Tossing a glance over her shoulder, Bella yelped before attempting to increase her own speed. The guy whose wallet she had taken looked mean, angry and fierce. Her eyes briefly caught his friend's look and her heart almost jumped out of her chest as their eyes locked.
His look wasn't of anger or inconvenience but of humor. In those brief seconds it morphed into shock, elitement and then determination. Bella knew all too well what that last emotion meant coming from a man and she picked up her pace, ducking under a couple holding hands and making a sharp right hand turn.
There wasn't enough time to make a slow approach to her final escape route and Bella hit the road hard, her elbows and knees cracking against the pavement in an unforgiving fashion. Twisting and rolling to her side, she slipped down through the rain sewer, feeling the brush of a hand too late as she fell the eight feet into the catacombs of Seattle's underground.
He heard the crack of cartilage and flesh hitting the pavement, wincing while his wolf whimpered slightly at the pain his imprint must be feeling at such a hard contact. His step had faltered, allowing her the time to roll across the pavement and underneath the sidewalk edge. Thinking of nothing but reaching her, he, too, hit the pavement hard, reaching out to retrieve her. His fingers brushed against something coarse and scratchy, a slight tearing of fabric sounded before the hard thump of her body hitting the surface below.
"Do you have her?" Jared asked, dropping to his knees next to his friend. Unaware of what had happened with Paul, Jared sat back when met with the piercing fiery gaze of his friend.
"No!" Paul growled, scrambling to his knees before jumping up. Darting around, he searched for another entrance to the below as neither he, nor Jared would be able to fit through the space the girl had just vanished into.
"Shit!" Jared screamed. "I knew I shouldn't have taken out all that cash. If I had just left it on a card, I could've cancelled them. I should've just transferred the funds to you, so Kim couldn't see where it was spent. Damn it!" Kicking at the curb, he fumed in fury. Some rat-bitch had just stolen a few grand from him. Money meant to buy his imprint an engagement ring.
"Come on," Paul hissed, grabbing his friend. There wasn't any time to waste, or explain that the situation had just gotten more serious than Jared knew. The underground labyrinth of Seattle extended for miles and Paul didn't want the girl to have any more of head start than she already did.
Bella heard the two men arguing above her, nearly gasping out loud when the one said he had just lost more than a thousand dollars to her. Briefly she thought of just taking a little bit of the money and throwing the wallet back out through the gutter. She didn't want to be a thief; she just wanted some money to get food. Stepping away from her drop point, she walked down the sewer line towards her home, wondering if the demons would take what money she had stolen.
It was still a good mile or two before she got to the nest, but the longer she walked, the more she thought about the money. It wouldn't be wise to get caught with a wallet, especially the wallet of a man who had seen her and could identify her to the police.
Another fifty paces and she had decided to open the wallet. Inside were crisp one hundred dollar bills. Clutching the money she yanked it out of the leather before tossing the wallet aside. No one would ever find it down here. Taking the wad of bills she shoved them down her shirt until she could find a more appropriate hiding place.
"Come on, Jared. There has to be an access tunnel around here. Let's go see if we can at least find a manhole cover to pry up." Rolling away from the gutter, Paul stood up quickly and took off down the street, hoping he could find the little urchin and make her acquaintance.
Jogging further up the road, they crossed several blocks trying to find a semi-empty road where they could get underground. Five blocks up and six over, Paul hit pay-dirt when he found a seldom used access point for the water department. Squeezing tightly, the rusted lock gave-way and clanked to the ground. Opening the warped iron door, Paul shoved Jared into the room, sealing them back in.
"Now what the fuck do we do?" Jared asked, looking about the empty room.
"Look!" Pointing to a corner in the room, Paul indicated another locked door, this one hinged and designed into the floor board. When the second lock was removed, the door opened up to reveal a ladder to the walkways underneath the roads. The city used them when evaluating leaks and pipe ruptures.
Both men climbed down into the darkness; their eyes not needing much time to adjust in the shallow light. Once again Paul took off at a light jog while Jared kept pace, glancing around occasionally in dismay.
"Shit, you think she lives down here?" He asked Paul, hurrying to catch up. He may have been angry that he had just been robbed, but Jared had a soft spot. "Maybe I should just report the theft and leave it alone. Obviously she needs the money more than I do."
"And what will your dearest Kim say when you don't give her a big shiny rock at next week's bonfire?"
"She'll be upset of course, but once I explain what happened and then tell her about this grisly place, she'll be compassionate and think I'm a wonderful guy for, Ummph!" Running smack into Paul's back, Jared stopped to rub his chin which had hit Paul's shoulder.
"Jesus, what the fuck are you stopping for?"
"Shhh," Paul hissed, his voice dropping past a whisper. "Do you smell that?"
"Yeah, it smells like someone's shitter backed up and…OH!" Sniffing the air once again and trying to disguise his disgust, he caught the faintest wisps of an achingly grotesque odor. It burned to the point of pain and briefly Jared wondered if he could achieve the same effect by snorting powered sugar. Later, he'd have to ask Quil to try it.
"Come on, Paul, we gotta go. If there are vamps here, we need to leave. This isn't our domain." Looking around the underground cavern, Jared spotted his wallet. With a triumphant *AHA!* he went to retrieve it.
"And leave that defenseless girl down here to become a snack?" Paul asked, oblivious to Jared's find. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Me? Since when did you become the humanitarian? We can't save 'em all. Besides, look what I got!" Jared answered, waving the billfold in Paul's face.
Paul snatched the wallet away. "And we aren't going to save them all, dip-shit. We're gonna grab the girl, get your cash and get the fuck out of Dodge, okay?" Opening Jared's prize, Paul snickered slightly before handing it back. "Besides, you didn't find shit! Your money is still gone."
"Alright," he sighed dejectedly, conceding Paul was correct and that they still hadn't found his cash. "Why are we just standing here then?" Jared asked, watching as Paul closed his eyes in concentration. A few seconds passed by before he opened them again.
"This way," Paul instructed, taking off at a steady pace.
Jared followed quietly until they came to another intersection of sorts. Paul held out his arm in warning for Jared to slow down. Pointing first to his left, forward and then at Jared, he communicated for Jared to detour and meet him up ahead, effectively trapping the little thief in between them.
Nodding his consent, Jared took off, grinning happily that not only would he get his missing money back, but that he'd also have a tale of compassion to go with it when he finally presented the ring to Kim.
Paul simply walked at a normal pace, wanting Jared to have enough time to get into position and hoping there weren't any other cutoffs between the two points. He had been counting the offsets and if the calculations remained the same, there shouldn't be any assuming there also weren't any other utility access points.
Paul could hear her before he saw her, the steady, erratic beating of her heart and labored breathing making him wonder if she was ill. When the water rushing past his feet began to carry the scent of Jared, Paul knew they were in position.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Jared teased from ahead, scaring the daylights out of Bella. Gasping loudly, she knew it was the guy whose wallet she had taken. They must have found the construction site at the edge of town and used the opening to get down here.
Trying not to panic, Bella knew that if she quietly backtracked, she could veer off at the junction into any one of the six tunnel possibilities. Two were dead-ends, the other four offering escapes back to the above. She had better odds hitting the junction, knowing that there was no way the guy would be able to figure out which way she had taken.
With that plan in mind, she stepped quickly across the narrow walkway, hoping her footsteps weren't loud enough to garner their attention. With her head bent, she focused on her footing, turning into a full run when Jared's splashing became closer.
Paul watched her fleeing in terror from Jared's approach. He couldn't see any other escape points for her between the two wolves, but Paul wasn't willing to risk it. Stepping across the water and directly into the girl's path, she crashed directly into him, bouncing back slightly from the impact. A startled cry and then nothing as she passed out, not even aware of arms supporting her.
"Did you have to scare her?" Paul ground out, pissed off at Jared's earlier banter when the other wolf finally caught up to the pair.
"Come on, Paul, I was just having fun. Besides don't you think she would have been equally frightened if we had just popped out of the dark and grabbed her?"
"Shit, I don't know. We got her, though; let's get the hell out of here. The leech scent is about to make me gag." Hoisting her up into his arms, Paul turned around to head back towards the closest exit. Taking a slightly different path, they lucked out as ladder came into view.
"You go first, Jared, and make sure it's a place we can climb out. If it is, get out and I'll hand her up to you."
"Alright, but don't you think we should get my money first? I really don't want to be standing out in public, patting down some unconscious orphan."
"Good point." Using one hand, Paul swept it across her pants in search of Jared's money. Something in her back pocket crumpled and Paul figured it was the cash. Reaching in, he withdrew several balls of paper, none of which were money. Hastily he returned them.
Trying again, Paul carefully felt along her waistband and shirt, wondering where she could have placed it, not immediately noticing Jared who had leaned over to sniff her.
"I don't know, Jared," Paul began to explain as he slowly lifted his head. "Maybe she ditched it or already hid it somewhere down…Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Taking two steps back, Paul glared at his friend whose head had been inches from her chest, sniffing.
"Hey nothing! The bitch shoved my cash down her bra. Lemme get it before we crawl out of this shit hole. Geez, she reeks almost as bad as this place does."
Jared's hand moved quick, ready to swoop in and out to grab the money, halting perfectly still as a growl trickled out of Paul's throat.
"I swear to god, Jared, you fucking grope her boobs and it'll be the last thing you ever fucking do," Paul gritted out through clinched teeth.
"Calm the fuck down, bro. What the fuck is wrong with you? Are the fumes getting to you? Are you o.d'ing on methane? I'm just gonna get my money and let it go. I'll even close my eyes if that'll make you feel better, ok?" Jared asked sarcastically, not understanding why Paul—of all people—would care about an accidental grope-age.
"Sure, go ahead," Paul answered sarcastically watching Jared's hands hover uncertainly. "Then, when we get home, I'll tell little Kimmy all about how you felt up an unconscious chick in search of cash. How does that sound, bro?"
"You are impossible," Jared cried throwing his hands up in the air and taking a step back. "How the fuck are we gonna get it if one of us doesn't reach in to grab it?"
"Hold out your arms," Paul instructed, knowing perfectly well how they could get the cash.
"What?" Jared asked, completely confused about Paul's sudden calming demeanor. It didn't last.
"Hold out your mother fucking arms, asswipe. You're gonna hold her and I'll get your money."
Comforted by the fact that the Paul Jared knew was back, he held out his arms, allowing Paul to place the girl in them. With one hand under her knees and the other just beneath her shoulders, Jared held perfectly still.
Paul took a step back for a minute to collect himself, wondering what type of explanation he could come up with should she awaken while his hands were up her shirt. Christ, when had he become such a pansy about some chick's tits?
'When you imprinted,' a voice echoed in his mind.
The bedraggled lump Jared was holding wasn't just some slutty bar-hopper, willing to fuck anyone who bought her more than two drinks. The girl…woman…urchin was Paul's imprint and he'd be damned if he was going to fuck things up before he even had a chance to introduce himself to her.
With a deep breath, Paul stepped up to her. Refusing to look anywhere but at her closed eyes, he quickly slid his hand up from the hem of her jacket, passing several layers of clothing until his fingers touched skin.
He had already coached himself to just get in and out, no funny business intended. But the funny things with imprints, when the wolf was given the opportunity to touch such an innocent and exposed place as a belly, slowed his reflexes down. His mission to retrieve Jared's money now became one of gently caressing his mate.
Her skin was far from smooth. Paul could feel the oily, gritty surface of dirty skin. His finger hesitated every half an inch or so, trying not to press into what felt like sores and wounds. The idea for Jared to hold her had been a good one. When Paul's fingers finally touched a fresh laceration, the distinct feel of coagulated blood almost made him drop to his knees and howl.
"Paul!" Jared hissed, wondering what the hell was taking so long. His friend looked up at him with an odd expression. "Problems? Just reach up and grab the cash, man."
"With a mental shake, Paul tried to focus back on his task. Down here he couldn't do anything to help her heal. "Shut up!" Paul hissed back, his anger misdirected. "I'm trying to, but her clothes are almost sticking to her skin and I don't want to hurt her. What if she has a wound that stuck to the cloth? I could both rip it open and cause her to wake up then we'd have a screaming female on our hands."
Oh god! Like the wound he had just felt. Very easily she could have more like that, or worse. If a wolf could tremble in fear, Paul felt he'd very well be experiencing a convulsion right about now.
"Good point," Jared agreed wishing his friend would just hurry up. Shifting slightly Jared allowed the girl to lean back further in hopes that Paul could more easily discern if her clothing was sticking because it was dirty, or if it was due to a poorly healing injury. If need be they could drop her off at an ER somewhere.
When Paul's fingers had passed over her belly button, he immediately began to wish he had just gone for a more direct route starting at the collar. Her undershirt was sticking in numerous places and Paul didn't want to even begin to imagine from what, slightly worried that the other scabs he had felt were from numerous ignored injuries. How the hell could someone this small be treated like this?
By the time Paul had reached her breasts, he was nearly undone. He was a newly imprinted wolf, ghosting over a monotony of gashes but he was still a guy. As his fingers trailed over her fleshy globes, he couldn't help but pause and run his finger tips over her nipples.
Jared, more than confused about Paul's behavior, gave him a kick. "Did you find it yet?"
Oh, Paul had found it alright. However, what he had found wasn't cash, but the delicate texture of a pert little nipple. They didn't appear to have any tactile wounds.
"I sure di—No, not yet," Paul redirected, relieved he hadn't just made a first-class ass of himself. Jared would never let him live it down if he realized that after throwing such a fit about feeling up an unconscious girl, he was now doing the exact same thing.
Moving quickly between each sphere, he realized that the money was in the pocket above his fingers.
"Damn it," he growled, pulling his hand back out. Not even sparing Jared another look, he went with the other plan, reaching from her collar to find the hidden pocket and retrieve the money.
"Here," Paul barked, shoving the cash into Jared's front pocket. "Now hand her back over and climb up the damn ladder. It fucking reeks in here." Taking the girl back, Paul waited for Jared to make his ascent and ascertain if they could leave this exit.
The manhole they were trying to leave through had not been used in a long time. Even with a werewolf's strength, it took Jared three twists and shoves to push the cover free. Not wanting to pop out like a demented jack-in-the-box, Jared allowed the cover to lift an inch or so, doing a quick three hundred and sixty degree visual to judge outside traffic. For a full minute he waited, relieved when he saw neither any vehicles, nor pedestrians.
The lid made a small screeching sound as Jared slid it across the asphalt. His arms flexed to hoist himself out, then quickly turned around to lie on his stomach so Paul could hand over the street rat.
Once they were both out of the sewer and back on top, Paul looked around trying to gauge how far away their vehicles were parked. "Alright, I think if you jog back towards the east for a few blocks, you'll find the parking garage. Come back here and we'll drive back to get my jeep."
Jared had yet to even take notice of their location other than to determine it was in the busier part of the city. They had lucked out to be in an unused side street.
"One, there is no way I am letting that creature into my car. For that matter, I don't think I wanna sit in my car wearing these dirty clothes," Jared huffed, indicating the slightly grubby shirt and jeans he now had. "And two, what are you planning on doing? You can't just take her home with you."
"Well, what the hell do you suggest I do, Skippy? Just leave an unconscious chick in a back alley-way to get assaulted?" Paul asked, raising his arms full of the unconscious girl. "And I could give two shits if you want to drive home naked since you're scared of messing up your car interior. Grab my jeep if it makes you feel better and then we can drive back to get your car and you can do whatever you want."
Jared had the audacity to grin evilly, having never seen Paul pay this much attention to anyone, including his numerous fuck buddies. "Yeah, your jeep usually smells like ass anyways. But what are you going to do with her?"
Paul shifted the girl slightly before scowling at Jared, the nosey fucker. "I'll think about it while you dance your fairy ass back to the garage, okay? Just hurry the fuck up before someone wonders why the hell I'm holding her."
"Fine, Mr. Sensitive," Jared mocked. "Can I grab your keys, or is that risking too much touchy feely?"
"Just grab the fucking things and be on your way. I'm gonna step back behind that building in case someone decides to drive by here."
Grinning, Jared made unnecessary sounds while he found Paul's keys, jumping out of the way when the wolf tried to kick him without jostling the female.
"Don't forget to keep your hand on your cash, so we don't have to go sewer diving again, dickwad," Paul called out to his laughing friend. With a middle finger salute, Jared didn't even look back as he looped off towards the parking garage.
Looking down at the bundle in his hands, Paul wondered what he was supposed to do with her. "I don't even know your name, little urchin," he whispered quietly, "but you sure are turning out to be a lot of trouble."
Hugging her a little closer to his chest, Paul sighed and let himself be lulled into the possibility of a new life. He only had to convince a pack of wolves and an unconscious girl that he knew what was best.