He shook her. “I know. But we can still be together. And you’re gonna watch me kill Jordan after he turns into a werewolf. Well, if his brain doesn’t explode first.” Anticipation had Lance licking his lips.
She shook her head. Denial wasn’t going to get her out of this. Betrayal ate away the haziness. “Did you take the pictures? I mean, the ones from stalking me?”
“Yeah.” Arrogance lifted his chin. “You never noticed, not once. But”—he frowned—“I thought the photographs were for David. I had no clue he was working with Brent the werewolf, had no clue they were related. I figured David would challenge Jordan if somehow Jordan survived the moon.”
She tried to clear her mind. “That makes no sense. Why would you take pictures and give them to David?”
Lance sighed. “I’m starting to doubt your intelligence.”
“I’m right there with you,” she snapped back. How stupid was she to have missed this?
“Okay.” He exhaled, irritation curling his lip. “David paid me money, a lot of it, to get those pictures of you. I thought he had a hard-on for you ... and figured I’d take the money and deal with him later. One time he let loose he was going to challenge Jordan. So I figured I’d let them fight, then take out whoever survived. Simple plan.”
The guy was nuttier than a cobbler. “When did you find out David knew Brent?”
“Same time you did—when we saw the pictures in that crappy shack.” Lance grimaced. “I’m sorry. I should’ve protected you better, and I will from now on. I promise.”
She wrapped her arms around her middle. Flesh and bones wouldn’t protect the baby from a bullet, but she couldn’t help herself. Tears pricked the back of her eyes. “I thought we were friends.” Trust didn’t come easily to her, and she’d given it to the tiger. They’d fought together and had protected each other’s backs.
“We are.” He frowned. “How can you not see everything I’ve done has been for you? You’re everything.”
Even now, with a gun pointed at her and his eyes a crazy blue, she expected him to snap out of it. “Then why are you doing this? I’m asking you to stop.”
He shook his head sadly. “You don’t know what you want ... what you need. I can’t let you sacrifice yourself with Jordan—he’s a dead man before midnight. Even if you won’t protect yourself, as your future, I will.”
“Lance, I care about you. A lot.” There had to be some way to reason with him. “But I don’t love you or want to be with you. Please stop.”
Indulgence quirked his lips. Amazing reflexes had his hand around her arm, and her back in the same position as before, facing the open doorway. Lance had always been quicker than most cats—he’d moved before she could draw a breath. “We need to go.”
“Go where?” Panic had her fighting to stay still.
“This is no longer our fight.” His forward step moved her right along with him. “I have transportation waiting outside. Do what I tell you, and I won’t shoot you.”
Jordan suddenly appeared in the corridor. His tawny gaze took in the situation. “This isn’t good.”
Chapter 23
Katie breathed out, the gun inhibiting a full exhale. Jordan kept his hands at his sides, his face placid, his stance relaxed. But fear and fury burned hot and bright in his eyes. She went lax against Lance. “We seem to have a situation.”
Jordan eyed the weapon. “Did you kill Linda, Lance?”
The tiger stiffened. “Sure. She was a threat to my future with Katie. How do you know about Linda?”
“I’ve been investigating you since you threw the tantrum when I took Katie from New Orleans.” The lion lifted his gaze to Katie’s eyes, talking to Lance, but watching her. “Just got off the phone with an informant. My timing sucks.”
“Yeah, well”—the tiger shrugged, his large chest knocking into Katie’s head—“I figure your timing is excellent. You turn into a werewolf, your people kill you, and I get the girl.” His voice was almost ... cheerful.
Jordan had been in several fights, been injured, and the moon would soon start to call. Lance was definitely in fighting shape. Katie glanced down the empty corridor. Where was everybody?
Jordan snarled. “I’m rather pissed at the girl.”
Katie’s mouth dropped open. He had better be trying to distract Lance. “Excuse me?”
One arrogant eyebrow lifted. “There’s no excuse. Apparently, while you’ve been off fighting on your own, you’ve had not one, not two, but three fucking stalkers you haven’t noticed. When we’re finished with this guy, you’re going through training again. If I let you out of the house.”
Irritation had her chin lifting, knocking her skull against Lance’s chin. “There’s a gun in my ribs, Jordan. Do you think you could concentrate on that and not on being a complete asshole?”
Lance’s breath warmed her ear when he lowered his head. “See why I’m a better choice for you?”
Fear swirled in her gut. “You killed Linda?” He was in love with the woman. How could this have happened?
“Sure. Nothing is as important as keeping my squad safe. As keeping you safe. Linda was a threat to our future, and she had to go.” Lance’s voice stayed calm with conviction.
Katie shook her head. There was no reasoning with him. Every move flitting through her head resulted in the gun going off. She needed the weapon away from her abdomen. “You’re hurting me, Lance.”
A low growl hitched Jordan’s chest.
Lance merely tightened his hold. “Move back, Jordan. I’m done talking.”
The lion leader took a step back, hands out, gaze on the gun. “There has to be something we can work out here. How about you take Katie underground, and we wait until tomorrow morning to worry about the situation? I mean, chances are I’ll be dead.”
Lance’s muscles vibrated down her back. “And give the Chance brothers opportunity to take me out? No thanks. You know Baye will try to stop me from taking her. She’s mine, Jordan. You should’ve realized that fact before screwing her.”
Hearing her mating reduced to a vulgarity shot heat straight to Katie’s head. If she could just get Lance to loosen his hold—
Jordan shot forward, his hand sliding between the gun and her ribs, his palm cupping the barrel. Pushing her to the side, he shoved Lance against the door frame.
The gun went off.
Katie screamed.
Jordan hissed in pain, clutching his wounded hand. The scent of blood whipped through the oxygen.
Lance smiled, raising the gun toward Jordan’s head.
Noise faded away, as did fear. Katie dropped into a slide across the smooth rock, hitting Lance in the ankles. Her hip pounded in pain. She connected with a loud pop. An ache ripped up her shin. He fell, and she rolled away.
Jordan was on him that fast. The gun went spinning down the hallway. The punches were too fast to track, fury behind them. Lance’s head knocked against the rock wall, bouncing twice, and his eyes fluttered closed. Quick and deadly, Jordan’s fangs dropped and pierced Lance’s jugular. There was nothing like an Alpha protecting his family.
“No!” Katie grabbed his shoulders, trying to shove him off the unconscious tiger. “Don’t kill him.”
Jordan eyed her, his dangerous fangs still embedded deep in Lance’s neck. A couple of furious slashes, and he’d decapitate the tiger.
Katie calmed her voice. “He’s sick, Jordan. Since he lost his squad.” She’d had no clue how sick he was. “Please don’t kill him.” She tried to reach her mate, but chances weren’t good. Alphas took care of threats to their families with a quick death.
His eyes morphed into an animal, while his body remained human.