The Coyote grimaced back at her. “Aw, come on, it’s just hot as hell there and my AC doesn’t even make a dent. Let’s try for something cooler.”
Liza stared back at him in complete disbelief as she realized Diane’s expression mirrored her own.
“Great, a comedian,” Liza murmured as she restrained the urge to roll her eyes.
“Yeah, and all before breakfast.” Diane sighed. “I think I might be nauseous.”
“I warned you not to bring him, Malcolm.” Another Coyote spoke up from behind the one standing carefully between the rest of the Coyotes and her and Diane. “He’s going to start playing his incessant games again.”
“Loki, stop playing the f**king horndog,” Malcolm snapped at the flirting Coyote. “We’re here to kidnap a Breed mate, not see if we can seduce her.”
Breed mate? Were they not here for Liza then?
“I’m still maturing.” The Coyote shrugged with a cold, far too experienced, far too cruel expression of displeasure as the one behind him almost smiled in response.
“He has about as much common sense as his brother, Farce, had,” another drawled. “Remember what happened to him, Loki? The wrong end of a Feline weapon, I believe.”
Loki shrugged with a careless smile. “Yeah, but he wasn’t as charming as me, either. I just charm those Felines to death.”
Liza had a feeling there was nothing playful or flirtatious about the four Breeds, but there was definitely something going on that they weren’t revealing to the lone human with them.
“Liza, go!” Diane hissed again.
“We’ll just chase her.” The taller, broader Coyote behind Loki stepped forward to remind them before reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling free a slim cigar.
With lazy amusement, he holstered his weapon before lighting the tip, filling the early morning air with the scent of tobacco.
Diane turned to Malcolm, leaving Liza to try and decipher the expression on her face from her tone of voice. “I’ll kill you first.”
Malcolm smiled complacently. “No, Diane, you won’t,” he assured her. “Because if you do, we’re going to take your little friend behind you as well. And I think you know what will happen to her then. You have only one shot. That’ll leave three Coyotes for her to deal with. Do you think she’ll survive?”
For the briefest second, a memory surfaced. It wasn’t a flashback or a remembered nightmare. It was a memory out of place; one she knew couldn’t possibly be hers.
Clenching her fists and breathing in slow, deep breaths, it was gone as though it had never been.
But it had been; just as several others had been in the past weeks.
The heaviness that settled in her chest was like a crushing weight.
“Keep them talking,” Cullen ordered. “Help is almost there.”
They’d better damned well hurry. Things weren’t looking real good here, in her opinion.
“I’d rather fight,” Liza whispered to Diane, hoping to distract the other woman from doing anything that would hinder their chances of survival before that help arrived.
Diane nodded slowly. “Do you have a weapon?”
Not ones she was ready to reveal at the moment. At least, no more than one.
“A knife, that’s all I have.” Liza forced regret to fill her voice.
Diane drew in a hard, deep breath. “Don’t let them take you. It would be far better to use that knife on yourself than to be captured by them. Once they come for me, run for the hotel. Breeds will be looking for me. They’ll take care of you.”
“I’m surprised, Ms. Broen,” the sandy-haired Coyote drawled as he moved ahead of the flirtatious one. Smoke curled lazily from the cigar clenched between his teeth as his gray eyes gleamed wickedly. “I’ve heard of your mate. I’m shocked he’s not at your side facing us with that prick-assed attitude of his. Or did he do as he always swore he would and run the other way the minute he realized he was mated?”
“He was only delayed a bit,” Diane assured him.
“More like expecting her to be the good girl and stay in their bed rather than heading out to save this little bitch.” Malcolm waved his gun in Liza’s direction. “How did you know we were coming for her, Diane?”
That was something Liza would like to know herself.
She just hoped Cullen was able to do what he was so good at and read between the lines of this little conversation for the information he was searching for.
Liza remained carefully still as Diane stepped back protectively to cover her, the weapon in her hand never moving from Malcolm.
“Poor Malcolm,” Diane drawled in an amused tone. “You just couldn’t face me alone, could you? You had to bring the bullies to protect you.”
Malcolm’s gaze narrowed hatefully as the sibilant hiss of the communications link sounded in Liza’s ear.
“Get ready,” Cullen murmured. “Reinforcements are easing in. They’re there, just being careful.”
His updates were all that was keeping her sane at the moment. Her heart was pounding against her chest, racing at a terrified pace and tightening her throat with panic.
Malcolm scowled as the Coyote with the cigar chuckled wickedly. “Sounds like a challenge to me, little man.” Geez, could this crew get any more ridiculous?
She was beginning to doubt it.
“Shut the f**k up,” Malcolm snapped, his face flushing a brick red as his eyes glittered with fury. “No one asked you.”
“No one had to ask me.” The Coyote gave a low, amused laugh once again. “She’s cute as hell, Malcolm.”
“And she can kick Malcolm’s ass to hell and back,” Diane assured them all. “He knew he would have to face me.” She nodded to Malcolm. “He didn’t come for the girl. He came for me.”
The Coyote turned his head to Malcolm. “That true, Malcolm?”
Malcolm’s lips thinned angrily. “Two birds with one stone, right? She got her uncle and his second-in-command killed so she and that bastard Thor could take over the team. I told you I wanted blood.”
“That wasn’t the mission,” he was reminded as the Coyote briefly gripped his cigar between two fingers and lowered it from his lips. He didn’t look happy.
Diane chuckled. It was a forced sound of amusement, but it was amused nonetheless.