“Malcolm.” Diane Broen whispered the name with an edge of pain.
She obviously knew him, and it was more than apparent he’d somehow betrayed her.
Liza swore she could feel the pain pouring from the other woman. It was in her voice and in her expression as she stared at the man as he stepped forward.
“I thought it was Brick,” Diane whispered when he smirked back at her.
Brick was another member of the four-man team Diane commanded since her uncle’s death, Liza knew. Cullen had managed to uncover the identities of most of the men on her team; unfortunately, he’d still had one to go.
This one, she guessed.
Malcolm chuckled, a cruel, vicious sound. “Good ole Gideon would have gotten me if I hadn’t managed to find a way to trip that dumb bastard Brick and throw him in the way. Son of a bitch never figured it out either.”
Interesting.
He had to be talking about the attack Gideon Cross had made on the team in D.C.
“Where’s Thor?” The rasp of fear in Diane’s voice warned Liza that the hulking Viking should have been close by.
The fact that he wasn’t obviously didn’t bode well.
The sudden disconnected feeling of watching rather than participating in life overwhelmed Liza at that moment. All of her senses seemed centered on taking in each iota of information, every expression, every feature.
The unique qualities of her photographic memory would take care of the rest.
“He’s a bit under the weather, boss.” Malcolm mocked Diane. “It might have something to do with the knife I shoved in his chest. I do believe I even managed to pierce that bastard’s icy little heart.”
“The Bureau’s moving in.” Cullen’s voice was barely a whisper as he alerted her to the cavalry’s arrival. “Thorsson is wounded but breathing. But these aren’t the soldiers we were targeting. We have another group moving in.”
As Cullen spoke, Liza watched as Diane pulled the laser pistol from her back and pointed it at Malcolm’s heart while activating it.
“Liza, run,” she ordered, her voice heavy, resigned.
Diane was going to kill him; Liza could sense it. Unfortunately, Malcolm wasn’t the only one there and that laser pistol would only get perhaps one shot off before those Coyote soldiers descended on her like rabid dogs.
The link in her ear activated again with a soft, electronic hiss.
“Stay in place.” Cullen spoke softly, warningly. “Keep her there.”
“Run where?” Liza forced disbelief to fill her voice as she protested Diane’s order. “Have you noticed there are four Coyotes here, lady? Does it look like I have a chance?”
One of those Coyotes grinned.
A tilt of his lips, which covered the curved canines, had her gaze sharpening on him.
There was something in his gaze as it met hers. Amusement, definitely, but perhaps also a hint of a wink? Was he flirting?
Or was there something more there?
“The first one who moves will die,” Diane snapped as she spared a glance back at Liza. “Now get the hell out of here.”
“If she runs, one of us will chase,” the lead Coyote murmured with an irrepressible grin. “We can’t resist. It’s like a dog with a ball. We just have to fetch.” He wagged his brows playfully.
He was definitely flirting. But there was also a slight edge of reassurance.
What the hell was going on here?
For a moment, Liza could only stare at the flirtatious Breed, aware that the woman standing in front of her was doing the same. It was obvious she was just as astonished as Liza, if the expression Liza glimpsed on her profile was anything to go by. Of course, all Breeds had the ability to make most women consider escaping in the opposite direction from them more often than not.