Lawe's Justice

*CHAPTER 16*

Find the link to the group of Navajo charged with collecting and hiding Breeds, created or hybrid, as well as the human children and/or adults involved in any experimentation on the Breeds or their genetic profiling, and do it within a week.

What a tall order. And her week was nearly up.

Lawe had kept his word though. He had allowed her to do whatever she needed to do. He even stood back when necessary and without asking; he’d never once questioned the working relationship she had with Thor.

She wasn’t fooled though. This battle wasn’t over.

And time was running out. She had one day left to produce information. After that, Jonas would threaten the Navajo Nation Council with sanctions if he didn’t get the information he wanted on Honor Roberts and Fawn Corrigan.

And she was just tired of wasted time and effort.

It was a damned good thing Diane had excellent contacts. Contacts who wanted the identities of that group to suggest they take the job of hiding more than Council-threatened Breeds and humans.

No matter how they tried, there was no way of finding them, though. If there had been, then the men her uncle collaborated with would have found it.

Moving through the darkened rooms of the suite the Navajo Council had made available for her and Lawe, Diane slipped silently past the balcony doors she had managed to jimmy earlier and keep from locking.

Lawe would have a fit over this, she knew, but she was tired of the shadows and the constant smothering presence of Breeds surrounding her. She needed to run wild and free to clear her brain. Besides, she knew for a fact that Liza Johnson used the running trail that wrapped around the small park for her morning exercise.

If she hurried, she would get there in time to scout out the area, then lie in wait for the friend whom Coyote Breed Ashley Truing cared so much for.

Taking Lawe with her would only serve to intimidate Liza, who seemed to have a sense of fear where Breed males were concerned. Diane knew what a fear of men looked like in wary eyes.

Just as she knew that Liza and Chelsea Martinez had been the reason Isabelle hadn’t ended up raped by her ex-boyfriend recently.

Climbing effortlessly from the balcony before grabbing hold of the strong, dense vine that grew along the building, she began silently lowering herself to the ground below.

Lawe had left the room minutes after they had been escorted to it by a team of Breeds. And if she hadn’t misunderstood, then she knew those Breeds were outside her door and charged with making certain she was protected while Lawe was busy.

Son of a bitch, she was so tired of protection.

This was becoming ridiculous.

Jumping to the ground, Diane came to a crouch, her gaze adjusting to the darkness outside as she searched for any Breed Enforcers who might have reached this side of the hotel while patrolling.

They hadn’t. The soft green grass that met the building was a part of the golf course, which stretched out behind the Navajo Suites. On the other side was a large pool, a park for kids and a variety of other simple amusements.

Straightening up, Diane sprinted quickly across the grass and headed for a stand of trees bordering the golf course before the Breed guards could get a whiff of her scent and stop her.

Liza Johnson was suspected by Diane’s contact to have been the go-between in the pickup of several other Breed children, a scientist with Navajo roots who had been forced to work with the Council and a young woman whose mate had been killed.

Liza was highly involved in the Bureau of Breed Affairs as a liaison between the office and the Navajo Council and community, and she was also a close friend to several high-profile Breeds. If anyone in Window Rock knew where Honor Roberts was hiding and the identity she had taken, then it would be Liza.

Using the golf course’s heavy boulders, the stand of sheltering trees and the artificial hills for cover, Diane made her way quickly from the hotel to the other side of the course, praying Breed eyes hadn’t seen her escape.

Once there, she turned along a narrow path, no longer bothering to stay hidden in the deepest shadows as she pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and hoped any Breed surveillance wouldn’t immediately realize who she was.

There were no Breeds assigned to this area, though, she knew. At least, the plans she’d been privy to hadn’t shown any. There was always the chance that Lawe had ensured she not know exactly where the Breeds were patrolling, but she didn’t think he had. As he saw it, since she’d been given permission to conduct her investigation, she would have no reason to slip away to do it.

No reason other than the fact that she could no longer bear to be surrounded by big hulking brutes determined to die for her. Lawe had kept his word, but as Rachel had warned her, other Breeds had made a vow, and they didn’t care to shadow her and Lawe, and especially her and Thor, whenever they saw her out.

God, could she survive watching another man she knew, possibly Lawe, the man she loved, die for her? She’d seen it once before. She had watched the life drain from Padric’s gaze as the bullet he’d taken to his chest to protect her had killed him.

The memory of it flayed her. She had never escaped the nightmares that forced her to relive it and couldn’t seem to convince herself that she was older, more experienced, and definitely more merciless than she had been then.

She also wasn’t nearly as reckless as Lawe wanted to believe she was. Moving past the small children’s playground and entering the city park, Diane stopped at the tall stone monument that marked the missing members of the Navajo Nation as well as other tribes who had been used in Breed research.

There were fifty-seven names total, men and women whose lives had no doubt been lost long before the Navajo had ever learned of their deaths.

Stepping within the long shadow cast by the heavy edifice, Diane stopped, her gaze narrowing against the predawn light as she committed her surroundings to memory. Then, with a soft breath of air, she imitated the happy little chirp of one of the birds singing out so sweetly.

The answering call had her lips tilt up in fondness.

“We’re going to get our asses killed.” Thor stepped from the shadows of an overgrown pine several feet away and made his way to her.

Dressed in black, a cap covering his white blond hair, his utility belt strapped with a variety of weapons and tools, he looked like the highly efficient warrior he was.

Diane snorted at the prediction. “Are you scared?”

“Pretty much.” He sighed, his gaze restless as he canvassed the area.

“Want me to send you home to momma for a diaper and nap, Thor?” she mocked.

“You’re a bitch, Di.” He sighed again. “A true hard-core bitch.”

“Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me.” Her tone conveyed a deliberate lack of concern, but she could feel her heart racing with fear.

The fear that something would happen to him. That if push came to shove, then he too would throw himself in front of a bullet for her.

“I have her schedule,” Thor told her before she had a chance to ask if he had managed to get the information she’d assigned him while she and Lawe were at the hospital to check on Ashley.

“Good.” Diane nodded. “What is it?” She glanced up at him, wondering if she was going to have to drag every piece of information out of his ass.

“She leaves the house at daylight,” he said softly. “She had stopped running after her friend Isabelle was nearly raped by a date. He was stalking Isabelle and the friends were terrified he would strike at them in retaliation. It was the same bastard who nearly kidnapped Isabelle and shot Ashley.”

“The same one Gideon killed,” she murmured. “Gideon beat us here, Thor.”

“But we expected it.” Thor shrugged easily. “And what’s with this ‘us’ bullshit? There was no ‘us,’ boss. You forgot to tell me about this little side trip. I had to guess, remember?”

“Still put out, Thor?” she asked as she leaned back against the memorial to wait for daylight and the woman she was going to track down this morning.

“Still put out,” he agreed, though his tone wasn’t nearly as relaxed as it had been. “You and I are a team, no matter what. Or so I thought until you ditched me.”

She shook her head wearily. “There was too much riding on this, too big a threat to Liza as well as Honor Roberts, if I managed to find her. It wasn’t fair to her to add additional danger to her life.”

“We both know I’m no fucking traitor,” he hissed through the darkness. “Give me a break. And if you believed that crap that just spewed from your lips, then I wouldn’t be here now.”

Her lips twitched at the angry tone and the descriptive words he used.

“You’re right,” she agreed. There was really no sense in arguing the point.

She must have surprised him, though, because he didn’t say anything for long moments.

“It’s because of Padric.” He sighed again. “Hell, Di, you can’t wallow in guilt forever, you know.”

Actually, she could, if she wanted to.

“I’m not trying to wallow in guilt,” she told him. “I simply wanted to protect you from Gideon. He has no compunction about killing a man, but he’ll allow a woman more leeway. In that respect, he’s like any other Breed.”

Thor simply grunted, an indication that he still felt his question hadn’t been answered.

“So you tracked this Liza girl down,” Thor muttered. “What makes you think she knows where the Roberts girl is, or who she is?”

Diane shrugged. “She’s the best bet. She works closest with Terran, Ray and Orrin. She has since she was sixteen. Her family is close friends with the Martinezes and she and Terran meet often with Ray and Orrin Martinez for long discussions. If she’s not privy to inner secrets then she’s sleeping with all three of them, and I simply can’t see that one happening. Just because I agree doesn’t mean I like slipping around like this.” He sighed. “You and Lawe have an agreement.”

“And he refused to listen when I tried to tell him I need to meet with her alone.” She sighed.

“He’s been damned patient,” Thor pointed out. “And he’s done his best.”

She had to agree, he had done his best. Better than that if she wanted to admit the truth.

“I didn’t say I liked it,” she murmured. “I said it didn’t make sense not to have at least one location, one person who knows where everyone has been hidden or relocated. But she refuses to deal with Breeds. She’s not going to talk to me with any of them hovering. Especially Lawe.”

That person had to be Liza.

Diane had spent months, more months than she wanted to remember, investigating all the players, scientists, research assistants and techs from Brandenmore Research. In Window Rock, she’d tracked familial lines and all new citizens who had moved into the area within the past twelve years.

She had spent countless hours searching for answers, for the identity of the missing Honor Roberts and Fawn Corrigan along with the Bengal Breed known only as Judd.

Liza Johnson was the closest she had gotten. The daughter of the current chief’s best friend and military buddy. She was the granddaughter of the medicine man’s best brother. Their families were so entwined as to be all but blood kin.

All but blood kin.

There was no shared blood, only the shared bonds of friendship, battle and loyalty. She glanced at Thor with a sense of overwhelming sadness. They had those bonds, but how satisfying it would have been to have been on this small mission with Lawe. To see how he could handle the woman she truly was.

To have Lawe watching her back, sensing any dangers that would have come, riding the adrenaline high coursing through their bodies. To know, yes, they would die for each other, but that Lawe wouldn’t endanger himself for her needlessly or overlook the strengths she had.

As the first light of dawn rose in the sky, both Diane and Thor crouched in the continued shadow of the spear pointing toward heaven.

She tried to pretend it was Lawe at her back, but no amount of pretending, no bit of imagination could place him there when he wasn’t.

“Five minutes,” Thor said, his voice so soft it was barely a whisper. “She runs alone unless Isabelle and Chelsea Martinez accompany her. Isabelle is currently in residence at the hotel with Malachi Morgan. Chelsea and her father are staying in the Chief’s Suite at the Navajo Council chambers. All the members were called in just before you and Lawe arrived, from what I understand. I suspect it’s to discuss relocating the two girls and the Breed before they can be found.”

Diane shook her head. “They wouldn’t risk it.”

She glanced around, the ache in her chest intensifying, the regret and feeling of dread pulling her down as the knowledge that she was in this battle without the warrior whom nature had chosen as her other half tore at her heart.

She’d never ached like this when she and Padric had been separated by missions or wounds. She’d never felt hurt or anger when Padric had disagreed with her or when he’d refused to accompany her.

She didn’t like this.

Blinking rapidly, she fought the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.

This wasn’t mating heat. Mating heat was sexual. It was a blinding, overwhelming, uncontrolled hunger for a mate.

This was the pain, the aching loneliness and the certainty that no matter how she loved, no matter how miserable she was, Lawe would prefer that to ever seeing her fulfill the other hunger that drove her. The hunger for justice.

“Here she comes, boss.”

There she was.

Dressed in gray form-fitting jogging pants and a matching exercise bra. A gray headband wrapped around her forehead, while her long, wavy blond hair was pulled up into a ponytail that trailed past her shoulders. When free, her hair trailed to just above her hips in thick, silken locks.

Bound high at the back of her head now, the ponytail bounced, the waves of would-be curls dancing and gyrating like ribbons gone wild.

“Are we clear?”

“Clear,” Thor answered.

Holding the crouch, Diane sprinted from the shadow of the monument and moved in behind the other woman at a healthy jog to match. Thor, she knew, would stay hidden in the shadows, watching out for her, protecting her back.

Lawe should have been protecting her back.

As she came up behind Liza Johnson, she wasn’t in the least surprised when the other woman suddenly jumped to the side, twisted lithely and faced her at a crouch.

Diane came to a stop, her brow arching in mock surprise at the obvious training that had gone into the move.

“What do you want?” Gray eyes narrowed, her toned body tense and prepared, she stared back at Diane suspiciously.

“A nice jog?” Diane queried with a small smile as she crossed her arms over her breasts and watched the young woman curiously.

She was damned delicate. For all the grace used to make that move, there was little muscle tone and even less strength in her small frame.

“You’re lying.” Clipped and clearly distrusting, Liza remained on guard as Diane faced her. “Now what do you want and why are you following me?”

“Who trained you?” she asked rather than answering the girl’s question.

“No one you know, I’m certain,” Liza sneered back. “Now what the hell do you want?”

Diane tilted her head, curious at the stance and the obvious fear of attack she could sense coming from Liza.

“I’m no threat to you.” She gave a small laugh as the other woman straightened slowly, her gaze quickly assessing her surroundings as she searched for hidden threats.

The look was unmistakable. Diane had seen it countless times; she’d had the look herself more than once.

“Then you’ll kindly leave the way you came,” Liza told her.

Diane grinned ruefully. “Sorry, Liza, but we really need to talk. Just for a bit, you understand. We could return to the hotel for the discussion if you like?” She glanced toward the direction of the Navajo Suites. “I promise it won’t take long.”

Liza’s gaze jerked over her shoulder, her eyes widening as her face slowly paled.

She’d never known Thor to have such an effect at first glance, though she wished he would have remained hidden for a while longer.

“He’s harmless,” she murmured.

Liza swallowed tightly. “We have to get out of here.”

“Thor’s not going to hurt you.”

“Honey, I’ve seen that hot-assed Thor of yours, and he makes one. Not four.”

Diane swung around, her hand whipping to her back and the weapon holstered there.

Four.

Her heart raged in her chest.

Adrenaline flowed like a racing river through her bloodstream as she faced the four Breeds. And they weren’t the good guys.

Unfortunately, severely unfortunately, she watched as the single human male stepped from the shadows of a heavy oak to face her with a triumphant smile.

“Malcolm,” she whispered painfully.

For the second time in her life, her heart was breaking. It was shattering inside her, locking her throat tight with the horrifying realization that she shouldn’t be surprised. That she shouldn’t hurt with such pain or ache with such a feeling of overwhelming betrayal.

“I thought it was Brick,” she whispered, the pain searing her rasping in her voice now.

Malcolm chuckled, a cruel, vicious sound. “Good ole Gideon would have gotten me if I hadn’t managed to find a way to trip that dumb bastard Brick and throw him in the way. Son of a bitch never figured it out either.”

“Where’s Thor?” All she could see were the four Coyote Breeds, their lips pulled back to display the curved canines, their eyes filled with malevolent pleasure.

“He’s a bit under the weather, boss,” he mocked her. “It might have something to do with the knife I shoved in his chest. I do believe I even managed to pierce that bastard’s icy little heart.”

Pointing the laser pistol at his heart, Diane activated it.

“Liza, run,” she said heavily.

She was going to kill him. If she didn’t manage to do anything else, she would kill him.

“Where?” Liza’s voice was filled with disbelief. “Have you noticed there are four Coyotes here, lady? Does it look like I have a chance?”

One of the Coyotes grinned. A tilt of his lips that covered the curved canines.

“The first one who moves will die,” she snapped back at her. “Now get the hell out of here.”

“If she runs, one of us will chase,” a Coyote murmured. “We can’t resist. It’s like a dog with a ball. We just have to fetch.” He wagged his brows playfully.

As though he were flirting?

“Malcolm, where did you find your Coyotes?” she asked in disgust. “They’re fucking crazy.”

“They’re fucking effective,” he snapped back. “They caught your ass, didn’t they?”

Well, he had her there, didn’t he?

“Where is your mate, little warrior?” another murmured silkily as his dark gray eyes danced in amusement. “I can smell his mark on you and it’s fresh. You know, he gets his hands on you, and he’s gonna show you exactly how a Breed punishes disobedient little mates.”

“Go to hell!” she snapped.

He 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.”

She took a moment to stare at him in complete disbelief.

“Great, a comedian,” Liza murmured behind her.

“Yeah, all before breakfast.” Diane sighed. “I think I might be nauseous anyway.”

“I warned you not to bring him, Malcolm,” another Coyote spoke up. “He’s going to start playing his incessant games again.”

“Loki, stop playing the fucking horndog,” Malcolm snapped at the flirting creature. “We’re here to kidnap a Breed mate, not see if we can seduce her.”

“I’m still maturing.” The Coyote shrugged with a cold, far too experienced, far too cruel expression of displeasure.

“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.”

Diane followed them with her eyes, keeping her position, shielding Liza with her own body. As ignorant as they acted, as playful as they pretended to be, she knew they were now at their most dangerous.

“Liza, go!” she hissed.

“We’ll just chase her.” The taller, broader Coyote reached into his pocket and pulled a cigar free.

With lazy amusement, he holstered his weapon before lighting the tip, sending the scent of tobacco to fill the early morning air.

She was screwed. She would get one shot off, that was it at the current setting.

She turned back to Malcolm. “I’ll kill you first.” With a flip of her thumb she placed the weapon on its highest setting.

Malcolm smiled complacently. “No, Diane, you won’t,” he assured her. “Because if you do, then 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?”

Liza wouldn’t survive. What Council Coyotes had been known to do to innocent bystanders was horrifying.

And they were alone with no backup and possibly no hope of backup arriving in time.

The heaviness that settled in her chest was like a crushing weight.

“I’d rather fight,” Liza whispered behind her.

Diane nodded slowly. “Do you have a weapon?”

“A knife, that’s all I have.” Regret filled the other girl’s 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 mocking Coyote drawled then. “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,” she 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?”

She hadn’t.

Diane stepped back, bringing herself closer to the other girl in an effort to protect her; she took a deep breath and prepared herself.

They didn’t have a chance. Malcolm had taken out Thor and that left no one to watch her back. She had one shot, and not enough time to power the weapon again for another kill shot.

She didn’t have to kill.

With an imperceptible movement of her thumb against the mechanism Diane lowered the power from kill to wound and from wound to disable.

She could get off eight shots, and if she aimed at their kneecaps, she might have a chance.

And so would Liza.

“Poor Malcolm,” she drawled with an edge of laughter as she looked back at him, the only plan she could come up with flashing through her memory.

He scowled as the Coyote with the cigar chuckled wickedly. “Sounds like a challenge to me, little man.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Malcolm snapped. “No one asked you.”

Lawe would have missed her by now surely. It had been over an hour. He knew her and he knew her well. Just as she knew him. She had been pushing him, challenging him, now all she had to do was stay alive long enough—

“No one had to ask me.” The Coyote gave another low, amused laugh. “She’s cute as hell, Malcolm.”

“And she can kick Malcolm’s ass to hell and back,” Diane assured them all. Glancing at the Coyote, clearly the dominant alpha, she shot him a mocking sneer. “He knew he would have to face me.” She nodded at 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, 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.

Diane chuckled. “Four coyotes.” She sighed. “For little ole me? That scared of me, Malcolm?”

His jaw bunched, his hands clenching the weapon.

“If you want me, come fight me,” she suggested with a laugh. “I dare you.”

Every Coyote there perked up.

“A thousand on the girl,” the leader murmured.

“Shut the fuck up, Dog,” Malcolm raged furiously.

“I got your thousand on the prick there. He has muscle where she doesn’t.” Loki took the bet before turning to the other two. “Mutt, Mongrel? You two in?”

“Thousand on the girl.” Gray Eyes took him up on it.

“Thousand on the prick.” The last one accepted the bet.

Malcolm was shaking with fury.

Diane smiled in anticipation.

“Knives or fists?” she asked, knowing his strengths as well as his weaknesses.

“You fucking whore,” he snarled.

“Take the challenge or walk away,” Dog snapped. “We won’t take her without the fight.”

God love a Coyote’s heart and his love of a challenge or a good bet.

“I win, we walk away,” she demanded as she kept her eyes on Malcolm.

Dog’s smile was clearly anticipatory, but he nodded easily. “Whip his ass and you walk. He whips yours—you run. How’s that?”

Diane gave a sharp, firm nod as she smiled at Malcolm. “It’s a bet.”