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The cat clawed his way closer until Jewel was staring directly into his triumphant eyes and he reached his front leg the remaining distance in an effort to hook his claw into the smaller cat to drag her off the branch.
Ania shifted as fast as she could, uncaring how much she managed to shift. It was only her arm and hand that mattered. She had gone over the moves hundreds of times in her head and she caught up the spear smoothly and slammed it into the cat’s throat. Blood erupted, a great river of it. Jewel tried to back away. Ania held her ruthlessly in place.
The reddish-furred cat fell backward out of the tree and landed on his side as he tried to turn in midair and failed. He landed hard, driving the spikes deep into his side. He screamed horribly, gurgling between each shriek of pain. He thrashed around, trying to unstick himself from the spikes buried in the ground.
She hadn’t had the time to set up too many of them and the ground was very soft, so the leopard was able to roll to his feet. The wound in his throat was deep and he coughed, spraying out more blood. He looked up at the tree and his eyes met Ania’s. Her heart nearly stopped. He was coming back, and he was really, really angry.
Mitya. She said his name softly, a chill going down her spine.
The leopard jumped for the tree trunk and just hung there for a moment, his eyes glaring up at her and blood running down his chest. He clawed at the bark, digging in deep, so he could move up the trunk inch by inch. Foot by foot. Gaining ground as he climbed higher.
He would be waiting for her to stab at him with the spear, Ania knew. She had to believe he was like Mitya, able to shift with blurring speed. If he yanked the spear out of her hands, he could attack Jewel with it, drive her out of the tree so she would fall to the ground below. Even if she missed the spikes and the dirt was really too soft to kill her, she could still be dazed, or break a leg. Ania couldn’t let that happen.
Could Jewel outrun the male? He was badly injured. Blood poured from his throat and dotted his coat on his left side. Still, it was a terrible chance to take. As long as Jewel remained on the branch, she had a better chance of remaining out of the male’s reach.
Ania didn’t take her eyes from the cat clawing his way up the tree trunk. The wind blasted her face and she stayed very still, even though the droplets of water in the air were very cold on her skin. She didn’t care that the horrible man driving his leopard to such depravity could see her upper body. If anything, his gaze continued to drop from her eyes to her breasts. Let him be distracted. She had only to wait for Mitya. He would come. She knew he would.
The cat managed to make his way to just below the branch Jewel stood on. Ania calculated her weight. If she shifted entirely, she could climb to the next branch and she doubted if, even in human form, the male could get to her. If she tried stomping on his paw or hand, he could just grab her.
Every possibility slipped through her mind. She stayed very still, her hand gripping the spear. She let him see it. Let him see she was afraid and agitated. He would expect that. He wouldn’t think she would be using her brain. Plotting. Planning. He reached up toward her with a slow, stealthy paw, those hooked claws inching toward Jewel’s leg.
She moved her arm and his gaze flashed to the spear. He wanted her to try it. She saw he was ready, and she pulled her arm back as if she was about to thrust it toward his face again. Instead, she shifted entirely and kicked him as hard as she could in the throat. He went sailing backward off the tree and landed almost on top of Dymka.
The large male cat had crept up, ready to drag Albert from the tree, but Ania had gotten in a very hard, very well-placed kick. Her foot throbbed and hurt, feeling as if she might have broken every bone in it, but she knew it was only a momentary pain. She hated the sight of blood on her foot, so she shifted back to her leopard form and told Jewel to start the descent from the tree.
Below them, Dymka administered the suffocating bite to the reddish-coated leopard and then instantly roared out a challenge to any other cat that dared to come near his female. Jewel clawed her way down to the ground and ran a short distance away from the tree and the dead leopard beneath it.
He rushed between the dead cats, immediately traveling back to the two he had dispatched first. He slapped the ground, sending leaves and twigs into the air as he attacked the dead leopards, roaring his hatred of them.
Then he was running back to the third cat, circling it, sending dirt and leaves over the remains in contemptuous swipes of his paw before turning to Jewel. She ran from him, heading toward the deeper trees where a stream moved through the acreage. She didn’t get far before nature took over and she rolled, stood back on her feet and looked at her mate flirtatiously.
She hurried another five or ten feet and crouched. Before she could reprimand him or send him away, Dymka was on her, his heavier body blanketing hers, his teeth sinking into her neck, deep enough to draw blood, holding her in place while he mated with her.
For the rest of the night, as they made their way back to Mitya’s estate, the two cats had rough sex every twenty or thirty minutes. It went on for hours. When they weren’t having sex, Dymka stayed close to her, rubbing along her sides and nuzzling her neck. His tongue lapped at the bite marks on her neck and she tried to soothe his battle wounds.
By the time they made it to the house, Jewel was exhausted and stumbling with the effort to walk. If it wasn’t for Dymka urging her forward, she would have just lain down and gone to sleep. As it was, when they got to the porch, she curled up into a little ball and put her head down on her paws.
Mitya shifted, his face grim, his mouth tight. “Ania, kotyonok, you need to shift for me.”
Too tired.
“I know.” He was patient. Already he was looking for Sevastyan. Furious that a shooter had nearly gotten to his woman and that three leopards his father had sent had attacked them. “You can’t sleep there. Just shift and I’ll take you inside to the bedroom.”
Ania did so, although he could see it was an effort and she didn’t do it well. She also, like him, needed a shower. In her case, probably a bath after to soak away soreness. He had work to do, but before that, he needed to care for her. The heat would go on for at least a week, and no matter what else was happening around them, neither Jewel nor Ania could be neglected.
13
“WE’VE got two factions coming at us,” Mitya explained. “There’s no doubt about it, although it is possible they are now working together. Lazar is making his move. He wouldn’t do it unless he was certain he had the upper hand. That means he has allies and he may have someone on the inside. We knew he was going to come after us sometime. That isn’t news. We can get back to him in a bit and decide how we’re going to handle it.”
Mitya looked around the room. These were the men he was supposed to be able to trust with his life and the lives of those he loved. He didn’t trust so easily. Fyodor, his cousin, had brought him back into the world he was most comfortable in. One of crime, deceit and treachery. Those in this room were supposed to be the ones that were solid, part of an alliance forged in hell and written in stone. Fyodor trusted each of them. Mitya . . . not so much.
Trust was earned, often through life-and-death situations. He had stepped between Fyodor, Evangeline and bullets. He’d nearly lost his life, but his cousin knew with absolute certainty that Mitya would never betray him, that he was willing to give his life for him and his family. That was trust. That was how it was earned.
Jake Bannaconni was a businessman. He owned a cattle ranch. He was considered a ruthless man, willing to take apart any company, and his enemies had to be careful because he found legitimate ways to destroy them. He was a man many feared, but there was never a whisper of him being anything but legitimate. There wasn’t a shred of anything illegal attached to his name. Somehow, and Mitya didn’t fully understand how, Bannaconni was part of their coalition. When one didn’t have anything to lose—like their life—Mitya w
asn’t certain they would be as committed as they needed to be.
He paced across the room and turned back to look at Drake Donovan. “Amory Binder worked for you in Borneo. You vouched for him. Got the job for him with Bannaconni and then here, with me. You had Sevastyan hire him.”
There was Donovan. The start of all the conspiracy, the gathering of shifters to get rid of the worst of the criminal element of shifters—men who had risen to the top to become crime lords and claim territories. Drake’s vision was to remove them permanently and take over their territories, weeding out the worst of the crimes and keeping some level of sanity.
It wasn’t a bad idea, it just put those doing the work in double jeopardy. They would be hunted constantly by the police. Their families would always carry the taint of criminals on them in regular society, and if it ever became known that they were double-crossing crime families, they would be hunted down and killed.
Drake nodded. “Yes. Amory came to my team in Borneo highly recommended. I was already here in the States working with Jake at the time. According to those on the team, and I spoke to every single one of them, Amory did his work in an exemplary fashion. When he asked for a job here in the States, I didn’t hesitate. Many of the shifters want to come, even if it is just to experience work here. He went through additional training and was first put with Joshua.”
Joshua Tregre was Evangeline’s cousin. He was now related to Fyodor, which made him family. Mitya liked the man. He was very steady, very calm. But liking and trusting were two different things. In fact, he made certain to put Joshua in the one chair at the large round table that had the least protection.
Amory had returned to New Orleans. He’d evidently worked for Joshua, who held the New Orleans territory. Mitya didn’t believe in coincidences. He remained silent, waiting for Joshua to speak. It took a few moments, which didn’t surprise Mitya. Joshua was a thoughtful man and would weigh his words before speaking.
“Amory was a good worker. Evan was responsible for his training, and he’s one of the best. He had no complaints and said Amory had amazing reflexes and would go far in the business of retrieving prisoners as well as being a bodyguard. I met him a few times, but for the most part, he didn’t work closely with my crew. He was transferred within three months to help guard Jake’s family right after his training. I believe he asked for that transfer, but I can check with Evan just to be certain. He’s right outside the door.”
Sevastyan, always quiet and rarely noticed when he was still, stirred from his position, where he could get to Mitya if needed. “Who were Amory’s friends when he was with you?”
Joshua frowned and drummed his fingers on the table. “Amory hung out with two of the crew I didn’t know very well at the time. I had just been named to take over the territory Rafe Cordeau held. I believe it was Eli Perez who killed Cordeau. Eli worked for the DEA, and they’d been after Rafe for some time. Rafe went after Eli’s woman, Catarina. With Rafe dead, the territory was open and fair game to any of the crime families looking to expand, so I was put into that position. Being new, I had to go slow and figure out who I trusted and who I didn’t.”
“So there were several of Rafe’s men who stayed with you?” Sevastyan persisted.
Joshua nodded. “Yes. Evan and the others, my people, watched them closely. I can’t say they all integrated into my family, but they worked hard and didn’t give me any trouble. The two men Amory became friends with are Colten Schultz and Fargo Day. Like I said, they do their jobs and appear to be good men to have, but they have never become close to any of my crew.”
Drake frowned. “Do the men have access to your control room, Joshua? Everyone can be watched and recorded from that room.”
Joshua shook his head. “Only my most trusted men are allowed in the control room. They aren’t counted among them.”
“Are any of the old crew allowed in there?” Sevastyan asked.
“Only one. A man by the name of Palmer Blanchard. He comes from an old and respected family of shifters in the bayou. He and his brother are the only ones left.”
“Did Amory spend time with him? Or his brother? Presumably the brother works for you as well,” Mitya said.
Joshua nodded. “He does. Palmer’s brother, Louis, is especially good with the locals. They trust him, talk to him and inform him of anything out of the ordinary in our territory. I saw Amory with Louis a time or two, but not with Palmer. Again, that doesn’t surprise me. Palmer is serious and quiet, Louis is outgoing and open.”
“Did anyone other than Amory ask or volunteer to work for Jake?” Mitya persisted.
“Several of my men,” Drake said. “They go there to work closely with Jake. He has death threats all the time and they come in from credible sources. It’s a high-octane gig and therefore a popular place to work.”
Fyodor sent Jake a grin. “Nice to know everyone wants you dead.”
Jake smirked. “I’m very popular.”
That surprised Mitya. The man didn’t deal in crime, but he had credible death threats, enough to draw some of Drake’s men.
“Trey Sinclair comes to mind,” Drake said. “He worked with me in the rain forest for quite some time and then came to the States and requested working with Bannaconni. There are others.” He looked at Jake.
Jake’s face had settled into hard lines. “I can’t imagine Trey would betray me or my family. He’s with me most of the time as a private bodyguard. All the men working for me have done so for a while. Most guard my family. Trey and Jerico are my personal bodyguards and they come with me everywhere, including my office.” There was an edge to his voice as if the idea that anyone would question those men irritated him.
Mitya knew Trey Sinclair and Jerico were in the next room with a few of the other bodyguards who hadn’t been allowed into the meeting. Now Jake knew why. Mitya wasn’t going to make any apologies no matter how upset Jake became. The guards might be innocent, but if they weren’t, they had access to Jake and any information that passed through his hands.
“Ania’s family was murdered. All of them. She’s had attempts on her life prior to becoming my fiancée. Since then, we’ve had a few other tries. It appears that both her father and grandfather agreed to take packages to two different families in Houston. Her grandfather picked up a package in New Orleans and was taking it to the Anwar family in Houston. Her father picked up a package in New Orleans as well and took it to the Caruso family in Houston. The package that Ania’s grandfather was taking never arrived in Houston. Supposedly he never delivered it.”
There was a small silence. Mitya kept his gaze on Joshua. He held the New Orleans territory. It was Joshua who spoke first.
“The package didn’t originate from me. As far as I know, no one came to the house to pick up anything for delivery elsewhere.”
“Was there someone who was upset because you took over for Cordeau? Someone who wanted that territory?” Mitya asked.
Joshua shrugged. “I have no idea.” He indicated those around the table. “I was asked to take the position and, like an idiot, I agreed. I had no idea I’d find Sonia and have to ask her to share this life with me. I do my job and I hold that territory, but I’ve never had an attack on me.”
“I’m in New Orleans,” Drake said. “My wife is from there and we continue to make our home there. The lair was really a mess and I took that over. There is crime there, and sometimes it feels as if we can never get a handle on it, but if there’s a specific boss wanting to take over from Joshua, I have no idea who it could be.”
Jake sat back in his chair, his shrewd eyes on Mitya. “What’s in the package? I presume you know.”
Mitya could see why he was considered a force to beware. Those eyes said a lot, and part of that was his burning, focused leopard close to the surface. He was waiting. He knew that package had something to do with him.
“I had a little time to interrogate
another shifter working with Amory. We haven’t found the package, but he was looking for it, as was Amory. He claimed there was dirt on Jake and Drake and a lot more. By dirt, I believe he meant proof that you two are working with us. Or more to the point, we’re working with you. Information like that could get us all killed.”
He had resumed his pacing, that nervous, pent-up energy, the kind that told him his cat was as needy as he was for his female, and as anxious about her safety as he was. “The question here that’s important is, was anything written down that could possibly link us together? All of us sitting here at this table? And did they have proof?”
Technically he wasn’t sitting there—and it was deliberate. The others would put it down to his leopard and his female’s heat, but it was because he trusted his cousins—and no one else. He was the newest member to ascend to the throne of crime boss. He’d taken over Patrizio Amodeo’s territory after Fyodor had killed the man for attacking Evangeline.
He was acutely aware of Ania upstairs in his bed. Alone. She was exhausted and hurting. She needed him and yet he had to be downstairs, conducting bullshit business with others he was uncertain of. In Russia, he might have killed them all and gone straight from a bloodbath to soothe his woman. Hopefully, he was long past that. Evolving. That’s how he thought of himself, but he knew better. He was the killer his father had shaped him into. It took discipline to hold himself in check. He was determined that he would work on strengthening that discipline every single day, so he would never become what his father wanted him to be.
“Absolutely not,” Jake said. “That would be madness. There is no trail leading from us to any of you other than our friendships. Men make alliances all the time. Drake has made it clear that he moves between both worlds because he needs the information and good graces of the various families. Those of you sitting at the table are not the only families he’s friends with, and that’s very deliberate. As for me, I’m known to be Drake’s friend. I am known to associate with men who live and work in the shadows. No one has ever questioned who I become friends with.”