Michel/Striker Read Online Free PDF

surprise. “How are you going to—”
    She bit off her words as he easily vaulted onto the edge of the Dumpster and bounded onto a nearby tree. From there it was easy to find a branch high enough to allow him to jump over the fence without setting off the alarms.
    Landing lightly, he crouched down and listened. When he was certain there was nothing to hear but the sound of Chelsea’s breathing, he rose to his feet and darted along the edge of the parking lot. He couldn’t completely avoid the camera, but he moved faster than a human. If someone was monitoring the area they would see nothing more than a dark blur.
    Circling to the back, he caught sight of a black van that was pulled up to an open loading dock. He could smell human males, but he didn’t pause to investigate. Instead he continued his sweep of the property. Only when he reached the front of the building did he move forward to enter the basement through a narrow window.
    Discovering himself in a long room filled with cages, his inner cat growled at the unmistakable scent of Pantera in the air.
    His people had been held captive in this basement. And not long ago.
    Pausing at the nearest cage he bent down, drawing in a deep breath.
    Pantera. Humans. And something else.
    But Chelsea was right. They’d left at least two days before.
    He checked out another long room filled with cages and then busted through a locked door at the very end of the basement. As he hoped, inside was the security office with stacks of monitors and a computer that ran the alarm system.
    With an expertise that had made him such a successful spy, he disabled every alarm and shut down the cameras. Then, confident that no one could track him, he moved through the upper floors.
    It swiftly became obvious that Locke had left in a hurry with his prisoners and most of his staff. And that he wasn’t planning on coming back. At least, not any time soon. The stainless steel labs were eerily empty and the offices stripped of any personal items, including computers and files.
    Completing his search, Michel headed toward the back of the building where he could smell the two humans. With a peek around the corner to make sure he wouldn’t be noticed, he entered the loading dock, sliding silently through the darkness to study the men as they moved crates into the back of the van.
    Both were large and dressed in green uniforms. One, however, had gray hair that was clipped short and the other had long, shaggy black hair that he kept shoving from his petulant face as he loaded another box.
    “This is bullshit,” the younger man complained, turning to glare at the gray-haired guard who was clearly there to supervise. “We just unpacked all this shit last week. Now we have to move it all a couple miles down the road. Why didn’t we take it there in the first place?”
    His companion shrugged, studying the clipboard in his hands. “You’re new, so I’m going to give you one warning,” he drawled. “Asking questions in this job is a good way to end up dead. You want to live, then you do what you’re told and keep your mouth shut.”
    The younger man shrugged, moving toward another crate. “It’s just the two of us. All the nerds left with the animals.”
    Michel stilled, his instincts on full alert. They were discussing the Pantera.
    “Yeah well, the walls have ears.”
    The younger guard abruptly straightened, his broad face twisting with an expression of horror.
    “Shit. We’re being bugged?”
    “Do you want to take the chance?”
    Even from a distance, Michel could see the man shudder.
    Locke obviously led his gang of thugs with fear. Not surprising. There was no way he could have kept his gruesome experimentations a secret if he hadn’t made sure his employees were terrified to reveal his secrets.
    “Hell no,” the guard muttered.
    “Then shut up and work,” the older man ordered, waving his hand toward the stacks of crates still waiting to be loaded. “I want a few hours of shuteye