“We’re aware of the turn off, Mr.DeSoto,” the guard beside McNamara muttered, his attention on the road ahead.Then, he stunned the shit out of all of them by bringing a gun out of his pocket, pointing it at McNamara’s head, and demanding, “That’s why you’re going to take it, Shawn.And don’t mess me around or I will pull the trigger.”
El let out a sharp cry.“Jamie?How could you?”
The guard, Jamie, turned back to look at her.“I’m sorry, El.I need the money.”
The sorrow in her eyes tore at Ryan like nothing else could.
“You could have come to me,” she whispered.“You know I’d have helped.”
“To the tune of two million bucks?”Jamie scoffed.“I have debts.No way you’d have helped me that much.”His lips tightened.“This was a sad necessity, but it doesn’t have to end badly.When your folks pay up, you’ll be safe as houses again.We just want the cash.”
“You fucking idiot, Jamie.You think it’s as simple as that when we know who the fuck you are?You’re going to have to leave the country.”McNamara’s was almost a palpable entity.
“That’s on my itinerary,” the bastard said smugly.“My money can last longer in Ecuador, and lookie here, there’s no extradition agreement between them and the US.”
The ease with which the man was talking had more than Ryan riled up now his Lion was involved.The beast could sense his mate’s sorrow, her absolute heartbreak at this betrayal.
He mourned for her, hated that she was hurting, and so, when they took the corner fast and Jamie lost his balance for half a second, he half-shifted.It took an extraordinary amount of power to half-shift.The control to not let the whole Lion take over was something only a few of the strongest could harness, but his Triad were some of them.It was why they were a tight unit.Their strength was something to be envied.
He batted his arm forward, inadvertently drawing El’s attention.When she saw him, she screamed.McNamara jerked the car, taking advantage of Jamie’s shock, and Ryan batted the man with his shifted paw.Claws raked at the man’s face, striking down his arm, tearing through flesh like scissors sliced through paper.
The screams…
He knew El would be hearing them for a long time.
That was his sole regret as, when Jamie half-turned, trying to aim his weapon at the creature attacking him, Ryan let those same talons slice across the bastard’s throat before he even had chance to touch the trigger.
Chapter 3
Her throat was hoarse with screaming.
In fact, her ears were ringing.
Jamie’s throat was severed.His head was tilted back against the headrest, and she could see the blood spurting from the wound.The noise as it pattered against the windscreen, then sprayed McNamara with its power, had her stomach churning.
At her side, she felt a charge of energy, and turned back to see Ryan was there once more.
What had been in his place mere moments ago, she couldn’t say.Some kind of… man beast?
His arm was covered in blood.Jamie’s blood.She screamed again.Her head whipping from side to side as she tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
“Are they still tailing us?”he demanded from Shawn, ignoring her.
McNamara looked as shell shocked as El felt, but he was a trained operative.Had already seen at least four wars of which she was aware, and knew more action than James Bond probably.He was a consummate professional, so even though the man to his side, a friend to them all, had just revealed he was a traitor in their midst.Even though some kind of beast had just come close to severing Jamie’s head, and even though Shawn was covered in the traitor’s blood, he just nodded.
“El!”Shawn barked after a few seconds, his attention on the road.“I can’t focus if you’re screaming.”
His tone subdued her.She was trained to respond to Shawn’s directives.It was like a nice form of conditioning.They’d been together far longer than any of her friendships, and certainly longer than any relationship she’d had with a man.
Some days she wished he was ten years younger so they could date.If they were a couple, then she knew she’d have his ultimate loyalty because she already had that now.
Shawn stayed with her more than just for the money.
Although, she’d have said that about Jamie too.
Shawn had been with her since she was fifteen.Jamie for the past eight years.
Eight years…how could that mean nothing to him?How could he throw that all away at the risk of her life?
