4
She was hurting,almost as badly as the dog in his arms. He could hear it in her words, see it in the way her gorgeous lips turned down at the corners. And for some reason, Diggs suspected it wasn’t just over adog.
But he didn’t have time to probe her thoughts now, he needed to do some serious triage here. The dog was steadily losing precious blood and his lungs rattled every time he panted. Diggs hadn’t detected any broken ribs, but that didn’t mean they weren’t cracked. Or that he didn’t have some internalbruising.
He’d have the doc run him through their x-ray equipment in the lab and see if Trigger had any internal bleeding or a fracturedspine.
Then he’d deal with the fallout from his team. Bringing a civilian into their hidden compound was equal to treason, especially a hot red headed one who’d appeared out of thin air. He’d been ready to send her on her way and walk the dog back but then he’d heard the drone. It had approached from the south and if it hadn’t been for the tall thick trees lining the road, it would have spottedthem.
He’d had no choice but to toss the dog and the girl in the car and bring them both back with him, or risk discovery by something that was a much more seriousthreat.
The fact that he’d been right earlier that morning in detecting the device didn’t outweigh the potential menace the drone represented. If Rainier spotted any of them on or near the property, their hideaway would bedoomed.
Now he just had to get Audra out before his team returned and before she figured out who they reallywere.
“Stay close. I don’t want you getting lost.” Diggs walked past her, taking the steps up to the front door as easy as he could so as not to jostle thedog.
Audra raced past him and yanked the front door open. “Hurry.”
Even though he knew she was speaking out of concern for Trigger, Diggs still frowned. “If I move too quickly, I might hurt himmore.”
She blanched, as if she hadn’t thought of that possibility, and nodded, biting her lip. And caveman that he was he couldn’t help but stare at the tiny white row of teeth digging into one of the most gorgeous mouths he’d everseen.
Using his iron will to stay focused, Diggs entered the cool foyer and kept on going. Past the giant winding staircase that led up to the second and third stories of the mansion and into the back, where the hallways grew sparse and narrow. Serviceable not luxurious. He liked the simplicity of the unadorned halls and hardwoodfloors.
Audra’s tiny footsteps thumped behind him as she raced to keep up with his long stride down the maze of hallways that provided the first barrier to the lab entrance. He hadn’t detected his team, yet. Which meant they were either all up in their personal quarters on the upper floors, or all underground. He prayed it was the first. He hadn’t thought of a decent excuse as to why he’d brought a complete stranger into their compound. An injured dog would be plausible, but the woman? A nice ass wasn’t going to fly as an acceptableexcuse.
After her severe reaction to Trigger’s injuries, the thought of turning Audra away put a nasty taste in hismouth.
Finally, they made it to the blank stretch of wall with the hidden panel leading down into the lab. Diggs glanced over his shoulder uneasily. “I have a research facility down here with state-of-the-art medical equipment.” He prayed she was distracted enough with worry for Trigger to buy his story. “I don’t usually allow anyone down here, but I need to run an x-ray on the dog to see if anything isbroken.”
Before she had time to respond, Diggs placed his palm on the wall and a bright green line flashed from the tips of his fingers, down to the base of his hand. The airtight locking mechanism hissed and the door slid back, revealing a steep dimly lit staircase leading down deep into the earth below the mansion. Diggs glanced back at Audra once more before he stepped into thedarkness.
She started looking queasy. “What do you do for a livingagain?”
* * *
Audra’s feetturned to wet cement, anchoring her in the hallway. What had she gotten them into? What kind of guy lived behind a locked gate with a driveway no one could see and a hidden panel leading down into abasement?
The kind trying to hide something. Orsomeone.
The thought hit her out of left field. Had they stumbled into a madman’s grasp? Was he hiding from the law? Or had he simply moved out into the country to escape the hustle and bustle of city life like one of thosesurvivalists?
Stupid.She hadn’t requested any identifying information from Diggs other than his name. He’d been standing on the road in the middle of nowhere and she’d let him get in her car and drive her to hishouse.
What had she beenthinking?
She hadn’t—she hadn’t been thinking about her personal safety. She’d been thinking about her brother and his dog and Diggs’ incredibly gorgeousass.
“I’m retired.” He looked her square in the eye and gave a flatresponse.
A tingle of unease slid down her spine as she shifted uncomfortably. “Fromwhat?”
“Securities,” he replied just asbriskly.
Two answers that didn’t answer her question at all. She moved as slowly as she could, so as not to draw attention to herself. She slid her hand toward her pocket, blindly searching for the pepper spray she knew wasn’t there. She’d left it inside thecar.
“Audra,” Diggs blew out a long sigh, “I’m not going to hurtyou.”
