Rise of the Jaguar

by Elizabeth Kelly

  “Maybe,” Emerson said. “Or maybe Sarina isn’t his type.”

  “That Betty is everyone’s type,” Saul said. “Men and women.”

  “He’s not wrong,” Ronin said. “Except, apparently, for this Granger asshole. Maybe I should go in there and flirt with him, work him over with the old Ronin charm.”

  “One,” Clay said, “you don’t have a ticket to get in, and two, he’s interested in Sarina. He just wants more.”

  “What do you mean more?” Emerson said.

  Clay pointed to the screen. A man with a woman on each arm was walking past Wilson and Sarina. Emerson could see the brief lust that crossed Wilson’s face before he smoothed it out in a polite smile and continued his conversation with Sarina.

  “Shit, dude’s into threesomes,” Ronin said. “Greedy bastard.” He glanced at Clay. “We need to get a message to Sarina, let her know she needs to find a lady friend to -”

  “She already has.” Clay pointed to the monitor.

  “What do you…”

  Ronin’s voice died in his throat as he turned back to the screen. Emerson might have laughed at the look on his face if she and her jaguar weren’t freaking the fuck out.

  Sarina had said goodbye to Wilson and headed straight to the bar where Kat nursed a drink. Sarina slipped her arm around Kat’s waist without hesitating and drew her in for a long, slow kiss.

  “Oh, holy fuckbuckets,” Ronin said in a low voice as Sarina released Kat’s mouth and then pressed a kiss against her temple. Whether they’d lucked out or if Kat had done it on purpose, Emerson wasn’t sure, but her sister stood directly across from a security camera. Sarina’s back was to Wilson, but Emerson and the others had an unfettered view of her face. Even with the slight graininess of the security feed, she had no trouble seeing Sarina saying something into Kat’s ear as she made a show of tenderly brushing Kat’s hair back from her face.

  The briefest glimpse of hesitation crossed Kat’s face before she pressed her mouth against Sarina’s, and the two women kissed again.

  “You guys?” Ronin’s voice was hoarse. “This is the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  “Do we need to leave you alone with the monitor?” Clay said dryly.

  Ronin cleared his throat, his gaze still pinned to Sarina and Kat. Holding hands, they sipped at their drinks as they ignored Wilson completely. “Saul, buddy, tell me you can email me a copy of the security feed.”

  Saul laughed. “Looks like Sarina found a way to get Granger’s attention.”

  “What is she thinking?” A hiss escaped Emerson’s mouth. Wilson walked toward Kat and Sarina, and Emerson’s jaguar growled out a warning. “What if Wilson knows what Kat looks like? What if he takes her or hurts her, or -”

  Clay’s arm squeezed her close, and he brushed his lips across her forehead. “It’s okay, baby. He’s with them, and it doesn’t look like he recognizes Kat.”

  Her body vibrating, Emerson watched as Sarina introduced Kat to Wilson. Kat shook his hand, a seductive smile on her face as she boldly looked him up and down before saying something that made him laugh.

  He ordered them fresh drinks and then pointed to an empty table not far from the bar. As the three of them walked toward it, Emerson tried to take a deep breath. Kat was fine. She was perfectly fine.

  “Kat’s headed to the bathroom.” Emerson peered at the screen, her hands in a tight fist. “Does that mean she has the phone?”

  “Yes,” Clay said.

  “How do you know?” She squinted at the screen again as Kat disappeared from the view of the security feed.

  “While Wilson had his tongue down Sarina’s throat, she lifted his phone and handed it to Kat.” Ronin scanned the other monitors. “Does anyone have eyes on Kat? I’ve lost her.”

  “There,” Emerson said. “She’s leaving through the kitchen.”

  Kat slipped out a side door, largely ignored by the kitchen and wait staff who bustled around.

  Less than three minutes later, she slid open the van door, holding her heels in one hand. She climbed in as Clay gave her an admiring look. “You really are fast.”

  Not even out of breath, she just nodded as she stared uncertainly at Ronin. “Ronin, honey, I’m sorry about kissing Sarina.”

  He grinned at her. “Kitten, you have nothing to be sorry for, but just know that later tonight, a certain sexy little pussy cat might get a spanking for her naughtiness.”

  “Gross,” Emerson said.

  Kat pressed a kiss against Ronin’s mouth before reaching into her cleavage and producing Wilson’s phone. “Got it.”

  “Plug it in,” Saul said.

  She glanced at the screen, and Saul waved at her. “Hey, gorgeous. I’m Saul. If you ever get tired of the old guy, let me know.”

  “In your dreams, kid.” Kat took the cord attached to the laptop and plugged in the phone.

  “Old guy?” Ronin touched his face. “I’ve been using moisturizer for the last two months on my fine lines. Has it been for nothing?”

  “So, that’s where all my moisturizer went.” Kat set the phone down. “It’s good to go.”

  Saul cracked his knuckles as Clay said, “How long, Saul?”

  “The hardest part will be breaking his passcode for the phone. Ten minutes tops.”

  “Make it five,” Clay said.

  Saul glared at him. “Make it five? I’m not a fucking magician, Clay. So, don’t give me that bullshit about…”

  “Try Edith1902 as the password,” Emerson said.

  Saul stared at her. “Why?”

  “It’s his grandmother’s name and her birthdate. She’s the only family member he’s ever mentioned to me, and there are a half-dozen pictures of her and him when he was a kid in his office.”

  Saul rolled his eyes. “It’s a secret phone that he uses for his illicit drug shipping. He’s not gonna use his grandma’s name.”

  “Just try it,” Clay said.

  Saul muttered something under his breath before typing on the keyboard. There was a moment of silence, and then he said, “Fuck me, it worked.”

  He glanced at Emerson. “Your boss is an idiot.”

  She didn’t bother correcting him as she reached out and took Kat’s hand. “Are you okay, honey?”

  “Yes,” Kat said. “He doesn’t know who I am.”

  “He could,” Emerson said. “He could know exactly who you are and is playing you and Sarina.”

  “The guy’s too drunk to play anyone,” Kat said. “Sarina’s been plying him with drinks all night. He’s got two guys for security, and they are going fucking batshit, but he just keeps waving them off.”

  “Did you see or smell a big tiger shifter with dark hair and grey eyes?” Emerson said anxiously.

  “No,” Kat said.

  “Maybe Dax really did die,” Clay said. “Maybe we got fucking lucky.”

  “Maybe,” Emerson said.

  “Finished,” Saul said. “The app’s loaded.”

  “You can see his texts?” Clay said.

  “Every fucking one of them,” Saul said as Kat unplugged the phone and tucked it back into her cleavage.

  “I have to go.” She kissed Ronin, squeezed Em’s hand, and left the van.

  “Any information on the serum shipping?” Clay said.

  “Plug your phone in,” Saul said to Clay. “I’ll patch you in so you can see everything.”

  “You can do that?” Ronin said.

  Saul nodded as his fingers danced over the keyboard. “Yeah, part of the app I designed.”

  “Fuck, we gotta get this guy working for the security firm,” Ronin said.

  “You can’t afford me,” Saul said as Clay plugged in his phone.

  Two minutes later, Saul said, “You’re in, Clay.”

  Clay grabbed his phone and opened the app. With Emerson looking over his shoulder, they scanned his messages.

  “There,” Emerson said. “Martin Grimes.”

  Clay clicked on Martin’
s name, and they read through the text messages.

  “Well?” Ronin said after nearly five minutes.

  “The first shipment is scheduled for Wednesday night. Martin and his men are bringing the serum around eight. They’ll load the truck and send it out that night,” Clay said.

  “Where’s it going?” Ronin said.

  “New York City,” Emerson said.

  “Makes sense,” Ronin said. ‘The city has one of the highest percentages of anti-paranormal groups. Grimes would have plenty of buyers there.”

  “Okay,” Emerson said. “So, now that we know when, we can have Bren contact local authorities and -”

  “They won’t do anything,” Clay said. “Not without some kind of proof, and we can’t exactly give them the text messages we illegally obtained.”

  “Besides, we involve the police, and your boyfriend is going to prison for the rest of his life,” Ronin said. “Hell, we’re lucky that Bren didn’t arrest him as soon as we said he’s back in town.”

  “So, then what was the point of this?” Emerson said. “If we’re not going to stop Granger from delivering the serum, then -”

  “We’ll stop him,” Ronin said, “We’ll talk to Mal and Bishop as soon as we get back.” He glanced at the monitors, a scowl crossing his face. “Shit, where are Kat and Sarina?”

  He scanned all the monitors, his fingers tapping rapidly on his knee. “Fuck, I don’t see them or that asshole Granger. Do any of you -”

  The door to the van slid open. Relief crossed Ronin’s face when Kat and Sarina climbed inside. “Christ, don’t do that to me.”

  “You got the phone back to Wilson?” Clay said.

  Sarina nodded. “Yeah. He was so fucking drunk I could have handed it to him, and he wouldn’t have known what was happening.”

  “Where is he now?” Emerson scanned the screens.

  “He went to use the bathroom shortly after Kat came back,” Sarina said. “Both guys from his security team went with him. Probably so one could hold him up while the other one holds his dick to stop him from pissing on his own feet.”

  “Sarina and I booked it out of there as soon as they were gone,” Kat said.

  Emerson blew out her breath. “Thank God, it’s over. Can we go home now?”

  “Yes,” Clay said. “Thanks, Saul.”

  “You bet.” Saul clicked off his monitor as Ronin sat back.

  “What do we do with this stuff?”

  “My guy will be here in a couple of hours to move the van and clear out the equipment,” Clay said.

  Sarina eyed Kat. “If you’re not busy tonight, Clay isn’t returning me to Paris until tomorrow. I’m having breakfast with my sister, but I could push it to lunch. We could have drinks in my hotel room, get to know each other a little better.”

  Emerson pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as Kat flushed red. “Oh, um, thanks, but I’m with Ronin.” She pointed to Ronin and then said, “I like men.”

  “I like men too.” Sarina looked Ronin up and down. “I’m delighted to get to know Ronin a little better as well if you two are a package deal.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but my jaguar doesn’t like to share her mate,” Kat said with another glance at Ronin. “She’ll be pissed if someone else touches him.”

  Ronin grinned at Sarina. “She has some pretty sharp claws and teeth, so I’d recommend against touching this kick-ass body of mine.”

  “Pity.” Sarina touched Kat’s blonde wig. “I enjoyed our evening together, Katarina.”

  “Um, yes, me too,” Kat said.

  Emerson had to put her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter. She’d never seen Kat look so disarmed before.

  Clay touched Em’s arm. “I’ll take Sarina back first. Be back soon.”

  “Okay.” She smiled at him and, when he turned away, told herself it didn’t matter that he didn’t kiss her goodbye. They weren’t a couple.

  He turned back and pressed a kiss against her mouth. “I won’t be long.”

  She purred to him and touched his face. “See you soon.”

  He and Sarina stepped out of the van. When the door shut behind them, Emerson grinned at Kat. “How are you doing?”

  Kat blinked at her. “I can’t believe I was just offered a threesome.” She turned to Ronin. “Are you mad that I said no?”

  “Nah,” Ronin said. “Sure, it would have been sexy as hell to have you both in our bed, but watching you shred her skin to the bone when she touched me would have really spoiled the mood.”

  Kat grimaced. “My jaguar was pissed as soon as she gave you that look. If she’d touched you…”

  “Hey, it’s all good.” Ronin leaned over and kissed her. “I like how over the top jealous your jaguar is, remember? Besides, you’re more than enough for me in bed. Remember the other night when you handcuffed me to the bed and I -”

  “Nope, no way. Stop talking, Ronin,” Emerson said.

  He laughed. “Oh please, Em, you were the one who gave the handcuffs to Kat for her birthday last year.”

  Emerson grinned at him. “True, but I don’t need a play-by-play on how she used them.”

  The van door opened, and Clay held out his hand. “Your turn, Em.”

  She took his hand and climbed out of the van, wrapping her arms around his waist as he pressed a kiss against her temple. “Hang on tight, baby.”

  Chapter 24

  “Okay, so we have a plan in place for tonight.” Mal studied the others around the table in Kat’s kitchen.

  Emerson kept a close eye on the detective, Bren, as he stared thoughtfully at Clay.

  Clay’s body was relaxed, but she could smell the tension emitting from him in thick waves. She held his hand in a tight grip as he said, “We do. Does this plan include you arresting me as soon as we have Granger in custody, Detective Matthews?”

  Her jaguar growled out a warning that she couldn’t control. A smile crossed Bren’s face as his gaze turned to her briefly before returning to Clay. “Pretty sure if I arrest you, her jaguar will turn me into shredded meat.”

  Bishop snorted. “Emerson isn’t stupid. She knows Kaida will burn her alive if she touches you.”

  Bren’s grin widened. “There are definite benefits to being mated to a dragon shifter.”

  Emerson quelled her sudden and ridiculous urge to ask Bren how exactly he mated with Kaida. She’d heard the rumours that dragon shifters breathed fire when they had sex.

  “No one’s arresting anyone in this room, right, Bren?” Kat said.

  Emerson squeezed Clay’s hand. “Clay is a good man, Detective Matthews. He’s made some mistakes in his past, as I’m sure you have.”

  “True,” Bren said. “Of course, my mistakes don’t include killing people for money.”

  “Show me your proof,” Emerson said as her jaguar snarled again.

  “I could arrest him for kidnapping Kat and Ronin,” Bren said.

  “Technically,” Ronin said, “he didn’t kidnap me. I went to the laboratory on my own.”

  “And I don’t remember him kidnapping me,” Kat said. “I remember Wyatt kidnapping me, but my memory of Clay’s role in that night beyond saving our lives and killing a murderous beast is… muddy.”

  Emerson felt a surge of love for her sister that almost knocked her off her chair. She couldn’t stop her jaguar’s trill to her sister. Kat returned the sound before smiling and purring softly to her.

  Emerson tried to keep her nerves from showing. If Bren didn’t promise to leave Clay alone, then as soon as they found Owen, the three of them would go. Bren couldn’t arrest Clay if he couldn’t find him.

  Uh, Emerson? Are you forgetting that as soon as Clay finds Owen, you’ll never see him again? He’s not sticking around to play house with you once he has his brother back.

  “Am I to assume that you’ve retired from your former life, Clay?” Bren said.

  “Yes,” Clay said.

  Bren sat back, his gaze on Clay’s face. “I haven’t forgot
ten that you also saved my life in that weird underground laboratory that nightmares are made of.”

  Clay didn’t reply, but some of his tension dissipated. Emerson held her breath as Bren scratched at the stubble on his throat before saying, “Even if I did arrest you, you’d just teleport the fuck out of the cell. I’ll trust you when you say you’re retired, but if you stay in my city, don’t think I won’t be keeping a close eye on you.”

  “It won’t be a problem,” Clay said.

  See, Em? He’s not staying. You’ll never see him again.

  Her jaguar made a mournful cry of grief. Kat inhaled deeply before studying her, a what’s wrong look on her face.

  Thin lines appeared between Kat’s eyes as she stared worriedly at her. Ronin leaned over and pressed a kiss against those lines. “As soon as this is over, you and I are going on a vacation, Kitten. A little cabin in the woods, nothing but you, me, and the lake to go skinny dipping in. You in?”

  “So in,” Kat said. “In fact, we should -”

  “Emerson?” Clay said sharply. “What’s wrong?”

  He slipped his arm around her as she stared up at him. “You’ve lost all the colour in your face.”

  Kat jumped up and got her a fresh glass of water, urging her to drink some of it as Emerson stared silently at Clay.

  “What?” he said. “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “Wilson’s vacation home,” she said.

  “What about it?” Bishop said.

  “It’s just outside of Eastbourne. He has a waterfront home on Emerald Lake. It’s very remote, surrounded by trees, and he bought the lots on either side of him, so there are no close neighbours.”

  “Sounds great,” Ronin said, “but I’m pretty sure old Wilson won’t be keen on renting out his lake home to us. I mean, I’ll ask him tonight, but -”

  “Wilson allows Owen to video chat with Jonathan,” Emerson said. “Owen told me once that he saw trees and a lake behind Jonathan.”

  Clay’s excitement washed over her like a tidal wave, and her jaguar purred happily to him. “He has Jonathan at the lake house.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “It would be worth checking out, right?”