December tried to blend into the background as Ryan clicked away on his computer. He’d said she wasn’t bugging him and she believed him, but she also didn’t know him well enough to know for sure.
The cabin was apparently where most of the males lived, including Liam when he wasn’t with her. It was a complete bachelor’s pad. The expansive first floor was basically one room with the living room and kitchen connected.
Stacked dirty plates and cups looked as if they’d been sitting in the sink for a week, and it was beyond disgusting. They hadn’t even soaked some of the plates. So, she’d decided to do their dishes. Anything to keep her hands busy. To make her feel like she was helping in some way. Not that it did much to distract her mentally.
Aiden, the shifter who’d accompanied her and Erin to and from her store earlier, lounged on the couch in the living room with his eyes shut. A couple other pack members were out patrolling and she’d seen a few females around the ranch, but it was really cold outside and it seemed almost everyone was staying indoors.
Erin sat on the love seat across from Aiden, reading a book. December wasn’t entirely sure, but she had a feeling both of them had been ordered to watch her all day no matter what happened or where she went.
“You don’t have to do that, you know. These guys are pigs and should learn to clean up after themselves,” Erin said without looking up.
December half smiled. “I know. I just hate not being able to do anything. Shouldn’t we be out looking for Kat?”
Erin glanced up from her book. “If anyone will find her, it’s Connor, Liam, and Jayce.”
That might be so, but it didn’t lessen December’s fear any. She’d even tried calling the hospital as a way to distract herself, but after being told five times that Parker wasn’t taking her calls, she felt even worse.
“Oh, shit,” Ryan said almost absently.
The first words he’d spoken in the last half hour. December shut off the sink and wiped her hands on a dishrag as Erin and Aiden stood up.
“What is it?” Erin asked.
“It might be nothing, but I’ve been pulling up various satellite images of Fontana and cross-referencing them with the remote addresses we’ve got so far….” He trailed off as he continued clacking away on the keyboard.
“And?” Erin persisted when he didn’t continue.
He pulled up a couple maps and pointed at what looked like the top of a building in the middle of the woods. “This is on the property Connor and the others are headed to, but it’s not listed as a safe house anywhere. Or if it is, I haven’t cracked that part yet. And see this?” He traced his finger along the screen, highlighting what looked like a faint trail. “This could be an access road. The trees cover most of it, but it looks like it connects to the highway miles out of the way from where they’re looking.”
December’s heart rate increased. What if this was where Kat was? “Can you call Liam and tell him about this?”
Ryan glanced at her before shaking his head. “They’ve gone dark. None of them have their cells activated.”
She wasn’t exactly sure why, but she could guess. “What if they miss this area? What if it’s where Kat is? And what if they move her?”
“Wait, we can let Ana know and she can communicate with Connor.” Aiden spoke up for the first time.
“I thought you said their phones were turned off,” December said.
Erin glanced between the men, then looked at her. “Connor and Ana can communicate telepathically.”
“Oh, right.” Liam had told her about that. It was just hard to fathom. Before she could say anything else, Erin continued as she pulled out her cell phone.
“She’s not here and I don’t know if she has her cell on.” They were all silent as Erin called. Moments later she snapped her phone shut and shook her head. “Straight to voice mail.”
“Why isn’t she at the ranch?” Ryan asked what December was thinking.
Erin cut her another inscrutable look as she answered the question. “At the hospital trying to talk to Parker. And before you ask why, Liam asked her to go. He knows how important your brother is to you and thought maybe Ana could talk some sense into him.”
December’s throat clenched impossibly tight. Even with everything going on, Liam was still thinking about her happiness. It was tempting to focus on that, but she knew they had more important things to worry about. She motioned to the screen, diverting everyone’s attention. “How old is this image?”
Ryan shrugged nervously. “Six months, give or take. They update these images once or twice a year.”
December looked at Erin and Aiden questioningly. They all stood there, as if they weren’t going to do a thing. Gritting her teeth, she turned on her heel and headed for the front door. She wasn’t a hostage and if she wanted to leave, she damn well would. It wasn’t as if these APL members had superstrength. If she could get her hands on a weapon, she could defend herself. No one would be sneaking up on her this time.
“What are you doing?” Erin demanded as she strode after her.
“What do you think? If you guys can’t get hold of Liam, then what else can we do? Do you plan to just sit here and do nothing? If this turns out to be where Kat’s being held and they move her in the meantime…” She didn’t finish because it was pointless. She didn’t care what they said.
She was going.
Erin touched her arm lightly as she grabbed her coat from the rack. “Hold on a sec,” she murmured, and looked at the other wolves. “Noah and Jacob are checking out other leads in town and we can’t ask the others to leave the ranch unprotected…but we can go.”
Aiden nodded and motioned to December. “Just leave her at the main house.”
December glared at the tall shifter who spoke as if she weren’t even in the room. “Kat is my best friend and unless you plan on tying me up and knocking me out, I’m going.” The three of them stared at her, but she held her ground. “My brother’s a cop. I don’t own a gun, but I know how to use one. Give me a weapon and I promise to stay out of the way. Besides, if you don’t take me, I’m following anyway.”
Erin and Aiden both cursed, but the she-wolf nodded tightly. “You stay out of the way or I will knock you out.”
“Deal. Now can we leave?” Every second they spent here was a second wasted. Her heart pounded mercilessly, the blood rushing loudly in her ears. Kat might not have much time left and if this was where she was being held, they had to help her.
December wiped clammy palms on her jeans as they drove down the barely formed trail. Snow had fallen hard earlier, making the road thick and slushy, but Aiden didn’t seem to notice as he drove. She sat in the backseat with Erin and so far everyone had been quiet.
They’d missed the turnoff the first time, but Ryan figured it out by calculating the longitude and latitude. Or something like that. She didn’t really understand or care how he’d figured out where they were going. She just wanted to find her friend.
“We should be there soon,” Ryan murmured.
They’d been driving through the forest down the dirt trail for a while, though it probably seemed longer than it actually was.
A few moments later, Aiden slowed the truck and killed the engine in the middle of the trail. He glanced back at them. “We go on foot from here. I don’t like you being here,” he said to her, “so stick close and keep your weapon on hand at all times.”
She nodded, unable to get rid of the nervousness threading through her. “Okay.”
When she stepped out into the snow, she sank nearly a foot into the powdery softness.
Instantly Aiden knelt in front of her and turned so that his back was facing her. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Liam will probably kill me for touching you, but I’m going to carry you. We can move faster that way.”
She didn’t care one way or another how they got there. Quickly, she slid onto his back and held on as they began the trek down the trail. He was a little taller than Liam and she was thankful for his added warmth. Even with her thick coat her face was already frozen. The farther they went, the thicker the trees got, but there was still a distinct—if smaller—trail that was probably used for snowmobiles.
After a few minutes all three shifters slowed in unison. December had no idea why but figured maybe they scented something or someone.
“We’re close,” Aiden said as if he read her mind. Stopping completely, he bent down and let her off his back.
Adrenaline pumped through her wildly. They were close to finding Kat. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. This was it. It had to be. Kat was likely scared out of her mind.
Suddenly, the trail thinned and opened to a small clearing. What they’d seen from the satellite images was a small, dilapidated barn. Not for animals exactly, but probably for storage, though whoever owned it hadn’t kept it up well.
Erin sniffed the air and glanced at them. “You smell that?”
“Dead bodies. Really old ones,” Aiden said.
December didn’t smell anything, but her throat clenched at their words. “Kat?”
Erin shook her head. “No, these bodies have been here weeks at least. The scent is really faint, which means they’re likely buried nearby. Not deep enough, though.”
December started to say something when the sound of multiple engines silenced her. They all moved back toward the trees and watched.
Two men and an ethereal-looking blond woman drove up on sleek black snowmobiles. When they turned them off and headed for the barn, Aiden motioned to her. “Stay put. If anything happens to us, turn on your phone and call the cops,” he whispered.
Nodding, she crouched down behind one of the trees and withdrew her gun. In her other hand, she held on to her cell phone. She’d kept it off like they’d instructed, but at the first sign of trouble she was ready to take action.
Kat heard the distant sound of engines but kept her eyes closed. She’d feigned being passed out a while ago just to make the pain stop. Somehow she tried to think of what her captor had done to her in detached terms. The colder she got, the easier it was. And she knew she was dying.
Knew it bone deep. It wouldn’t be much longer. When blood had trickled out of her mouth and nose, it hadn’t been hard to guess she had internal bleeding. With no one here to help, it was only a matter of time.
Only a vague sense of triumph remained. After all his abuse the bastard hadn’t been able to get it up, so at least he hadn’t raped her. As she tried to take another ragged breath, she closed her mind off. She wasn’t here and she couldn’t give him any more power. When she died, she wasn’t going to be thinking of him. No, she’d be focused on something much more pleasant.
She was in Miami. On the beach. The warm Atlantic water lapped around her feet as she dug her toes into the white sand. Jayce was next to her, holding her hand, telling her all the things she’d ever wanted to hear from him but he’d never said.
The sound of the large exterior door rolling open jerked her out of her thoughts. More tormentors arriving? She almost dry heaved at the thought. Her heart clenched on a fresh wave of terror as she tried not to stir or alert them to her consciousness.
“Oh my God! What the hell have you done?” a female voice shrieked.
Kat decided to open her eyes. Everything was hazy, but she spotted two new men and a woman entering the building.
The petite blond woman glowed supernaturally. The humans wouldn’t be able to see it, but thanks to her seer abilities, Kat could. The female wasn’t human, but she couldn’t tell exactly what she was. Not a vampire and not a shifter, that was for sure. There was no underlying animal at the blonde’s surface. She was unique in a way Kat had never seen. The thought was clear in her head. But what was she? And why was she with these men? Her mind briefly struggled to put together what she was seeing, but just as quickly she gave up even worrying about it. Didn’t matter. Kat was dead anyway.
Deep down she didn’t want to die, but she didn’t want to live if this pain was all that was left for her. If they were going to keep torturing her pointlessly, then she’d rather be dead. She wanted to cry but it was too painful, especially since she could barely breathe. The tape was so restrictive it only added to her misery.
“I was trying to get information out of her,” Greg, her tormentor, said casually.
“Then why is her mouth taped shut?” a man with a scarred face asked. “If you’re going to torture someone, you have to do it right. Don’t fucking lie to me. She’s our ticket to bringing down the enforcer, but if she’s dead, she won’t be of any use to us.”
“You’re all monsters,” the blond woman breathed out, horror lacing every word.
The man with the scar turned and backhanded her. The sound of the blow ricocheted around the small space. “This is a war. If you can’t handle this, then leave.” As if she meant nothing to him, he turned from her and back toward the men.
“Listen, I didn’t sign up for this shit. I thought we were just holding her hostage. No one said anything about…this.”
“Shut up, Joseph. You’re such a fucking pussy,” Greg, her tormentor, said, his voice full of venom.
The three males continued to argue. The man with the scarred face was angry because Greg had beaten her so thoroughly. He made it clear he couldn’t use her as a bargaining chip if she was dead. Apparently enough time had passed and she’d been missing long enough that the scarred man—Kat guessed he was the boss—was ready to contact the enforcer and see what they could get in exchange for Kat’s safe return. But now they would have to wait until she healed a little—if she recovered at all. She must look pretty bad if they thought she might not recover. Her most animal side knew this was it. She wanted to scream out in anger—if her mouth weren’t taped and if she had the energy—at how short her life had been. There was so much she still wanted to do.
As she stared at the three men, Kat watched in horror and fascination as the blond woman smoothly pushed to her feet and started to glow incandescently. Instead of being fearful, the woman looked angry. Her entire body lit up and her blue eyes flashed darkly, almost evilly. Kat couldn’t tear her gaze away from the sight. By their expressions, it was obvious the males could see her glowing too. She wasn’t visible just to Kat’s seer senses.
“You arrogant bastard,” the woman breathed out, her voice eerily dark and unnatural. All her focus was on the scarred man. “For months I’ve put up with all of you, but you are the worst. Controlling your sick, twisted mind has drained my powers on a daily basis, but no more. Finding out who your boss is isn’t worth this.” Her voice deepened even more, sending a chill snaking through Kat’s entire body.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kat watched Greg inch toward the door. She wanted to cry out, to alert the woman that he was trying to escape, but her mouth was taped shut. The other man, the scarred one, hadn’t moved, though. He just stood frozen, staring, as if he were a marble statue. Transfixed by the vision before him.
A burst of light shot from the woman’s right hand. It glowed as bright blue as her eyes. The stream of energy split through the air directly at the scarred man.
He tried to run but it was useless. The bolt of light slammed into his head, ripping it clear from his body. Kat gagged as his lifeless body fell to the floor with a thud. Blood and gore spilled out of him as his entire body began splitting apart as if he were a rag doll. It was like his skin just fell apart, losing all its elasticity.
The woman turned to face Kat and fixed that eerie, unearthly blue gaze on her. Her eyes were haunted, full of regret. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he’d done this to you. I thought they were just holding you hostage or I’d have come sooner.” Now her voice was ragged and tired and no longer deeply unnatural. She held out her hand toward Kat and this time a soft, green burst of light flowed from her hand.
Kat flinched but a warmth spread through her chest, and the pulsing, ripping pain she’d felt moments before began to fade. As energy seeped back into her, two giant, snarling wolves and a redheaded woman carrying two blades burst through the door.
The blonde turned at the noise and, when she did, broke contact with Kat. Immediately the blonde slumped to the hay-covered dirt ground.
The abrupt removal of the blonde’s energy made Kat cry out against her taped mouth. Fresh pain shot through Kat’s limbs. Whatever the woman had been doing wasn’t working now. The muted sounds of her cries pushed the man who’d been frozen into action.
He reached for his gun, but the fight was over before it started. The gray and white wolf lunged at him and tore his throat out in one clean swipe.
Kat closed her eyes to block out the pain, their presence, and the new violence. She knew what she looked like and couldn’t bear the shame of anyone seeing her like this. If these two wolves were here, she knew Jayce wasn’t far behind. The thought of him seeing what had been done to her made bile rise in her throat.
When she felt soft hands touch her bound, outstretched arms, her eyes flew open and she instinctively started to struggle until she realized the redheaded woman was cutting her down.
Gently, she laid her on the ground and removed the tape from her mouth. Kat tried to cover her exposed breasts, but her arms wouldn’t work. The other woman slid off her coat and laid it over her.
“I’m dying,” she gurgled out, blood dripping down her chin. She didn’t know why she’d said it. The words just escaped.
The redhead glanced over her shoulder at something. There was a breaking, ripping sound, but Kat couldn’t move to see what it was. “Where’s Ryan?”
“He went after that other human,” a male voice said. When the man appeared in Kat’s line of sight, she flinched at the sight of him. He was naked and big and scary looking.
He held up his hands in a defensive motion as he knelt down. “I’m not going to hurt you. We’re here to save you.”
“She’s not going to make it to a hospital,” the redhead murmured.
One look at the other shifter’s face and Kat knew she’d been right. She was dead. “Where’s Jayce?” Maybe she could at least say good-bye to him.
“Out looking for you,” the woman said soothingly.
So he wasn’t there. And she wouldn’t get to say anything to him. Hot, burning tears sprang up and rolled down her cheeks, mixing with blood and dirt. A sob wanted to break free, but even that small action hurt. But she was powerless to stop them.
The sound of pounding footsteps, then a gasp, greeted her ears. Through her hazy vision she saw December bending toward her. Kat couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like her friend was crying too.
December slid a hand under her head and gripped one of her hands. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered as she tightened her grip on Kat.
It wasn’t, but Kat appreciated the lie.
The man said something to the redhead, but Kat couldn’t understand him. Her vision was getting darker as the seconds ticked by. Too many memories rushed through her mind and she really wished she’d gotten to say good-bye to her father. They might live by different moral compasses, but he was still her dad and he’d always loved her. And she really wanted to say good-bye to Jayce. The image of him wouldn’t leave her alone, even as she was dying. She used to love running her fingers over his shaved head and even his scarred cheek. He never let anyone touch her the way he’d let her. She’d been free to do whatever she wanted because he’d been hers. Just for a little while. Everyone had always been so afraid of him, but with her he’d always been gentle. Even if he hadn’t wanted to bond with her, he’d shown her a softer side she knew no one else had seen. She’d take that small knowledge to her grave and savor it.
“Just do it!” December shouted at the man. The other redhead began yelling at him too with the same intensity as her friend.
Kat tried to block them all out. She didn’t understand what was going on and she didn’t care. Whatever they were fighting about wouldn’t matter soon. She just wanted the pain to stop.
Suddenly her world rocked on its axis and she stared in confusion as the male shifter leaned toward her. “I’m sorry. If I don’t at least try this, Jayce will kill me.” Before she could even think about what he meant, his canines protracted and he sank his teeth into her neck. The pain was sharp and acute and it extended from his bite to all her nerve endings.
It was as if her bones were shattering, then slowly being pieced back together. A sudden, hot burning sensation surged through her and a harsh screaming filled the air. It took a moment for her to realize she was the one screaming.
Her back arched and she shoved off the ground as the pain dulled and a new sense of life and energy flowed through her. Trying to catch her breath, she sat up, still clutching the jacket to cover her body. Blinking rapidly, she looked at the three of them.
“What did you do?” Her voice sounded normal, not hoarse and scratchy. And…she moved both her legs against the dirt. They both worked. Gingerly, she pressed a hand to her ribs. No pain. No trouble breathing.
“You were going to die. I know I had no right, but…I bit you.” The huge male looked stricken as he stared at her.
“He saved your life,” December said softly.
She frowned as reality began to set in. A lupine shifter had bitten her. Since she wasn’t dead and she wasn’t a feral wolf, that meant only one thing. She was now a shifter. “I thought there was only a one percent chance the change would work if we aren’t bondmates. And I thought I could turn feral or something if it didn’t work.”
The man nodded. “We had nothing to lose. You were dead either way. If you’d turned feral…I’d have had to kill you.”
Kat looked down at herself and stared blindly. She couldn’t believe she’d survived his bite. She had more knowledge of shifters than most, so she understood the chance of her successfully changing after a shifter bite was very small. That was why they didn’t go around turning humans. The chance of death or turning mad was too great to risk. She briefly wondered if the fact that she was a seer with naturally higher psychic abilities had made a difference.
As another man walked back into the barn carrying clothes, the male shifter in front of her stood and strode toward him. When he started getting dressed, a new rush of emotions surged through Kat.
A dam burst as tears and pain exploded from her. Not physical pain. Emotional pain. It was like a free-falling wave that wouldn’t crest. It went on and on. The tears streaming down her cheeks just wouldn’t stop.
December helped her slip on the coat and zip it up. When Kat stood on shaky legs, it fell to midthigh, covering her, but it didn’t matter. She still felt exposed.
Naked.
Violated.
She couldn’t stop crying or shaking. When the male who’d bitten her lifted her into his arms, she didn’t protest. It wasn’t an attraction, but she felt linked somehow to him. She needed his touch and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, an odd soothing pulse flowed through her. It didn’t last long, but his touch helped ease her pain and fear. “Where’s the man who got away?” she managed to gasp out through her tears. As she thought about what he’d done to her, fresh tears escaped.
“Dead,” the man who’d brought the clothes said in a guttural growl. She realized he must be the other wolf from earlier.
She also wished she could feel some relief to know that Greg, her tormentor, was dead. Instead, she felt nothing.
“We need to get out of here,” the redhead with the blades murmured.
“What about her?” December pointed to the blond woman still lying lifeless on the ground.
The question jerked Kat back to her senses and dried up her tears. “I don’t know what she is, but she’s not human. She tried to save me. We need to bring her with us.”
The other male nodded and scooped her off the ground as if she weighed nothing.
As they started to leave, the shifters stopped suddenly. December glanced around nervously. “What is it?” she whispered.
Kat had no fear left inside her. Only pain.
“Connor, Liam, and Jayce. They’re here,” the redhead said quietly.
Kat buried her face against the male’s chest. “Don’t tell them how you found me,” she whispered.
He didn’t respond. Just stroked his hand down her hair and murmured soft soothing sounds. He was going to tell them. She knew it. Fresh pain and tears—she didn’t know how she could have any left—welled up inside her. The thought of Jayce knowing what had happened to her made her sick. Bile rose in her throat, but she managed to control it.
She heard when they entered the room and the collective murmur of curses and demands for an explanation. Liam was angry December was there and Connor was ranting about something else.
But she refused to look at any of them. Like a coward she just kept her head buried against the chest of the shifter holding her. She didn’t even know his name, but letting him hold her was better than having to look at Jayce.
To see pity in his gray eyes. She might want to feel his arms around her, but it wasn’t going to happen. Biting back another sob, she tried to block everything out.
Jayce stared at Aiden holding Kat tightly in his arms and thought his heart would shatter. She wore only a coat and with her long, elegant legs dangling and completely bare, he wanted to go over there and cover her. He wanted to rip her from the other male’s arms and cradle her up against his chest, just so he could feel her warmth and reassure himself she was truly going to be all right.
But he didn’t.
She kept her face turned away from everyone while Connor and Liam were trying to figure out what happened. If Kat knew he was there, she gave no indication. It nearly killed him.
Fighting to hold it together, he tuned everyone else out and kept his gaze on her.
While he might not know what happened, the smell of her blood was fresh. And there was a lot of it. She’d been hurt. If he had to guess, probably tortured.
The thought made his inner wolf howl with the need for vengeance. He preferred to fight in his human form because once he let his wolf out, people often died. He was in control, but his wolf was old and powerful and right now it wanted out.
It wanted blood. And it really wanted death.
As he listened to the conversations around him, he gathered that Ryan had gotten a lead on this place and they’d all rushed over.
A low growl started in his throat as the truth of what happened came out. It was Kat’s blood on the ground and wall. Aiden had bitten her to save her from sure death.
And she’d survived. Physically anyway. After a shifter bite, the transition from human to shifter was always quick. Either the human body survived or it didn’t. Which was why shifters rarely bit humans. And if they did, the possible repercussions and rules of pack life were fully explained to them. Becoming a shifter was a life-altering decision, one never taken lightly. Often humans turned feral and the changed human would have to be put down. But not Kat. She’d obviously been strong enough to withstand the change. He guessed her strong psychic mind had something to do with it, but they’d never know for sure. There wasn’t a science behind who survived a bite and who didn’t. The only ones who survived one hundred percent of the time were bondmates.
Jayce had never been so consumed with the desire to hunt and kill as he was now. He hated himself for wanting to kill the man who’d saved Kat, but he did nonetheless.
Aiden was now his enemy. Linked to Kat. To his woman.
As he listened to the conversations around him, he gathered that the men who’d hurt Kat were dead. One in the woods by Ryan’s hands. One killed by Aiden. And one had been killed by the unconscious blond female in Ryan’s arms.
Jayce should have been here sooner.
Then he could have avenged what had happened to Kat. No one had come out and said how they’d found her. Just that she’d been near death and Aiden had bitten her to save her.
For a moment his gaze strayed to the still unconscious petite blonde. She wasn’t tall like most Fianna warriors, but he knew that’s what she was. He could scent it on her. She must be the missing warrior the others had been looking for.
“Everyone needs to shut the hell up!” Connor finally roared.
Silence descended on the small group. Jayce couldn’t tear his gaze away from Kat. She clutched on to Aiden tighter and the other wolf did the same. When he leaned down and murmured something in her ear, pain screamed through Jayce’s lungs as if he’d been shot with pure silver. His muscles began to tremble. For a moment he couldn’t breathe.
The possessive rage flowing through him burned like acid. He should be the one holding her. Not some stranger. Clenching his fists tightly, he tore his gaze away from them and turned to Connor. If he stared longer, he’d do something he’d regret.
Like kill Aiden.
December stared at Liam’s brother in trepidation. His dark eyes had turned even darker and his canines had protracted slightly. She didn’t think he’d hurt any of them, but he looked seriously pissed. And all she cared about was getting Kat out of there. Her friend might be healed, but after seeing her so bruised, so bloody, she could only imagine what she’d been through.
Connor looked pointedly at the enforcer. “There’s a body just outside. Dispose of it.” Jayce took a step forward, as if to defy him, but Connor shook his head sharply. “You can’t help her now,” he murmured.
It was obvious Connor meant Kat. December’s heart cracked for the other wolf. He’d been staring at Kat since the moment he’d entered the barn, and the pain on his face was so raw, so real, it made her want to cry for him too.
Next, Connor looked at Erin as he pointed to one of the decapitated males. “You go with him and dispose of that one.”
Once they both moved into action, he looked at Liam. “You and I have some digging to do.”
December looked up at Liam in confusion. “What’s he talking about?”
“There are bodies buried underneath here.” He stomped once with his foot. “Not killed by us and we don’t know who they belong to. We’re going to uncover them, then anonymously call the cops once we’ve disposed of the men we’ve killed.”
“What about…” She glanced at her friend.
“We don’t want anyone to know she was here. We’ve come up with a cover story, which we’ll go over with her later. We need to destroy any of her blood evidence too. Go back to the ranch with them.” He looked at Kat, then at the dried blood on the wall and ground. “She’s going to need you right now,” he murmured.
Liam reached out for a moment as if to cup her cheek, then jerked his hand back as if he thought she’d burn him.
She looked at Aiden and Ryan. “I’ll be right behind you.”
When the two men started to leave the barn, she grabbed Liam’s arm as he started pulling a shovel down from one of the racks. “We need to talk first.”
“Now isn’t the time.” He didn’t look at her as he slammed the end of the shovel into the hard earth.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re acting like we’re strangers. Like you can barely stand to touch me. Or even look at me.” She hated that her voice cracked on the last word.
After everything she’d been through the past couple days, she needed him now more than ever and she wasn’t afraid to admit it. The fact that he kept pulling back burned a giant hole in her chest. He’d been concerned when he’d entered the barn, but he hadn’t made a move to hold her, console her. It ripped her heart out.
He held the shovel still and looked at her with those dark, penetrating eyes, but he wouldn’t respond. When he turned away from her again, she gritted her teeth and hurried after the others. Now wasn’t the time to push him, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let things go on like this.