Tiger Haven

by Ariel Marie

  His tiger slammed into his chest at the sight of Charlee on the ground, leaning back against a tree with Luka pressing a blood-soaked rag to her arm. His tiger wanted to rush back to the dead gunman and rip him to shreds for harming Charlee. But instead, he rushed to her side, falling to his knees. Malena’s sobs filled the air as she turned away, walking over to the others.

  “Charlee,” he murmured. His hand shook slightly as he gently pushed her hair away from her pale face. Her pain-filled eyes opened and turned to him.

  “West. You’re okay,” she sighed, a small smile gracing her lips. Her eyes closed again as pain racked her body. West shot Luka a hard look. Luka nodded his understanding of West’s message.

  Be careful.

  “I’m here.” He motioned for Luka to remove the cloth so that they could see the wound.

  “It went clean through,” Luka murmured, leaning close to examine Charlee’s arm.

  “What happened to the shooter?” she asked, grimacing as she shifted.

  “He’s been taken care of,” West said, keeping his voice low where she and Luka were the only ones to hear. Her eyes snapped open at his announcement.

  “Is that why your hand is bruised and bloodied?” she whispered.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said, ignoring her observation. His hand would heal soon due to his shifter genes. In about an hour, it would be just a light bruising, and by nightfall, there would be no evidence that his fist had killed a human.

  “Hold this so I can get the first-aid kit out of my bag,” Luka barked out, switching positions with West.

  West hated causing her any bit of pain, but they had to stop the bleeding. One centimeter to the left and the bullet would have hit her brachial artery. Hitting an artery would have meant more blood and she would have bled to death before getting her back to the main sanctuary.

  “Here, this has a bio agent that will help plug the hole,” Luka said, turning back to them.

  West moved out the way to allow his friend to work. Creating wonders that could save people’s lives was Luka’s specialty. West knew that this agent was something that Luka had just got approval for, for use in the field in the armed forces.

  “Luka will fix you up good,” West murmured, grabbing her hand. She squeezed hard as Luka began to clean the area. West glanced around and nodded to the other team members. Everyone was accounted for. Shook up, but otherwise alive and unharmed.

  “Did you get anything out of him before you took care of him?” Luka asked in a low voice.

  “No, but I got his identification card in my pocket. There was nothing but ammo in his bag.”

  “So this was planned,” Luka stipulated.

  “But why?” she hissed as he began wrapping gauze around her bicep.

  “I think they’re after you,” West admitted.

  “Me? But why?” she cried out. West motioned for her to keep her voice down. He didn’t want to attract the others. He didn’t want anyone to know his theory yet. Hell, he was still trying to piece it together himself.

  Poachers wanted tiger’s pelts and bones. A famous biologist and her team coming to help save the animals by fighting for stricter laws to protect the animals would mean that the poachers would lose a lot of money.

  Tons.

  Enough that they would be willing to kill for it. West refused to let that happen. Charlee meant too much to him. She had crawled in and took up space in his heart, and right now, he didn’t want her to leave. He didn’t even want to know what his future would be without her.

  “Don’t worry about it now,” he murmured, running a finger down her face. He couldn’t resist touching her. His tiger, now calmed, still didn’t like the fact that she was injured. He wanted to nuzzle her and rub up against her, just to check her out for himself, but West pushed him back.

  Not today, but soon, he promised his animal.

  “Okay, I think that should hold. We should drive straight to the sanctuary so that we can have someone else take a look,” Luka suggested.

  “Thank you, Luka,” she whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks. West tried to wipe them away, but they continued to flow.

  “You’re welcome. Last thing, let’s make you a sling so that we can keep that arm up.”

  West and Luka made a makeshift sling to keep her arm elevated and close to her body. West helped her stand, bringing her body against his so that she could get her bearings.

  “Dizzy?” he asked. She nodded as she leaned into him.

  “Here,” Malena offered, pulling a water bottle out of her backpack. He took the bottle and helped Charlee take a few sips before handing it back to Malena. Charlee swayed a little as she tried to stand on her own. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms and turned to the group.

  “Okay, everyone. Let’s make it back to the trucks. Eyes open, guns out. We’re all accounted for, so shoot first and ask questions later.”

  22

  “Take two of these pain pills and rest tonight,” Dr. Kargina Romanova instructed Charlee. West leaned back against the wall of his suite at the sanctuary. He didn’t want her anywhere else but his quarters. One of the benefits of the family donating millions of dollars was a private suite on the property in the housing building for the employees of the sanctuary.

  Due to Charlee’s injury, they chose to take her back to the main building of the sanctuary. Before arriving, they had made a pit stop at the base camp so that everyone could go there as originally planned, but since Charlee was shot, West, Luka, and Malena brought her back to the main building for medical attention.

  They had driven nonstop, calling in ahead that they had an injured person. The local medical team had met them outside once they drove up to the building. Dr. Romanova was the Russian concierge physician on staff at the sanctuary.

  A knock at the door broke through West’s thoughts. He walked over to the door and opened it slightly. He relaxed at the sight of a refreshed Malena standing at the door.

  “How is she?” she asked, walking through the door.

  “She’s doing fine,” Charlee mumbled, trying to sit up in bed on her one good arm before flopping back against the plush pillows.

  “Now take it easy,” Dr. Romanova gently scolded. “Here, let me help you.”

  West walked to the foot of the bed as the doctor and Malena helped Charlee get more comfortable. Both he and his tiger felt helpless as they watched Charlee wrestle with her pain. He would have taken the bullet for her without a second thought, just to spare her the pain.

  “Take it easy tonight and get some rest,” the doctor instructed as she gathered her medical bag. “Don’t let her out of this bed unless she needs to use the restroom, then straight back.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Doctor, we’ll make sure she rests,” Malena said as she helped Charlee sip a glass of water to take the pain pills.

  “You couldn’t pay me to get out of this bed.” Charlee yawned and slid farther beneath the covers. “I have truly missed the comforts of a real bed after spending so much time in the wild and sleeping on the ground in tents.

  “Mr. Rogavac, can I ask you a question?” The doctor switched over to Russian and motioned for West to follow her to the door. He took one last glance at Charlee to see her and Malena speaking quietly.

  “Is there something I can do for you, Doctor?” he asked as he followed her into the hallway. He shut the door quietly behind him.

  “The materials that I found in her wound is something that I have never seen before. Where did it come from?” Her eyes were wide in anticipation. He held in his chuckle at the excitement on her face. “It cauterized the small vessels to completely stop the bleeding, and it looks as if it has an enzyme in it—”

  He held up his hand and shook his head. “You’re going to have to speak to my lead biomedical engineer, Luka Batalo. He designed it in our labs.”

  “I would love to speak with him,” she said, reaching into her bag. She handed him her business card. “Please, have him ca
ll me. I have so many questions.”

  “I’ll pass it on to him.” West nodded.

  “Please do, and call me anytime for Dr. Black if she needs anything.”

  “Will do,” he said with a nod as the physician walked off. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he looked down at the glass screen and saw Luka’s name appear. He slid his finger against the smooth screen. “Yeah.”

  “Hey, I just spoke with Drago and updated him on what happened. He wants to meet with us. He got the information we needed out of the human.”

  “Where?” West slowly twisted the handle to this suite and opened the door slightly so that he could check on Charlee. Malena had crawled into the bed with her, and they both were dozing off.

  “Over in Kutsk at the Tiger Eye Tavern.”

  “Fine. I’ll be down in five.” West pressed the end button and crept into the room. He didn’t want to disturb Charlee, but he couldn’t resist checking on her.

  The tavern that Drago wanted to meet at was owned by a local tiger shifter that West knew. Kutsk was the next town over, and the tavern would be a safe place to meet and discuss sensitive information.

  He walked over to her side of the bed and found her asleep. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He glanced over and found Malena staring at him.

  “She’s head over heels for you, you know,” Malena said softly.

  “And I for her,” he replied.

  “Don’t hurt her.” She yawned and snuggled down farther into the bed and closed her eyes.

  “Never. This I promise.”

  “Drago,” West greeted his friend with an outstretched hand. The security specialist gripped his hand in a firm shake as they sat down at the small table located in the back of the tavern. They would have plenty of privacy. Drago’s men, Ivan and Gerald, stood watch with their backs to the table. No one would dare interrupt.

  Drago raised a finger, summoning the waitress. The woman looked to be in her mid-thirties. She had dirty blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail, with jeans and a black T-shirt with the tavern’s logo splashed across the front.

  “What can I get you?” she asked, quickly taking their orders. She didn’t appear to be intimidated at all by the large guards standing around them. West knew that this establishment drew in shifters of all kinds.

  “I hear that there was some action after we left,” Drago stated.

  West went into detail on the shooting, but paused as the waitress returned with their drinks. She quickly handed them out and promised to return soon to check in on them.

  “The fucker shot Charlee,” West growled, trying to tame his feline. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the identification card and the newspaper clipping before placing them on the table.

  Drago dragged them across and studied them.

  “This definitely confirms that they’re after her,” Drago murmured.

  “Yes, but I need to know who the hell they are,” West snapped, taking a drink of his straight vodka. The cool liquid burned slightly as it slid down his throat. He was not worried about drinking too much tonight. With his shifter metabolism, he would burn off the alcohol before they even left the bar.

  “The human we captured sung me a very pretty song,” Drago drawled, his eyes intense.

  “Talk,” West demanded. This was the closest they had been to finding out who was orchestrating the attacks.

  “Vitya Nikitovich was hired to follow the good doctor and sabotage her expedition. This assignment was for him to become a Vor.” Drago took a sip of his drink.

  “A made man,” West murmured. His tiger began to pace beneath his skin as he waited for Drago to continue. West grew up in a Russian family that still had ties to the homeland. He certainly knew of a few Russian Mafia pakhans, or bosses.

  “And you’ll never guess which Bratva he was trying to be made in to.” West already knew that he wouldn’t like the answer. Every brushing he had with the Bratva’s, or brotherhoods of Russia, left him feeling dirty.

  “Which one?” Luka asked.

  “The Ruslanovich Bratva,” Drago informed the table. West’s paused, drink to his lips, at the words of his security specialist.

  “Is that so?” West murmured, taking a sip from his glass. He didn’t taste any of the liquid as Drago continued.

  “According to the human, the Ruslanovich Bratva was working with the top Chinese poachers. They had a trade deal between the Russian Mafia and the Chinese Triad. This deal is worth millions, and the poaching side of their industry is being threatened by your woman, Dr. Black.”

  West grew still as his mind flew with the worst-case scenario, and he knew without asking that it was probably about to play out. He knew the leader of the Ruslanovich Bratva, better than he would like to.

  “What else?” West questioned. He knew there would be more. He gripped his glass tight as he waited for Drago to answer.

  “The Bratva put out a contract on Dr. Charlee Black.”

  The sound of glass shattering filled the air at the admission. West glanced down and found that he had crushed the glass in his hand. He shook off the small shards as his tiger let loose a growl.

  The waitress, hearing the glass shatter, rushed over with extra napkins and wiped the table clean. He slowly wiped his hands with the napkins, ensuring that there was no glass embedded in his palm. The waitress hurried away, promising to bring another round of drinks for them.

  Charlee was a brilliant species specialist, and she was making a hell of a difference in the world for endangered animals. Her lectures and speaking engagements took her all around the world. She focused not only on the animals themselves, but shed light on the black market and was getting more countries to side with her and ban poaching.

  Because of her lifelong work, countries with high poaching rates were cracking down on the black market business. If the Bratva was able to take her out, it would be a while before someone else would gain enough momentum to make a difference. Without Charlee, everything could slowly go back to the way it was before she had taken the world by storm.

  The Ruslanovich Bratva was run by Tabakov Danilovich, grandson to the founder, Solomin Ruslanovich. Tabakov was a businessman with corrupt dealings all over the world, some even in the United States. West tried to avoid him over the years. He didn’t want his family’s name and business associated with the crooked businessman.

  The Ruslanovich and the Rogavac’s, unfortunately, shared a history, one that dated back to the era of West and Tabakov’s grandfathers, Galdin Rogavac and Solomin Ruslanovich, in the days of Joseph Stalin. During the reign of Stalin, both Galdin and Solomin were small-time criminals and were thrust into the gulags, Soviet labor camps.

  There was a fight for power amongst groups in the gulags, where a war of sorts broke out. It was Galdin who had saved Solomin’s life while they were in the labor camp. As a thank you for saving his life, Solomin promised that whenever a Rogavac called on the Ruslanovich family, any request would be honored. Over the years, the Rogavacs had never had any need to ask of anything from the Ruslanovich family.

  West knew what he would have to do. He would have to pay a visit to the Russian pakhan. He sat back in his chair, dreading the meeting, but knew that he didn’t have a choice. If he wanted to save Charlee, then he would have to go see Tabakov Danilovich. But this visit wouldn’t be for a business deal. No, West had something in his grasp that was more valuable than gold.

  Charlee’s life.

  West pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his secretary. He didn’t care what time it was back home. He paid her good money to be available to him around the clock. She answered on the first ring.

  “Find me Tabakov Danilovich and set up a meeting,” he said and ended the call. Diana was one hell of an executive secretary, and he knew that even though the call was brief, he didn’t have to repeat himself.

  It was time for the Ruslanovich Bratva to pay their debt.

  23

  Charl
ee groaned as she shifted in the plush bed that seemed to engulf her and take her hostage. Dr. Romanova had just left a few minutes ago after coming to check in on her and ensuring that she was comfortable. The slight dull pain pulsed in her left bicep, causing her to gasp as she attempted to sit up in the bed.

  The worst of the pain seemed to be over. The pain medications Dr. Romanova prescribed appeared to be doing their job. Charlee reached for her pill bottle and glass of water, downing one of the pain pills. If she took two, she was sure to become drowsy. According to the Russian doctor, she was cleared to walk around the sanctuary’s main buildings, but she could not go out into the field yet. She wanted Charlee to rest for a few more days.

  This morning, she woke up to find West gone. At some point in the night, Malena must have left. She remembered the feel of his strong arms surrounding her and him placing a kiss at the base of her neck before she drifted off into her medicated slumber. It was his arms that kept the nightmares of the shooting at bay.

  “Let me get dressed,” she muttered, standing from the bed. A comfortable outfit was laid out on the chaise in the corner.

  Malena.

  “That woman knows me,” she laughed, walking over to the bathroom.

  She was not allowed a shower yet. Dr. Romanova didn’t want the bandage and wound to get wet. She washed up as best she could at the sink, but her shoulder began to throb from the constant movement. She cursed, knowing that she was supposed to leave it in the sling, but how could she wash her body without moving it? She had to hit certain areas with soap and water!

  “Hello!” Malena shouted from the bedroom.

  “I’m in here,” she answered with a grimace. She attempted to wrap the towel around her and failed.

  “You should have waited until I came back,” Malena scolded.

  “You’re not washing me. I love you, but I’m drawing the line at that,” Charlee chuckled through her pain.