Page 12 of Stray Cat

AC didn’t argue or even look dismayed that Diego wasn’t about to release him. He shrugged impassively. “Let my guys leave. They only did what I told them. I didn’t give them a choice.”

“Mm, I’ll think about it.” Diego jerked his head toward AC’s henchmen waiting in the dark. “Bring them,” he ordered his men.

The DX Security guys and Graham and his Lupines started herding AC and his subdued thugs toward the road and waiting vehicles.

Lindsay blew out a relieved breath once they’d all passed and turned to Xav. “You should go home and rest. Recover from this.”

Xav sent her an incredulous look. “While you do what? Watch Diego interrogate AC?”

“Of course,” Lindsay said, as though it should be obvious. “He asked for my help specifically. I want to know why.” She laced her arm through Xav’s, running her fingers along his biceps. “Then maybe I can come over and help you heal.”

Xav didn’t soften under her touch. “What’s going to happen isyouare going back to Shiftertown and staying put. I don’t like that AC singled you out, and I don’t care about any sob story about his brother. The man can’t be trusted. I don’t want you near him.”

“Then shouldn’t we find out what he really wants?” Lindsay asked in surprise.

“Yes,Ishould. And Diego. I’ll tell you all about it, I promise.”

“Wait, you’re saying you’re going with Diego now?” Lindsay demanded. “Even though you’ve been beat up, kidnapped, and stuffed into this place—whatever it is—in the middle of the desert?”

“They didn’t hurt me that much. Irritated me, mostly.” Xav’s bruised face belied the words, though he wasn’t sagging in pain, and the arm she held was strong. “And it’s a bank vault.”

Xav gently slid from Lindsay’s grasp and started for the distant road, where SUVs were sputtering to life. Headlights swept arcs into the darkness, taillights reddening the dust and dried grasses.

Lindsay jogged to catch up with him. “It’s a what?”

“A bank vault,” Xav answered without stopping. “Built by a manufacturer to demonstrate that his vaults could survive a nuclear blast. Back when this was a testing area, a few people shut themselves inside the vault and waited for a nuclear bomb to detonate nearby.”

Lindsay gaped at him. “Are you shitting me? Were they nuts?”

Xav shrugged his broad shoulders. “It worked. They survived. The door blew off but the walls and roof stood. No one’s ever come to tear the vault down and take it away.”

Lindsay stared back at the tiny building, standing mutely in the starlight, a testimony to the vast destruction that had been developed in this remote place.

She knew it had been many years ago, andprobablythe radiation had dispersed by now, but she shivered and hurried after Xav to the warm and waiting vehicles.

* * *

Xav heldin his irritation as Lindsay followed him into DX Security’s offices, which lay on Desert Inn Road not far from Boulder Highway.

Lindsay had ignored Graham’s order that she should get into the SUV heading back to Shiftertown with his Lupines. He’d assured her that one of his wolves would drive her car home for her, but Lindsay had walked past him, wind ruffling her shoulder-length, light golden hair, and climbed into her driver’s seat.

“No way am I letting a Lupine drive my car, Graham,” she’d said, then slammed the door.

Graham might be a joint leader of Shiftertown, but Lindsay wasn’t required to obey him. She only had to do what Eric, her own leader, said, and Eric wasn’t here.

Xav had made for her car so he could at least keep arguing with her as they drove back, but Lindsay had glided away before he could reach it.

He understood why she’d resisted going home, Xav told himself when she waltzed into DX’s offices. AC had singled her out, and Lindsay needed to know why. Xav knewhecould not have gone tamely home and waited for a phone call to fill him in.

One contingent of DX men had taken the three thugs who’d grabbed Xav to the police. All three had outstanding warrants, Xav discovered as he’d looked them up on the drive back to town.

AC, however, came to DX Security with them. Diego wasn’t ready to turn him over yet.

When Lindsay tried to follow Diego into the interrogation room, Xav seized her by the arm and steered into the chamber next door. Here, a thick glass window shielded them but would let them watch and hear the questioning.

Lindsay glared at Xav and jerked from his grip as he shut the door.

“Don’t bother railing at me,” Xav said in a hard voice. “I’m not letting you in there with AC. He has no reservations about killing people who get in his way. His guys tied me up and stuffed me into the back of a truck, even though I’m trained to not let that happen.”

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