Claiming Their Cat Read Free Page B

go ! ” She struggled so hard , h e was afraid she was going to break a bone or two.
    “Hey, I’m here to help you.”
    “Please, please don’t kill me ! ”
    Kill? Now where in the hell did that thought come from? “If I wanted to kill you, I would have let that thug blow your brains out .”
    His words had no effect on her . S he continued to fight w ith every ounce of female determination. A sharp pain sliced through his gut. He spun her around and pinned her arms to her side. After jerking the knife from her hand, he hurled it into the darkness. Fred would have to get another knife. Then he grinned. Any other person, he would have snapped their neck for attacking him, but this was his mate. She was scared out of her mind, defending herself the best way she knew how—with Fred’s steak knife.
    He couldn’t fault her for that; it took guts to stab a man as big as he was.
    But Rio ’d had enough. She was beyond reasoning with, and he didn’t want her to hurt herself. “You either calm down, or I’m going to sedate you.”
    She fought even harder which pissed him off. He pulled a syringe from his inner coat pocket and drew the cap off with his teeth. He jabbed the needle in her arm and pushed in the plunger. His medical kit always contained a sedative. He hated to use it, but she’d left him no choice.
    “No, no, no, you can’t drug me. I’m…
    Rio recapped the syringe and stuck it back in his pocket. He wouldn’t throw it out here where some kid could pick it up and use it to shoot up . He scooped her up and couldn’t resist burying his nose in her dirty hair. He inhaled deep , imprinting her sensual scent on his wolf. He’d never get enough of it, never get enough of her.
    She was his, and he kept what was his, and would kill anyone who thought otherwise.
    He needed to get her warm and dry, a good dose of antibiotics. She weighed nothing, didn’t have an ounce of meat on her bones. Rio opened the diner door and found Fred rolling one of the thugs into a tarp.
    “What in the hell did you do to her?”
    Rio frowned. “I sedated her.”
    “And all that blood?”
    “It’s mine. Her and your damn knife.”
    “Well, I did warn ya.”
    Rio followed Fred to the back where the cot was ready. It wasn’t much, but it was better than running in the rain. After laying her down, he stepped back to give Fred some room to play nursemaid.
    “She’s smart, got you in the gut. Glad you ain’t human.”
    “Yeah, I ain’t human.”
    “Here.” Fred held out his hand with four knotted slugs. “I dug these out. I figured you didn’t want your signature left around.”
    “Thanks.” Rio never left evidence behind. In his business, that was definite no-no.
    “You need to heal; otherwise, I’ll be cleaning your guts off my floor, and I’ve got enough to do already.”
    Rio followed Fred’s gaze to his belly. A puncture seeped where she’d shoved the knife in, but it was only a hole , no slice, so his guts weren’t going anywhere. Fred was right; he need to fix himself or h e’d be no good to anyone. Now that his wolf was somewhat satisfied that his mate was safe, he actually felt the pain in his belly.
    “I’ll be mopping blood up the rest of the night anyway.”
    “Sorry, next time I’ll ask them to step outside before I shoot them.”
    Fred’s eyes crinkled. “You do that and save an old man the trouble.”
    A low growl halted Fred’s fingers on her coat buttons. Fred stepped back and held up his hands. “You wanna tell me what’s going on, big guy?”
    Rio barely recognized his own growl and certainly had no idea that his wolf was going to do that. Fred was his best and only friend, and definitely deserved better treatment than that. He didn’t believe in lying to friends either. “She’s my mate.”
    The look that crossed Fred’s face was one of disbelief, and who could blame him. Rio wasn’t mate material. He was a gun for hire, killed people without batting an eye . T racked them down,