Sophia and Julia both gasped when a piece of the wall slid, giving way to a small hallway. He immediately jostled both in, and with a finger over his lips, indicated for them to be quiet. Then he locked them inside.
Riel shoved a filing cabinet in front of the column and ripped his clothes off. He shifted seconds before the door was torn open and two hyenas crowded the entrance. He snarled and lowered his head showing them his fangs.
Their whiney laughter grated on his nerves. He watched a female and a male stroll into the large office. The female, known for being aggressive and hostile, came in ready to fight. She shoved the male out of the way in her attempt to get at Riel.
The female opened her jaws and showed him her fangs in the silly smile hyenas were known to have. She went for his face and used her paws to scratch at his neck. Riel moved away from her paws and tried to get space between the two of them. Undeterred by her smaller body or his massive claws, she attempted to sink her claws into his face once again.
Riel’s powerful claw slashed across the female’s face, and he shoved her away. She hit a chair, the wood splintering, and landed on her side.
Her whiney growl became louder, and she turned her head toward the inactive male. Riel guessed she was trying to get the male’s attention.
Both animals zigzagged around Riel. The male jumped over a table and landed on Riel’s back, biting repeatedly into his shoulder and clawing at him while the female tried to cut into his face once again.
What was it with the woman and his face? He growled and shook the male off. The hyena hit the wall in a loud whine.
Riel’s focus turned to the female, and he bit into one of her paws as hard as possible. Then he jerked her roughly and threw her across the room, breaking a glass coffee table in the process.
She picked her bleeding body up off the floor, whining loudly.
The male came at Riel once again but only got as far as biting into Riel’s hind leg before Riel shoved him against the oak desk, bit him on the back of the neck, and tossed him through a window.
Riel heard the other hyenas whining outside as well as the distant roar of an engine. The female limped toward the broken window, growled at him one last time, and jumped out. The urge to chase made Riel take a step in the direction of the window, but he stayed firmly in front of the filing cabinet he’d placed before the hidden door.
Gunfire erupted outside. Seff waited until they were closer to the house before he slowed down enough to allow Chase and River to get out of the vehicle. Chase saw the torn front door and rushed toward his home. Multiple windows from his office were broken, and blood covered the lower panes. Two animals moved away from the house, limped into a large van, and took off.
Chase and River headed into the house while Seff stayed in the SUV and followed the van. Rushing inside the house with River, Chase was ready to tear the place apart. When they entered the office, they came face to face with a snarling Riel.
“Stand down!” Chase growled.
Riel’s wolf lowered his head and whimpered. Blood covered his brown fur. He panted, trying to regain his human form. Once he was back in his skin, he groaned and landed on a chair, struggling to get his bearings.
“Sophia and Julia?” Chase asked, knowing his enforcer wouldn’t dare let anyone take their women and then stay behind.
“In the safe room. I locked them in before they got to them.” Riel groaned and attempted to shift back to his wolf to allow for faster healing of his wounds. Chase watched as Riel shifted back to being a brown wolf and lay on the carpet.
Chase moved the filing cabinet out of the way and unlocked the secret passage with the hidden code. He stepped back when he heard the hiss of the sliding wall. Inside, Sophia was holding Julia in her arms as the other woman sobbed on her shoulder.
River stepped in front of Chase and pulled Julia toward him. He picked her up in his arms, soothing her with soft words while he carried her to a sofa.
Sophia ran out of the tight space and launched herself into Chase’s arms. While he held her, she buried her face in his neck and used his shirt to muffle her cries.
It broke his heart to see her that way, and he wasn’t sure what to do to help. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, hoping she’d tell him how to make her distress go away.
“Where…where’s Riel?” She inquired into his shoulder.
“On the floor.” He ran a hand through her hair, trying to find her face under the messy tangle.
“Oh God.” She hiccupped, and her sobs grew louder. “He was out here all alone, and we couldn’t help him. We tried, but the door was locked, and then we…we heard all the fighting and the growling. I…I feel so bad. He was so young.” She spoke in a low murmur, describing how the poor man had gotten killed trying to defend them, and they’d done nothing to help.