Tempted by the Jaguar #4: Infiltration (Riverford Shifters) by Cristina Rayne

mesquite trees.
    Kylie suddenly felt the uncanny sensation of dozens of eyes on her, and
she had to fight down a growl, not sure if they were indeed being watched or if
it was just her imagination because she knew their allies were out there
somewhere.
    About a half-mile down, a metal gate came into view that stretched
across the road, the gate, according to Jack, connected to an electrified fence
that spanned the entire perimeter of the property.  A small, white building sat
on the side of the road outside the fence about a meter or two out. A guard
station.
    Maxim pulled up to it without any hesitation and rolled down his
window. Some of the bobcat sharpshooters had been tasked with taking care of
the guards that had been posted all along the entrance road before they could
alert the guard station of the Audi’s approach, and given that no one had shot
at them yet, they had been successful.
    However, the real test was now.
    Kylie turned her head towards Maxim’s window just as the guard barked,
“Who the hell are you?”
    She knew the exact moment the man saw her because he suddenly went
utterly still and his heart literally stuttered in fear. It was said that even
members of the lion clans feared their assassins, that they lived in constant
fear of pissing off someone in a higher echelon and finding one of the Alpha’s
assassins on their doorstep.
    “It appears we have a little problem,” Kylie said casually, staring
intensely at the lion shifter even though her hood kept him from seeing her
eyes.
    “I-I—” the security guard stammered, his demeanor screaming how
desperately he wanted to flee.
    “Imagine my surprise when our Alpha pulled me from another job in order
to clean up your colossal fuck-up a few days ago. Then I come here and find
that it wasn’t so much as a fuck-up but likely a deliberate act of treason.”
She gestured with her head towards the backseat, and the lion finally noticed
the geneticist and Hunter.
    Kylie didn’t think his face could become any paler. “I—I see.”
    “A word of warning,” Kylie continued, proud that her voice remained
strong and deadly. “Although I have thus far found you and this station’s other
workers innocent of this man’s treachery, that will change if you alert those
in the compound that I am coming.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
     
    Kylie didn’t release the breath she was holding until their car had
rounded the house and parked right next to a wide, steel door between the
attached garage and the house she had seen in the photo with Molly without a
single shot being fired at the car.
    “Keep sharp,” Maxim muttered out of the corner of his mouth. “There’s a
couple of armed lions heading our way, so we’ll unfortunately have to go with
plan B.”
    Hunter cursed. That meant Kylie’s little act was over, and she would
now have to accompany them down into the bowels of the ranch.
    “As soon as they reach the car,” Maxim continued, “the bobcats’ll tranq
them. Once that happens, the gig will be up, and we’ll only have a few seconds
to reach the door and get inside before any guards within eyesight will likely
start shooting. Let’s just hope my guys were able to disable all the electric locks
or this’ll get real ugly fast.”
    Although Hunter remained slumped against the seat, and kept his eyes
closed, he had already removed the tape across his mouth, and one hand was
beneath his sweatshirt, no doubt curled around his gun.
    The next few minutes happened in a blur.
    Kylie remembered seeing the two approaching men drop almost in slow
motion before she was scrabbling out of the car, nearly bumping into Hunter as
he moved past his opened car door. Hunter reflexively grabbed Kylie’s arm as
the two of them made a beeline for the metal door. Gunfire sounded loudly
behind them, close enough that it could have been Maxim firing, but then a
bullet hit the bricks near Hunter’s right shoulder just as she reached out for
the doorknob.
    She nearly