by Paige Tyler
Landon backpedaled to avoid the knife, then darted to the side and delivered a quick punch to Stutmeir’s ribs. The blow wasn’t hard enough to break anything, but it made Stutmeir grunt all the same. He’d felt it for sure.
Unfortunately, Landon wasn’t able to capitalize on the rib shot because Stutmeir quickly skipped back a few steps. Was he moving a little more gingerly on that ankle? Maybe, but it wasn’t something Landon was ready to put any faith in.
So they played a game of cat and mouse, Landon moving in a feint and trying to draw Stutmeir into making a mistake, while the ex-Stasi did the same to him. Landon got in a few more body shots. Stutmeir got him with a backhanded slice across the chest. The wound was barely a scratch, but it demonstrated once again how fast the ex-Stasi was.
Landon clenched his jaw. This was taking too long. He considered running down the hill to get his rifle. Even if it was broken, he could use it as a club. But Landon still didn’t know if Stutmeir was faking that bad ankle or not. Turning his back on the man would be suicide.
“Whatever the DCO is paying you, I can double it.” Stutmeir’s breathing was ragged. “I’ll even throw in a few thousand extra if you bring that cat bitch with you. She could be a real asset to me.”
Landon would have been more concerned with how Stutmeir knew about the DCO if he wasn’t so pissed.
“Like hell I will.”
Letting out a roar, he threw himself at Stutmeir.
They hit the ground hard, but because Landon was on top, Stutmeir took the brunt of the impact. That didn’t keep him from trying to carve up Landon’s face.
Landon caught Stutmeir’s knife hand in one of his. Then he slowly forced the knife back toward the man’s chest.
Stutmeir grimaced, straining to keep the blade away with one hand while he used the other to punch Landon anywhere and everywhere he could reach.
Landon ignored the blows. He was focused on one thing and one thing only—exerting more and more pressure on the knife until he wore Stutmeir down.
“Name your price.” Stutmeir’s gaze locked on his, and for the first time, Landon saw real fear there. “Whatever you want, I’ll pay it.”
Landon shifted his body until he was directly over Stutmeir’s chest, putting all his weight on the knife. Stutmeir gave up punching him and instead put both hands on the knife, doing everything to keep Landon from plunging it into his chest.
“Keep your money.” Landon forced Stutmeir’s hand back until the knife was positioned directly above the man’s heart. “All I want is your blood.”
Stutmeir whimpered as the tip of the knife touched his shirt. “Please.”
Landon leaned down so his face was mere inches from Stutmeir’s. “Is that what my partner said when you tortured her?”
“You’re the cat bitch’s partner? They told me they killed you.”
“Guess your hybrids aren’t as good as you think.”
Tightening his hold on Stutmeir’s hand, Landon shoved the blade into the man’s chest.
Stutmeir gasped, his eyes going wide as he choked on blood.
Landon staggered to his feet. His radio headset had gone missing long ago, so he had no way of contacting the rest of his team or knowing where Buchanan had taken Ivy. The lodge was the most likely place. Leaving Stutmeir lying there, he turned and headed in that direction.
He was just running down the hill on the far side of the lodge when he heard someone coming at him from the other direction. He hesitated, ready to duck behind a tree so he could jump whoever it was, but then he caught a glimpse of a plaid shirt and long, shapely legs.
Ivy.
Landon sprinted though the trees, desperate to close the distance between them. Ivy threw herself into his arms, holding on to him so tight he could barely breathe. He held her close, burying his face in her hair for one long moment before pulling back to look at her.
She blinked, her eyes going wide at the blood running down his arm. “Oh God, you’re hurt.”
“I’m fine. Stutmeir, not so much.”
“You got him?”
“I got him.” Landon frowned as he took a closer look at her. There was blood splattered across the shirt he’d given her to wear. And it was fresh. He didn’t see any visible wounds, though. “Ivy, you’ve got blood all over you. What the hell happened?” He ground his jaw. “I’m going to kill Buchanan for leaving you alone.”
“He left because I made him leave. And this”—she gestured to her shirt—“isn’t mine. It’s Jeff’s.”
“Jeff?” He frowned. “Your ex-partner? What was he doing here?”
Landon’s blood went from a simmer to a rolling boil as she told him about Jeff working with Stutmeir, the DNA samples the two doctors had taken from her, and about Jeff trying to rape her again.
“That bastard.” Landon clenched his fists. “I’ll kill him.”
“That’s chivalrous, but unnecessary.” She cupped his cheek. “I already killed him.”
Landon shook his head. “You shouldn’t have had to go through that again.” He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to her hair. “If you’re going to slay all your own dragons, what do you expect me to do?”
“Love me.”
“I do love you. I love you so much it hurts.” He gently tilted up her chin. “You’ll never know how sorry I am for letting you get captured. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Ivy put her fingers to his lips, silencing him. “It wasn’t your fault. I got captured because I zoned out again. We both know that. The important thing is that you came back for me. You risked everything to rescue me, and that means the world to me.” She kissed him. “You mean the world to me.”
Something clogged Landon’s throat and he swallowed hard. He didn’t deserve her.
He covered her mouth in a long, slow kiss, then reluctantly held her away from him. “We’d better get back and check on everyone else.”
She nodded, entwining her fingers with his as he led her back toward the lodge. “I forgot to tell you. I figured out how to keep from zoning out.”
“You did? How?”
She smiled. “I thought about you.”
***
Everyone was already back at the lodge by the time she and Landon got there. Ivy was relieved to see no one else had gotten seriously hurt and the hybrids had all been killed. She only got a few minutes to talk to them, however, because Zarina appeared with her clothes and insisted she change out of her bloody shirt. When she came back a few minutes later, Angelo was telling Landon that none of the hybrids would let themselves be taken alive.
Ivy sighed. “I can’t believe what you guys put yourselves through for me.”
Angelo slipped his arm around her shoulders. “You and Landon are together, so that means you’re family now. There isn’t anything the guys and I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Even though you know what I am?”
“What you are is the brave, beautiful woman my best friend is in love with. Like I said before, that makes you family.” Angelo grinned. “And it makes Landon the luckiest guy on earth.”
She laughed despite the tears stinging her eyes. Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
He hugged her tightly, then glanced at Landon. “I’ll call you.”
“Hey, Angelo,” Clayne called as the sergeant headed for the door.
Angelo stopped, half turning to look at him.
“You and the rest of the snake eaters did good out there today.”
Ivy looked at Clayne in astonishment.
Angelo grinned. “You didn’t do too bad yourself, shifter.”
Ivy gave Landon a curious look as he put his arm around her. “Snake eater?”
“Slang for a Special Forces operator.” He eyed Clayne. “Tell me again how we wiped out a small
army of hybrids and military-trained soldiers of fortune, and somehow end up letting the two doctors who tortured Ivy escape?”
Ivy held her breath, waiting for Clayne to blow up at Landon, but he only frowned. “I told you, I tracked them to the main road. They must have hitched a ride with a tourist or something because there was no sign of them when I got there. No scent, either.”
Zarina worried her bottom lip. “Klaus and Renard have samples of Ivy’s DNA. If they figure out how to manipulate it, they could make hybrid versions of Ivy. One that has the strength of the creatures you fought here today, but with Ivy’s agility and control.”
Landon swore.
“Zarina, there are people in the DCO who’d love to use this whole thing as an excuse to shut down the shifter program and boot Ivy and me out.”
Kendra gave the Russian woman a pointed look. “Which means you can’t tell anyone they have her DNA.”
“I won’t.” Zarina looked at Ivy. “You saved my life. The least I can do in return is keep your secret.”
Kendra visibly relaxed. “Okay. Now for our next problem. How are we going to explain all of this when you two”—she gestured to Ivy and Landon—“were only supposed to be out here doing recon?”
Landon exchanged glances with Ivy. “We’ll say Stutmeir and his people were going to kill Zarina and that we had to move in.”
“Then you’d better make damn sure you convince them you two did it on your own.” Kendra folded her arms. “If you imply you had outside help or that Clayne and I backed you up, Dick will be all over it. He’ll say it was a violation of every rule and regulation the DCO has, and talk the members of the Committee into shutting down the EVA program. Maybe even the entire DCO.”
Clayne’s mouth edged up. “The secret to making a lie believable is to limit the details and stick to the highlights. Don’t give them any information they can use to catch you in an inconsistency. If they press you for details, pull out the old fog of war excuse.”
Meaning she and Landon would be hazy about exactly how they had overcome such an obviously superior force all by themselves.
“You make it sound like you do this on a regular basis,” Kendra said.
His grin broadened. “Practice makes perfect.”
Ivy seriously doubted he lied as much as he claimed.
“The DCO’s going to want you to secure the lodge until the cleanup team arrives,” Clayne said. “I’m going to go pack up the weapons and whatever ammo is left so Kendra and I can drop it off at the storage unit. We have to make it look like most of that equipment was never used.”
Ivy caught his arm. “Clayne, wait. Landon and I need to talk before you go.”
“About what?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Ivy saw Kendra take the Russian doctor’s arm. “Zarina, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Ivy could have kissed Kendra for being so perceptive. She waited until the two women were out of earshot before turning back to Clayne.
“Are you going to tell the DCO about us…Landon and me?”
She probably could have been a little more tactful, but with Clayne the direct approach was best.
Clayne regarded them for a moment. “No. If they find out about the two of you, it won’t be from me.”
“Why don’t I believe that?”
His mouth quirked. “Because I just told you I make a habit of lying? Or maybe because I’ve been an asshole to the two of you?” He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh. “Look, Ivy, I did and said some things I’m not proud of. I’ve always just wanted you to be happy, and I can see Donovan makes you happy. I wish like hell he didn’t, but he does. I know what it feels like when you can’t be with the person you’re supposed to be with. I won’t do that to you.”
Understanding from Clayne? He must have gotten hit in the head during the fight. Ivy wanted to ask what he meant, but now wasn’t the time. She didn’t have to worry about him telling the DCO about her and Landon—she could satisfy her curiosity later.
“Thank you.”
“Sure. I, um, better go load up the car.”
Giving them a nod, he walked out.
Landon pulled the satellite phone from the duffel bag on the floor. “I’m going to call John.”
Ivy listened as Landon related what had happened—the fabricated version anyway. She didn’t know if she should be impressed he could lie so convincingly, but she was.
Chapter 18
The debriefing had been hell thanks to Coleman. If the assistant deputy director hadn’t seen pictures of the hybrids’ bodies, he probably wouldn’t have believed anything she and Landon said. Ivy was just glad to be done with it.
Kendra was waiting for them outside the conference room. “Tate’s team is back. They finally apprehended the shifter that ran them all over the mountains. They’re taking him to an interrogation room.”
They intercepted Tate’s team on the way. The guys all looked like hell. It wasn’t unusual for operatives to get beat up when they went after a rogue shifter, but Tate, Gavin, and Brent looked as if they’d been through a war—or at the very least, one heck of a nasty fight. Declan was the only one not sporting cuts, scrapes, and bruises. And that was probably only because they’d already healed.
Ivy tore her gaze away from Declan to focus on the shaggy-haired, bearded shifter shuffling between him and Tate. He had the look of a caged animal surveying his surroundings, waiting for a chance to bolt. As if sensing her gaze on him, the shifter lifted his head to fix her with a piercing look. She took an involuntary step back as she caught his scent.
Crap.
She leaned close to Landon. “He’s a hybrid.”
Landon stiffened and swore under his breath.
“Tanner? Oh my God!”
Ivy jerked her head up to see Zarina hurrying down the hallway. Shock flickered in the man’s hazel eyes, and he probably would have met her halfway if Declan didn’t hold him back. Tate stepped in front of Zarina, but the Russian woman brushed past him as if he wasn’t there. Ignoring the restraints on the hybrid’s wrists, she caught his hands in hers.
“I can’t believe you got away,” she said. “I was so afraid they’d catch you.”
“They tried. I was more worried about you.” He searched her face. “How did you get away?”
“They rescued me.” Zarina threw Ivy and Landon a quick look over her shoulder. “This is the man I told you about—the one I helped escape.”
“She could have mentioned he was one of Stutmeir’s abominations,” Landon muttered.
And that he was dangerous. But looking at the hybrid standing there with Zarina as if they were long-lost lovers, it was hard to picture him ripping poor innocent hikers to shreds. Ivy wanted to ask how Tate and his team had managed to apprehend him, but John showed up before she could.
“Take him to Interrogation One,” John said to the two armed DCO operatives with him. “And keep the restraints on.”
Zarina frowned at the cuffs on Tanner’s wrists, then whirled around to face John, her blue eyes cold. “Why is he wearing those?”
“It’s all right, Zari.” Tanner’s voice might have been soft, but his face was hard as he glowered at John.
“No, it isn’t all right.” She looked at John. “Why is he in handcuffs?”
John gave her a placating smile. “It’s just a precaution, Doctor.”
He nodded at the two armed guards. One of them walked over to take custody of their prisoner while the other took Zarina’s arm to move her out of the way.
“Let go of me—”
Tanner roared. Fangs flashing, he lunged for the guard restraining Zarina, claws extended. Declan and Tate grabbed the hybrid at the same time the second guard drew his weapon and aimed it at Tanner’s head.
Ivy shifted, letting out a soft growl along with her claws. Beside
her, Landon tensed, preparing for a fight.
Zarina struggled against the man who held her. “No! Please don’t hurt him.”
“Then tell him to calm down and we won’t have to,” John said.
The Russian woman turned pleading eyes on the hybrid. “Do as they ask, Tanner. Please. For me.”
The hybrid hesitated, as if torn between ripping apart everyone within reach and giving in to Zarina’s request. After a moment, his claws retracted and he relaxed, the fight going out of him.
“Get him to the interrogation room,” John ordered.
“I’ll be right here when you come out,” Zarina promised as the two guards dragged him down the hall and into the interrogation room. Her mouth tightened as she watched John follow and close the door behind them. “I don’t understand why they’re treating him like this. I know he’s a hybrid, but he’s not like the others.”
“Zarina,” Kendra said. “He butchered five hikers.”
She shook her head. “He didn’t kill those hikers. Stutmeir kidnapped them along with Tanner when we first got to the lodge. He tried the new serum we came up with on them. Tanner is the only one who survived. Stutmeir would have killed him if I hadn’t helped him get away.” She gave Ivy a pleading look. “Can’t you help him?”
The pain in the woman’s eyes tore at Ivy’s heart. If Zarina wasn’t in love with the hybrid yet, she was heading in that direction. “I’ll try, but right now, Tanner is a murder suspect. Until that gets straightened out, that’s how they’ll treat him.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m inclined to believe her,” Tate said.
Landon frowned. “You chased this guy for weeks, and now you decide he’s innocent?”
“We chased him because he ran,” Declan explained. “That damn guy ran us ragged. I don’t know how, but he figured out we were on to him from the start. He doubled back dozens of time, took routes so dangerous we thought he might be insane, swam upstream through freezing rivers, covered his scent with deer guts, hid his trail by strapping the animal’s hooves to his shoes. We’re talking real survival skills here. The only reason we caught him was because he let us catch him.” The bear shifter shook his head. “He stumbled on an old man who had a heart attack while he was camping with his two teenage grandkids. Tanner stopped and gave him CPR, then carried the man out of the forest—three hours back in our direction, with the two teens in tow.”
