rest of them.
Ben looked up at Liz. She was staring at him with sorrow and shock. He slowly walked up to her and closed his eyes. He roared once more as his fur shrank back into his skin and his canines retreated.
He shifted back, and now he was naked in the kitchen. He rushed to Liz and untied her feet from the chair.
“Ben, I’m so sorry, I ...”
“Don’t,” Ben said, loosening the straps quickly. “There was nothing you could have done.”
“But they ...”
