Diane stepped back, bringing herself closer to the other girl in an effort to protect her; she took a deep breath and prepared herself.
They didn’t have a chance. Malcolm had taken out Thor and that left no one to watch her back. She had one shot, and not enough time to power the weapon again for another kill shot.
She didn’t have to kill.
With an imperceptible movement of her thumb against the mechanism Diane lowered the power from kill to wound and from wound to disable.
She could get off eight shots, and if she aimed at their kneecaps, she might have a chance.
And so would Liza.
“Poor Malcolm,” she drawled with an edge of laughter as she looked back at him, the only plan she could come up with flashing through her memory.
He scowled as the Coyote with the cigar chuckled wickedly. “Sounds like a challenge to me, little man.”
“Shut the f**k up,” Malcolm snapped. “No one asked you.”
Lawe would have missed her by now surely. It had been over an hour. He knew her and he knew her well. Just as she knew him. She had been pushing him, challenging him, now all she had to do was stay alive long enough—
“No one had to ask me.” The Coyote gave another low, amused laugh. “She’s cute as hell, Malcolm.”
“And she can kick Malcolm’s ass to hell and back,” Diane assured them all. Glancing at the Coyote, clearly the dominant alpha, she shot him a mocking sneer. “He knew he would have to face me.” She nodded at Malcolm. “He didn’t come for the girl, he came for me.”
The Coyote turned his head to Malcolm. “That true, Malcolm?”
Malcolm’s lips thinned angrily. “Two birds with one stone, right? She got her uncle, his second-in-command, killed so she and that bastard Thor could take over the team. I told you I wanted blood.”
“That wasn’t the mission,” he was reminded.
Diane chuckled. “Four coyotes.” She sighed. “For little ole me? That scared of me, Malcolm?”
His jaw bunched, his hands clenching the weapon.
“If you want me, come fight me,” she suggested with a laugh. “I dare you.”
Every Coyote there perked up.
“A thousand on the girl,” the leader murmured.
“Shut the f**k up, Dog,” Malcolm raged furiously.
“I got your thousand on the prick there. He has muscle where she doesn’t.” Loki took the bet before turning to the other two. “Mutt, Mongrel? You two in?”
“Thousand on the girl.” Gray Eyes took him up on it.
“Thousand on the prick.” The last one accepted the bet.
Malcolm was shaking with fury.
Diane smiled in anticipation.
“Knives or fists?” she asked, knowing his strengths as well as his weaknesses.
“You f**king whore,” he snarled.
“Take the challenge or walk away,” Dog snapped. “We won’t take her without the fight.”
God love a Coyote’s heart and his love of a challenge or a good bet.