“I won’t do that again. Shirley can handle him, and it’ll become more volatile if I’m there. I tend to get excited, while she stays calm.” She stared off, her mind obviously working on something. “I’m wondering … why is Carrigan making such a big public stink?”
“Because he thinks you stole his tiger?”
“Or maybe this was a setup. Think about it: Carrigan has two guys waiting here to see if I’ll take the bait. If I do, he grabs me and does … well, whatever he was going to do. Which I don’t want to think about. And he has a backup plan if he can’t get me. Hide the tiger, play the victim, and make me look bad.”
“It’s a leap, Addie.”
“We have to start somewhere. Carrigan hates me. I’ve been, er, trying to educate him for a year. I’ve given him and his crew mortality reports on traveling tiger cubs, scientific evidence proving their cortisol levels stay elevated for up to two weeks after a short trip. Plus accusations about the company that buys his cubs when they’re no longer useful. And he’s got the accommodations to hold someone captive, if that’s what he was going to do. The man has cages, after all. There’s an easy way to figure out if he’s behind this.”
Risk planted his elbows on his thighs and rubbed his eyes. “I’m afraid to ask.”
She gave a quick wave of her hand. “You’re not afraid of anything. But my plan is easy peasy. When the zoo opens, we see if he’s got a tiger cub. Tigs had a small tear on the tip of his right ear. I’d recognize him anywhere.” This time her smile was imploring. “Can we go? Please? I’ve got disguises.”
“On one condition. You have to promise you will listen to me. On everything. You see why it’s so important now, don’t you?”
“I do. It’s just that, all my life, I’ve been under my parents’ control. My mom, when she was alive, with her manners and societal rules. My father with his military mentality.”
“But that was more of a power thing or a parental thing,” Risk said. “I’m controlling you out of a save-your-life thing. It’s different.”
“Part of me understands, but part is saying that it’s still someone telling me what to do.” She took him in for a second. “Okay, it’s childhood triggers. I get that. I fought my father over my organization, my vegetarianism, everything, it seems. But I held my ground. I know I have to be careful. I’m not stupid.”
“No, but you’re blind. You see your goal but not what’s around it. Like how adrenaline makes your vision narrow to only your adversary so that you miss the guys coming up from the sides. Let me be your peripheral vision.” When she hesitated, he went on. “I’ll make you a deal. You follow my orders, and I’ll give you a wild card. I’ll let you call the shots one time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But not if we’re engaging the enemy. I’m in charge there. And not when we’re planning a mission. You’ll have to defer to my expertise in those matters.”
“What’s left?”
He knew his eyes sparked at the thought of what was left, because hers did, too. “I’m sure there will be some situation where you can play that card. Is it a deal?”
“Deal.”
“And you’ll do as I say? No argument, no hesitation?”
“None at all.”
“If I tell you to move, you move. If I tell you to jump, you jump.” And if I tell you to kiss me—
She tilted her head. “Don’t I ask how high?”
“No, you just jump. Then you wait for my next command.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave him a salute.
He liked her all sweet and submissive. Not the contrite way she was with her father but more of an eager submissiveness. A rare thing, he was sure, and only because she felt bad about putting him in a sticky situation. And she wanted him to cooperate with her plan. He tipped her chin up and gave her his most serious commander’s look. “And you will not give me the slip.”
She gave him a sheepish but genuine smile. “I promise.”
Oh, buddy. She might have promised to obey him, but she had him wrapped around her finger.
Chapter 5
“You spanked me.” It hit Addie, really hit her, about ten minutes down the road. No pun intended.
Risk rested his fingers on the steering wheel, arching his eyebrows as he glanced over at her. “And you just realized this?”
“Of course not. I kind of pushed it to the side because it was so … so … unbelievable. It’s only just now sinking in.” He had laid her over his lap and put his hand on her derriere. And some deep, depraved part of her had liked it. Not that she’d admit it. It was bad enough admitting it to herself. “Are you into that sort of thing? What do they call it? BDSM?”
“Not up to this point, though it was interesting. Very interesting.”
She felt her face flush. “Because of the control?”
He seemed to give that some thought. “Nah. I don’t have a subversive need to control. Or punish, as I can see you’re going to ask next.” He shrugged. “Maybe I just liked having a reason to put my hand on your ass.”
He was so candid about it that she wondered if he was serious. Given the way his words ricocheted through her, she decided he was playing with her. “Well, don’t do it again.” Had she sounded forceful enough? Indignant?
“Then, as I said, don’t dare me. I can’t resist a dare, not one like that. That’s how I ended up swimming with a shark once.”
She shook her head. “And you call my saving a tiger a crazy stunt.”
“Consider this: When I was out there raiding compounds, or BASE jumping, I had both training and the proper equipment. You are in no way equipped to tangle with criminals. You are gutsy, I’ll give you that. But you have no martial arts skills or weapons.”
“You think I’m gutsy?” She couldn’t help her smile.
Now it was his turn to shake his head. “Nope, definitely nothing easy about this,” he muttered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Not a thing, Addie. Not a thing.”
Well, be that way. She busied herself posting to her Facebook page and answering e-mails from her phone. And true to her word, she ran everything by him before pressing the post button.
Risk neared the site of the protest a short time later. Shirley had texted that Carrigan and the press were gone, and so were most of the protesters. The rally was over.
“Shirley said she had plenty of help loading the animals on this end.” Addie watched him surveying the surroundings. She could easily imagine him doing the same as his team approached a pass in the mountains of Afghanistan. The mental picture of him in fatigues, that yummy, fit body on full alert, stirred her in places that had no business being stirred.
“The enemy had a plan. They watched this site until you showed up, then waited for an opportunity.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Which you gave them by sneaking off. They’ll likely pull back, take care of the bullet wound, and regroup. It should buy us a little time so we can figure out what we’re going to do. But how long we stay at the ranch depends on how safe the layout is. Are there places where someone can hide? Is there vegetation growing up next to the house? How close is the nearest hospital?”
She rubbed her arms. “Now you’re creeping me out.”
“Just being logical.” He continued to study the area with calculating eyes. “We can’t relax, because we’re not dealing with predictable, logical people. You never are when it comes to war, and make no mistake: To them, this is war.”
“I suppose anyone who would be willing to kidnap a woman isn’t logical.”
“And whoever’s behind this probably feels justified to go after you. He figures you violated his rights, so he’s going to violate yours. He’s hired two guys who are loyal to his cause and are comfortable using violence. I’ll still need to stay very close, even when you’re sleeping.”
“How close?”
The words had tumbled out. He gave her a speculative look. Hm, what expression did she have on her face? Horror? Or anticipation?
<
br /> “I’m not going to climb into bed with you, Addie. That would be … unprofessional.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll do some Internet research on Carrigan tonight, see if we can connect the guys who tried to grab you to him in some way. If we can find one picture of the zoo with a thug in the background, that would help. Maybe Chase can pull up employee records. And you should call the detective who’s handling your hit-and-run. If Carrigan’s making public accusations, he’s probably going to file charges against you. You want to give the detective a heads-up, without admitting to attempted theft, of course. Or to violating your restraining order.”
Her stomach tightened at that prospect, but she called the detective while Risk drove the final stretch to the ranch. When she hung up, she said, “Carrigan hasn’t filed charges.”
“Which actually makes him look more suspicious. He probably doesn’t want the police snooping around.”
A short while later, Addie directed him down the road and through the gates to her ranch. Even though he felt they had some downtime, he was on full alert as he drove along the perimeter. He peppered her with questions about her volunteers, her property, and the various buildings. Her protector. The thought shivered through her.
They met up with Shirley at the corrals. He rubbed his hands together. “I’ll take the goats.”
* * *
The boss watched the veterinary student sew up the bullet wound in Alan’s shoulder. Good thing the kid had been on hand. He wouldn’t ask a lot of questions.
The young man nodded toward Doug. “You’d best be careful hunting with that one.”
“Yeah, you bet. I appreciate your help. And your silence. No need to get Doug in trouble, after all. Look at all the shit Cheney had to deal with.”
The kid shook his head as he made the final stitch. “Poor guy was the brunt of jokes for years.” He finished the cleanup and left with a nice wad of cash toward his tuition. Silence, as it turned out, wasn’t golden; it was green.
Once he was gone, Alan said, “That coulda been a mess, boss.”
The three wandered over to the incoming animal pens.
“It could have also been a triumph. But it wasn’t. Instead it was a big fat failure.” The boss was trying to get a handle on how they could have come so close to capturing the woman who’d been causing him grief, and been thwarted. “So you had her, and then the bodyguard showed up out of nowhere.” That wasn’t his only disappointment. He’d been dreaming of making her pay, fantasies of blood and begging, maybe letting her think she was going to live just before he took her life.
Alan scowled as he looked at the bandage on his shoulder. “Son of a bitch shot the gun right out of my hand.”
“He’s going to make it a lot harder for us to get our hands on her. But he’s an obstacle, and obstacles can be surmounted.”
Alan winced when he moved his arm. “I want him dead. Just for being a good shot.”
The boss scrubbed his fingers through his thinning hair as he considered the cub in the cage. “Worked out nice that she was already stealing the cub. She’ll be blamed.” At least he could find something to smile about. “Addie Wunder will do anything to find this critter. She was willing to steal it once, which means she’ll be coming here before long, sniffing around. When she and her bodyguard do, we’ll be ready for ’em.”
* * *
Risk handled the goats very well—out of sheer stubbornness, Addie suspected. He led them one by one to their large corral and barn area. She brought the other animals to the long large barn to the right of that, and Shirley took them inside to their stalls. Addie’s orders were to stay within his sight, which required her to make sure he was within her sight. Which meant looking at him a lot. No hardship there. His biceps bulged as he gripped the ropes. His muscles clenched quite nicely when he used his weight as leverage. Every time he searched for her, she waved.
“Aw, you and the hunk are so damned cute,” Shirley said as they escorted the other animals into their respective areas.
As usual, Addie wasn’t sure if she was being facetious. “We are not ‘cute.’ We aren’t anything.” When she saw Shirley was about to refute that, Addie changed the subject. “Did Carrigan give you a hard time? Threaten you in any way?” Addie had left out the near-kidnapping part of what had happened behind the zoo. Shirley would freak.
“Nah. He thinks I’m one of your minions. And I let him.”
“Minions? That makes me sound like some evil mastermind.”
“You’re way too sensitive, my little girly friend. You never worry about what you sound like when you’re making those protest videos.”
Addie couldn’t really argue. “So he shouldn’t have any reason to harm you, but be careful anyway.”
“I am ever vigilant. And I’ve got a sweet Smith and Wesson Fifty-seven in case of trouble. You ought to think about arming yourself, too.”
“I am armed.” Addie nodded toward the hunk. Er, Risk. “So, what were people saying when Carrigan showed up accusing me of theft?”
Shirley closed the gate. “Took you long enough to ask that. ’Course, you were busy making cow eyes at the hunk.”
“I was not making cow eyes!” Addie lowered her voice lest the hunk hear. “I have to stay in his sights. He is guarding my body, after all.” Guarding her body but threatening her heart. “What did they say? Did they believe him?”
Shirley shrugged. “They know you’re extreme, Addie. It’s not a stretch. But they didn’t want to get caught up in anything illegal, so they scooted pretty quick. Maybe that was his intention all along.”
Her supporters thought she was too extreme. The idea punched her right in the chest. “Carrigan is trying to make me out to be the bad guy! Son of a bitch.”
“I know you’re upset when you cuss,” Shirley teased, no doubt trying to lighten her mood.
Remember how Risk had talked her out of her panic attack earlier, she took several breaths. “I think we’ve got all the animals put away. Thanks for everything you did today.”
“Anything for you, kiddo. Night. Sleep tight with that hunk of yours.”
“I’m not sleeping with him!” Addie whispered as Shirley headed out the other end of the barn. Shirley just shook her head as she exited. Addie turned back toward Risk, who was maneuvering the last goat into the corral. “Need some help?”
“I’ve got it, thanks.”
“I’ll be in the barn when you’re done.” She made one last pass down the long, wide walkway in the center to be sure the animals were tucked in properly, whispering good night to each one. She paused by Rolling Stone’s stall. “Your mane is all tangled, big guy. Let’s give you a quick brush-out.”
Footsteps on the hard-packed dirt drew her gaze to Risk, who was coming up the middle of the walkway, silhouetted by the fading light behind him. He had a slight swagger, like a cowboy who’d been wrangling colts all day.
“Everything’s away,” he said, coming up beside her. “I saw Shirley heading out.”
“Yeah, she lives in a double-wide on the other side of the ranch. Setting up her home here made sense. She’s always on hand.” At the time, she’d needed a place to stay.
Risk glanced around. “You have boo-coops of animals here.”
“Boo-coops? Is that supposed to be French?”
He chuckled. “It’s as exotic as I get, language-wise, other than some dirty words in Arabic.” He inhaled deeply. “I always loved the smell of wood and fresh hay. Reminds me of hanging out in the barn.”
“With the animals?” she asked, thinking it must be a pleasant memory, to judge by the soft smile on his face.
“More specifically, without my father. We had a couple of cows, and it was my job to feed them. They were nice animals.” He watched as she stroked the horse. “Is this one of your stolen animals?”
“No.” She gave him a mock-insulted look. “I don’t steal all of them. Most, like Rolling Stone here, I got through, ah, gentle persuasion. Some people aren’t intentionally cruel. T
hey just can’t manage what they have and don’t know how to ask for help. Or maybe no one’s ever taken care of them, so they don’t know how to take care of others.”
“You have a big heart, Addie.”
His tender words made that heart step up a beat. She focused on the horse. “It took a while for Rolling Stone to trust me. We connect through food and gentle touch.” She took Risk’s hand and ran it along the horse’s neck. She felt odd holding his hand … and nice. “Tell me about your dad. Did he hit you a lot?”
She watched his expression close right up. “Addie—”
Her phone dinged, and she fought the compulsion to look at it. That particular tone meant a Facebook post.
“You’d better check that,” he said. Discussion over. “Might be our guys posting a threat.”
She checked her Facebook app. One of her supporters had sent her an e-mail. “You’re on the news. And you’re not going to like it.”
Addie pulled up the Internet and then the local news station’s website. Risk sidled up next to her, leaning in close. He had an earthy scent, which made sense, since he’d rolled in the dirt.
The attractive female journalist started the news footage. “The saga between Carrigan’s Zoo and Addie Wunder continues. The activist who founded Animal Huggers has launched protests at the zoo’s last four locations. While Carrigan has been cited by the USDA in the past for violations of animal care and improper medical care, his record has been clear for the last year.”
“That’s because they haven’t been checking on him,” Addie grumbled.
The shot panned to Carrigan, his gray sideburns-turned-beard moving with his angry words. “Wunder has overstepped her boundaries! Like a common thief, she stole my tiger cub. And fired shots to keep my people away. My God, she could have hit someone.”
Addie’s mouth dropped open. “He can’t really think I was shooting to warn them away!”
Carrigan turned toward the crowd, whose signs were drooping. “That’s the woman you’re supporting. It’s perfectly legal for me to own a tiger. It’s not legal for her to steal it. I’m just a guy trying to make a living, to support my family and my four employees, and to entertain people. Wunder thinks she’s above the law because she’s trying to save cute animals. Bah. She’s a crazy activist.”
Wild on You Page 6
