Burning Wild (Leopard People 2)

Joshua stared at her with his mouth open, clearly at a loss for words. Then he cleared his throat. "You sure?"

"Absolutely. Why do you think I'm doing this? Jake told me to."

"He did?" Joshua echoed. "That doesn't sound like him."

She nodded solemnly, gave a cheery little wave and roared off, leaving Joshua frowning after her in a swirling cloud of dust.

"Drake!" Joshua bellowed at the top of his lungs as he sprinted toward Drake's truck.

Drake beat him to the driver's seat, gun in hand, looking wildly around and then after the Jeep. "That wasn't . . ." He'd already started the vehicle and reversed, wheeling the truck around to follow the fast-moving vehicle. "Who's in the Jeep?"

"Emma." Joshua sounded like doom.

"Emma?" Drake echoed, barely able to believe his ears. "Where the hell is she going this time of night, and why aren't a couple of bodyguards with her?"

"The movies." Joshua grimaced. "Emma's going out. On a date."

"A what?"

Few things shocked Drake, and Joshua was pleased to see he was shaking at the news.

"Date--a date--with a man. Someone I don't know. Someone you don't know."

Together they groaned and said simultaneously, "Someone Jake doesn't know."

Drake called the main gate. "Emma's coming through, Jerico. Let her go. We're on it." He turned to Joshua with a raised eyebrow. "What movie are we going to see?"

"Hell, I don't know, but I'm definitely getting too old for this kind of thing. Don't get too close to her. If she spots us, we're dead. She has a mean streak in her. She'll pull our coffee privileges."

"We're probably already dead. You couldn't stop her? She's a sweet little thing," Drake said. "And you should never have allowed her to go without a bodyguard."

"Ha! You try it. She smiles at you sweetly, nods her head a lot and does whatever the hell she wants to do. You can't stop that woman short of tying her up. And believe me, I considered it."

"Jake's going to go up like a volcano," Drake announced grimly. "You should have tied her up."

"Hell, Drake, you gave the order to let her off the property. I'm going to make sure Jake knows that when he pulls off our fingernails." He brightened as he settled against the seat. "We could murder the guy while she's in the ladies' room."

They followed her right to the theater, Drake keeping a few cars between them at all times. "The movie better not be some sloppy love story," Joshua hissed as they crept through the parking lot, hiding behind cars, keeping pace with her.

"Uh-oh," Drake said. "I think lover boy is waiting. There he is, he's taking both her hands in his, gazing into her eyes. You recognize him?"

"I think he's the telephone guy. I've seen him around. Jake isn't going to like this," Joshua pointed out with a little groan.

"Neither is Emma if she catches us. I wish we could just get rid of this guy somehow. Got any ideas?" Drake asked hopefully.

"Maybe we should call Jake right now and just let him handle it," Joshua suggested.

"Are you crazy?" Drake pushed money at the woman at the ticket counter. "Whatever movie they're going into," he added, nodding toward Emma and her date as they went inside.

"Hey, we're in luck," Joshua exclaimed gleefully. "It's a comedy. I hope we get good seats."

"Joshua!" Drake smacked the younger man with his hat. "We're here to keep an eye on lover boy. How the hell did he slip by us that we haven't checked him out?"

"I hope you've got more money. I don't have a cent. This is great. I really did want to see this movie." Joshua was patting his pockets. "I need popcorn."

Drake shoved him, scowling darkly. "Will you keep your mind on the job? You keep it up and I'll leave you out here."

"Quick! They're going in," Joshua pointed out hastily. "We'll lose them. Get in line, will you?"

"Shh," Drake admonished, allowing several couples to go in front of them. "And I'm not getting you popcorn. We're working."

"Don't be such a cheapskate. I'd like popcorn. You just can't watch a good movie without popcorn. If he doesn't stop at the snack bar, you follow them and I'll catch up after I get us some popcorn. I'll need money though."

"Forget the damned popcorn," Drake ordered.

"You just don't know how to have a good time," Joshua sulked.

"Just keep your eye on her. What got into her anyway? Is she mad at the boss? They have a fight?"

"She said he told her to go out," Joshua said. "And if I know anything at all about Emma, it's that she doesn't lie."

"The man's a damned idiot."

"Either that or he was a misunderstood idiot." Joshua ducked behind a pillar. "They're getting popcorn. It smells so good. Come on, Drake, buy some popcorn."

"Will it shut you up?" Drake demanded furiously.

"I promise." Joshua folded his arms complacently over his chest.

They hung back, waiting for Emma and her date to be seated in the darkened theater, before finding a space two rows behind her.

Joshua was enthralled with the comedy, laughing so heartily the girls seated next to him kept giggling together.

Drake dug elbows into Joshua's ribs. "He's making his move."

"Who is?" Joshua's eyes were glued to the screen.

"The guy, her date. He put his arm around the back of her seat."

Joshua sat up, glaring daggers. "Wanna break his arm? We could make it look like an accident."

"Oh, shut up. You're no help. Just watch the damn movie." Drake sounded totally exasperated.

"Fine." Joshua managed to look hurt for all of five minutes, until the movie had him doubling over with shoulder-shaking chuckles.

They had a few bad minutes when the lights went up, finding themselves trapped by the people leaving. They had to pretend they were looking for something on the floor to allow Emma and her escort to pass. Drake sent up a silent prayer that Emma would go straight home, but it wasn't answered. They were forced to follow her to the Chateau, a very expensive French restaurant.

Drake looked down at their work clothes and boots. "She'll spot us for certain. Maybe we should wait outside."

"If we wait outside, and we have to tell Jake about this evening, he'll beat the crap out of us. And I don't feel like taking a beating because Emma is feeling frisky."

JAKE allowed the talk to flow around him. The scent of conspiracy was heavy in his nostrils and betrayal reeked at the table, but everyone there smiled and played their high-stakes games. Dean Hopkins, the manager for his small, seemingly failing business, was all for the sale, laying the advantages out carefully while the circle of investors nodded their heads and tried to convince him they were helping him out. Jake kept his face expressionless, watching them all closely, wanting to sniff out the underlying reason they were so set on buying a failing business.

The man who interested him the most was Bernard Williams, a lawyer for the firm known to represent his old enemy, Josiah Trent. Williams knew Jake was poised to take over Trent's business. One false move and everything would come tumbling down. Yet here the man sat, prepared to sell Jake out and make him an enemy for life, over what? What did they know that he didn't?

The small real estate chain hadn't turned a profit in three years. Jake intended to keep it that way. He could afford the loss, but it shouldn't have garnered any real attention, not from men like those seated around him, and certainly not the kind of offer they'd made. Hopkins must have discovered his plans and sold him out, or maybe he was a pawn. That was the question. Who had betrayed him? To find out, he would endure sitting through this boring charade, because once he found the man, he would destroy him . . .

Slightly bored, he glanced around the beautiful, elegant restaurant. A couple came through the door, catching his eye. For a moment time actually stood still, every muscle in his body paralyzed so that he was completely motionless. His heart seemed to stop beating. His breath stilled in his lungs until he couldn't breathe.

Emma. His Emma. For two long years, he'd

waited patiently for her to come alive. And now she had, but for another man. Not for him. Emma dressed up for another man; not for him. Emma smiling up at a perfect stranger and draping her sweater over the back of her chair. There was no possible way to concentrate on what was being said at his all-important meeting, so Jake didn't bother to try. Who gave a damn about a few million dollars and a traitor when his life had just gone up in flames?