"I'm coming with you," she snapped back. "Besides, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I got myself free, didn't I? Nearly put you on your ass just a few minutes ago."
He understood where she thought she had this handled, but she didn't. She had no idea what she was up against. He did. He'd been here before, and he saw how ruthless they could be.
"Yes, you are to a certain extent, but there will be more than one guy. These people are murderers, April. They will not go easy on you because you're a girl. Your face says you should know that by now. You need to trust me and just stay back."
"That's not happening," she grumbled. "I'm not standing here waiting when I could be helping. You need me to come with you."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "My job is to protect you, and you going willy-nilly into this isn't exactly making my job easier. I can't return you to your father with no arms, so fucking stay here." He pointed his finger down. "This exact spot."
April growled, actually growled, at him. "Quit being so fucking misogynistic and pull the stick out of your ass. I am coming with you, whether you approve or not."
Gripp laughed, throwing his arms up. He should have known she was going to be a pain in the ass. All of them were the same. "You're exactly as I figured. A spoiled government kid that doesn't fucking listen even if it’s for your own good."
She clenched her jaw, looking at him with pure rage. "Fuck you. You don't know anything about me. I'm not going to stand here while you leave important notes behind. I need everything in that office. So, you can keep talking, but I'm going in with you. That's final."
He wanted to argue, but there was no point. She clearly was set in her ways, and they were just going in circles.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We will move out after dark. Until then, we will just have to stay quiet and wait." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Can you do that? Be quiet?"
She narrowed her eyes back at him with equal anger.
They waited in silence. Several men in camo had passed underneath them as he and April hid high in the tree she had fallen from. He had to give her kudos for finding a safe place within enemy territory.
And after night fell, they crept back into the compound, which had fewer guards than earlier. They must’ve all been searching for the escapee. He scanned the area until he found the room they were looking for.
He jimmied the window and surveyed the room. When he saw it was clear, he pulled the window up. "Go in. Be careful where you step. You never know where they might hide a tripwire."
He gave her a hand up before he crawled in after her, leaving the window open for their escape.
She rifled through file cabinets and drawers, and he kept a lookout. She wasn't wrong when she said he wouldn't know what he was looking for. She had a list of things she needed, and the room was a disaster.
Whoever's office this was didn't give a crap where they put anything. He'd have been looking forever if he'd been here alone.
He heard her moving something metal, and an alarm blared overhead. He turned to her, almost wanting to yell at her.
"Shit." She scowled as she started prying at a file cabinet. "They hid it in here. It must have an alarm on it."
He could hear footsteps headed toward them and scowled. They didn't have long. "Hurry up."
"No shit!" she yelled, fumbling for something on the desk.
"What are you doing?”
“Looking for the dam key.”
“Just use something else."
He started stripping, really not wanting to walk around naked after what was about to happen. They had seconds before someone came through that door.
He watched her pick the lock on the filing cabinet with a paperclip as he put his clothes in his backpack. She finally threw the cabinet drawer open and then rummaged inside.
"Yes!" she squealed and pulled items out. She had a file filled with paper, a camera, a recorder, and a phone. She shoved everything into a small bag, tying it up. He tossed her a waterproof sack he found laying on the floor, and she shoved her bag into it. She threw it over her shoulder, strapping it around herself.
Just then, the door busted open, and eight guys flew into the room. They didn’t have weapons but were still prepared to kill. He didn’t give them a chance. He shifted into his panther form. He didn't wait to put himself into action. He slashed at the first two, taking them down with ease. He heard the crack of a skull hitting the ground and the sound of ribs breaking under his weight.
He turned to see that April was holding her own as she’d promised. She kicked at one, knocking him into the wall hard enough to knock him out. He was impressed.
Gripp turned to the third guy, shoving the man to the ground, and dug his claws into his chest, hearing him wail out in pain. He ignored it, crushing his ribs and then his lungs silencing him.