Leopard's Run (Leopard People 10)

Jeremiah had proved he was unable to work in the bakery and make it look like he was a barista. Timur sighed. If Jeremiah had worked out, Ashe wouldn’t be in the bakery. Her sweet little ass wouldn’t be parked in Evangeline’s house. Evangeline had moved in with Fyodor at the main estate, but she had refused to give up her house. She’d bought it on her own, fixed it up and didn’t want to part with it. Who knew she was going to use it to harbor a potential threat?

Timur had his people working to uncover Ashe’s real identity, but a part of him didn’t want to know if she was an enemy. If she was, he would be the one to have to take care of her, and that meant permanently. He pressed two fingers to his eyes. Hard. Wishing he was a better man. Wishing he’d at least had the chance to be a better man. He’d been born into violence and he knew damn well he was going to go out the same way.

“You all right?” Gorya asked with real concern.

Timur looked up and met his eyes. Gorya had been more of a brother to him than even Fyodor. They’d shared a terrible childhood and, thanks to Fyodor, survived it, but nothing, no amount of time, could erase those brutal, ugly memories for either of them. He nodded slowly. He wouldn’t lie to Gorya. His cousin was the one person who would always get the truth no matter what. “She’s stirring up things in me better left alone.”

Like the need to have her under him. Like the need for those beautiful eyes to plead with him for release, for whatever he was willing to give her. Mostly, it was the worry that she might have to die and he would be the one to pull the trigger. If she was the enemy, he wasn’t going to allow interrogation. She would die quick and clean and never see it coming. He could at least give her that much.

“You think they sent her, don’t you?” Gorya asked. His voice was very soft, very quiet, no hint of the compassion Timur saw in his eyes.

Timur sighed again and gave another slow nod. “What other explanation is there? She’s lying about her name. She turns up out of the nowhere and convinces Evangeline to hire her without even telling any of us. She’s that good. That persuasive. She even talks her way into Evangeline’s house. Did you watch the way she moved? She’s no barista, Gorya, as good as she is at making drinks. She isn’t new at the job, but I’m not buying her act.”

“Do you think Lazar sent her?” Gorya named their uncle. As he’d said the name, it had come out in a hated, fearful whisper.

Timur shrugged. “We know he’s going to be coming at us. This may be his opening move. We’re strong and he knows it. He’d be smart to send a female assassin. We’d be looking for a male, but a female just going into the Han Vol Dan? Her heat would have every male leopard for miles going nuts. It would be easy enough, once she gets all of us into a frenzy, to kill Fyodor. Or us. He’ll want our blood too.”

“But especially Mitya’s,” Gorya said.

Timur had to agree. Mitya was another cousin. Of all of them living in that nightmare world, Mitya had suffered even more so than their other cousin, Sevastyan. It had been so bad that at times even Timur’s father had risked Lazar’s and his brother Rolan’s wrath and protested the treatment of his nephews. That was saying something.

“He’ll try to kill all of us. Even our women. Evangeline needs protection around the clock, especially now that this female has shown up and somehow managed to get in good with her. I’ll be talking with Ashe Bronte this evening.” He glanced again at his watch, frowned and then shook his head. “This is taking too long. Try him, Gorya.”

“He would check in if he could,” Gorya said. “Are you certain you want me to do this?”

Timur nodded, jumped to his feet again and began pacing. He had so much restless energy inside him he felt like he might explode if he didn’t move. It was her fault. Ashe. He’d been resigned to his life. He would protect his brother and Evangeline, but he wouldn’t be alive. There would be nothing for him. His sins were too great and he’d done little to redeem himself. He’d been born a violent criminal and he’d lived his entire life as one.

“He answered my text. He’s alive, Timur.” Gorya poured relief into his voice.

Timur’s heart jumped and he found himself rubbing his chest. The thuds were getting stronger. The panic attacks closer. He couldn’t afford either. He didn’t want to show his elation because his cousin already knew how anxious he’d been.