He rubbed his face in her hair. "I sleep when you're in my arms, baby," he said softly. "Tell me what's wrong."
She turned her head to look over her shoulder. "You tell me." Her eyes met his. "Do you think I don't know you well enough to know that you've been hiding something from me for the last three days? Actually, it started before that. When we went to see Jake and Emma--you've been pensive ever since."
She felt his response more than saw it. His expression remained the same. His focused gaze didn't so much as flicker, but somewhere inside her, she felt him flinch.
"I should have known I couldn't hide anything from you, Cat." He sighed and dropped his hands from her waist to slide his palm down her arm to catch her wrist.
She always felt shackled when his fingers settled there. Shackled and then fluttery when he stroked caresses on her inner wrist so gently. He went for the chairs. She followed because she had no real choice in the matter. When Eli moved, she moved with him.
"Sit down, Kitten. You're right, of course. I've heard some news and I've considered the best way to tell you."
Tiny knots formed in her belly. She felt each one like a spike settling deep. She knew. She knew it was bad. And she knew it was Rafe. Her heart pounded, slow and hard, hammering in her chest as if trying to destroy her. The coppery taste of fear was in her mouth. She sank into the chair, grateful that Eli's fingers were around her wrist, holding her to him. She needed the connection, needed his strength and confidence. There was a reason Eli was arrogant.
"Just tell me, Eli. When Rafe is involved, there's no way to pretty it up."
His hand swept through her hair. His eyes went soft. "No, there isn't. I wanted to spare you, Cat, but I also don't like keeping anything from you. It smacks of deceit, and I promised myself I wouldn't deceive you no matter what the issue was. Even if that meant we clashed over it."
She was grateful to hear that. She'd known he was bothered and brooding. "I prefer to know everything when Rafe is involved. I probably know him better than anyone else. If anyone can predict his movements, it's me."
"Cordeau found Poetry Slam."
He shifted position, his hand slipping from her wrist, the connection lost. She heard herself scream. The sound never came out of her, but it was there inside, a long, low wail of pain.
"Who did he kill? How many?" She looked down at her hands. How much blood did she have there? How could she ever wash it off? Scrubbing her skin didn't work, she'd tried. The skin had come off, but not the blood.
"David Belmont, and Bernard Casey. He also killed the man, Jase Fulton, who made a pass at you that one night. David was supposed to have gone on vacation. I warned him. He said he would, but he didn't. I guess he was afraid of losing more business and he went back after a couple of days. Malcom is safe. I hadn't considered Cordeau might think Bernard or Fulton were any threat to his hold on you."
She shook her head. "You say that so gently as if he stole softly into their rooms, the silent angel of death, and just struck them down in their sleep. He tortured them, didn't he?" She looked up, her gaze meeting his. "Didn't he?"
She saw the answer in his eyes. The wariness. The sadness. He was watchful of her, knowing how she felt. She waited. She knew, but she waited anyway. The silent screams kept coming but no one heard them but her.
"Yes, Cat," he said on a soft sigh. "He tortured them."
Her heart took a battering. Sore. Bruised. Her chest hurt. "How close is he to us? To Jake and Emma and their children?"
"He can't touch them. I warned Jake. He won't find us."
"He'll find us. You know he will, Eli. He's close. I can feel him. We have a connection. His leopard and mine. You don't want to hear that, but you know he made certain of our connection. She's out now. I let her run every day. Your leopard teaches her how to fight. His leopard feels her and he's coming after me that way. It's the only way he had, but he's using it." She knew with absolute certainty.
Eli winced. He didn't like knowing about the connection between the two leopards. He didn't like knowing any man or their beast had a thread to his woman. She was hurting. He had known she would. He wanted to protect her from it, but deceiving her would have hurt her more.
"Give me the rest, Eli. Knowing Rafe killed three people because of me has to be the worst of it, so just tell me the rest. Whatever Jake told you."
Eli studied her face. She looked fragile. Vulnerable. He wanted to gather her into his arms and shelter her from everything, but she held herself too still. She didn't want his touch. She didn't want him close. Her body was stiff and her eyes too bright. Her teeth tugged hard at her lower lip, biting down until he feared she'd draw blood.
"I told him how intelligent you are, Catarina," he admitted. "When we were talking at the fence line with Elijah, you said something that made me realize just how smart you really are. You educated yourself right under Cordeau's nose. You were able to get into his safe, and you managed to escape more than once. You lived with him, Cat. Right there. You made yourself disappear and no one noticed you, but you were there, listening, learning and you know every connection he has. Everyone who does business with him. You know which of his men are leopards and which aren't. I'm betting you know his deals and how to follow the money trail."
He watched her carefully as he spoke. This was the worst for him. She knew what was coming, she was too intelligent not to know. He saw the reaction in her eyes. The wariness and suspicion. He hadn't wanted to discuss this with her for that very reason. He didn't ever want to see that look in her eyes.
She didn't speak. She kept looking at him.
Eli sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "Baby, I don't want to have this conversation with you. I know you can't help but think I'm speaking on behalf of the DEA, but I'm not. Rafe Cordeau can never be taken into custody. There can be no prosecution. When he's found, he's got to die and his body be burned. He's leopard. A shifter. A rogue. We have no choice but to hunt him. That's what we've been doing. Jake's men and me, trying to get a line on his whereabouts. We have to find him before the law thinks they have enough on him to arrest him."
She kept looking at him. Watching him. She didn't blink and he could see her leopard there. The stillness. The focus. Eli cursed silently. Cursed Jake. Cursed himself for ever mishandling the situation with her. For betraying her trust.
"Jake takes down businesses. He takes them apart. He hunts and destroys differently than the law. He can bring down Cordeau's business partners and find the money with your help. That's it. That's everything. I don't like it, but it can be done if you want to cooperate. We're not talking a court of law here. We're just saying we can take down that entire network Cordeau built so no one else can step into his shoes when he's gone."
Her lashes swept down, veiling the look in her eyes, but her face was pale. "I can't breathe right now."
His heart stuttered. He reached out to touch her but she drew back, shaking her head. "Kitten. Let me help you."
She shook her head. "I can't breathe. I just can't."
/> His heart broke for her.
Abruptly, Catarina stood, a fluid, easy movement, all cat. She pulled the shirt over her head and flung it onto the chair even as she leapt off the porch into the rain. She was fast. He was faster. She ran, naked, shifting on the run just as Eli had taught her. A thing of beauty. A creature who had come into her own. She was running on bare feet one moment and on four paws the next.
He shifted with her, keeping pace just behind her, the larger male protective, but staying back to let her work it out in her mind. Eli knew she had submerged herself in the little female. She needed time to process what he'd told her. He wished she would have flung herself into his arms and clung to him, but whatever she needed, including space, he would provide. He didn't have to like it, but he'd do it.
The rain slid off her fur, feeling like thousands of fingers brushing over her thick coat. Catarina sank deep inside her leopard, just allowing sensations to penetrate. Her little female was happy to run free, to give her human time to process. She ran to protect Catarina from the overwhelming grief and fear. Catarina could feel her leopard's determination to surround her and keep her safe from everything and everyone--including the large male prowling behind them.
It's all right, Cat whispered to her leopard. He's giving me time. He knows I need this. He's just making certain we're safe.
He was. She knew she was right. Eli wasn't trying to pressure her into spilling everything she knew about Rafe. Why then, was she so reluctant to help others destroy him? He'd just killed three innocent human beings who knew absolutely nothing about her whereabouts. He'd tortured them, and he'd kill others to find her. Bernard and Jase had nothing really to do with her. They'd exchanged a few words. But David . . . She wanted to scream with anguish.
What was wrong with her that she didn't leap on the chance to help Jake and Eli? She had to know why, because something was wrong with her that she couldn't turn completely on Rafe when she knew nothing--no one--could save him.