The Last Warrior (Shifters Unbound #13) - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,71
like Liam’s but slightly different. Perhaps from the same family, Rhianne concluded.
Hush, Tiger warned her.
Rhianne acknowledged him. Someone was communicating secretly with the blond man, Walker, and she couldn’t draw attention to that fact. Rhianne had caught the voice because Shifters had fantastic hearing.
Her day was becoming more and more disconcerting.
The leader barked orders to his underlings, who scurried from the room. Two of the agents stood on either side of Rhianne, too close for her liking.
It cheered her that she could very quickly knock them aside, no matter that they had weapons. She could break those. She wanted to laugh.
She felt Tiger’s gaze on her again, and she folded her lips to avoid a smile.
Ben would not look at her. Rhianne wanted him to, needed him to. But he kept his head turned, his gaze studiously on Walker and the lead agent.
Rhianne understood why. Ben did not want to betray, by expression or any of his body language, that she and he were lovers. Mates.
A lackey trotted back into the room after a time with a square device with a screen similar to the cell phones, only larger. The lead agent stabbed the lit screen with a finger as his lackey held it up to him, his eyes moving as he read.
“I see.” The lead agent sounded disappointed. “Fine. I’m authorizing her transportation to Austin.” He zipped his finger over the screen and then tapped it so hard that the lackey flinched. The lead agent swept his gaze to Walker. “Be sure you keep her there.”
Walker nodded once, as though he couldn’t be bothered to answer.
“You brought your own transport?” the agent snapped at him.
“Of course.”
“Then get her out of my sight. Him too.” He sent a glare to Ben, whose mouth tightened.
None of the agents looked at Tiger, Rhianne noticed. They’d fix on Ben or Walker or Rhianne, but all avoided gazing directly at Tiger.
Ben had used the phrase the elephant in the room meaning evading discussion of something obvious and important. Rhianne reflected that the phrase should be the Tiger in the room. She suppressed a laugh with difficulty.
Walker flicked his pale blue eyes to Rhianne. “If you’ll come with me.”
Ben gave Rhianne a nod. Trust him, his body language told her. Rhianne started for Walker, pleased she could read Ben so well.
Tiger fell into step behind Rhianne, and several agents brought up the rear. Rhianne passed Ben, but instead of joining her, he stood still and watched her go. She looked back at him, trying not to be frantic, but she lost sight of him as too many people surrounded her.
The agents escorted her through the maze of pale corridors with their buzzing lights and out into the daylight. The sky had become overcast, and as Rhianne stepped from the stone building to the smoothly paved courtyard, rain pattered down.
Walker made for a black vehicle similar to the one that had brought her and Ben here, except this one was mud-splattered, as though it had been driven a long way. Tiger swept past Rhianne and opened the back door for her before Walker could.
“Wait.” Rhianne swung around, searching for Ben, but he’d disappeared. “Where’s Ben? Isn’t he coming with us?”
“Probably not,” Walker answered in a low voice. “Ben goes his own way.”
Tiger crowded behind Rhianne, expecting her to climb into the vehicle. “No,” she cried. “We can’t go without Ben.”
Walker stepped to her, pitching his voice so he wouldn’t be overheard. “Best get in before the sergeant changes his mind and confines you until he verifies all the bullshit I just told him.”
Shite, Walker, came the voice in Walker’s ear. Drive now. Argue later. I’m patching everything together as it is.
Rhianne agreed with the wisdom of the unknown speaker, but panic surged over her.
“I can’t. Not without Ben. Ben!”
She couldn’t see him in the crowd. Rhianne darted forward, needing to find him, a pull that wouldn’t let her leave him behind.
There was a click and a whine, loud to her newly sensitive hearing. Tiger grabbed her with intense strength and half threw her into the vehicle, leaping in behind her.
Tiger’s foot caught on the step, and he fell onto the seat beside her. Walker shoved Tiger’s booted foot inside, slammed the door, and leapt into the front. He started the motor and the vehicle leapt forward. The gate rolled back for him, and he pulled quickly out of the complex.
Tears trickled down Rhianne’s face. “What happened?” she asked Tiger, who was half-sprawled across the back seat.