“To get Payton,” Hakan snarled, pausing long enough to glare over his shoulder. “Then I’m coming back to kick the ass of whoever sent her into danger.”
***
The Haymore Center, just off the Pontchartrain Expressway, didn’t look like a den of evil.
The three-story red brick building was framed by professionally trimmed hedges and a manicured lawn with large urns on either side of the glass doors. Even inside there was nothing to indicate it was anything but an upscale health clinic that offered in vitro fertilization.
It was only in the basement, which was accessible by a hidden elevator in the lab and was protected by two guards, that it became obvious there was something wrong beneath the carefully constructed façade.
What clinic had hidden rooms with prison cells, complete with iron bars? Or a line of steel walk-in freezers that were protected with biometric locks? Or a computer system that would make Homeland Security have a stroke?
Payton had immediately known that she had to discover the secrets The Haymore Center was so anxious to hide.
Ignoring Rage’s vehement insistence that she return to the Wildlands, she’d entered the main computer room, not particularly concerned when the guards arrived and tossed her and Rage in the cells.
They were obviously rent-a-cops, not hardened warriors, and there hadn’t been any malachite in the iron bars of the cells. If they truly felt in danger they would be able to escape.
Besides, the Hunters weren’t the only ones who were willing to take risks to protect the Pantera. She might be a Geek, but she would do whatever necessary to discover who was behind the latest threat to her people.
And it had nothing to do with proving her worth.
Not one damned thing.
Leaning over the desk, Payton carefully monitored the numbers scrolling across the computer screen.
Over the past three days she’d been running the computer program that she’d personally developed to break through the firewalls that prevented her from downloading the files.
It should never have taken so long, but the complicated encryption system had meant there wasn’t going to be an easy solution. Instead she had to peel away each layer of security, one at a time.
And of course, it didn’t help that they had to pretend to be safely locked away whenever the guards stirred from their private break room to check on them.
It’d been a frustrating few days, but she was finally at the last firewall. She was close enough she could taste success.
Tapping an impatient finger on the edge of the desk, Payton pretended she didn’t notice the large Hunter who stepped into the room packed with high-tech equipment.
As if any female could ignore the gorgeous male with short, dark hair that always looked as if it’d been tousled by an eager lover. He had skin tanned to a warm shade of bronze, a lean, perfectly sculpted face, and eyes that were a startling shade of violet, flecked with gold.
No big shocker that Rage had been breaking hearts since he’d left the nursery.
“It’s almost halftime,” the male warned. It was Sunday night and the Saints were playing football. Payton had hoped it would keep the guards glued to their TV until she was done. “You need to get back to your cell.”
She absently chewed her thumbnail, psychically willing her program to work faster.
It didn’t actually help, but it made her feel as if she was doing something.
“Just one more minute,” she muttered.
“Dammit, you’re going to give me a heart attack,” Rage informed her. “Not to mention the fact that Parish is going to skin me alive for not checking in.”
The guards had taken their cellphones when they’d first captured them, which meant they hadn’t been able to contact the Wildlands and reveal what they were doing.
Payton didn’t want to worry anyone, but this was too important not to stay and finish the job.
“I’m close to breaking through,” she assured her companion.
Rage moved to stand at her shoulder, his impatience a tangible force in the air.
“I still don’t know why we can’t just take the computer and leave.”
Payton swallowed her sigh. Hunters. They were always eager to charge in and take action. This waiting was driving the male insane.
“Because they’ll know we have it and destroy the information we need,” she explained for the tenth time, glaring at the numbers that scrolled across the screen. Rage wasn’t the only one losing his patience. “Come on, come on,” she urged softly.
“Does talking to it make it go faster?” Rage teased.
“Smartass.”
“Hey now, is that any way to talk to the male protecting your very fine ass?”
She rolled her eyes, her lips twitching. Rage was a compulsive flirt, but she couldn’t deny she enjoyed his companionship.
Every female enjoyed a male who made her feel beautiful.
Especially after she’d been cruelly rejected by the male she loved.
“You need to keep your attention focused on the guards, not my ass,” she chided.
On cue, there was the sound of a door opening down the hall and Rage swore beneath his breath.
“Time’s up, sweetheart.”
Payton reluctantly straightened. “Crap.”
“We’ll try again after halftime.”
“How long will that be?”
“Twenty minutes.” Rage shrugged. “Thirty minutes tops.”
Payton hesitated. If she shut down the program she’d have to start over on the last layer of security.
“Then I think I’ll take the risk of leaving my program running,” she abruptly decided. “Unless they try to use the computer they won’t notice.”
Rage snorted. “I doubt those goons know how to turn on a computer, let alone comprehend what you’re doing.”
Payton agreed. It’d become painfully obvious the human guards hadn’t been hired for their brains.
Of course, whoever was running the clinic probably didn’t think anyone would ever manage to stumble across this secret basement. And if they did, most people would have been easily run off by a guard pointing a gun in their direction.
“I’m not worried about the guards,” she told him. “I’m afraid of triggering my presence once I break past the final firewall.”
“Let’s go.”
Grabbing her upper arm, he gently tugged her out of the computer room and past the large lab that was locked up tight. Then, entering the storage area at the back, they pushed aside the shelves to reveal the double cells built in the hidden room.
“You have the gun I gave you?” Rage demanded as he opened one of the cells and urged her inside.
Payton glanced down to where the full cut of her slacks hid the weapon strapped to her ankle.
“Yep.”
Rage shook his head as he closed the door and used a small piece of wire to tumble the lock. They both knew the weapon was more for show than actual protection. She couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.
Not that she was helpless.
She was far stronger and faster than a mere human.
“I don’t like this,” he breathed.
She rolled her eyes as the Hunter moved to step into the adjoining cell, closing and locking the door behind him.
“You’ve made your opinion clear,” she assured him.
Rage moved to stretch his large body onto the cot, sending her a chiding glance.
“Not clear enough or we wouldn’t still be here.”
She headed to the back of the cell as she caught the smell of the approaching humans. It wasn’t the same sour stench of the disciples of Shakpi. Nope, this odor was nothing more than a lack of soap and water.
None of them had been near a shower for three days.
Unfortunately.
“I’ll be done tonight, I promise.”
They fell silent as the two humans stepped through the hidden door. Unlike the other guards in the clinic, these two wor
e casual khakis and shirts instead of the official uniforms. They also carried high-powered guns that might have been terrifying if Rage hadn’t disabled them while the men were asleep.
“Hello, pussy,” the shorter of the two men drawled, moving to press his pudgy face against the iron bars. It was a tediously predictable taunt that he repeated every night. “Ready for a real man?”
The second guard made a sound of disgust, his gray hair and lined face revealing he was far older than his companion.
“Would you really do her?”
The man leered at Payton even as she gave a deliberate yawn.
“Hell, she has a cunt, doesn’t she?”
“She’s a fucking animal,” the second guard muttered.
“I’ve had worse.”
“Until she bites off your dick.”
“I’m not scared of the mutants,” Guard Number One assured his friend, only to ruin his manly boast when he gave a squeak of alarm and slammed against the shelves behind him as Rage shoved himself off his cot.
“Why don’t you come in here and say that,” Rage taunted.
“Let’s get out of here.” The older man backed out of the cramped room, his hand hovering above the gun holstered at his side. “I want to make a Hot Pocket before the game starts.”
The two idiots stumbled out of the room with enough speed to make Payton chuckle, completely unaware that Rage was already out of his cell and shadowing them as they returned to their break room.
Once the Hunter was certain the two were once again engrossed in their game he would return to get Payton. Until then she would have to wait.
Too restless to sit down, Payton paced the small cell. Hopefully her program was on the edge of breaking through the firewall, without having actually penetrated the barrier. Anyone who had that level of protection would no doubt have installed a fail-safe to destroy the information if it was ever compromised.
Which meant she’d have only seconds to transfer as much data as possible.
Still pacing, Payton came to an abrupt halt.
What was that scent? It was Pantera. Not Rage, but it was familiar…
Oh hell.
Disbelief thundered through her as she watched the large male step through the doorway, his massive body consuming the cramped space.
Hakan.
She licked her dry lips, her gaze compulsively taking in his bluntly carved features and shaved head.
Unlike Rage, this Hunter would never be called gorgeous.
He was raw. Compelling. Potently male.
And dangerous to her on a primitive level.
Taking a hasty step backward, Payton was acutely aware that her linen pants and silk shirt were creased, and her hair a tangled mess.
Even worse, she knew that she smelled as bad as the humans.
Not how a female wanted to look when in the presence of the male she’d once begged to love her.
She winced, slamming the door on that particular memory.
Dammit. She’d devoted the past twenty years to scrubbing that humiliating night from her mind. When the hell was it finally going to disappear?
Angered at being caught off guard when she went to enormous lengths to avoid this particular male, she planted her hand on her hips and tilted her chin at a militant angle.
“What are you doing here?”
“Shh.” He glided forward, his movements astonishingly graceful for such a large male as he easily broke the lock and stepped into the cell. “I’m here to rescue you.”
“Why?”
He studied her flushed face, his expression impossible to read. She hated that. How could he so easily disguise his emotions while he always knew exactly what she was feeling?
“Why am I here to rescue you?”
She pursed her lips. Okay. It was a stupid question.
“Did Parish send you?”
The amber eyes narrowed. “Does it matter? You were missing and I came to find you.”
“Well you can go back to where you came from,” she informed him, her voice pitched low enough that it wouldn’t carry. “I don’t need your help.”
He hesitated, glancing around the small cell. Was he trying to grasp why she wasn’t falling to her knees in gratitude? Probably so. He had, after all, charged to her rescue like some knight in shining armor.
“This isn’t the time to be stubborn, Payton,” he at last growled, reaching out to lightly grab her upper arms.
Instant heat jolted through her, re-igniting the savage awareness that she’d tried so hard to deny. At the same time, her cat lunged toward the male who it’d chosen as her mate two decades ago.
The animal inside her didn’t understand the meaning of betrayal. It only knew that this male was the most fascinating, gloriously sexy Pantera she’d ever met. And that the loss of his companionship had left a hole in her heart that refused to heal.
“You’re right, it’s not.” She jerked away from his scalding touch, moving until the back of her legs were pressed against the cot. “So go away.”
His jaw clenched, something perilously close to regret darkening his beautiful eyes.
“Not without you.”
Payton watched his hands reach toward her again and she sent him a glance that she hoped shriveled his balls to tiny prunes.
“Try to force me and I’ll punch you in the nose,” she warned.
He stilled, then astonishingly his lips twitched, as if he was pleased by her fierce threat.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” he asked, stepping close enough that the heat of his body wrapped around her.
Payton shivered, the enticing scent of his musk clouding her mind.
Blessed Goddess. She’d wanted this male for so long.
Too long.
“Stop it, Hakan. You’re going to ruin everything,” she snapped, deliberately pausing. “Again.”
He flinched. Had she actually managed to hit a nerve?
Amazing.
He stepped back, not bothering to disguise his wary confusion.
“Payton, what the hell is going on?”
“I came here to search the computer systems for any other females who might have been inseminated,” she said.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Something I intend to discuss with Xavier. You’re supposed to be in your office, not out risking your life on a mission.”
“You most certainly will not speak with Xavier. This was my call,” she informed him. When the hell had Hakan become so overprotective? Like her, he’d spent the past twenty years trying to make sure their paths rarely crossed.
“To put yourself deliberately in danger?”
“I didn’t….” She made a sound of frustration. “Do you want to know why I’m still here or not?”
He folded his arms over his broad chest. The T-shirt stretched tight, emphasizing his bulging muscles.
“Go on.”
Her mouth went dry, but she managed to resist the temptation to reach out and run her hands over those sculpted pecs.
“Reny got a little…” She hesitated, not entirely sure what had happened when Reny had caught sight of Mr. Stanton Locke. The one-time FBI agent had gone from cool and composed to I’m-going-to-fucking-kill-you in the blink of an eye. “…overheated when she recognized the director of The Haymore Center, and the cops were called. During the confrontation I slipped down here with Rage to have a look at their records.”
His expression remained stoic, but the heat from his body warned he wasn’t impressed with her resourcefulness.
“You mean to hack into their computer network,” he said.
She shrugged. “Same thing.”
“Only for a Geek.”
She glared at him in frustration. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He ignored her question. “How were you captured?”
“We weren’t.”
CHAPTER 2
Hakan scowled, his usual calm composure smashed by his smoldering frustration.
For years h
e’d been forced to keep a firm leash on himself or risk doing something he was certain he would later regret. A task that was almost impossible with Payton.
His emotions took on a life of their own when he was near this female. They became unpredictable. Treacherous.
Overwhelming.
He wanted to toss her on his bed and devour her. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and protect her from the world.
He wanted…
Her.
Period.
But even his cat understood that Payton was not only smaller, younger and far more vulnerable than he was, but she had yet to develop into the female she was intended to be.
He would never hurt her. He’d die before he’d let anyone, including himself, cause her to suffer. But he’d always feared in the past that his aggressive, dominant personality might very well stifle her ability to mature.
Now, however, the gloves were off.
He’d sworn to himself during his frantic trip to New Orleans that he was done keeping his distance. The stark terror of losing her had convinced him that the time had come to claim his female.
And the past few minutes had proven that she was more than capable of holding her own against him.
Hell, he was beginning to suspect that he was the one in danger of being bullied.
“You weren’t captured?” he demanded, his brows arched in disbelief.
She waved a dismissive hand. “A couple of guards appeared and threw us in these cells that couldn’t hold a flea. They’re waiting for their boss to return and tell them what to do with us. We managed to pick the locks the second their backs were turned.”
Fury at the knowledge she’d deliberately placed herself in danger continued to thunder through him. Dammit. She was supposed to be at her desk in the Wildlands. Not infiltrating into enemy territory.
“So why didn’t you escape?” he demanded.
A stubborn expression that he’d never seen before settled on her pretty, heart-shaped face.
“I came here to get information and I’m not leaving without it.”
“Fine. I’ll get the computer and—”
“Absolutely not. Hunters.” She rolled her eyes, as if exasperated beyond bearing by the entire faction of warriors. “We can’t let anyone know that I have access to their system. Not until I’ve managed to break their encryption and download the records.”