Cat's Out - Book 4

Chapter 1 - new pack

I don't have much time to reflect on the stupid thing I've just done. Sirens fill the air and footsteps slap the concrete outside the warehouse, drawing nearer. I have to leave Antonio. To remain here might get me killed or captured, leaving him on his own.

I bound away for two leaps before I turn back and stare at his limp figure. His breath is ragged, but he's still alive. Blood pours from his gunshot wounds like streams on a mountainside. He's tough. He's had to be.

He'll have to be tougher now.

As I streak through the adjoining warehouse, doubts fill my mind. What if he shifts before help arrives? Will he know to run? What if he's captured?

Okay, no time to worry about that now. What's done is done, as my father would say. He's never been a huge help.

Once I'm back into the safe covering of darkness, I turn back toward the sound of the sirens. One must be an ambulance. Surely that cop called for one. As I peer around an old semi-trailer, I'm relieved to see the ambulance stop at the warehouse entrance. The cop must already be inside. Was it detective Lance? I wasn't paying attention when he yelled. It must have been, though. Who else would be so stupid as to take on this gang alone?

A man and a woman pop out of the ambulance and pull a gurney from the back. They disappear inside and I wait, watching, ready to dash in and keep my new recruit from tearing them to shreds.

But that isn't necessary. After a minute, they rush back out, Antonio secured to the gurney. Sure enough, Detective Lance is running beside him. He gives Antonio's arm one last squeeze before the paramedics shove the gurney inside. The driver hops out, slams the doors, and climbs into the driver's seat. With sirens wailing, they tear off into the night.

Ever chased an ambulance? Lawyers make it sound so easy.

I'm fast on four legs, but I'm not psycho ambulance driver fast. Before long, the only thing I've got to home in on is the siren. But I'm sure I'll be able to stay with it. I streak through abandoned streets until I get to a main road, this one busy with traffic. No time to worry about that. I stay to the shadows as much as possible. The good news is that the ambulance is staying on the same road. Hopefully the hospital is near.

Suddenly it occurs to me that I'm gaining. It doesn't seem possible until I realize that the ambulance has stopped.

Crap on a condor.

I kick it into high gear. Within seconds, I'm onto the ambulance, now pulled onto the side of the road, two tires on the curb and two still in the street, lights still spinning. But it's not moving.

As I skid to a stop, the back door flies open and a huge black cat comes barreling out.

And I'm pretty sure he's cursing my name.