She couldn’t feel his presence. Before she had known of Diego’s existence, back when she was fighting off soldiers with Luther, she’d felt him. She’d known he was there. She hadn’t known who he was, but she had felt him. Felt his energy. Everything in her reached for him. Knew him. The good in him and the darkness.
She had heard him signaling to Luther, using the birds to announce his presence. To let Luther know he was joining the battle. She’d known when he insisted on shooting all three of them with a tracking device. She’d made it clear she knew what he was up to, and she wanted no part of it. She’d also known he was ruthless enough to ignore what she wanted. That should have put her off him, but instead she found herself more intrigued than ever.
Leila didn’t care for men that much. She didn’t respect them. There were a few soldiers she thought were decent men who worked hard, but she stayed away from them, not trusting anyone. She had a built-in radar for the soldiers who were operating on the edge. There was a taint to them, an aura surrounding them that warned her off them. She’d known it when Leon had come to her door with his friends and forced their way in.
Diego was so certain he was dark and twisted. He thought of himself as a monster, but from the moment he’d come into her life, she had known he was different. He was a good man with a strict code of honor. Because she felt people, saw auras and could often see inside a person where no one else could, she knew the heart of him.
Since spending these few days and nights with him, not one thing he’d done or said had changed her opinion of him. He was thoughtful and kind. He listened to her and treated her with respect. He hadn’t once taken advantage when he could have. Even when a part of her wanted him to. He was a gentleman, whether he thought so or not.
The raptor let out two rapid cries, alerting her to the soldiers rushing to the battle. This would be Kyle and Cooper. Deliberately she took a breath and remained very still. If she shot Alex, the two soldiers were experienced enough to follow the trajectory of a bullet. She couldn’t move quickly through the trees as she would normally be able to. Her best bet would be to remain absolutely still and wait for a better opportunity to rid the world of Whitney’s creations.
Where was the third soldier? What kinds of genetics did he have that might enable him to spot her? She had the precise location of Alex, who finally had gone quiet, finger off the trigger, retreating into the trees and brush to hide. The hawk had warned her that two soldiers were coming toward her fast. She had guessedKyle and Cooper, but it could be Dillan and one of the others. The bottom line was that the third man, whoever he was, was stalking her, and the hawk hadn’t yet spotted him.
A chill slid down her spine. She was far too experienced to move, but now she had a very bad feeling. In the space of a few moments, she had gone from the hunter to the hunted. Strangely, she actually thought about trying to reach out to Diego. That stray thought was nearly as disturbing to her as the fact that there was a wild card somewhere stalking her.
When had she become dependent on Diego? Was it because she wasn’t one hundred percent? A blowtorch seemed to be burning her insides. An ice pick pierced every internal organ she had, stabbing over and over. Truthfully, she felt weak and lightheaded. Diego wanted her lying prone on the ground. She realized there had been a reason for it.
Had she been operated on in the conventional way, her recovery would have taken much longer. As it was, Diego, twice a day, promoted healing. She knew it cost him in strength, but he still did it. For her. Everything he did seemed to be for her. He was a strong man, a good partner, and here she was, cowering in a tree waiting for him to come and rescue her.
The fronds of a large fern just behind the body of Devin parted to reveal a soldier. He surveyed the scene in front of him, his features impassive until his gaze settled on Alex. His jaw hardened and he glanced over his shoulder to speak to someone she couldn’t see.
“Devin’s dead, Cooper. I don’t know if Alex killed him, but it’s likely with all the bullets he wasted.”
“I didn’t kill him, Kyle,” Alex denied, clutching his semiautomatic to his chest, his eyes wild. “He was dying when I got here.”
“How?”
Alex gestured around him. “How the hell should I know?Something out there. It sounded like he was having trouble breathing.”
“Did you try CPR?” Kyle stepped out of the bed of ferns into the open. “Did you do anything at all to try to save him?”
“He wasdying,” Alex emphasized. “I didn’t know what killed him. I tried to hold them off to give him a chance just in case they were still around.”
Kyle gave a snort of derision. “You didn’t even get close enough to see what killed him.”
Cooper stepped to the very edge of the foliage. His weapon was pointed in Alex’s general direction. “Unless you killed him, Alex. You better not have.” He nodded toward Kyle, and the other soldier jogged across the uneven ground to crouch down beside Devin.
Leila realized Cooper was covering Kyle. Neither man trusted Alex. They really were considering that Alex might have shot Devin. Where was the loyalty with these men? Or was it just Alex they were suspicious of? She remained very still, letting the air slip silently in and out of her lungs. She couldn’t afford to become distracted and caught up in the drama happening below her. She had to always be on full alert for the missing soldier.
“He was shot multiple times,” Kyle reported, turning to glare at Alex. “Semiautomatic. If he wasn’t dead already, you sealed the deal, Alex.”
Alex shook his head frantically, fear in his expression. He was aware the other two soldiers were willing to kill him. “You should have heard the death rattles. I’m telling you, he was dying. I fired in a sweeping circle because I was certain whoever had tried to kill him was still out there, waiting to finish him off.”
“Yet you didn’t examine him,” Kyle said. “You didn’t try to help him.”
“I couldn’t,” Alex insisted. “I had to protect him.”
Cooper’s eyebrow shot up. “By shooting him multiple times?”
Alex swore and stepped closer to the cover of the forest. “You’re getting this all wrong. What did kill him, Kyle?” he added, clearly hoping to distract the other two.
Kyle took his time before answering. “A very well-placed bullet. The shot was a double lung hit. Best chance of killing a bear. His heart and lungs were in the same place a bear’s might be. Whoever shot him knew he was bear.”
He straightened slowly and took a step back. “Alex knew Devin was bear, but I don’t think he’s had any experience killing a bear. He wouldn’t have known to take that particular shot, nor do I think he’s a good enough marksman to make it.”
He began casting around for signs on the ground and then looked toward the tree with the huge root system. “The bullet was fired from that direction. Shooter was low to the ground. My guess is he was hidden in the roots of that tree.”
“Or she,” Cooper corrected. “It could have been Bridget’s sister.”
