CHAPTER TWELVE
Juliette knew she shouldn’t slip from the bed while Nik was still sleeping, but there was no way she was going to risk his safety by letting him go with her into town. Bon Teche was a small town, but was still populated enough so a guy like him would cause eyebrows to rise. If he began turning into a tiger while he was out, it would be downright catastrophic. She wasn’t willing to put him in such a position. Besides, she wanted to do a little shopping without him, be a girl for once and buy something pretty to impress her man.
The settlement she’d received from the hospital for slandering her name and ruining her career provided enough money to live off of for the rest of her life, if she was frugal, which she’d always been. The money sat in a bank account under a false name, a name that was not on her birth certificate, but had been hers ever since those horrible events five years ago—the events which eventually led to her enslavement by the damned.
She took her boat, which was large enough to carry enough supplies for a month, and headed out through the swamps and to the Basin where she knew her brother would be waiting for her. It was their monthly ritual. He would meet her on the edge of the Basin and drive her into town or bring supplies to her. Even though he knew about the cabin—it had been their grandparents’ place—they didn’t risk his safety or hers by having him go out there. It was much easier for her to move in and out of town unnoticed, but when the sheriff took a trip into the swamps, people tended to pay attention.
As soon as she settled her boat against the shore, she saw Logan’s black 4x4 truck pull into view. Logan looked every bit the small town sheriff. He was a former linebacker for Lafayette’s university football team and a force to reckon with at well over six feet fall. He was still built like a brick house with wide shoulders and muscular thighs. He kept his hair cut close to his head, paying homage to his years in the military. Those years had honed his mind and his body into something the would-be criminals in Bon Teche learned to fear. His green eyes lit up as he walked near her, his arms stretching out to pull her in for a hug.
His left arm had been blown off years ago in a helicopter accident that he refused to talk about, but he had the most advanced robotic arm available as part of his work with secret military intelligence which she always wondered about. She had jokingly called him the billion dollar man when he’d come back from Kuwait, but she would never know exactly what that arm had cost both to his soul or to the government.
“Audrey.” He kissed her on the cheek, calling her the name that only he used, the one he had called her since the day she was born.
She gave him a squeeze. “You’re looking good. How are you?”
“Better now that I see you’re doing fine. You don’t know how I worry about my baby sister.” He cocked his head to the side and held her out at arm’s length. “You look well. Better than well, actually. All that nature is doing you some good.”
“Thanks.” She blushed under his scrutiny. There was no way she was going to tell him what was really making her glow. Logan would be filled with questions, and that was one of the reasons she had come alone in the first place. “Fresh air is good,” she agreed.
“I’ve got lots of supplies for you. Do you want to load the boat first or go into town? I’d like to take you to lunch if you’re up for it.”
There were so many things she needed to buy, and so much she wished she could tell Logan. He wouldn’t understand that she wanted to buy clothes for a man who was only part human. Of course, Logan’s hand-me-downs fit Nik perfectly well, but she wanted to buy him something new, something just for him. The thought of doing that for him made her heart swell. Then there was the other thing she wanted to buy—frilly underwear, something in red or pink, something that would light a fire in him, not that she needed any help in that department.
“I’d love to have lunch with you, but I do have some shopping to do before then.” It was still early, not even nine o’clock yet. “I tell you what. Why don’t you drop me off over by the strip mall and come back and pick me up in a few hours? I’m sure you have lots to keep you busy too.”
“Everything I need to do can wait. How often do I get to spend time with my baby sister?”
“Do you really want to help me shop for underwear?” She raised an eyebrow, knowing the answer.
He grinned and led her to the truck, where he helped her climb inside. “You’re right. I’m sure I can occupy myself for a couple hours while you buy unmentionables.”
“Thanks. So, what’s new in the world of law enforcement?” She intended to keep her tone casual, but the tic in Logan’s jaw showed her his anger.
“Still no leads on those bastards.” Ever since she’d escaped, Logan had been searching for the people responsible for her kidnapping. They’d always remained a step ahead of him, changing locations just days before he arrived.
“You’ll find them.” If anyone could find them and bring them to justice, it was Logan.
“I won’t stop until I do.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Working a missing person’s case...the mayor’s spoiled daughter, but hey, you can’t control your upbringing, right?”
“I’m sure if anyone can find her, it’s you.”
“Thanks, but I’m not exactly batting a thousand with any of my missing person cases. She’s only been gone for two days and daddy’s about to have a hernia over it. Personally, I think she just needed some r and r. Get away from the stress of being in the limelight or something. Part of me says it’s all a cry for attention, but another part thinks it’s legit.”
“Two days isn’t really that long to be missing.” She swallowed hard, wondering how long it had taken for him to start looking for her when she had disappeared before.
“Yeah. I guess not, but being so high profile, you know he’s making a run for governor. Anyway, I’m not making any headway.”
“Any leads?”
“Not a fucking thing. Disappearing into thin air. Aside from that, I had some excitement a couple weeks back at the truck stop down by the interstate. Somebody broke into the tiger cage there and managed to free a white tiger. Total chaos.”
Her stomach twisted into a knot. A white tiger? “Was anyone hurt?”
“Couple guys got mauled pretty bad and they managed to shoot the tiger. No sign of him, so he probably disappeared into the swamps and died.”
She swallowed hard. “When did they get a white tiger?” She had only ever heard of the Bon Teche Truck Stop having regular Bengals, and white tigers were hard to come by, especially for a place that wasn’t a zoo or tiger refuge.
“A few months back. Six months or so. To be honest, the whole thing smelled rotten to me. I’m sure their paperwork was forged, but it all checked out. Still, how’d a place like that end up with such a rare animal? Just doesn’t make sense.”
“Did you catch whoever broke him out?”
“No. And I’m glad they set him free. I know it goes against everything I’m supposed to stand for, but that’s no life for such a beautiful animal. But I’m fucking pissed that he got shot in the process.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” She managed to keep her voice steady, her mind reeling from the possibilities. The timing was right. Besides, how many white tigers could there possibly be in this area? She knew Nik had secrets, other things he wasn’t sharing with her. Someone had shot him, and now she had an idea of who and how.
“I’d like to think he’s fine, but unless he found someone who could remove a couple bullets and stitch him up, I doubt it. Takes a shit ton of tranqs to knock out a tiger who weighs that much. Not exactly what your average farmer would have lying around.”
Her breath lodged in her throat, causing her to choke out a cough. “So who do you think broke him out?”
“No idea. My one reliable witness is a stoner kid. He ID’d a guy I had in lock up a few days prior. Scary fucker with black tattoos all over his body. Looked like tiger stripes. Probably some nut job animal activist who is obsessed with tigers.”
“Probably.” She choked out another cough, Logan’s story completely matched what she knew about Nik. There was no doubt in her mind that he was the tiger who had been caged. Whoever had broken him out of the cage was like him, covered in tiger stripes. It was someone who knew Nik and was like him, someone who knew what he was and would risk anything to free him from his prison.
The desire to run back to the swamps and pretend like she’d never been here, had never talked to Logan was strong. If she could forget everything she had just heard, she could hold onto Nik for a little while longer. But deep down she knew their time was running out.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nik woke with a growl and a hard-on, and immediately reached over for Juliette. So far, she hadn’t asked anything of him, had demanded no answers for who he was and what he was. Today, all of that was going to change. His desire for her ran through his veins as easily as his blood did, and he knew she was a part of him and always would be. Today, he was going to tell her everything about his place as leader of the Maddux clan and about his imprisonment as a road side attraction. Today, he was going to tell her he loved her and ask her to return home with him.
There was only one problem. For the first time in the week they’d been sharing a bed, her side was empty. Not just empty. Cold. The sun was barely streaming in through the window, letting him know it was still early in the morning. There were no sounds coming from the next room, and he knew she had done what she intended. She’d left him here while she went on her monthly excursion, leaving herself vulnerable to whomever was out there wanting to harm her.
His roar rattled the walls of the cabin, shaking the bed in its frame. He had no idea where she’d gone or where he was, but he knew he would find her. He was a hunter by nature, a predator who was programmed to capture his prey. Her scent was on him, and he knew he could find her.
Pulling himself from the bed, he dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then he stalked outside, sniffing the air, attempting to catch her scent and follow it until he found her. She surrounded him, her fragrance coming at him from every direction until his head spun in confusion. He had been so ill the night he’d arrived, he couldn’t be sure which direction civilization lay. The recent rain had washed away any trace of his blood and there was no other sign telling him which way to go.
Frustration seized him and he fell to his knees, roaring at the sky, causing the swamp’s feathery inhabitants to scatter above him. She would come back to him safely. She had to. He would die without her, so losing her was not an option. She was his, his bonded mate, and he could not lose her.
Going back into the cabin, he started flinging open drawers, closets and cabinets, searching for anything that may be able to tell him where he was and how to get out. The bedroom closet held a box filled with papers, but none of them told him where he was. Digging to the bottom, his hand closed around a manila envelope marked
LEGAL
. He poured out the contents and stared at Juliette’s past, a past she had not shared with him.
Local Nurse Accused of Killing Patients.
The first newspaper article was from a little over five years ago and showed Juliette in handcuffs being led away by a somber faced police officer. The only problem was her name was not Juliette, it was Audrey Quinn, and she had been accused of murder. Four patients had died under her watch in a local hospital, and she was accused of maliciously causing their deaths.
He knew Juliette, and he didn’t care if she had a different name in these articles, she was the same person who’d taken him in and healed his body and soul. He had seen inside of her, knew her heart, and he knew she was no murderer in spite of what the newspaper said. And it didn’t matter what her name was or who was trying to destroy her. She belonged to him all the way down to her soul.
Thumbing through the other articles, he got a clearer picture of what had happened to Juliette and of the power she had used to see inside his soul, to pull part of him into her body. Her body had become a vortex for human energy, gaining the ability to pull it into her while draining those she touched. A
National Tattler
article uncovered the secret, tracing the origins to a lightning strike just a few months before the patients died. That was the catalyst for the destruction of her world, for her own imprisonment.
He knew reading through the article that it was the reason she’d been captured. It chronicled the deaths, her trial and acquittal, the hospital’s statement of apology, the tests she went through, the fact that she was hooked up to machines and made a human guinea pig. For anyone who was reading and wanted to use her power for their own use, it drew a virtual roadmap to her front door, leaving her vulnerable. It was the reason she had been held hostage, the reason for the scars on her wrists and ankles.
Blind rage shot through him. She hadn’t explained what had happened to her, but he had known it was something devastating. Now he knew her past, had her history in his hands, and still, the need to protect her flowed through him.
He would find her. He had to find her, and he would bring her home.
* * * * *
Logan was running late, which wasn’t like him at all. Juliette had spent two hours shopping, and now she was loaded down with enough supplies for a romantic evening with Nik. She had also bought him some new clothes and shoes, knowing the blue silk of the shirt would make his eyes look downright irresistible, not that they needed any help. Tonight was going to be special with a nice dinner and dessert, then she would tell him she had fallen in love with him. She was ready for the confession, ready to see the words wash over him, certain he would return the sentiment.
Logan had insisted that she take his personal cell phone. She had already texted him twice with no response and had assumed he was on an important case. When the phone rang, she jumped to answer it, anticipation running down her spine.
“Hey, Logan, I—”
“Listen very carefully, poppet, and no one will get hurt.” She knew that voice. It was the same one which haunted her nightmares, turning her blood to ice. Her hand shook as she held the phone to her ear and squeezed her eyes shut.
“What do you want?” She had to force the words out as she fought off a wave of nausea.
“Same as always, love. I want you.” The words were ominous, spoken in that sadistic tone she’d heard over and over during her captivity. Her nightmare had come to life.
“What have you done to my brother?”
“Nothing that can’t be undone. Yet. I want you to walk slowly to section 8 in the parking lot. Act casually. My man is waiting there to bring you to me. Don’t try anything funny or your brother dies.”
“Where’s Logan?” Her knuckles turned white, and she was sure all the color had drained from her face as well. Her brother was in danger because of her.
“You are in no position to ask questions. Do as I say and I will let your brother go. He’s no use to me even though that arm is a fascinating piece of equipment.”
She began walking, forcing one foot to move in front of the other, her knees weak with every step. The sun beat down on her, mocking her, telling her to say good-bye, that darkness would be her home from now on. Once Les Damnes had her in their grasp, she would never see the sun again.
Looking up at the sky, she whispered a silent prayer to whichever god was listening. As she stepped closer to the number 8, she saw a black van waiting for her, a man in a dark suit and sunglasses standing next to it. When she approached, he spoke into a headset, then opened the van’s side door.
“Miss Quinn.” He nodded and held out a pair of gloves. “Put these on.”
She dropped her bags and slid the gloves over her hands, knowing he was seeking to protect himself from her powers. He knew she could drain him in a matter of seconds if she wanted to, and she would to protect herself and her brother.
“Where is my brother?” Unshed tears glittered in her eyes. She’d never forgive herself if Logan was hurt.
“I’m just here to deliver you.” This wasn’t the man she’d spoken to on the phone, but he still sent a shiver of fear down her back. There was something very mechanical about the way he moved, and she wondered just how much of him was human and how much was something else.
“I’m not going anywhere until I know he’s okay.” She had to keep her wits about her, keep the upper hand.
“You don’t have a choice.” He was right, and she knew it, but she still had to try.
“You can’t force me to go with you.” She raised her chin, knowing there was no use in fighting him. He could easily overpower her now that her only weapon was incapacitated.
“We both know that isn’t true.” He indicated the interior of the van. “After you.”
She knew she should fight, knew if she set foot in the van, she was as good as dead, but her fear grabbed her, forcing her to move forward. This was how the end felt. She had finally found everything she wanted and was about to have it ripped away. Steeling herself for one last fight, she grabbed her left hand with her right and began to remove the glove. Electricity flowed through her, her body stiffening, then shaking, and she knew she’d been hit. When she fell to her knees, the world spun around her, then all she saw was darkness.