That clearly threw him off.
Devil and the others were at the top of the stairs now, racing furiously for her room. She was at the end of the hall. With a running go, Devil would take her door down instantly, surprising her would-be kidnapper and drawing his attention against his will.
Using the force he’d enter with, Devil would evade the shot that may possibly go off, and knowing Lobo and Dash, she’d be anticipating the quick trigger finger with calculating assurance.
At the most, the mirror on the dresser would shatter about one second before Devil took this man’s head off his shoulders.
“Don’t be difficult, bitch,” he snapped out, his brown eyes narrowing furiously.
“But it’s what I live for.”
She dove for the floor at the same second that Devil exploded against the door.
The shot went off, glass exploded.
Lunging to her feet, Kate jumped for the mercenary, or the Council soldier, whatever he was. The only chance he had of living was if she got to him first.
Shock held him for that extra second she needed to kick the weapon from his hand, ram her knee into his crotch, then slam her elbow into his neck with enough force to knock him to the floor, unconscious, before slamming the balcony door against the sound of the helicopter circling the side of the house to pick the bastard up.
As the door closed she swung around, knelt in front of the fallen soldier and met her mate’s furious scowl as he crouched in front of her, prepared to leap for an enemy that was no longer in position for the killing blow he would have made.
Devil’s black and amber gaze flickered to the unconscious soldier, then to Kate as she stared back at him, determination narrowing her eyes.
“Mate, why are you protecting garbage?” he asked with lazy curiosity as he sensed both Lobo and Dash quickly reassessing the situation and relaxing their primal rush for blood.
“One man’s trash.” She shrugged with a suggestive smile. “Another’s treasure?”
Was that jealousy striking at his brain and bringing the taste of blood to his senses?
“Is he your treasure then?” He nodded to the fallen form.
Katie grimaced. What an awful description.
“Perhaps not him,” she admitted as she rose slowly from her crouch and faced the man she’d been told was her “mate.” “But, the information he might have is something else entirely.”
She looked down at him again, remembering where she had seen him and the significance of the information he may well hold.
“What information could a mercenary possibly hold?” Devil asked as he took the two steps toward her, gripped her arm and unceremoniously dragged her away from the “garbage.”
“I’ve seen him before,” she admitted, turning to stare down at him as well. “Da has a picture of him in his study alongside four other men who were at the labs the night he found me. They were assigned to the labs, and one of them shot Da’s best friend, Jorn Langer. When Da was forced to leave the body to hide me, he then went back during the cleanup phase of the liberation. Jorn’s body was missing and this man as well as his three cohorts were seen dragging the body away.”
“Langer’s alive then?” Lobo questioned, the significance of the information drawing a frown to his brow.
She shook her head. “Da’s certain he was dead. Khileen’s mother had him officially declared dead before your marriage to her, so it wouldn’t affect you or Khileen legally in any way. Da wants to fulfill a promise he and his friend made to each other as young men, a promise to make certain that if one went before the other, the surviving one would ensure the other was buried in their family cemetery in Ireland. And he wants to know why they took his body.” That more than anything tormented her father, Kate knew.
“I couldn’t let you kill him, Dev,” she said softly. “Da’s searched for these men since the night Jorn disappeared. He left him to save me. Jorn died to help Da rescue me before anyone else knew of my existence there. I couldn’t let him die.”
Hell, this woman would probably surprise him until the day he drew his last breath. She was a wonder he had no idea how to decipher, and no way of understanding how he had deserved her.
“Get the garbage out of here,” he ordered Graeme as the other man rushed into the room. He’d clearly not followed Devil’s orders to go into town. “Then find those reporters as I told you to do.”
“I sent Flint to follow the reporters,” Graeme stated, his tone flat with disgust. “I delegate, Devil. There’s too much damned excitement around here for me to be gone for long. Why the hell didn’t you call me before rushing up here? If I hadn’t heard that damned copter, I’d have never known we had trouble.”
Devil’s brow lifted as he stared back at the other man, waiting.
“Do I look stupid today?” the other man demanded arrogantly. “Our heli was in the air instantly, and the team aboard it just reported they’ve taken the pilot into custody.” He tapped the earbud he wore securely in his ear.
Yeah, he was going to have to start using his, Devil decided as he turned back to his mate.