The Adventures of Lazarus Gray by Barry Reese Read Free Book Online Page B

and moved to
protect her. The stick seemed to shimmer in midair and when it
landed, it was not a piece of wood at all… it was a fully grown
African lion, its mouth open in a roar that shook the walls. The
beast’s jaws were slavering and it looked like it was half-starved
and mad with hunger.
    "Chief, what the hell?"
Samantha whispered.
    Lazarus raised his pistol
and fired as the creature rushed toward him. Two bullets sank deep
in the mighty beast’s chest but it continued on, leaping upon him.
His weight sent Gray to his back and only Gray’s tremendous
strength managed to hold the snapping jaws away from his face. Gray
let his gun drop so he’d have all his fingers free for the
herculean task.
    Samantha was momentarily
taken aback but she quickly realized the deadly predicament her
employer was in. She took a step toward the lion and directed her
gun at the side of the beast’s head. It whirled toward her but this
only meant that her shot hit home directly between its eyes. The
lion let out a roar of surprised pain and fell forward onto Gray. A
lion’s dead weight would be enough to leave most men unable to
move, but Gray was wriggling free before Samantha even realized he
was doing it.
    Pemberley slammed into the
girl, knocking her hard into the door. A cry of pain erupted from
her lips and Pemberley drove a fist into her pretty face, knocking
her out. Samantha was a wildcat in battle, with the ability to deal
with men three and four times her size… but when taken by surprise,
she was helpless as anyone else would be.
    Gray saw Samantha fall and
though his face did not show it, a burning ember of rage flared
into an inferno in his heart. He gripped Pemberley by the collar
and drew him toward him. One powerful punch later and the vile
scientist was lying on the ground, blood and mucus streaming from
his shattered nose.
    A cry of pain drew Gray’s
attention back to Lunt, who was holding a struggling Wilma by her
hair. The girl’s eyes were glowing blue, indicating that the aquaas
was feeling threatened.
    "Seeing you here, like
this, is a revelation," Lunt said.
    "Who are you? How do you
know me?" Gray’s voice was filled with emotion, which would have
shocked his employees. He normally kept a tight lid on his private
concerns but he was unable to do so now. This man before him might
know the truth about who he really was, or at least know how Gray
could find out more.
    "You’re a hero to these
people, aren’t you?" Lunt said. "I wonder if any of them know how
much blood is on your hands? And the audacity of calling yourself
Lazarus Gray!" Lunt shook his head. "The others will think me mad
when I tell them that you’re alive… and that this is what you’ve
become."
    "Please help me," Wilma
whined, straining her head so she could see Gray. "Please help me…
or kill me." Her eyes flashed brighter with every painful
word.
    Lazarus realized that while
he desperately wanted answers, he had to free Wilma. That was his
first priority and everything else would have to take a backseat.
He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small dagger.
"Let her go."
    "No." Lunt cackled and the
scarring on his face reddened, making it look like the veins
between were about to burst out into the light. "If you want the
bitch so badly, then take her!" Lunt yanked her back so her neck
was stretched taut. With his free hand, he pulled out a knife of
his own, one that gleamed in the warehouse lighting. "But if I were
you, Mr. Lazarus Gray, I would drop your weapon and step away from
the door. Otherwise, I’ll slit her throat from
ear-to-ear."
    Gray was calculating the
odds of throwing his dagger and hitting the German. He was a crack
shot with both throwing knives and handguns but it was still an
awful risk. The girl had begged for her death but Gray wasn’t about
to take that route. He would protect her until his own dying
breath. She was an innocent victim in all of this, despite the
crimes of her father.
    Before Gray