He'd set up an office in the back room of the bakery. Timur hadn't objected, and now he knew why. His brother had come to look upon Evangeline as a younger sister. She had known instantly that Alonzo was going to do something dangerous. Timur objected strenuously to his telling her anything, but she deserved to know. He wanted her to know, to go into their life together with her eyes wide open. It was important to him that Evangeline love the man--the real one. To his astonishment, she did.
"With Mitya taking over Amodeo's territory, we're spread very thin, Fyodor. I've put in a call to the others from our lairs that we know left after we did. I've kept a loose connection with them. If they had planned to turn me over to Lazar or Rolan, they would have done it. I heard through the grapevine that they have prices on their heads as well."
"You and I both know that can be manufactured."
"I'll vet them first with Gorya and Sevastyan. No leopard can tell us a lie without our knowing. With the three of us there it will be all the easier to know if any one of them is a plant and a danger to us."
"We need to recruit humans as well, Timur. Joshua and Elijah both have a mixture. They are just as valuable. Ted Freemont and Ralph Hurley are two men I trust. They're good soldiers and it's lucky you assigned them to Evangeline." He might have turned the car around had it been anyone else.
"We still have Arnotto's network. Most of his soldiers remained loyal once they were aware they'd been duped. There were only a few that left and maybe one or two I keep my eye on." Timur eyed his brother. "We need more leopards, Fyodor. Half will be going off with Mitya. Even if Drake pulls in others from Borneo, we'll still need to recruit those we can trust."
Alonzo sighed. "Interview them, Timur. And then keep a close watch. I don't trust anyone we aren't absolutely certain of with Evangeline."
The traffic was particularly light this time of the morning. The moon shone on the strips of foliage on either side of the highway. Alonzo and Timur both scanned with the eyes of a leopard, seeing in the dark, looking for anything unusual.
Alonzo's eyebrow went up. "You're keeping an eye on one or two of our soldiers? You didn't tell me you were worried we might have a mole."
"I always worry we might have a mole. If we have them, it stands to reason someone else does as well," Timur pointed out. "I'm responsible for your security. It's my job to worry."
As they approached an overpass, movement above caught their eyes simultaneously. Two leopards prowled along the walkway where people could cross on foot. Alonzo sat up straight, his heart in his throat. He'd recognize his woman anywhere, anytime, no matter what form she took. Jeremiah had to be with her.
"What the hell?" Timur snapped. He swore in Russian. "I'm going to kill that cub. He's supposed to protect her, not bring her out here because she's worried."
"The two trucks are slowing down, Fyodor, pulling off the highway to the access road," Gorya reported. "Looks as if the lead truck has a flat. Good for us, bad for them. Sevastyan took out their tires like a pro."
The knots in Alonzo's gut were back, tighter than ever. "Hang back, Kirill," he told their driver. "It's a trap, Gorya. That's why Evangeline and Jeremiah took a chance being seen as leopards. Pull ahead of the access road and when you get to a spot where we can't be seen by anyone in the trucks, pull off the road. We'll go on foot, but all of you know, this is going to be kill or be killed."
"That's why we brought all shifters," Timur noted.
The two cars pulled over to the edge of the freeway and let the passengers out before the drivers took off to race up to the next exit. They would come back on the access road. With the cars moving on, those in the trucks wouldn't know for certain if they'd been followed or not.
Timur slipped from the car and ran, in a crouch, ridding himself of clothes and shifting with blinding speed. Alonzo remained fully dressed, his weapons out. He wasn't going to allow his leopards to get shot. Someone had to return fire. If Emilio's men saw him there, they would concentrate on him, giving the leopards time to start tearing through the soldiers.
He heard the back door of one of the trucks raise and then snippets of conversation. The men didn't like the wait. They especially didn't like that they couldn't see where the cars that had been following in the distance had gone.
"What the hell is that?" someone called out and then screamed.
At once there was gunfire. Bright flashes of red and orange in the night. Alonzo ran straight up to the first truck, the one with the flat tire. The driver and the guard occupying the passenger seat were crouched by the tire pretending they were examining it. They turned toward him, the guard lifting his gun. Something struck him between the eyes with deadly force, throwing him backward. Alonzo shot the driver and kept going.
Jeremiah must have brought his rifle with him. Elijah had told Alonzo that the boy was a marksman, and now he believed it. It was a hell of a shot to make in the dark. Men poured from the backs of both trucks, so many he wasn't certain the few leopards they'd brought could handle them all, especially since they were armed to the teeth and firing indiscriminately at every movement. Jeremiah's rifle sounded off steadily, and men went down.
Alonzo chose his targets as carefully as the boy, trying to make each one count, making certain to protect his men. Two men loomed up behind his brother's leopard. Timur was taking down a man with a semiautomatic as the other two rounded the truck and spotted him. Both weapons went up. Alonzo had just fired his last bullet and hadn't yet slammed a new magazine in. He shifted as they brought up their guns, rushing them as he did. He had speed--incredible speed--and the surprise and shock of seeing a man shifting in midair was on his side. He hit both men with the force of a freight train, taking them both to the ground, hearing bones break as he did so.
He killed them both with a vicious swipe of his paws, taking out the jugulars and moving on to the next one. More leopards poured in from all sides, taking down the men while two more rifles were added to Jeremiah's as Elijah's men joined in. The battle was won quickly and decisively.
Elijah's men checked the dead while Elijah and Alonzo broke open the furniture. Guns spilled out but with them were stashes of cash. Hundreds of thousands of dollars. They exchanged a long look.
"Ulisse is moving his counterfeit money along with Emilio's weapons. He wanted the international transport and buyers Emilio has," Elijah said.
"There is no way we can take care of these bodies," Alonzo pointed out.
"No, this is going to be one of those mysteries the M.E. lives for. Death by leopards and bullets. What in the world? The tabloids will have a field day. We walk away from this. Let the police have the guns and money. Emilio will answer to them."
Alonzo looked at him. "Tell me."
Elijah sighed. "Emilio and probably Ulisse sent a team to your house. Two of your men were shot. They're at the hospital. Evangeline saved them and then she went tearing off to warn you."
Alonzo closed his eyes briefly. For a moment he could barely breathe. He let Elijah and Timur push him away from the scene of the battle. The other leopards were melting into the night as well. "I'm going to tie that woman to my bed and just let her live there. I'll have to put a thousand guards around the house, and even then I won't be satisfied that she's safe."
"Welcome to my world," Elijah said.
"Let's get out of here. I need to have a few words with my woman before she goes to work."
"Not that it will do you any good, but I wish you luck," Elijah said and then trotted off with a wave of his hand.
Gorya opened the door for him to slide into the passenger side, Timur right behind him.
"I've got a few words for her as well," Timur muttered.
For some reason, that made Alonzo smile.
20
"WHEN did you learn to do hair?" Catarina asked Emma. "That's beautiful and so perfect for her dress."
Evangeline looked at herself in the mirror. Emma had woven magic with her hair. Half was up in an elaborate twist of curls while the r
est fell in waves and curls down her back. Catarina had done her makeup. It was very subtle and light, but a little smokier on the eyes than she'd ever worn. She loved it.
Emma laughed. "I didn't go to school for hair, but I watch videos all the time and do Andraya's hair as well as my own. I knew what her dress looked like and searched for the perfect hairdo."
"You found it," Siena said. She hadn't been able to go wedding dress shopping with Evangeline. Both Emma and Catarina had, as well as Saria Donovan. Drake had brought his wife out for the wedding. She had insisted on coming early for the preparations.
Evangeline was grateful to the women. She might have run for the hills if she'd been alone.
"Just so you're warned," Siena said. "Fyodor will get bossier once you're married."
Evangeline shook her head. "That's just not possible. He can't get any worse."
The women laughed. "He will," Saria confirmed while Emma and Catarina nodded. "Just ignore him, that's what I do. Drake is really bad now that I'm pregnant. I mean really, unless there's a problem with the pregnancy, women can do everythin' they did before, right?"
"I've always had a problem with pregnancies," Emma disclosed, "so I wouldn't know."
"Look at me," Siena said. "I think Elijah has X-ray vision and can see through walls. Even if he's at the other end of the house, if I move, he knows it and saunters in to give me a lecture."
"We're not even going to talk about Jake. I lived in his house before I married him and thought it would be impossible for him to get any bossier," Emma said. "Then I married him. He got worse. Then I got pregnant. The man just escaped getting shot several times. It's only because he's great in bed and really hot that he still lives."
Evangeline sighed. "Great. I don' just have Fyodor trying to boss me around, but Timur, Sevastyan, Gorya and Mitya are every bit as impossible as well. I might have to rethink this gettin' married idea."
"Um, it's a little too late," Siena pointed out. "You have about five minutes."
"It's never too late. I'm a shifter. I can go out the window."
"Actually," Siena said. "It wouldn't do you any good. Fyodor told Elijah you'd probably try to be a runaway bride. He has guards on every door and window we have. There isn't going to be any running."
The women burst out laughing. Evangeline smoothed her hand down her dress. She loved it. They'd found it in a boutique Emma knew of. The dress fit like a glove after the seamstress had worked her magic. In white with a sweetheart neckline, the dress seemed timeless. The lace applique was romantic and lovely, flowing over tulle, creating a beautiful sheath that looked elegant and bohemian. Buttons were covered over the zipper and corset closure.
"Well, the dress is beautiful," she hedged. "I guess I'll go through with it and he'll just have to learn I don' get bossed so easily."
"It is gorgeous," Saria said. "You're beautiful, Evangeline."
"I'm going to go get seated," Siena said.
Evangeline watched her go. "Is she really all right? Elijah seems genuinely worried about her. How much danger is she in?"
Emma sighed. "Carrying triplets is tricky for anyone. The babies share the same placenta. That's a rare condition and can be difficult for the babies. They're taking extra precautions and following Doc's advice to the letter. They're both worried about the babies, but Elijah worries about her. In the beginning he considered terminating the pregnancy so she wouldn't be at risk. Don't get me wrong, he wants them, but he's terrified of losing Siena."
"Is that a possibility? I mean, a real threat to her?"
Emma shrugged. "She says no more than anyone else. I have to believe her. In any case, Elijah conceded and allowed her to carry, so she's compromising by following every single thing Doc says and trying to make Elijah a little less worried."
"Wow. I hope she's all right. Do you know what she did? For our weddin' present she gifted the Arnotto estate over to us. Signed it over just like that. We had planned to buy it, but she refused. She said Fyodor was the closest thing she had to a brother and she wanted us to have it. She kept the vineyards and winery but the entire rest of the estate is ours."
Catarina nodded. "She's like that. So sweet."
"We can't take it of course, but wow."
"You have to take it, Evangeline. It would mean the world to her," Emma said. "We talked about it. Her memories aren't the best there and she wants someone to raise a family and be happy there. Obviously you and Fyodor love the place. She wants it to be you."
Evangeline bit down on her lower lip and Catarina immediately shook her head. "Don't ruin your makeup."
"I'll tell Fyodor, but it's worth a fortune."
"It's what she wants," Emma persisted. "She hopes you have lots of children and they're all very, very happy there."
"Having children means gettin' pregnant," Evangeline pointed out. "That means bossy man gets ever bossier. I don' think I could handle that without throwin' somethin' at him."
"Shifter males are a pain sometimes," Saria said. "I'm as healthy as a woman can get. It isn't a multiple pregnancy and the doctor says I can do anythin' I want to do. Drake doesn't take that same attitude, and he's pretty mellow most of the time."
"Mellow?" Catarina's eyebrows shot up. "Eli wouldn't know mellow if it bit him on the butt."
A knock on the door had Evangeline's heart racing. Catarina leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm up first."
Emma squeezed Evangeline's hand. "Be brave. You look beautiful. Fyodor won't be able to take his eyes off of you."
Saria hugged her hard. "I'm so happy for you. You deserve this. Pauline and Amos have come, and so has Charisse. I didn't want you to be so shocked you fainted or something when you saw them out there."
Evangeline caught her hand before she could step out the door. "I'm so in love with him, Saria. I had no idea it could be like this."
Saria nodded in understanding. "That's exactly how I feel every day still."
Music began to play, and then Bijou Breaux--or rather Bijou Boudreux--began to sing. Bijou had grown up in the bayou with Saria and had recently married Saria's brother Remy. Her voice filled the house, and Catarina, Emma and then Saria went down the hall to the room where everyone was seated.
Elijah waited by the door and offered Evangeline his arm. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you."
"Nervous?" He walked her up the hall to the doorway where the ceremony would take place.
He had to hear her heart tripping so fast she was afraid she might have a heart attack. "Yes.
"Don't be. He's the right man for you. This is a good thing."
She nodded her head and then they stepped into the doorway and everyone stood up. She saw Fyodor. He was in a suit, that inevitable suit that looked so good on him. His eyes were on her, only her, and the room fell away until there was only him. The man born for her. The man she was born for. She loved belonging to him. She loved even more that he belonged to her.
"You ready?" Elijah asked.
She nodded. She was more than ready. She walked straight up the aisle to the man she loved. Elijah put her hand in Fyodor's and his fingers closed around hers. Tight. Protective. Deep inside, her leopard yawned and stretched.
I told you so. Bebe always wanted to have the last word.
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next GhostWalker novel by Christine Feehan
POWER GAME
Available soon from Berkley
BELLISIA Adams stared at herself in the mirror. Beside her was JinJing, a sweet woman, unaware that the man she worked for was an infamous criminal or that the woman beside her was no more Chinese than the man in the moon. Bellisia's hair was long and straight, a waterfall of silk reaching to her waist. She was short, delicate looking, with small feet and hands. She spoke flawlessly in the dialect JinJing spoke, laughing and gossiping there in the water closet before the chime sounded and they had to get back to work.
She kept her heart rate absolutely steady, the beat never rising in spite of
the fact that she knew just by the heightened security and the tenseness of the guards that what she'd been looking for this past week was finally here. It was a good thing too. Time was running out fast. Like most of the technicians in the laboratory, she didn't wear a watch, but she was very aware of the days and hours ticking by.
JinJing waved to her and hurried out as the chime sounded, the call back to work. Anyone caught walking the halls was instantly let go. Or at least they disappeared. Rumor had it that wherever they were taken was not pleasant. The Cheng Company paid well. Bernard Lee Cheng had many businesses and employed a good number of people, but it was said that he was a very exacting boss.
Bellisia couldn't wait any longer. She couldn't be caught there in the water closet either. Very carefully she removed the long wig and lifelike skin of her mask and rolled them into her white lab coat. She slipped off the laboratory uniform, revealing the skintight one-piece bodysuit she wore under it--the one that reflected the background around her. Her shoes were crepe soled and easy to move fast in. She removed them and shoved them in one of the pockets. Her pale blonde hair was braided in a tight weave. She was as ready as she'd ever be. She slipped out of the water closet, back into the narrow hallway the moment she knew it was empty. Her acute hearing ensured she knew exactly where most of the technicians were on the floor. She knew the exact location of every camera and just how to avoid them.
Once in the hall, she went up the wall to the ceiling, blending in with the dingy, off-white color that had seen better days. As she transitioned from the hallway of the laboratory to the offices, the color changed to a muted blue, fresh and crisp. She changed color until she perfectly blended in and then slowed her pace. Movement drew the eye and there were far more people in the offices. Most of them were in small open cubicles, but as she continued through to the next large bank of offices, the walls changed to a muted green in the one large office that mattered to her.