BK 2 - Chapter 21 - The Message
Aiden drove up and down the streets with the windows down, trying to find Kitty. He was hoping Harley would pick up her scent, but so far, there was nothing. After about fifteen minutes, he was ready to call the police when his phone rang. He answered without looking at the number.
"Hello."
"Aiden, it's Kitty." He slammed on the brakes in the middle of the street, not caring about the cars behind him blowing their horns.
"Kitty, I was so worried. Where are you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm okay. A man took me off the street when you went in to get your phone. I let him think he subdued me, and when he took me to his apartment, I knocked him out with a baseball bat. He's now tied up on the floor. I was going to leave, but I made Harley a promise. So can you come here because I want to send Ricky a message he won't forget?"
Aiden couldn't believe how calmly Kitty was speaking. He was going out of his mind, and she was talking like this happened every day. Typically he wasn't one for taking justice into his own hands, but this man had kidnapped Kitty; a little fear would do him good.
"Where are you?" She took a sigh of relief. She'd been worried that Aiden wouldn't have the same mindset as she did. This was her chance to fight back and make up for all the times she couldn't.
"I don't have the address, but I'm in an apartment building, and there's an office building right across the street. The building has a large sign that says King and King Attorneys at Law." Aiden searched the law office on his phone and put the address in his GPS. She was only a few blocks away from where he was.
"I'll be there in five minutes. What's the apartment number?" He started driving in the direction of the building, already getting himself ready to show this man what happens when he messes with a werelion's mate.
"The door says apartment 21. Aiden, I love you." Kitty felt tears in her eyes as she thought about what could have happened if this man hadn't been so easy to fool and take down.
"I love you too. I'm pulling up now." He hung up the phone and parked next to a blue van. He ran into the building and up the stairs to the second floor. When he found apartment 21, Kitty was waiting for him at the door.
Aiden walked into the apartment and shut the door before taking Kitty in his arms. He had never been so scared as he was when he thought he might never see her again. She may have been away from him for less than an hour, but it felt like a lifetime.
"Thank you for coming so quickly." He pulled back and looked into her tear-filled eyes. Seeing her tears increased his anger at the man who had taken her. Aiden looked at the man still passed out on the floor and couldn't help but laugh.
The man was tall but so thin that a stiff wind would blow him away. Kitty had left a large knot on his head with the baseball bat. She had his feet tied together and his hands tied behind his back.
"You did a great job taking down this pathetic loser. Now, what's your plan?" He walked around him while Harley was growling in his head.
"I didn't think of specifics, but I want to scare him bad enough that he'll tell Ricky to leave me alone. I want to make him scared to breathe, and I want people to think he's insane when he says he saw a lion in his apartment." Kitty stood looking at the man with her arms crossed.
"When he starts to come around, I'll shift into Harley and leave it to you two. Do you want me to set him up on the couch, or do you want him to stay on the floor?" Aiden kicked the man in the stomach, slightly rolling him onto his back.
"Put him on the couch. That's the best seat in the house for the show." Kitty had a fire in her eyes as he'd never seen before. He knew that she wasn't just seeing the man that kidnapped her. He represented all those who had hurt her over the years. Aiden quickly lifted the man and tossed him onto the couch. He positioned him, so he was sitting upright.
"Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" He walked to where she was standing and looked at her from head to toe. He didn't see any injuries.
"I'm positive. I let him think his little punch knocked me out, but I have been hit by things a hundred times worse than that. He hit's like a five-year-old. Remember I told you when we first met I didn't need a man in my life to protect me? I've been taking care of myself for almost nineteen years. I love having you and Harley ready to save me, but I'm not weak."
She walked over to wrap her arms around him, and Harley purred softly in her ear. Aiden thought about what she said and knew she was right. She had been taking care of herself for a long time, but something else caught his attention.
"When's your birthday?" She looked up at him in surprise. She didn't celebrate her birthday other than her eighteenth. It was just another day.
"It's two weeks from tomorrow." Aiden stared at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He kissed the top of her head, already coming up with a plan.
"My birthday is just another day; it's nothing special." He was going to argue with her, but the man on the couch started groaning.
"Showtime. I'm going to go undress and shift. Let us know when you want Harley to come out." He kissed her forehead and went into the bedroom, quickly undressing and shifting into Harley.
Kitty stared at the man as he slowly opened his eyes. She had the bat in her hands, holding it where he could clearly see it.
"Welcome back. I think before you went to sleep, you called me a bitch and I didn't too much care for that. Why don't you tell me what you had planned for me?" Ronaldo stared at the young woman in front of him. There was no way she had picked him up and put him on the couch, but he didn't see anyone else in the apartment.
"I honestly didn't have a plan. Ricky told me to make you disappear, but I promise you I wasn't planning on killing you. That's why I brought you here." Ronaldo didn't know what she was going to do, but he wasn't in a position to fight. He decided to be honest, and maybe she wouldn't hurt him anymore or call her boyfriend.
Kitty believed what he said, but that didn't deter her from wanting to send Ricky a message. She kept her eyes on his face. She wanted to see his reaction when Harley walked out.
"I brought my cat with me. I hope you're not allergic. Come here, Harley." Ronaldo wondered what she was talking about when he heard heavy footsteps coming from his bedroom.
He turned his head, expecting to see someone carrying a cat, but instead, he saw an enormous lion. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but the lion kept getting closer and closer.
"How the hell did that thing get in here?" He could barely get the words out as he watched the large cat walk over to the woman whose name he still didn't know. The lion rubbed against her, purring loudly before sitting next to her.
"Oh, this is the cat I was telling you about. You see, he got upset and wanted to meet the man who kidnapped me." Kitty rubbed her hand on Harley's giant head.
"He's seen me. Can he leave now?" Ronaldo said in a whisper.
"Nope, he has to stay because he doesn't think you understand how upset he was that you punched me before kidnapping me. What's your name?" Kitty kept one hand on Harley and held the bat with the other.
"Ronaldo. I'm sorry I punched you. I just needed to get you away before your boyfriend came back." Ronaldo kept his eye on the lion as he began to growl softly.
"I think you're sorry, but that's not good enough. I need you to let Ricky know it's better to leave me alone than to send someone else." Kitty walked over to him, and Harley followed.
"I'll tell him, and I promise no one else will come after you." Ronaldo tried to move away from them as they came closer.
"I may believe you, but my cat doesn't." Kitty looked at Harley and nodded.
Harley had been waiting for this. He knew Kitty didn't want him to kill Ronaldo, but that didn't mean he couldn't make him think he was going to die. He walked over to Ronaldo, keeping his eyes on his eyes. He growled as he got closer.
Ronaldo wanted to run, but there was nothing he could do as the massive cat stood a foot away from him. Harley used his snout to push him onto his side to get to his hands. He bit the rope so it would come off, and Ronaldo put his hands in front of him before sitting back up.
Harley grabbed one of his hands with his mouth and tore off three of his fingers, spitting them to the ground. Kitty quickly stuffed a washcloth in Ronaldo's mouth when he started to scream. No need to alert the neighbors.
Ronaldo thought he was going to pass out from the pain, but when he saw the lion coming for him again, he forgot about his fingers. Harley took his front paw and ran his claws from Ronaldo's chest to his thigh.
Kitty watched as Harley scratched Ronaldo, and she almost felt sick from the amount of blood that was coming from the man. She didn't stop him; this was the only way to scare Ricky.
"Ronaldo, do you think you can give Ricky my message now? If he sends anyone else after me, I'll blame you and send my lion back to finish the job." Kitty removed the washcloth from his mouth so he could speak.
"I'll tell him. You won't have to worry about anyone else coming." Ronaldo was beginning to lose consciousness from the amount of blood he'd lost.
Kitty pat Harley's head to let him know it was time to go. He walked back into the bedroom and shifted into Aiden.
Ronaldo felt himself slipping away as he watched the lion walk into his bedroom. A few minutes later, the girl's boyfriend walked out. He knew he must be dreaming because that man wasn't there before.
Kitty used Ronaldo's phone to call 911 and told them she saw a man bleeding in his apartment. She left the door open and the phone lying on the floor after she had untied Ronaldo's feet. Kitty and Aiden left without looking back, and they were long gone before the ambulance arrived.
