Jaguar Fever

Chapter 7

Sweat dripping into his eyes, Thompson was frozen to the ground, his heart pounding as if he’d been running a marathon.

He listened for any sign of the cats. One had returned to the house, and even more of a shock to him, Maya had been standing in the doorway with another. Three had been fighting in the garden before that. The other that had encroached on these jaguars’ territories had to be an outsider. Where the hell had he come from? Not one he saw was female.

He had half a notion to walk straight up to the back door, knock on it, and ask Maya about the female jaguar again. Then what? Would she turn the big males loose on him? For trespassing in the middle of the night in her backyard?

Instead of guard dogs, she had guard cats. It couldn’t be possible.

He couldn’t get his feet to move. For the first time since he could remember, he was truly terrified.

He sat down with his back to the tree, trying to stay awake, but drifting off, only to be awakened by the sound of the patio door opening. A jaguar loped out of the garden toward the house, ran inside, and another ran out. The door shut again with a soft thunk.

Thompson blinked. They actually were serving guard duty.

He was losing his mind.

He must have finally fallen asleep, because the next thing he heard was the sound of vehicles pulling out of the parking lot in front of the house, tires crunching on the gravel. Darkness still cloaked the early morning hour. Still hidden by the woods, he hurried around front, saw three cars take off, and waited.

When no one seemed likely to return anytime soon, he peered through the picture windows, expecting to see jaguars lying around on the couches and floor. The room was too dark, and he couldn’t see anything.

He returned to the woods until it was light out, then made his way back to the house and peeked again through the window. There was no movement in the house, no cats lying on the floor or lounging on the couches.

He looked back in the direction that the cars had gone. Hell. Had they packed the cats up in the cars?

He shook his head. They couldn’t have. He heard the rumbling of a pickup truck and tore into the woods for cover. From his hiding place among the shrubs, he saw two men and a woman get out of the truck. Customers?

Then as they began to water plants, he realized they had to be the hired help. Should he ask them about the jaguars?

He waited until the place was open for business, then drove his truck around to the entrance and parked.

What was he going to ask them? Seen any really big kitty cats around lately?

Wade thought David looked a hundred percent better after having slept on Maya’s couch the night before. The gash on his head was just a white line against his tan forehead now, the colorful bandages gone. They’d shared lunch with Everett and Huntley, who afterward had gone to their own terminal to wait for their flight to Brazil. Now he, Maya, and David were waiting to take their flight to Belize.

Maya had acted anxious most of the day, wringing her hands, pacing, and not paying attention to conversations that had included her. Wade knew she was worried about the hunters and her brother and Kat.

He finally pulled her into a seat and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, trying to relax her. “So tell me, what is your favorite food?”

She looked up at him as if he was crazy, then gave him the warmest smile and nestled her head against his shoulder. “Ice cream. Coffee-flavored, covered in hot fudge topping.”

“Sweet,” he said, meaning she was, just like her choice of food.

“Yours?”

“Juicy red steak.”

“Hmm, sounds yummy,” she said.

David looked up from the romance novel he was reading. “Fried chicken.”

Maya laughed. “Fried foods are not good for you.”

“I run it off.”

She glanced in the direction of the gate next to them where passengers were beginning to take their seats. Wade and David followed her gaze. A woman with hair as long, blond, and full as Lion Mane’s was talking to another woman waiting for a different departure. Wade noted that every person with long, blond hair had caught Maya’s eye.

But Lion Mane wouldn’t be flying anywhere, he didn’t think, and he couldn’t get into the terminal without a plane ticket.

“Favorite color?” Wade prompted.

“That blue chambray shirt of yours.”

He kissed her cheek. “Thanks for trying to get the blood out.”

She looked at him with her beautiful golden eyes. “Sorry it didn’t work.”

David said, “Turquoise, like the Caribbean water.”

Wade thought for a moment, then smiled. “Golden like your eyes, Maya.”

David snorted. “I didn’t know you had a romantic bone in your body.”

Wade glanced at him. “Aren’t you reading something?”

David grinned back at him. “It’s hard to read when I’m more interested in…” He paused to take a look at another blond-haired woman.

Maya sighed. “Did you think it was Lion Mane?”

“Yeah,” David said.

“You didn’t happen to get his name when you danced with him, did you?” Wade asked.

“Of course not. Then he would have really thought I was interested in him, more than just his hair. Besides, after Bill Bettinger came to the nursery, we should be more concerned about looking for him showing up here.”

“Everett tore into him good from what Huntley told us. I doubt you’ll have any more trouble with Bettinger,” Wade said. He hoped to have taken Maya’s mind off her worries, at least for the moment. “What do you like to do that’s fun?”

“Swimming.”

That made him think of her wearing the black lace bra and panties again, swimming in the Amazon. Did she pack those this trip? He smiled.

“What?” Maya asked, observing his expression.

David looked at Wade.

Wade said, “The chase.”

Maya purred, “I just bet you love that.”

David shook his head.

They both watched him.

David closed his book. “I like to read, swim…” He grinned. “…and chase things.”

“Wade said you were reading a romantic suspense story. Do you really like them?”

David smiled. “I’m learning what it takes to get the girl during a high-action adventure.”

Maya chuckled and rolled her eyes.

Maya had tried to hide her nervousness about leaving for Belize, but she hadn’t been able to. Now that hunters could be in the area, she was more than anxious to get there. She had to warn Connor and Kat about the hunters. She was certain her brother and Kat would have made a couple of treks into the jungle already, exploring and marking their territory—it was just instinctual.

Maya prayed that they were fine. She wished she could have reached them by phone, but that was one of the problems with going to remote places. Yet the remote places were just what they needed so they could shift and run in the wild.

She was grateful that Wade had tried to take her mind off her worries. She swore she’d seen Lion Mane and Bill Bettinger at the airport earlier. The blond guy’s hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, which had changed his appearance, but the redhead—well, she had to admit they’d been really far away.

Still… the way the blond had caught her eye and looked startled had caused a shiver to run up her spine. When she tried to get Wade and David to verify who she’d seen, neither had caught sight of them. She guessed her mind was playing tricks on her.

“About last night…” Wade began. His whole body posture was saying she was his—his girlfriend—his thigh touching hers, his head leaning close to hers, his arm slung over her shoulders with tenderness, even the way his eyes swallowed her up. That all made her resolve—to date lots of other shifters before she settled on one—melt at the edges.

“You were out of your head.” Maya leaned back against her seat. “I understand.”

His mouth quirked up a little, his darkened eyes smiling. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

No, she didn’t. She wanted to run with Wade in the jungle, wanted to see more of him. Wanted more of his kisses. And just… more. From the dark gravelly tone of his voice, he sounded like he already knew that.

Yet, she was afraid of… making a mistake. Her mother had made one with their father. Would she also? Daughter like mother?

Maya rested her hand lightly on Wade’s thigh. She hated that he had to run off and confront smugglers, even though his brother would be with him. She wished he could vacation with her.

“I want to see more of you, Maya. I’ll be at the resort if I can make it.” Wade kissed her softly on the mouth. “Just get word to your family. David and I have to stop these men.”

She wanted to see more of him, too, but she didn’t want him to think she was desperate. Not now that she knew others of their kind existed close to where she lived.

“Connor could assist you in locating the hunters. He won’t want to leave Kat alone, but once I’m there with her, he can help the two of you.” She didn’t want just Wade and David dealing with however many men were behind this operation.

“If we can’t track them down, we’ll ask Connor to join us.”

She didn’t believe Wade was being honest with her. She was certain he had no intention of asking Connor for his help. Macho guy thing.

“In the meantime, see the caves, take a boat ride, enjoy the jungle, but as humans. All right, Maya?”

She nodded.

Boarding call was announced and they all made their way to their seats on the plane, David taking hers. Maya was sitting beside the window, Wade in the middle, and a nice grandmotherly lady in the aisle seat.

Ever since Wade had told her about the possible danger to Connor and Kat, she’d been fighting the worry. Once she took her seat, she closed her eyes as the flight took off. She couldn’t do anything until she reached the resort. At least the flight was fairly short. The bus ride was nearly as long, though. Connor and Kat would meet her once she arrived, so they wouldn’t be running around as jaguars until after she got there. Tonight.

When they arrived in Belize City, they took a bus for the three-hour drive to the resort. What was supposed to be strictly a vacation could very well turn into a nightmare.

“We’ll watch you get off and join your brother and Kat,” Wade told her, squeezing her hand. “We’ll be in touch if we stop these guys before your vacation ends. When we have word, we’ll let you know.”

“I wish you could stop and visit, but it’s late and—”

“Connor won’t like seeing us,” Wade finished for her. “We need to get checked into our place.”

When the bus came to a halt, he stood and gave her a hug and a kiss—not sweet in the least, but more of a promise he’d be seeing her again, soon. David gave her a brief kiss and a hug that was just as comforting.

Wade slugged him in the shoulder. “Enough.”

David had the nerve to grin at him and released her.

“Are you going to be okay, Maya?” Wade asked.

“Yeah. Be careful, both of you.” Maya hurried off the bus as the driver unloaded bags.

“She’ll be fine,” David said as they retook their seats.

“Yeah.” Wade watched as Connor greeted Maya, then frowned at her and looked up at the bus. “Her brother smells us on her, and he looks pissed.”

“You know she wants to see other shifters, don’t you?” David asked, his voice sympathetic as the bus continued on its way.

Wade nodded. He wanted to say it didn’t matter to him. That if it was important to her, he’d be happy for her.

“You’re not going to let her if you can help it, are you?” David raised his brows, trying to look serious, but a smile was begging to appear. “I’m serious,” David added.

Wade wanted to protect her from her brother, Connor, who would give her a hard time for having been with so many shifters. He knew she carried their body scents because she’d hugged them all soundly.

Wade looked out the window. “She lives in Texas with her brother and Kat. We live in Florida. Kind of hard to keep her from seeing anyone else.”

“So? You know she really has a thing for you.”

“Yeah, and that’s why she danced with the blond guy.”

“She’s scared.”

Wade frowned. “Of me?”

“Of getting too close, falling in love, and marrying a shifter who would take off like her father. Everett told me that’s what her father did.”

Wade ran his hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t be like that. If I found the right woman…”

“I know that. She’s interested in you. She kissed you like there was no tomorrow. She wants you. Hell, even that woman, Jeanie, that you thought you would marry, never kissed you like that.”

Wade smiled.

“Or danced with you like that. You’re not going to let Maya date a bunch of other shifters and make a mistake with one of them, are you?”

Wade shoved his hands in his pockets.

David folded his arms. “Okay, if you’re not going to stop her from dating other shifters, I will.”

“The hell you will.”

David grinned and slapped Wade on the back. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”