[Truyện Tiếng Anh] Into The Lair

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 20



The image of the cat’s jaws around Ricardo’s throat flashed back to mind. Not that the jackass didn’t deserve what he’d gotten, but Katie had no desire to be the cat’s next meal. She had no doubt that as humans neither man would hurt her. She wasn’t sure when she had embraced that knowledge, but it was there, irrefutable. But as wild animals? She’d seen the way Ian had taken Ricardo out, and she knew in that moment he was capable of horrific violence.

God have mercy, had Gabe known what Ian and Braden were?

Fatigue swept over her, swift and unmerciful. She’d lost too much blood, spent too much adrenaline. She was going to crash and burn.

She spun around, looking for a direction, someplace to hide. Shelter. Picking an old deer trail, she barreled through the underbrush, determined to ride the well of her strength until she went bust.

She crossed over what looked to be an old logging road or an ATV trail, and she stopped in the middle to stare down either side. She couldn’t afford to remain in plain sight, so she headed into the woods on the other side. The brush enveloped her, and a chill raced across her skin in the absence of the sun.

For two hours, she pushed herself relentlessly, until she was beyond simple endurance. Nearly unconscious, she staggered over a rise and fell to her knees. She jammed the stock of the rifle into the ground to give her leverage as she hauled herself to her feet once more.

Ahead she saw a thick shroud of snarly bushes, and she focused single-mindedly on it. In the end, she didn’t even remember crawling those last feet. She dove into the brambles, wincing as the branches tore at her skin. She struggled to the middle and hollowed out a spot where she could rest. Gripping the gun tightly to her chest, she curled into a tight ball and closed her eyes.

Chapter Sixteen

Tyana stared dully over the ocean as the sun’s first rays peeked over the horizon. The sky was bathed in soft lavender, a beautiful contrast to the dark rolling sea. The sea fit her mood. The beauty of the sunrise mocked her.

Her foot was propped on a pillow but there was no comfort for her. Inside Jonah and Mad Dog were determining D’s fate while Tyana grew sicker at heart by the moment.

He can’t stay, Ty.

He’s a danger to you. To himself. To everyone.

He’ll be better off.

It’s better this way.

She closed her eyes against the statements that had been flung during the long night. No one had slept. No one had rested. They kept watch over the unconscious tiger until finally, an hour before dawn, the tiger had slowly given way and D’s , weakened body had appeared on the floor of the game room.

The glass doors opened. She looked up to see Eli file out followed by Mad Dog, Marcus, the team physician, and finally Jonah. Her chest tightened with dread. They’d come to deliver their edict.

“Are you all right, Ty?” Jonah asked in a gruff voice.

She nodded, her throat too knotted to speak. She glanced expectantly at Marcus. He stared back at her, apology in his eyes.

“He has to go,” Mad Dog said quietly.

“No,” she choked out.

Eli sat down next to her, his fingers curling around her nape and massaging.

Marcus nodded even as she shook her head in denial.

“It’s time, Tyana,” he said. “I’ve done all that can be medically done. It’s time to pursue other means. It’s our only hope. He grows more unstable all the time. His shift last night was so fast that you didn’t even have time to react before it was done.”

She closed her eyes. “I won’t leave him alone.”

“He won’t be alone,” Jonah said. “Marcus is going with him.”

“Where?” Her voice cracked and shattered like glass.

“I want him to try alternatives to medicine,” Marcus said. “As I said before, I think the key is psychological. His DNA has been altered, and there is no cure for that. I can bandage it, but it won’t fix the problem. I firmly believe…” He glanced around at D’s family. “There is no cure right now. As much as we want there to be one. Damiano is going to have to learn to control his abilities or they’ll kill him. There’s no way to soften that truth.”

“Where are you taking him?” Tyana demanded hoarsely. “Why can’t I stay with him?”

“He has to do this alone,” Marcus said. “It’s best if you don’t know where. I want him to take on a regimen of me***ation and spiritual honing. Mind over matter. He needs discipline.”

Tyana’s mouth twisted. “It sounds like a bunch of bull****”.

“He’s going, Ty,” Jonah said.

Panic and grief crashed over her like a wave. “When?”

Mad Dog’s expression drew into a grimace.“As soon as the chopper gets here”.

Eli’s grip tightened around her, but she didn’t want comfort. Not when Damiano was going to be alone. Without his family. Without her.

“Where is he now?” she demanded.

“He’s resting under guard,” Jonah said.

“I want to see him. To say goodbye.”

Jonah nodded. “Of course. As we all do.”

“Does he know?” she asked.

“He knows,” Mad Dog said quietly.

She closed her eyes against the sudden tears. She and D had been together since they were children, never separated for longer than a few days. He needed her now more than ever, and he would be alone. She’d sworn he’d never be without her. And now she was forced to break her promise.

Gently, Eli helped her to her feet. The agony caused by the tiger’s attack was nothing compared to the pain lashing at her soul. Ignoring the crutches and the hands that reached to help, she dragged her casted leg behind her as she hobbled to the door.

When she walked inside, she saw D sitting on the couch, his face in his hands. Four of the Falcon secondary stood guard around him.

Slowly, painfully, she made her way toward him. When she was but a few feet away, he looked up. The anguish in his eyes was her undoing. She dropped heavily to the floor, her hands clutching at him as he reached to hug her.

“I’m sorry, Ty. I’m so sorry.”

His voice was muffled in her hair. She hung onto him, her tears seeping into the material of his shirt.

She pulled slowly away and touched her hand to his cheek. “Don’t be sorry, D. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’ve failed you. I swore to find a cure.”

He shook his head. “I could have killed you. Marcus is right to take me away.”

She shook her head harder. But he stilled her motion with a finger to her lips.

“I have to do this, Ty. For me and for you. I won’t stay where I might hurt you. It’s already happened once before. I could have killed you this time.”

“I love you,” she whispered.

He cupped her cheek in a loving gesture, and with his other hand, he stroked her hair. “I love you more.”

He glanced up at Eli who hovered protectively over Tyana. “Keep her safe for me.”

Eli nodded. “You know I will.”

D’s gaze went to Jonah and Mad Dog. He swallowed as though he didn’t know what to say. And then he stood, letting his hand fall from Tyana’s face. Eli helped her to her feet so that she was beside her brother.

“You take care, little brother,” Mad Dog said gruffly as he enfolded D in his beefy embrace.

Then it was only D and Jonah, standing face to face. Dark emotion, so uncharacteristic of Jonah, clouded his face. His eyes flashed with pain, and Tyana felt guilty for all the times she’d thrown such nasty accusations at him.

“You’ll beat this, D,” Jonah said. “You’ll beat it and you’ll come back to us. Your family. We’ll always be here for you.”

He hugged D tightly, stiffly, his face a mask of sorrow.

“The chopper is two minutes out.”

The statement came from behind Jonah, from one of the secondary standing guard. Tyana stifled the urge to scream. She turned into D’s arms and held on tight.

D stroked her hair in his quiet, generous way. God, it should be her offering him comfort, but as always, he took care of her.

“Come back to me, D. Swear it.”

He pulled away and brushed his lips across her forehead, his words whisper soft. “I’ll always be wherever you are.”

Chapter Seventeen

Braden dragged his eyelids open but couldn’t for the life of him get them to stay that way. It felt like bricks were sitting on his eyes, and his head pounded like someone was taking a jackhammer to it.

He moved his hand, surprised to feel the roughness of carpet under his palm. He blinked and then blinked again as he became aware that he was on the floorboard of the SUV, his nose pressed against a floor mat.

What the ever-loving ?

His nerves were jittery and jumping around, but not like what happened right before a shift. This was different. And damn, he hurt from head to toe. What had Ian given him? And why was he on the floor?

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He shoved himself upward. He realized several things at once. The truck wasn’t moving. They’d had one hell of a wreck. Ian and Katie were both missing.

Adrenaline surged, liquid and edgy. The cobwebs cleared from his brain as he leaned forward to examine the damage to the front seat.

The dash was ****d in on the driver’s side. No way Ian could have gotten out by himself. He had to have been trapped. Had Katie managed to get him out? Or were they both dead?

An icy chill cooled some of the adrenaline rush. He reached for the door only to find it wouldn’t budge. He leaned back and kicked at it, hammering it repeatedly until it gave way.

He crawled from the interior and nearly fell out onto the ground. Struggling upward, he leaned a hand against the truck as he surveyed the immediate area.

It looked like a damn war zone.

There wasn’t much that he hadn’t seen—certainly not much that would shock him—but seeing Ricardo de la Cruz laid out with his neck gaping open, blood spattered in a three-foot radius around him and one of his henchmen on the ground several yard away with half his head blown off was so bizarrely surreal, he wondered if he was dreaming the entire thing.

A sound to his right shook him from his stupor, and he charged over, half afraid he’d find Ian or Katie in a bad way. He saw another of Ricardo’s goons slithering along the ground leaving a thick blood trail. Dark, almost black. Braden shuddered. Gut shot. Painful, messy way to die.

Braden kicked the man’s shoulder with the toe of his boot to turn him over. The man stared up at him with frosted-over eyes that told Braden he wasn’t long for this world.

Braden bent down and gathered his shirt, yanking him a foot off the ground.

“What the happened?” he growled.

The man’s lips flapped up and down, but nothing would come out. He was obviously scared ****less.

“C-cat. Big c-cat,” he sputtered.

Oh . Ian had freaked out and shifted.

“The girl. Where is the girl?”

“Don’t know,” the man gasped. “She escaped…when the cat…when it attacked…Ricardo. She s-shot me…and the others.”

“Good girl,” Braden murmured.

He let go of the man and gently returned his shoulders to the ground. His breath caught and stuttered, and for a moment his eyes widened in panic. Then air escaped softly, and he deflated. His head lolled back until his stare was locked sideways, focused on something distant. At least the bastard wasn’t suffering any longer.

Braden got up and stalked back to the SUV. He needed to get the out of here before the cops showed up. He had no idea how long it had been since things had gone to ****, but it couldn’t be that long judging by the fresh blood and the guy who’d only just died from his wounds.

He surveyed the damage to their vehicle with a grimace. It was toast. He glanced over at the SUVs driven by Ricardo’s following. There were two. One with extensive front-end damage. The other had a few bullet holes but was otherwise intact.

Only taking time to haul out the gear from the back of the truck, he transferred it to the other SUV and climbed behind the wheel. He’d have to stash the vehicle and backtrack to find Ian. And Katie.

He peeled away and looked for a path into the wooded area. A few minutes later, he dove off the road onto a faint, overgrown trail. He barreled through the woods, tree limbs slapping the windshield.

Christ, but they didn’t have time for this. The last thing he wanted to do was have to call Eli to come bail their es out. He remembered with abashed clarity that he’d snidely decided if they couldn’t handle one slip of a woman he and Ian needed to ing quit.

Yeah, real smooth.

He broke into a short clearing as the road widened, and the trees fell away. And he almost ran over the body lying in the pathway. With a vicious curse, he wrenched the wheel sideways and tumbled into the trees. He came to an abrupt halt mere inches from a huge-ass pine. Not exactly what he wanted to pick a fight with.

He bolted from the truck and ran back to where he’d seen Ian—or at least who he thought was Ian. He didn’t think there’d be too many other men in the vicinity.

He wasn’t dead. Braden wouldn’t contemplate that something had gone horribly wrong. Okay, scratch that. Something had indeed gone terribly wrong. The bloodbath he’d left behind was evidence enough. But as long as it was Ricardo’s thugs and not Ian or Katie who’d taken the heat, he could deal.

He dropped to his knees over Ian’s sprawled body. Ian was facedown in the road, one arm tucked underneath him and the other over his head. His body glistened with sweat, but Braden couldn’t see any blood.

Hesitantly, he reached for his brother, touching the warm, damp skin of his back. The muscles twitched and quivered under his fingers, and Braden expelled a huge sigh of relief. Ian was alive.

“Ian. Ian,” he said louder. He shook Ian’s shoulder.

Ian moaned softly but didn’t move.

“Come on, man. We don’t have any time to waste, and I can’t carry your .”

Ian’s head turned and he stared at Braden with unfocused eyes. “You’re alive,” he rasped.

“Funny, that was my reaction when I found you,” Braden said. “What the hell happened? When I came to, the SUV was toast, there were dead bodies everywhere, and you and Katie were gone.”

Ian shook his head. His brow wrinkled in confusion. “Katie?” he said hoarsely. “Is she okay?” His expression became more intense as he pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.

Braden reached out to steady Ian, but his brother shook him off.

“What happened, Braden? Where’s Katie?”

“Get in the truck,” Braden said firmly. “We’ll talk there. We’ve got to get the hell out of here. Katie has the tracking device on her. We’ll find her.”

Ian drew up short when he saw the SUV. Before he could form the inevitable question, Braden shoved him into the seat.

Seconds later, Braden climbed behind the wheel and looked over at Ian. Then he reached into the backseat for one of the duffel bags and dragged it into the front.

“At the rate you’re running through clothing, we’re both going to be butt-assed .”

Ian cracked a small grin, and Braden relaxed. If Ian could smile then things weren’t too bad.

As he awkwardly started pulling on his clothing in the confined space of the SUV, Braden started the engine.

“We don’t have much time so we need to talk fast and piece together what the hell happened back there.”

Ian pulled a T-shirt over his head and stared at Braden with haunted eyes. “I was driving and talking to Katie and then wham. Out of nowhere we got broadsided. Before I could react we got hit again. I was pinned under the dash.”

He absently rubbed at his legs as he spoke, and Braden, remembering the crushed front end, could understand why. It was a miracle his legs hadn’t been broken.

“Some guy, I’m uming one of Ricardo’s men, yanked Katie out of her door. I tried to get free, and I remember thinking that shifting was my best hope. After that I don’t know.”

“You killed Ricardo,” Braden said grimly. “He had his throat torn out. No human did that to him.”

Ian’s jaw tightened. “I can’t say I regret it. Bastard deserved to die. But what about Katie?”

Braden shook his head. “I don’t know, man. Get the satellite out and see if she shows up. No way she could have gone more than three hundred miles, so she’ll be in our radius. I’d say no more than half an hour has passed since the wreck. One of the guys was still alive when I found him. Took a bullet to the gut.”

Ian’s gaze sharpened. “But how?”

“Katie. That’s how. Another guy had his gray matter smeared all over the truck. I’m telling you, some crazy **** went down out there.”

“So, Ricardo is dead along with at least two other guys. If I killed Ricardo, then that means Katie got to the others. And if that’s the case, where the is she now?”

Braden gestured toward the bag. “You track, I’ll drive.”

Ian fumbled with the equipment while Braden drove deeper into the woods searching for an outlet that didn’t lead right back to the road littered with dead bodies.

Braden glanced over to see Ian’s expression darken and his jaw tighten.

“What’s eating you, man?”

Ian gave a quick negative shake of his head as he opened the small unit and powered it up. Then he dragged a hand though his hair and turned to Braden, consternation and loathing in his eyes.

“I don’t regret taking Ricardo apart, Braden, but what if it had been someone else? What if it had been you? Or Katie.”

“It wasn’t,” Braden said simply. And really, what else could he say? He didn’t have the answers, and he wasn’t going to spout some bull**** about how Ian would never hurt him, because ****, what the jag did was completely independent of Ian.

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Ian sighed.

“Are you hurt from the crash?” Braden asked.

Ian shook his head. “Sore, but I don’t know if it’s from the wreck or the shift. You?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Head hurts like a bitch but then I’ve had a headache since the day I laid eyes on Katie Buchanan.”

“I hope to hell I got to Ricardo before he hurt her,” Ian said softly.

“You got a bead on her yet?”

Ian glanced back down at the handheld unit then frowned. “Yeah. Close.” He looked up and out the window. “Maybe a mile. She’s not moving.”

Braden cursed. “Steer me. Where am I going?”

“We need to head due east.”

Braden slammed on the brakes and surveyed the landscape. No way they were going to make it in the truck. Hell. With a sigh he opened the door and got out.

He grabbed two rifles and tossed one over the hood at Ian. Ian was moving slow, but if turtles had guns no one would bitch about their speed.

They took off into the woods, moving in the direction of the tracking device. According to Ian, she hadn’t budged since he’d locked on to her location, which couldn’t be good given her propensity for running like a scalded cat.

Two hundred yards in, Ian pulled up sharply and turned in a circle, his gaze raking over the area.

“Here,” he said. “It says she’s here.”

Braden shook his head. “She ***ched the device, man. We’re flying blind now.”

“Maybe not,” Ian muttered as he squatted down and touched his finger to a leaf. He pulled it back up and held it out to Braden.

Blood. Fresh blood. ****.

Ian stood, shoved the locator in his pocket and hauled his gun up. Head down, he followed the blood trail further into the woods. Braden took off after him, his gut tight as he noticed just how much blood was spattered on the ground.

Chapter Eighteen

The longer it took to follow Katie’s blood trail, or what he umed was her blood, the edgier Ian got. From what Braden said, the road, even as out of the way as it was, was littered with dead bodies, which meant getting to the airport in Chama was going to be a bitch. As soon as the cops closed in, going anywhere would be damn near impossible.

Was Katie all right or would they find her dead? And worse, who had caused the injuries that bled so heavily? Dread closed in, suffocating and hot despite the chill in the air. She knew what he was now. Getting her to go anywhere with him and Braden was going to be impossible.

“There, Ian.” Braden pointed to an area on the ground a few feet in front of where they stood.

Ian followed the direction of Braden’s hand and saw a larger amount of blood, and ahead the ground and dirt looked like something had been dragged over it.

“She went down here.” Braden looked up, following the line into a heavy growth area.

Ian burst past him, his focus on the brush that was slightly disturbed. Someone or something had gone in there. He tossed his gun at Braden and crawled on hands and knees into the thick tangle.

Brambles slapped him in the face and caught at his clothing, but the blood was heavier here. She’d been here and had been moving much slower.

He parted a particularly thick tangle and stopped cold. A small, bare foot lay in the dirt. He followed it up to a jeans-covered leg. The denim was dirty, tattered and covered in blood.

With angry slashing motions, he shoved aside the branches until he stared down at Katie’s pale face. She lay on her side, an ault rifle tucked close to her chest, the other hand cupping her blood-smeared abdomen.

He fumbled at her neck, tilting her until he could press his fingers into her supple flesh. Her pulse beat reassuringly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ve got her,” he called back.

“Then let’s get the hell out of here,” Braden bit out.

Ian picked up the gun and gently pried it from her grip. She never stirred which worried him. She’d run hard, and that combined with the blood loss couldn’t be good.

After calling back a quick warning, he tossed the gun at Braden and then returned his attention to Katie. Rolling her carefully so he could get a look at her injuries, he pushed aside her torn shirt to see a four-inch gash starting at her side and snaking just underneath her .

Son of a bitch had cut her.

The blood had slowed to a trickle, but when he hoisted her into his arms, it seeped faster. Backtracking the way he’d come was a bitch when he couldn’t use his arms to clear the path. He finally shouted for Braden to get the hell in and help him out.

Between the two of them, they finally managed to free themselves from the tangle, and Ian stood unsteadily with Katie in his arms.

“I’ll take her. You get the guns,” Braden said as he reached for her.

Ian gripped her tighter and shook his head. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Braden regarded him skeptically but then shrugged, bent down and collected the rifles and started out ahead of Ian. They moved at a fast clip, and though Ian was tiring, he forged ahead, determined to get back to the truck so they could get the hell to the airport.

When they got to where the SUV was parked, Ian headed for the backseat.

“Put the seat down and you drive,” he instructed Braden. “I need to see how bad she’s hurt, and we can’t afford to waste any more time.”

Braden quickly collapsed the backseat and then climbed up front. Ian laid Katie down and got in after her.

“It’s going to be bumpy getting out,” Braden warned.

Ian nodded and positioned himself so Katie wouldn’t roll to the floor.

After examining the filthy wound, he decided it wasn’t as bad as it looked. It needed stitches. Several. She’d lost a lot of blood but it was nothing that would kill her.

Her face had taken another beating. Her lip was split and swollen, and a dark bruise shadowed her cheek. He was thankful the jaguar attacked Ricardo and not Katie. He only wished he’d been cognizant of making the kill. He would have relished every second.

In an odd gesture of tenderness, he trailed a finger softly over her cheek and to the bloodied cut at her lip. And then, realizing that he was wasting valuable time, he cursed and yanked his hand away.

He reached for one of the bags in the back and hoped he still had enough **** to get the cut cleaned and bandaged. He paused when he found one of the syringes with the sedative.

Her remaining unconscious until they got on the plane served several purposes. She wouldn’t cause further trouble, and she’d also not feel anything when he cleaned the wound.

After injecting her, he waited a few moments before pulling out a bottle of water and several bandages. He meticulously cleaned all the dirt and debris from the cut. After swabbing the fresh rush of blood, he carefully pushed the edges of the cut together and added small strips of medical tape to keep it closed.

He applied a clean bandage and secured it. If she didn’t move much, it shouldn’t start bleeding again.

“She all right?” Braden asked.

Ian looked up to see Braden watching in the rearview mirror. He offered a short nod.

“I’ve sedated her so she should be out until we get on the plane. I cleaned the wound. It needs stitching. I’ll call Eli before we take off and make sure he has a doc lined up when we land.”

“Let’s just hope we get to the plane in one piece,” Braden muttered.

Chapter Nineteen

Tyana watched as Eli finished shoving his clothes into a duffel bag and then tossed it onto the bed. Afterwards, he methodically performed a weapons check, going over each gun, each piece of electronic equipment.

She was jealous as hell.

D had left with Marcus hours before, and now Eli prepared to rendezvous with Tits before they headed to Austria.

She was itching to go. She wanted Esteban, and she wanted him badly. Wanted to make him pay for D’s pain and suffering.

“You look like you just swallowed a really nasty-tasting bug, sugar,” Eli drawled.

She blinked and then glared at Eli. “I hate being left behind,” she muttered.

He grinned and dropped a kiss on her upturned lips. “Yeah, I know you do. I’d rather you come along because I hate leaving you, but until that cast comes off, you’re stuck here.”

“Get him for me, Eli,” she said softly. “Promise me you’ll take him down for D. For what he tried to do to you.”

Eli’s expression turned serious. “I know how much D means to you, Tyana. I know how much it’s hurting you to be separated from him. I’m going to do everything I can to help you both. I have a personal stake in this, remember? Ian and Braden aren’t far behind D. They’re deteriorating more each day.”

She grimaced. “I don’t mean to leave them out of the equation, Eli. It’s just that for so long it’s been just me and D. It’s hard for me to get used to the idea that we aren’t alone anymore.”

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Eli brushed her hair behind her ear. “No, sugar, you aren’t alone. You’ll have me for as long as you want me.”

Though the words were meant to comfort her, she saw the flash of uncertainty. Was he so unsure of her feelings? How could he not know how much she wanted him, how much she needed him?

Because you’ve never told him, dumbass.

The idea of laying bare her soul made her lightheaded. But he’d already given up so much for her. To give him the words seemed like so little. If only it didn’t feel like she was stabbing an ice pick through her eyeball.

Queasiness attacked her stomach, and she was sure she was turning green.

“Tyana? Are you okay?”

Eli’s concerned voice reached through the haze, and she focused on his face. On the earring that glittered in his ear. On the strands of dark hair that hung to his shoulders.

“I love you,” she blurted out.

Mortified by the brash way it tumbled out of her mouth, she closed her eyes and prayed he hadn’t heard.

“Tyana,” he said in a quiet voice.

She opened one eye to peek at him. In that moment she wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless. He seemed to understand how difficult it had been for her. He didn’t demand she say it again. Didn’t make a huge deal out of it. But she could see the stark relief in his eyes, and in that moment, she’d tell him a hundred times over if it meant he’d never look at her with insecurity again.

“I love you too.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t told you before now,” she went on in a rush. “I umed you knew, I mean—”

He hushed her with a kiss. Long and slow. Gentle yet demanding. She emitted a little sigh as she melted into his arms.

“I do know,” he said as he pulled away. “But it’s damned nice to hear.”

“Eli, chopper’s here,” Mad Dog called from the other side of the door.

“Be right out.”

He glanced back at Tyana as he made a grab for his bags on the bed.

“Well, that’s my ride, sugar. I’ll see you in a few days. Try not to drive Mad Dog and Jonah too crazy, okay?”

She smiled but thought it was a rather weak attempt. He slung a backpack over his shoulder then leaned in to give her a quick kiss before he threw open the door and hurried out.

As she watched him go, she was struck by the thought that a few days ago she’d wanted this reprieve. Wanted room to breathe. And now, suddenly, the two people she loved most in the world were gone.

Hollow achiness invaded, stretching and invading her veins like poison. Alone. She was alone. And it felt horrible.

Chapter Twenty

“What the hell do you mean, they changed safe houses on us?”

The furious words swarmed in Katie’s ears even as she couldn’t quite force her eyes open. There wasn’t a muscle in her body listening to what her brain was telling it, and so she continued to lay there like a limp noodle. Wherever there was.

“No, I don’t like it, Eli. CHR still has places for us to crash. Why are we relying so heavily on Falcon?”

Ian. Ian was talking to someone, and he was pissed. He made a rude noise before continuing on.

“We need a doctor as soon as we hit the ground. Katie’s hurt. No, it’s not too serious, but she needs stitches.”

Vaguely, other sounds began to register. The low hum vibrating her body. The whir of an engine. A jet?

****. She was on a goddamn plane.

And then the events of the day, or yesterday, because who the hell knew how long she’d been out, stormed through her bruised mind.

She was on a plane with a bunch of wild animals.

She lurched upward and nearly passed out when pain ripped across her abdomen. Almost as quickly, a big hand planted itself over her chest, the palm a little too close to her for her liking. She found herself shoved back down on the couch. Couch? On a plane?

Her head was about to explode with confusion.

Braden loomed over her, his expression grim. “Stay your down. You trying to open up your wound again? You’ve already bled like a stuck pig.”

When she didn’t immediately respond, his expression tightened, and his eyes glittered with challenge. He pulled a syringe out of his pocket and held it where she could see it.

“You’ve got two choices, sister. You can stay down or I can knock your out. Makes no difference to me, and quite frankly, you’re less of a pain in my when you’re out cold.”

She forced herself to relax, and slowly he took his hand off her body and stood to his full height.

“Where are we?” she asked, her voice cracking. God, she was thirsty. And so damn hungry her stomach was going to start eating itself.

“We’re landing in Austria in about an hour and a half,” he said.

“Austria? What the ?” She started to raise her head, but he gave her a warning look and hovered menacingly.

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t our first choice either,” Braden muttered.

“How is she?” Ian asked as he shoved his way past Braden.

Katie stared at him and shrank back against the seat. How could he look so normal? Had what happened been the product of her twisted mind? Had she finally lost her grip?

Ian’s eyes flashed and then he spun around and stalked out of her vision.

“You deal with her,” he tossed back to Braden. “Apparently she’s not afraid of you.”

“Bull****,” Katie refuted.

Braden raised an eyebrow. “What the hell did I do?”

“So what’s your little trick?” she demanded. “Lion? Wolf? Hyena?”

“Very funny,” he growled.

“I wasn’t joking,” she said, her voice deadly quiet. “What the are you? All that bull**** about a seizure disorder. Is that a codeword for turning into wild animals?”

Again his eyebrow went up and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Seizures?” He turned in the direction Ian had walked. “You know anything about seizures, Ian?”

Ian muttered something unintelligible.

“Can I get up?” she asked. “I don’t like lying down where I can’t see. I want to be able to defend myself if the need arises.”

Braden’s gaze narrowed. “Defend yourself from who?”

“You,” she said evenly.

He shrugged and bent down to help her up. “We can eat you sitting up just as well as lying down.”

She went to slug him, but he caught her fist in his firm grip. He stared levelly at her. “You’re starting to get predictable.”

He picked her up, and even though he was extremely gentle, she let out a low moan.

“Sorry,” he muttered as he set her in one of the larger chairs independent of the couch.

She sucked in several breaths and waited for the fire *****bside in her gut. She glanced down to see that all the blood was gone, she was wearing a fresh T-shirt way too large for her, and she was still barefooted. For some reason that amused her.

When she let out a shaky laugh, Braden shot her a concerned look.

“What’s so funny?”

“My feet.”

“Your feet?”

“Yeah. No shoes. I’ve run across God knows how many states with no shoes.”

She said it almost mournfully which was stupid. To be hung up on shoes when she was damn lucky to be alive at this point was absurd.

“We’ll get you shoes when we land,” Braden said gruffly. “You need to rest.”

“I’m starving,” she said. “And thirsty. I’d kill for about a gallon of water.”

He froze for a moment, and then he let out a rush of scorching expletives. Then he turned. “Hey Ian, do we have anything to eat on this damn thing? Katie still hasn’t eaten. Hell, I haven’t eaten.”

Ian reappeared a few moments later with a handful of snacks and some bottled water. “Sorry,” he said as he thrust them at her. “It’s all we’ve got.”

She latched onto them gratefully. First she ripped off the top to one of the water bottles and slugged the liquid down like an alcoholic falling off the wagon.

“Slow down. You’re going to make yourself sick,” Braden said gently.

She managed to slow herself just as she drained the last of the first bottle. Then she turned her attention to the array of food she’d dropped on her lap. There was a box of crackers, a bag of chips, a couple of cereal bars and some sort of fruit ****.

She opened the chips and the crackers then ripped open a cereal bar.

“And she calls us wild animals,” Braden said with an amused snort.

Both Katie and Ian glared at Braden who simply shrugged with a distinct I-don’t-give-a-**** air.

As she devoured a cereal bar, she glanced up at Ian who hadn’t yet retreated. She tried to see a glimpse of the jaguar, and then she wondered at the sheer idiocy of her thoughts. People couldn’t change into animals. They just couldn’t.

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“Eat first, Katie,” Ian said in a low, stiff voice. “We’ll talk afterward.”

She stopped chewing, frozen as she stared back at him. Finally she nodded and resumed eating.

She polished off the cereal bar, scarfed the bag of chips and ate half the crackers before she even considered slowing down. The other cereal bar she held was tempting even though she felt the urge to puke.

Only the idea of having to barf and the agony it would cause her because of her injury made her put it away with regret. She contented herself with another full bottle of water and finally leaned back with a sigh. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d eaten. Ricardo hadn’t concerned himself with making sure she was fed and those days were a big blur anyway.

Through it all, she watched Braden and Ian suspiciously, looking for any of the erratic behavior they’d displayed before. Ian’s lips were tight, but Braden stood in a defiant posture, clearly inviting her to off.

“What are you?” she demanded.

Ian’s lips curled in irritation while Braden continued to stare her down, his eyes as unfriendly as his posture.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some kind of pond scum,” she burst out. “I’m not the problem here.”

Braden snorted, and she glared heatedly at him.

“You came after me,” she pointed out. “Things have been bizarre since the day you kidnapped and drugged me. You act strange, like you’re hanging on to control by a thread. The next thing I know, Ian turns into some kind of damn big-ass cat and tears Ricardo’s throat out. And then you want to get snotty when I run like hell and act worried about the fact that I’m trapped thirty thousand feet in the air with two wild animals?”

Ian lost some of his surliness. He dragged a hand through his hair and walked over to flop into the chair across from Katie.

Braden remained standing, but he turned to include Ian in his view. The two brothers exchanged what could only be described as looks of resignation. There was more there. A deep sorrow. Katie’s chest tightened even as she damned herself for feeling anything for these two men.

“Did Gabe ever tell you anything about our mission to Adharji?” Ian asked.

Her brow puckered, and her eyes narrowed in confusion.

“I’ll take that as a no,” he said dryly.

She shook her head.

“We were on a hostage recovery mission when we got gassed. We were captured behind enemy lines and were prisoners until we escaped several days later.”

“Gassed? What kind of gas?”

“That’s just it. We don’t know. But whatever it was turned us into a bunch of shifters. In my case a jaguar, as you’ve seen.” He gestured toward Braden. “He turns into a panther. Eli is more elemental. He can turn into **** like vapor, or smoke, steam, funky ****.”

“And Gabe? Was he affected?” she asked hesitantly.

Ian nodded.

“Wow, he never said—I mean he never told me.” She twisted her hands nervously in her lap. She’d always thought she and Gabe were close, but now she wondered how much of his interaction with her was solely based on obligation. “What was wrong with him?” she asked as she looked back up at Ian. “I don’t understand how this happened. It’s like something out of science fiction.”

“Gabe could become invisible,” Braden said.

“Invisible? Why something so different? That doesn’t make sense. The rest of you change physical forms, become something else entirely and he merely became invisible?”

“None of it makes sense,” Ian said tersely. “We were some scientific experiment gone wrong. Or at least Braden and I were. There was one other guy, our guide, and apparently he fared the worst. While Eli and Gabe were stable, the rest of us have no control over when and how we shift, and we retain no human cognizance when we’re in animal form.”

“****,” she breathed.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Braden muttered.

“So Gabe could become invisible at will? And you and Ian have no control?”

She couldn’t hold back the surge of fear at being at the mercy of unstable shifters. She’d seen what Ian could do in jaguar form. He’d gone for the kill with no hesitation, and it hadn’t been pretty.

“We carry an inhibitor,” Ian said. “It’s in aerosol form. Most of the time it works to prevent shifting. Lately though…”

“Since we met you it isn’t as effective,” Braden said bluntly.

“Me?” She reared her head in surprise. “What do I have to do with anything?”

“Braden,” Ian growled in warning. “There’s no point.”

Braden ignored him. “I have no idea, sister. I’d love the answer to that. All I know is that ever since we got around you, our shifts have been more erratic, and the only thing that’s worked has been knocking ourselves out.”

“Seems like it would be a damn good idea to stay away from me,” she said sweetly. “Funny I suggested that from the beginning, but you didn’t seem to listen.”

“Look, Katie, I know it has to freak you out,” Ian said. “If it makes you feel better, we’ll give you the inhibitor so you can keep it on you at all times, and we’ll give you preloaded syringes with a sedative that would knock an elephant out. Worse comes to worst, you stick that in our and run like hell. Believe me when I say we’re not any happier about this situation than you are.”

“Is there nothing you can do? No cure? Who gassed you? And why?”

“You don’t ask the hard questions, do you?” Braden said mockingly. “If we knew all that, neither of us would be feeling the urge for scratching posts and kitty litter.”

“You’re not funny,” Ian snarled.

Despite herself, Katie burst out laughing. She wiped at the corners of her eyes as tears gathered. She sucked in a breath and kept laughing.

“Apparently Katie thinks so,” Braden said smugly.

She swiped at her eyes again and wheezed as she tried to regain her composure. When she looked up, though, she saw a glimmer of amusement in Ian’s eyes. She relaxed a bit in her seat and then groaned when the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through her gut.

“You okay?” Braden asked gently.

She closed her eyes briefly as she ran her hand over the thick bandage covering her wound. “It hurts like a bitch.”

“You need stitches,” Ian said. “There’ll be a doctor to see you when we land. It’s a pretty bad cut.”

“You dressed it?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was full of dirt. Needed to be cleaned or you’d get one hell of an infection.”

She glanced down. The whole reason her wound had been so nasty was because she’d run fast and hard. Neither man had said anything about the fact she’d taken off again, but what else was she supposed to do when faced with a bloodthirsty predator? Still she felt guilty—for what, not trusting them? The funny thing was she did—well, when they weren’t snarling cats.

“I’d like the inhibitor and the sedative,” she said quietly.

“I’m not as keen to give it to you as Ian is,” Braden said dryly. “I want some urances before we just hand that **** over.”

Her gaze jerked back up to his. “Assurances? What kind of urances do you want? You sure as hell can’t offer me the one I need most, mainly that you won’t turn into kitty cats on steroids and make dinner out of me.”

“How ’bout that you don’t use the sedative unless it’s a last resort,” Braden said. “Seems to me we’ll be handing you the perfect weapon for you to escape whether we shift or not. I think we’ve proven that we have your best interests in mind here. I want your word this crap is going to stop.”

“And you’d accept my word? That’s pretty stupid,” she taunted. “I’d lie in a heartbeat to protect my interests.” Why, oh why couldn’t she just shut up? She was fully prepared to offer them something—an olive branch? But she just couldn’t keep her fear, her insecurity, from surging up, and then she became a defensive, surly bitch on wheels.

“Thanks for the warning,” Ian said.

She moved her gaze to him, searching his expression, for what she wasn’t certain. Earlier, her fear of him seemed to bother him, and even now his eyes were guarded. Had she hurt him? It seemed odd that she’d have that kind of power. Did she like this man? Did she trust him? Before he’d changed into a freaking jaguar, she’d found herself softening toward him, and yet by shifting, he’d saved her. He hadn’t come after her. His ire had been directed at Ricardo. Coincidence? She couldn’t decide.

“What were you saying about a safe house a while ago? And now that you’ve got me out of the country, what next?”

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“Just a change in plans,” Ian replied. “We had a place set up in France but we’re going to Austria instead. As for what’s next, we go there and lay low until Eli and Falcon nail Esteban.”

“Esteban is the man after me?” she asked.

He nodded. “He’s the one responsible for the chemical agent that turned us into shifters.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why does he want me? What could he possibly want with me now that Gabe is dead and he can’t use me against him?”

“That’s a good question,” Braden interjected. “We don’t have any idea. But we promised Gabe we’d make sure you were safe.”

“And what then?” she asked. “What happens when there is no longer a threat to me? I can’t go back and pick up where I left off. I may have gotten away with killing Paulo, but now there is a vehicle with my fingerprints all over it and several dead bodies that I’m sure the police wouldn’t have to work hard to pin on me.”

“We’ll figure it out, Katie,” Ian said quietly. “We aren’t going to let you go down for that scumbag de la Cruz.”

She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. It was tempting as hell to take that promise and hold it close, but she couldn’t afford to be such a moron. No matter that Ian and Braden wanted to look out for her, she’d be a damn fool to place her trust so implicitly. But hadn’t she already? The whole saying about leaving the barn door open came readily to mind. The fact was, she did trust them. She didn’t want to. She thought she was dumb to, but it didn’t alter the fact that deep inside, she knew, she just knew that they weren’t out to screw her. Did that make her an even bigger dumbass?

A warm hand slid over her cheek, startling her into opening her eyes. She found Braden leaning down, his fingers stroking over her bruised cheekbone.

“I know you don’t trust us, Katie, but we aren’t going to hurt you.”

His voice was warm and vibrant and slid over her skin like the softest of blankets. She wanted to wrap herself in those words and hold them tight, like a talisman. She wanted to tell him that she did trust him. But she wanted a lot of things, and it didn’t mean they were good for her. And she was uncomfortable giving them that kind of power over her.

To her immense shock, he leaned further in and brushed his lips across the cut at the corner of her mouth. Though it was the lightest of kisses, it was as if he’d branded her with a hot coal. She jumped at the slight contact, but before she could yank away, his tongue flicked out and lapped gently at the small wound.

She reared back but had nowhere to go. He had her trapped between him and the chair. Her hands flew up and made contact with his muscular chest. She shoved, but he caught both her wrists with his hands and held them against his shirt.

His warm tongue swept over her abused flesh once more, soothing and sweet. Then he coaxed her lips, forming them into a moue with his own as he first nipped and then molded his mouth to hers.

What started gentle turned hot and urgent as he devoured her mouth. Hungry and restless. He stole her breath and returned it in stuttered gasps.

He tasted…male, and she was hungry. So hungry.

Finally he pulled away so that she could see the heated glitter in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that every single time you piss me off,” he said huskily.

She swallowed and opened her mouth to tell him precisely what she thought about keeping his damn tongue in his mouth, but nothing came out. The she remembered Ian, and for some reason, guilt crept over her shoulders at the idea that Braden had been kissing her in front of him. Only when she looked over to where he sat, she saw he was gone.

Chapter Twenty-One

“What were you doing kissing her, for God’s sake?” Ian demanded as Braden walked into the front cabin of the plane.

Ian stood with his fists curled at his sides, surprised by just how angry it had made him when Braden had kissed Katie. He felt juvenile and rash, not to mention like a giant, stupid .

Braden gave him a what-the-hell look and sauntered past to snag one of the bottles of water from the galley area.

“What do you care if I kissed her?” Braden asked calmly, after he’d taken a long swig from the bottle. He recapped it and gave Ian a curious glance.

Ian looked past Braden to where Katie lay curled on the couch all but passed out. They were already making their descent, but she was clearly still exhausted and in pain.

“Ah, I get it. You’ve got a thing for her,” he said before Ian could respond.

“I don’t ing have a thing for her,” Ian snarled.

Braden shrugged. “Not like you to get hyped up because I made a move on a woman you were interested in.”

Ian sucked in a breath. No, it wasn’t like him at all. Women flocked to Braden. Ian wasn’t the jealous type, and it wasn’t as though they didn’t regularly the same woman. At the same time. What was unusual was for one of them to actually have *** with a woman solo.

Boy, did that sound screwed up.

“Just forget I said anything,” Ian mumbled.

“Hey, if you want me to back off, I will,” Braden said. He lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not hella attracted to her. There’s something about her that makes me crazy, but at the same time, she lights my fires like no other woman ever has.” He grinned and rubbed his chin as if remembering. “Every time she slugs me, I get a hard-on from hell.”

Ian rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Braden had a way of diffusing even the tensest situation.

“So what’s the deal, man?” Braden said. “You got a thing for her or what?”

Ian sighed and flopped into the seat. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is for either of us to even consider getting tangled up with her?”

Braden sat down across from Ian and tilted the bottle to drain the last of his water. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“I think reminding you how stupid it is for either of us to get involved with her is a damn good answer to your question.”

“My head may know that, but the rest of me ain’t cooperating,” Braden said with a grunt. “There’s something about her, man. She makes me nuts but at the same time I have the strongest urge to protect her.” He paused and looked down at his water bottle in disgust. “It’s not just ***ual attraction. I wish to hell it was. I don’t know what the is going on, but I don’t like it.”

Ian laughed. At least in this he could relate. He didn’t like his attraction to Katie any more than Braden did, apparently. The problem was, there was something primitive about his reaction to her. Something that spoke to the beast locked within him. It wasn’t something he could control, and he didn’t like it a damn bit.

“I take it you don’t think ing her brains out is the way to get her out of our systems,” Braden grumbled.

“I can think of about a dozen reasons why it would be a bad idea,” Ian said.

“Yeah, well, I can come up with at least one reason why we should.”

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“You can’t tell me that you don’t know she would rock our damn world,” Braden said with a grin. “Violent chicks make the best lovers.”

Pure unadulterated lust streaked through his groin as Ian imagined ing her mouth while Braden took her from behind. Yeah, she’d probably eat them both alive, but just because they’d be ured of mind-blowing ***, didn’t mean they should do it.

“Why don’t you jerk off in the shower and get some rest instead. It won’t get you into near as much trouble.”

“Gee thanks, man. You’re all heart,” Braden drawled.

“You know this makes us holes,” Ian said. “She’s injured, exhausted, bloody and bruised, and all we’re thinking about is how good in the sack she’d be.”

Braden chuckled. “Yeah, well, so we’ll never win any sensitivity awards. But glad you’ve finally admitted you want her.”

“I didn’t do any such thing.”

“Goddamn liar. And hey, I’d be gentle with her. I’d be more worried about how rough she’d be with me.”

Ian shook his head but cracked up at the hopeful look on Braden’s face. Yeah, he wanted her. As much if not more than Braden did, but unlike his brother, he didn’t plan to do anything about it.

***

They landed at a remote airstrip in the mountains of Austria an hour before dawn. Ian descended the steps carrying Katie who was still out cold, whether from exhaustion or pain he wasn’t sure.

Braden ambled down after him, carrying their bags. A shadow emerged from the darkness, and Ian tensed. A large black man with arms and legs the size of tree trunks stared, unflinching, at him. His bald head gleamed in the glare of the lights from the plane.

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Braden stepped in front of Ian and Katie, his stance belligerent. Then he relaxed when Eli Chance stepped out beside the big dude, a grin cracking his lips.

“What’s up?” Eli asked as he closed the distance between them.

“Damn good to see you,” Braden said as he bumped fists with Eli.

Eli looked beyond him to where Ian held Katie. “You kill her?” he asked in a tone that was half serious.

Braden looked over his shoulder then back at Eli. “You’re kidding, right? That hellcat? We’re lucky she hasn’t killed us.”

The man beside Eli chuckled, the low sound rumbling into the night. “She has nice .”

Eli laughed. “Gentlemen, meet Tits.”

This was Tits? Ian shifted Katie in his arms as he stared at the mountain in front of them.

“I thought you’d be bigger,” Braden said.

Tits laughed again and stuck his beefy hand out to Braden. “I get that a lot.”

Braden snorted and slapped his hand against Tits’ to shake it. “Damn glad to meet you finally. You do good work.”

“That I do,” Tits said immodestly. He glanced beyond Braden to where Ian stood. “Want me to take her?”

Ian tensed and then shook his head. That annoying tingle, the prickle of alarm, skated up his spine, raising the hairs at his nape.

Braden looked cautiously at his brother and then put a hand out to stop Tits’ advance. “Not a good idea, man. I’ll explain everything later. For now, let’s get the hell out of here. We’ve had all the damn excitement we can take.”

Tits sent a curious look at Ian but retreated. Ian immediately relaxed and looked down at the still-unconscious Katie.

Her cheek rested against his chest. The position implied trust, even though Ian wasn’t stupid enough to think she had any idea how she was positioned. Or that she trusted him.

If she truly had any inkling of how vulnerable she looked nestled in his arms, she’d be fighting him tooth and nail.

“How is Tyana?” Ian asked Eli as they headed for a Range Rover parked on the helipad a few feet away.

“Tyana is Tyana,” Eli said enigmatically. “More worried about D than her own recovery.”

“He’s just mad because Ty Baby wanted him out of her hair which is why he’s here playing babysitter to you guys,” Tits said, his teeth flashing in amusement.

Eli grunted. “**** you.”

Tits slid into the driver’s seat while Eli got into the front. Braden hopped into the backseat on the opposite side while Ian carefully got in holding Katie.

“And how is D?” Braden asked quietly.

Eli grimaced as he looked back at Braden. “Not good.”

Ian and Braden exchanged uneasy glances when Eli didn’t elaborate. Braden slumped further down in his seat, and for the first time, Ian saw defeat in his brother’s demeanor.

“Marcus is at the house,” Eli said. “He wants to take a look at both of you after he checks Katie out.”

“You’re not planning to stay, are you?” Ian directed his question at both Tits and Eli.

Tits glanced in the rearview mirror, his earring glinting briefly. “There a reason we shouldn’t?”

“Yeah, two reasons. A jaguar and a panther,” Braden said. “We’re getting worse, man. The shifts…they’re even more unpredictable.”

He glanced over at Ian as if weighing his decision to say anything further. Ian tensed but didn’t call Braden down. He looked away though, not out of guilt or shame, because he truly didn’t regret killing Ricardo. All he regretted was the fact that he had no control over when he shifted or his apparent victim.

“Ian killed someone after a shift,” Braden said.

His statement fell like a bomb in the small interior. Tits yanked his head to stare over his shoulder into the back while Eli turned completely around, his eyes flaring in the darkness.

“Bastard deserved it,” Ian said calmly. He tightened his hold on Katie as he said it.

“Did you realize what you were doing? Did you go after him purposely?” Eli asked. “Think, Ian. This could be a huge breakthrough.”

Ian flinched at the hope in his teammate’s voice. He shook his head grimly while Braden expelled a weary breath.

“I don’t remember any of it,” Ian said tonelessly. “He was after Katie. I can only remember the moment right before I shifted. I came to later with Braden over me, and he had to tell me what happened. Apparently I ripped the guy’s throat out.”

“Righteous,” Tits said with an approving nod of his head.

“Esteban’s man?” Eli asked in confusion. “Why haven’t we heard of any of this?”

“It’s a long story.”

“You got time,” Tits said.

Ian repositioned Katie on his lap then glanced over at Braden who shrugged.

With a sigh, Ian filled them in on everything that had happened since the moment he and Braden had returned to the States to find Katie.

When he finished, Tits gave a low whistle, and Eli shook his head.

“Trust Gabe to make things goddamn complicated,” he said in disgust. “What the was he thinking keeping something like this under wraps? How the hell did he think he was going to protect Katie half a world away?”

“He didn’t win any points with me either,” Braden said. “But Katie doesn’t see the problem with it.”

“Of course she doesn’t,” Eli said. “She was too busy trying to stay ahead of Ricardo and company while being grateful to big brother for his generosity.”

Sarcasm dripped from Eli’s voice as he shook his head.

“So what are you going to do with the little girl then?” Tits asked.

Braden snorted. “Little? I’ll let you call her that, Tits. You may be a big mother****er, but my money is on her in a throw-down.”

“She ain’t but a little thang. Besides, fighting ain’t what I’d want to do with her.”

A low growl trembled and welled from Ian’s throat.

“Uh, about that,” Braden said quickly as he looked over at Ian. “I know you’re joking and all, but it might be better to just leave Katie out of your conversation. That is unless you want to take on one pissed-off jag.”

“I think I’ll pass.” Tits glanced nervously back at Ian in the rearview mirror. “Her aren’t big enough anyway.”

“Thought you said they were nice,” Eli said.

Tits grinned as he looked over at Eli. “Well, they’re bigger than Ty’s. That’s all I meant.”

“You can stop looking at Tyana’s s any time,” Eli said mildly.

“What fun would that be?”

Ian relaxed and rested his cheek on the top of Katie’s head. He was starting to worry about her prolonged state of unconsciousness, but he reminded himself that she was absolutely spent. The last week had been hell for her, and if anyone deserved rest, it was her. He’d just be glad when Marcus could take a look at her and give her something for pain.

“Glad you guys are back.” Eli looked at Ian and Braden. “It was a mistake to let you go back to the States on your own.”

Braden gave a disgruntled snort. “It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.”

“Still, you’re lucky you didn’t end up a permanent guest of the judicial system there,” Eli returned.

“I don’t know. It could have been fun,” Tits said with a wide grin. “I’ve always fantasized about staging a jailbreak.”

“We won’t be going back,” Ian said firmly.

Eli looked down at Katie’s sleeping form. “And her? Will she be going back?”

Braden and Ian exchanged glances. “No,” they said together.

“And does she know that?” Tits asked in amusement. “From all you’ve told us about her, I can’t see her taking that too well.”

“What the hell is she going to go back to?” Braden demanded. “She’s killed three men. She has no family, no life, no way *****pport herself. Gabe left her in a hell of a position. Besides, until Esteban is taken care of, nowhere is safe for her.”

“Except with us,” Ian said.

Braden nodded. “Except with us.”

Eli flashed them a strange look. “You aren’t forgetting what our goal is, are you?”

“Goal? Our goal is to take Esteban down,” Braden said. “And hopefully figure out a cure somewhere in there.”

“Yeah, and we’re using her as bait.” Eli jabbed a thumb in Katie’s direction.

Ian stiffened. He knew what they were doing. But it didn’t mean they were going to throw her to the wolves.

“We’ll make damn sure she’s safe,” Ian said gruffly.

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“Yeah, we can do that,” Tits said in a casual tone. “Not a problem, man.”

“Is she even alive?” Eli asked as he stared over at her.

Ian felt her soft breathing against the shelter of his body. She was alive. He could feel every twitch, every movement, no matter how slight, hear every soft sigh when she shifted the tiniest bit.

“She’ll be just fine,” Ian said tightly. “Marcus can stitch her up and give her something for pain. She’s experienced way too much hurt in the past few days.”

Eli nodded then gave Tits a long, hard look before turning back around in his seat.

“Sit back and relax,” Tits offered as he accelerated up the mountain road. “We’ll be there in half an hour.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ian and Braden hovered over Marcus while he finished stitching Katie’s wound. Marcus had given her a sedative to ensure she’d remain asleep while he worked.

When he finished, he started to arrange Katie’s shirt back over her, but Braden stepped in and took over. Marcus stood and glanced up at Ian, while Braden tucked her into the bed.

Marcus moved closer to Ian. “I’d like to draw some more blood from you and Braden,” he said in a low voice. “I can’t stay long. We moved Damiano off the island, and I’ll need to be with him in the coming days.”

Ian regarded him warily. “What do you mean you took him off the island?”

“He’s getting worse. He shifted to a tiger and attacked Tyana.”

“****,” Ian muttered. “It must be getting bad if he turned on her.”

Marcus nodded. “We thought it best to remove him from the possibility of harming her or the other members of Falcon.”

He glanced up at Ian, and Ian could see the reluctance in his eyes.

“What is it, Marcus?” he asked, though he didn’t really want the answer.

Marcus sighed. “I’m not convinced a cure can be found, that even if Esteban manufactured one, it would be successful. Damiano’s DNA has been altered. There’s no spontaneous changing back.”

Ice-cold dread trickled down Ian’s spine. “So you’re saying Braden and I are screwed?”

“No, I’m not saying that,” Marcus said quietly. “I just think our approach has to change. I’m going to be working with Damiano. Hopefully I’ll see progress.”

“How so?”

“Me***ation. Spiritual guidance. Mind control. More and more I think the key is going to be in mental fortitude. The ability to control, not eliminate, the shifts.”

Eerie calm descended over Ian. “So we learn to live with it,” he said tonelessly.

“Yes,” Marcus said softly.

Ian cursed and dragged a hand through his hair. “Then why are we even after Esteban? What’s the point?”

“Because we need to know what he did,” Marcus said. “We need the chemical compound that was responsible for changing you into shifters. My ideas are only that. Ideas. I don’t have proof *****bstantiate them. I would have said it was impossible to create a chemical that could so radically change your make-up, but Esteban did. If there is a chance he has a way to reverse the process, then we need to find it.”

“He’ll die for what he’s done,” Ian vowed.

Braden walked over, his gaze questioning. “What’s going on, Ian? You look pissed.”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Ian said. “Marcus needs our blood before he leaves.”

“He’s turning into a regular bloodsucker,” Braden muttered.

Marcus smiled. “Why do you think I only come out at night now?”

Ian put his hand on Braden’s shoulder and squeezed. He wasn’t sure just who he was comforting, Braden or himself. Braden shot him a curious stare, but Ian looked away before following Marcus out of the room.

***

Katie opened her eyes and wondered why everything felt so numb. Then she wondered why she was so comfortable. And then she realized she was in a bed. A very nice, comfy bed with pillows and sheets.

She was dead. That was the only explanation. And she was okay with that as long as she didn’t have to move.

Her hand appeared in front of her face, and she blinked since she recognized it as her hand, but hell if she remembered her brain telling her hand to move. For that matter, she knew it was her hand but it didn’t feel like her hand.

“They gave you some good ****, huh.”

She yanked her head sideways to see a large black man standing a few feet away in the shadows. His expression was indecipherable, and because of that, she couldn’t figure out whether he was one of the good guys or the bad.

And then she reminded herself there were no good guys.

He chuckled. “No need to get all uptight. You’re as helpless as a kitten right now so there’s no need to entertain fantasies about me.”

She looked at him in disgust. “If I had a knife, I’d stab you.”

“And if you had bigger , I’d you.”

She almost laughed as she looked down at her chest. “No one’s ever complained that my were too small.”

“I didn’t say they were too small. Just that they’d have to be bigger. I have a big . I need plenty of to slide it between.”

She did laugh this time and then groaned when the wound in her abdomen protested. She reached down only to find thick bandages covering the area. Cautiously she looked back up at the man still standing against the wall.

“Uh, you weren’t the one who tended my cut, were you?”

White teeth flashed in a grin. “Nope. That would be Marcus, the team doc. He got the pleasure of seeing you . Although I got a peek, and I have to say, not bad, girl. Not bad at all. I can see why Ian and Braden are so growly when it comes to you.”

She flipped him the bird. “**** off.”

He chuckled and walked forward. Lord but he was big.

“Did nobody ever tell you that steroid use will shrink your *****?” she asked calmly.

He threw back his head and laughed. “You know what, I like you, Katie. I like you a lot.” He held out his hand as he drew closer to the bed. “Name’s Tits.”

“For the love of God,” she muttered. “Tits? No way your mama named you that.”

He grimaced. “No, she named me Theodore, but if you ever tell anyone, I’ll have to cut your throat.”

“What the hell are you doing, Tits?” Ian demanded from the door.

Tits rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb in Ian’s direction. “See what I mean about growly?”

“She needs to be resting,” Ian said gruffly as he walked closer to the bed.

“Doc done with you?” Tits asked.

“Obviously.”

Tits shrugged. “I just need to know because I’ve got to fly the man out of here.”

“Yeah, we’re done. He’s waiting for you.”

Tits turned to Katie and flashed her a grin. “I guess I’ll see you later, Miss Katie.” He blew her a kiss then sauntered toward the door and past a scowling Ian.

After Ian watched Tits go, he turned back around to stare at Katie. There was something in his gaze that discomfited her. Or maybe it was the fact that she’d kissed his brother—correction, he’d kissed her. Was it absurd that while she’d enjoyed Braden’s kiss very much that she’d wondered what it would be like to kiss his brother? To have him touch her?

It made things more awkward than they already were, and that was the last thing she needed.

He sat on the edge of the bed at her side. “How are you feeling?”

“Kinda freaky,” she admitted. “Did you give me some weird drugs?”

“Marcus gave you a sedative so he could stitch you up, and then he gave you pain medication so you wouldn’t hurt when you woke up.”

“That would explain the inability to recognize my limbs,” she said ruefully.

“It’s good that you aren’t in pain.” He touched her cheek tentatively, as though he expected her to protest. “You’ve had far too much pain in the last little while.”

She wasn’t sure what was weirder. The fact that Braden had kissed her and Ian was treating her as though he harbored attraction for her, or that she welcomed his attentions even as the memory of Braden’s kiss simmered in the back of her mind.

Could just be the drugs.

She liked that explanation, and it absolved her of the need to analyze the weird chemistry between the three of them.

“Where are we? Besides somewhere in Austria.”

“Innsbruck is the closest city, but we’re holed up in the mountains. We’re a short hop from Italy, Switzerland and Germany, so we have options.”

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She raised an eyebrow. “Options? Are we going to need them?”

He pushed her hair from her forehead and continued to run his fingers through the short strands. She wondered if he even realized what he was doing. For that matter, she wondered why she was lying here so docilely, allowing him to touch her and worse, enjoying it.

It was definitely the drugs. Or maybe she just really wanted him to touch her.

“It’s always good to have options. Escape routes.”

She nodded, yawning so big her jaw nearly ****d in. He smiled and ran a finger down the jaw she’d almost cracked.

“You need to get some more rest.”

“It’s the drugs,” she said. “You could lay down with me. You look as tired as I feel.”

They stared at each other, and she wasn’t sure who was more stunned by the invitation, her or him.

“Drugs,” she muttered. Definitely the drugs. Liar.

“Give me a minute and I’ll take you up on that,” he said.

Oh hell, he wasn’t supposed to accept. But then she didn’t exactly withdraw the offer either. He gave her a long look before slowly rising from his perch on the edge of the bed. Was he aware of what she was offering? Was she?

“Get comfortable. I’ll be back as soon as I see Tits and Eli off.”

Yeah, he was aware. His eyes positively simmered with ***ual awareness as he turned to leave the room. Which left the question of whether she was. Despite the dullness of her limbs due to the drugs, there was still a tingling excitement. She wanted Ian to touch her. As for what to do about Braden, she wasn’t sure. She wanted to explore her attraction to Ian, but she knew damn well there was explosive chemistry between her and Braden.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“We’re going, but we won’t be far,” Eli said. “According to Tits’ intel, Esteban could be heading this way. We don’t know because he hasn’t shown his face yet. He’s laid low ever since we busted out of his compound in Switzerland. For now, his attention has shifted from me and anything to do with Falcon or CHR. His henchmen are on the move, and they’re looking for Katie. We’re going to make sure he knows where she is, so be on your toes. The Falcon secondary is moving into place as we speak, so you won’t be alone. Keep us posted, and we’ll do the same.”

Braden nodded and bumped fists with Tits and then Eli.

“You sure you two going to be okay?” Tits asked.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Ian said. “If Esteban rears his head, we’ll roll out the welcome mat for him.”

Eli grinned. “I’d like to see that.”

“Let’s do this,” Tits said as he headed for the door. “Check you boys later.”

Eli followed, leaving Ian and Braden standing alone in the small entryway of the mountain cottage. Braden started to walk toward the kitchen when Ian put a hand out to stop him.

“I need a favor, man.”

Braden stopped and looked curiously at him.

Ian ran a hand through his hair as his stomach knotted. God, this was awkward as hell. He hadn’t felt this dumb since he and Braden were foster kids flipping a coin to see who got to ask Tracy Hawkins to the school dance.

“Look, uh, I need you to stick around. With me and Katie, that is. Not directly, but I could shift, and I don’t want to hurt her.”

Braden looked incredulously at him. “You’re planning to have *** with her? Now? After I kissed her? After giving me **** about kissing her?”

Ian’s cheeks tightened.

“And you want me to watch?”

“Christ,” Ian mumbled. “I knew it would all come out wrong. You know damn well I’m not asking you to watch. Okay, maybe I am. Goddamn it. I’m not trying to turn this into a kink-fest. I just want to be with her for a while and not worry about turning into a damn jaguar and ripping her throat out.”

“Dude, do you forget that Marcus just put about ten stitches in her gut? Or that I kissed her?”

Ian sighed. “First of all, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m aware of her injuries. I don’t need a lecture like I’m some kind of goddamn kid. Second, are you telling me you have a problem with this?”

Braden stared at him for a long moment. “Would it matter if I did?”

Ian hesitated a little too long.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Do you have a problem?” Ian asked again.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I guess I would have taken it a lot better if you’d have said, ‘Hey, Braden, let’s go to Katie’. But it came out more like, ‘Hey bro, I’m going to go have *** with Katie and I want you to watch to make sure I don’t flake’.”

“I guess this time I don’t want a threesome,” Ian said in a low voice.

“She’s attracted to us both, Ian. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know. And I’m okay with it. I just don’t want my first time with her to be…hell, I don’t know.”

“You got condoms?”

Ian’s head came up. The abrupt change in subject damn near gave him whiplash. “**** me. No, I don’t have goddamn condoms.”

Braden grinned. “Aren’t you glad at least one of us has *** on the brain all the time?”

Ian sighed in relief, more over the fact that Braden didn’t seem pissed than the fact that he had condoms. Although the condoms didn’t hurt.

Braden went to his bag and pulled out a couple of packets then tossed them one at a time in Ian’s direction. Ian caught them and shoved them into his pocket.

“I doubt she’s going to like me watching,” Braden said.

“If it’s done right, I don’t think she’ll object. As you said, she’s attracted to both of us. I guess the sooner she’s used to both of us being around, the sooner she’ll accept with us both at the same time.”

Braden ed his head and studied Ian. “And is that going to happen, Ian? Because I see you being mighty possessive when it comes to her. If I ask the same thing of you tomorrow, as in you back off while I to her, how are you going to react?”

Ian shoved a hand through his hair and blew out his breath in frustration. “Look, can we get into this another time? Preferably before Katie changes her mind about inviting me into her bed?”

“No, we can’t,” Braden said simply. “Because you aren’t going in there unless we’ve reached an understanding.”

Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. “So it’s like that.”

Braden nodded. “You damn right it is. I kissed her, remember? I’ve been attracted to her from the beginning. The only reason I’m cool with this is because she’s attracted to us both and because a woman has never been a problem between us in the past. Now you need to tell me if Katie is going to be that problem.”

Ian shook his head. “No. She’s not going to be a problem, Braden. But what if it’s a problem for her?”

“Then we let her decide on her own,” Braden said softly. “But fair warning, Ian. If she can’t accept both of us, then I don’t plan to sit back and let you take her from me.”

Ian stared at his brother in astonishment. When had they decided to stake a claim? Hell, all he wanted was ***. Wasn’t it? And if it was just *** then why would he care what Braden did afterward? And why did the idea of Katie not accepting both of them and choosing Braden instead leave a very bad taste in his mouth?

He glanced toward the bedroom where Katie was. Part of him wondered if the smartest thing would be to just leave her alone and not open the door to a whole host of potential problems. The other part of him knew if he didn’t to her soon, he was going to turn himself inside out.

Then he looked back at Braden who surveyed him with brooding intensity. Was it fair for him to ask his brother to watch over him and Katie when Braden so obviously wanted to to her too?

“Go, Ian,” Braden said quietly. “I’ll make sure Katie stays safe from you.”

***

Katie lay staring at the ceiling, wondering how much of her stupi***y she could blame on the drugs. Or maybe she just needed to take more.

She’d invited him to come lie down with her. She nearly snorted. Who the was she kidding? She’d invited him to screw her senseless. No wonder he’d looked at her so oddly. He was probably in the next room hoping to give her enough time to pass out.

Her gaze flickered lazily toward the door when she heard a sound. Warmth and longing flooded her when she saw Ian standing there, one arm propped on the doorframe as he watched her.

Her pulse quickened. Adrenaline shot up her spine and rebounded off the base of her skull.

Then he moved. He awkwardly shuffled forward, his feet making dragging sounds on the floor. As he’d done before, he settled on the edge of her bed at her hip. She held her breath, wondering what he’d say. What he’d do.

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“I need to know how much of your invitation was the drugs and how much of it was you knowing what the hell you were saying.”

Her blood stirred and rushed just a little faster, heating her skin and bringing a flush to her cheeks. They stared at each other, not like two potential lovers, but two people who might just devour each other before the night was over.

“It’s been a long time for me,” she said evenly.

One part of her recognized that she was stalling, while the other part wondered why she was babbling like an idiot.

“Paulo was my last lover.”

“Was he any good?” Ian asked bluntly.

She turned her head and studied him. Such a strange conversation to be having.

“Yes, he was,” she said. “Very good. It was for that reason that I had such an easy time turning Ricardo down when he showed interest. I was young and starry-eyed. The older brother would have been the better choice since I wanted security and family. I wasn’t the choosiest of women back then. I was more interested in the trappings than the actual man.”

“If that were true, you would have dropped Paulo with no compunction,” Ian pointed out.

She shrugged. “Paulo was actually very good to me in the beginning. I’m not defending him. He turned into quite the hat, but for a while we were happy. For a while I actually hoped that I’d fit in. That I’d have the things I wanted.”

“And what do you want right now?” he asked, bringing them back to the two of them. In this room. Right now.

“I want you,” she said softly.

“Is that the drugs talking?”

She smiled. “I won’t lie and say I’m not a bit loopy. I won’t even lie and say that I might not regret it tomorrow. All I can tell you is that tonight, it’s what I want more than anything. Can you accept that?”

His breathing sped up, and his eyes glittered with lust. “Yeah, I can accept that. As long as you realize that tomorrow, when you may or may not regret it? Too damn bad. Because once won’t be enough.”

Her hand went automatically to her stomach and the thick bandage. Excitement rocketed through her body at his words. This was supposed to be on her terms. She called the shots. But she had the distinct feeling that once they , she was going to be giving a much larger piece of herself than she planned.

“I won’t hurt you, Katie,” he said softly.

His fingers curled around her wrist, and he moved her hand gently away from her wound. She watched with shocked arousal as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her belly. So soft, she nearly didn’t feel the slight brush of his mouth.

Carefully he pushed at her shirt until it rode high on her belly, baring the skin and the bandage to his gaze. And his lips.

She shivered when he kissed her navel then trailed his tongue around the indention. The stubble of his jaw scraped delicately against her skin. Then he slipped her shirt higher until it gathered at her neck.

Free of constraint, her s puckered and stood erect. He palmed one , molding it in his hand. His thumb rubbed across the tip and then back again. Her breath caught when he pinched it slightly between his fingers.

Her gaze moved beyond Ian to the doorway where she was stunned to see Braden leaning against the wall. She stiffened as she locked stares with him.

Ian’s head turned to follow her line of vision, and then he looked back at her, his expression odd and unreadable.

“Why is he there?” she said in a low voice.

Braden heard, though. He straightened his stance and stared at her with hungry eyes. She looked back at him, remembering his kiss. Hungry was an apt term. He’d devoured her. There was nothing gentle in his approach. Not patient as Ian was being.

Desire burned low in her belly, spreading like a fire she had no control over. She wanted them both. Wanted what they could both give her, or what she thought they could.

“He’s here to protect you…from me,” Ian said. “Can you forget his presence, or is it going to be a problem?”

Her gaze slid to Braden once more. He stared back challengingly, a slight smirk on his face as though he dared her to go the route of the prude and put on some hysterical fit because he was watching.

“Maybe I don’t want to forget his presence.”

Braden smiled. A slow, arrogant smile that was a tad triumphant. She wondered then what had gone on between the two men outside of her room. The last thing she wanted was another pissing match between brothers. Been there done that, had the dead bodies to prove it.

“Do me a favor then and try not to forget about me,” Ian said dryly.

She glanced back and gave him a small smile. “If you’re good enough, you won’t have to worry about that.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed, and Braden snickered from across the room. Then Ian braced both hands on either side of her and leaned in until he hovered over her, his face inches from hers.

“That, little wench, was a challenge, and I never back down from a challenge.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Katie reached up to wrap her arms around Ian’s neck. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

He lowered his mouth until their noses touched, and then he angled to the side, his lips so close that hers trembled in reaction.

“Tell me something, Katie. Tell me you want me and that it’s not the drugs talking. I think I know, but I want to hear it again. If I really thought you were impaired, I’d be out of this bed so fast it would make your head spin.”

Her eyes widened fractionally as she stared up at him.

“I think you’d like to use the drugs as an excuse to give yourself permission to want me, to have *** with me, but then I also don’t have you pegged as a coward.”

She stroked the muscles in his back, enjoying the feel of her palms against his flesh. Firm. Toned.

“I take full responsibility for my decision, and if I beat anyone over the head about it, it’ll be me, not you.”

“Christ, you two are going to talk each other to death,” Braden muttered.

Ian turned fiercely and scowled at his brother. Katie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. The entire situation was beyond absurd. She’d agreed—no—she’d instigated *** with a man who could well turn into a jaguar on her. A man who for the most part irritated the living piss out of her. And his brother, a man who’d kissed her senseless just hours before, was standing by, prepared to watch them have ***, all so he could protect her if Ian freaked out and shifted.

*** had become more complicated than it was worth.

Curious, now that Ian seemed distracted by Braden’s presence, she slid her hand down his firm abdomen and between his legs to cup him intimately.

“The question is, do you want me?” she murmured.

He surged against her hand, immediately filling it as his jeans tightened. His erection pushed impatiently at her fingers, straining to be free of constriction.

“Hell yes,” he growled. “If I don’t have you, I’m going to go nuts.”

“Hmm, and how do you feel about that?”

“It wasn’t my first choice,” he said honestly.

She laughed, and he seemed relieved that she wasn’t pissed by his bluntness. “How about we dispense with the recriminations and get on with it?”

“Hallelujah,” Braden muttered. “I at least want to see her .”

Katie grinned. She couldn’t bring herself to be self-conscious over the fact that Braden was watching. Instead it made her feel naughty and desirable. She licked her lips, remembering his kiss. Hard. Bruising. Like he couldn’t wait to get at her. It had been a long time since she’d felt those things in a man’s arms. She was ready to get back to that.

She let her hands fall away from Ian’s neck and pulled her shirt away from her throat.

He pressed his lips to the valley between her s. “Let me.”

He worked the shirt over her head, and she extended her arms upward so he could take it off.

“You have beautiful s,” he said as he stared down at her. “Perfect.”

“Not big enough according to Tits.”

“Tits is a damn fool. Yours are gorgeous. Full and plump.” He licked one taut point, eliciting a deep spasm from her chest. She moaned softly and arched up, wanting more. Wanting his mouth, his tongue, his teeth.

“Careful,” he warned. “Lie still so you don’t open your stitches.”

She made a frustrated sound through her teeth. How could she remain still when her skin was alive and itchy with want and need?

“I’ll do all the work,” he purred against her ear. “You just enjoy the ride.”

She sighed. Oh hell, she loved that in a man. Before Paulo lost his mind, he was an extremely attentive lover. He spoiled her, and she wanted that again. Without the obsession and insanity, preferably.