Ambroise started to stand, but Christophe waved him back to his chair. “Sit and eat. You can sketch later.”
“But she’s right. The things she’s saying, those are the details I need …” Eagerness edged his voice.
“You never forget a thing,” Christophe said. “Never. You’ll remember if Evangeline hiccups.” He grinned at his sister. “You look good, belle soeur . I wanted to make certain you were well taken care of, and I see that you are. You look happy.” He sat back, his gaze going to Fyodor. “I’m looking for a job.”
Evangeline frowned and shook her head, looking up at her husband. He curled his fingers around the nape of her neck. “What position were you thinking?”
“Security. I’ve worked in Borneo, and Drake’s been working with me as well. I’ve brought a resume, but hoped you’d give me consideration because I’m family.”
Evangeline looked as if she might faint she went so pale. Timur knew she didn’t like Gorya or him working as bodyguards for Fyodor. She certainly didn’t want her brother taking that same position. Timur didn’t like anyone being a question mark.
“Timur is head of my security detail here on the estate,” Fyodor said easily. “He can interview you later and we’ll see what we have available.”
“You’re not working with your father?” Evangeline sounded desperate.
“He’s our father,” Christophe reminded, but his voice was gentle. “He works for Charisse and Armande at their perfume company. It isn’t my idea of work. I enjoyed getting out of the swamp but I need a place that—” he broke off looking at Ashe. Clearly, he meant where his leopard could run. “I want to see more of you, Evangeline. This is a chance for me.”
Ashe moved, suddenly uncomfortable, squirming in her seat and then trying to cover the movement by dropping her spoon. She reached down to pick it up from the floor and when she did, she looked a little desperately at Timur. He cursed under his breath. He couldn’t be distracted. Tenmyy leapt for the surface, at the first hint that his mate had woken.
“I suppose Timur interviewing you would be okay,” Evangeline ventured, clearly not liking the idea.
“I’ve heard you’re making quite a name for yourself with your bakery,” Beau said, leaning back in his chair as a maid came in and removed plates. He kept his gaze fixed on his daughter. “I’ve been thinkin’ of ways I could help you, make up for your childhood.”
Timur kept his features blank. He didn’t make the mistake of looking at Fyodor. There was something off in Beau’s tone. He had the feeling they were about to hear the real reason Beau Tregre was sitting at his daughter’s table.
“You could ship all over the country. Why keep your baked goods just here? You get a website, and people order from you. I’m used to packin’ boxes. I’ve been doin’ it for years for Charisse and Armande. You’d do three times the business you’re doin’ now, maybe more.”
There it was. The real reason they were there. Timur hated being right. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fyodor lean into Evangeline, brushing his mouth along her neck.
Ashe put her hand on Timur’s thigh and squeezed tight, her fingers digging deep into his muscle, feeling desperate. Her body was throwing off so much heat he felt as if he was sitting next to a furnace. A leopard didn’t leave his mate in a world of hurt. When she was in heat, his first priority had to be her. Timur had never felt so torn in his life. He needed to hear what Beau had to say, and he needed to leave.
He bent his head to Ashe, and pressed his mouth tight to her ear. “Can you hang on, baby?”
She swallowed hard but, with her eyes steady on his, she nodded. His heart stuttered. He had the most fantastic woman imaginable. She didn’t know what exactly was going on, but she knew it was important. Her fingers dug into his thigh even deeper beneath the tablecloth. He put his palm over her hand and pressed in an effort to reassure her.
“Pere . ” Christophe sounded as if he was choosing his words carefully. “We talked about this. We agreed it wasn’t a good idea, remember?”
“You and Ambroise agreed it wasn’t a good idea, but here you are, askin’ your sister for a job and you don’ want your old man to get in on the action. What I’m offerin’ would be big.”
Before Evangeline could shut down the conversation, Timur leaned toward her father. “What exactly would you do?”
Beau grinned at him, relaxing now that he had his moment to explain. “We could pattern the website right after the Mercier site. Ambroise can put the site together for us, can’t you, boy?” He pinned his son with a steely gaze.
Ambroise shook his head, but looked at his older brother, not his father.
Before Christophe could speak, Beau continued. “The orders go up, they pay with credit cards and then either Gilbert or I pack the boxes every day. One will pack here and the other in New Orleans. We don’ want to leave the Merciers in the lurch. When we start makin’ enough money here, we can turn the perfume business over to someone else.”
“You do realize that would mean Evangeline would have to work three or four times as hard as she does now,” Fyodor said in a quiet voice. That voice tipped off everyone in the room to the fact that he was the boss and no one would do a damn thing without his permission.
Timur felt Ashe shiver and realized Fyodor had never pulled rank on her. She only saw him as Evangeline’s husband and his brother. Now, he looked every inch the predator he was. He was the big shark in the room, not Evangeline’s father. He pressed her hand down harder on his thigh and surrounded it with his fingers, caging it in. She had his protection. She’d committed to him and that made her family. Fyodor’s family as well. She needed to know that.
There was an awkward silence. Beau tapped his fingers on the table. He didn’t look at Fyodor, but kept his gaze fixed on his daughter’s face, as if he could will her to do whatever he wanted. Before she could speak, Fyodor leaned back in his chair and took Evangeline’s hand, raising her fingertips to his mouth.
“My wife is pregnant, Beau, with twins. You’re going to be a grandfather.” He looked from one brother to another. “You’re going to be uncles.”
Timur hadn’t taken his eyes from Beau. His heart sank at the ugly expression that flitted across that heavily lined face. Everyone thought him weak. Beau had been supposedly trapped by his father into a criminal business and then threatened so he was afraid to quit. Timur didn’t believe it for a moment. This man was evil. The way he looked at his sons, the way he looked at Evangeline, there was no love there. He was out for himself.
“That’s wonderful,” Beau murmured. He poured enough sincerity into his voice that it was believable to everyone but Timur. His gaze flicked over Ashe. There was speculation there, and something else Timur didn’t like. Temnyy slammed his body hard against the confines that held him. He really didn’t like the way Beau looked at Ashe.
Timur wasn’t certain if anyone else caught the expression on Evangeline’s father’s face. He shifted his gaze just enough to look at the man’s two sons. Ambroise stared into his coffee cup, carefully avoiding his father’s eyes. Christophe still looked angry, but he managed a quick smile in his sister’s direction.
“Twins? You don’t believe in doing anything the easy way, do you, belle soeur ? Are you feeling all right?”
Evangeline shook her head. “I’m pretty sick most of the time.”
“How are you getting the bakin’ done?”
“So far, I’ve managed, but Ashe is working with me now. I’m hoping if I run into trouble, she’ll be able to keep the bakery open.”
Beau beamed. “That’s good thinkin’ Evangeline. Always have a backup plan when it comes to business. Your friend can help you bake even when you expand the business.”
Now it had gone from her father suggesting she expand, to him acting as though it was a done deal. Timur still was uncertain about Christophe and Ambroise. Ambroise had sketched the entire layout of Fyodor’s house for his brother, and mentioned that the measurements of the rooms w
ere off. Christophe had guessed correctly that there were secret passageways built into the mansion. He had also just gotten Evangeline to admit that Ashe helped her with the baking.
The entire family was suspect as far as he was concerned. He was getting regular updates on the uncle, who had abandoned his drunken persona and was walking around the house, probably looking for weak points in security. The leopards watched him, but stayed out of sight. He had to smell them, but he also had no way of knowing the last time the leopards had been present in the yard.
“It will be good to build our own family empire,” Beau said. “I’ve never liked working for Charisse and Armande.”
“I thought they were easy to work for,” Christophe said. “They have good benefits, the best in the region. They give out bonuses at the end of the year …”
“They make the money. Hand over fist, they make the money,” Beau corrected. “It isn’t about the work environment, it’s about the fact that we work from sunup until sundown for someone else. Evangeline knows what I mean, don’t you, girl? It’s better to have your own business and control the flow of the money.”
“Do you think having money is that important?” Ashe asked.
The older man turned his gaze on her. His leopard had to be acting up. All the males had to be. The pheromones coming off Ashe were potent. Her skin glowed. She looked absolutely beautiful sitting there. Timur had all he could do to keep his features blank when Beau looked at her so speculatively. It wasn’t all his leopard either. Beau didn’t like women. He clearly had the drive of the leopard, but he didn’t like it.
“Of course, it’s very important. You’ll learn that as you get older.”
“Are you worried about retirement?” Timur asked, mostly to get the man’s attention off of Ashe. That look made his skin crawl, and he couldn’t imagine what it made Ashe feel like. Threatened, most likely, because that was what it felt like to him.
Beau nodded. “That’s somethin’ everyone has to look at when they hit my age. I put some away, but not near enough. Gilbert and I have been tryin’ to figure out how to make more money fast before we hang it up.” He turned his gaze back on his daughter. “I did my share of fishin’ and huntin’ to keep you kids fed. I’m willin’ to do the work, gettin’ Ambroise to set up the website and then fillin’ the orders. Don’ think that’s askin’ too much in return for what I did when you were young.”
“What did you do, Beau?” Fyodor asked. “Because my understanding is, you put your daughter out in the swamp and left her there.”
Beau narrowed his eyes, glaring at Evangeline. “Is that what you told him? I saved you, girl. I saved you from your grandfather. He was a mean, vicious killer and he liked to get his hands on females. Age didn’t matter to him.”
“What did your wife think of him?” Timur asked, turning the attention back to him.
“My wife?” Beau sat up straight, alarm skittering over his face and then, there it was, for just that few seconds, distaste, rage even. Then he had control and he looked sorrowful. Very sad. “She was afraid of him. She begged me to hide Evangeline from the old man. I did as she asked, although it was difficult to leave a child under those circumstances.”
Ashe leaned into Timur, and he knew he had to get her out of there. She’d done as he’d asked and held out for as long as she possibly could. “I hate to break up the dinner party, particularly before dessert, but we have to go. It was nice to meet all of you. Ambroise, I’d definitely like to see your work. Perhaps we’ll have an opportunity to talk later. And Christophe, leave your resume and make certain your number is on it, I’ll call you in the next day or so and set up an interview. Beau, it was very nice to finally get to meet you.”
Timur rose and drew Ashe up as well, pulling her to his side, tucking her beneath his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, trying to shelter her, to keep Beau and the others from seeing her distress.
She waved toward Fyodor and Evangeline. Timur hated to leave his brother and sister-in-law alone with her family, but he knew they would both understand. He’d already texted the guards and Rodion and Kyanite had slipped into the room, each standing by a door. Beau couldn’t fail to notice them, but he didn’t say anything. Christophe had glanced up as they came in and then looked over to Timur, but he hadn’t said anything either. Ambroise appeared not to notice, but Timur wasn’t buying it. The man saw every detail and was able to sketch from memory. He would definitely notice two men entering the dining room at his sister’s dinner party.
Timur shook his head as he ushered Ashe out. Intrigue wasn’t his specialty. He didn’t like games or pretense. He got to the truth in a much more direct way, one that assured him he knew who was selling them out and who was loyal.
15
“I CAN'T stand my clothes on one more minute,” Ashe whispered.
Timur couldn’t stand his either. His cock was raging. His leopard was raging. The grounds were crawling with leopards, all male. The last thing he needed was to turn a female in heat loose in the middle of so many. There was also a large human security force moving through the grounds. One glimpse of a leopard and panic would ensue.
“We have to get to the house, baby. You can do it.” He poured confidence into his voice, when he wasn’t feeling it. He’d waited too long. He’d gotten more information, but it was all speculation, not fact. His conclusions might be based on experience, but he still didn’t have enough in the way of proof to eliminate any threat to Fyodor or Evangeline.
Ashe made a small sound of distress and began to move away from him, in the direction of the forest and tea garden with its high walls. No way was he trusting the other males to remain away from a female in heat, especially one throwing off such potent pheromones. Controlling leopards under those circumstances would be nearly impossible.
He caught her up, tossed her over his shoulder and began to jog toward the guesthouse. Every step hurt, and he knew by the way she clutched his shirt, dragging it up to expose the skin of his back, that she was in dire straits. He felt her tongue lapping at him. The pads of her fingers reached down the waistband of the trousers he wore. Each touch was pure fire dancing over his skin. He wanted her with every cell in his body. He was so completely tuned to her, he nearly missed the scent of the leopard stalking them.
He stopped abruptly as Tenmyy raked at him, hissing a warning. Very gently he put Ashe on her feet. “I need you to get to the house right now,” he said, shrugging out of his sports jacket. He caught the hem of his tee as he toed his shoes off. Ripping the tee over his head, he moved out into the middle of the rolling lawn that stretched between the two houses.
Ashe shook her head. “I can’t, Timur. Don’t ask me to do that.”
He flicked her a cold gaze, noting the agitation she betrayed with the way her fingers twisted together repeatedly. “I wasn’t asking. You fucking do as you’re told.” He counted to three and then stepped right into her, looking down at her face. Eye to eye. Breath to breath. His resolve only deepened. “Now.” He couldn’t watch her as he fought a leopard. Others might take the opportunity to try to take his female.
Ashe nodded, those long lashes fluttering. She turned and started to run back toward the guesthouse. She hadn’t gotten more than a few feet when a large male leopard rushed from the heavy foliage around the garage. He cut off her escape and began a slow stalk toward her. Ashe skidded to a halt and raised one hand defensively to her throat. She looked to Timur for instructions.
“He’s trying to force you to shift, baby,” he said softly.
Timur didn’t recognize the leopard, but knew by the scent that it was Gilbert, Evangeline’s uncle. “Once your female is out, he would try to force her to mate with him. I’ve got this. The moment the fight starts, you get to the safety of the house.”
He stripped the trousers from his body, his eyes never leaving his opponent. The man might be older, but his leopard was in good shape and had seen a few fights. The Tregre brothers might pretend to the world that the
y were beaten down and timid old men, but they weren’t. This leopard proved that. He was fit and bore scars from numerous fights with other leopards.
“You know where the weapons are, and you know how to use them. If he comes through that door, you kill him. It’s Evangeline’s uncle.” He needed her to know man or leopard, either would try to force her compliance.
Timur called Temnyy and shifted almost instantaneously. Even as he shifted, he launched himself, running full bore at the leopard. He hit him with the force of a freight train, slamming into the cat’s side, driving him back several feet before the leopard lost his footing and was down. Rolling. Snarling. Scrambling for a purchase in the soft dirt with his claws so he could drag himself to his feet.
Temnyy slammed into his side again, in exactly the same spot, hoping to crack the dense bones there. He raked viciously with his claws, tearing at the leopard’s underbelly, teeth ripping at the nearest ear. He spat it out and clawed for the leopard’s nearest eye. The entire attack had only been seconds, but he’d damaged his opponent immediately and severely.
He didn’t back off as most leopards would. He was as ruthless and merciless as his human counterpart. More so. Shifters gave their rivals opportunities to run. Timur knew Gilbert would never have given Ashe the opportunity to say no. If she’d said it, no matter how adamant she was, the man would have forced her cooperation. His leopard would have forcibly taken her female.
The leopard rolled away from him, angling to his left, just as Temnyy knew he would. When the cat started to get to his feet, Temnyy was on him, landing hard on his back, deliberately going for the spinal cord, teeth driving deep at the back of the neck. The neck was thick with loose skin and old scars, but it didn’t stop Timur’s male. He was vicious in a fight. He was used to fighting for his life, fighting to the death, and he didn’t hesitate.
Temnyy wanted the leopard dead, but, even more, Timur wanted the man dead. It would be one less enemy to keep track of. There was no doubt in his mind that Gilbert Tregre was one of the worst, and probably one of the most successful criminals. No one had ever suspected him. Even when he got caught red-handed, he’d acted his way out of his crime. He’d fooled Drake Donovan and an entire lair of law enforcement leopards.
Leopard's Run Page 28
