Liza leaned back against the couch, crossed her arms over her br**sts and turned her glare on Stygian once again.
She wasn’t having fun yet.
He was rather cute, though, as he grimaced before turning a much harsher glare back to Jonas.
But Jonas being who he was, the bastard he could be, simply ignored it.
And wasn’t it interesting that her father had agreed to the Breeds’ offer to protect her? He knew the cover story in place if anyone came in too close. Her status as an undercover agent for the Navajo Law Enforcement Agency gave her an excuse for many of the assignments she took with the Navajo Underground.
Hell, her father was the reason she was part of the underground—her and Claire both. He had actually convinced Claire’s father, Ray, that it would be in Claire’s best interests to know how to protect herself should an attempt be made to abduct her because of her father’s position.
“And who will my guard dog be?” she asked curiously. “Am I allowed to approve or veto your choice?”
“Well, the Bureau does provide such services for quite a high fee,” he stated coolly. “And this is pro bono, of sorts.”
“So the answer is no.” She gave a brief, amazed shake of her head before glancing at his mate.
Rachel would be of no help, Liza realized.
She was staring at him as though he was the sun, the moon and the stars all rolled into one too-arrogant male. As far as she was concerned, her husband could do no wrong. It was evident in her expression and in her adoring gaze that convincing her that her husband was being an ass**le would be a waste of time.
“The answer is no,” Jonas agreed. “But I don’t think you’ll disagree with the options we’ve come up with.”
“And all without me having to worry my pretty little head over the discussion involving it.” Oh, yeah, this was really going over well with her.
It was going over so well that she was nearly shaking with the force of the anger it was sparking inside her.
Damn them! Everyone one of them.
She didn’t need the Breeds to take over her life and protect her.
She was a part of Cullen’s group for a reason.
She knew she should have excused herself to the ladies’ room before Jonas and his ass**le enforcers arrived. All she needed was the earbud—
“I think I should inform you that from now on, whenever you’re in this room, the communications link you have with your friends will not be active. No other discussions involving Breed business will be overheard by Cullen Maverick, Reever and Steven Jacobs, or Klah Hunter,” Jonas informed her with his characteristic iciness.
She jerked her gaze back to Stygian. “Shall I assume you’re involved with this?”
A slow, confused frown creased his dark brow. “I assumed it would meet with your approval.”
Okay, this was simply enough. Moving instantly to her feet, she didn’t bother to hide the anger or her opinion of each and every one of them as well as their so-called plans.
“Arrogant asses,” she snapped furiously, her gaze encompassing the entire room full of men and the few women who had trailed in with them. “You had to make this decision behind closed doors without so much as my say-so? You called my father without so much as allowing me, his daughter, the victim in all this, the chance to even speak to him?”
She didn’t give them an opportunity to answer. She didn’t even want to hear it.
“I am so out of here.” Stepping around the small coffee table, she moved purposefully for the door.
“Liza,” Stygian growled as she quickly stalked across the room. “You can’t just walk out of here.”
Oh yeah?
“Just watch me, big boy.” Her lip curled in disgust. “I’ll show you just how quickly I can and will just walk right out of here.”
She was walking right the hell out of there and he could kiss her ass as she made her way right the hell out of the hotel along with it.
“Liza, come on, hear them out.” Isabelle, traitor that she was, lent her voice to the protest.
She couldn’t believe—
As a matter of fact—
She turned on her heel and glared at her friend. “I simply cannot believe, Isabelle, that you would be party to such a meeting and not demand they include me. What the hell was in your mind?” She slid a sneer toward the Breed at her side. “Or is that a question I even have to ask? Does he have you on such a short f**king leash with that mating bullshit that even friendship no longer matters?”
She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and rage at the betrayal that was eating her alive.
It burned clear to her soul, making her sick to her stomach with the evidence that nothing or no one mattered to her friend but that damned Breed who held her hostage with his kiss.
“I warned them you were going to be pissed.” Isabelle sighed, her gaze concerned if not exactly sympathetic to Liza and Claire’s dilemma.
“Damn it, Isabelle, you know better than this,” she cried out, her fists clenching at her side as the need to strike out began to override every other impulse slamming through her system.
Isabelle, above all others, knew exactly what Liza was involved in.
“Liza, I know you’re upset, but honestly, this was all done very hastily by conference call as we made our way here. There was no secret meeting and no deliberate decision made without you.” Isabelle’s dark eyes glittered with pain as Malachi moved to her, his arm sliding around her as though he knew, as though he felt, her pain. As though whatever there was to the matings she’d read about, the Breed’s first impulse was still the welfare of his lover.
It was really too damned bad Stygian couldn’t feel the same.
“Well, that’s exactly how it sounds to me,” she snapped, furious with herself for even considering that she could want such support from such a corrupt concept. “It doesn’t matter if it was done in the lobby, on the elevator or in a f**king boardroom, it was still done and it was still done without my consent.” She turned on Stygian, hurting, aching to such a depth that she felt as though a ragged gash had been sliced into her soul. “As though I were a damned child without the ability to garner help if I need it.”
“The help you had was a bit ineffective,” Stygian snarled, the pinpoints of blue that filled his gaze glittering with rage. “They were unarmed and completely unaware of the danger until Claire cried out for help. The two of you would have been abducted or dead by the time they arrived.”