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She looked down at him again, remembering where she had seen him and the significance of the information he may well hold.
“What information could a mercenary possibly hold?” Devil asked as he took the two steps toward her, gripped her arm and unceremoniously dragged her away from the “garbage.”
“I’ve seen him before,” she admitted, turning to stare down at him as well. “Da has a picture of him in his study alongside four other men who were at the labs the night he found me. They were assigned to the labs, and one of them shot Da’s best friend, Jorn Langer. When Da was forced to leave the body to hide me, he then went back during the cleanup phase of the liberation. Jorn’s body was missing and this man as well as his three cohorts were seen dragging the body away.”
“Langer’s alive then?” Lobo questioned, the significance of the information drawing a frown to his brow.
She shook her head. “Da’s certain he was dead. Khileen’s mother had him officially declared dead before your marriage to her, so it wouldn’t affect you or Khileen legally in any way. Da wants to fulfill a promise he and his friend made to each other as young men, a promise to make certain that if one went before the other, the surviving one would ensure the other was buried in their family cemetery in Ireland. And he wants to know why they took his body.” That more than anything tormented her father, Kate knew.
“I couldn’t let you kill him, Dev,” she said softly. “Da’s searched for these men since the night Jorn disappeared. He left him to save me. Jorn died to help Da rescue me before anyone else knew of my existence there. I couldn’t let him die.”
Hell, this woman would probably surprise him until the day he drew his last breath. She was a wonder he had no idea how to decipher, and no way of understanding how he had deserved her.
“Get the garbage out of here,” he ordered Graeme as the other man rushed into the room. He’d clearly not followed Devil’s orders to go into town. “Then find those reporters as I told you to do.”
“I sent Flint to follow the reporters,” Graeme stated, his tone flat with disgust. “I delegate, Devil. There’s too much damned excitement around here for me to be gone for long. Why the hell didn’t you call me before rushing up here? If I hadn’t heard that damned copter, I’d have never known we had trouble.”
Devil’s brow lifted as he stared back at the other man, waiting.
“Do I look stupid today?” the other man demanded arrogantly. “Our heli was in the air instantly, and the team aboard it just reported they’ve taken the pilot into custody.” He tapped the earbud he wore securely in his ear.
Yeah, he was going to have to start using his, Devil decided as he turned back to his mate.
She had turned and rested on her haunches several feet back from the unconscious man, her head tipped sideways as she studied him.
Now he knew exactly why the European Breed Protection Network had so hated losing her. As she stared at the man, senses she wasn’t aware she had, senses that were so much a natural part of her, were assessing him, committing each feature to memory, each scent, and drawing in every bit of knowledge that her primal senses could pick up on.
“Kate?” he questioned her softly.
Not Kate.
Katie was the girl she had been, Kate was the woman who had come to that bed with him and broken down the barriers he’d built to keep her out of his heart. Kate was the mature, instinctive, highly adept Breed female the animal inside him had known she was.
No wonder his own primal instincts had rushed to claim her as soon as possible. The animal part of him had known no other woman could match him as fully as this woman did.
“He hasn’t bathed in several days,” she murmured. “He’s been on the estate, watching and waiting.” She tipped her head to the other side and Devil swore he could feel her assess
ing things she wasn’t even aware she had the senses to assess.
“He wasn’t alone. I can smell several others’ scents on him. Not just one, so he and the pilot aren’t the extent of the team sent out to capture me. But the other scents aren’t as strong. He’s not been around them in a few days.”
Devil gave Graeme a speaking look, to which the other Breed gave a quick nod.
He wanted those men, each and every one of them. He’d send a message to whoever had sent them out. Kate was his, and the Devil did not tolerate anyone at any time striking against what belonged to him.
Moving to her side, Devil watched her face then, seeing the frown that creased her brow and the look of confusion that filled her gaze. Bending down as well, he drew in the scents that covered the male and tried to find what was confusing her.
As she said, the soldier was working with at least two others. Their scents were too much a part of the soldier, yet not strong enough to indicate that he’d been in their presence for several days. They were likely awaiting him somewhere with transportation to spirit Kate out of the States and back to Europe.
He had definitely been on the estate for several days. The land around them held a unique scent, just as all places did. A combination of the ground, the movement on it and the plants that grew within it. The scent he carried was definitely that of the grounds within the secured stone wall Lobo had erected around four acres that the house sat in the center of.
Then, he found the scent confusing her. It was subtle, so subtle that even he couldn’t filter it enough to identify it, but it was definitely one he’d known before. One that was unique, and teased his senses as one well known.
Known to not just Kate, evidently, but to himself as well.
“Have you figured it out yet?” she asked him softly.
He shook his head. “It’s too weak.”
