His eyes narrowed on me, but then the door opened and he spun around. Four men in matching gray riot gear came in. The burger I ate turned to stone in my stomach.
I’d seen the leader’s face in my rearview mirror before. They were here for me.
My unwelcome companion got up to intercept them. “Can I help you?”
His broad shoulders blocked my view. I hoped that went both ways and the goons couldn’t see me either.
The leader came closer. “This doesn’t concern you.”
I shimmied under the table and slid out of the booth. The head guy rested his hand on his gun. My heart raced. I couldn’t let somebody get shot because of me, but my years of self-defense classes didn’t really prepare me for a group of armed, trained attackers.
“I think they’re here for me.”
My dinner date didn’t take his attention off the ring leader. “I don’t care who they came for. No reason for them to come in here with guns.”
The mention of guns sent gasps around the café. I sent up a silent prayer that someone in the bathroom was calling 911.
The leader didn’t move. “Step away from the lady.”
“Can’t help you there. Why don’t we take this outside?”
“I don’t have time for this, asshole.” He nodded his head and his goons lunged forward to grab my protector’s arms.
He yanked his arms inward, cracking the goons’ heads together with a hollow thump. One of his arms came free and he used it to send another one of the men sailing across the café. The man’s head crashed through the pie display case and his body lay limp. My muscled friend punched the second man in the chin, knocking him off his feet.
While he fought, the leader drew his weapon. “Watch out!” I shouted.
He tackled the leader around the waist just as the pistol fired. Screams pierced my ears and glass shattered. Hopefully that meant the bullet exited the building without hitting anyone. One more punch and the man lay motionless on the floor.
My hands trembled at my sides while I kicked the gun away from his fingertips. Cyrus was embroidered on the upper left of his riot gear. He looked much less threatening when he was unconscious. Before I turned to go, I noticed something on the inside of his wrist. I squatted closer. The inside of his wrist had a tattoo, a lion’s head with an “N” branded in the center. My chest constricted as I squinted my eyes for a better look. I’d seen that emblem before.
I’m losing it. All I needed was to pass out here in front of all these people. I took a step toward the door when my protector grabbed my hand. The moment I gripped his, he stumbled and glanced at me over his shoulder, frowning.
He blinked and shook it off before I ran toward the exit with him. “Sirens.” It took a second before I heard the familiar sound. He had some crazy amazing hearing. “We need to go. Now.”
I agreed completely. Dodging glass and bodies, we made it to the door. Outside, I yanked my hand free and glanced at my rental car in the parking lot. At this point, driving probably wasn’t a great idea since I could lose consciousness at any time during the new moon. Shit.
“We can’t be here when the police arrive.”
His voice jarred me from my thoughts and I managed a nod.
“Good.” His lip began to curl up into a smile, and then his expression quickly blanked. “Let’s run.”
I turned to bolt in the other direction, but his large hand caught my arm.
“This way. Away from the city.” Electrical pulses shot up my arm, probably shock from almost being shot. Or the new moon working its craziness on me. How long could I run before I blacked out?
Whoever this guy was, his instincts were good. The last thing I wanted was to be sleepwalking in downtown Reno. When we got a few miles from the café, he slowed. I should’ve been winded, but I wasn’t even out of breath.
“Thanks for helping me ditch those guys back there.” Brushing my hair back from my face, I stared up at the handsome stranger who just saved my bacon. “I don’t even know your name.”
“I’m Adam.” He offered his hand and I shook it, feeling that same strange tingle.
“Lana. You were pretty amazing tossing those guys around back there.”
He shrugged, his muscular shoulders rolling back. “Who were those guys, and why are they after you?”
The image of the tattoo inside the gunman’s wrist popped into my head again. What did it mean? I forced my focus back to Adam. I’d have to figure it out later.
“I should be asking you the same question. You came looking for me. Why?” I jammed my hands in my pockets, reminding myself that I had a cylinder of pepper spray and my cell phone. Just in case.
His eyes narrowed. “Because in the past two weeks jaguar shifters have killed humans in my city and left mutilated bodies out in the open. I won’t let that happen again.”
I took a step back, doing my best to process this crazy talk. “Shifters? You lost me.”
“Like you.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. He didn’t appear to be joking. “Now why don’t you tell me who those men were in the diner?”
“Like me?” I shook my head. Maybe he was drunk. “Look, I’m just passing through. I appreciate your help back there, but I’ll be fine. I’m not who you think I am, so you really don’t need to get involved.”
“Someone tried to shoot me. I’m already involved.”
I groaned. “I didn’t ask you to protect me.”
“You didn’t look like you wanted to go with them.” He pinned me with his intense gaze.
“I don’t know who they are, okay?” My arms felt heavy. Please don’t black out now. “Bellevue tried to lock me up for seventy-two hours and ship me to a psych facility back east, so I escaped. I’m guessing they sent these guys to bring me back.”
One corner of his mouth twisted up. “Do you really think a hospital would send men with guns to shoot you?” He shook his head, his arms dropping to his sides. “Why are you playing games?”
My head pounded. “I’m not playing anything. In fact, I was minding my own business having some dinner until you barged in like a crazy person.”
“Tonight is the new moon, and instead of staying away from people, you’re in the middle of a restaurant. If those hired guns hadn’t taken you out, my Pack would have.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I frowned. “Your Pack?”
“I should’ve taken care of you myself. You were in my sector of town, but you don’t seem like the others, and now…” He hesitated, clenching his jaw. “I couldn’t do it.”
“Couldn’t do what?”
His hands dropped to his sides. “Kill you.”
I didn’t hesitate. I ran faster than I had ever run in my entire life. Without looking back, I pushed my legs harder, fighting to put as many strides between us as possible. The streets gave way to shrubs and trees, blurring as I streaked past them. My lungs burned, but somehow Adam kept up. I ran off the streets, through the sagebrush and rocks, until the city stood miles behind us.
I never knew I could run so far or so fast, but I still couldn’t outrun him. When I stopped, he jogged up beside me and frowned.
“You need to shift.”
“What?” I huffed.
He tilted his head slightly, and I swear he looked even cuter. The same man who just told me he was supposed to kill me. I wanted to slap myself. Snap out of it, Lana!
His tough guy face faded, and for a moment a flash of compassion shone in his eyes. “You don’t know what you are, do you?”
My chest heaved, but for a moment my heart stopped. For the past five years I’d devoted most of my time to searching for answers, terrified of what might be happening to me. Now here I stood in the middle of nowhere with a man who seemed certain he knew the one answer I wanted more than anything.