Patrena was about six steps ahead of me aiming her pistol up, searching for targets, and at the same time, fingering on her heels. She reminded me of a sexy FBI agent. She certainly handled herself well enough to be one.
“Once we break ground, there are at least ten mall security officers scanning the area as well as a few local cops,” I stated, feeding Patrena the information Rhi was giving me.
Patrena nodded, running up the last of the stairs before shoving the pistol into the back of her pants and using the tails of her blouse to hide the thick print of the weapon. I glanced at the heels on her feet, the blue silk button-up blouse, and black designer slacks she wore, remembering that she had recently gotten off work.
“It’s all clear from there. The ones inside the parking structure left their dead and merged back into the mall crowd inside. I’m scanning for them now,” Rhi informed.
I placed my hand around Patrena’s waist like we were a couple, part cover and part me wanting to get my hands on her. We strolled past the shoppers and crossed the busy street to access the parking lot on the other side.
The rapid pulse in her neck thumped with life, but she maintained a cool demeanor that didn’t match the raging energy that I was sure was coursing through her veins. She was proving how well she kept her head under pressure, something I already knew, but seeing it up close caused my pride to swell even bigger.
Walking ahead of her, I opened the car door and made sure she was safely inside. I stood in place outside her door, scanning our surroundings and sensing Rhi’s eyes on me from a hi-jacked camera lens. Now that Patrena was shielded by the bullet proofing of the car, I breathed a sigh of relief before stepping around to my side and climbing in.
I docked my phone in place on the dash so Rhi could speak freely before plucking out my earpiece and tossing it in the center console. For a reason I didn’t know yet, I was comfortable with Patrena listening in on our updates despite the hidden secrets we had yet to solve about her past and her tattoo.
“Rhi,” I called.
“Nothing. I can’t find the one you wounded or his friend from the basement. I also caught the face of another before he found a way to get lost in the crowd. They’re not amateurs and they know how to get ghost,” he relayed to me, and the frustration in his tone was clear. “For now,” he muttered under his breath.
Rhi was the kind of person who fed off his ability to find answers that others couldn’t. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d dig until he found us a lead.
“Are you okay, Ms. Pretty Freckles?” Rhi asked Patrena.
My fist tightened around the steering wheel at his question. She stared in my direction before she answered with a curious smile sliding across her face.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for helping,” she replied in her smooth, silky tone, releasing a little of the tension that had her body drawn as tight as a bow.
“You did good back there,” Rhi complimented her, knowing it would grate on my damn nerves.
“Thank you,” she replied, allowing her smile to stretch wider.
“Did no one have enough manners to warn you away from those Vallin men, especially the one you’re with?” he questioned with a chuckle.
“Rhi,” I warned.
“Okay,” he replied.
He was enjoying his teasing spree, knowing I had a thing for Patrena. Not only that, but he also got a kick out of calling me out for my noncommittal ways. He was somehow making it work as one of a threesome. He and his women had been together for the last three years, living and functioning as a normal couple. He enjoyed poking fun at me and pointing out that he could do with two women what I was unwilling to with one.
He and I had laughed more in the last month than we had in years. We damn near laughed ourselves into a fit after seeing Arjen’s home security feed of Mecca dragging a woman through their house and down their stairs.
Now, I understood why my fearless cousin was a demon in every place except for their home. Mecca was a fucking beast. And Khane, who I’d always believed was the devil’s spawn, turned into Prince Charming every time Desiree was in his sights. I’d seen him rip someone apart one minute and prepare to go home and cook his wife a romantic dinner the next.
“Be careful,” Rhi warned. “I’ll keep eyes on you for as long as I can see. I’ll also go through the mall feeds to see if I can back track where these men came from and what they are driving.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Thanks,” I added, grateful.
I placed a calming hand over Patrena’s, noticing across the dim interior of my car that the stress of the situation was weighing heavy on her emotionally.
Her quick breaths were expected, but her unfocused stare was a telling sign. There was no doubt that she was letting the situation soak into her consciousness. I used to do the same thing when my cousins were training me. Adrenaline kept my fear and tension away, and I didn’t allow the danger of a situation to affect me mentally until I was free and clear of it.
“You’re going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I assured her, making a promise that I would do everything in my power to keep. Even if she turned out to be the daughter of our mortal enemy, I didn’t care. I’d always protect her.
“Thank you,” she replied. Her cheeks were flushed and her skin had lost that vibrant spark it always carried.
“I think I might know who’s after me,” she said, staring through the windshield.
“Who?”