"Just stop Danielle, will you," Decker said tiredly.
"She prefers Dani," he announced.
"Bricker," he snarled.
"All right, all right. Keep your pants on." Justin moved past him, adding, "I'm just saying..."
Decker ground his teeth together and then realized exactly what the man was saying. To know she preferred being called Dani meant Justin was able to read her thoughts. It wasn't just that she was too upset to be read. She was his...
Life mate.
Decker lifted his eyes skyward, expecting something to happen. He didn't know what, perhaps for the stars overhead to explode into shimmery fireworks, or for the sky to crack open and pour down rain and thunder to mark the moment. But nothing happened. The most important moment of his life arrived not with a bang as he'd always expected, but with the quiet rustle of wind through the trees and a serene breeze brushing his cheeks.
Shaking his head, Decker forced himself to turn his attention back to the business at hand. They were stuck in the woods in the middle of nowhere with a clearing full of bad rogues who were down but not dead. They needed backup to clean up this mess before some unsuspecting mortal came across the scene. And they needed to start hunting for Nicholas again... as well as the other rogue and the girl he'd taken.
Decker wasn't at all sure that both targets would lead in the same direction. It was entirely possible either that Nicholas had been riding with the nest they'd just decimated, or that he'd known about them and led Decker and Justin here when he'd realized they were on his tail because he'd hoped to make his escape while they were busy with the other men. Nicholas certainly had hightailed it out of there pretty quickly the moment the opportunity arose.
But even if he really had deliberately drawn them there with the express purpose of taking down this nest, it didn't mean Nicholas would still be on the rogue's tail now. He was a wanted man. It would be smarter for him to leave it to Decker and the other enforcers to chase after the girl and her kidnapper and take this opportunity to disappear into the ether as he had done fifty years ago.
If that was the case, they had probably lost him again. Their only hope of catching him was if Nicholas Argeneau had somehow seen the error of his ways and was indeed chasing after the girl and the other rogue. Then, at least, they had a chance of catching him... but Decker wasn't holding his breath on that count.
He rubbed at his chest again, recalling that-on top of everything else-he presently had two bullet wounds his body was trying to repair... and their blood was in the SUV along with their weapons. Perfect, Decker thought with weary frustration. This was a hell of a time for him to finally meet his life mate. His gaze slid to the woman in question. Dani.
Justin had managed to stop her and turn her around. She was now walking back toward them, her body relaxed and expression blank.
"I think you have something you want to say to me," Justin said, tongue in cheek as they watched her return.
"You want a thank-you for bringing her back?" Decker asked dryly.
"No, not that."
"What then?"
The younger immortal rolled his eyes. "Oh, I don't know. I thought you might just want to apologize for all that grief you guys gave me for using the cover that we were in a band on our last case. I mean... a government spy?"
"I never-" Decker stopped when he saw the teasing grin on Justin's face. Cursing at himself for allowing the kid to get a rise out of him, he barked, "Just bring her and come on."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Bond, sir," Justin said cheerfully.
"Smart ass," Decker muttered under his breath as he turned away.
Chapter Two
"The two girls are sisters," Justin announced, catching up to Decker as he reached the kidnappers' van. It was parked on the edge of the clearing, and while he hadn't taken much notice of it when they'd rushed by it earlier, Decker found himself considering it now as a possible way out of there. He paused to glance back at Justin, scowling when he saw that the kid was dragging a blank-faced Dani along by the hand like they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
Justin rolled his eyes at his expression and dropped her hand to take her arm instead.
"I know they're sisters," Decker said, relaxing a little. "She told me that."
Justin nodded, but continued recounting what he'd learned from reading Dani's mind. "Their family was up here for a long weekend. The two of them were kidnapped from the grocery store parking lot like Nicholas said. Their captors were a bit rough, but other than a bruise or two she seems all right."
Decker grunted, his attention on negotiating the uneven ground as he led the way around the van and into the clearing.
"I gather from her memories, though, that there are more than the immortals to deal with," Justin warned, following him.
That made Decker pause and glance back in question.
"It would seem Dani and Stephanie weren't the first victims," Justin explained. "There are a couple of women in the ravine she fell into. Pretty messed up from what I saw in her memory. Oh, and it turns out the ravine wasn't very deep. The reason she was so desperate to get out was because of the bodies."