[Truyện Tiếng Anh] Into The Lair

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 10



“Come back, Ian,” Braden whispered. “Goddamn it, shift back.”

To Braden’s surprise, the cat eased down and gingerly rested his head on his front paws as he stretched out his lithe body. In the next moment, his body gave a shudder, and a garbled sound of pain—half human, half animal—shattered the stillness.

Braden raced forward, dropping to his knees as Ian’s body contorted and stretched. Fur melted away, replaced by pinkened skin. Sweat popped and beaded on his flesh as the muscles contracted, seized and finally went limp.

Ian’s mouth stretched into a ghastly grimace, and a more human-sounding cry of pain escaped, carried away on the breeze.

Ian’s head fell to the ground. Harsh breaths danced in rapid staccato, escaping in a thin puff of smoke against the increasing coldness in the air.

Braden leaned over his brother, fear like a vise gripping his chest. “Ian. Ian, talk to me, man.”

“It hurts,” Ian said with a tortured groan. “Goddamn, it hurts.”

“Come on, let me help you up before you freeze,” Braden muttered.

With Braden’s help, Ian staggered to his feet, his skin illuminated by the full moon. A hunting moon. Did it call to the predator inside them both? Was it the reason, along with Katie’s flight, that they battled the beasts so fiercely?

“Katie,” Ian gasped out. “Did I hurt her?”

Braden snorted. “My money might be on her in a showdown between her and the jag.”

“Not funny.”

A half smile quirked Braden’s lips. “You never think I’m funny.”

“Clothes. I need clothes.”

Braden sighed. “Yeah well, between chasing after Katie, running from you and stuffing her into the truck, I didn’t exactly stop and get you an extra pair of underwear, you know?”

“Go,” Ian bit out.

Braden shook his head. “I’m not leaving you, so deal with it. It’s dark. Your maidenly modesty will survive intact. You can get into your clothes at the truck.”

“I’m not too wiped out to kick your , little brother,” Ian growled.

Braden smirked. “You couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag right now.”

He promptly doubled over when Ian planted a fist in his gut.

“Damn but you’re a cranky son of a bitch.”

“I could have killed you, Braden. Think about that the next time you decide to play babysitter. I told you to get the hell away from me.”

Braden wrapped an arm around Ian’s shoulders and ignored Ian’s attempt to shake him off. He shoved his brother forward.

“Yeah, you told me, but when have I ever listened to you?”

Ian shook his head, but he stumbled and leaned wearily against Braden. They walked back in silence. When the SUV came into view, Braden halted and leaned Ian against a tree.

“Wait here. I’ll get you some clothes.”

Chapter Eight

Eli Chance let himself into the bedroom he shared with Tyana and glanced over to see her propped on the bed, her casted leg elevated on a pillow.

She looked up, her eyes flickering with both welcome and wariness she still hadn’t shed when it came to him.

She kept it interesting which was one of the things he liked most about her. He damn sure never had to worry about being bored.

“Glad to see you found your way back to bed, sugar.”

She rolled her eyes, but he could see the pain and fatigue etched in her brow.

Not waiting for an invitation, he stretched out beside her, careful not to bump her cast. Her body settled comfortably into his, and he felt her go soft around him.

Enjoying the quiet and stillness, he brushed his lips across hers, tasting her mouth with his tongue.

“Jonah tells me you’re getting tired of me already,” he murmured.

Her eyes widened and she stared at him in horror. “He said what?”

He chuckled. “You’re way too easy, sugar.”

She frowned, but he saw a glimmer of guilt before she looked away.

“Ah, so you did put him up to getting rid of me.”

“Hell,” she muttered. “It wasn’t quite like that.”

He lifted one brow as he trailed a finger down the softness of her cheek. “So how is it? Come on, Tyana. We’ve always been honest with each other. Don’t start holding out on me now.”

She sighed and slumped back into her pillows in defeat. “I’m just not used to all the hovering, Eli. Don’t take it personally. This whole relationship thing is new to me. I don’t handle convalescence very well.”

He laughed. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. Okay, so I’m getting on your nerves.”

She gazed curiously at him. “You don’t seem offended.”

“Should I be? I’m uming you don’t want to get rid of me on a permanent basis.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she growled.

He grinned. “I love it when you get cranky.”

He propped his head in his palm and let his other hand wander down her midriff, enjoying the way she tightened beneath his fingers.

“So what’s up, Tyana?” he asked softly. “What’s really going on here?”

There was a flash of vulnerability followed by a quick masking of her features. The tough exterior he was so used to pushed itself outward until not a trace of uncertainty remained.

And then just as quickly, as though she made the conscious decision to let him see inside, she crumbled, and she closed her eyes.

“I hate this,” she said honestly. “I hate not being able to face you as an equal. I hate being out of action. I hate not being able to help D. I want to go after Esteban so damn bad, and instead I’m stuck here with you babysitting me while Mad Dog and Jonah play the indulgent older brothers. It sucks!”

Eli knew better than to tease her at this point. He touched her chin with one fingertip to gain her attention. Her green eyes locked with his. He could read the conflict loud and clear. He understood it because he’d feel the same damn way in her position.

“So Jonah wants me to hook up with Tits and meet Ian and Braden in Austria instead of Paris, at the safe house he’s arranged. As soon as Ian checks in again, I’ll head out.”

Instead of looking relieved, Tyana grimaced. “You know he did it for me,” she muttered.

“Sending me on a errand? Yeah, I know he did. He wasn’t any happier about it than I was. But we both love you, so I guess we can both suck it up.”

She visibly winced. “Christ. Now I feel about an inch tall.”

Eli took pity on her and leaned in to kiss her. “Quit being so hard on yourself, sugar. I knew when we started that things wouldn’t be easy, and our issues wouldn’t be resolved overnight. We’re both too used to doing things our own way.”

Tyana kissed him back. Not gently because that just wouldn’t be her. She took possession of his mouth like she owned it. Hell, he loved that. And he did belong to her.

When she pulled away, her eyes were glazed with passion, kind of foggy. “I’m not being fair. This has been so much more difficult for you, Eli. Having to cede control to Jonah, to someone you don’t fully trust yet. Having to rely on Falcon for the safety and wellbeing of your men. In your position, I know I couldn’t do it. Neither could Jonah. He’s too much of a control freak. And yet we all expect you to make sacrifices because you were dumb enough to fall…to get involved with me,” she finished uncomfortably.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at her slip. She’d never said she loved him. Nor had she really acknowledged that he loved her. Hell, he couldn’t remember if he’d ever said the words either, mainly because he knew how uncomfortable they’d make her.

It was enough that she was here with him. They were together. She was having a difficult time adjusting, but never once had she hinted that she didn’t want to make it work.

He could be a patient man when the end result was worth it. Tyana was.

“I’ll be gone for a while,” he said casually, ignoring the awkwardness of her rambling. “Why don’t you hang out with D and recover so we can go kick some Esteban together?”

Her eyes flashed and brightened and a broad smile lit her face. Trust her to get all excited over the prospect of a good fight.

And then she sobered and touched his cheek with her slender fingers. “I want you to come back, Eli. I hope you know that. It’s not that I don’t want you here. It’s just that I hate for you to see me this way. So helpless. I hate seeing me this way.”

He captured her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I won’t be going immediately, and don’t worry. You’re going to have to do more than whine to Jonah to get rid of me.”

She growled under her breath. “I didn’t whine to Jonah.”

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He raised his eyebrows and quirked his lip at her. “Oh? That’s not the way he tells it.”

“Rat bastard,” she muttered.

“Oh, and Tyana? I ure you, Mad Dog and Jonah will be every bit as watchful as I am. So don’t get any crazy ideas.”

She actually looked disappointed.

“Now, you want me to carry you downstairs so you can drink and smoke weed with the other fools?”

“Carry?” she sputtered. “I’m down but not dead, Chance.”

Chapter Nine

Katie shoved her hair out of her eyes as she stared out the window into the darkness. Where the hell had Braden gone, and for that matter where had Ian disappeared to? Was he out looking for her?

Honest to God, she’d never met two more bizarre men in her life, and lord knew she’d met some doozies.

She pressed her palms to the glass, but Braden had disappeared. She frowned as she realized she was worried. What should it matter to her if he got his killed?

Then it dawned on her that she was in the truck alone. And she was sitting here harboring ridiculous concerns for a complete stranger when she should be driving as fast and as far away as possible.

She clambered over the seat, settling behind the wheel. To her dismay, the keys weren’t in the ignition. Of course. Because God forbid anything be easy.

A snarl of frustration ripped past her lips. She placed her hands on the wheel and rested her forehead against the horn.

She was starving, she hurt like hell, and she’d give her eyeteeth for a bed and a good night’s sleep.

Whiney . Just be glad you’re alive and not in bed with Ricardo right now.

That sobered her quickly.

The door swung open, startling her. She let out a yelp and threw up her arms in defense. Braden stood outside, a smirk on his face.

“You don’t think I was stupid enough to leave the keys, now do you?”

She scowled even as relief hit her so hard she went weak. She wasn’t glad to see him. Not at all. And she wasn’t worried about where Ian was or that he’d been eaten by whatever the hell was out there.

“You don’t look happy to see me,” he said dryly. “Is that the thanks I get for saving your pretty again?”

She started to hit him until she figured out he was yanking her chain. Royally. She took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at him.

“I’ll be happy to take this pretty elsewhere. Just get the hell out of my way.”

He leaned in, his body pressing hard to hers. She shoved at him, but he was intent on reaching beyond her to the other seat.

“Get off, damn it,” she gasped out as he squeezed the air from her lungs. “Big oaf.”

He snatched a duffel bag then slowly eased away from her, a y grin on his face.

“I wouldn’t get out if I were you. Your delicate sensibilities might be offended.”

Then he was gone, shutting the door behind him. What the hell? What sensibilities? Then she glanced in the rearview mirror to see a Ian thrusting a leg into a pair of jeans.

Naked? What the ever-loving is he doing ?

She continued to stare until she realized she was still staring, and then she jerked her gaze away, looking at the windshield, the seat, her hands…anything but back at the man.

What is he doing ?

And why was she sitting here like a docile moron?

She peeked up at the mirror and to her relief saw that Ian was dressed and talking to Braden. Braden gestured toward the truck and her and then both men started toward the front.

****.

Ian reached her door first and yanked it open. He took one look at her and a feral light entered his eyes. A shiver skated down her spine and sent an odd tingling into her womb. She honestly didn’t know whether to be terrified or intrigued by the dangerous fire in his gaze.

He sucked in air through his nose, his nostrils flaring and quivering. His fists curled and clenched and then he rubbed his open palms up and down his pants legs.

Braden jerked him backward, and the truck shook as Braden thrust Ian against the hood.

“Goddamn it, Ian, what the hell is wrong with you?” Braden demanded.

“It’s her,” Ian said hoarsely.

Braden snapped his gaze to her and scowled. Then he quickly turned his attention back to his brother. “You’re getting an injection and then you’re going night-night. Are we clear?”

Katie watched in open-mouthed fascination as Braden strode to the back of the truck and then returned a moment later with a syringe. She winced when, without preamble, he stuck the needle in Ian’s arm. There was so much wrong with this scene she didn’t even know where to start. And she’d thought things were weird with Ricardo.

Braden left Ian leaning against the truck as he headed to the backseat to open the door. Katie’s gaze was drawn to Ian as he stared up at the sky, his face a brooding mold.

“Slide over,” Braden ordered.

She blinked and yanked her concentration from Ian to stare at Braden.

“Ian’s going in back. You get over in the passenger seat. No arguments.”

She immediately bristled but forced air through her nose and stifled the protest dancing on her lips. Part of survival was knowing when the hell to keep your mouth shut. This was one of those times.

She moved into the passenger seat as Braden went back to Ian. A few seconds later, Braden herded him into the backseat and shoved him into a lying position.

As she glanced casually over her shoulder, she saw Ian staring at her, those eyes flashing despite the lethargy from whatever Braden had injected him with.

Determined not to back down, she boldly met his gaze. For a long moment, they just stared at one another until discomfort skittered over her skin. When Braden opened the driver’s door, it gave her an excuse to look away.

He slid in beside her and started the engine. His hands curled around the steering wheel, but he made no move to put the truck into drive.

She shifted uncomfortably and forced her gaze away.

“This **** has to stop, Katie,” he said in a firm voice.

That pissed her off. She whirled around to glare at him. “Where the hell do you get off giving me orders? I don’t even know who you are or why you’ve taken it upon yourself to irritate the living **** out of me. Don’t you think you’ve caused me enough grief?”

He rammed the gearshift down and took off, the SUV rocking over the bumpy terrain.

“You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

She gaped at him, speechless.

“You haven’t even asked about Gabe.”

Rage and grief grabbed hold of her throat and squeezed. Hard.

“You said he was dead,” she said through gritted teeth. “What else is there to know?”

He glanced sideways at her. “You’re a cold bitch. He was your brother.”

She shook her head and turned away. “What do you want me to do, cry? Would it make you feel better for me to fall at your feet in a weeping, wailing mass of femininity? Would that appeal to your manly ego?”

Her fingers curled into tight fists in her lap. “Well, let me tell you, none of that is going to keep me alive, and if Gabe taught me nothing else, he taught me *****rvive. The last thing he’d want is for me to rely on a complete stranger. Trust no one.”

“Christ, you even sound like him,” Braden muttered. “The most suspicious bastard I ever knew.”

For a moment she wanted to do just what she scorned and ask Braden about Gabe. Details. Information she was hungry for. Yes, Gabe was her brother, and he’d saved her, but she hadn’t seen him in two years. Their phone calls were always brief and to the point.

“Gabe sent us to find you,” Braden said. “Now, you can believe that or not, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to risk my or my brother’s just because you can’t decide whether you’d rather hang out with us or your buddy Ricardo.” He snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s a hard choice.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” she said softly. “I don’t want to hang out with either of you. Do I think you’re a better choice than Ricardo? I don’t know.”

She stopped when he sucked in an angry breath.

“I don’t deal in instincts, Braden. I look at irrefutable evidence, and I’m sorry, but so far, I’m not seeing anything that screams to me I can trust you. I’ve been burned and burned bad. If you think I’m going to put my life in your hands because you say Gabe sent you then you’re out of luck.”

Much like the Taser Ricardo had used on her, sudden remembrance hit her with enough force to knock the breath from her. Her hands flew to the back of her neck, frantically feeling for the protrusion.

“Oh . ****, , ,” she breathed.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Braden demanded.

All the blood squeezed itself from her cheeks until they grew tight. She was an idiot, and she deserved to die for such stupi***y.

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Her fingertips fumbled over her nape until finally she found the thin piece of metal.

Braden’s hand circled her wrist, and he yanked downward. “What are you doing?”

“Tracking device,” she croaked. “I ed up. I found it but left it in because I intended to use it to throw them off my trail. That’s why they backed off, I’m sure. Because they know how to find us.”

Braden chuckled.

“What the hell is so funny?” she demanded.

“Ian and I planted the tracking device. I’m surprised you found it.”

“You what?”

She jerked her hand out of his grasp and reached for the device again.

“Leave it,” he ordered.

She stared at him in astonishment. “You’re out of your mind. Like I want you knowing my every movement? Don’t you get the whole point of escape?”

He laughed again, much to her irritation.

“You’re not escaping, Katie. But that tracking device has already saved your damn life once. How do you think we knew where to find you when Ricardo swooped in and carried you off to his love nest?”

She threw up her hands in exasperation. “You didn’t save ****!”

“Ricardo is not your only concern,” Braden said quietly. “In fact, I’d go so far as to say he’s a little fish compared to what else you’re up against.”

She made a rude noise. “If this is some sort of bull**** attempt to scare me into sticking around, save it.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Braden said in a clipped tone.

A dart of fear scurried from her belly into her throat.

Braden’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as he navigated back onto the highway. She waited in silence for him to explain, to give her something other than a tersely worded dictate.

It pissed her off that he had the power to frighten her, but she’d long given up trying to deny her fears. Being helpless and powerless did scare the hell out of her.

When it was clear he wasn’t going to offer anything further, she reached over to touch his arm. He flinched and quickly glanced over at her. She retracted her hand in silent apology.

“What were you talking about, Braden? Why did Gabe send you when he’s told me under no circumstances was I to ever trust anyone? No exceptions.”

“And why is that, Katie? What the hell is going on between you and Ricardo?”

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about Ricardo. You wanted to talk about Gabe earlier, so talk. Why did he send you after me, and what else am I up against?”

His eyes narrowed in the dim glow of the headlights. “Seems to me we both have information the other wants. You up for a trade?”

A trade. He had to be joking. Like this was some game. Her life was on the line, damn it, and that wasn’t something she took lightly.

But still, uncertainty warred with her determination not to offer him anything at all. What if Gabe really had sent them? What could possibly be worse than being pursued by Ricardo and company?

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“Look, Katie, I get that you don’t trust me and Ian. I don’t expect you to. But believe it or not, we’re trying to help you. Now, you can accept that, and we can work together, or you can keep fighting, which only puts you in more danger. We can’t protect you if we’re constantly having to chase you down.”

She sighed and looked away to stare out her window at the passing scenery. He was asking her to trust him even while saying he understood her not trusting him.

If only Gabe hadn’t died.

That was a stupid thing to say. His being alive wouldn’t change her present circumstances. He’d taught her a lot, but she’d been on her own for years. Dead or alive, Gabe wouldn’t save her. It was up to her to save herself.

“We’re not adversaries, Katie, despite what you might believe. You don’t have to trust us, but it would be stupid not to take the help we’re offering.”

And that was it in a nutshell. Stupid. She had a lot of experience in being stupid. She made such a big deal over not trusting her instincts. Well, her instincts screamed for her not to have anything to do with Ian or Braden.

God, what a mess.

She looked at what was concrete, what was tangible. Ian and Braden hadn’t tried to hurt her, and they had done their best to keep her away from Ricardo, despite her early confusion that they worked together.

She couldn’t believe she was even contemplating going along with this.

She glanced over her shoulder at Ian, who was unconscious, and then back to Braden.

“I’ll tell you what you want to know if you answer all my questions. All. But I won’t do it until he’s awake,” she said, jerking her thumb in Ian’s direction. “I want to hear what both of you have to say, and I want to look you in the eye while you’re talking.”

“Fair enough,” Braden said with a shrug. “Why don’t you get some rest. I promise not to try and kill you while you sleep.”

She slouched down in her seat, weariness seeping into her bones. She wanted rest, needed it. If she didn’t refuel, she was going to crash and burn.

“Will you be okay to drive?” she asked and immediately cursed the fact that she sounded concerned.

He cracked a half-smile. “Go to sleep, Katie. I’ll be fine.”

Chapter Ten

Ian dragged himself from the remnants of a drugged sleep. Dark images aulted him, pulling at him. Memories of the hunt. The overwhelming urge to claim what was his.

Katie.

He put a hand to his throbbing head and shook the cobwebs free. He was losing his grip on sanity. Katie wasn’t his, and moreover he didn’t want her to be.

Slowly he sat up and blinked to bring his surroundings into focus.

“You feeling any better?” Braden asked from the driver’s seat.

Ian leaned forward to stare out the windshield. The eastern sky was lightening as the first rays of sunlight eased over the horizon.

Then he looked over to see Katie scooted over as far against the door as she could go. She was curled into a tiny ball, her hands in a defensive position, and her eyes were tightly closed.

She slept, but even in sleep she was tense and rigid.

“Ian?”

He turned to his brother. “I’m good. I think.”

Braden’s troubled gaze found Ian in the rearview mirror. “That was a bad one, Ian. What the happened?”

Ian rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes for a moment. “It’s her. I can’t explain it. There’s something about her that sets me off. Been that way since the beginning.”

Braden sighed. “Yeah, I know. Me too.”

“Where are we?” Ian asked as he studied the roadway.

“Almost to Durango.”

“Pull over. I’ll drive. You need to get some sleep.”

Braden rolled one shoulder and worked his head from side to side. “I thought we’d snag a room just long enough to grab showers and touch base with Eli.”

Braden glanced over at Katie and said in a quieter voice, “She’s wiped, and she needs to eat. The bandages came off when she ran, and she needs tending to.”

Despite his irritation with her, Ian softened a little when his gaze swept over Katie’s huddled form.

“Okay, but we need to make it quick.”

Braden nodded.

Thirty minutes later, they pulled into a roadside hotel. Braden hopped out and looked back at Ian. “Will you be okay with her?”

Ian swallowed the retort and motioned for Braden to go. As his brother walked away, Ian stared down at Katie who hadn’t stirred.

What was it about her that got him so fired up? He wasn’t unused to the instability or the sudden urge to shift, but this was different. Something dark and feral came over him. A drive inside him that had nothing to do with danger or risk.

He wanted her. Badly. It pissed him off to no end. How could his body, his beast, want something so badly when his mind was screaming hell no? And why was Braden similarly affected?

Unable to stand the confines of the truck, he eased the door open, careful not to make too much noise. He stepped into the early morning coolness and breathed deep of the cleansing air. He took several gulps before he gently shut the door and walked a few steps toward the front of the truck where he could still see Katie through the windshield.

Would he have hurt her? It was hard to say. He couldn’t trust the jaguar because he retained no memories of being the beast. He only knew the overwhelming desire to possess her, to mark her, to make her his, that swamped him just prior to his shift.

The best thing would be to stay as far away from her as he could, but that wasn’t exactly a possibility when he and Braden would be spending every waking minute with her until Esteban made his move.

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As he watched, she came awake. There was no slow build to awareness. No sleepy stretch or lazy yawn. She bolted forward, her eyes wide, and he could see the tension billowing off her in waves.

Her gaze connected with his, and for a moment, he saw relief. That surprised him because she’d made no bones about the fact she didn’t trust him or Braden one iota. No sooner had he reflected on the apparent relief in her expression, her eyes hardened as she stared back at him through the glass.

With a sigh, he sauntered around to her door.

“Why are we stopped?” she asked as soon as he swung it open.

“Braden is getting us a room so we can shower, and then we’ve got phone calls to make and we—you—need to eat.”

She wiped a hand over her face, drawing his attention to the still-vivid bruising on her cheek and on her slender neck.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

It took him a minute to realize he was scowling.

“Nothing,” he muttered. But anger he couldn’t quite control quivered and snaked through his veins, whispering to him and calling to the predator.

They both looked up as Braden strode out to the truck.

“Let’s go,” he said as he walked to the back to pop the trunk.

He tossed a set of keys at Ian. “You and Katie head in. I’ll follow with the first-aid kit and the bags.”

Ian caught the plastic key tag and examined the number. Then he scanned the line of rooms until his gaze alighted on the correct door.

“Come on,” he said to Katie, though he was careful not to touch her or act too aggressively.

She hesitated only a slight moment before she turned and followed him.

The room was musty and stale and it was nearly as chilly inside as it was outside. Ian yanked at the yellowed drapes to obscure the view and then turned on the heater under the window.

Katie sat on the edge of the bed, her body language ill at ease. The heater lurched and started to hum, and the smell of exhaust filtered into the room.

Braden stepped inside and tossed a couple of duffel bags on the bed. Katie’s backpack landed next to her, and she grabbed it, yanking open the zipper. She poured out the few changes of clothes and rifled through the contents until she came to a wad of cash and her bankcard.

She fingered the bills and looked up first at Braden and then Ian in confusion.

“Did you think we ripped you off?” Ian asked dryly.

“What was I supposed to think?” she said. “I wake up tied to you in my bed, and my money and bankcard are gone from my pocket.”

“Not that I don’t love watching you two butt heads, but Katie, you need to jump in the shower and wash all the blood and dirt off, and then we need to tend to your wounds,” Braden said.

Her posture immediately became defensive. “I can manage on my own.”

“He didn’t offer you a choice,” Ian pointed out. “Get in the shower or I’ll do it for you. That’s all the choice I’m giving you. When you get out, we’re going to take care of those cuts and bruises.”

Even as he issued the edict, his loins tightened at the idea of being in the shower with her, his hands running over her wet body. He turned away before she could witness his arousal. He was losing his mind. Not to mention his control.

He heard her quick intake of breath. Did her thoughts coincide with his? He glanced down at his fist, held so tight that the skin stretched painfully across his knuckles. With a quick flex, he released his fingers then turned back around.

Katie disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door quietly behind her.

“You okay, man?” Braden asked.

“No, I’m not okay,” Ian bit out. “Where’s the inhibitor? Carry it on you from now on. It does us no good stashed in a bag. I could have hurt you and Katie.”

Braden flopped down on the bed and lay back, his eyes closing in fatigue. “I’m not so sure the inhibitor would have worked, Ian. You shifted really fast.”

Ian grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Desperation was a constant companion, working in tandem with his pulse, with his every breath, every heartbeat.

“We can’t go on like this, Braden.”

He hated the helplessness, the weakness in his voice. He sounded like a goddamn fatalistic . But they couldn’t continue living like this. Unpredictable. Changing to wild animals in an instant.

What if he killed his brother?

It was the question that haunted him the most. It was easy to isolate himself from the rest of the world. He and Braden had always been loners. But he couldn’t walk away from Braden. Not when his brother needed him. But if he stayed, would he be responsible for someday attacking the one person in the world who mattered to him?

“What the hell is your problem?”

Ian looked down to see Braden staring at him. He shook his head, and Braden made a sound of exasperation.

“Things could be worse.” Braden tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “I mean there are worse things than having a woman a room away.”

Some of the tension eased from his chest, and he looked at his brother in mock disgust. “That woman would like nothing better than to play with your nuts and not in a fun way.”

Braden grunted. “I’d be willing to let her. I’ve always had a slight masochistic streak.”

Ian laughed and was surprised by how good it felt. Maybe some of Braden’s irreverence was rubbing off on him. Or maybe he was too slaphappy to have any goddamn sense.

“Ian?”

“Yeah, man.”

“It might be better if you handled Katie’s, uh, injuries. I’m tired, and I get this weird vibe around her, like I’m about to crawl out of my skin. I don’t want to risk any, uh, complications.”

Ian cursed under his breath. He didn’t trust himself around Katie any more than Braden apparently trusted himself. What was wrong with them? They hadn’t reacted to Tyana or any other woman they’d come into contact with like this. Was it merely the thrill of the chase? A track-and-capture element? Something ingrained deep in their animal psyche?

“We both need to do it,” Ian said grimly. “A system of checks and balances. We’ll have the inhibitor and a large dose of the sedative on hand just in case.”

He paused for a moment as he saw the bleakness enter Braden’s eyes.

“Braden, you have to promise me something.”

Braden ed his head forward to look at Ian. “What’s that?”

“If I ever try to go after you, you have to swear to take me out.”

Chapter Eleven

Eli probably thought they’d all lost their minds. Tyana leaned back against the bar, a joint in one hand, a drink in the other, and watched in amusement as Mad Dog and Jonah sparred in the middle of the game room.

If anyone thought the two men were merely joking around, they obviously hadn’t been witness to past practice sessions. Before it was over, there would be blood, cuts and bruises, and both would, of course, claim victory.

To Tyana’s side, Damiano stood and watched with a grin on his face. He was on his fourth drink and had even rolled one of Mad Dog’s joints. He wasn’t as brooding or distant tonight, and that gave Tyana more hope than she’d had in a long time.

He caught her gaze and smiled warmly. He turned and set his drink down then ambled over to stand beside her. One arm looped around her shoulders as they watched Mad Dog and Jonah trade punches.

“How long you think it’ll be before they get tired of pounding on each other and invite Eli to join in so they have fresh meat?” D asked with dark amusement.

Tyana turned to stare at Eli who was across the room sprawled in a chair holding a beer while he looked on with a bored expression.

“I don’t think he likes our entertainment,” she said.

D shrugged. “He’d probably be having a lot better time if Ian and Braden had checked in. It’s been several days since we heard from them.”

Tyana frowned. It was hard for her to put herself in Eli’s position because the people most important to her were right here. But D was right. Eli was a fish out of water in this environment. He was the new guy playing by new rules not set by him, and his team was on a mission without him.

“How are you feeling tonight?” she asked D. She didn’t really want to get into an analysis of all that Eli was giving up. For her. Because then she’d wonder why the hell he bothered with a woman who’d gone to Jonah in an effort to get him out of her hair for a few days.

“I’m good,” D said. “Stop worrying so much, Ty.” He glanced at her with reproach in his eyes. “You and I have no control over what happens to me. What will be will be.”

She ground her teeth in frustration. She wanted to scream at him and then shake him senseless. No, she wanted to kick his and tell him to stop spouting philosophical nonsense. Fate was what you made it, not the other way around.

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She took another long drag of the joint to steady her rage and exhaled in a long, steady plume. Across the room, Eli’s eyebrow went up as he watched her. She wasn’t entirely sure he approved of her new brand of poison, but he’d never said anything. He knew better than to think she’d give it up just because he didn’t like it.

D straightened and leaned against the bar, his elbows propped behind him. “Do you remember the tiger?”

It was a general question, one that would confuse many people in its simplicity, but she knew immediately what he was talking about. When they were much younger, alone on the streets of Prague, they’d freed a tiger from a street vendor. The result had been chaos, but to two children dreaming of their own brand of freedom, it had been symbolic.

“I remember,” she said softly.

“I dream of him often,” D said.

She ed her head sideways to stare at her brother. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel a kinship with him, I suppose. And maybe I’m waiting for someone to come and free me.”

She turned, awkward as her cast bumped into D’s leg. He was quick to help her, but she pushed him away.

“Don’t wait, D,” she said. “Don’t wait for someone to come along and save you. You have to save yourself. Do you understand me?”

“Relax, little sister, I’m not throwing in the towel. I meant it more in a metaphorical sense than anything. I forget how black and white you are,” he said in a teasing tone.

“I am when it comes to you.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m going to be fine, Ty. Believe that, okay?”

She reached down and caught his hand, squeezing it tight. “I won’t allow you to be anything else, D.”

Mad Dog and Jonah had evidently had enough. Jonah shoved at Mad Dog before heading over to the bar. He poured a generous amount of liquor into a glass while Mad Dog forewent the cup and reached for the bottle.

They performed a mock toast and downed the liquid.

“Your boyfriend looks bored,” Mad Dog said in Ty’s direction. “Shouldn’t you be keeping him company?”

Tyana glanced over at Eli, irked by Mad Dog’s statement. “Give me a push,” she muttered.

D smiled but helped her forward while Mad Dog shoved her crutches at her. She’d just gotten them under her arms when the door opened and one of the Falcon secondary stuck his head in. He looked first at Eli and then Jonah.

Eli sat up, his bored look gone. Jonah also started forward, ignoring the annoyed scowl that flickered across Eli’s face.

“Must be Ian and Braden checking in,” D murmured.

Tyana itched to go after them, but hell, by the time she made it the conversation would be over. Still, it rankled that she was relegated to the sidelines while the action went on around her.

She took a step forward and grimaced when pain shot up her leg. No amount of alcohol or marijuana managed to take the edge off her discomfort.

Mad Dog was quick to take notice, and he grasped her elbow, all but forcing her to lean on him.

“I’ve got her,” D said calmly as he appeared at her other side. “Go get her pain medication.”

Mad Dog frowned as he looked around at the empty room but nodded and headed for the door.

“I’ll be back in a second,” he said.

“Where you want to sit?” D asked after Mad Dog had left.

“Couch is fine,” she said in a disgruntled tone.

She glanced sharply up at D when his hand trembled around her elbow.

“Are you okay?” she demanded.

He wiped shakily at his brow and refocused his attention on her. “Yeah, just too much weed, I think. Don’t know what you and Mad Dog see in the ****.”

“Yeah, well I don’t either,” she muttered.

She thumped with her crutches while D walked by her side. They were almost to the couch when his hand fell away from her arm and he turned abruptly from her.

“D?” she asked hesitantly as she saw the muscles in his back ripple and spasm.

“Get away from me.”

Fear rocketed through her. She dropped her crutches and twisted, her hands reaching for him. As soon as she touched him, he flinched and bolted away.

He hit the bar, his back still to her, his palms braced on the counter, his entire body heaving with exertion.

Tyana hobbled forward, wincing when her injured leg took the brunt of her weight. But she had to get to the inhibitor that was out in plain sight on the countertop.

Her eyes locked on D as she limped heavily. To her horror, his body contorted and lost its shape. It rippled like some movie special effect. Flashes of orange and fur. A low hiss and then a growl.

Dear God, she wasn’t going to be able to get to him in time. She yelled hoarsely as she lunged the remaining distance for the inhibitor. Pain nearly paralyzed her. Her hand glanced off the bar top, but she caught herself and hauled herself upright, only to find herself staring into the eyes of a Bengal tiger.

Holy .

She licked her lips and backed nervously away. Her leg tangled with the barstool, and she went down with a thump. The tiger growled and closed in on her.

She extended her arm, reaching for her crutch, anything. Something she could defend herself with. This was no longer D. She was eyeball to eyeball with one pissed-off predator.

Ignoring the searing pain and the awkwardness of her cast, she pulled herself along the floor. Just as her fingertips touched the cool metal of the crutch, the tiger leaped.

She yanked the crutch in front of her and jammed it into the cat’s jaws when his mouth would have closed over her throat. The tiger’s upper body landed on her chest, knocking the breath from her.

She shoved the crutch deeper into his jaws, refusing to let go. If she did it would mean her death.

Where the was Mad Dog? The Falcon secondary?

She heard a commotion outside and realized they were coming. What seemed an eternity to her had in reality been a few seconds.

The cat shook his head and growled his displeasure, but Tyana refused to budge. She held onto the crutch for dear life, matching the cat’s movements with her own. Anything to keep those teeth from her flesh.

“D, come back to me,” she pleaded.

“What the ?”

Mad Dog’s voice exploded into the room. The cat never looked up, too locked in his battle with Tyana. With a toss of his head, he managed to rip the crutch from Tyana’s grasp. It went sailing across the room, landing with a clatter.

Tyana shoved her hands into the cat’s face, knowing she was now in deep ****.

More voices, more shouts, more pounding of feet. Tyana dimly registered it, but she was focused solely on the tiger and staying alive.

A thin plume of smoke wrapped around the tiger’s neck, twining and twining again. Eli. It whispered through the fur and into the cat’s nostrils.

“No!” she cried. “Eli, don’t kill him.”

The cat snarled and shook his head, forgetting Tyana for a moment as he fought with his invisible ailant.

Then the tiger let out a yelp and his huge body jerked. Tyana looked down to see two syringes protruding from his haunch. Mad Dog and Jonah both tackled the cat, rolling him off her in a tangle of bodies and paws.

She tried to scramble up, but the damn cast made her as helpless as a beached whale. Cursing, she righted herself and crawled upward with her one good leg.

The cat roared in rage as Mad Dog, Jonah and Eli fought *****bdue him. More of the Falcon secondary rushed in. Two high-powered rifles were up and trained on the tiger, ready to take a clear shot. She screamed at them to put the guns down.

Two more syringes stabbed into the cat’s fur. A final one in his neck finally made him go limp. His heavy body lolled to the side, and Jonah and Mad Dog cautiously inched away.

Eli came back to form beside Tyana as she pulled herself painfully across the floor toward D.

His arms came around her, and he tugged her to him as he examined every inch of her skin.

“Are you all right?” His hands framed her face, touching and reassuring himself.

“D,” she choked out.

The tiger’s eyes glazed as his head flopped to the floor under the power of the sedative. Already the Falcon secondary swarmed the room, their rifles all pointed at the helpless cat.

She tried to crawl toward the cat as he lay panting.

“Keep her away,” Jonah barked.

Eli hauled her back against his chest.

“Not now, sugar,” he murmured. “D will be all right. Let them take care of him.”

“I want this room secured,” Jonah ordered as he stood. He stalked over to where Tyana lay in Eli’s arms and squatted down in front of her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded shakily.

“Get her out of here. I’m locking this room down until he shifts back,” Jonah told Eli.

It was useless for her to argue. For once, she knew there wasn’t anything she could do, no argument she could wage. D had finally slipped beyond control. Tears clogged her throat, squeezing, relentless. Grief welled, sharp, like a blade. Always, always she’d been there to comfort him, to shield him as he’d shielded her. Only now, they would be separated. Jonah would never leave them alone...

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Chapter Twelve

Katie huddled under the steaming hot spray of the shower and let it pelt her skin until it was pink and raw. Even after she’d lathered her hair twice and soaped her body repeatedly, she stood still as the water cascaded over her.

She didn’t want to move. Ever.

But she had a strong suspicion if she didn’t get out soon, one of them would come haul her out.

With a regretful sigh, she turned off the water and stepped out, reaching for a towel. She dried briskly, taking care around the more tender parts. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she grimaced. Then she pulled the towel away and let her gaze trail down her body.

Her shoulders slid downward, and her eyes crossed with fatigue. She was starting to have some serious fantasies involving a pillow and a bed. Blankets were completely optional.

An irritated sigh escaped when she realized she’d neglected to bring clothes into the bathroom with her. And there was no way she was putting the nasty stuff she’d taken off back on.

She wrapped the towel around her and kept her arms pressed against the fabric so it had no chance of slipping down. Then she stuck her head out the door before exiting.

Braden was lying on the bed, eyes closed, and Ian was perched on the edge of the mattress, his expression brooding. Ian looked up at her, his eyes shuttered.

“I, uhm, just need to get some clothes,” she said in a low voice.

Ian stood. “Not yet.”

He walked toward her, and she blinked in surprise. His hand cupped her elbow, his touch gentle as he urged her toward the bed.

“You can keep the towel wrapped around you for now,” he said gruffly. “I need to tend to that cut on your foot, and then I’ll take a look at your arm.”

Braden opened his eyes and rolled to the edge of the bed before putting his feet down with a thud. He rubbed his face in a tired gesture then rose to stand beside her.

“Get the kit,” Ian told Braden.

Ian urged her down, and she sat awkwardly, keeping her gaze on her knees, bared just below the edge of the towel.

“Lay back and let me see your foot,” Ian directed.

She eyed him for a moment but did as he said. Her head bounced softly on the mattress as she settled down, and she focused on the ceiling.

Gentle hands covered the top of her foot and tilted it back as he examined the instep. His fingers were firm and warm against her skin.

Braden leaned over and took her arm, lifting as he examined the bruising and swelling.

How long had it been since she’d simply enjoyed the touch of another? Close proximity, the feeling of not being so terribly alone?

It was overwhelming and yet so deeply pleasurable that she couldn’t ask them to stop. She didn’t want them to stop.

These were concerned touches. Caring and light. There was no desperate mark of possession, no shouted words, no deep-seated insecurity.

She shivered even as she craved more.

Ian felt her tremble beneath his fingers. He saw raw vulnerability behind a flash of sudden tears, and it tore at his gut. Here was a woman unused to any sort of tenderness. She expected the worst, and it seemed she usually got it.

What the hell kind of life had she led, and why had Gabe left her to fend for herself?

Trying not to let himself be too affected, he put antiseptic on her cut and quickly bandaged it. Braden was carefully manipulating her arm, but other than a few winces, she didn’t seem too bothered by it.

He thrust the small bottle at Braden along with fresh bandages. “For her hand.”

Braden took the stuff from him and settled next to Katie, his hip close to her shoulder. Her fingers shook against Braden’s as he carefully pried them apart.

Ian eased down on her other side. “I need to look at your ribs, Katie,” he said in a low, soothing voice.

Color flooded into her cheeks, and her eyes flickered away, her gaze focusing on the wall.

Braden touched her cheek, running a finger down her delicate jawline. “Don’t be afraid,” he said quietly. “We just want to make sure you’re okay. I swear to you we won’t hurt you.”

She closed her eyes and slowly nodded.

Ian arranged the towel so that it hung loosely over her waist. He couldn’t cover her s and her pelvis and felt she’d probably be the least embarrassed to have them staring at her s.

Bruises were scattered along her ribcage, some the size of a fist, others smaller, purple fingerprints against pale skin. When he saw the dark smudges close to her s, his jaw tightened in rage.

“Did they rape you?” he demanded bluntly.

Braden yanked his startled gaze to his brother, and his brows drew together in admonishment.

Katie’s eyes flew open, and she too stared at Ian in shock.

“N-no,” she stammered.

“Did he try?” Ian pressed, not sure why it was so important that he know the depths of Ricardo de la Cruz’s depravity.

A dark flush stained her cheeks, and her eyes glittered with anger.

“I doubt he’ll be able to use that part of his anatomy for a long while,” she said darkly.

A grin flirted with the edges of Braden’s mouth. Ian relaxed, unaware of just how tense he’d been until some of the edginess left him.

“Okay, so what exactly did he do?” Ian asked as he tended to a cut just below her left .

She let out a sigh. “Does it matter? I have no plans to get caught by him again. I wouldn’t have this time if you two hadn’t slowed me down.”

Braden winced. “We were only trying to help.”

She turned to look at Braden for a long while. “I’d like to believe that. Really, I would. But I still don’t know why you’re here. You say Gabe sent you. Why? You hint that someone else is after me, but I’ve spent all my time running from Ricardo.”

Ian absorbed that latest piece of information. He and Braden exchanged glances, and then Braden cleared his throat.

“Why don’t you get dressed, Katie. Then we can have that conversation we talked about.”

Ian raised one eyebrow in question.

“We worked out a trade,” Braden explained. “While you were…sleeping. She gives us information, and we give her the same.”

Katie wrapped the towel around her body and struggled to sit up. Ian put his hand behind her neck and helped her forward. His fingers lingered at her nape, drawn to the softness of her skin. Tiny little goose bumps prickled and raced across her flesh, and her muscles quivered beneath his palm.

She wasn’t immune to him any more than he was immune to her.

Unsure what to do with that realization, he pulled his hand away and let her get up from the bed. For a brief moment, she hesitated and looked back at him, her eyes wide with equal parts confusion and uncertainty.

Then she clutched the ends of the towel tighter around her and grabbed her bag before heading to the bathroom.

“I get the distinct impression that we’re not going to like what we hear,” Braden murmured. “What could she possibly have done to make a man treat her like he has?”

“Sometimes a woman doesn’t have to do anything,” Ian said with a growl. “Maybe he just couldn’t take no for an answer. Whatever the case, we need to get her the hell out of the country.”

“So we can use her,” Braden said in a low, dissatisfied voice.

“Do you see another way?” Ian kept his voice as low as Braden’s. “Hell, Braden, I don’t like it either. She’s obviously had a ****ty time, and God knows why Gabe left her alone, but do you really want to stay like this for the rest of your life? Half man, half wild animal with no control, no choice?”

He cupped his hand to the back of his head and rubbed up and down to the base of his neck in agitation.

“At least we’ll keep her safe. Hell, when was the last time you think she ate? Did you see how slim she is? She had, what, two hundred dollars on her? Yeah, we need her to draw out Esteban, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to throw her under the bus.”

Braden stared back at him, brief uncertainty flashing in his eyes before his lips drew together in a fine line. “No, I don’t want to be this way forever. But maybe…maybe we need to be realistic. There might not be a way to fix this, Ian.”

Chapter Thirteen

Katie took her time dressing as she pondered just how much to tell Ian and Braden. Of course how much she told them was solely dependent on what they told her. She still wasn’t convinced they weren’t full of ****.

Logic told her, not that she could be accused of being logical, that whoever they were, they weren’t involved with Ricardo. If so they would have hand-delivered her back into Ricardo’s hands when she’d escaped his house.

Instead they’d risked their lives to save her.

She frowned. No one did anything without reason, so what was theirs? What did they want with her? She didn’t buy that they were here simply because Gabe had sent them.

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As much as she’d avoided the details surrounding Gabe’s death, she realized she needed to know. Somehow, as much it pained her, her wellbeing was inexorably tied to Ian and Braden.

With a quick frown, she shoved her still-damp hair behind her ears and smoothed her hands down her T-shirt. For good measure, she pulled on the zip-up hoodie and left it open in front. It gave her added warmth, and she didn’t feel quite as exposed.

She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. As she stepped out, she glanced over to the bed to see Braden still sprawled out, his long legs dangling off the end.

When he saw her, he rose up on one elbow and glanced at Ian who was standing by the window. Then he patted the space on the bed beside him.

She ignored the summons and took refuge in the only part of the room where she didn’t feel overwhelmed by their presence. She stopped a foot in front of the door, careful to keep it easily accessible.

“We’ll just go after you, Katie,” Ian said calmly.

She fidgeted nervously and refused to meet his gaze. Instead she focused on Braden. “Talk,” she said huskily. “Why did Gabe send you? What happened to him?”

“I’m not talking to you when you’re standing there looking the world like you’re going to run the minute we say something you don’t like,” Braden said. “We can sit down and discuss this without resorting to violence.”

She stood unmoving for several seconds before she grudgingly relented and walked over to the bed. She sat on the corner opposite Braden and still a decent distance from Ian. To her utter irritation, they closed in on her, flanking her on both sides.

“How often was Gabe in contact with you?” Ian asked.

She pressed her hands into her lap. “I asked you a question first.”

Braden grunted. “There are some not very nice people who are looking for you.”

“What was your first clue?” she asked snidely.

“These people make Ricardo de la Cruz look like a kindergartner,” Ian said

Fear fluttered in her chest and ran circles around her throat. “Why?” she croaked. “What people?”

Ian’s face darkened. “The people Gabe sold us out to.”

Katie shot to her feet.

“Ian, what the ?” Braden’s angry voice rose over the red haze circling Katie’s mind.

“She wanted the truth. She’s getting it.”

“You’re a liar,” she spat. “Gabe is intensely loyal. He wouldn’t betray his team.”

“For you he would,” Ian said calmly. “Sit down, Katie. You wanted to hear everything and I’m telling you.”

She stood there paralyzed by the utter conviction in Ian’s voice. For you he would. What did it mean?

She sank back onto the bed.

“Tell me,” she said hoarsely.

“Gabe sacrificed himself for us,” Braden said gently. “For Ian and I.”

She turned to stare at Braden. “But Ian just said he betrayed you.”

Braden grimaced. “He did. It’s complicated. There were threats…against you. Gabe was trying to protect you. In the end it didn’t matter because they were going after you anyway.”

“They used me to make Gabe betray you?” she asked in bewilderment. “How did they know anything about me?”

“We didn’t even know about you,” Ian said. “Why is that, Katie? Why were you such a big secret?”

A dark flush heated her cheeks. “Because of Ricardo,” she murmured.

“Ah yes, Ricardo. Why is he after you? Why does he want you so badly? Is it simply a case of obsession and unrequited love?”

Her temper flared, and like so many times in the past, she let her mouth get ahead of her brain.

“I think it has more to do with the fact that I killed his brother than me refusing his ***ual advances, though neither won me any points with him.”

As soon as the words flew out she clamped her mouth shut in disgust. Bad judgment and rampant stupi***y clung to her like stink on ****. After so long of playing it safe, of finally making smart decisions, of keeping horrible secrets and taking charge of her life, she’d risked it all by letting a man rattle her.

“You killed his brother?” Braden asked in disbelief. “Damn, Ian, I think I’m in love.”

She bolted off the bed and whirled around, rage choking her, closing off her airway like a giant fist had seized her neck. Tears of pure fury burned her eyes. “You think it’s a joke?”

The grin disappeared from his face about the time her fist connected with his mouth. His head snapped back, and he had to plant his hand into the mattress to keep from falling.

She was instantly on guard and yanked around to check Ian’s position. He held up his hands defensively.

“Don’t look at me. Have at it. The dumbass deserved it.”

She turned back to Braden to see him rubbing his jaw, a scowl darkening his face.

“So much for not resorting to violence,” he grumbled. “Don’t have much of a sense of humor, do you.”

“Braden, stop it,” Ian barked. “You’re upsetting her.”

Braden’s expression softened. “Sorry. I’ve never been accused of having tact.”

Katie backed away. She just wanted to be gone. She bumped into Ian, and his arms came around her to steady her. His cheek rested against her hair, and his breath blew lightly over her ear.

Warm. It was her first thought. He felt warm and solid. She waited for the panic to hit, but all she registered was the ripple of awareness deep in her belly.

She found herself being turned around in Ian’s arms. He gripped her shoulders loosely and stared intently into her eyes.

“Level with me, Katie. Why did you kill Ricardo’s brother, and do we need to be worried about the police being on our es in ad***ion to de la Cruz?”

She shook her head resolutely and drew her lips into a compressed line.

“We deserve to know what we’re up against,” he said.

“You’re not up against anything,” she said quietly. “I am.”

Ian shook his head. “Afraid not. We became involved when Gabe took a bullet meant for us and with his dying breath made us promise to protect you. Now you may not like it, and I’m sorry for that, but you don’t have a choice in the matter.”

She swallowed and then swallowed again, determined not to let emotion overrun her control. Gabe was still trying to look out for her even in death.

“Talk to me,” Ian whispered. “I’m not here to judge you. If he was anything like his bastard brother, I can see why you’d kill him.”

Her eyes watered and stung. She retreated, the backs of her knees bumping into the bed. Her hands flew to her face to cover the surge of tears as she slowly sank down.

“I’ve made so many mistakes,” she whispered.

A gentle hand crept over her shoulder, and she realized it was Braden. He’d scooted up beside her and sat mere inches away.

“We’ve all made mistakes, Katie.”

“And what if trusting you is yet another mistake?” she asked. “My instincts never lead me right.”

“And what are your instincts saying about us?” Ian prompted.

She glanced up to see him towering over her. “Not to trust you.”

“Well then if you can’t trust your instincts, and they’re telling you not to trust us, then I’d say maybe you need to do just that.”

“That’s twisted,” she muttered.

“Yeah, it is,” Braden agreed. “I like it.”

“Look at us as the lesser of two evils then,” Ian said patiently. “Whether you trust us or not, we need the whole story, Katie. You owe us that much at least.”

She went back and forth, the panic of her decision buzzing in her head like bees on speed. She swallowed back the edge of fear and took a deep breath.

“You didn’t know about me—no one knew about me—because Gabe didn’t know about me until I was a teenager. We had different fathers, and our mother wasn’t stellar parent material. She ***ched Gabe when he was young. She ***ched me when I was ten.

“I got into trouble when I was sixteen, and the cops tracked Gabe down. I’m still not sure how. He was just about to enter the service, so he didn’t have a whole hell of a lot of time to play big brother or try to straighten my out.

“He took me home, told me I could stay or leave but he wouldn’t be around to drag me back or bail me out of jail.”

“Sounds like Gabe,” Braden said dryly. “Not a very warm and fuzzy guy.”

“He was fine,” she said fiercely. “I didn’t need or want warm and fuzzy.”

“So he joined up. What then?” Ian asked impatiently.

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“I stuck around his apartment. He arranged for the bills to be paid and left just enough money that I could eat, and not enough that I could get into trouble.

“We spent his leave together when he could get back. He didn’t pressure me or make demands. Just gave me a place to live and a way *****rvive. When I was twenty, I met Paulo de la Cruz and fell madly in love as only someone that young and stupid does.”

Braden made a sound that resembled a cross between a snort and a guffaw.

“You’re not very hard on yourself, are you?” Ian said.

“I’m aware of my faults.”

She rolled one shoulder as she prepared for the rest of the sorry tale.

“I was high on love and lust. Paulo was wealthy and came from a good family. He was everything I’d spent my life dreaming about. Roots. A big family. Security.

“When he took me to meet his family, Ricardo immediately put the moves on me. He made it clear he thought I was a whore for the taking. When I turned him down, it pissed him off. From then on out, he took every opportunity to convince Paulo that I was unfaithful.

“Paulo grew increasingly unstable. He got angry and started knocking me around. No matter what I said or did to prove my innocence, it only pissed him off more.

“And one night I fought back,” she said quietly.

“So you killed him in self-defense,” Braden said.

“I meant to kill him. I had a chance to escape after fending him off. I chose not to,” she said with steel in her voice.

“If you’re looking for reproach, you’re not going to find it here,” Ian said. “Bastard deserved what he got.”

Katie didn’t respond, but she expelled a sigh of relief. Somehow it felt good not to be judged. Ricardo had judged her a whore and then a murderer.

“I panicked and called Gabe. He got there a day later and helped me clean up the mess.”

Braden lifted an eyebrow. “Mess? You make it sound so domestic.”

“The body,” she said dully. “Gabe helped me get rid of the body.”

Ian whistled. “Why on earth didn’t you go to the police?”

Katie trembled and twisted her hands in front of her. “I know how stupid it sounds, but I’m not an idiot. I knew damn well that Ricardo had half the police department in his back pocket. I knew that just from things Paulo had said. I couldn’t risk going to them and having a fifty-fifty chance of picking the wrong cop to confide in. When I told Gabe everything, he agreed the best thing to do was get rid of the evidence and for me to haul out of there and start over somewhere else.”

“So how did Ricardo figure out you killed his brother?” Braden asked.

Katie sighed. “He doesn’t know for sure. What I mean by that is he didn’t see a body or anything, but he’s not stupid. He knew Paulo was knocking me around, and he also knows Gabe showed up, and I disappeared right after. He caught up to me in Vegas a year ago, and I didn’t deny it. Paulo would never disappear off the face of the earth. He was too tied to Ricardo’s will and completely under his thumb.”

“So back up to the part where Gabe helped you dispose of the body,” Ian said grimly. “He just took off afterward and left you to fend for yourself?”

Katie furrowed her brow. “He made sure I was safe, and he taught me how to take care of myself and how to always look over my shoulder. What else was he supposed to do? He couldn’t go AWOL, he damn sure couldn’t quit because his sister murdered someone, and he couldn’t just start hanging out with me either. Together we attracted a hell of a lot more attention than me by myself.”

“She has a point,” Braden conceded.

Ian scowled. “I fail to see how Gabe is the good guy here. He left her by herself with a deranged hole who wanted her blood. He had other options, and he damn sure didn’t use them.” He looked hard at Braden. “If she was your sister would you have left her behind like that?”

Braden pursed his lips, then glanced at Katie. Finally he shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Katie said firmly. She wasn’t about to let them rag on Gabe’s decision. He’d kept her alive, and that’s all she cared about.

“You’re right, it doesn’t,” Ian said with a nod. “What does matter is that we get the hell out of the country before crazy-ass de la Cruz catches up with us.”

She ed her head and stared up at Ian. “Why out of the country, and where are we going?”

“Can you think of a better place?” he asked calmly. “Or maybe you want to hang around and let Ricardo play target practice with our es?”

She shook her head. “But I don’t have a passport. Right now I don’t have much beyond a driver’s license.”

“We can handle that,” Braden said. “We’ll worry about it when we’ve put an ocean between us and Ricardo.”

She nodded shortly then stared between the two brothers. “Now it’s your turn. Who are these people supposedly after me? You said Gabe sold you out but in the next breath, you say he took a bullet for you. So which is it? Is he a hero or a traitor?”

Chapter Fourteen

Braden grimaced. “He’s both.”

Katie stared up at him, pain and confusion brimming in her eyes. After hearing what she’d endured at the hands of the de la Cruz brothers, he had no desire to cause her more distress.

“He betrayed you for me? I’m to blame for his death?”

Ian cursed and backed away from the bed, his fists clenched tight at his sides. “You’re not to blame for the choices Gabe made, Katie. Gabe was a big boy. He didn’t have to do things the way he did. He could have come to us or to Eli. We’ve been out of the service for a while now. There was no reason to keep you a secret any longer.”

She blinked in shock. “What? He wasn’t enlisted anymore?”

Braden blew out his breath. Gabe was causing way more trouble dead than he’d ever caused alive. It was too bad he wasn’t around because Braden would be tempted to kick his for the way he’d taken care of Katie.

Hell, she’d been little more than a kid. Completely alone save a few visits when Gabe was on leave. The rest of the time she was left to fend for herself. Instead of doing the right thing when she was forced to kill a man in self-defense, Gabe only ensured that she’d spend the rest of her life running after he covered up the deed. Damn fool. He could have asked his team for help. They would have gladly given it.

And here she was, grateful for whatever morsels Gabe had doled out. Yeah, maybe he’d taught her *****rvive in a tough world, but he damn well should have been protecting her from predators like de la Cruz.

“No, he wasn’t enlisted any longer. None of us are, Katie. It’s why he damn sure should have come clean about you. We could have helped. We certainly could have gotten you the hell out of the country where you’d be safe.”

She twisted her hands in her lap and stared down at her fingers. “He talked about taking me to Argentina. But that was a while ago. Right after that he got weird. More distant and…paranoid. It went beyond the stuff with Ricardo.”

Braden exchanged glances with Ian. It was obvious that Gabe hadn’t told her **** about what had gone on during their mission to Adharji or the consequences. Which meant she didn’t know of her brother’s ability to become invisible or of Braden’s and Ian’s unstable shifts to big cats.

Ian cleared his throat and shook his head in warning at Braden.

A peculiar expression crossed Katie’s face followed by the slow downturn of her mouth. “If he wasn’t enlisted, why didn’t he come home? What have you been doing all this time? Or was this recent? Why did he keep so much from me?”

If she only knew just how much he’d kept from her.

Braden threw Ian another desperate look. Ian ran a hand over his head then settled on Katie’s other side.

“Look, Katie. I don’t know why Gabe did half the **** he did,” Ian said. “I can only tell you what I do know. He sold us out because there were threats against you. But in the end, he stepped in front of a bullet meant for us.”

“And he asked you to find me?”

“He wanted us to make sure you were safe,” Braden said gently.

She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. She rubbed tiredly then dragged her fingers through her still-damp hair. “Okay, so you swoop in and save me from the bad guys. What then? You say we’re leaving the country. That’s all well and good but I’ve got to come back sometime. What about these people you say are after me?”

Braden slid a hand over her shoulder comfortingly. An alarming prickle skirted up his spine and squeezed his nape. He snatched his hand away and cupped the back of his neck.

Ian shot him a sharp look, and Braden looked away, closing his eyes wearily.

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 18



“One thing at a time, Katie,” Ian said as he stepped closer. Was it an attempt to get between Braden and Katie? The man appreciated the idea that Ian was ready to step in. The beast growled deep within.

****. ****, ****, ****.

He sucked in deep breaths through his nose, his nostrils flaring with the effort.

“We’ll eliminate the threats as they present themselves,” Ian said calmly. “You won’t be alone anymore.”

Braden lost Ian’s voice as a dull roar began in his ears. He jerked up from the bed like a puppet and staggered toward the door, his only purpose to escape. Instead, from the void, he heard Ian’s harsh command for Katie to get out and stay out. Before he could protest, Ian tackled him.

They went down in a tangle on the floor, Ian’s heavy body sprawled over his. He struggled weakly, and then a cool blast of aerosol hit him in the face. Seconds later, the jab of a needle made him flinch. His body went lax and fatigue swarmed over him with the speed of a bullet.

He was dimly aware of the battle between the man and the cat. For a few moments, he felt what the cat felt, saw what it saw, smelled what it smelled. And then the beast retreated with a low snarl.

For the moment he’d won.

Ian’s low curses registered in the distance.

“Braden, talk to me, man.”

Braden groaned and tried to open his eyes but the sedative Ian had injected was too powerful. His body jerked as Ian hauled him to his feet, and he stumbled. He went down like falling timber, hitting the bed with a thump.

Ian looked down at his brother and swore. Then he swiveled and saw Katie staring from across the room. She was backed against the wall in a defensive posture, and her gaze was locked warily on Braden.

“What’s wrong with him?” she demanded. “What’s wrong with both of you? Do you have some sort of seizure disorder?”

Ian latched gratefully onto the opening she unwittingly offered, because he sure as hell had no intention of telling her just how close she’d come to being cat food.

“Something like that,” he muttered. “Look, we need to get on the road. We’re sitting ducks. Let’s get everything into the truck and then you need to help me get Braden out of here.”

She froze, her body stiff against the wall.

His eyes narrowed as he stared impatiently at her. “You’re not still holding on to the stupid idea of going it alone are you?”

A hysterical-sounding laugh escaped her lips. “You’re asking me to trust two ex-military guys with some funky seizure disorder who’ve done nothing but things up for me ever since they walked into my life. Yeah, real hard choice here.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you,” Ian said. “Get your things and head out to the truck or I’ll stuff you in the back myself.”

Rage flared in her eyes, and to his surprise, she stalked over and got into his face. Oh hell, did she have to get that close? He was already having a devil of a time keeping the cat from rearing its head. One whiff of her, and he’d be **** out of luck. Braden wouldn’t be able to help him this time.

“What you can do is back the off,” she snarled as she rose up on tiptoe to get a better angle into his eyes. “I am tired of men with more brawn than brains. I’m tired of being manhandled and pushed around. You touch me, and so help me God, I’ll castrate you.”

“I don’t have time for your tantrum,” Ian said in a bored tone. “If you want to stick around and let Ricardo’s men grab you so you can be his plaything then knock yourself out. Braden and I are out of here.”

It was chancy, calling her bluff, because he had a feeling she’d tell him to off and head out on her own. That wasn’t something he could let her do, not when she represented their best chance at drawing Esteban out.

Indecision flickered in Katie’s eyes as she glanced between him and Braden. For a moment he caught a glimpse of her bone-deep fatigue and the worry she tried so hard to conceal. Against his will, he softened.

With a brief shake of her head, she squared her shoulders and went over to grab one of the bags. She didn’t say a word as she left the room. Ian smiled slightly and turned back to Braden.

He was hoisting Braden up from the bed when Katie returned. All vestiges of vulnerability were gone, replaced by a hard shell. Her don’t-****-with-me look was back in spades.

“I’m not going to be a whole hell of a lot of help,” she muttered as she surveyed Braden’s sagging body.

“Just get underneath his other arm and make sure he doesn’t fall,” Ian said. “I’ll bear most of his weight.”

She shrugged and then wiggled under Braden’s other shoulder. She wrapped one arm around his waist and gripped his wrist with her other.

Ian headed for the door, dragging Braden’s considerable weight with him. Katie struggled but bore up well. They stumbled into the sunshine, and Ian squinted as he scanned the area. Things were quiet, and only the sounds of distant traffic permeated the air.

“Let’s go,” he muttered.

They managed to shove Braden into the backseat and shut the door.

“Want me to drive?” Katie offered. “I have the most rest of any of us.”

Ian shook his head sharply. “Get in. Let’s go.”

She said something unintelligible under her breath but walked around to the passenger side. As she settled in, Ian remembered that they still hadn’t gotten food, and Katie had to be hungry. It wasn’t like she could afford to miss many more meals.

As soon as he had the thought, he shrugged it off. She wouldn’t starve, and right now, safety was more important than food.

He gunned the engine and drove back onto the highway. They still had several hours to go until they hit their rendezvous point, and the sooner they were in the air, the less antsy he’d feel.

“How uncontrolled is yours and Braden’s con***ion?” Katie asked.

He glanced over in surprise until he remembered the whole bit about the seizures. She sure didn’t pull any punches.

“We manage,” he said shortly.

“Look, I have a right to know what I’m dealing with,” she said. “You’re offering me protection. Well, you can’t very well protect me if you’re constantly freaking out and having to be medicated to the point of passing out. What the hell am I supposed to do if both of you freak out on me at the same time?”

“You shoot whoever’s after you,” Ian said calmly.

She snorted. “With what? You haven’t exactly been generous with contributing to my own self-preservation.”

“That’s because I can’t be sure you won’t shoot me or Braden,” Ian muttered.

“At least tell me what the hell I’m supposed to give you if you wig out,” she said.

Ian sighed. “There are syringes already filled in the back. Give us one of those and get the away from us. The guns are back there too,” he said after a brief hesitation.

It was true she deserved to know what she was dealing with, particularly since she needed to stay away from them if they shifted. They could kill her in shifted form. But if he told her that now, she’d not only think he lost his mind, but she’d never agree to leave the country with them. Better to fill her in on the kitty details in the air.

Every once in a while he caught Katie glancing over her seat to check on Braden. It amused him only because she went *****ch pains to make sure it didn’t look like she was concerned.

“He’ll be fine,” Ian said. “He’ll sleep it off and wake up a little muzzy-headed.”

She scowled and focused her attention out her window.

For an hour, they drove in silence. A few of the roads they took were barely ribbons snaking through the rough terrain. Ian flexed his hands around the steering wheel and worked his head back and forth to stretch his neck.

“You sure you don’t want me to drive?” she asked as she stared balefully at him from across the seat.

“Nah, I’m—”

The world went crazy around him. A sickening crunch. A jolt so severe that his hands left the steering wheel as his body backlashed. He vaguely registered that they’d been hit. Broadside. Before he could react, regain control of the steering wheel as they careened sideways, they were hit again.

Glass shattered and sparkled in his vision like rain. They rolled and then rolled again. The SUV came to a shuddering stop and bounced hard as it righted itself. They had spun completely around and were angled in the ***ch with the driver’s side mashed against the ground.

Katie moved slowly, reaching groggily for her seatbelt.

“No,” Ian said harshly. “Stay where you are.”

Before she could respond, her door was wrenched violently open. A large man loomed over her. He glanced briefly down at Ian, but apparently discounted him as a threat. He slashed at Katie’s seatbelt with a knife and then grabbed a handful of her hair. She cried out in pain when he yanked her from the truck.

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 19



A pulse of adrenaline rocketed through Ian’s system, making him forget about his possible injuries or the pain that ricocheted through his head just moment ago.

He had to get to Katie.

He tried to move his legs and swore when he realized the dash was ****d in around him. He wiggled his toes and was relieved that he didn’t seem *****ffer any pain or loss of motion, but he couldn’t get free.

Goddamn it.

He twisted and tried to maneuver his upper body along the seat to get a different angle with his legs, but they didn’t budge.

A low snarl simmered through his throat. Feral. Animalistic. His breaths came in short bursts. Pants. His vision blurred, and pain began deep in his bones as they started reshaping.

For once he didn’t fight. He didn’t concern himself with what might be because if he didn’t make it to Katie, they’d kill her anyway. She’d have a better chance against the cat.

So he let go and surrendered to the intoxicating power surging through his veins. Warm and heady. The pain diminished as soon as he relinquished control.

“Braden!” he cried out with the last vestiges of humanity.

Where a moment before a man had lain trapped, a great cat arose and scented the air. Another growl rippled from his throat as he leaped from the vehicle.

Chapter Fifteen

Though every part of Katie shrieked in outrage, she forced herself to go limp until she could mentally examine herself for injuries. Her feet hit the ground with a resounding thump as one of Ricardo’s henchmen yanked her out of the vehicle. He obviously wasn’t concerned over potential injuries, which just told her she was going to die at Ricardo’s hands shortly.

Could things get any worse? Braden was unconscious in the backseat, and as far as she could tell, Ian was trapped in the driver’s seat. Which meant she was SOL when it came to any help from them.

Story of her life.

Her captor shoved her toward a waiting Ricardo who stood outside his untouched sports car, his expression furious. He backhanded her to the ground in one swift motion. She stayed down, nursing her throbbing cheek, knowing he wanted her to get up so he could go at her again.

Think, Katie, think. How on earth was she going to get herself out of this one?

A hand tangled in her hair and yanked her upright.

“Enough with the hair already,” she growled as she tried to shake free.

Instead of letting her go, the man tightened his grip and shoved her closer to Ricardo. This time when Ricardo hit her in the face, the man holding her prevented her from falling. Warm blood trickled down her chin, but she glared defiantly at Ricardo.

“Quite a man, aren’t you,” she jeered. “Have to have another man hold me so you can beat up on me? Are you afraid of me, Ricardo?” She let her gaze fall to his groin. “How’s the equipment, by the way?”

“Bitch,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m finished toying with you.” He withdrew a switchblade from his pocket and flipped the blade in front of her face in a series of fancy motions.

“I’m going to gut you like a pig and leave you on the side of the road to die.”

She bared her teeth and then spit at him, mimicking the time he’d done the same to her. It landed on his face, and his eyes widened in affronted shock.

He wiped the spittle from his cheek and stared at the back of his hand as if not believing she’d dared to insult him. She steeled herself for his retaliation even while she frantically searched for a way to escape.

The glint of metal flashed, and searing pain tore through her belly. She looked down to see the bright red bloom of blood spread across her abdomen. He’d slashed the knife across her skin instead of plunging the blade deep.

Painful and effective but not life-threatening.

He raised the knife again but a ferocious growl rippled through the air. It sounded so primitive, so vicious, that it raised the hairs at Katie’s nape.

Ricardo’s hand stopped in midair, and his eyes went wide with fear. The hold on Katie’s hair loosened, and the man holding her suddenly bolted away. She turned in time to see a big-ass cat leap from the interior of the SUV.

Before she could run, piss on herself or curl into a ball in a feeble attempt to protect herself, the cat streaked by her and launched itself at Ricardo.

Ricardo’s screams rent the air before a mouth closed around his throat, effectively silencing him. It was over so fast that Katie barely had time to register that she wasn’t having some bizarre hallucination.

Ricardo was sprawled on the ground under the weight of the animal, his eyes glassy and locked into a lifeless stare as his throat lay open and bleeding beneath the cat’s mouth.

Holy . The cat. Ian. Braden.

Her mind couldn’t even catch up in its frenzy to understand what she’d just seen. Not waiting to see if she’d be the jaguar’s next meal, she bolted toward the SUV. Only to find the driver’s side empty.

Seizure disorder, my .

A quick look in the back told her Braden was either still unconscious or dead. She couldn’t be sure which, and she wasn’t going to hang around and find out. Hell, he’d probably turn into a damn…well she didn’t know, but again, she didn’t want to find out. Her brain simply couldn’t comprehend what she’d witnessed.

She turned to see the cat shaking Ricardo like a rag doll. The other men had scattered like screaming girls, but they’d likely return.

She ran to the back of the SUV and prayed the door would open. It took some pulling, but she managed to crack it just enough to haul one of the ault rifles out.

Her stomach was bleeding heavily, and she spared only enough time to shove a balled-up T-shirt over it before she took off in the opposite direction. And then she heard gunfire.

Don’t turn around. Don’t do it. Get the out of here. Save your and don’t worry about the damn cat that’s currently having Ricardo for lunch.

She turned around, her gun up against her shoulder. Ricardo’s men were holed up behind their banged-up SUV. One dumbass had apparently shot at the jaguar and missed, and now the cat was stalking them.

****. If the cat was really Ian—and at this point, unless she believed in spontaneous combustion, she couldn’t come up with a better explanation—then the least she could do was keep the gunmen off his , or hide, or whatever the hell you called a cat’s skin.

She started to take cover behind the SUV but then realized that Braden was still inside, life status unknown, and if she started shooting at the bad guys they were going to shoot back, and if Braden wasn’t already dead, he’d soon be. The idea of either man dying did odd things to her. They’d done their damndest to protect her, and she could do nothing less than return the favor.

“You’re turning into a complete girl,” she muttered.

She dropped the bloody T-shirt and jumped the ravine the SUV had tumbled into. She scrambled up the incline and dove behind a clump of trees. On her belly, she slithered painfully forward, her blood mixing with the soil. Maybe if she got enough dirt packed in there, it would stop the bleeding.

Taking careful aim, she focused on the scene below her. Her first priority was to take out the lead gunman. The other two were pussies, and if she could nail the first guy, the others would probably tuck tail and run. Thank God for all the time she and Gabe had spent at the shooting range.

As soon as he stuck his head above the truck, she squeezed off a round. Blood arced through the air, splattering the metal hood as he fell. To his right, curses rang out as the other two men scrambled for cover like rats abandoning ship.

One made the mistake of running into the open. She nailed him before he took two steps. And darn, it wasn’t a clean shot, which meant the slimy little bastard would have *****ffer for a while.

The other ran for Ricardo’s sports car. She clipped him in the leg, but he staggered on, diving into the interior. He peeled away in a cloud of dust, tires squalling as they made contact with the road.

Satisfied that she’d put an end to any immediate threat, she turned her attention to getting out fast. No way in hell was she going to stick around to see what plans the jaguar had, nor was she inclined to learn what wild animal Braden could turn into.

Seizures. Just what kind of a moron did they take her for?

As she darted through the trees, the reality of what she’d just witnessed hit her like a ton of bricks. A ing jaguar. What in the holy hell? People didn’t just turn into animals. Was she losing her grip on sanity?

She pressed on, ignoring the searing pain in her abdomen and the warm rush of blood coating her skin. And then she remembered the tracking device.

She reached up to her neck, barely slowing in the process. When she felt the slight protrusion, she yanked with her fingers. The sliver came free, and she tossed it on the ground.

Her energy was fast fading, but she couldn’t stop. Not now. She had to find a place to hide and regroup. Preferably where she was safe from a predator like a jaguar.