His brother stood at the car, door open, staring at Vlad over the roof, his eyes narrowed. “You sure?”
“Go away, Anton.”
“Fine. Your problem, then.”
He dropped down into the car and slammed the door. Vlad stood on the sidewalk, watching him drive away as he analyzed the information he’d gotten from his brother’s scent.
His nose assured him Anton had been lying, putting on an act so Vlad would believe he’d given up.
This wasn’t over yet.
*****
Rose was shaking so hard she would have had to stop the car even if she hadn’t needed to move the gun case into the back. She wove through the neighborhoods around her parents’ place so she wouldn’t be easy to find again, then she pulled up next to a quiet house and put the car in park.
She flexed her hands several times, trying to stop the quaking. She was used to adrenaline rushes—she’d spent most of her life craving them and going after them with enthusiasm. But this kind of fear… She didn’t like it.
Knowing Zoe would be scared if she realized how terrified her mother was forced Rose to rein in her emotions and push them behind false bravery. Her daughter needed her to be strong and confident, not a blubbering mess. She studied her surroundings in the car mirrors, then turned to look at her daughter.
“I need to put the rifle in the back, okay, baby. We’ll get on the road again in just a minute.”
“What happening, Mommy? Why you scared? That man really Vlad’s brother?”
Damn it. Rose should have known Zoe wouldn’t miss the tension. “Yes, he was Vlad’s brother. And I’m not scared, just… It’s difficult to explain, baby, but you don’t need to worry.” She hated lying to her daughter, but she couldn’t tell her even a child-friendly version of this truth. Not yet.
“Gonna see Vlad again?”
“Sure,” Rose said, trying to sound positive and upbeat, but knowing her hesitance still filtered into her voice. She wasn’t sure she should see Vlad anymore, and she didn’t want her daughter getting attached to him in case he took off again.
She didn’t trust Vlad. She was grateful he’d shown up to help deflect his brother, but the fact that he’d been there meant he’d obviously disregarded her wishes that he leave her alone. The combination of relief and anger was too much to deal with so she pushed her emotions aside. For the moment, she just had to get Zoe somewhere safe. The rest could wait.
They had a drive ahead of them. And Rose couldn’t get out of town fast enough.
Chapter Five
Two days later, safely ensconced in the cabin in Alpine, Rose was still working to convince herself the whole incident with Vlad and his brother was a lot of fuss over nothing. Anton hadn’t actually done anything particularly threatening, except stare at Zoe. Very intensely. But she only had Vlad’s word that his brothers wanted to hurt Zoe, and she already knew she couldn’t trust him.
Rose’s instincts didn’t buy this logic. There had been something in Anton’s eyes that set off alarm bells and had warning claxons sounding in her head. Her every nerve ending screamed at her to keep Zoe as far from Vlad’s brothers as she could get.
And then there was the tiger shifter part.
After two days happily hiking in the woods and playing in the snow with Zoe, Rose could almost believe she’d imagined that. Or that Vlad had somehow drugged her. That the real threat was Vlad’s insanity.
Her instincts weren’t buying this either.
She’d seen him change, watched with her own eyes as the man she used to love turned into a tiger. All the logic in the world wasn’t enough to convince her deep down that it hadn’t happened.
And what about Zoe’s episodes? How else could she explain the pain her daughter went through, when no tests or exams had ever revealed a cause?
During lunch on that second day, while Zoe munched on her sandwich and told stories about squirrels, Rose tried to quiet her inner argument between logic and instinct so she could fully savor the peaceful moment. She loved seeing her daughter like this—feeling good and acting like a typical three-year-old. They were safe for this moment. Rose just had to decide what to do next.
Suddenly, Zoe raised her head and looked at the front door. “Vlad’s here,” she sang.
An instant later, there was a knock.
Frowning, Rose went to answer, more than a little surprised to see it really was Vlad. Her heartbeat sped up like it had three mornings ago when she’d opened the door to find him. A rush of warmth and lust curled in her belly, both surprising and irritating her. For an instant, time collapsed, and they were back in the heady days of their romance, before all the hurt and betrayal. She would have thrown herself into his arms and kissed him just for standing there looking so hot and adorable all at once. She could practically feel his mouth on hers, the firm pressure of his lips, and the dance of his tongue against hers as she tasted him.