She must have surprised him, though, because he didn’t say anything for long moments.
“It’s because of Padric.” He sighed again. “Hell, Di, you can’t wallow in guilt forever, you know.”
Actually, she could, if she wanted to.
“I’m not trying to wallow in guilt,” she told him. “I simply wanted to protect you from Gideon. He has no compunction about killing a man, but he’ll allow a woman more leeway. In that respect, he’s like any other Breed.”
Thor simply grunted, an indication that he still felt his question hadn’t been answered.
“So you tracked this Liza girl down,” Thor muttered. “What makes you think she knows where the Roberts girl is, or who she is?”
Diane shrugged. “She’s the best bet. She works closest with Terran, Ray and Orrin. She has since she was sixteen. Her family is close friends with the Martinezes and she and Terran meet often with Ray and Orrin Martinez for long discussions. If she’s not privy to inner secrets then she’s sleeping with all three of them, and I simply can’t see that one happening. Just because I agree doesn’t mean I like slipping around like this.” He sighed. “You and Lawe have an agreement.”
“And he refused to listen when I tried to tell him I need to meet with her alone.” She sighed.
“He’s been damned patient,” Thor pointed out. “And he’s done his best.”
She had to agree, he had done his best. Better than that if she wanted to admit the truth.
“I didn’t say I liked it,” she murmured. “I said it didn’t make sense not to have at least one location, one person who knows where everyone has been hidden or relocated. But she refuses to deal with Breeds. She’s not going to talk to me with any of them hovering. Especially Lawe.”
That person had to be Liza.
Diane had spent months, more months than she wanted to remember, investigating all the players, scientists, research assistants and techs from Brandenmore Research. In Window Rock, she’d tracked familial lines and all new citizens who had moved into the area within the past twelve years.
She had spent countless hours searching for answers, for the identity of the missing Honor Roberts and Fawn Corrigan along with the Bengal Breed known only as Judd.
Liza Johnson was the closest she had gotten. The daughter of the current chief’s best friend and military buddy. She was the granddaughter of the medicine man’s best brother. Their families were so entwined as to be all but blood kin.
All but blood kin.
There was no shared blood, only the shared bonds of friendship, battle and loyalty. She glanced at Thor with a sense of overwhelming sadness. They had those bonds, but how satisfying it would have been to have been on this small mission with Lawe. To see how he could handle the woman she truly was.
To have Lawe watching her back, sensing any dangers that would have come, riding the adrenaline high coursing through their bodies. To know, yes, they would die for each other, but that Lawe wouldn’t endanger himself for her needlessly or overlook the strengths she had.
As the first light of dawn rose in the sky, both Diane and Thor crouched in the continued shadow of the spear pointing toward heaven.
She tried to pretend it was Lawe at her back, but no amount of pretending, no bit of imagination could place him there when he wasn’t.
“Five minutes,” Thor said, his voice so soft it was barely a whisper. “She runs alone unless Isabelle and Chelsea Martinez accompany her. Isabelle is currently in residence at the hotel with Malachi Morgan. Chelsea and her father are staying in the Chief’s Suite at the Navajo Council chambers. All the members were called in just before you and Lawe arrived, from what I understand. I suspect it’s to discuss relocating the two girls and the Breed before they can be found.”
Diane shook her head. “They wouldn’t risk it.”
She glanced around, the ache in her chest intensifying, the regret and feeling of dread pulling her down as the knowledge that she was in this battle without the warrior whom nature had chosen as her other half tore at her heart.
She’d never ached like this when she and Padric had been separated by missions or wounds. She’d never felt hurt or anger when Padric had disagreed with her or when he’d refused to accompany her.
She didn’t like this.
Blinking rapidly, she fought the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.
This wasn’t mating heat. Mating heat was sexual. It was a blinding, overwhelming, uncontrolled hunger for a mate.
This was the pain, the aching loneliness and the certainty that no matter how she loved, no matter how miserable she was, Lawe would prefer that to ever seeing her fulfill the other hunger that drove her. The hunger for justice.
“Here she comes, boss.”
There she was.
Dressed in gray form-fitting jogging pants and a matching exercise bra. A gray headband wrapped around her forehead, while her long, wavy blond hair was pulled up into a ponytail that trailed past her shoulders. When free, her hair trailed to just above her hips in thick, silken locks.
Bound high at the back of her head now, the ponytail bounced, the waves of would-be curls dancing and gyrating like ribbons gone wild.
“Are we clear?”
“Clear,” Thor answered.
Holding the crouch, Diane sprinted from the shadow of the monument and moved in behind the other woman at a healthy jog to match. Thor, she knew, would stay hidden in the shadows, watching out for her, protecting her back.
Lawe should have been protecting her back.
As she came up behind Liza Johnson, she wasn’t in the least surprised when the other woman suddenly jumped to the side, twisted lithely and faced her at a crouch.
Diane came to a stop, her brow arching in mock surprise at the obvious training that had gone into the move.
“What do you want?” Gray eyes narrowed, her toned body tense and prepared, she stared back at Diane suspiciously.
“A nice jog?” Diane queried with a small smile as she crossed her arms over her breasts and watched the young woman curiously.
She was damned delicate. For all the grace used to make that move, there was little muscle tone and even less strength in her small frame.
“You’re lying.” Clipped and clearly distrusting, Liza remained on guard as Diane faced her. “Now what do you want and why are you following me?”
“Who trained you?” she asked rather than answering the girl’s question.
“No one you know, I’m certain,” Liza sneered back. “Now what the hell do you want?”
Diane tilted her head, curious at the stance and the obvious fear of attack she could sense coming from Liza.
“I’m no threat to you.” She gave a small laugh as the other woman straightened slowly, her gaze quickly assessing her surroundings as she searched for hidden threats.
The look was unmistakable. Diane had seen it countless times; she’d had the look herself more than once.
“Then you’ll kindly leave the way you came,” Liza told her.
Diane grinned ruefully. “Sorry, Liza, but we really need to talk. Just for a bit, you understand. We could return to the hotel for the discussion if you like?” She glanced toward the direction of the Navajo Suites. “I promise it won’t take long.”
Liza’s gaze jerked over her shoulder, her eyes widening as her face slowly paled.
She’d never known Thor to have such an effect at first glance, though she wished he would have remained hidden for a while longer.
“He’s harmless,” she murmured.
Liza swallowed tightly. “We have to get out of here.”
“Thor’s not going to hurt you.”
“Honey, I’ve seen that hot-assed Thor of yours, and he makes one. Not four.”
Diane swung around, her hand whipping to her back and the weapon holstered there.
Four.
Her heart raged in her chest.
Adrenaline flowed like a racing river through her bloodstream as she faced
the four Breeds. And they weren’t the good guys.
Unfortunately, severely unfortunately, she watched as the single human male stepped from the shadows of a heavy oak to face her with a triumphant smile.
“Malcolm,” she whispered painfully.
For the second time in her life, her heart was breaking. It was shattering inside her, locking her throat tight with the horrifying realization that she shouldn’t be surprised. That she shouldn’t hurt with such pain or ache with such a feeling of overwhelming betrayal.
“I thought it was Brick,” she whispered, the pain searing her rasping in her voice now.
Malcolm chuckled, a cruel, vicious sound. “Good ole Gideon would have gotten me if I hadn’t managed to find a way to trip that dumb bastard Brick and throw him in the way. Son of a bitch never figured it out either.”
“Where’s Thor?” All she could see were the four Coyote Breeds, their lips pulled back to display the curved canines, their eyes filled with malevolent pleasure.
“He’s a bit under the weather, boss,” he mocked her. “It might have something to do with the knife I shoved in his chest. I do believe I even managed to pierce that bastard’s icy little heart.”
Pointing the laser pistol at his heart, Diane activated it.
“Liza, run,” she said heavily.
She was going to kill him. If she didn’t manage to do anything else, she would kill him.
“Where?” Liza’s voice was filled with disbelief. “Have you noticed there are four Coyotes here, lady? Does it look like I have a chance?”
One of the Coyotes grinned. A tilt of his lips that covered the curved canines.
“The first one who moves will die,” she snapped back at her. “Now get the hell out of here.”
“If she runs, one of us will chase,” a Coyote murmured. “We can’t resist. It’s like a dog with a ball. We just have to fetch.” He wagged his brows playfully.
As though he were flirting?
“Malcolm, where did you find your Coyotes?” she asked in disgust. “They’re fucking crazy.”
“They’re fucking effective,” he snapped back. “They caught your ass, didn’t they?”
Well, he had her there, didn’t he?
“Where is your mate, little warrior?” another murmured silkily as his dark gray eyes danced in amusement. “I can smell his mark on you and it’s fresh. You know, he gets his hands on you, and he’s gonna show you exactly how a Breed punishes disobedient little mates.”
“Go to hell!” she snapped.
He grimaced back at her. “Aw, come on, it’s just hot as hell there and my AC doesn’t even make a dent. Let’s try for something cooler.”
She took a moment to stare at him in complete disbelief.
“Great, a comedian,” Liza murmured behind her.
“Yeah, all before breakfast.” Diane sighed. “I think I might be nauseous anyway.”
“I warned you not to bring him, Malcolm,” another Coyote spoke up. “He’s going to start playing his incessant games again.”
“Loki, stop playing the fucking horndog,” Malcolm snapped at the flirting creature. “We’re here to kidnap a Breed mate, not see if we can seduce her.”
“I’m still maturing.” The Coyote shrugged with a cold, far too experienced, far too cruel expression of displeasure.
“He has about as much common sense as his brother Farce had,” another drawled. “Remember what happened to him, Loki? The wrong end of a feline weapon I believe.”
Diane followed them with her eyes, keeping her position, shielding Liza with her own body. As ignorant as they acted, as playful as they pretended to be, she knew they were now at their most dangerous.
“Liza, go!” she hissed.
“We’ll just chase her.” The taller, broader Coyote reached into his pocket and pulled a cigar free.
With lazy amusement, he holstered his weapon before lighting the tip, sending the scent of tobacco to fill the early morning air.
She was screwed. She would get one shot off, that was it at the current setting.
She turned back to Malcolm. “I’ll kill you first.” With a flip of her thumb she placed the weapon on its highest setting.
Malcolm smiled complacently. “No, Diane, you won’t,” he assured her. “Because if you do, then we’re going to take your little friend behind you as well. And I think you know what will happen to her then. You have only one shot. That’ll leave three Coyotes for her to deal with. Do you think she’ll survive?”
Liza wouldn’t survive. What Council Coyotes had been known to do to innocent bystanders was horrifying.
And they were alone with no backup and possibly no hope of backup arriving in time.
The heaviness that settled in her chest was like a crushing weight.