Leopard's Blood

  "I'm happy he's dead," Molly confessed. "Does that make me a bad person?"

  "If it does, then we're both bad," Sonia said. "Kai was supposed to be right behind us, Molly. I wouldn't ever have exposed you to danger. I wasn't trying to get away from him. Right as we were leaving, Gray told him he'd found something. When they both started back toward the house where Gray thought the recorder was, Blake's men opened fire on them."

  "Are you blaming yourself for what happened?" Molly's face paled. "You saved me. If you hadn't stopped by to see those wormholes for me, Blake would have taken me back with him. That was his intention. I would never have gotten away."

  "Yes, you would have," Sonia said. "I would have gone looking for you. I would have known it was Garritson who took you and I would have found a way to get you back. Joshua would have helped." She smirked deliberately. "That is his forte. This time, instead of a bad boy, I chose someone like Bastien. We both maybe got good ones." She wasn't going to think about how he might be crazy enough to go after a Russian mobster for her. She was going to just let that go for the night and get through this one without any more drama.

  "You're such a good friend." Molly had tears in her eyes. "Bastien wanted me to go home with him, but I'm going to stay here and take care of you instead."

  "That's not necessary, Molly. I'm going to just go to sleep for a little while. I want you to go home with Bastien. I know you'll be safe with him. The fact that he declared in front of his partners that you were his girlfriend means something big."

  "It means he's crazy," Molly said, but her face flushed and her eyes went bright. "He had to say something. He felt bad about not stopping Blake from recording me in my bedroom. The recordings were uploaded to a site for Blake to see. Bastien was very upset about that on my behalf. I think he just felt really bad and wanted to do something nice for me."

  Sonia rolled her eyes. "Seriously? That doesn't even make sense. Bastien had no way to stop something he didn't know was going on and you know it. Stop being a chicken. You were the one telling me to take a chance on Joshua."

  "Wow. And again, I have to say it: Joshua is hotter than hell, Sonia. Of course you have to take a chance on him. No shirt? Barefoot? He runs across the swamp or whatever he did to come to your aid because you texted him? How cool is that?"

  "And there you go, changing the subject. Although I wouldn't mind talking about the no-shirt part for hours, because I have lots to say on the subject, we were discussing Bastien. I have a lot to say about him as well."

  "You do?" Molly's voice had a little squeak in it.

  "He ran right past a dead body to get to you, Molly. He didn't look at me with my bleeding thigh, or Joshua with his bleeding arm. He just demanded to know where you were and ran for the stairs to see for himself you were alive and well. I think, given the fact that he's considered a really good detective, that is saying a lot."

  A small smile lit Molly's face. "He did, didn't he? That's sort of sweet."

  "Sort of? The man has a career he loves and he just forgot all about it in order to make sure you were safe. That deserves something more than 'sweet,'" Sonia said decisively.

  Molly's smile widened. "I agree, but going home with him? I wouldn't know what to do. It's been a long time and I get afraid very easily. What if I freak out on him because the wind rattles the window?"

  "I guess he'll have to hold you even tighter than I expect he already will be doing." She reached for the pills Joshua had left on the end table. The aspirin would help, hopefully, with the pain. She sent a wry smile to Molly. "I'm not really all that stoic about being shot. It hurts like hell and it isn't more than a flesh wound."

  "I overheard Bastien telling someone that you were lucky and that the bullet took off a chunk of skin. He said you might have a scar there."

  Sonia frowned, giving her friend her best stern look. "You are not responsible in any way. Blake's responsible. He was an obsessed stalker." Her frown deepened. "I wonder if I can be considered a stalker. I think I'm a little obsessed with Joshua. At least with his cock." She peeked at Molly from beneath her lashes to see if she was beginning to laugh. "His abs too. I think about all that muscle a lot. And I like his hair. His eyes are way cool, and his mouth. Wow, his mouth. I'm really obsessed with his mouth. He does this thing with his tongue . . ."

  "Sonia, stop." Molly's laughter was genuine. She sank onto the end of the bed. "You are so wrong."

  "His tongue is so right. That's what you need, girlfriend, a little tongue action."

  "I can see myself asking for that. Oh, Bastien, by the way, I'm terrified of being alone with you, but do you think you could get busy with the tongue?" She erupted with more laughter.

  Sonia was grateful for the silliness. Molly had been feeling needless guilt. "It would be rather awkward if you weren't alone with him and you asked him to get busy. If you're going in that direction, make certain it isn't in front of me. At least, not if Joshua isn't around. I'd be all jealous, and who wants to be jealous of their bestie getting a little action?"

  Molly tossed one of the decorative pillows at her. "Stop."

  "Not until you agree to go home with Bastien. You already have a bag packed, it isn't as if you'd have to go home."

  "Fine. I'll do it. I'll be brave, but if I freak out and you hear me screaming all the way from his house, which I have no idea where it is, you have to come rescue me."

  "That's a promise. I won't let you go until I have his address. His number is already programmed into my phone. He gave me his card that day he came to check on you."

  "Us. He came to check on both of us."

  "Girl, you spend your life in denial, but since you agreed to go with him, I'm skipping the lecture." Sonia leaned her head against the pillow. "Is this over? Will your family or his family do anything else to you?"

  "I don't know," Molly admitted. "I'll be careful. I'm used to being careful."

  "You've got me to watch out for you."

  "Thanks, Sonia. By the way, I put your gun under the pillow when I heard Bastien coming up the stairs. I thought you probably didn't have a license for it."

  "You'd be right. Thanks, honey. Are you going to go tell your man you're going home with him, because I think he plans to sleep downstairs if you stay."

  Before Molly could answer, Evan's voice called up the stairs. "Your boss is here, Sonia. Can you come down?"

  "He'd better not be referring to Joshua," Sonia whispered.

  "I heard that," Joshua called. "And I am your boss. In this case, he's referring to Jerry. If you want to come down, I'll come up there and get you."

  "How could he possibly hear that?" Molly asked. "You were whispering."

  "Big ears," Sonia said in a loud voice. "I don't need you to help me walk," she added. She wasn't about to be carried like some little child in front of everyone. She threw back the blanket and swung her legs over to one side. Her thigh hurt, but it wasn't that bad. Her face hurt more. She could hear Jerry muttering something about "damned kids." There was genuine worry in his voice. She saw the same anxiety on Molly's face. She had friends. Good friends. She'd done that on her own.

  Joshua padded in on bare feet, so silent she scented him but never heard him. His shaggy blond hair fell over his forehead, drawing attention to his eyes. She could see his leopard was staying close, watchful, the crystalline blue giving the cat away. Fresh blood was seeping through the sleeve.

  She drew back before he could lift her. "You're bleeding again."

  "I popped out the stitches."

  "What were you doing?" There was a wealth of suspicion in her voice.

  "Things, baby. Taking care of business." He slipped his arms under her knees and lifted her against his chest. He was gentle, taking care to bring her in close against him where she was safe. "Put your arms around my neck."

  She did, burying her face against his shoulder and inhaling to draw his scent deep. "How can you smell so good after a long run, a fight with a madman and getting shot? That's not fai
r."

  "Not fair is a gun going off and hearing your woman's breath catch, knowing she just took a bullet. Scared the ever-living fuck right out of me."

  She smiled against his shoulder. "I hope not."

  "It isn't funny, Sonia." There was no answering laughter in his voice. "That second took a few years off my life. I never want it to happen again."

  She pulled back to meet his eyes. "Uh-oh. That sounds like you telling me you're doubling security around me or something."

  "Or something," he agreed as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

  "What are you planning? Whatever it is, just forget it. This was Molly's drama, not mine. I'm perfectly fine. No one's even thought about me for over a year. I'm dead to them, remember?"

  Before he could answer, Jerry rolled his wheelchair right to them. Fast. Nearly knocking Joshua over. He was wild-eyed, his hair disheveled. If Jerry could look pale under his permanent tan from all the years working outdoors, he did. "How bad is she hurt? Why isn't she in a hospital? If it's the money, Sonia, we can handle that."

  "If she needed to go to the hospital, Jerry, she'd be there," Joshua said.

  He set her in a dining room chair. Forensics had taken photographs and there was an outline of a body on the great room floor. Tape roped off the large room, denying any of them access. Jerry kept looking from the mess in the great room to Sonia's face.

  She glared up at Joshua. "I'm perfectly fine, Jerry. They put a Band-Aid on my thigh. Thanks for coming to check on me, though. I really appreciate it, although I didn't expect it."

  Jerry rubbed his chin. The stubble was present. The appearance came around the five o'clock mark just as if Jerry's shadow was the one talked about most. Instead of being attractive, as she found Joshua's, Jerry's was mostly salt and pepper, giving him a patchy look.

  "I can't afford for you to be off work," he said gruffly. "You run my crews, remember?"

  "I will be at work tomorrow," she affirmed, knowing he said it to deflect what he was feeling. He had driven all the way out to her house in his special van just to make certain she was alive and safe.

  "She won't be," Joshua contradicted. "She's taking tomorrow off."

  "She isn't." She gave him a look that should have withered him on the spot, or had him dropping dead. "She will be at work as usual, Jerry."

  Joshua shook his head. "She's taking a day. Medical advice."

  Jerry nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Yes, of course, she needs a day at least, maybe the rest of the week to recoup. I want you to take the rest of the week off, Sonia. You were shot. You need it. I'm going home, but I want you to call me every day. Let me know how you're doing."

  She gasped. "I can't take a week off. It's a freakin' Band-Aid. We need to keep the crew working."

  "I'm capable of running a crew," Jerry said. His tone warned her against arguing.

  She glared at Joshua as Jerry swung his chair around and started toward the kitchen door. "This is your fault," she hissed at him. "I like working. Jerry doesn't. He likes to sit in his office and play with his paperwork and the telephone."

  Jerry paused in the doorway. "I heard that. I'm working when I'm in the office."

  "Working is actually doing something besides playing those video games you don't think I know you play," she said.

  Jerry looked over his shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm too old to play video games. I wouldn't even know how."

  Her mouth dropped open. "Lightning is going to strike you, Jerry Corporon."

  In answer, he let the door slam behind him. She turned her attention to Joshua. "Do you see what you just did there? He as much as told me I couldn't go back to work for a week."

  "How is that my fault?" Joshua asked. "I said a day."

  She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. He had said a day, so why did it feel as if she'd walked right into a trap he'd orchestrated?

  "I'll go pack you a bag." He moved fast, heading for the stairs.

  "Wait!" she called after him. "What do you mean, pack me a bag? I'm not going anywhere. Joshua, stay out of my drawers." She jumped to her feet. Her cheek throbbed. If she was admitting it, so did her thigh. He had a head start, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

  Gatita, move it. She called on her little female. Utilizing the leopard's speed and agility, she leapt across the room, landed with a jolt on the stairs and then was up them in two bounds.

  For the first time ever, the door to her bedroom was closed. She caught the door handle, twisted and pushed. Her body ran into the thick wood. The door didn't budge. "You locked me out," she accused, rattling the door handle.

  "I did? It must have locked when it swung shut. You've got yourself a faulty lock there, baby," he called.

  "I'll just bet I do," she sniffed. "Open this door. Right. Now."

  "Busy, darlin', give me a minute."

  "I'll darlin' you. Don't you dare touch my things. And stay out of my drawers."

  "Too late. Already found your vibrator. Nice one. You'll have to show me. I'll enjoy watching you."

  She closed her eyes and slid down the wall. Heaven help her. She was never going to live it down. Not ever. She knocked the back of her head against the wall three times. Gently. Her cheek still felt a little like it had exploded and jarring it wasn't smart, so she was careful, but still, there was no getting around the fact that Joshua made her crazy.

  "Sonia?"

  His voice bubbled with laughter. That was so much better than the worry. The fear. That growl he made in his throat when he was going all badass protective on her. She kind of liked the growl. Just thinking about that sound sent a little shiver of desire sliding down her spine. "What?"

  "I like this sexy dress you have hanging up. It's red. I have a thing for red."

  She'd found that dress in a boutique in New Orleans and hadn't been able to resist it, although she'd had nowhere to wear it. She didn't want to talk about that dress, or think about why she'd bought it. The purchase had been pure impulse, to try to lift depression. She'd been alone night after night convincing herself she was the worst-looking woman on the face of the Earth. The dress had been an attempt to feel sexy and daring. She'd told herself she'd get it lined and then she'd go to a club. She hadn't. Instead, she'd packed the dress away and only took it out to look at it when she was seriously depressed.

  "It belongs to my sister."

  "You don't have a sister."

  "You don't know. I could have one stashed away somewhere."

  He laughed and flung the door open. "What are you doing?"

  "Sulking." It was the truth. She was going to go home with him. She shouldn't. It was only going to get her deeper into trouble, but there was no resisting him when he was being sweet and funny.

  "Come here, baby. You just need a little TLC."

  "I need you to be real, Joshua." She looked up at him, feeling fragile. Vulnerable. Terrified. He made her feel things she had no business feeling. She didn't even know if she was free to fall in love with him, and she didn't have a safe way to find out.

  He sobered instantly, crouching in front of her. His thumb slid over her swollen cheek and drifted lower to her lips. He rubbed her bottom lip. "I'm real, Sonia. One hundred percent real. You're safe with me."

  She hoped so. She couldn't take another betrayal. She'd survived because there was a small part of her that had been asleep, too grief-stricken to know what the Bogomolov family was, but as she'd begun to waken, she'd absorbed their deceit and treachery through her skin. It hadn't come as a complete surprise that they were criminals. The shock had been the casual way they'd been willing to kill her after deceiving her into believing they loved her.

  She looked into Joshua's blue-green eyes. That field of crystal blue with those intriguing swirls of green. She had to trust someone. She wanted that someone to be him.

  11

  SONIA was in his house. In his bed. Joshua glanced up to the ceiling. Flames from the fireplace sent light flickering a
cross the crystal chandelier, making it sparkle like diamonds. He noted the beauty absently. She was up there, and he would have to tell her everything. Tonight. He couldn't climb into bed with her again without telling her the truth.

  She had to know that Nikita and Sasha Bogomolov would be coming for her. He had the feeling she wouldn't take that very well. At least not the part of his confession about Nikita having been an invited guest in his home. He had cleared out the scent of the Russians in preparation of her coming, but that wasn't to deceive her so much as to buy him time to find a way to tell her the truth.

  He'd put it off, letting her sleep last night, and then spent the day waiting on her, staying up in his room with her, just talking about everything but what they should have been talking about. He'd stalled. Now he had no more time. He had to tell her. He'd planned it all out and hoped everything went the way he needed it to go, but . . .

  "Damn it, Evan. Why the hell does life throw these kinds of curves?"

  Evan shrugged. "Don't know."

  "I can't put it off. You saw him. Nikita is coming back, and he'll do it soon. I've been expecting a call from him any minute. He's going to give me a bullshit story about how he needs a sit-down with me to iron out expected problems with our deal. His son will come with him, and he'll bring a lot more of his men on the pretense someone has threatened his son."

  Joshua hated that he was right most of the time. It was very rare for someone to outthink him. Drake had put him in this trusted position because he was a problem solver. He figured out what the enemy was going to do long before they thought of it and he was prepared. Nikita would call, tonight or tomorrow.

  "I'll tell her tonight. After dinner. I want a few more hours to persuade her to give me a chance. I need to lock her in tight before she knows the worst."

  Evan nodded. "I'll agree with that, Joshua. She needs to know who you are. Give her that. As much of yourself as you can."