“Why didn’t anyone tell me that Jaime was hurt?” Taryn practically screeched as she stomped toward them, cutting off what Dante was about to say. Marcus wasn’t far behind her, giving Trey an apologetic look.
“You were supposed to be guarding her,” Trey growled at Marcus.
“You mean he was supposed to stop me from leaving the room.” Trey blocked her path, but the tiny female was peering under his arm, trying to get a look at Jaime. “She’s been shot!”
“Yes, she’s been shot but—”
“She needs healing.”
“Grace and Lydia are taking care of it,” Trey assured her in a voice someone might use to soothe a mental person having a tantrum.
“Yeah, with tweezers, bandages, and all that medical crap. I can have her fully healed in under a minute.”
“Yes, baby, you can, but we agreed that you wouldn’t use your healing gift while you were pregnant, remember. Your gift makes you tired and weak—”
She snorted. “You agreed on it, Flintstone. I did no such thing.” Sighing, Trey picked her up and headed for their room. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.
We’ll play Hiding Pedro. That should calm you down.”
“Why do you always try to use sex to calm me?”
“Because it works, my crazy little nympho.”
“Ass.”
Once his Alphas had disappeared down the tunnel, Dante turned back to Jaime. The sight of her there, pallid and tired, made him want to kick himself. How hadn’t he sensed that someone was there watching them? He, with all his training, should have known immediately and gotten to the bastard before he could hurt her or anyone else. She was his, he should have protected her, that was how it worked.
“If you’re standing there blaming yourself, I’ll bitch slap you, Dante. Seriously, don’t make me do it.”
Jaime’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and made him smile. He noticed that Grace and Lydia were also smiling. Approaching the bed, he ran a hand over her hair and sighed. “I should have sensed he was there.” Grace appeared to have given up trying to keep him from Jaime, because she didn’t scowl at him this time, though she did make a Greta-like humph sound.
“The enforcers didn’t sense him either. Whoever he is, he knows what he’s doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t been in position for more than ten seconds before firing. It would be his best shot—no pun intended—at avoiding detection.” A few months ago, she would never have made any such prediction, but Dante’s training had changed her in many ways.
His thoughts exactly. “You’re a good student.”
“You prefer it when I’m bad.” She flinched when Lydia jabbed her arm with a needle.
“Goddamn it, Lydia.”
“It’s just another painkiller,” she explained, looking sheepish. “The first one wore off fast.” Grace gave Jaime an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but we have to keep the good stuff for when Taryn goes into labor. Dante, would you get Jaime something clean to wear? Her clothes are covered in blood. So are yours, actually. You could do with a quick shower.” Yeah, he thought, but that would involve leaving Jaime’s side.
“Go on,” Grace encouraged softly. “It’ll only take you a minute. Your wolf isn’t going to calm down while you have her blood all over your skin and clothes.” No, he probably wouldn’t, but all the same…
Jaime growled. “Oh for the love of God, Dante, go take a shower, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, I’m going.” If she was well enough to growl and snap at him, she was well enough to be alone for a few minutes. “I’ll close the door while you strip.” After what had to have been the quickest shower in the history of the world, he returned to Jaime’s side with one of his T-shirts that she liked to sleep in. He helped her slip it on and was about to insist on being left alone with her when suddenly he heard his name being quietly called. He frowned when he saw Trey in the doorway again. “What is it?” he asked as he approached him, wondering why his Alpha was speaking quietly.
“Dominic just called me. Ryan got the bastard.”
Dante snorted. “Of course he did. He’s like a ghost when he’s tracking.”
“The shooter…He’s not one of Glory’s brothers.”
Taken aback, Dante shook his head as if to clear it. “What? Who is he?”
“They don’t know. He won’t talk.”
“Did they put him in the hut?” The hut was the place where they took intruders for a “chat.”
“Yes. I know ordinarily the interrogating would be up to you, but…” Trey eyed him speculatively, and Dante knew why.
“I’ll be fine with this.”
“The whole matter’s too close to home for you.”
“Which is why it has to be me. You’d say the same thing if this was Taryn.” After a few moments, Trey nodded.
“I’m going, too.”
Both Dante and Trey frowned at the pasty yet fearless-looking female on the bed for eavesdropping. “No, you’re not,” snapped Dante. “You’re staying here.”
“You don’t get to order me around, Popeye.”
“No,” agreed Trey. “But I do.”
“If someone shot me, I have the right to find out why,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Dante will find that out for you.” He turned back to Dante. “Go. I called the enforcers.
They’re all making their way to the hut as we speak.”
Dante gave him a nod of thanks. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Jaime’s side right now, but this was something he needed to do. With one last look at her, he left.
“I don’t believe this,” griped Jaime.
Trey looked at her like she was dumb. “You’re as bad as Taryn. You’ve been shot—you need to rest so you can heal.”
“I need to see that ass**le so I can gouge out his eyes. That’s what I need.”
“You’ve never seen Dante interrogate someone, have you?” Most likely in response to her gulp, he correctly surmised, “But you’ve heard about it. He’s the best for a reason. He’ll do whatever he has to in order to get answers. Whatever he has to. He doesn’t want you seeing him like that.”
“I’d never judge him.” Never.
“Maybe you wouldn’t, but he won’t risk that. When he goes into that ‘zone,’ as Dominic calls it, he’s not the same person. Not because he’s cruel or likes to inflict pain, but because he will never put people under his protection in danger, and if that means inflicting pain, then that’s what he’ll do.