Darkness Calls. Caridad Pineiro

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      Before Diana could register his intentions, he closed the distance between them and grabbed hold of her wrist, yanking her to him.

      Years of training took over. An elbow to his face had him rocking backward and she followed with a jab that straightened him, leaving him totally vulnerable for a full-force roundhouse kick. She connected to the side of his head with a thick thud, and he tumbled to the rough cobblestones. Before she could react, he was on his feet and moving toward her once more.

      Diana struck out with a quick chopping motion. He blocked her blow forcefully and thrust her away, which sent her flying into the brick wall.

      Her head hit hard and stars danced across her vision. She fought off the dazing blow and pressed her hands against the rough surface of the wall, struggling to find purchase so she wouldn’t fall to the ground. The chatter had ceased in her ear, which meant the wire had stopped working, not that it had been doing much good up to this point.

      As her assailant neared again, David finally called out, “Hold your position or I’ll fire.”

      She closed her eyes and held her breath for a moment. When there was silence, she struggled to focus her blurry gaze on her attacker, his hands on the top of his head. David stood behind him, inches shorter, his gun pointed at the base of the man’s skull.

      David looked at her and asked, “You okay?”

      Her cheek was throbbing painfully and she realized that the man’s defensive block had caught the side of her face. She raised her hand to the back of her head. There was a lump growing there beneath her hair. Even though her head was swimming and her vision was unclear, she told herself the bumps and bruises were nothing but minor discomforts. “I’m okay,” she replied, and took a step toward the man.

      “Who are you?” she asked, getting right next to his face, her nose nearly bumping the edge of his jaw.

      He smiled tightly and was about to answer when the bouncer realized that something was going on in the alley. “Boss man, you okay? Should I call the police?” the muscular man asked her assailant.

      David kept his bead on her attacker and Diana approached the bouncer. “You know this man?”

      “That’s Ryder Latimer. He’s the owner of the club. Came out to make sure nothing funny was going on,” the bouncer explained.

      Diana sighed harshly and glanced at her partner, who lowered his weapon, holstered it and then spoke softly into the wire, calling off the imminent arrival of reinforcements.

      She walked up to the man and noted he bore an imprint below his left eye from one of the blows she had inflicted. Her satisfaction was tempered by guilt, the burning pain across her cheek and the pounding in her head. “I guess we all need to talk.”

      “I guess we do at that,” he said, and turned on his heel, barking a command to the bouncer on his way to the door of the club.

      David and Diana remained behind, staring after him in surprise. The bouncer moved his head in the direction of the door and held out his hand. “After you,” he said facetiously.

      Diana gritted her teeth to hold back her comment. A mistake. The movement sent a shaft of pain up the side of her face and into her skull. She moaned, and David reached out to steady her as she swayed.

      “You need to see a doctor,” he said as she closed her eyes and battled the swirling dizziness in her head. She reached for the wall and instead encountered a rock-hard body.

      Opening her eyes, she met the sharp-eyed gaze of her unwitting assailant, who actually seemed concerned. It was the last thing she thought as she passed out into his arms.

      Chapter 3

      She tried to open her eyes, but the glare of the light forced them closed. Reaching for her forehead, she grasped both sides of her head and cradled it gingerly.

      “It’s about time you came to,” Ryder said, and the words ricocheted around her skull, causing more pain.

      Somehow she found the grit to face him. “Haven’t you done enough?” she said, surprised that all she could muster was a whisper. Each movement of her jaw brought fresh waves of pain. She moaned, and a moment later she was rewarded with the chill of an ice pack against the throbbing side of her face and the gentle pass of his hand across her brow.

      “Lean back and try to stay still. I called for a doctor,” he said, and Diana chose not to argue with him. If she argued, the pounding punishment in her skull would outweigh any satisfaction she might get.

      A footfall alerted Diana to the entry of someone else. Diana opened her eyes to mere slits. An elegantly dressed young woman came into the room, followed by David.

      “Your friend is finally awake,” she said, and Diana assumed this was the doctor the club owner had called. The woman’s voice was soft and cultured, colored with the accents of exclusive prep schools and money. Despite her easy tone, Diana’s pain increased.

      “Easy,” her assailant murmured, and stroked a gentling hand across Diana’s forehead once more. The tips of his fingers were rough and yet somehow comforting.

      “Ryder, you never cease to amaze me. Is this another lady you’ve charmed?” the physician teased.

      Diana wished the doctor would shut up and examine her. “Please. Let’s get this over with,” she whispered. A second later the doctor pried open one of Diana’s eyelids, flashed a light in her eye, then repeated the same with the other eye. It was a small penlight, but it had the strength of a laser, burning away what little was left of Diana’s brain cells.

      “Open those eyes and tell me how many fingers I have up?” the doctor asked.

      Diana slowly eased her eyes open, letting them adjust to the light. It took a while, and she had to force herself to focus so she could count the fingers the physician was wiggling in her face. “Three,” she growled, then closed her eyes and leaned back against the cushions of the couch.

      “She’ll live, Ryder, although she’s got a slight concussion,” the young woman proclaimed. “Next time, try to take it a little easier on the ladies. I thought you considered yourself a gentleman.” The doctor stowed the penlight in her pocket and reached into her bag. She took out a small foil packet of medicine and handed it to David.

      “Here are some meds for your partner. She should be watched overnight. If there’s no one who can—”

      “My brother can do it, David. I don’t want to go to any hospital,” she replied.

      The young woman nodded and glanced at Ryder. “See you later, Ryder?” she asked.

      “I’ll be by, unless the agents need to keep me for some reason,” he replied, but David shook his head.

      “Great, then. Thanks for your help, Danvers,” Ryder said. The doctor walked from the room, mumbling under her breath as she did so. The calming, pain-killing chill of the ice pack returned, however, and Diana wondered why this man was being so solicitous. And why she was wondering what kind of relationship he and the good doctor shared.

      She opened her eyes. This time it СКАЧАТЬ