“You have to know there’s no way they’re ever going to allow that camera crew in here while there are police officers bleeding to death. You’re going to have to let the paramedics take them outside.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Diego saw both cops shake their heads, indicating they wanted to stay. Because that’s what good cops did—risked their lives for others. But Diego wanted to get everyone out of here alive, and it started with the two of them.
“Look, you’re simply giving up two injured people,” Diego pointed out when Ken hesitated. “You do that, and you get everything you want in return. You know you have to do this.”
It felt like the whole room was holding its collective breath, waiting to see what the unbalanced man with the gun would do. A few feet away, the beautiful woman on the floor looked from her son to Ken, then finally fixed all her attention on Diego.
Her brown eyes were warm, like whiskey mixed with honey, and Diego would have enjoyed getting lost in them. Unfortunately, right now wasn’t the time for that.
Sudden movement in Ken’s direction had Diego snapping his head around to see the man squeezing his temples with both hands, like he was trying to make some kind of horrible pain go away. Grip tight on the gun, he smacked the butt of the weapon against his head several times, his eyes clenched closed in obvious agony, fresh sweat beading on his forehead. But when he opened his eyes a moment later, they were clearer and more aware than they’d been since Diego had first stepped into the diner.
“Get the cops out of here now,” Ken said, breath coming in gasps as he continued to press his fists against his temples “Before he makes me stop you.”
Diego had no idea who he was talking about, but he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity while he tried to figure it out. Bringing paramedics in with gurneys would take too long, so he was going to have to improvise.
“You four,” Diego said, pointing at two big guys and two younger women huddled close to the wall near the cops. “Help me get the two officers outside.”
Diego could easily have picked up the injured cops himself, but this way, he’d be able to get the four hostages out with them. The kid moved the dish rack aside while his mom held open the door. Diego had every intention of shoving them out the door along with the others, but then Ken was there, his eyes looking positively vacant as he reached out and grabbed the kid’s shoulder, dragging him back into the diner.
And Mom wasn’t leaving without her kid.
“They stay here,” Ken said, wrapping his arm tightly around the kid as he backed away from the door, the barrel of the automatic waving around wildly, threatening everyone in the place even as he glared at Diego. “I know what you were trying to do. You don’t care about the truth, but I have to stop him. I can’t let him get away with what he’s done. Don’t you see we’re all just a bunch of puppets to him?”
The vein at Ken’s temple throbbed, and he gripped the gun so tightly his knuckles were white. The people huddled in the back of the diner must have known things were going to get ugly in a minute because they visibly started to panic, more than a few of them eyeing the door like they were going to make a mad dash for the exit.
That would be suicide.
Tears filled Ken’s eyes even as he lifted the gun and pressed it against the kid’s head. Like he genuinely didn’t want to kill the boy but couldn’t stop himself.
The teen werewolf must have realized what was coming because his eyes flashed yellow-gold and there was a hint of fangs visible as they extended in response to the fear rushing through his body.
Beside Diego, the kid’s mom tensed, like she was going to jump on the man holding her son, regardless of the gun he was holding.
“It’s getting hot in here, guys,” Diego murmured, giving the signal to his teammates outside as he launched himself at Ken.
His muscles twisted and spasmed in a partial shift, his body becoming a blur as he moved. It went without saying that he was a lot faster than the boy’s mom, even if she did look fit as hell.
Diego slammed into the kid and the gunman at the