else she could have gone.
I jiggled the knob. “Open up!”
No response.
I slammed my shoulder in the door, and pain leapt down my back and
side.
Yeah, even with werewolf powers, breaking down doors wasn’t going to
be my strong suit.
The bartender grabbed my arm. “What the hell are you doing?”
“That Viper woman just hexed my friend and ran out on her tab. She’s
gotta be in there!”
The bartender took one look at Jaxson slowly beginning to move on the
floor, then whipped out a key and unlocked the door.
It was empty. My eyes shot to the open half window high on the wall,
which, by the look of it, led out of the basement and into the alley.
Oh, no. Not this again.
With no other options, I climbed up on the toilet and started squeezing
myself through the window while the bartender shouted in protest.
I was halfway through when something hard slammed into the back of
my head. My forehead rebounded against the rough asphalt, and I groaned in
pain. Darkness crept into the corners of my vision, but I was just able to make
out a dark shape standing within arm’s reach.
I twisted, grabbed the shape with my claws, and yanked back as hard as I
could.
It was a boot, and I cried out in triumph as the Viper toppled to the
ground. I used her as an anchor to heave myself the rest of the way through
the too-tight window.
She kicked me in the cheek, and I rolled away, releasing her leg. Then she
was up and running. Fast.
I had boots of speed—at home—so I kicked off Sam’s slightly-too-large
shoes and raced after.