"She'll be what?" Austin asked.
Serious eyes on both Anthony and Austin, Aaron said, "I told you about the jaguar that tried to attack me, right?" When they both nodded he continued. "Reya saved my ass. She promised she wouldn't go out into the jungle until the rogue was put down, but … " Shit! There it was again, a damned alarm pounding inside his head that screamed something was wrong. And this time, as much as he tried, he couldn't push it away.
"Damn it, tell the captain to turn the boat around," Aaron said through clenched teeth as he strode toward the back of the boat for the portable phone in his duffel.
"Aaron," Anthony called, "what the hell is wrong?"
"I don't know, but I just have this strong feeling that Reya's in danger. I can't explain it, but if I don't get back to that damned wildlife sanctuary and fast, my woman is history."
It was obvious they hadn't felt the cold chill of warning he had, but his brothers would back his play. They just had to, and Aaron wasn't disappointed.
"It makes sense, Aaron. If you had it out for her, when would you strike next?" Anthony asked on a growl, eyes flashing with anger as he headed toward the captain, yelling over the din of the yacht's engines. "Hey, turn this thing around! Get us back to San Pedro. Right now!"
Understanding dawned in Austin's eyes. His jaw ticked as he answered Anthony's question. "I'd strike the second she was alone, as soon as her man was out of sight." Seconds later he was on his satellite phone calling the airstrip in San Pedro, giving them an hour to get the jet cleared and ready for takeoff to Dangriga. A car would be waiting to cover the twenty miles from the airstrip to the wildlife sanctuary.
Aaron was on the satellite phone he'd borrowed from Reya. Urging the speed dial to dial faster, he felt his chest tighten as he waited to connect to the spare she promised to carry with her while he was gone. No answer.
"I can't wait until the rainy season is over. I like that it's so green everywhere, but all this water is getting on my nerves," Reya gritted through clenched teeth as her boot landed with a splash in a deep puddle. "Marc, you all right? You've been awful quiet."
Reya couldn't recall a single time during the year they'd been friends when Marc wasn't open and upbeat, but for the last couple of hours he'd been quiet and reserved. She almost wished they'd run across a poacher just to break the weird silence between them.
"I'm fine. Just have a few things on my mind," he said quietly, looking around as if he expected King Kong to come bursting through the trees. Not afraid but … overly cautious.
She scented jaguars on him again. The aroma was weak, but she was curious why he, a human, smelled like female jaguar all the time, even in the middle of a downpour. Damn it, her senses just weren't as sharp when she was in her skin. The urge to drop to her knees and transition was so strong she clamped her jaw tight and came to a dead stop. Something was dead wrong.
"You all right, Reya? What is it?" Marc asked with sudden concern.
Now this seemed more like Marc. "No I'm fine. My, uh, my knee is a bit sore. Trudging through all this mud is kind of pulling on it," she lied. Hell, it hadn't sounded convincing to her own ears, but Marc didn't seem to notice.
"Oh no," he gasped.
"What?" she asked, grinding her back teeth, willing her body not to grow a pelt.
"I left the radio in the jeep. Maybe we should head back?"
"Head back?" she asked in disbelief, her discomfort momentarily forgotten. They were on a circular route and would exit the trail in the same area they'd entered. The man's suggestion didn't make the least bit of sense. "Marc, we drove an hour into the park and hiked another hour. We've only got two hours left before we have to head back and our path is going to take us to the exact spot where we started. Let's just keep going rather than backtrack."
Just then a series of roars filled the area off to their left. Female jaguars. Extremely agitated female jaguars. The next roar came from behind her. Reya wasn't afraid, but when she turned to Marc to ask if he had his tranquilizer gun on him the words froze in her throat. His typically smiling eyes were narrowed in menace, golden blond brows snapped together until they met in the middle of his forehead. He was obviously as agitated as the females whose growls and snarls began to encircle them.
"What do you think is wrong with them?" she asked breathlessly as her own hackles rose at the strangeness of the situation. What the hell made a pack of female jaguars coordinate on a hunt? It just wasn't the norm.
"They should be pretty used to us. I think they've scented a poacher," Marc said quickly, backing up toward a copse of trees. His explanation made sense, and if it was a poacher, they had to get to him before he either took a jag down or the jags took him down.
Her hand was on the strap securing her tranq gun over her shoulder. Before she could pop the snap that allowed the piece to fall into her hands, Marc withdrew a pistol from the belt holster obscured by his jacket. Not a tranquilizer gun, but a fucking 9mm handgun! What the hell was going on here?
"Reya, you go take the left trail, I'll head off to the right."
"But, Marc … " Reya tried to protest, but he just shoved her toward the direction he wanted her to go. "Don't worry, we'll be all right." After a quick, supposedly reassuring hug, he gave her a strained-looking wink and headed off into the trees.
The second she was alone, all the growling, snarling and roaring ceased. Just stopped, as if it had never happened. Danger lurked, she could feel it creep up her spine and tighten around the nerve endings of each vertebra. Forget stripping out of her clothes, something told her she needed to shift and right-damn-now.
Instinctively dropping to her knees, her thick pelt exploded out of her pores so quickly, a burning sensation covered every inch of her skin. Canines exploded into powerful jaws and muscular arms became stocky forelimbs. Senses sharpened as special sensory whiskers sprouted around her snout. The smells of the surrounding fauna exploded as her keen nose picked up even small changes in the air pressure.
Gray eyes glowed in the coming twilight as she stood completely still, surveying her surroundings. All was quiet, but the hairs on the back of her powerful neck danced all the same.
Suddenly a blur shot past her right side. The rogue!
In a flash, she was right behind him as they became two streaks running with the wind. Wait, where did he go? One second he was right in front of her, the next, he'd turned a corner and disappeared. She slammed to a halt, large paws sliding as she dug into the wet earth.
Zip!
Owww! What the hell? She looked back at the dart sticking into her flank. Aw, hell, not again, she thought as her muscles refused to cooperate with her brain. She heard a faint snuffling sound and realized it was her as she slumped down onto the cool, muddy floor of the jungle.
The jet landed without a hitch and the brothers sped toward the reserve. It was only eight o'clock, and Reya wasn't due to go out until almost eleven tonight. Thank God they'd arrived in time. All three James brothers barreled into a completely empty common dining area at twilight.
"Bethsaida!" Aaron bellowed, heading for the kitchen. "Bethsaida!"
Running through the swinging double doors, a wash rag in one hand and a pineapple in the other, Bethsaida came to a screeching halt.
"Aaron! Oh, thank God!" she yelled, dropping the cloth and the fruit to the floor.
"What's wrong? What's happened?" Anthony took the upset older woman into his arms.
"Reya is missing!"
"Missing? How? She's not even due out on patrol for several more hours!" Aaron bellowed. His heart sank into his toes as his heart rate pounded with adrenaline and fear-filled palpitations. It didn't even faze him when Bethsaida yelled right back, just as angry and unsettled as he was.
"Damn it, she's gone!" Bethsaida screeched. Tears gathered and fell unchecked down her brown cheeks. "She went out with Marc on his shift … "
"Marc? Why?"
"Aaron, let her finish. Can't you see she's upset?" Austin admonished.
Hell, all he cared about right now was answers. He opened his mouth to give his brother a heartfelt "fuck you" when Bethsaida spoke up.
"Because his usual partner came down ill. The last time I talked to her was more than three hours ago. They were out in the rain and she said something about poachers, but the connection was poor."
"Then why didn't she answer when I called? It was around the same time."
"Her last words were something about the battery. I guess it was low because right after, the line went dead. But I'm afraid, Aaron. I swear I heard roaring in the background."
Shit! What if she was hurt? And worse, what if she'd been attacked again?