Along Came a Tiger (Tiger Shifters) (20 page)

“No.”

This time, she heard a hint of humor in his voice. “That man’s still following us.”

“I know. We’re almost safe.”

“Right.” Unintended sarcasm slipped into her tone.

He flashed her a half-smile that nearly made her stumble again. Holy hell. When he smiled, he was stunning, even in the awful, overly bright parking lot lighting. How was that even possible?

She decided adrenaline was warping her sense of reality and shook off the strange effect the man’s smile had on her. She had more important things to do just then. Like survive.

“You know what that other guy wants from me?” She panted, stretching to keep up with his longer strides.

“Yes. We’ll discuss it later.”

“We need to go to the police.”

“He has people inside the NYPD.”

“My kidnapper?” That seemed…extreme.

“His boss.”

She wanted to ask more but he shoved her in front of him and she heard a beep beep as car door locks opened. He led her to the passenger side of a large, black SUV.

“Get in.”

She didn’t bother arguing. She could do that later when she no longer felt the other man hunting them. That was the only way to describe it. She couldn’t hear him or see him anymore, but she knew her kidnapper was still back there...somewhere. Fear tingled along the back of her neck.

She held her breath while her rescuer hurried to the driver’s side, climbed in and locked the doors. She started breathing again when he backed out of the parking spot and
pulled away. She still couldn’t see the other man.

“Did you break his wrist?” she asked as she scoured the area for any sign of the kidnapper.

“Yes.”

“Where’s his gun?”

He handed her the weapon, grip first. “Now, duck down. Just in case.”

After one last glance around the parking lot, she did as he suggested. She hated guns, so she checked the safety
, then set the weapon on the floor, stepping on it to keep it from sliding under the seat. She couldn’t stand having a gun in her hands. The feel of them disgusted her.

The fact that he’d handed her the gun had gone a long way toward confirming her in
stinctive reaction to trust him. But now she wanted answers. Who was he? How did he know her grandmother? What the hell was going on?

“You’re going to answer my questions when we’re safe, right?” she said from her undignified crouch. She had to concentrate on not throwing up as the adrenaline took its toll.

“Probably.” He glanced down and smiled again, the look quick and lethally sexy. Then he returned to focusing on his driving. “My name is Mikhail Chernikov, by the way. Call me Mitch or Michael. I hate Mikhail. Only my grandmother calls me that. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Nila.”

His last name sounded vaguely familiar. Where had she heard it before? When her memory failed her, she gave up and asked, “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe.”

“Is there a reason I’m trusting you?”

“I just saved your life?”

Nila let out a long, slow sigh. “That’s what I thought.”

Look for HERE THERE BE TIGERS in Fall of 2014!

BOOKS BY KAT SIMONS

Tiger Shifters Book 1:
Once Upon a Tiger
– Available Now

Tiger Shifters Book 2: Along Came a Tiger
– Available Now

Tiger Shifters Book 3 Here There Be Tigers – Available Fall 2014

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, I’d like to thank my husband and my boys for giving me time to write and for giving me an excuse to stop writing so I can play. This was a hard winter and we made it through laughing. To those who’ve supported and helped with my writing career, I can’t thank you enough. But I’ll try. Thank you: Kemberlee Shortland, Louise Fury, Stacey Agdern, Leanna Renee Hieber, Mala Bhattacharjee, Hope Tarr, Elizabeth K. Mahone, Lise Horton, Stacey Klemstein, and Linnea Sinclair. Many more people have helped me in my publishing journey, to those I didn’t name directly, know I appreciate everything you do for me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’d like to thank my parents and sister for everything from babysitting to buying my books. You guys are truly the best. Last, but by no means least, I’d like to thank the readers who have embraced the Tiger Shifters. Thank you all so much! I hope you’ll continue to enjoy their stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kat Simons earned her Ph.D in animal behavior, working with animals as diverse as dolphins and deer. She brought her experience and knowledge of biology to her paranormal romance fiction, where she delights in taking nature and turning it on its ear. After traveling the world, she now lives in New York City with her family. Kat is a stay-at-home mom and a full time writer.

For more on Kat and her Tiger Shifters books:

Website:
http://www.katsimons.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Simons/1430791730466744