Lawe's Justice - Lora Leigh [102]
Diane suppressed a shudder at the thought of what those Coyotes had suffered, but words her uncle used to mutter drifted through her mind: “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”
“Lawe said Malachi reported knowing him?” Surprising enough.
Rule nodded. “They met during one of Gideon’s escapes, his first one. Gideon worked with a small group Malachi was leading until they reached Amsterdam where Gideon decided to go his own way.”
“And there he was betrayed by a prostitute,” Diane murmured.
“Yes, he was.” Rule sighed. “Malachi’s mate is Chief Ray Martinez’s niece, though. The attack convinced them to give us permission to begin the investigation to search for him.”
Diane stilled for a long second before turning to Rule, uncaring that Lawe or anyone else for that matter would detect her displeasure.
“That’s not why we’re here,” she reminded.
“We are not going to get permission to investigate the missing research projects, and we’re not going to inform them that’s why we’re here,” he told her, his tone steely now as he lowered his voice. “I can give you the reasons why later, in private, when I update Lawe. Suffice to say, our story is that we’re searching for Gideon for fear that the feral fever he’s slipped into could cause an unwarranted death. That’s all they need to know. The Navajo don’t want bodies to begin piling up in Window Rock, especially after Isabelle Martinez’s attack by a man her father once trusted.”
She swung back around and glared at Lawe now. He’d turned, his gaze meeting hers, his stare brooding as it flicked between her and Rule.
“You shouldn’t have come here to begin with.” Gritting the words between clenched teeth she shoved her hands in the pocket of her jeans to keep from trying to strangle him. “You caused an incident where none was needed.”
“Then Malachi wouldn’t have found his mate,” Rule pointed out, as though that somehow validated the decision.
“You and your brother just piss me off.” Diane turned back to him, the irritation churning into anger. “Your arrogance and complete lack of consideration for others never fails to amaze me, Rule.”
The corners of his eyes shifted and his brow arched. “What did we do this time?”
“You found a way to argue a decision you knew was wrong to begin with. Gideon knows you’re here, and now he knows it’s not just him you’re chasing but the Brandenmore Research projects he’s after as well. You’ve just forewarned him.”
“The Genetics Council believes we’re searching for him.” His voice grated.
“He’s not stupid,” she retorted. “By allowing him to believe you even know where he’s at before letting me arrive first was all he needed. You’re not dealing with the Council or their Coyotes. You’re dealing with a Breed whose intelligence rates at the genius level and whose ability to coordinate and carry out what others considered suicide missions when he was only a teenager should have been your warning. He knows, and now he’ll stop at nothing to ensure you don’t get anywhere close to them. I just pray to God he doesn’t consider killing them a viable option to losing them to you.”
Better yet, she was to the point that if it weren’t for her own niece, she would hinder their search in any way possible. Fortunately for them, Amber needed the girls. The answers to what the serum had done to them as they matured, especially Honor Roberts, was vitally important.
For some reason, the contact she had found in Argentina had believed it was Honor who may hold the answers to what Amber would be facing as she grew older.
The changes in her niece were astounding. She had been walking for the past few weeks, despite the fact that she was barely eight months old. She was purring when she found something that pleased her, if she believed she was alone. And her sister swore her daughter understood far more than she should for her age. The