An Alpha's Tempest (Water Bear Shifters 4) Read Free

on yourself,” Evan said. “They’re very skilled at covering their tracks. They must have started to trust you, though, if your boss let you have his keycard.”
    “I guess. He seemed overwhelmed today. Like he didn’t even have time to go take a piss. They must be on the verge of some big breakthrough in their research,” Rhythm said with a shudder.
    Thankfully, they had reached the back exit that led to the boats. Rhythm shivered as the cold, outdoor air hit her, then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that one of the boats was parked at the dock, just waiting for her and Evan. Just a few more minutes, and they would be on that boat speeding away from here. She glanced behind her again as they slipped out the door, relieved to see that the hallway was still empty. Evan hobbled along in silence now, so drained of energy that he couldn’t even talk. Their progress was painfully slow, but steady. Evan grunted in pain every now and then, but he kept moving forward. Just as they reached the long dock, Rhythm heard a shout behind her.
    “Hey!” the voice yelled. “What the hell are you doing? Where are you going with our test subject?”
    Rhythm’s breath caught in her throat, and she started to turn around to look, but Evan suddenly seemed to have gained strength.
    “Don’t look back,” he said. “You’ll lose valuable time, and every second counts right now. Just keep moving forward.”
    Rhythm swallowed the lump in her throat and did as she was told, shuffling down the dock as quickly as Evan’s pace would allow. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and her ears roared as blood rushed to them from her quickly growing panic. Moments later, the deafening sound of an alarm started ringing through the air, followed by more shouting. Rhythm could hear the sound of boots behind them, running toward them. She willed herself to stay calm as she and Evan reached the boat. In one quick jump, Evan launched himself over the side of the boat and crumpled in a heap on its floor, roaring in pain. He didn’t move an inch after that, and Rhythm guessed that he had used up the last of his energy to get into the boat. She hopped in after him, then quickly started unwinding the rope that held the boat to the dock.
    She chanced a glance up, then immediately regretted looking. A swarm of guards, all with guns trained on the boat, were running toward her.
    “Stop, or we’ll shoot,” one of them yelled out. Rhythm ignored him as she finished untying the boat, and then quickly jumped behind the wheel. As she had hoped, the keys were in the ignition, and she started up the motor. As the boat roared to life, the shouting behind her increased, and shots began to ring out into the air.
    Rhythm had never been so terrified in her life. She was a simple chemist, who had taken what she thought was a very boring, safe job at a pharmaceutical company. How had she gone from filling out research charts this morning, to speeding away on a boat this afternoon with bullets whizzing past her ears?
    She didn’t have time to ponder the question right now. She needed to get far away from the lab, and fast. She breathed a prayer of thanks that the second boat was gone today. The last thing she wanted was a boat full of angry security guards chasing her while she sped away with a half-dead bear shifter on board. She looked down at Evan, who still hadn’t moved. She wasn’t entirely sure whether he was even still alive, but there was nothing she could do to check on him right now. If she slowed down for even a second, they were both going to be dead.
    A loud popping sound rang out as a bullet hit the side of the boat, and Rhythm sucked in her breath in terror. Just keep moving, she told herself. Eventually you’ll be far enough away that their bullets can’t reach you.
    Another loud popping sound rang out, and a few moments later a bullet hit one of the windows on the back cabin of the boat. Rhythm heard the sound of cascading