Predatory (Immortal Guardians #3.5)(12)

“Then why didn’t you catch her?”

A hell of a question.

When he’d followed Dylan through the window he’d fully intended to hunt her down and put an end to her bloody rampage. A fine plan, but Dylan wasn’t without her own skills and she managed to disguise her trail only a few blocks away.

Given time, Niko could have unraveled the various ruses that she’d used to hide her presence. He hadn’t been boasting when he assured Angela that he was the better Sentinel.

But even as his duty demanded he carry on his hunt no matter how long it took, the man in him was urging him back to Angela’s apartment.

He’d told himself that it only made sense. Dylan wasn’t going to leave without Angela. She was convinced the young scientist was her one hope of living a normal life. But in the depths of his heart he knew that wasn’t the reason he’d rushed back to the apartment.

“I couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t circle back,” he admitted with a reluctant honesty.

“And you were concerned for my safety?” She rolled her eyes, not able to hide her lingering sense of betrayal. “I’m touched.”

“Dammit.”

He’d royally screwed up. Fine, he got it. But now wasn’t the time to soothe ruffled feathers. He could defeat Dylan in a fair battle, but the Sentinel was no longer playing by the rules. Who knew what nasty surprises she might have up her sleeve? Hell, he didn’t even know for sure that she was working alone. He needed to get Angela somewhere safe.

With a grimace at the knowledge he was about to give this woman yet another reason to be pissed off, he grabbed her around the waist and with one smooth motion had her tossed over his shoulder.

“Hey,” she cried out, swinging her legs in an effort to hit the part of him that was as vulnerable as any man’s. “Put me down, you . . . you bully.”

Wrapping an arm around her knees, he locked her into place before reaching down to grab her bag from the floor.

Who knew that rescuing a damsel in distress could be such a pain in the ass?

Chapter Five

Angela stewed in silence as Niko headed his battered Jeep north, swiftly taking them away from the outskirts of Columbia to the farmlands that surrounded the town.

It was always a beautiful drive. The manicured fields dissected by meandering streams. The sturdy farmhouses that were dwarfed by red-painted barns, along with sheds and paddocks.

Today it was even more charming with the fading April sunlight offering a hint of spring and the tiny buds beginning to appear on the trees and bushes.

Unfortunately, she was too busy glaring at the stark male profile of Nikolo Bartrev to pay attention to the passing scenery.

He really was indecently handsome, she was forced to acknowledge, even as she considered the pleasure of punching hard enough to break his perfect nose.

He’d lied to her, used her, and now kidnapped her.

Okay, to be completely fair, he’d rescued her from the whacked-out freak. And she wasn’t entirely averse to having him near in case Dylan made a repeat appearance. At least until she could find someplace to hide.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still mad as hell.

Or that she wasn’t going to try to escape the very second she suspected he was about to serve her up to the wolves. Or in this case—the freaks.

She didn’t trust him any farther than she could throw him.

Which wasn’t very damned far.

Her dark thoughts were interrupted as the Jeep slowed and Niko halted in front of a heavy gate that blocked the narrow gravel road. Slipping out of the vehicle, he moved to punch a series of numbers onto a computer screen that was set in a small gatehouse before returning to steer the Jeep through the open gates and down the road that was lined with massive oak trees.

She frowned, abruptly conscious of just how isolated they were as he turned yet again and stopped in front of a picturesque log cabin that was nestled among the trees.

The front of the A-frame house was made entirely of glass, giving a hint of the large living room with a silver sectional couch loaded with bright pillows and a spiral staircase in the middle of the planked floor leading to the open loft above.

“What is this place?”

He put the Jeep in park and pocketed the keys. She grimaced, belatedly wishing she’d learned how to hot-wire a car.

Who knew it would come in handy?

“I’ve been staying here since traveling to Missouri.”

She blinked in surprise, her gaze returning to the house that managed to be elegant despite its rustic style.

It looked so . . . normal.

“Here?”

He shoved open the door to the vehicle and stepped out. “Did you think I crawled beneath a rock every night?”

With a shrug, she climbed out to join him on the pathway leading to the wide, wooden terrace.

“It’s where most slimy invertebrates slither.”

“Slimy?” His lips tugged into a lopsided grin. “Is that a scientific term?”

Her heart skipped a treacherous beat. It was no wonder he so rarely smiled. It was lethal.

“Personal opinion,” she managed to mutter.

Grasping her elbow, he led her onto the terrace. Then, reaching the glass door, he paused to flip open a small, metal box and placed his hand against it to be scanned. There was a small beep before the door slid open.