BK 3 - Chapter 8 - Escape
The following day Saxon and Melanie kept the cubs in their rooms until they were sure the others were gone. Once they had left, they quickly packed their belongings and left their rooms, only to stop in their tracks. The security panel flashing red next to the exit door showed it was turned on. If they opened the door, it would alert the others that they had left.
"What are we going to do? We have to get out of here before they come back?" Melanie looked at Saxon, who smirked at her.
"Don't worry, your pretty little head. I got this." He answered smugly. Saxon walked over to the panel and studied it for a minute before pressing a few buttons on the keypad. Melanie watched in disbelief as the light turned from red to green.
"How did you do that?" She asked in awe. He shrugged and gave her a small smile.
"Yesterday, when we got back with the cubs, I heard someone press the code. Each number has a different sound; I just had to remember the sound I heard. I've practiced this before, so it wasn't hard to figure out." Saxon smiled as Melanie and the cubs looked at him with their mouths open.
"So you just sit around and listen to keypad sounds in case you're ever in a situation where you may need to break out of a locked building?" Melanie continued, staring at him in disbelief.
"No, I like tech stuff and messing around with gadgets. I had to do something while I was waiting for my mate to accept me." Saxon winked at her, making the color rise in her cheeks. They'd slept on the floor last night, sitting up and leaning against each other. It wasn't comfortable, but neither wanted to be separated.
"Alright, Inspector Gadget, let's get out of here before they return. Any idea where we're going to go?" Melanie took Alex and Lisa's hands while Saxon opened the door. Once he made sure the coast was clear, they walked outside. It was sunny and warm, with a slight breeze in the air.
"We're not that far from Avenida Rio Branco; that's the busiest area close to us. So let's go there and get some things to make us look like tourists until we find a place to stay. Are you two ready? Lanie and I will carry you so we can go faster." Lisa and Alex exchanged a look.
"Yeah, we're ready, but what are you going to do with us? We don't want to leave you." Lisa asked with a shaky voice. Melanie squatted down in front of the two cubs.
"We're not leaving you. You're sticking with us. Once we get somewhere safe, we're going to have our families come here to help rescue the others that were with you, but you'll stay with us the whole time." Both cubs smiled widely and hugged her tight. She felt her heart aching, wondering if they'd ever been hugged. Despite being in cages their entire lives, they were bright and loving.
Saxon carried Alex while Melanie carried Lisa as they ran toward the city. They stayed off-road for as long as possible. When they got to an area with more people, they walked out of the trees to blend in with the crowds.
"Stay close. I don't want anyone getting separated." Saxon said while taking Melanie's hand. If anyone saw them, they looked like a young family. They stopped at a small shop and bought hats and shirts like many tourists wore. Alex and Lisa also wanted sunglasses. Due to being inside for so long, their eyes were sensitive to sunlight. Once they were more or less in disguise, they looked for a hotel. They wanted to stay where it was busy.
"How about that one?" Melanie asked Saxon. It was tall and had security in the front. She hoped the others wouldn't look for them in a place that was so nice.
"Let's see if they have a room available." Saxon led the way inside, and all four gasped when they walked inside. The place was beautiful. There were marble floors and people dressed in expensive clothing. Several chandeliers were hanging above them, sparkling in the sunlight,
"Whoa," Lisa whispered.
"You can say that again," Melanie said while taking it all in, just like the kids. They followed Saxon as he headed to the counter, where a young woman smiled and batted her eyes lashes at him. Melanie gave Chika a warning when she got ready to growl.
"Can I help you sir?" The woman asked with a heavy accent.
"Yes, my wife, kids, and I would like a room, please." He answered smoothly, pulling Melanie to his side. The young woman barely looked at her keeping her eyes firmly fixed on Saxon.
"Let me see what I have available. You know we offer many services that aren't listed. If there's something special you need, please come to me directly. I promise I can take care of you." Now Melanie was ready to rip the woman's head off. Who talked like that in front of a man's wife and kids?
"We'll just take the room, thanks," He answered sternly, making her smile fade as she quickly typed on her keyboard.
"All we have available on such short notice is a two-bedroom suite. If you can't afford it, I suggest you try another hotel." Saxon ignored her comment and pulled out his credit card.
"We'll take it for a week." The woman snatched the card from his hand and ran it through. Melanie could almost see her hoping it would be declined, but of course, it wasn't. After Saxon signed the paperwork and she handed them two key cards, they went to the elevators. Their suite was on the sixteenth floor.
Alex and Lisa giggled as the elevator moved swiftly between the floors. It was their first time in one. When the doors opened, they found their suite at the end of the hall. Lisa and Alex ran straight to the large wall of windows that looked down on Rio.
"This is incredible," Melanie smiled as she looked around. The floor was white marble, but everything else was full of color. The living area had two teal couches with a large bright orange rug between them. The walls had a white base, but large splashes of bright color were all over them. Both bedrooms had queen size beds with purple bedding. Alex and Lisa demanded to share a room leaving Melanie and Saxon in the other.
"If you don't want to share, I can sleep on the couch," Saxon said as they walked into the room the cubs didn't claim. He had no desire to sleep on the couch, but he wouldn't put her in a position she wasn't comfortable with.
"It's fine; we can share. Just don't try any funny business, or I'll unleash Chika on you." Saxon chuckled as he carried his bag into the room.
*"Don't make him promise that. What if I want him to try something? It's about time you woke up and smelled the hot vampire, mate."* Melanie rolled her eyes and began putting her things in the dresser.
*"Chika, we're taking it slow. We have too much going on right now to focus on that stuff. Alex and Lisa are our priority, as well as everyone else we want to save before they're sold. Let's focus on one thing at a time."* Chika gave a little growl in frustration.
*"Fine, you dang doo-gooder. You better not make me close my eyes the first time we mate with Saxon. I'm going to be out there front and center."* Melanie ignored her lioness and walked back to the living room, where everyone else was waiting for her.
"Lanie, the kids are hungry. We thought we'd order room service. There's a pizza shop in the hotel. Are you okay with pizza?" Saxon grinned at her, knowing pizza was her favorite food.
"Of course, I'm okay with that." She sat on the couch across from him, and Alex and Lisa immediately crawled onto her lap. Saxon called room service and ordered a couple of pizzas, drinks, and cookies. When he hung up, he looked at Melanie. As much as he hated to bring everyone back to reality, they needed to make a plan.
"I'm going to call our parents and see if we can get them here to help us. I think the sooner, the better, so we can figure out what to do. What do you think?" He asked her, and she nodded.
"Yeah, let's call our families." Lisa and Alex held her tighter.
"What if your family doesn't like us?" Alex asked softly, with tears in his eyes. He and Lisa had never had parents, but they already loved Saxon and Melanie as if they were their mom and dad. Some of the cubs and pups in the other cages would talk about their parents. All Lisa and Alex could do was dream and hope that one day they'd have someone to love them like the other cubs and pups described.
"Our families will love you both. I guarantee they're going to be so mad about what happened to you that they'll all want to take you home with them." Melanie thought that would make them happy, but they both looked sad.
"So does that mean you and Saxon don't want to take us home with you? We want to stay with you and him so we can be a family." Lisa whispered. Saxon and Melanie exchanged a look, but then both smiled.
"We want you to stay with us; you're already part of our family. We're not letting anyone take you from us." The cubs shrieked with excitement. That's all they've wanted was to be part of a family and feel loved. Saxon picked up his phone and called his mom.
"Hello?" Janel answered.
"Mom, is dad with you?" He asked.
"Yes. We just got back to Sacramento and are over at the group homes. What's going on?" Janel questioned, already feeling something was wrong.
"Can you get dad, Cat, Trey, Kitty, and Aiden together? We need to ask all of you for a favor." Saxon moved over to the other couch with Melanie and the cubs. He needed to feel close to them right now. Melanie took his hand in hers and squeezed.
"Okay, we're all here, and you're on speakerphone," Janel said.
Saxon and Melanie quickly told them everything that had happened. The others had questions, and they answered them the best they could.
"So, what do you guys think?" Melanie asked, squeezing Saxon's hand again. Cat answered before anyone else could.
"We'll be there by morning."
