Rogue Alpha (Alpha 7) (14 page)

“You couldn’t have told me that before?”

“Pot, kettle?”

She had a point, Seth accepted as he turned to search through his bag for his second gun and ammunition.

“Hand them over.” Diana held out her hand. “I’d prefer to load it myself, if you don’t mind. That way I can get used to the feel and weight of the gun before I need to fire it.”

“
If
you need to fire it,” he corrected pointedly.

“Chauvinist.”

“Hellcat,” he returned the compliment as he handed over the second gun and bullets. “Just because you’re now armed doesn’t mean I intend letting you go anywhere you might actually need to use it.”

She gave him a deathly stare. “You aren’t agreeing to anything. I’m telling you, after what happened to Garcia, if I need to use this gun, then I’ll force myself to do so. The man outside has probably already killed his own associate by slitting his throat,” she continued doggedly as Seth would have interrupted her. “Do you really think he’s going to hold back when it comes to you and Jonas?”

“We can take care of ourselves.”

“I’m sure you can.” She tested the weight of the loaded gun in her hand before raising it and aiming at the mirror over the dressing table.

Which was when Diana got her first look at herself since making love with Seth. Her hair was a silky tangle, her eyes were wide and staring, her lips puffy and swollen, and she had abrasion marks on her chin and throat from the rasp of Seth’s stubble.

Jonas didn’t need to have
heard
the two of them making love. He’d only have to look at her to know exactly what she and Seth had been doing in this bedroom together for the past hour.

She quickly turned away from that telltale image. “What did Jonas tell you?”

Seth was now sitting on the side of the bed, fastening his boots. “At the moment, the intruder is looking for a place to get over the wall into the garden. Jonas is going to turn off the perimeter alarm when he gets downstairs.”

“To lure the man inside?”

His eyes darkened appreciatively. “That’s the idea, yes.”

She was relieved Seth was no longer trying to shield her from the truth. “What’s the rest of the plan?”

His mouth twisted derisively as he stood. “Adaptable little thing when the need arises, aren’t you?”

“Please don’t patronize me.” Diana eyed him scathingly.

“Was that what I was doing…?”

“I am neither little nor a thing. But yes to the adaptable. I’ve had no choice but to learn quickly these past eight months, most especially these past few days.” She gave a shudder. “Kill or be killed seems to be the code these other men live by.”

“Well, this one isn’t going to be allowed to die,” Seth assured her. “The
plan
is to take him alive and then get some answers as to what the hell is going on.”

“It’s a good plan.”

“Thank you.”

She looked at him pityingly. “Sarcasm is another defense mechanism.”

He eyed her mockingly. “Dear, dear, between that chip on my shoulder and my defense mechanism, it would seem I have something of an attitude problem.”

“You do.” Diana ignored his sarcasm. “It’s as well I like you in spite of it.”

“You
like
me?” He looked stunned.

Irritation creased her brow. “I would hardly have gone to bed with you if I didn’t.”

He shrugged. “I’d assumed you were just responding to our sexual chemistry.”

His reply was so unexpected, she gave a splutter of laughter. “You arrogant ass,” she finally said without rancor.

Seth gave an unrepentant grin. He had been aiming for distracting Diana from the looming danger, but he would happily take being called an arrogant ass as long as it erased the haunted expression that had been about to return to Diana’s beautiful turquoise eyes. It had worked, because right now they were sparkling with amusement. At his expense, but what the hell.

“Okay, let’s go,” he instructed briskly.

She hung back. “Aren’t you going to finish dressing first?”

“No.”

“But it’s cold outside.”

“So?”

She sighed. “There are scratch marks on your shoulders.”

Seth glanced down at the telltale marks on his flesh from where Diana’s nails had dug into him at the height of her passion. “War wounds,” he dismissed with a shrug before striding over to the door. “You either come with me now, or I’m going to lock you inside the bedroom,” he added impatiently as she still didn’t move.

“I don’t advise you to mess with me when I’m armed and dangerous,” she warned through gritted teeth as she marched out of the bedroom ahead of him.

Diana’s thoughts were racing as the two of them hurried downstairs to join Jonas in the kitchen.

She would be lying if she didn’t admit, to herself, at least, that she was terrified of what might happen during the next few minutes. Worst-case scenario, Jonas and/or Seth would be shot and killed. Best-case scenario, they would manage to capture the intruder without any blood being shed. She was hoping for the latter, and mentally trying to prepare herself for the former.

If Jonas was injured or killed, she knew that Seth would never forgive her for involving him in her mess. There was a respect between the two men that spoke of affection too.
 

She doubted Jonas would feel all that kindly disposed toward her if anything happened to Seth either.

How would
she
feel about herself if Seth was shot and killed?

Devastated, came the immediate answer.

He annoyed her, irritated her, infuriated her, but the thought of anything happening to him made her feel physically sick.

Because she was in love with him?

Their lovemaking earlier had been…well, nothing short of incredible. Possibly life-changing. For her. She doubted it had meant any more to Seth than another conquest in a long line of conquests. It was—

“What’s she doing here?”

Diana turned as Jonas growled the question, but his censorious gaze was fixed on Seth.

“If you think you can stop her from coming with us, then go right ahead and try.” Seth shrugged.

Dark blue eyes narrowed on her for several long seconds before Jonas turned to Seth. When he no doubt saw the scratches on the other man’s shoulders. “She’s your responsibility.”

“I’m no one’s responsibility—”

“Not a good idea to annoy her at the moment, Jonas, not when she has a gun and insists she isn’t afraid to use it,” Seth pointed out wryly.

“A gun you gave her.” The other man scowled.

“She threatened to shoot me with my own gun if I didn’t.”

“Pussy.”

“What can I say—”

“As little as possible would be the wisest course of action!”
Diana glared at both men. Seth looked unabashed. As usual, Jonas’s deadpan expression revealed none of his thoughts.

“Okay, we don’t have time for this,” Jonas finally rumbled. “But she goes with you to search at the front of the house. I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with a hysterical woman when the going gets tough.”

Diana’s chin rose. “Do I look hysterical to you?”

No, she didn’t, Seth noted with admiration. In fact, this Diana bore little resemblance to that scared and nervous woman who, only days ago, had pleaded with him for help in a London bar.

Jonas gave a grumble deep in his throat. “Okay, let’s assume we’ve given him enough time to get into the garden. Shoot to wound rather than kill,” he instructed Diana.

“God, I didn’t think it was possible, but he’s even bossier than you are,” she told Seth with a roll of her eyes. “I’m not stupid, Jonas. I know you want the man alive, because I do too.”

Seth bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from smiling at the fact that, in just a few days, Diana had changed from being afraid of her own shadow to verbally taking on two tough and hardened men like himself and Jonas. And she handled his second gun like a pro too. Whether she would have the guts to use it was another matter. It was more important she looked as if she would.

Jonas caught his eye, his expression questioning. Seth gave him a barely perceptible nod, tacitly assuring the other man Diana would manage fine.

He only hoped his confidence in her was warranted.

Diana had no intention of letting either Seth or Jonas see how nervous she was as she followed them outside. The two men parted without saying another word, no doubt from years of working together. Diana followed Seth, also without speaking.

He was good. Silent. Senses honed as they moved through the overgrown garden. Totally alert as he held his gun ready for firing.

But neither of them were expecting the man to drop on Seth from above as they moved stealthily beneath the cover of some trees.

Seth went down, his gun knocked from his hand as he hit the ground and the other man, much heavier, landed on top of him.

Diana lifted her gun and aimed, only stopping herself from pulling the trigger when she realized Seth had recovered enough to grasp the other man’s wrist and point the gun away from him before rolling over. Diana’s heart pounded in her chest at the realization she had almost shot Seth in the back rather than the heavier man.

The assailant gave a grunt as he bucked beneath Seth and rolled, again presenting Diana with a target, before the two men rolled and she once again looked at Seth’s bare back.

Sweat popped out on her forehead as she watched the tussle that followed, her intention to be ready to fire the next time she had a clear shot at the man attacking Seth. She shouted for Jonas, but there was no guarantee he was going to arrive in time to help Seth. Which meant she had to.

“Shoot the bastard!” Seth obviously thought the same thing, as the two men continued to roll and fight for possession of the other man’s gun.

That was what she was trying to do, damn it. She just didn’t want to hit Seth by mistake.

“Diana!” Seth’s teeth were bared, sweat glistening on his chest and shoulders from the effort of holding the heavier man and his gun at bay.

Diana straightened her arms and aimed again, watching, gauging, waiting for the moment she had a clear shot.

Aim to wound rather than kill
.

There.

Now.

Her finger squeezed the trigger just as the assailant managed to twist his arm and point his gun at Seth, the report of both guns being fired at the same time echoing inside Diana’s head.

Chapter 11

“Oh God, please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.” Diana knew she was babbling as the tears poured down her face and she fell to her knees and tried to push the injured man off Seth.

A Seth who lay totally still on the ground, his eyes closed.

There was also the unmistakable metallic odor of blood. Lots of it, if it was strong enough for Diana to be able to smell it.

Seth’s blood, or just the man’s who lay unconscious on top of him, blood seeping from where the bullet had entered his shoulder at the back?

Diana might have shot him, but he had shot Seth.

Dead?

“Get. Off. Him. You. Oversized. Gorilla.” Each of Diana’s words was punctuated with yet another effort to push the dead weight of the man off Seth. Unsuccessfully.

“Move aside, Diana.” Jonas was suddenly there beside her, no doubt alerted by her shout and the sound of the gun—guns—being fired. He knelt next to her before rolling the man off Seth with one push.

Giving Diana a clear view of Seth’s chest. His bare chest, covered in blood. His own as well as the other man’s?

“Oh God.
God.
” Her hands roamed frantically over Seth’s flesh, uncaring of the blood as she looked for where the bullet had ripped into his skin, the tears still burning hotly down her cheeks and blurring her vision.

“You can stop now, Diana.” Jonas sat back on his booted heels beside her.

“He isn’t dead.” She smeared blood all over her face as she wiped the tears away so she could see what she was doing. “He can’t be dead,” she repeated, her search for the bullet hole becoming even more desperate.

“He isn’t dead,” Jonas agreed dryly.

Diana turned to him sharply. “But there’s so much blood…”

“It isn’t his.” Jonas shrugged.

She quickly removed her bloody hands to look down at them in horror. “It isn’t Seth’s?”

“No.”

“But the other man shot him.”

Jonas shook his head. “I’m not denying he fired his gun. Bullet missed Seth.”

“Then why isn’t he conscious?”

“He is.” His mouth tilted with amusement. “My guess is Seth just likes having your hands all over him.”

“Not true.” Seth coughed and spluttered as he forced his lids to open. “I like having Diana’s hands on me
and
the bastard drove all the air out of my lungs—for a second time in as many minutes—when he collapsed on top of me, preventing me from speaking. The shot going off so close to my ear deafened me too. Ugh, this is disgusting.” He grimaced as he sat up and looked down at the blood smeared all over his chest. “It would have ruined a perfectly good T-shirt if I’d bothered to put it back on.” He eyed Diana mockingly.