and blocking her view. She hugged the person even though she didn’t know who it was—he had risked his life to rescue her and Declan, after all. But when she stepped back, whoever it was cupped her cheek and kissed her hard on the lips. And it wasn’t Declan. She jerked away.
What the hell?
Derek was smiling at her and saying something about being so happy that she was safe. She didn’t quite hear exactly what he said, because she was busy trying to figure out why he’d just kissed her. Sure, they’d danced a few times at Ivy and Landon’s wedding, but then again, she’d danced with a lot of people that night, including Angelo, and he hadn’t kissed her.
Derek must have picked up on her vibe, because he quickly dropped his arms from around her and stepped back, running his hand through his hair. “Sorry about that. I, um, I’m just happy to see you safe.”
She didn’t know which of them felt more awkward. “No problem. Thanks. For coming to the rescue, I mean.”
He nodded and probably would have said more, but Tate, Brent, and Gavin showed up to save both of them from further embarrassment.
“Good to see you in one piece,” he said.
Her lips curved. “Thanks to Declan.”
Kendra scanned the room, looking for him. But her big bear shifter was nowhere to be seen. Her stomach clenched. Maybe his wounds were worse than she’d feared.
“Where’s Declan?” she asked.
“He’s out with Clayne, tracking down the hybrids who got away,” Tate answered.
She understood that. Nobody liked the idea of a couple hybrids roaming around loose in the jungle. While chasing down rogue shifters—or hybrids—was technically part of Declan’s job description, it still hurt that he’d left without talking to her first.
“Oh,” she said.
Landon called out to Ivy from across the room. “Hey, Ivy! Angelo and I are going to check out the rest of the camp.”
Kendra jerked her head up. Crap. Harry and the other doctors. She almost forgot. “Landon,” she called. “The hybrids were keeping some doctors locked up in one of the small buildings on the other side of the camp. They were pretty beat up.”
“We’re on it,” he said.
Ivy frowned at her. “You okay?”
Kendra gave herself a shake. “What? Yeah.”
Her friend didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure? Maybe Derek should take a look at you.”
Kendra cringed. She’d rather not. “I’m fine, really. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Ivy prompted.
Kendra didn’t answer. She’d always confided in Ivy about everything. So why was she having such a hard time now? “Declan and I…well, we got really close out here. He got pretty beat up in the fight with the hybrid running the place and…”
“And you’re worried about him,” Ivy finished.
Kendra nodded.
“He’s a shifter, remember?” Ivy smiled. “That means he heals fast.”
Ivy was right. And if that’s all it was, she’d probably only be half as worried as she was. But it was more than that. The fearful way Declan had looked at her right before Ivy and the guys had shown up, well, it had freaked her out. But how could she explain that to her friend when she couldn’t make sense of it herself?
“Even so, I’ll breathe easier when he gets back,” was all she said.
To keep from going crazy until he did, Kendra tagged along with Ivy, Landon, and Tate to search the lab. Landon figured they only had a day or so before the Costa Rican government finally got bold enough to come see what all the shooting had been about. He wanted them to be long gone before that happened.
As she skimmed the files on one of the computers, Kendra filled Ivy, Landon, and Tate in on everything she’d learned from Harry and the other two doctors. She’d hoped the men would be able to tell the story themselves, but when Landon and Angelo found them, the doctors were already dead. All three of them had been shot in the head.
“You don’t seem surprised that the doctors who were working for Stutmeir aren’t the ones who made these hybrids,” Kendra said, glancing at Ivy and Landon.
“We’ve searched enough of their labs to know that this place doesn’t look anything like those,” Landon said.
“Which is too bad.” Ivy tossed a folder down on the desk she was searching. “I was hoping to find Klaus and Renard when we kicked in the door—preferably dead.”
Kendra silently agreed. Ivy would sleep a lot better knowing the two doctors who had tortured her were no longer a threat.