Rachael turned her face away, her hand going to her throat in a protective gesture, a sound, much like strangling, emerging.
"This gun is getting heavy, Rachael," Delgrotto said. "I think you and your brother should be alone. I doubt if he poses much of a threat, but Rio might come back unexpectedly. I'll go onto the verandah."
"Rio couldn't possibly return before dawn."
"He travels with those small leopards. It's likely one went to warn him."
The color drained from Rachael's face. "You have to go, Elijah. Get out of here right now."
Elijah waved her words away. "Look at me, Rachael. Turn your head and look at me. I want to see your face when you tell me you believed I sent those men out to kill you. Damn it." His fist hit the tabletop. "I spent my life fighting to keep us alive."
"You said you wished I was dead."
"I never said that." He glanced at the elder, frustration plain on his face. Delgrotto took the hint and slipped outside to leave them alone. "All right, the truth is, I don't know what the hell I said to you that day. I was terrified for you and angry at you for not confiding in me. I had to shoot Tony right in front of you." Elijah swept a hand over his face. "I knew what that would do to you, shooting him in front of you."
Rachael faced her brother across the table. "You killed him, Elijah. You killed Tony because he was with me. You became the very thing we both abhorred."
"You aren't thinking, Rachael." He dragged his hands through his hair in agitation. "He knew about us. He knew what we were. Worse, he belonged to Armando's crew. He was feeding him information."
"You don't know that."
"Who was he Rachael? How did you meet him?"
"Marcia Tolstoy is his sister. She introduced us. We weren't dating. He was just a nice man, lonely like me."
"He wasn't a nice man, and he wasn't Marcia Tolstoy's brother. Armando paid her to tell you that, and before you say she would never do that, remember everyone has a price. Armando found hers. If you'd told me about Tony, I would have checked him out quietly and let you know to break off the friendship. By the time I found out about him, you were already in the car with him. I didn't have time to take him down easy. He was taking you to one of Armando's warehouses."
"We were going out to dinner."
"Have I ever lied to you? Never, Rachael. It's always been the two of us, ever since we were children and there was only us."
"How do I know you're telling me the truth? How do I know what's the truth and what's a lie? My uncle murdered my parents. I thought he loved us. I thought he loved Mom and Dad. Dad was his brother. What does that tell a child, Elijah? The world isn't a very safe place and you can't trust anyone. Not even family." Rachael swung around and filled a glass of water for him, needing something to do.
"I would never, under any circumstances, order your death. You're my sister, my only family, and I love you. You don't have to believe me, Rachael. I know you're hurt and angry and very mixed-up. I didn't have time to talk to you."
"You had time to pull me out of the car before you killed him. And you had time to lock me in the house afterward."
"You were hysterical. He went for his gun, Rachael. You didn't see him make his move because you were fighting me as I pulled you out of the car. You wouldn't listen to me and you were threatening to go to the police. I did my best to carry out Dad's wishes and make the business legitimate. It hasn't been easy. I know too much about Armando, just as you do. He can't allow us to live. As long as he thought I was with him, that I could control you, we both were safe. Once I made my move against him, Armando wanted to kill you not only to punish me, but to silence you. You should never have talked to Tony."
Her dark eyes flashed. "I would never tell an outsider our business, certainly not a man I knew nothing about. I wouldn't risk your life or his. I went out with him."
"And he never asked you questions about me?"
"He asked if you were my brother and I said yes. You are. It's common knowledge. It shouldn't have gotten him killed."
"Rachael, let's start with something we know. Tell me you know I love you. You must know everything I've done in my life I've done for you. For us. To keep us alive. I was a child too. I had no power. No one to help us. I had no choice if we were to stay alive. I had to join with Armando or he would have killed us both on the spot. I traded my soul for a chance for both of us to live."
She flung herself into his arms. "I know you did. I know you did it for me. I knew you could have gotten away if you didn't have me to try to protect."
"Does it really make sense to you that I spent all those years protecting you and now I'd suddenly want you dead?" He wrapped his arms around her, hugged her hard.
"It was so awful. I felt responsible and I didn't know why you would do such a terrible thing. Power corrupts, Elijah. I've seen you fight it. You tried to make the business legitimate, but at the same time, you had to do the things that allowed Armando to think you were a part of the business."
"I had no choice but to run the business the way Armando wanted. We inherited half of everything, Rachael. Armando wanted it all, and he wanted it to remain his. When he found out Dad wanted to get out from under it, he had them followed. He discovered Mom could shift into the form of a leopard. He found his perfect assassins. Stealthy. Cunning. Intelligent."
"So Dad took us all to Florida."
"That was because Mom was afraid her people would harm Dad. So he moved us to the Glades. Mom could still run, and he was out from under the business. But of course it didn't work that way. He owned too much and knew too much. He was slowly trying to get out from under the companies. Armando wasn't going to let that happen. All the while I was out with my wonderful uncle, doing his little tasks for him because he let me run free. I was so stupid. I told Mom and Dad that Armando knew about me shifting, that I did it all the time in front of him. Mom had been so secretive and I wanted her to know it was okay, that he didn't mind. They were both so upset, and they must have talked to him. Armando arranged to meet with Mom and Dad and he killed both of them."
"And I saw it." Rachael pulled away from him. "I'll never forget his face when he turned and saw me standing there."
"Do you think I liked doing the things I had to do? He held you hostage, Rachael. He never bothered to hide what he did from you. The more you knew, the more of a liability you were to him and the more I had to do to make it worth his while to keep you alive. He needed me. I was like Mom and a tremendous asset to him. And he knew that he couldn't kill both of us and get away with it. As soon as possible, I made certain he knew there was proof, if something happened to either of us."
"But Elijah, I saw you do things just like he did them. You're not the same. You've grown distant and colder. I tried to talk to you about it and you brushed it off."
"He was making another move against us. And I was planning to kill him. I didn't want you involved." He said it bluntly. "If you knew, you'd be as guilty as me. You couldn't know the things I had to do. One of us had to be something Mom would be proud of." He looked down at his hands. "If it makes you feel any better, I never killed an innocent. I never stooped that low."
"You ran drugs, you smuggled weapons. You trained assassins." She flung the accusations at him, stepping away, pain breathing in her lungs.
He took a step toward her, wanting to shake her. "Damn it, Rachael. If you don't want to believe me about Tony, don't, but don't look at me as if I'm some monster you don't know. Armando isn't going to let you live. He can't. You're a knife poised over his head. You're an eyewitness to murder. I have no intention of leaving here without you. Armando's men are swarming up and down the river. He imported a couple of the best trackers. Men like Duncan. You can't stay here, Rachael. Come home with me where I can keep you safe."
There was no sound other than the wind and rain. The door was partially open and the wind blew in, stirring the mosquito net, setting it dancing. Rachael felt the wind on her face. Elijah felt the blade cut into his
throat. Hot breath fanned his cheek. A soft growl rumbled dangerously close to his ear. "She isn't going anywhere with you."
18
RIO pressed the blade deeper into Elijah's throat. "She isn't going anywhere with you." His voice was gravelly, a growl of sheer menace. "Not now. Not ever."
"Rio, no, you can't hurt him," Rachael protested. "This is Elijah, my brother."
Elijah didn't move a muscle. He stayed perfectly still, feeling the burning sting of the blade across his throat. Instead of loosening his grip at Rachael's command, Rio tightened his arm until it was a steel band, a vise squeezing ever tighter.
"Stay where you are, Rachael. This gentleman and I are going outside together. If you want to live, Elijah, take very small steps in exact sync with mine. One wrong move and you're a dead man."
"Rio, what are you doing?" Rachael took a step toward them.
The knife drew blood. Elijah held up his hand to his sister, halting her progress instantly. She watched with enormous eyes as the two men moved together out the door, back onto the verandah. Rachael followed at a safe distance, her heart pounding.
"I know you're armed."
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Gun at the small of my back. A second strapped to my leg. I have a knife up my sleeve and a second under my left arm."
Rachael blinked. She glanced at the elder, who remained sitting quietly on the sofa as if they were all having tea. She had no idea her brother was armed. Where had all the weapons come from?
"Tell me why I should keep you alive." The words were barely audible, a whisper of menace in the dead of the night. "Don't look to Rachael to get you out of this. She loves you. It's me you have to convince. Because I don't love you."
Rio ignored the elder sitting so quietly on the verandah. He was already banished, condemned for all time for a deed he could never take back. He might as well do something worthwhile and remove all threats to Rachael's life while he was racking up the sins.
"I love my sister," Elijah answered quietly. His voice came out in a croak. "You don't have to believe me."
"I have to believe you if you're going to live. Rachael deserves a life."
"Yes she does. I'm not her enemy." Elijah stayed very still, aware that at no time did the knife waver from his throat. He had learned patience in a hard school, knowing most of the time there would be a moment of distraction when he could make his move, but there was no give in the man behind him. The dozens of defense moves he had perfected would never work against that viselike grip. Elijah sighed. "Two reasons. I followed her here to save her life. And better than that, if you don't release me, she's going to be so pissed with you, you'll wish you'd stayed in your animal form."
Rio glanced at the open door where Rachael stood with her hand pressed to her mouth. She looked a bit shocked but it wouldn't last long. She shook her head at him in silent appeal, her eyes anxious.
Rio slowly eased the razor-sharp blade from Elijah's throat and stepped away. "Put all your weapons on the floor in front of you. Be very careful, Elijah. You know our people. We see everything in hunting mode. Right now, consider me a hunter."
Elijah, with deliberate slowness, removed the weapons and stacked them neatly on the verandah. Rachael stared in horror at the growing pile.
"Take them into the house, sestrilla," Rio said, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. He waited until she'd gathered up the guns and knives and disappeared into the house. "Turn around, very slowly."
Elijah turned around to face Rio for the first time. They stared at one another, two strong males with ice-cold eyes and a dangerous temperament disguised with a carefully cultivated civilized demeanor.
Rachael's brother spoke first. "I'm Elijah Lospostos, Rachael's brother."
"You're the one who put a million-dollar price on her head."
"I had to move fast. I figured between the government officials and bandits, everyone would work very hard to keep Rachael alive. Our uncle would have to use his assassins to hunt her. He wouldn't find anyone willing to give up that kind of money, not and kill her. I made it too irresistible to pass it up. No one was going to kill her." He tilted his head to one side studying Rio. "You've forgotten your clothes."
Rio shrugged, the knife never wavering. "Bad habit of mine. Have you had any coffee? I could use something to drink."
Rachael pushed past her brother to wrap her arm around Rio's waist. "You need to sit down. Did you get there in time?"
Rio kept his penetrating gaze on Elijah. "Yes. He's going to be fine, Elder."
Rachael couldn't help smiling at the older man, but he turned his face away. She caught the sheen of tears glistening in his eyes, and his hands shook as he lifted them to wipe his face. "Thank you, Rio." The voice was choked, barely audible.
"He's a good boy."
Rachael urged Rio toward the door. He was swaying with weariness. Rio bared his teeth at Elijah in a semblance of a smile and waved him toward the door first.
"Call off the others first," Elijah said without moving. "I know they're waiting."
Rachael listened. She heard the moaning of the wind. The rhythm of the rain. "Fritz and Franz," she turned her face up toward Rio. "Are they inside? Waiting for him to go in?"
Rio grinned at her. His face was pale and there was a sheen of perspiration coating his skin. "Of course. They like to hunt too."
"Very funny. Call them off."
Rio uttered a series of vocalizations. Rachael watched her brother's face. He was frowning. She dug her nails into Rio's bare skin. "What exactly did you tell them?"
"To be alert," Elijah answered for her. "What are those two little cubs doing? I've never heard of training cubs for combat."
Rachael rolled her eyes. "Don't think for one minute those little demon seeds are cubs. They're fully grown clouded leopards with bad manners, tempers and very lethal saber-toothed tiger teeth."
"I take it you had a run-in with them." Elijah hadn't budged. He stared into the darkened interior of the house, but refused to take one step into the room.
"One of them nearly took my leg off. Don't be a baby." She was trying not to notice her brother's throat was bleeding. He hadn't once touched it. She tried not to notice the knife still in Rio's hand, his gaze focused and unblinking on her brother's face. "Rio wouldn't have you go in if it wasn't safe." She tried to say the words with conviction, but her tone was more a question than reassurance.
"It might be a good way to get rid of me without guilt," Elijah said.
"I wouldn't feel guilt if I had to get rid of you," Rio answered easily. "Go in."
Elijah sighed and entered the house, obviously on the alert. He was a shifter, a very good one, fast and efficient, a killer should there be need, but his clothes would hamper him, slow him down when he might need the speed against two fifty-pound leopards. He saw the eyes gleaming at him in the darkness. The two cats had separated and were waiting patiently. One crouched on the mantle, the other was belly to the ground beside the chair. Just waiting. Ears flat, lips snarling. Eyes glowing.
Rio felt the effects of traveling so many miles in such a short time. His body burned with fatigue. He hadn't had the necessary time to recoup after donating more blood than he could afford. Franz had called him from a distance, alerting him to the danger to Rachael. Rio slugged down the orange juice and rushed out, not taking the time to rest from the dizzying blood loss. The trip back had been a nightmare, terror choking him. He pushed the swift-moving leopard to the limit, racing across the miles even when the beast burned for air.
"Rio?" Rachael's voice was a soft concern. "Come sit down. Between your arsenal and my brother's, we have enough weapons to start a war. If any other neighbor comes calling, begging for sugar, I say we should just shoot them."
"We can't do that," Rio protested. "Tama's bound to come looking for his stray researcher."
Elijah pushed his hand through his hair. "That guide is a pain in the butt. I had to have a couple of my men create a minor c
atastrophe in order to get his eyes off of me." He stepped cautiously around the chair and sank onto the sofa.
"The garrote." Rio ordered as he caught up a pair of jeans and stepped into them. "Take that off too."
Rachael's eyebrows flew up. "Elijah, you can't be carrying a garrote."
"I forgot about it." Elijah reached up to remove the necklace from around his throat. He handed it to his sister to be added to the growing stockpile of weapons.
Rachael heaved an exaggerated sigh. "The two of you are crazy."
"Probably," Rio conceded. He took the glass of water she gave him and tipped the entire contents down his throat. "I take it Elijah didn't try to kill you."
"Tony was working for Armando." She busied herself making coffee so she wouldn't have to look at either of them. Her hands were shaking. Her knees felt weak. She had dreaded this moment for so long and now she didn't know how to feel. She almost didn't trust the relief sweeping through her and she was afraid she might start crying all over both of them. "You had it figured out. Elijah is a shifter."
"So of course you couldn't go to the police. The first rule is we keep everything in our realm." Rio let out his breath slowly. "And Armando is using shifters as assassins."
"He bribed a couple of shifters in South America. Or maybe he blackmailed them, I don't know. He's capable of anything. He could have threatened to burn down the rain forest, or take a major hunting party in to wipe everyone out." Elijah stretched his legs out in front of him, his black eyes gleaming like obsidian in the night. "I'm not certain he's human. I went into his house one night. The leopard can go in so stealthily, I was certain I could take him." He sighed and shook his head. "He isn't a man, he's a devil. He had a double in his room and he was nowhere to be found."
"How many shifters does he have?"
"Two that I know of. I doubt if he has more. We're an elusive bunch, and he doesn't spend a great deal of time in South America. Duncan was one of them."
The elder came in and inclined his head. "I must go back to the village and care for my grandson. I thank you for what you did, Rio."
"I was happy to be of some small service, Elder," Rio replied. "I do want news of Drake should you hear. I was unable to get near Joshua and no one else volunteered the information."