Текст книги "Wicked Edge"
Автор книги: Rebecca Zanetti
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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
Chapter 8
Her heart raced, and her head spun, even as she held tight to the enforcer as they sped the snowmobile across the shaky frozen ground. Mountains rose high and sharp in the background, while the red and orange of fire crackled inland through the air. Smoke billowed up into the darkening sky, spitting embers.
“Anything near the shore, Cee Cee?” he bellowed back, anger still in his voice.
She blinked against the swirling snow, trying to squint at the ocean. Dark and merciless, it churned as if answering the call of the storm. “Not yet,” she yelled back. By all that was holy. She’d blown up the planekite mine, and if all else had remained on schedule, her people had just imploded several mines in Russia owned by Bychkov. Her plan was coming together nicely.
Except for Daire Dunne. Although the enforcer had shown much more restraint than she would’ve ever thought, his patience seemed to be coming to an end. Unfortunately, since Vegar had betrayed her, she needed Daire to help her off the island. Her men would’ve planted the explosives and immediately retreated, which left her either with Bychkov or Dunne.
Dunne was the safer choice at this point.
Probably.
Ice flicked up from the skis, and she ducked her head.
As a fighter, he was legendary, and now she’d seen him in action. While he’d been incredibly gentle with her so far, there was no question a deadly predator, a fierce fighter, lived easily within Dunne’s handsome skin. He hadn’t treated her as an enemy, that much she knew. And the reason, as difficult as it was to admit, was because he didn’t see her as one. He didn’t see her as a threat.
Was she?
She’d held her own physically with Vegar, and she was more than holding her own intellectually with Bychkov. But with Daire? He’d found her in the middle of nowhere, and now he’d taken command of the mission. She hated feeling weak, and pride insisted she hide her frailties from him. He treated her like a woman, whole and strong, even if he was pissed.
His scent surrounded her, both masculine and earthy. She liked him, and damn, she wanted him. But she couldn’t have one more person in her life who couldn’t see past her size or looks. No matter how much he heated her blood.
Something dark cut through the haze of the sea.
She leaned her cheek against Daire’s bare back, stunned by the continued warmth. Out in the sea, hugging the shoreline, something moved. She patted his stomach. “I see something.”
He nodded and lowered his chin, twisting the throttle. “Hold on,” he bellowed. “We’re going in hot.”
Her thighs clamped against this, and she held on with all her strength. Ice popped up next to her, and Daire swerved. More ice, and he swore. Somebody on the boat was shooting at them?
She glared through the mist, trying to make sense of the shapes. A man stood at the front of a long yacht, pointing a rifle. The storm and distance masked the sound, but bullets continued to ping around them.
Daire’s head was thrown back, and he hissed. His body jerked against her. The smell of blood clogged her nostrils.
She held on tighter, patting up his torso. “Where are you hit?”
“Right arm,” he ground out, turning sharply to the left.
She yelped and struggled to remain in place. A white hangar sat against a stark outcropping, barely visible. He skidded to a stop and was off the vehicle and kicking open a door in the span of a heartbeat. Dashes of blood followed in his wake.
How badly was he hurt?
She scrambled off the snowmobile and ran after him, sliding across bloody snow he’d tracked inside. A sleek silver helicopter took up the center of the concrete hangar. It had small wings with propellers as well as the rotor on top. Definitely a new design and nothing she’d ever seen before.
“Get inside,” he yelled, his voice echoing off metal walls as he ran for a button on the far wall.
She nodded and ran to the machine, pulled the handle, and jumped inside. The interior smelled like leather and Daire. The roof began to open, and snow billowed down.
Daire reached the other side and leaped into the pilot’s seat. “Buckle up.” Blood coursed down his arm, dripping onto the leather.
She whipped off the coat he’d made her wear and pressed the material against his wound.
He swore and jerked away.
“You’re bleeding,” she said, trying to stem the flow again.
He nodded, shut his eyes, and stilled. The atmosphere changed, and tingles bit through the oxygen. The hole in his arm slowly closed.
Man, she’d never seen anybody that fast at healing themselves. “That’s amazing,” she murmured.
He turned and pinned her with flashing green eyes. “I told you to buckle up.”
She blinked, her hands already in motion to obey. Though she didn’t like the tone, meaning she really didn’t like the tone, she’d deal with him when they were safe. The buckle clicked into place. “What is this thing, anyway? It looks like some sort of hybrid.”
“I call her Stella.” He handed over a helmet and shoved one over his head, waiting until she’d done the same so he could talk through a microphone. “The humans have created a few designs close to this, but they don’t have the power or maneuverability we do. Not yet anyway.” He flicked a bunch of buttons, and the machine began to vibrate under her legs.
His voice in her ear caressed down her body, and she shifted in the seat, her heart rate picking up. She tried to focus on the concrete wall in front of her. “When we rise up, will they be able to shoot at us?” she asked.
“Aye. Depending on the type of firepower they have on the boat, they might hit us.” He clicked more levers above his head, and the copter began to shake in earnest. “I haven’t flown her in too long. This might get bumpy.”
She swallowed, feeling a little hemmed in by the helmet. “Stella is your design?”
“Mine and my brother Adam’s. He’s the genius in the family.”
Ah. She’d heard of Adam Dunne, and he was known to be brilliant. Smart and ruthless, just like his brothers. Demons and witches rarely mixed, so she’d only heard rumors. The dossiers she had on the family just listed facts. “I hadn’t realized you’d be so kind,” she said softly.
He turned toward her, his hands still moving levers and flipping buttons. Green eyes, dark and true, lasered through his face shield. “I’ve used up my well of kindness with you.”
“When?”
“When you kept to yourself the fact that you were having explosives planted on the island, putting us both in danger of an earthquake.” He turned and pulled back on the throttle. “Hold on.”
They lifted high and fast, leaving her stomach down on the ground. Wow. The Dunne boys sure had tweaked the machine.
She held her breath.
The wind batted at them, and Daire swore in her ear, his muscles bunching as he jerked the controls. Something pinged loudly against the side of the craft.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he muttered, turning sharply away from the shore. “They’ve got enough weaponry.”
Cee Cee said a quick prayer, her muscles so tense, her body felt a millennia old.
More bullets hit the craft, and they rocked. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.
They flew low, moving up quickly over mountain peaks. The smoldering mine lit the ground below them, and gaping holes revealed burning levels all the way into the mountain. Man, she’d really demolished the mine.
A shrieking alarm pierced the craft. Several lights flashed on the dash in rapid succession.
“We’re out of firing range,” Daire said, his arms visibly shaking. “Come on, Stella. Stay true, sweetheart.”
The soft crooning in his deep voice created a yearning in Cee Cee’s abdomen. In his tone she heard a sweetness she neither deserved nor would ever have. “How damaged is she?”
Daire shook his head. “She’s not good, and we’re losing fuel.”
Cee Cee craned her neck as the destroyed mine faded from sight when they flew out over open waters. The ocean threw up whitecaps and churned a deep black. She shivered.
Daire growled and wrenched on the controls. “The craft has been damaged too much. We won’t make it to Greenland.”
“What about Russia?” she breathed.
“Nope.” The copter pitched and he struggled to regain control. “The best I can do is hit one of the islands in the Franz Josef Land.”
Those were uninhabited and cold. She blew out air. “What then?”
“One thing at a time.” Sweat dotted his brow. “Just hope we make it to an island.”
She nodded and held still, as if that would help, her gaze wide on the furious water below. It seethed dark and deep . . . waiting. They flew, losing altitude, for what seemed like eons but probably was just a few minutes. “What about Svalbard?” she asked, remembering the other island with abandoned mines.
“Too late and in the wrong direction.” The helicopter pitched, rocked, and then started to go down. She cried out, her body tensing, her nails digging into the leather.
Daire’s arms shook and his muscles clenched as he fought with the steering wheel, pulling back. The sea rose up to meet them, and this time, she did scream.
They hit so hard, her head rocked back onto the seat, and she saw flames of white. Water poured over the window. She unclasped her belt, her body in serious pain. Adrenaline roared through her veins, and her heart beat frantically against her rib cage.
Daire kicked open the front window. Freezing seawater poured in. Her lungs compressed, and her skin shrieked. He leaned down and yanked a bag from under her seat and then grabbed her hand. The helicopter sank, and she held her breath as the water consumed them both with a chill too piercing to overcome. Salt and sea pounded against her. How would they survive? Her legs kicking, she pushed off from the drowning craft with all her strength, trying to look up to air.
All she could see was dark and icy water.
Daire kept a firm hold around Cee Cee’s wrist and another around his bag, kicking his feet and propelling them toward the surface. She kicked next to him, her white-blond hair billowing out all around and small bubbles emerging from her mouth. The sea fought them, black and alive, trying to shove them back down.
Finally, they burst through the surface, and he sucked in air, his lungs burning.
Cee Cee coughed next to him, jerking her arm free to tread water. A wave crashed over her head, and she emerged sputtering.
He looked around, trying to see past the battering waves. “I think this way.” He was disoriented, but he’d seen the outline of an island as they were going down.
She nodded and started to swim through waves behind him.
He kept a brisk pace, trying to fight the sea’s chill. Energy poured out of him. He paused and waited until Cee Cee stopped. Her skin had frozen, and her lips had turned blue. A human would be dead. Icicles formed on her eyelashes. “We’re almost there,” he said.
She nodded.
He turned, keeping her partially in sight, and continued swimming. An outcropping finally came into view, and relief flushed through him. Minutes later, they crawled across sharp rocks to a barren land. Chunks of ice so dense as to glow a light blue dotted the landscape, leading to a full glacier between two mountains. Outcroppings of rock protected the small cove somewhat.
Cee Cee sat on the ground, her arms around her knees, her body shaking violently, her teeth smashing together.
He yanked open the bag, hoping it was as weatherproof as advertised. He felt inside. Thank goodness. Yanking out a satellite phone, he quickly dialed his brother with frozen fingers.
“Daire?” Adam asked.
“My helicopter went down outside the Franz Josef Land islands, and I don’t know which one. Lock on the phone and send rescue.” He clipped out the words, wanting to get warmth into Cee Cee. She was freezing in front of his eyes, but they needed help.
“Hold on,” Adam said.
Daire reached down and hauled Cee Cee up, tugging her wet clothes over her head. She struggled, shoving against him. Then he drew a heavy sweater from the bag and yanked it down over her body. The sound she made, pleasure and pain, warmed him right up.
“Daire?” Adam asked.
“Go.” Daire studied the nearly frozen woman in front of him. Did he have the strength to start a fire?
“I’m still in Russia researching the planekite mining, and there’s a blizzard going on. As soon as possible, I’ll pick you up. Might be first light tomorrow. Be ready.” Adam’s voice roughened. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Just get here. Bring clothes for me and for a petite woman. And food.” Daire clicked off before Adam could ask any questions and then yanked a waterproof tent from the go-bag.
Cee Cee’s lips trembled in the parody of a smile. “Aren’t you prepared?” Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
“Always.” He unfolded the tent and quickly hammered it into place against the nearest rocks, and then he grabbed a rolled-up sleeping bag to toss inside. “I keep an escape helicopter on a remote island north of the Arctic Circle.” Testing the ties of the tent, he nodded. “A go-bag for bad weather seemed like a good idea. Just in case.” The current situation was by no means the worst he’d ever been in, although he’d never had a small blonde to worry about before. He held open the flap. “Take off the jeans and get in.”
She glanced down at her wet jeans and boots before shivering. Surprisingly, she didn’t argue but shrugged out of the wet clothing and then hightailed it inside.
The wind pierced him, and snow began to fall. He sucked in air and tried to force fire to the surface.
Nothing.
He shivered. Wet clothes weren’t going to help. His hands shook as he kicked out of his jeans and placed them right inside the tent before toeing off his boots and socks. His limbs were heavy, and his head pounded. Being naked was the last of his worries. Without a word, he opened the flap and crawled inside to find Cee Cee in the bag. She’d unzipped it and tossed open the side.
“Get in,” she said, her voice cracking.
He climbed in and zipped up behind him. The wind moved the top of the tent back and forth. Her scent wafted lightly around him along with the smell of salt and ocean. “I can’t make fire, but if we sleep, we’ll both heal.” The woman felt like one long piece of ice. Trying to be gentle, he turned her back to his front and spooned around her. “Body heat will have to do.”
She trembled, shivers rubbing her skin against his. Even through the wool sweater, she felt cold.
He rubbed her arms and tucked his knees up and under hers. “Sleep will help.” Not that there was a choice for him. After fighting, being injured, helping Cee Cee to heal, and then crashing a helicopter into the freezing sea, his body was done. So he tucked his nose into her wet hair, took a deep breath, and let himself fall.
Even sleeping, his subconscious kept track of the woman in his arms and the storm berating the tent, but he went under deep enough to allow his body to heal, resting for several hours.
A strong gust of wind whipped across the tent, and he came fully awake with a jerk. No light permeated the darkness, so it wasn’t dawn as of yet. He’d slept for the rest of the day and then a good portion of the night. Heat surrounded him in the tight sleeping bag. As his mind settled, his body kicked alive. Smooth, soft hands were caressing very lightly across his chest and down his abs, soothing each one as if counting them.
Cee Cee faced him, one smooth thigh between his legs, her hands exploring.
Desire, desperate and hot, burned through him. “What are you doing?” His voice was beyond rough.
She lifted her head, her soft and now dry hair brushing across the bristles of his whiskers. “I didn’t mean to awaken you.”
That voice. That sexy, hoarse, fuck me voice. His cock sprang hard as steel. “Yet you did,” he rumbled.
She finished counting the last rib, her small hand so close to his dick, he stopped breathing. “You’re just so hard and ripped, I wanted to feel.”
The sweetness in the confession competed with the feminine need in her tone.
He shut his eyes and tried to breathe evenly. Almost on its own volition, his hand caressed down her torso to pure heat. So smooth and inviting. Her moan lit him on fire. She was wet and ready . . . and in about two seconds, he was going to lose all control. So he removed his hand. “Cee Cee? Either move away from me or say yes.”
Quiet ticked.
Her palm flattened across his abs, the touch firm. “It has been a while, Enforcer. But yes.”
At the word, he finally did exactly what he’d craved since first seeing her across the bar. Grabbing her hair, he plundered her mouth, rolling them over and shoving himself inside her with one hard thrust.
Chapter 9
Cee Cee gasped, her body arching up into the solid concrete of Daire’s. Pain and an incredible pleasure rippled through her. Thank goodness she’d been ready. Her nails dug into his chest.
He reached down and tore the sweater over her head, his mouth absolutely conquering hers. Hard and deep, he kissed her like he owned her, giving no quarter. Hot and male, with a fierceness too late to tame. Finally, he lifted his head, allowing her to breathe.
She filled her lungs, overwhelmed. Yeah, she’d wondered. Wondered if she could really do this—if she could have sex now. Apparently she could. God, he felt good. Muscle, toned and deadly, filled her palms as she caressed up his chest and down the rigid contours of his arms. His cock pulsed inside her, awakening nerves she’d forgotten existed. “So much for foreplay,” she murmured, her lips tingling and swelling from the hard kiss.
“The last two days have been foreplay,” he ground out.
Fair enough.
He levered his body up on his elbows, pressing himself even deeper inside her. She moaned, pleasure shooting hot sparks along every nerve ending. The hand tethering her hair twisted, turning her head and elongating her neck. He lowered his head and scraped his teeth along her jugular with a bite of pain he then soothed by licking back up.
Her sex convulsed around him, and he groaned into her ear before biting her earlobe. The erotic pain blazed down her body, zinged across her breasts, and planted hard in her clit. “Daire,” she murmured.
“How long has it been, sweetheart?”
“Decades.” Sadness, surprising in its intensity, swamped through her. Her mate had been a good man and her best friend. Vulnerability followed.
“Hey.” Daire nibbled along her jawline to press a kiss on her chin. “Stay here with me. Just here and now.”
She blinked. “Here and now.” At the moment, she had free rein with one of the most incredible male bodies ever created, and real life could wait until the next day. The emotion had been unexpected, but as he ran a hand down and rolled a nipple, she shoved sorrow away to just feel the moment. And damn, did he know how to make her feel good.
As he slid out and back in, creating slow friction, pleasure careened up her torso. Delicious. She’d known the first time he’d kissed her that he’d be beyond delicious. A hard kiss along her neck had him pausing.
She swallowed. The bite marks from her mating. Even though the bond was gone, and she was free, the barest of marks had remained. “Um.”
He licked the two small indents. A new tension coiled around him. “Shifter?”
“Vampire,” she responded, her mind whirling so quickly she could hear the blood roaring through the veins in her ears.
Daire jerked inside her. “Mated?”
She closed her eyes. Nothing in her wanted to discuss this right now. “Yes, he died, and I took the mutated Virus-Twenty-Seven to negate the bond. Willingly.”
“So it works,” he murmured.
“Yes.” Her heart beat in her ears, while the tension in the small tent increased. “It’s in the past, Daire.”
An emotion, dark and male, rolled off him. “So you know the queen.”
She and the queen were good friends. “No, but we share acquaintances, and when I sent her a message that I was interested in taking the mutated virus, she called me. We did the experiments from there.”
Daire frowned. His arms rippled as he held himself in check. “Okay, but as of now, I’m done with your secrets. We do this, no more secrets.”
She couldn’t promise him that, not now, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t trust him. “This is one night.” Maybe more than one night, but definitely not eternity. If her plan worked, she’d have more enemies than he could imagine, and while she’d fight, the odds stank. “We’re already doing this.”
He pulled out and hammered back in. Hard.
Pain, edged with a wicked pleasure, clawed through her. She’d never been treated roughly in bed, and she kind of liked it.
He lowered his head until his mouth was right above hers, and his green eyes lasered through the darkness. “I don’t bluff, make threats, or use unnecessary words, Cee Cee. I’m inside you, and I’m all around you.”
She swallowed again. “I know.”
“No more secrets and no more lies. You don’t want to cross me.” He slid out and then pushed back in, slowly this time.
“Okay.” The feeling was beyond incredible. A man inside her. Something she’d never thought to have happen again. It was wonderful. But she’d failed to factor in the instant emotion that engulfed her, especially since she had secrets to keep. She loosened her hold on the enforcer, and her body stilled.
“Baby? There’s a whole lot coming off you right now, and if you want me to stop, now’s the time to say so.” His body tensed, and the cost of the words, of the promise, lived in every undulating muscle.
Tears instantly pricked her eyes. “Please—don’t stop,” she gasped.
He exhaled and pulled out of her, relinquishing the hold on her hair.
“No.” Her sex tried to keep him in, and her hands curled over his shoulders.
He kissed her, his tongue flicking inside her mouth, his free hand pressing against her clit. “I thought to take the edge off fast and then play, but let’s get you out of your head now. We can discuss reality in the light of day.”
His wrist twisted, and he slipped a finger inside her.
She arched against him, pleasure overtaking any residual sorrow.
“There we go.” He licked down her neck, kissed her collarbone, and suckled one nipple into his mouth.
She detonated. An orgasm rushed through her so quickly, she could only open her mouth in a silent scream. Her legs widened, and he ground his palm against her. Fast. That had happened so fast. Finally, she came down with a soft sob.
He chuckled around her, the sound reverberating through her chest. Light nips and flicks struck her nipple until he moved to the other breast, paying equal attention. She moved restlessly against him, hunger awakening again. Another finger joined the first, rubbing against a spot inside her that flashed lights behind her closed lids.
She shook her head. “Too much.”
“Not enough.” He alternated kisses between her breasts, each one shooting a craving much lower. The sleeping bag caught him, and he swore, turning to jerk down the zipper and shove material out of his way. Cold washed over her, replaced by the heat of his body.
Then his mouth found her core.
She cried out, her nails cutting into his shoulders. “No, I—”
He sucked her throbbing clit into his heated mouth, and she stopped speaking. Stopped moving. She held her breath, unsure, her body rioting.
“Did you just say no?” he asked, sending vibrations through her most intimate parts.
“No, I, we, I mean,” she gasped, trying to find words. It was too much. Too intimate. “You.”
He chuckled, nearly sending her into another orgasm. “Yeah. Me.” He released her, rubbing the spot inside her, and then turned to nip her inner thigh with sharp teeth.
She gasped, her legs trembling.
His canines sank in deeper, piercing her skin. She cried out and tried to yank her flesh from his mouth.
He let her go. “It won’t scar, but you’ll wear my mark for the week.” Masculine satisfaction, lazy and dark, echoed in his tone.
She opened her mouth to protest, but one long, slow swipe of his tongue across her clit forced a whimper from her instead. He did it again, faster this time.
“Let’s get one more from you before we get serious,” he whispered, his heated breath all but killing her. Then he went to work, alternating between soft kisses and harder licks, keeping her on the edge, but not letting her fall over.
Sweat rolled off her forehead, and she moved against him, seeking relief, losing any sense of shyness. All that mattered in the world was reaching that peak he held so tantalizingly away from her. His fingers worked magic inside her, twisting and rubbing, but not quite giving her enough to ease the tension.
He increased the pressure, and a moan caught in her throat. “Now, baby.” He sucked.
She pushed against his mouth, waves crashing through her. The orgasm shook her, head to toe, emanating from his talented tongue. He prolonged the ecstasy until her body fell in limp abandonment onto the warm sleeping bag. She murmured a sound without any real meaning.
He drifted up her body, his skin hot, until his mouth took hers. The drugging kiss slid through her, soothing her ragged breathing. Then he clamped a hand across her butt, half lifted her, and powered inside her. Even with her body satiated, her core wet, the strength in his stroke took her by surprise and forced the air from her lungs.
Her eyelids flew open, and she pressed both hands against his fiery hot chest.
“Now we get serious.” He held her tight, moving out, and hammered back into her.
She’d thought she was done. Not even close. Hunger, edged with a pained demand, hit her so hot and so fast she could only hold on tight. He pounded into her, showing no mercy, a dangerous predator fully unleashed. She kicked her other leg free and wrapped them around his waist, tilting her pelvis for more. God, so much more.
He fucked her, hard and fast, his harsh breath panting in her ear. Each thrust jarred her clit, shooting lava across every nerve. The slap of flesh against flesh filled the tent, along with the overwhelming heat that was Daire Dunne. The thrusts increased in speed, and a galvanizing heat seared her, rippling into fire, as she exploded into a violent orgasm. It washed over her, cooling her, taking everything she had.
He stilled, ground against her, and came hard, his body shaking.
Finally, he rested against her. Her legs dropped to the ground. Still inside her, he reached around and drew the bag over them. “Now you talk.”
She shut her eyes, her body too damn relaxed to drum up the energy to fight.
A ripple sounded through the night. Then a piercing light shone down, even through the tent.
“Damn it.” Daire withdrew and shoved his way out of the bag, tossing the sweater at her. “Get dressed.” Helicopter blades pounded through the weakening storm outside.
She shrugged into the sweater and stood. “You’re naked.”
“If it’s my brother, he’s seen me nude before. If not, we’re in a shitload of trouble, and my bare skin is the least of our worries.” He unzipped the tent and peered out, turning back to pin her with a dark green gaze. “It’s Adam, which is good news. Don’t think for a second our conversation isn’t going to happen. You have a reprieve, baby. Take it and get ready to tell all.”
Daire kept one eye on Cee Cee and the other on the papers spread out in front of him on the table. The plane was small, with a green sofa along the back wall, a bathroom behind that, and four chairs around a table. The carpet was an odd yellow with blue dots. “Finish that steak,” he ordered, ducking his head to read another printout. He waited until she rolled her eyes. “I saw that,” he said slowly. Things had changed, whether she liked it or not.
She blinked, and color slipped into her cheeks. But she took another bite of the meat from her perch on the sofa.
Adam had quickly flown them via helicopter to the mainland, shepherded them into the plane, and cooked steaks in the microwave. Now he sat across from Daire, curiosity bright in his eyes, as the pilots flew them through the Arctic storm to refuel in Greenland. Then they’d jump over Alaska, head south, and land in Seattle. Adam had followed orders perfectly by bringing both food and clothing.
The wool sweater and faded jeans had pleased Daire greatly, and the darker jeans and blue sweater fit Cee Cee well enough. The denim stretched nicely across her rounded rear, and he wanted nothing more than to strip her out of them.
Adam cleared his throat and shoved another set of papers at him. “There were seven explosions in Russian mines last night, in addition to the one on the island.”
Cee Cee hummed happily from the sofa.
Daire cleared his throat. “Don’t tell me. The mines belonged to Ivan Bychkov.”
Adam glanced over his shoulder at the woman and then back at Daire, who already faced her. “Either Bychkov or his people. Rumor has it that the Consortia is pissed and out for blood—Bychkov’s and whoever attacked the mines.”
Daire cut Cee Cee a hard look. “It would take an incredible amount of time and resources to coordinate such an attack, don’t you think?”
Adam frowned, no doubt catching undercurrents. “Why yes, Daire. Yes, I do think that.”
Daire turned his focus on his younger brother. “Sarcasm?”
“What is going on?” Adam growled.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I know,” Daire said evenly. Oh, the woman was going to tell him everything, but he preferred to hear it first before sharing with his brother. “Which will be soon.” The second he got her home, to be clear.
She finished eating and stretched out on the sofa. Exhaustion created dark circles under her eyes that all but emanated from her too pale skin.
He grimaced. He’d used her hard, and that was after she’d been severely injured, healed, and dunked in freezing water. According to Bychkov, she was weak. How, Daire didn’t know. In fact, he didn’t know shit, now did he?
Adam cleared his throat. “Five of the mines, including the one on the island, were mining planekite.”
Daire’s attention focused. “So they’re destroyed?”
“Yes, but we’ve been able to determine all five sent shipments to Seattle before being attacked.” Adam sat back, nostrils flaring.
Then it was getting from Seattle to Dublin, somehow. “How big were the shipments?” Daire asked, standing up and having to duck to keep from hitting his head.
“Pretty damn big,” Adam said.
Wonderful. Daire reached into a cupboard and drew out a blanket before settling it over Cee Cee. He dropped to his haunches and smoothed the hair from her face. “Go to sleep and let your body heal itself. When we get home, we’re gonna talk.”
