Klyde then emerged from the bathroom with no cuts showing onhim. He must have avoided the glass on the window, unlike Leah, if the dots ofblood down her neck and arm were any indication. Klyde looked around. “Whathave we walked into?”
Athan looked at the asshole blubbering on the floor. “I havea feeling we have a guy who’s going to jail.” He craned his neck to see beyondIvy. “We also have a witness”—his gaze encompassed Ivy and Leah—“and a coupleof wayward mates who are about to move to headquarters.”
“Fair enough,” Klyde said, eyeing his watch. He’d beenAthan’s right hand for centuries, and once he’d discovered computers, he’dfallen in love. Klyde disliked being away from his laptop for long, but he wasexcellent in the field. Plus, he was Athan’s best friend as well as hisbrother.
Leah rapidly zip-tied Harry while Ivy reached for the phoneon the bedside table and dialed 911. She handed it to the girl. “Call it in andtell them everything.”
The girl, her voice shaking, quickly gave a rundown of the entiresituation, and the 911 dispatcher said help would be there in a minute. Hervoice was loud, and she sounded competent. The girl ended the call, set thephone back in the cradle, and scooted farther up on the bed, putting her backto the wall and pulling her knees to her chest. While she still looked scared,anger had started to infuse her young face with color.
“All right, let’s go,” Athan said, slinging an arm aroundIvy as Klyde gently gestured Leah toward the door. “We don’t need to be here whenthe human police show up. He is secured, and you’re okay, right?” he asked thegirl.
The girl nodded and stared at Harry on the floor. Sirenscould be heard in the distance. She reached for the phone on the table. “I’dbetter call my mom.”
Ivy stiffened. “Have you talked to any other boys on theinternet like Harry?”
“No,” Susie said. “Just Harry, who I thought was a hotcollege guy.” She glared at him. “You’re a perv, dickhead. And if you think Iwon’t happily testify against you, you’re wrong.” She dialed the phone andlifted the receiver to her ear. “Mom?”
“Move,” Athan said. “We need to be gone.” They needed toavoid human officials since they never died, and they had to avoid the newsmedia at all times. He hustled Ivy out the door with Klyde and Leah behindthem. Lightning cracked high above. They hurried across the parking lot to adark SUV waiting silently near a darkened forest. Thunder rolled, and rainstarted to pelt down.
“Get in,” Athan said, opening the back door and blinkingaway the punishing rain.
Panic crossed Ivy’s face, and she looked at Leah. In onesmooth move, Ivy pulled her gun from her waist and pointed it at him, backingaway. “Sorry, but I’m not going with you.”
Leah edged away from Klyde, her gun also out. Klyde lookedmore bemused than angry as he reached out, knocking the weapon from her hands.
Athan held on to his patience. Apparently, they needed toset some parameters. The idea that his mate would point a weapon at him was alittle much right now, considering he’d had to chase her across the countryonly to find her in a possibly dangerous situation. Oh, the jerk in the hotelroom was human, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt her. Neither she nor Leahwas trained to deal with criminals, and the thought that they were doing so causedirritation that was getting more difficult to ignore—although he admired theirintentions. “Give me the gun.” He held out a hand.
Ivy hesitated, her hold lightly trembling on the weapon.Then, smooth as silk, she turned and fired rapidly at Klyde, hitting himseveral times in the chest. Klyde flew back against the vehicle, denting thedoor. “Run, Leah,” Ivy yelled. “Run now.”
Leah paused for a second and then turned and sprinted intothe forest.
Shock trilling through him, Athan grabbed for Ivy’s gun. Sheturned, effectively kicking him in the knee and then performing a high kick tohis jaw. His head snapped back. Then she fired several times into his upperthigh.
Pain exploded in his leg. Growling, he snatched the gun outof her hand and grabbed her by the neck, putting her against the vehicle withenough force to jar but not hurt her. Grunting, he mentally shoved the bulletsout as Klyde stirred on the ground, rain drenching his hair and mingling withthe blood pouring from beneath his white T-shirt. “Klyde?” he muttered.
Klyde groaned and sat up. A bullet popped out of his chest.“What the hell?”
Athan looked toward the now silent forested area and thendown at his damaged thigh. Blood soaked his jeans and ran down to his knee.“Can you run?”
“No,” Klyde muttered, grasping his chest. “I have three morebullets to push out. What the hell is up with my brothers and their mates?”
Athan concentrated and popped another bullet out of his leg.There was no way they were going to catch Leah. Surprise and anger percolatedin his bloodstream, along with the necessary healing cells. He looked down athis mate, who was also staring at the forest, her expression way too calmconsidering she’d just shot him.
He tightened his hold on her. The brat wasn’t going anywhere.
* * * *
Ivy’s hands had been chilled since she’d shot Athan andKlyde.
She’d actuallyshotthem.
Sure, they were immortal and already healing themselves, butshe’d never shot anybody before. The coppery smell of blood filled the SUV theentire way through the city with Athan driving and Klyde in the passenger seat.Every once in a while, Athan would grunt, and Klyde would groan as they nodoubt expelled the bullets from their bodies.
Ivy sat in the back seat, buckled in, the doors secured withchild locks. She couldn’t get out, and it was a little irritating. Her facestill ached from Harry slamming her into the wall, and she tried to sendhealing cells to her cheekbone, but nothing happened. A long time ago, aftershe and Athan first mated, she’d been able to somewhat heal herself frominjuries. That ability had disappeared about thirty years ago. She missed it.
Another bullet fell out of Klyde’s chest to ping on thefloor.
She winced. While she’d fire again to help Leah escape, shedid regret causing them pain. She cleared her throat. “How did you find us?”
