Terry Spear - [Shifter 02] (6 page)

As soon as she got off the bus, Maya saw Connor. His brow was furrowed, but then he smiled a little. Where was Kat?

Trying not to anxiously drum up worst-case scenarios, Maya took a deep breath and hurried to give Connor a hug. “Where’s Kat?”

“Sleeping. She was feeling tired and nauseated.”

“Oh.” Maya wanted to say “good,” only because she was so grateful Kat was safe. But Connor wouldn’t understand. She opened her mouth to tell him right away about the hunters, but as soon as she embraced her brother, his somberly pleasant expression soured. She realized he had to have smelled Wade and David on her… and two other male cats, her cousins, who had given her hugs before they left her for their terminal.

She and Connor were walking along a path that seemed to be taking them straight into the jungle until it opened up to reveal a group of treetop cottages half hidden by jungle vegetation.

“How come I smell four different male cats on you?” Connor asked, his tone accusing as he frowned at Maya. He motioned with his head to one of the cottages as they made their way along the treetop walkway. “That’s our cottage.”

“I’ll tell you when I’m unpacking. I’ve got to warn you and Kat that hunters are in the area. They’re looking for jaguars.”

“That’s always a possibility.” Connor did not sound the least bit concerned.

“It’s a certainty.”

As they continued on their way along the path, she noted that the lush tropical foliage hid each of the cottages from the others, giving them privacy. Maya loved the way the trees surrounded them, reminding her of the hut where they’d stayed in the Amazon.

“How do you know this?” Connor asked while she unlocked her door.

She carried her backpack in while he rolled her large suitcase into the room.

The five-hundred-square-foot cottage was spacious, featuring a living area and a raised bedroom with a king-size bed covered in a white duvet and jungle-print pillows partially hidden by mesh netting. She glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows that wrapped around three sides of the cottage, offering a view of the bright green jungle. A couple of beige couches and chairs decorated in jungle-print pillows filled the living area, and a tree grew off center through the floor and the ceiling, giving the room its treetop feel. She adored the place.

“Wow.” A wooden railing dividing the living room from the bedroom gave the cottage a more open feeling. She instantly thought of Wade with her in that bed. She shook her head at the notion, but she couldn’t rid herself of the desire—just like Connor sharing his bed with Kat.

“Maya, what makes you so certain the hunters are here? You just got here. And why do I smell four different male cats on you?”

“Cousins,” she said. She mentioned them first so that Connor wouldn’t be too upset with her. “We’ve got family. Huntley and Everett Anderson. And Tammy, their sister, but I didn’t get to meet her this time.” She couldn’t hide her enthusiasm as she grinned at Connor. Her expression quickly changed to concern when Connor folded his arms and looked at her with disbelief.

She sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress was soft and comfy, and again she was thinking of what it would feel like to have Wade naked in her bed.

Connor rested his butt against the dresser, still looking peeved.

“Do you remember Wade Patterson?”

Connor was already scowling, but now his expression turned feral.

She quickly said, “He’s with a secret jaguar agency that polices our kind.”

Connor’s scowl turned to disbelief. “And you believe that crock of bull? Next you’ll tell me he’s part of some Special Forces group—that he’s a SEAL or some damned nonsense. Do you know how many real SEALs there are and how many men claim they were one?”

She cast him an annoyed look and folded her arms. She should have known her brother would think Wade was making it all up. “No, listen. Our cousins, Everett and Huntley? They’re also working for this organization.”

“Maya…”

“It’s true. We kept ourselves isolated from others just like our parents did. And probably their parents before them. We knew there had to be more of us. We’ve never met any shifters in our area, so all we see are humans. The others are city jaguars, not… well, wild like us. They don’t visit the jungle like we do. They had to make up a police force to keep shifters in line who don’t follow the rules. Regular police wouldn’t do because of the problem with jaguars shifting.”

“We don’t even know what these supposed rules are so that we can follow them,” Connor said. “If what you’re saying is true, why haven’t these people come knocking on our door before?”

“We’re law-abiding citizens. We don’t do anything that would cause this police force to bother with us.”

Connor narrowed his eyes. “So you hugged our two cousins, which is the reason for their scents on your skin. What about the other two?” He had to know one of the others was Wade Patterson, since he was the only other male cat she’d been talking about.

“Wade and his brother, David Patterson.”

Connor shook his head and moved toward the one chair in the bedroom. “I think I’m going to have to sit down to hear the rest of this.”

As she unpacked and noted all the niceties in the cottage, she explained everything—the brothers, the cousins—but not the brawl—and as much as she hated to admit that Connor might have been right about advertising their nursery by featuring a jaguar, she told him about the zoo man, Thompson.

Connor let out his breath in exasperation. “Don’t tell me you want to see this Wade Patterson further.”

Why wouldn’t she? He’d been such a help to them before, took care of her at the club, and watched over her at the house. He was really sweet, if she didn’t think of the moves he made on the dance floor or while kissing her on the couch. Then he was hot and sexy and all the more intriguing.

She shrugged. “He lives in Florida. But yeah, maybe.”

She didn’t believe she could be interested in a jaguar shifter who wouldn’t visit or feel comfortable in the jungle.

What if she found a city jaguar who she thought she could acclimate to the jungle, and he hated it? Or was afraid of the rainforest? A man like that wouldn’t appeal. So even though she had more of a choice now, the notion that some didn’t visit the jungle limited her options.

“What about Kat?” Connor asked, his eyes narrowed.

“He’s not interested in her.”

Connor harrumphed.

Maya opened the door to the deck.

“The cottages are actually built on the side of a hill with walkways winding through the trees. The deck leads to stairs and another path to the main lodge where meals are served,” Connor said.

“We’re not catching dinner as jaguars?” She wasn’t surprised, not with the layout of these cottages. Their hut in the Amazon was much more primitive, with no restaurant within walking distance.

Maya smiled. This was going to be a good trip. She hoped.

***

Connor fumed about his sister. He was fascinated with the idea that an enforcement agency was run by and for jaguar shifters. If he’d learned of such a force before he and his sister had started their successful garden nursery, he might have considered joining it himself. Then again, he’d always looked out for Maya, and he couldn’t see spending long periods away from her.

Hell, he left her alone for two days, and she opened the house up to Wade Patterson, his brother, and two other male shifters. Sure they were cousins, but Connor hadn’t met them first to ensure they were safe. On top of that, she’d started a fight in a shifter bar? Not to mention that a zoo official believed Maya had stolen a jaguar from the Oregon Zoo. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he’d left her alone for a
whole
week! He wondered if she’d left anything out in telling him what had gone on. Like how intimate she’d been with this Wade Patterson.

Connor admitted that he had approved of her and Kat’s idea of posting Maya’s picture in her jaguar form in the greenhouse. They’d had quite a boost in garden sales. Now he was regretting that decision.

“I think you should find Wade and help him take down the hunters,” Maya said, appearing worried as she exited the closet. “I’m here now. I’ll take care of Kat.”

“No,” Connor said.

Maya gave him a cross look, just like she always did when he disagreed with her over an important issue.

“He’s on a job. He’s trained. He’s getting paid for it. We’re strictly here on vacation, and I’m staying with the two of you to keep you safe.” Connor was not leaving Kat alone, even with Maya’s protection, if hunters were close by.

“How’s Kat feeling?” Maya asked, changing the subject.

He knew from the way she’d done so that she hadn’t given up on the subject of helping Wade. She’d revisit it when she could. Maybe by soliciting Kat’s help to back her up. He loved that the two women were the best of friends, but their friendship kept him on his toes because they often conspired against him.

“Kat’s having a little morning sickness. Shifting seems to help settle her stomach. She can handle the pregnancy better as a cat. We don’t go until it’s dark out.”

“You saw no sign of the hunters?”

“None. Thousands of acres of rainforest exist out there. Half of Belize is covered by dense jungle. A lot of it hasn’t even been explored yet—by humans anyway. Because of Kat’s condition, we’ve stuck close to the cottages. And hunters wouldn’t suspect jaguars would hang around people. But if she’s feeling better, we’ll go farther out where we can’t smell any signs of humans.”

“You’ve marked your scent around the area,” she said, knowing he would.

It was part of what they were. That primal, territorial aspect couldn’t be tamed. Not when they were in the wild like this.

“Yeah, we have.” He smiled. “Kat hasn’t quite got the hang of it. She thinks if she scent-marks over where I’ve scent-marked, she’s claiming
I’m
her territory, and any other females can keep their paws to themselves.”

Maya chuckled. “I love Kat.”

Even when they visited the forested area around the lake on their property, they left their stamp on the area. Humans didn’t know jaguars existed in Texas, but the wildlife in the area certainly did. Not that the jaguars ate any of the critters around there, except for fishing in the lake, but the birds and snakes and squirrels and armadillos knew.

“I missed you both,” Maya said.

Connor knew she was being honest, but he snorted anyway. “Sounds like you didn’t have time. You were never alone.”

She was opening her mouth to rebut his comment when Kat opened the door to the cottage and smiled, her dark hair pulled into a ponytail, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. “You’re here!” She turned to Connor and scolded him. “You should have told me right away! Why didn’t you wake me?”

He only gave her a half smile.

Dressed in a pale blue long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and hiking boots, Kat looked refreshed and ready to take a walk in the jungle.

Maya ran down the steps from the elevated bedroom to join her and gave her a big hug. “We have cousins!”

“And
Wade
Patterson
is in the area,” Connor said, as if the devil himself had just shown up in their neck of the rainforest. He couldn’t help it. He was certain that as soon as Wade saw Kat, he’d make a move on his wife, and Connor would kill him.

Then both Maya and Kat would want to kill Connor.

Wade had already decided that after they investigated the cabana where the two hunters were staying, he would check on Maya.

The smugglers had used a credit card at one of the resorts in the jungle town, and Wade’s boss had informed him that the two men were named Mylar Cranston and Tierney Smith
.

They had rap sheets with crimes ranging from carjacking and jewelry-store theft to attempted murder over the past twenty years, as well as drug deals in Central and South America, which was where they undoubtedly got their connections to chase down jaguars.

Nice guys. The latest message from his boss was that the men were armed and considered extremely dangerous. No surprise there.

Martin had reserved a cabana for Wade and David at the same resort. The thatched roofs gave the buildings a rounded appearance and fit in with the jungle theme. Each of the cabanas was backed up against the jungle, with trees screening one from another. Inside, the two bedrooms were of simple fare, three twin beds and a queen. A blue tile floor matched the floral bedspreads, and a blue tablecloth over a table seated between two rattan chairs was also covered in floral print. Hanging on one wall, a large print of a jaguar reclining in a tree made Wade smile. He could have posed for that picture himself.

“Looks like you,” David remarked, glancing at the print.

“He’s not as handsome.”

David chuckled.

“Ready to take a look at their cabana?” Wade asked.

David dropped his bag in the other room and returned. “Ready if you are.”

They made their way through the jungle behind the cabanas, silent and cautious, working around toward the back side of the rental unit where they would be hidden from view. Several keel-billed toucans were sitting in a tree watching them, their necks and chests covered in brilliant yellow feathers, the rest of their plumage black. Looking like the Fruit Loops toucan, they had large rainbow-colored beaks in bright green, orange, blue, and red that made them stand out. They were sociable creatures and the national bird of Belize. A couple of them were making a croaking sound while insects whirred and buzzed and clicked and chirped in the dense jungle foliage.

Brushing against the leaves of a tree, Wade felt his long cotton sleeves gather rain droplets collected on the broad surfaces. He could smell that it had recently rained here, making the atmosphere steamy and heavy with moisture.

They drew closer to the back side of the building and listened for sounds within the structure—trying to hear voices or showering or anything that would indicate someone was inside.

Wade heard nothing. “They’re gone,” he whispered to his brother. Peering through the window in the bathroom, he observed two shaving kits, toothbrushes, and toothpaste sitting on the bathroom counter.

He pried open the window, climbed in, and took a deep breath, smelling the scents of the men so he’d recognize them in the jungle. The pungent odor of the lemon-scented insect repellent the men had used still hung heavy in the air.

David slipped in through the window after Wade, observing everything for himself, two pairs of eyes being better than one.

Wade looked around the bathroom where muddied white towels lay scattered on the floor. The towels were no longer wet, and there were no droplets of water in the tub. Dirt had collected near the drain of the tub and dried. Toothpaste spittle was dried on the sink. The men hadn’t been here for a couple of days. From the disarray, he figured they must have told the staff they didn’t want maid service.

He moved into the room where the beds sat. The top sheets were rumpled on the queen bed as if it had been slept in. Discarded dirty briefs, socks, muddy jeans, and a T-shirt lay on the floor beside the bed. In the other bedroom, he found the queen comforter hanging half off the bed. Various articles of clothing smelling of sweat and heavily splattered with mud were scattered on the floor.

In the living area, he smelled the odor of two other men who had stood in the front entryway—a fainter scent as if they’d walked in and left right away
. Jaguar shifters
. They were two of the men he’d seen at the shifter club in Houston, he thought darkly.

Bill Bettinger, the one who’d struck David in the head with the bottle, and the other who had shoulder-length blond hair—the one Maya called Lion Mane and thought she’d seen at the airport
. Hell
. Their own kind was selling out non-shifter jaguars?

He growled low.
Bastards.

David joined him, sniffed the air, and swore under his breath when he smelled the men’s scents. “Do you think they’re wild?”

“Might be, and they may be serving as the guides rather than hiring someone they didn’t know.”

When humans hunted jaguars, it was bad enough. He
couldn’t
understand why his kind would harm the jaguars when they had a kinship to them and the jaguars’ only predator was man. Then again, some would sell their own family if meant they’d get money for it.

Wade glanced around the living room. “If Bettinger and the other shifter return to the cabana, they’ll know you and I have been here snooping around. They’d most likely assume we’re with the Service. And we’re after them. Since the smugglers are human, if they return here before we find them,
they
won’t know we’ve been here.”

“Hell,” David said. “You’re right.”

“I hope the shifters won’t revisit the cabana so we have a better chance at reporting the information to the boss and keeping our business here secret until we can learn who the buyer is. Too bad Internet service is only available at the main lodge and not in the cabanas. We’ll have to let Martin know what we learn later.”

David walked toward one of the bedrooms. “I’ll search this one.”

Wade opened each of the drawers in a couple of dressers in the other bedroom, finding them empty. A bag sat on the floor next to the dresser. Inside the bag, the man had left behind civilian clothes—jeans, T-shirts. He must have planned to return and wear these when not in the jungle, or he would have taken them with him. Wade found the man’s airline ticket itinerary, showing he had already been here two days.

“The hunters came early,” Wade called out to his brother. “I wonder why Bettinger and the blond guy were at the club and not down here?”

He found no return flight information and assumed that was because they’d be here until they located the jaguar and took the cat out of the country via some means other than by plane. He noted a tag on the man’s bags. Address and phone number. “Mylar Cranston’s name is on the bag in here.” Now he knew his scent from the other by name.

Mentally, Wade filed the information away.

“This one belongs to Tierney Smith, according to the luggage tag. They apparently aren’t worried about anyone checking up on them,” David said from the other room.

Wade searched underneath the mattresses for anything of importance that might have been tucked away. His hand touched something metal beneath the mattress, and he lifted it to see what he’d found. A wicked-looking dagger. Wade smelled blood on it, though the weapon had been wiped clean.

“Looks like I might have found a murder weapon,” Wade said, grabbing a T-shirt from Mylar Cranston’s bag. “He probably kept it under his mattress, being paranoid that someone might break in and attempt to kill him.”

David joined him in the bedroom and studied the dagger. “Smells like old blood. Maybe a murder committed?”

“Yeah. It’ll undoubtedly have Cranston’s fingerprints on it, and the T-shirt has some of his beard trimmings. We should send these to Martin first chance we get. Did you find anything in the other room?”

“No. It was clean.”

“Let’s take a run through the jungle and see where they headed.”

David nodded. “Think Lion Mane and Bettinger will be with them?”

“Yeah. That means we’ll be dealing with at least four of them.”

David and Wade returned to their cabana and stripped. Wade opened the window in the bathroom, easy enough for them to get in and out of as cats, and with no lights in the jungle beyond. Perfect for a nighttime run.

He didn’t know if the two men were using their cabana as their place of operation while looking for the cats, or if they had set up tents in the rainforest and searched for the elusive jaguar from there.

They wouldn’t have to get a guide if Bettinger and Lion Mane knew their way around the jungle. They might have to pay a couple of men to help them carry the big cat to a waiting vehicle, then take off for Mexico and the States. Wade’s mission for now was to try to locate them and then take it from there.

Two miles from the resort, in the thick of the jungle, he smelled Connor and Kat’s scent. All he could think of was Maya and her safety, and his mission flew straight out the window.

David looked in the direction Wade did, and then Wade took off in the direction of her treetop cottage.

David bolted after him.