Leopard's Rage (Leopard People 12)

“Before you call the police?” Franco sneered. “You coward.”

Sevastyan smiled and took a long drink of the cool water. “I prefer not to involve the police. I think when grown men act like children throwing tantrums they need to be treated like children.”

He reached down to the long row of buttons hidden just below the windowsill, activating several. Water gushed out in long pulsing streams like firemen’s hoses, coming from the eaves of the house, blasting the men and driving them back and away. Within seconds they were soaked and on their butts, sliding in the puddles on the walkway.

Cursing, Franco tried to rise, only to fall several times. Sevastyan never cracked a smile. He simply watched dispassionately from his vantage point at the window. Behind him, Flambé jumped up and rushed toward him. He didn’t turn around.

“Stop right there. I don’t want him to see you looking afraid or alarmed. Back away from the window.” He kept his voice low but commanding. “Now, Flambé.”

She came to an abrupt halt, one hand going to her throat defensively. “You don’t know him, Sevastyan. You haven’t done any research on him like I have. He’s vindictive. You’ve humiliated him in front of his men. He’ll never stop

until he kills you.”

Her voice trembled and Sevastyan, in spite of his resolve to continue looking at Franco as if he were an ant, couldn’t help but turn to look at his woman. She was genuinely upset. She wasn’t a woman easily intimidated and yet Franco Matherson had really shaken her up. It wasn’t the fact that he’d struck her. She knew Sevastyan came from a family of criminals and yet she was that shaken.

“Baby.” He whispered the endearment softly.

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. He’s evil. He’s truly evil. I spent a great deal of time finding out as much as I could about him when the cops wouldn’t help me.” Even though she was so distressed, she still backed away from the window, keeping out of Franco’s line of vision. “There’s a subspecies of leopards, of shifters, the Arabians he and his brothers first went after to find wives. They bartered with the elders and tried to get them to give them several females. The elders told them it didn’t work that way, but Matherson became angry the way he does and, in the end, tried to take the females.”

Again, there was a mixture of truth and a lie. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was to call her on it. “I can see him doing that. He doesn’t like being thwarted in the least. If he can’t have his toy, he’d rather break it so no one else can have it.”

She nodded. “That’s exactly what he did. He and his brothers began a systematic hunt, and they used the natives to help them stamp out the Arabian leopards by putting bounties on the leopards, poisoning them, capturing them for zoos, killing them for various body parts and their pelts. That’s how vindictive they are.”

“You’re afraid he’ll come after me.”

She started to answer and then fell silent, studying his face. “You’re deliberately angering him. You sized him up in five seconds and you’re drawing his attention away from me and putting it onto you. On purpose.” That was an accusation. “Sevastyan. You can’t do that.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I can do anything I want, Flambé. I’m very familiar with evil. I grew up surrounded by it. I know the kind of man he is. I recognized what he was immediately. I want his attention centered on me, not you. Still, it’s best if you stay close to me where I can protect you. Since you’ll be working for me anyway, and you don’t want to endanger your crew, that will work. We’ll get whatever you need sent here.”

She opened her mouth to protest.

“Your female is emerging anytime. You can’t have her breaking free in front of anyone either,” he pointed out, and turned back to the intercom and Matherson. He shut off the valve for the water. “I suggest you gentlemen leave my property immediately. I don’t want to have to tell you again.”

Matherson jerked his head toward the road and his two security people went with him, stalking down the walkway, looking more like wet, wretched hens than tough guys. Sevastyan didn’t believe it was over for a moment. Franco wouldn’t leave quietly. He wanted to show Sevastyan he wasn’t in the least afraid of him. He had a larger force of men hiding in the brush and there was no doubt that he would leave instructions to retaliate in some manner. When, was the question. Franco didn’t have a clue Sevastyan knew the men were out there.

Flambé threw herself into the wide chair again, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs. “You shouldn’t have done that, Sevastyan. I can’t thank you enough, but you shouldn’t have done that. He’ll never stop coming after you. He’s really a monster.”

“I could see that. What are his brothers like? Have you seen them? Met them?” Sevastyan moved across the room from her, resting one hip against the bar, regarding her carefully. She looked strained, trying to cover it up. The smudge by her lips had darkened. She continually covered the swelling at the side of her head.

“I’ve seen them, but they always stay in the background. He’s the one out in front at press conferences. He does the talking. He can be charming when he wants something. He’s good at smiling for the cameras.”

“You look tired. Are you getting hungry?”

“I need to deal with my car. It’s off the road, but it’s going to have to be towed.” She put her head back and closed her eyes. “I don’t know how I managed to get away from him. It was my female. Flamme. I ran faster than I’ve ever run in my life.”

Sevastyan couldn’t help it. He found himself smiling. He wasn’t that given to the real thing. But Flambé? Flamme? It was possible there was a warning in those two names. Shturm and he had better take heed and listen to it.

“I’ll have your car taken care of. Are the keys in it?”

“I threw them on the front seat. At least I think I did. I just hit the ground running. He was coming at me. He was on me so fast and I was so scared. I knew I couldn’t let his leopard anywhere near Flamme.”

“Why did you name her Flamme?”

“I didn’t. She told me that was her name. I haven’t seen her, but I presume she’s strawberry like most of us.” Flambé opened her eyes and regarded Sevastyan. “Your leopard is Amur?”

Sevastyan nodded. “He’s big for any leopard. He can ride me pretty hard, Flambé. There are times I can be edgy. I won’t ever use that as an excuse to mistreat you. If you don’t like something I say or do, speak up.” Pulling out his cell, he texted Mitya, his cousin. There were plenty of security personnel who could take care of towing Flambé’s car to the garage and get it fixed for her.

Her smile was a thing of beauty. Fascinating to him. It came slow, a curve of her mouth and then lighting her eyes and then her face. “I have no problems whatsoever expressing myself when I don’t like something, Sevastyan.” She pointed to her red hair. “That is the warning signal, after all.”