“Then get the damn phone out and call the bastards again.” The number would still be on his phone. She jabbed her index finger into his chest. “Tell ‘em that you found their Ignitor, that she’s pissed, and that she’s burning a den.”
“B-burning?”
“You and your boys made a few mistakes the other night. You ratted me out, and I really don’t like it when folks betray me.”
“Y-you said you wouldn’t t-take the j-job.”
Ah, so he’d heard that part somewhere, too. Wasn’t he the informed demon flunky?
“The second mistake”-she waited a beat and let the charge grow—“You came after my demon.”
His bushy brows bobbed. “Your—”
“Make your call.” Jana felt the heat begin to rise. “Then you’d better get the hell out of here.”
Because it looked like the only way to stop those assholes on her tail was to show them that they did not want her. They needed to see that they couldn’t control her, and if they came too close, she’d exterminate them.
Demons began to run out of the den. “Oh, hell,” Jude muttered. Zane’s eyes narrowed. “What’s—”
“Smoke,” Jude said, and an instant later, Zane caught the scent.
Fire. Zane shoved open the door and rushed out of the truck.
“Wait! Zane, dammit, wait!”
But he wasn’t waiting. Jana was in there, the fire was raging, and he wasn’t just going to sit outside and watch everything burn.
A demon slammed into him. A guy with pale cheeks and a long, twisting scar on the right side of his face. When his gaze met Zane’s, the demon began to scream.
A hard hand grabbed Zane’s shoulder and spun him around. The demon ran away, still screaming.
“The woman controls fire. She can handle this,” Jude snapped at him, not releasing his hold. “It’s not like she’s some delicate flower. She’s—”
“Bait?” he bit out as the smoke drifted from the open door of the den. “She’s just bait so it doesn’t matter what happens to her?” “She’s not—”
“You don’t know what the fuck she is.” And, friend or not, he let his fist swing out. Jude stumbled back, probably more in surprise than anything else because it was hard to knock a shifter on his ass. Zane whirled and ran for the den.
He shoved demons out of his way. Knocked them to the side and shouted Jana’s name.
The crackle of fire answered him.
Inside, he didn’t see anyone. Human or demon. Just an empty den. Had she gone out the back? Had she—
“You shouldn’t be here.” She appeared in the thick smoke and came toward him with eyes flashing red.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. “And you damn well know better than to start a fire around you.” His hold was as strong as the cuffs had been, and he hauled her toward the door. She shouldn’t be around the smoke for too long, she knew that. Did the woman have a death wish?
They burst outside, into the night. The other demons had fled the scene, desperate to escape from the flames.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Jana said again, shaking her head.
“Oh, really?” His fury broke free. “Where should I be? Still at the cabin where you left my ass? Still sleeping off the sex while you get to burn this place to ash? I don’t think so, baby.”
She blinked. For an instant, she almost looked … hurt. But then, “I was cleaning up your mess, demon. These assholes attacked you, remember? Were you just going to let them go?”
“No.” Now that was just insulting. “I handle my own business, my way.”
“Oh, really?” Her hands were on her hips. The building burned behind her. “Your way wasn’t working.”
“And burning the building down around them was gonna work? That’s execution, that’s—”
“I gave them a chance to run!”
What?
She shook her head. “You really shouldn’t be here.” Her shoulders slumped a bit.
“News flash.” He stepped closer to her, making her tilt her head back to hold his stare. “Wherever you are, I’m gonna be there.” His breath rasped out. “Did you really think I’d just let you walk away? From the moment you slipped out of bed, I knew every move you made.”
She swallowed. “You … this is a setup?”
His gut clenched. All or nothing. “You’re the bait, baby. The juicy, tempting bait to bring out the bastards who torched
Night Watch.”
Jana’s lips parted. Then she smiled, a sad twist of her lips. Her dimple didn’t appear. “Is that all I am?”
A police cruiser raced to the scene with its sirens wailing. An unmarked SUV flew up behind it.
A woman jumped out of the SUV, her hair flying. At the sight of the gun in her hand, Zane tensed. Hell, here we go again.
Tony scrambled from the back of the SUV, running up to the woman’s side. Good, at least one guy with sense was with the cops.
“Look,” Zane said, raising his voice so they could all hear him clearly, “we can—”
The woman fired her weapon and shot Jana in the chest.
Chapter 8
Jana fell back, and Zane lunged for her, catching her just before she hit the ground. Her eyes were open, stunned, and the red was already bleeding out from her gaze.
She shuddered in his arms, and her eyelids began to close. The heat began to lessen behind him as the flames died.
“Fuck!” The world seemed to explode around him. Or maybe he exploded. The beast he’d tried to keep in check roared-a loud, enraged cry of fury that burst from Zane’s lips. A cry that was her name.
The scene shifted around him as the colors faded away until everything was gray. No black and white. No good or evil. Just pain and fury.
“Zane … don’t-don’t let her …” The barest whisper of Jana’s voice. So soft. “Take … m-me.”
“She’s not dead, demon,” the woman’s voice rang out as she stepped closer. “Just drugged.”
His hold on Jana tightened. He rose, cradling her in his arms. Her head fell back against his shoulder.
The blonde gave him a steely smile. “If you don’t want the same shot, put her down and step away.” Her gun aimed at him.
Zane got ready to blast the bitch.
Then Tony stepped to her side. “He’s not a threat.” His eyes were on Zane, but the words were directed at the woman.
“He’s Zane Wynter, the man known to have been keeping close company with Ms. Carter for the last few days. And he’s a person of interest in the Night Watch fire.” She paused, her eyes narrowing. “He’s also the man who escaped from your custody, so excuse me if I don’t believe a damn word you say, Captain.” Her gun was still pointed at Zane.
“He’s a hunter with Night Watch! He’s not a criminal!” Tony argued.
Screw this. Zane lunged down the steps with Jana tight in his arms. Hold on, baby. Where the hell was Jude? They needed to get out of there. There were more sirens, and that meant more cops would be coming any second.
But would those cops be backup for Tony or for the blonde?
“I told you to put her down!” the woman yelled and her gun jerked. “I said—”
Tony snatched the gun from her hand. “You’re not shooting at him.”
“And you’re going to get your ass thrown off the police force!” She shoved past him. “Put her down!” She yanked a wallet out of her pocket and held it up in the air. “I’m with the FBI. I’m Special Agent Kelly Thomas.”
Big fucking deal.
“I’ve got a sniper on you right now,” she continued, voice flat. “The same sniper that took down your shifter friend.”
Now that made him freeze. He turned his stare on her and met her pale, glittering green eyes.
“Jana Carter is a killer,” she told him. “You don’t want to fight for her.”
More SUVs and cop cars swarmed the scene.
“Lady,” Tony snapped, “you don’t know what you’re dealing with here. Let them go.”