Moon Sworn (Riley Jenson Guardian 9)

I leaned forward, watching him stroll casually toward the big black fence. The security cameras were rotating, but away rather than toward him. He glanced around, then with a leap any shifter or wolf would be proud of, disappeared over the fence.

I blew out the breath I'd been holding, and Rhoan glanced at me. "He'll be fine."

"I know. The man was a cazador, after all." And four security guards, however well trained, weren't going to present much of a problem for a man who spent hundreds of years as a hit man for the vampire council. "It doesn't stop the worry."

"Then you know what he goes through every time you walk out the door."

I raised an eyebrow. "Now, there's a case of the pot calling the kettle black."

"I was a guardian when Liander met me. He knew going in what he was getting into."

"I still worked for the Directorate. I handled the care and feeding of a boatload of vampires. That's not a riskfree job."

He raised an eyebrow. "But it doesn't exactly hold the same level of danger as being a guardian, does it?"

"No." I drew in a breath and released it slowly. "Which is why I'm talking to Jack once this job is over."

"Talking to Jack about what?" Jack said, into my ear.

I jumped. The external earpieces were so comfortable, I'd totally forgotten they were in.

"It's not important right now," I said. "Have you got any word on Quinn's progress?"

"Two guards are down, and he's just tackling the third now." He paused. "The third one is down."

"And the last?"

"Inside the main house. We can't risk trying to draw him out and alerting Daskill, so Rhoan, you slip in through the back and take care of him. Riley, your task is Daskill. He's upstairs with his wife."

Great. Just what I need to see - a bad guy having sex. "I'm gathering all security will be down by the time we get to the doors?"

"Sal's finishing it now. She reverse-coded, so it'll appear on when it's off."

"Give me a few minutes to get around the back," Rhoan said, his hand on the car door handle. "And be careful."

"If one more person says that to me," I said, an edge in my voice, "I'm going to punch them."

He merely smiled. "We just got you back. Give it a week and we'll be back to our uncaring selves."

I snorted and pushed him lightly. "Get out and go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to the real business at hand."

The amusement fell from his eyes. He knew just what that involved. And, like me, he wasn't happy about it -

even though it had become a necessity if we were ever to live free of Blake's shadow.

He touched a hand lightly to my cheek, then opened the door and climbed out. Like Quinn, he disappeared easily and quickly over the wall.

I glanced at my watch and waited a couple of minutes, then grabbed the car keys, climbed out, and locked up. This might be a posh area, but that didn't mean unlocked cars were any safer.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt and strolled toward the fence. The damn thing towered over me, and, wolf or not, I had trouble just grabbing the top, let alone hauling my ass over the edge.

I really needed to work on my upper body strength, I thought, as I landed rather inelegantly on the other side.

The lawns were landscaped and there wasn't a blade of grass to be seen, but the shiny white rocks clashed nicely with the green and red cordylines and native wild grasses.

My skin crawled with sudden awareness, and I glanced around to see Quinn walking through the shadow provided by the towering fence. Although walking was something of a misnomer - gliding would have been more apt.

Rhoan's in the house. He stopped beside me, his gaze on the house. Daskill and his wife are still upstairs. There is a second life-form on the ground floor.