“Come on,” she said over her shoulder.
She grabbed her keys from the coffee table where they’d wound up last night and opened the door for Paxton. He stepped outside, and she locked the door. They’d slept in late enough her coworkers shouldn’t be around to see their exit. She knew what some would say about her and while she didn’t care, she was very aware that her position here was not as secure as it had once been.
“Hey?” Paxton said.
“Hm?” She turned and froze.
“Coco! Coco.” The head of the reserve’s security jogged toward her. His green uniform was too dark in places.
She forced herself to swallow. Despite the heat setting in for the day, she felt a chill. Daluxolo never came to see her for good reasons.
“Who is it?” She remained on the stoop, clutching her keys.
Daluxolo stared up at her, his eyes filled with grief. He was such a peaceful man. Sometimes he didn’t seem cut out for the job.
“Utata,” he said.
“No.” Coco turned, anger and pain warring inside of her.
“Come on. We might be able to save him with your help.”
She mentally did the calculations. Utata was a massive, old Southern white rhino. He’d made his home in the park. Based on his injuries at the time, the theory was that he’d been driven away by younger males. Here, Utata had thrived. His gentle nature made him the perfect partner to accept rehabilitated females into the wild. Conservationists came from all over the area, bringing them young females in the hopes of transitioning them back into their natural habitat. Utata was also smart. He knew humans and how to avoid them.
“Coco?” Paxton touched her elbow.
Now wasn’t the time to fall apart. If Utata could be saved, Coco had to try. “I need my kit from—”
“I’ve got it.” Daluxolo gestured at the truck rumbling down the narrow lane between the villas.
She leaped down the three stairs, Paxton at her side. Daluxolo climbed into the cab, leaving Paxton and Coco to get into the back of the truck. The big one they used to transport their larger residents.
They sat with their back to the tool box bolted to the cab, knees drawn up, and watched the buildings of the old resort fade from view. Paxton reached over and squeezed her hand, but didn’t say anything.
Utata was well over five thousand pounds and somewhere near forty years old. It would take considerable power to bring an animal like that down, and Utata wasn’t the kind to go quietly. He’d have run, outwitting poachers.
Coco shut her eyes. There wasn’t a good scenario in her head. They were all bad.
The truck bounced and jostled them. The driver wasn’t being careful. They were running up against a clock she feared might not be on their side.
They kept driving. At a guess, Coco figured they were a good five to eight miles away from the resort, somewhere along the shorter safari route, right in the middle of Utata’s territory.
Coco hauled herself up, gripping the sides when the truck began to slow.
That was when she saw him.
Utata lay on his side, a great, gray mound in the tall grass. Two security guards stood one at either end of the body, their all-terrain vehicle sitting ways off. Utata wasn’t moving. She vaulted out of the back of the truck before it came to a full stop, hit the ground and jogged toward them.
“How is he?” she called out.
Daluxolo was right behind her, carrying the heavy medical kit.
The closest guard lifted his face and shook his head.
“No.” Coco staggered forward.
The smell hit her before she saw the damage done to the body. She circled around Utata’s big, square head, taking in the gore.
“He just went,” the guard said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Paxton muttered.
Coco’s knees gave way, and she knelt at the front legs of the once powerful, graceful animal. He’d been stubborn, hard to treat, and an absolute joy to watch any time she caught a glimpse of him. There were generations of babies fathered by this one rhino, but none of them would ever replace him. Utata was one of a kind.
THURSDAY. MLILO ANIMAL Reserve, South Africa.
Ebrahim peered through the binoculars at the figures clustered around the dead rhino. Stage one had been a close escape. A few more minutes and the security guards would have caught Ebrahim’s team, but they’d made it out with the prize.
Was that his cousin?
It was hard to tell at this distance who the guards were. Even if it was Ebrahim’s cousin it wouldn’t matter. As far as he was concerned that part of his family was dead to him. They served thieves and had the audacity to call Ebrahim a criminal.
He was a survivor.
Ebrahim clenched the nylon strap over his shoulder and embraced the weight of his rifle.
Owning a gun had changed his fate. His skills as a hunter were what got him hired by Bekker to lead this team. Bekker had seen potential in Ebrahim. The test today was to prove his worth to Bekker.
Ebrahim had the horn, now he would eliminate the pain in his ass.
Coco De Jong was not long for this world.
6.
Thursday. Mlilo Animal Reserve, South Africa.
Paxton wrapped his arm around Coco’s shoulders from behind and knelt with her in the grass. Sobs shook her. Hell, just looking at the wounds that had taken down such a magnificent creature made him want to weep. But he had a job to do. Aegis Group had volunteered to come down and help with the poaching problem and here it was for him to see.
He pressed a kiss to the silk turban still containing her curls then stood.
Before leaving home, Paxton had sat in on a seminar like everyone else on the basics of poaching and what they were up against. There were many similarities in the methods used to combat the crimes that ran parallel to Paxton’s current work, both making use of his training from the Marines. He dusted off his hands and pushed the animal loving kid inside of him to the side so he could examine the scene.
He circled the body.
Several tranq darts stuck out of the animal’s thick hide. He wasn’t a good guess at the rhino’s weight, but it had to at least weigh over two tons. The amount of sedative to take the creature down if it got an adrenaline high would be massive. Paxton circled around to the legs. A couple of bullet wounds to the chest.
It had taken a team to do this. People watching for security, tracking the animal, then taking it down and cutting off the horn. If he had to guess, it wasn’t a small operation. They were looking at a dozen people.
Paxton turned toward the three security men now clustered together by the truck.
Coco had pulled herself together a little and was checking the body, listening for any signs of life. Blood was smeared up to her elbows and her mouth set in a determined line. The only way Paxton could make this better for her was to do what he’d been brought here to do.
He finished circling the body and joined the men.
“You must be from Aegis Group.” The dark-skinned man with the sad eyes who’d rushed to Coco’s door held out his hand.
“Yes, sir. I’m Paxton.” He shook each of the three men’s hands in turn.
“I’m Daluxolo, head of security.” He gestured to the other two men in green. “These are two of our anti-poaching staff.”
“Wish we were meeting under better circumstances.” Paxton glanced over at Coco still lost in her grief. “Do you have usual suspects? People who are repeat offenders? Sorry, not trying to step on your toes.”
“We appreciate the help.” Daluxolo shook his head. “Unfortunately there’s a long list of usual suspects.”
“This...” Paxton glanced around. “This would take a lot of people. Anyone who could do this with a dozen men and equipment? We’re only a couple miles from the resort. That’s practically under your nose.”
Daluxolo glanced at the other two who shuffled their feet and found somewhere else to look.
“There’s two gr
oups, maybe three with those resources,” he said slowly.
“Daluxolo?” Coco turned toward them.
“We’ll talk later,” Paxton said, pitching his voice lower. Today was supposed to be a happy day for Coco. He didn’t want to bring her any more sadness.
She joined their group, swiping her forearm across her brow. “Do you think you can extract the bullets and darts? I’d do it, but...”
“I’ll see that it’s done,” Daluxolo said.
“Good. I heard about a group that’s willing to do ballistics, see if we can’t trace whoever did this. Take pictures of the ground, anything out of place. These guys are going to have a big head start on us.” She glanced out over the grass. “After that, if we can move the—the carcass somewhere off the safari route...”
Paxton wanted to reach for her, offer her comfort, but she hadn’t seemed to want it before. It still tore him up inside to not be able to make this better for her.
“And...” She cleared her throat. “If we can keep this on a need-to-know basis until after the wedding?”
“Of course.” Daluxolo nodded. “No one outside of us here need to know for now.”
“God, I just want to stay with him.” Coco turned and shielded her eyes against the sun. “It won’t bring him back. I thought he was the one who’d make it.”
“Utata had a long life and many children,” Daluxolo said.
“I know.” Coco blew out a breath. “Okay, I have to go back. If Lacey knows I’m gone, she’ll ask questions and I’m not letting anything ruin her wedding day.”
She strode past Paxton to the back of the truck and got in.
“I know where to find you later,” Daluxolo said in a lower voice for Paxton alone.
“Thanks.” He jogged to catch up with Coco.
She was already sitting on the bed of the truck, knees drawn up. Her gaze was sad, distant.
He eased down next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder as the truck started up. He wrapped his arm around her and closed his eyes, allowing himself to share in her sadness.
The drive back was as much a blur as their trip out. The wind and rattling of the truck made it impossible to speak and be heard, which saved him from having to come up with something to say. He’d been too far too many funerals to count and still didn’t have the right words. That was the thing about loss, nothing ever made it better. Time was the only cure.
Back at the conservation part of the resort they were dropped off at the bottom of the hill where Coco lived. One look at her and he knew he couldn’t leave her by herself. She was in shock, mourning, hurting. Someone needed to be there for her.
Paxton nudged her in the direction of her house. He kept one hand on her back while she continued to show nothing but a numb face to the world.
At her door, he took her keys and opened the house, locking it behind them. Taking her hand, he led her into the bathroom and turned on the tap. Death was hard and when life was stolen, it was that much more difficult to weather.
He found a washrag and soap then set about cleaning the blood off her skin. The longer the silence went on the heavier it felt. As though he could feel the weight of her grief. He finished washing her arms then turned his attention on her face. She’d gotten a few smudges on her brow and cheek that came off easily enough.
Coco stared up at him, tears clinging to her lashes. Her lower lip quivered.
“I’m sorry.” He set the washrag down and reached for her.
She brought her hands up and shut her eyes tight.
“Please leave.”
“Coco...”
“Leave,” she snapped.
He opened and closed his mouth, unsure what the right thing to say was. Her grief was going to drown her, but she’d also made her request clear.
“Okay. You know where to find me.” Paxton turned and walked out of the villa.
All around him people went about their day, none the wiser about the tragedy that had just befallen the world a few miles away.
THURSDAY. MLILO ANIMAL Reserve, South Africa.
Coco pulled her phone out of her pocket as she walked up the lane toward the honeymoon villa at the new resort. Still no new texts or missed calls. Not a single notification.
Why was she disappointed she hadn’t heard from Paxton after kicking him out the way she had? Could she blame him?
She slid her phone into her pocket then covered her face in her hands, muffling her groan. A half hour alone had helped her find her calm, but it also made room for the guilt.
Paxton had been kind, considerate, sweet, even gentle with her at times. And how had she repaid that? By snapping in his face and yelling at him to get out.
Had she yelled?
It had been so quiet and her voice was loud in the small space. It had felt like she’d yelled.
There was no changing her introverted nature. Sometimes she just needed to be away from people. It was a fact and it wouldn’t change anytime soon, but she could have been nicer. Now she wasn’t sure if she should reach out of what the correct thing to do was. For now it was joining the rest of Coco’s problems on a mental shelf to deal with later.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the luxurious new villa and stared up at the cheerful red door. It was time to put on her smile and be the best maid of honor she could be. She pushed her shoulders back and took the first step toward the villa
The red door burst open revealing Lacey decked out in a long, satin robe over another white Bride Tribe tank top with matching shorts.
“Coco! You’re here.” Lacey practically squealed the words.
The gray cloud hanging over Coco was no match for the intensity of Lacey’s joy. For no reason at all Coco laughed and grinned.
“Am I late?” she asked.
“You’re the first one. Shane left a little while ago. Come inside.” Lacey snatched Coco’s hand and pulled her into the villa.
Normally the little house was a tidy place with minimal furniture. Lacey had turned it into the wedding headquarters and commandeered folding tables, extra chairs and all sorts of things.
Four long dress bags hung from the ledge just under the windows at the vaulted peak of the roof. Three were black. The fourth was white.
“Wow,” Coco muttered.
“Mimosa?” Lacey crossed to the kitchenette and bar area.
“Sure.” Hell, it might relax Coco’s nerves enough so she could enjoy today.
Lacey handed over the fluted glass, one side of her mouth hiked up. “We never got to have a drink together last night. Cheers.”
They clinked glasses and sipped.
She kept her gaze on Coco, eyes twinkling. “So?”
“So?” She echoed Lacey.
“So.” Lacey waved her hand. “Last night you’re there, then you’re gone. I didn’t see Paxton either.”
Right.
Coco should have expected this.
She lifted her glass to her lips, buying herself a few moments by taking another drink.
“Your options are talk about it now when it’s just me, or I can keep bugging you about it when the others get here. Then you have to tell all of us what you got up to last night.” Lacey’s smile was deceptively sweet.
“Oh my God.” Coco closed her eyes and her skin heated. Not in a good way. “I totally screwed it up.”
“What? No.” Lacey took her hand and led her to the small sofa not covered in bags.
She shoved several off unceremoniously, prioritizing Coco and this conversation over the contents now dumped on the floor
“Tell me everything,” Lacey demanded.
Coco gave Lacey the highlights of last night, but when it came to this morning, she lamely picked up at the worst possible moment. “And then this morning I kind of freaked out on him, cried and told him to leave.”
“Well. That happened?” Lacey blinked at her.
“Yes.” Coco groaned. “I mean, I’ve never brought a guy over. Every other time I leave when I nee
d to. This time... I just freaked out on him and all he was doing was being a decently nice guy. I’m not cut out for this, Lacey.”
“Okay, but everything up until then sounds like it went really well, right?” Lacey curled her leg under her and drained the last of her mimosa.
“Yeah.”
“Then just tell him the truth. Trust me, these guys have seen people at their worst. He’s going to understand when you tell him you’re a need-your-space kind of girl. And if he doesn’t, fuck him. Well, don’t really fuck him, not unless you want to again. You know what I mean. There are still plenty of other guys. His dick might have been good, but I promise you there are other just as talented men.”
Coco sputtered a laugh and wiped at her eyes.
“Do you want me to get him over here now?” Lacey grabbed her phone off the top of a box. “I’m sure I can round up one of the guys to find him and walk him over.”
“No!” Coco snatched at her friend’s phone.
“Are you going to talk to him later or are you going to hide?”
Coco glanced down at her glass. Truth was she’d be more inclined to avoid Paxton than seek him out. She didn’t exactly like to relive her mortification. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I guess it depends on if you were interested in him for one night or five.”
She turned her head and stared at the wall over Lacey’s shoulder. Did Coco want to see Paxton again like that? She knew he’d be around during the next two weeks.
“If I don’t talk to him, things are going to get weird, aren’t they?” she asked.
“Maybe. You don’t owe him an explanation if it was a onetime thing.”
And there was the kicker. Coco didn’t want it to be just once, even if that was the safer option. “I’ll talk to him later.”
“Promise?” Lacey held out her pinky finger.
Coco sighed and hooked her little finger with Lacey’s. “Promise.”
“Awesome.” Lacey grinned. “Okay, you want to start getting ready? The others should be here soon.”
“Yeah.” Coco lifted a hand to her hair wrap. “Let’s see what happens.”
“I really love that red on you. I’m glad you didn’t get rid of it.”
Dangerous Heat (Aegis Group, #8) Page 6
