Savage Hunger(98)
Rafferty. Relief slid through her, but still she only cracked her window a bit, frowning.
“What are you doing out here?”
He stepped up to the window and grinned. “Warrick asked me to take you to him.”
Sienna glanced in her rearview, half convinced Quinton would show up any minute. She wasn’t really sure where the ferals were being held, but still she hesitated to let Rafferty in. Which was silly after he’d saved her life earlier tonight.
“How’d you know where I was?”
“I was heading over to pick you up when I saw you leave.”
A perfectly acceptable answer, but she didn’t really like the way his gaze hardened. In fact, it sent the first shiver of unease through her.
“You know, I’m just going to give Warrick a call. See if he can meet me—”
Glass flew everywhere as Rafferty’s elbow smashed into the window. Sienna shrieked, twisting her head to avoid the flying slices.
Rafferty. He was the one working on the inside. God, she was blind.
She fumbled to hold the lock down, fear igniting inside her, but he’d already reached through and unlocked it.
“Warrick!” Instinct had her screaming her mate’s name, even knowing he was miles away.
The door wrenched open and Rafferty grabbed her shirt, dragging her from the vehicle.
Her back slammed into the side of the door, bruising her spine and knocking the air from her lungs. The flash of a blade at her neck had her stilling, even as the fear inside her quadrupled.
“You stupid—”
Rafferty’s words ended on a groan as a shadow hurled into him, knocking him to the ground. Quinton shifted back to human, struggling with the younger man as he screamed, “Get the hell out of here, Sienna.”
Her throat tightened and she moved automatically to obey, but her steps faltered as Rafferty gained the upper hand and pinned Quinton to the ground.
The knife arced in the headlights, a quick flash of silver that coincided with her scream.
The sound of the blade entering flesh seemed unnaturally loud and devastating and Quinton’s body twisted with the impact.
“No!” Her eyes burned with immediate tears of horror.
Instinct had her moving toward Quinton instead of away, and she knelt down beside the dying man.
“No,” she whispered again. The knife was still embedded in his chest, right above where his heart should be. Had it pierced it?
Should she try to remove the knife?
She pulled off her T-shirt, not caring that she only wore a bra now, and pressed it around the wound.
“Hang on, Quinton.”
Quinton’s hand covered hers and he winced, his eyes glassing over. “I’m so sorry, Sienna. Please…at least know that.”
Tears poured down her cheek as his eyes closed. She hadn’t wanted to care for this man. How could she go from hate to this? It felt like her damn heart was shredding.
“You bastard,” she raged at Rafferty through her tears. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Time to go, princess.” Rafferty grabbed her by the hair, jerking her back from Quinton and toward the car.
“Please,” she begged, struggling to free herself. “We need to help him.”
“The jerk’s already dead.”
“But shifters heal fast—”
“Sorry to break it to you, but a knife in the heart is pretty much a deathblow whether you’re human or shifter.” Rafferty shoved her into the back of the car and slammed the door.
Sienna reached to open it, ready to flee, but it didn’t budge. Damn, he’d put on the child lock!
Rafferty climbed in and turned the wheel, swerving around Quinton’s body as if he were nothing more than roadkill.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked hoarsely.
“I couldn’t take the risk of your remembering.”
“Remembering what? Please, let me help Quinton.”
“You can’t help him, Sienna. He’s dead.” Rafferty gave a harsh laugh.
Her stomach heaved and she closed her eyes. “Which is how you’d prefer I be too?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not your night to die, Sienna. A memory wipe is much cleaner. Besides, you were going to have me do it earlier tonight.”
“I’ve changed my mind!”
“You’re so damn against having your memory wiped, Sienna.” He shook his head and tsked, turning the car off the back road and onto a main street. “And you don’t have a fucking clue that I’ve already done it to you once.”
Her heart nearly stopped. Done what to her once? “What did you say?”
“You heard me. It’s wonderful to know our technology works so well. Yes, you dumb bitch.” He lifted his gaze to the rearview to look at her. “Last week you stumbled upon the feral shifters and Leonard and me working in the lab. Fortunately I was able to wipe all that from your mind.”