Page 16 of Finding His Way

Macsen and Vaughn jutted their chins in his direction but didn’t speak. He spied the lone witness behind Vaughn, slumped unconscious. Macsen ran his blue-gray gaze over Dianna once more before he spun wordlessly on his heels and struck out of the cave. Jeremy followed and behind him, came Vaughn and the prisoner.

He understood why they did what they did. The brothers were defense until they could get her safe. Aleks was out there. While he was completely aware of the world around him, he couldn’t deny that most of his focus was on the proud woman struggling to keep on her feet beside him.

The winds had ramped up while he’d been inside getting his woman and while he didn’t mind the cold, he needed to protect her. Tucking her closer to him, he wished he had a coat he could put around her.

A beat up old SUV waited and while they approached, he watched Macsen move around it before giving a subtle nod then getting behind the wheel.

“Expecting a bomb?”

Her question shocked him and yet, he knew it shouldn’t. she was, after all, a cop.

“I need you safe, mate.” He opened the back door and lifted her in before sliding in after her. The moment he had settled in, he plucked her up and placed her on his lap.

She stiffened and struggled.

The animal growled and the man mimicked it. She stilled, cop or not, she understood an angry predator’s warning.

“Don’t push me, Dianna.” He latched his arms around her, tucking her beneath his chin. “Don’t fucking push me right now. Sit her and let me fucking keep you safe.” His words were rough and graveled.

Somehow her body stiffened even more and he wanted to scream and erupt to the sky. Follow that up by killing everyone again. Did she think him capable of hurting her?

The door on the other side of the back opened and Vaughn slipped in along with snow and icy wind after tossing the limp body of the prisoner in the way back. Dispassionate eyes moved over him and how Dianna was as flexible as rebar.

“Comfort.”

The word fell from his brother’s lips, far below the auditory signal she could hear, but he could, courtesy of his feline.

They were moving before Vaughn even got his door closed. His cat reached for its mate, needing to do just that. Offer comfort. Turning the woman in his arms deeper into his chest, Jeremy allowed the low rumble of protectiveness and love, combined with pride she’d survived to roll from him.

Increment by increment, the strong, amazing woman in his embrace softened into him, accepting his warmth and protection. Allowing his eyelids to close, he took the moment and calmed.

“Fuck.”

Macsen’s muttered curse reached him the moment the whine of a rocket did. Snarling in anger, he instantly adjusted his hold on the woman in his arms.

“Don’t suppose you brought a gun did you?” Her low question pulled laughter from all three of them in the vehicle. Not much, but it was enough.

No, he hadn’t but Vaughn bent and lifted two that he offered without a word. Macsen swerved and a tree off to the side exploded. Dianna didn’t try to get off his lap but she did reach out to take the guns.

A Skorpion and one HS2000. She checked to make sure both were loaded and gave Vaughn a brief nod of thanks. Then she slipped off his lap and neither he nor his cat approved.

Macsen pulled another few juke moves, keeping them on their forward trajectory. He and Vaughn glanced around. Three vehicles bore down on them, closing the distance at a speed which was far to quick for his liking.

“What’s the plan?” Dianna shoved the HS under her thigh as she bent to tie her definitely improperly sized boots tighter. She moved to her waist next, tightening the woolen pants before rolling her shoulders, loosening up.

“I like her.” Macsen grinned in the rearview as he ripped them around a snowy corner, drifting far more than Jeremy was comfortable with, especially with his mate in the vehicle. As usual however, Macsen handled it beautifully and one of the pursuing vehicles didn’t make it around the corner but fell over the cliff they were racing along.

“Stop,” he growled. His cat was on edge, needing to mark her and claim her. It was a lot to have two other unattached males near her, even though they were his brothers.

“Don’t know who the hell you are,” she replied, not looking away from the man driving the SUV. “But you’re with him,” she jerked her thumb over in Jeremy’s direction, “so for that alone, I like both of you as well.”

He curved his hand around her neck, anchoring his snarling beast. “Don’t.”

That garnered him a look from her. “Don’t? Are you seriously telling me not to like two shifters who helped you get to me.”

He snarled at her as both men snorted in amusement despite the situation.

“Didn’t need their help and my brothers need to mind their own damn business.”

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