he was, and Wade was instantly on guard. “You stay in bed,” she said, grabbing a white terry-cloth robe off a chair and pulling it on.
Wade wasn’t sitting still, despite what she wanted. He quickly left the bed to protect her in case it wasn’t Connor, watching her move down the stairs and through the living room, ready to shift into his much more protective jaguar form.
She pushed the curtain aside before she opened the door, then turned and, smiling, said to Wade, “It’s
Wearing khakis and a light-blue shirt, David stood grinning at the door.
Relieved to see his brother and not Connor—or one of the bad guys—Wade snagged a towel out of the bathroom and tucked it around his waist, then joined them in the living room. “What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be getting your half of the bad guys.”
David chuckled as he carried in the tray of food, kissing Maya briefly on the cheek, then setting the tray down on the coffee table. “Compliments of your brother and me, Maya.”
“You spoke to my brother?” Maya asked, her brows furrowed.
“Yeah. I couldn’t find Wade and got worried. Then I figured if he was goofing off again, he might be here.”
Wade smiled a little at his brother and shook his head.
“I ran into your brother and his wife as they were on their way to breakfast. I assumed that the three of you had brought Wade back here.”
“Yeah, not of my own choice,” Wade said as he sat down next to Maya and looked at the food on the tray. An omelet made his stomach rumble with hunger. French toast made of Creole bread had been prepared for Maya.
Shaking his head, David sat down on the couch opposite them and glanced at Maya sitting in her robe. “Coming back here with Maya,” he said, then glanced at the bed and again at Maya, “would have been
“Believe me, you would not have wanted to go through what I did to end up here.”
“Thanks, David. What a treat.” Maya smiled warmly at him.
“I was worried when you didn’t rendezvous with me at the appointed hour back at our cabana, Wade,” David said, watching him eat.
“Sorry about that.”
David frowned. “I knew you had to be in trouble.”
Maya looked up from taking another bite of her French toast. “Connor and Kat came to our rescue and we came straight back here.”
David ground his teeth. “Okay… When Mylar and Bettinger didn’t return to the cabana last night, Lion Mane and Smith were pretty shook up about it. Lion Mane knew we had searched the cabana, and he discovered the tranq darts and the scent of the female jaguar in the jungle. No sign of the guns or the men. No sign of the jaguars—you or the female. Lion Mane was sniffing at the scents left behind by Maya—who Lion Mane knew—and Kat and Connor, who none of us knew. He located the scents of Mylar and Bettinger, and the river where their scents ended.”
“You followed them to the site?” Wade asked.
“Yeah. I was trailing them when they returned to the cabana and discovered we’d been there. Then they returned to the rainforest to find the others. I guessed that they were supposed to meet back at the cabana, but like you and I meeting, it didn’t happen.”
“So what do we do now?” Maya licked her fingers.
Both Wade and his brother watched her tongue sliding over her fingers. Wade knew what he wanted to do. Take her back to bed.
David cleared his throat. “Um, this is a Special Forces mission.”
She snorted. “You wouldn’t be sitting here talking to Wade if I hadn’t helped out a little.”
Wade and his brother shared looks.
“She’s right,” Wade said, finishing his omelet.
“So, what’s our next move?” She sat back against the couch, folding her arms. When neither brother said anything, she let her breath out in exasperation. “Okay, look, if David didn’t take down Lion Mane, the guy knows I’m in on this with the two of you. He’ll also know that Kat and Connor are involved. He might want revenge, or he might decide things are getting too hot for him and leave. Or, he might risk going after the female jaguar again since he’s already put this much effort into it and still wants the money. In any event, we’re all involved in this now.”
“Connor mentioned taking you and Kat home early,” David said, his tone cautious.
Her mouth pursed as she raised her brows at him.
He shrugged. “Kat wouldn’t hear of it unless you wanted to go home, too.”
“No, I don’t want to go home yet. If this guy wants revenge, he could drop by our garden nursery anytime. If he wants to go after the cat, the more of us there are to stop him, the better,” Maya said.
David turned to Wade. “If you don’t keep her for yourself, I’m not guaranteeing she’s going to be free much longer.”
Maya smiled and cast a glance in Wade’s direction, but not before he could wipe the scowl off his face.
“Since Lion Mane knows about all of us, I assume it would be better if we all stayed at the same resort tonight,” David said.
“There wouldn’t be enough room at the cabana we’re staying at. Enough beds, but not enough rooms for privacy,” Wade said. He smiled at David.
Maya slid her hand over Wade’s towel-covered thigh. If she did much more, she was going to get a rise out of him.
“So what were you thinking?” Wade asked his brother, taking hold of her hand and pulling her close. He tucked her soft, terry-cloth-robed body securely underneath his arm.
“A couple is moving out of their cottage this morning. You and I could stay there. I already reserved the place, just in case.”
“Okay, sounds good. We’ll figure out sleeping arrangements later.” Wade kissed the top of Maya’s head. As long as Maya was agreeable, he intended to stay with her here until she left for home.
“You know we’re leaving the day after tomorrow?” Maya said. “So we only have today and tomorrow to stop these men.”
On her schedule. But not on David’s and his.
“I managed to tell Martin I found you safe here,” David said. “The main lodge here has really spotty reception, but I got through. I told him about Bettinger and Mylar. He wanted to know if you learned who the buyer was before Bettinger died.”
Maya spoke up before Wade could say anything. “Bettinger had the gun and was asking all the questions while Wade was a jaguar at the time. So no, Wade didn’t have a chance to ask him who he was working for. But Wade is alive and I figure that ought to count for something.”
David smiled at Maya. “Martin better not cross claws with you. He’s fine with it, only because Lion Mane is still running around. I sent him a picture of the dude to see if Martin might be able to learn who he is. As to Bill Bettinger, he said the man had a wife and two kids.”
A knock at the front door gave Maya a start.
“Maya, are you finished with breakfast yet?” Connor asked through the door. “We need to talk.”
Looking guilty as sin, Maya jumped up from the couch.
Wade shook his head. Her brother was bound to know he and Maya had made love. She raced up the steps to the bedroom, grabbed some clothes out of the dresser and closet, then scurried into the bathroom and shut the door.
“She’s fast,” David mused.
“Coming!” Wade shouted to Connor.
“Have you got any clothes?” David asked.
“Yeah. A pair of pants.”
“I’ll get the door. Why don’t you put the pants on?”
