“What if he’s not?”
“We’re back to the plan of trying to catch him if he attempts to go after Maya on the excursion,” David said slowly. “We need to get back to her place.”
Wade was already heading in the direction of their cabana. “I’ll get our bags. You go check us out.”
David stalked toward the main lodge while Wade went to their cabana. He hastily packed and then, with their bags in hand, he pulled open the door. A man stood in the doorway, his gun pointed at Wade.
Narrowing his eyes, Wade took in the tall, scrawny man, his blue jeans muddy from the knees down, his camouflage shirt smelling of sweat and ripe body odor. The man’s hair was plastered against his scalp, greasy and long, around the balding crown.
Wade took a deep breath, smelled the man’s odor again, and said, “Smith, I presume.”
The hunter who’d been staying with Mylar was just as dangerous as his now-dead friend.
Wade had no intention of attempting to reason with the man. He backed up as if agreeing to whatever Smith had in mind. He had to get the hunter inside the room. Once the guy shut the door behind him, Wade lunged like a jaguar shifter in human form. Smith’s pale blue eyes rounded, his mouth gaping as he tried to raise the gun.
The human was too late. Wade struck him hard in the nose, breaking it with a crunch. Smith screamed in pain but didn’t release the weapon.
Wade grabbed for the man’s arm, yanking it so quickly and sharply behind the man’s back that he heard a snap—the arm breaking. The gun clattered to the floor, the muffled pop of a round striking the mahogany leg of the coffee table.
With the constant jungle chatter, Wade was certain he and Smith wouldn’t draw attention with any noise they made. At this time of morning, many guests would have already started out on day treks and wouldn’t be in the vicinity. Only animals with keen hearing would hear a scuffle.
Smith collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks as Wade finally released his arm. “Who sent you?”
The human glowered at Wade. Either he was acting tough, or he was just too stupid to believe Wade wouldn’t punish him more.
Wade, standing in front of Smith, tilted his head to the side and scowled at the bastard. With the rap sheet he had, the guy was probably the one usually towering over a cowering victim. “You know where Mylar went, right?” Wade asked.
Smith’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. You got it. You could join him next, though I’m sure there’s not much left of him. The crocs and piranhas aren’t choosy.”
The man swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Who… sent… you?” Wade demanded.
The sound of the window being yanked up in the bathroom had Wade twisting around to look.
Smith lunged for the gun with his uninjured arm. Grabbing it in his left hand, he turned to shoot Wade.
“Damn it.” The guy must be ambidextrous, Wade thought. He seized the man’s left arm, fully intending to break it as well, but the gun went off.
The man collapsed, clutching his chest. Not hesitating, Wade jerked the gun from the man’s hand and aimed toward the bathroom down the hall.
“Just me!” David said, hands in the air. “I heard the fight and didn’t want to get shot coming in through the front door.” He looked down at Smith. “That must be Smith.”
“Yeah,” Wade muttered, looking back at the human, who was now lying on his back, his eyes open and sightless.
Wade pushed the man with his booted foot. The guy was dead, damn it to hell and back.
“Where’s the bullet wound?” David asked, peering down at the man.
Wade pushed the man over with his boot, saw no sign of blood, and reached down to feel for a pulse. None. Wade let out his breath in a huff. “Hell, there isn’t any bullet wound. He must have had a heart attack.”
David gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t tell me you didn’t learn who the buyer was.”
“I didn’t. Nor did I get a name from him as to who Lion Mane is. Let’s drop him off at the river and get out of here. Are we checked out?”
“Yeah.” David helped carry Smith through the bathroom, and the two of them shoved the body through the window into the jungle out back where it was less likely to be seen. “We need to dump him and get back to Maya’s resort. Any sign of the shifter?”
“No. That’s what has me worried. I’m thinking that this guy was left behind to take care of us when we returned, while the shifter might have gone after Maya.”
“The shifter’s smart. He probably thinks Maya is easy pickings compared to the two of us,” David said. “What if he has a gun like this guy did?”
“They’ll think of something.” Wade didn’t want to second-guess the situation. He just wanted to dispose of the body and get back to Maya and the others quickly.
“Take it easy on Lion Mane if we get hold of him, will you?” David asked in a teasing manner. “I really want to get on Martin’s good side this time.”
Wade shook his head as the two carried Smith to the river. He knew David didn’t care about getting on Martin’s “good” side. In a situation like this, all he cared about was that Wade and he came out on top—alive and uninjured.
And right now, all they were concerned about was getting rid of the evidence and getting back to the Andersons in time.
Chapter 18
Francisco, their guide, and the group were ready to hike to the cave tubing site and anxiously waiting on Maya, her brother, and her sister-in-law.
Maya was staring out her window at the jungle, hoping that the plan to draw Lion Mane out would work, but she thought Wade and his brother had already taken too long to return to the treetop cottages.
She was wearing a bathing suit under her jeans and T-shirt and had a couple of water bottles, a waterproof camera, and a hand towel in her backpack sitting on the table. Connor and Kat would arrive any minute. It was now or never.
A knock at the door gave her a start, and she rushed to ensure it was her brother and Kat. It was. She opened the door. They looked as anxious as she did. Connor had one backpack between them.
“They’re not here,” Connor said, glancing at Maya’s living room and stating the obvious. “We’ve got to go.”
“But shouldn’t we wait for Wade and David?” Maya asked.
“We’ll miss the excursion if we wait. But I had another idea in case David and Wade didn’t arrive on time. You go with the guide, and we’ll join you at the site. At least that’s how I’ve explained it to the guide. Kat and I will go in jaguar form, hidden in the jungle as your personal escort. Stay near the back of the group. We’ll watch for any signs of a jaguar. At the caving site, we’ll shift and join you. I have a change of clothes in my backpack. You can add whatever you had in yours to ours and carry it.”
“The guide won’t like that you’re going to join us at the caves, will he?” she asked, transferring her stuff to Connor’s bag.
“I explained that Kat and I have taken the trip many times, but that I wanted you to have the guided tour. A little extra money convinced him to allow us to join you later.”
“I’d rather it be me hunting down Lion Mane than Kat.”
“If that’s his game, he’d be after you, not Kat. If he thinks you’re not with us and more vulnerable, he might take a chance to tangle with you. Kat can handle the hike better in her jaguar form. And she’s a good fighter. Either that, or we return home and risk having him come after you when we’re least expecting it. He could get reinforcements back home, too. Of course, this is just speculation. He might not be interested in dealing with you
