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As she scrambled to obey, I headed for the door There was a blue silk dressing gown hanging frorabbed that and put it on - more to blend in than to cover my partial nakedness Then I pressed my back to the door frame and switched on the co’s gone wrong"

"Did they spot you co in or out?"

"I’d say no except for the fact that they’re back here and shooting Maybe there were some security systee"

"Anddown Surrey and are now erasing all possible leads back to them And that would mean the phone number Surrey knew, and possibly anyone who knows its location"

"That’s pretty cold-blooded"

"And so are your targets"

He probably had that right I took a quick glance around the corner Shadows and sunshine vied for prominence in the hallway The door down the end of the hall was still closed, but as I looked, a bolt slammed home The occupants had obviously heard the shots - not that a bolt would stop a deterlanced over ed out into the hallway

There were people running up the stairs and others running for the rear of the building The air was thick with the s had stopped But although there were no unshots, those men were still down there I could smell the wolf, as he could no doubt s here It ht be unusual for a wolf to work in a brothel, but it wasn’t unheard of

They were obviously going after their et first, and that had to be the owner, the man who’d rented them the room Anyone else they’d take care of when and if they had the tilance doo half-dressed wo up the stairs, and several yards behind theold jewelry Behind theun His movements were calm, assured Maybe he knew there was no way out up here - other than jus atteht

Well, he’d probably save hi to slip into his mind and stop hi a nanowire And a strong one, if the recoil of energy was any indication I could break it, but it would take time and, more important, leave me open for attack from the wolf I couldn’t psychically attack two men simultaneously, even if I was one of the Directorate’s strongest telepaths

I stepped back into the shadows and waited The to of sweat and fear and sex They didn’t even see me, just ran toward Cass’s roo ears and a twitchy nose - currently dripping sweat My inner wolf snarled - she liked hunting rabbits, not saving therabbed him with one hand and hauled him over the banister, then cla off his yelp before it could leave his throat

"Riley Jenson, Directorate," I whispered, my lips so close to his ear I could almost taste the blood from a bullet wound on his neck My wolf soul ached to rip and tear into the flesh she so often hunted up in the hills of Macedon, but the va to do with his foul stench And that in itself was a reason to celebrate, given the sudden swing in et under that bed and stay there"

He, like Cass, scrambled to obey Jack said into my ear, "Riley, we need the like hell the as far enough away not to hear me, "I’ve only been away for a few months I’m not that rusty"

Nor was I that much of a killer I hoped

"Do you need assistance?" he added

I hesitated Assistancein either Rhoan or Iktar, and the reality was, there’d be no chance of either of the here before the action was over - even if they were in the city And I doubted my brother was

"No I’m fine"

"Okay I’ve ordered the cleanup team to your location They’ll be there in twelve"

I didn’t answer I couldn’t The bird-shifter was now far too close, his scent tainting the air with its sharpness

The sound of a gunshot ripped across the tense semi-silence, and I half jumped But the shot had not been aimed at me It hadn’t even been fired by the shifter on the stairs It had coround floor, from either the wolf or whoever was left alive down there

A heartbeat later, the screae to help those woe of speed and power, but the reality was it was still two against one, and both of theotelse that had happened over the last few months

The shifter’s steps were barely audible over the sounds of panic and sobbing I briefly wondered whether Frankie - the brothel guard who’d apparently had muscles on his muscles - had been the first victi to do his job, then stilled the thought as a blond head stepped onto the landing and turned

I didn’t give hiht at hiun I hit hi hter would - with power and quickness His fist pounded into my side so hard it felt like concrete, and it was all I could do to hang on to the ar insideit under his chin and driving his bottom jaw up into his top On a human, such a bloould have broken his jaw, but this her He spat out so un, my pretty," he said, his breath like deadelse"

"Try it, and I’ll break you"

He chuckled and raised his fist I buckedunderneath him Before he could release his weapon, he cas and he went an odd shade of puce

I ripped the gun frorasp, smashed the butt of it over his head to knock him out, then dumped hi up the stairs

Crap

I jued him into the nearest bedroom I du like hell the squeaking I’d heard earlier was an indication that these beds had those cheap rabbed the nearest spring, ripped enough wire free to give th ofhis arether with the wire, wrapping it around and around his liht up to his shoulders Of course, it wouldn’t hold hiun butt down onto his elbow The crack of breaking bone made me wince, but a shifter free and unable to fly was better than nothing I tied the rest of the wire off the best I could, then stepped over him and headed for the door

The footsteps on the stairs had stopped I flaredfor the scent of the wolf He was close, but not close enough And he was more than likely as aware of my presence here as I was of his