Jaguar Pride (23 page)

She nodded and he gave her a hug, then she shifted and he gave her a kiss. “Stay safe. Stay here. Do you know where the mother is?”

“In another tree about hundred feet from here. She's been drugged and tied up in a burlap sack to a tree branch like her babies.”

“Okay, we'll move them to dry ground and watch over them like we did before. I'll be back.”

“Be careful.” She gave him another hug and kiss.

“We're house hunting when we get home,” he said, as if to tell her she was staying with him for the long run.

She lifted a brow and smiled a little.

“I'll be back.”

Then he shifted and so did she. He licked her cheek, then jumped to the swampy ground and took off through the fog to locate his brother. He couldn't help the anxious gnawing at his gut. Everything had become too quiet after the shots had been fired. He even thought that when Melissa and he had roared, one of the Whittaker brothers would have followed suit.

He tracked his scent trail to reach the place where he'd heard the shots fired, about three hundred yards from there, and headed in that direction.

He saw Luke in his tan jaguar form looking dead to the world, only he was sleeping, not dead. Thank God. Huntley whipped around, looking for signs of the shooter, and then found him lying on the ground hidden by vegetation. He
was
dead.

Huntley continued to look for Everett and Luke's brother, then heard talking—a man's low voice. “You were involved with the stealing of the jaguars. Tell me the truth. You wanted me and my men to risk coming out here to catch the cats, and then when they were in the compound, you stole them from me so you wouldn't have to pay for them. Where are the rest of your men? You can't tell me you took out all of my men on your own.” Jackson held a rifle on Everett, looking anxious to use it.

So Jackson hadn't realized Everett was one of the good guys. Just thought he was a double-crosser.

“Listen, Jackson, I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I met with you in good faith. Your man said I should follow him to the compound, but the next thing I knew, someone stopped his truck and killed him. I didn't know what the hell was going on, so I turned around and left. I didn't even know where your compound was.”

“You lie.”

Everett folded his arms. “I take it that you don't really have a cougar and cubs for me to buy.”

“I'll sell them to someone a little more reliable. You and I are going to take a walk in the swamps. You'll make a damn good meal for some hungry crocodile.”

Everett turned to look behind Jackson as Huntley got ready to ambush the bastard.

“Oldest trick in the book,” Jackson said, not about to turn his head and look until Huntley roared.

That got Jackson's attention in a heartbeat. Before he could turn around and center his rifle, Huntley leaped and knocked him down. Then took a swipe with his forepaw and killed the bastard. Huntley shifted and said, “Where's Jason?”

“Shot, tranquilized.”

“Crap.”

“Where's Melissa?”

Huntley shook his head. “Cougar cub-sitting. We've got a hell of a lot of work to do. We need to move these bodies into the swamp. On second thought, one of us has to stay with the brothers and protect them. You do that. I'll take care of the bodies. Hell, what a mess.”

“Take care, Brother.”

“You too.” Huntley shifted as Everett went to move Luke to where Jason had fallen. Huntley grabbed Jackson's belt and tugged him toward the area where the swampy area started. He thought of doing this as a human, but in truth, he could carry large animals into trees as a jaguar, and he could move a couple of measly humans just as easily with his jaguar muscles. As a human, he'd be at more of a disadvantage.

When he reached the swamp, he dumped Jackson into the water, then headed back for the last man. It was still so foggy that he didn't see the body or Everett trying to wake up the two agents until he was practically on top of them. Then he hauled off the last man until he reached the water and dumped him in.

After that, it was time to take care of Melissa's charges. He dove through the vegetation to reach her, swam out to her, then jumped into the tree and she brushed her muzzle against his. He shifted. “The Whittaker brothers are asleep. Everett's good. Jackson and his other man are dead. I'm going to untie the bag with the cubs and give them to you to take care of. I'll get the mother, and we'll take them to dry ground, open the sacks, and watch over them until the mother revives like we did before. Okay?”

She nodded.

After another hour, they were sitting together high in a tree, watching the mother stir and the cubs drinking milk from her. They hoped it wouldn't make the cubs sleepy, but they'd guard them until the mother could. They were still a long way from where Everett and the other agents were, but they wanted it that way. After what had happened to the mother, they didn't want her tearing into the agents.

When the mother woke sufficiently, she led her cubs away. As soon as they were gone, Huntley and Melissa leaped onto the muddy ground and ran through the rainforest to locate Everett. He paced back and forth in front of two drowsy jaguars, both sitting up now but unable to shake off the effects of the drug.

Huntley smiled a little at the brothers, then nudged for Melissa to go with him. They found their field pack and shifted and dressed. Then they rejoined Everett. “We need to get them dressed and walk them out of here before anyone runs across us with a couple of doped-up jaguars and thinks we're trying to capture them,” Huntley said.

“This I've got to see,” Melissa said.

The men all smiled at her.

“This is one part of the mission you don't need to watch,” Huntley said, then found where the men had stashed their gear and brought it back.

“What? You think one of the other guys has something that you don't have?”

Huntley cast her a look that meant payback time. She smiled at him, then turned around to watch the birds in the trees or something while the two brothers shifted.

After having a horrendous time trying to dress the brothers, as loopy as they were, Everett and Huntley each took one of the men in hand and helped them walk. It would be dark before they reached the park ranger's station, and hopefully by then, the Whittakers wouldn't look like a couple of drunks.

Melissa slipped underneath Luke's other arm and helped out. He gave her a sloppy grin. She smiled up at him.

“She's mine,” Huntley growled.

She and Everett laughed.

By the time they reached the ranger's station, the men were still dead tired, but they managed to walk on their own and appeared to be beat by the heat, humidity, and all-day hike they'd taken. Recognizing Melissa and Huntley from before, the ranger said, “You didn't find any poachers?”

“Didn't see anything worth mentioning.” Huntley wrapped his arm around Melissa's shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.

He couldn't wait to get to the cabana, get cleaned up, and get some sleep before they flew out tomorrow. He decided as much as he loved being a jaguar in the wild, he wanted some human time to spend with his new live-in partner. Who he hoped would become much more than that in short order.

***

The next day at the airport, they both picked up new phones at a kiosk, and the first thing Melissa did was call the Carringtons to get an update on them and the kids. And then she made a play date with them, arching a brow to see if Huntley wished to be included.

“Hell yeah,” Huntley said, enfolding Melissa in his arms. All of this felt so right. Better than right.

But as soon as they arrived in Dallas, he felt antsy about Melissa having to deal with Oliver. When they saw him at the airport, Huntley felt her sag a little, like she didn't want to deal with this right now.

Huntley was all for having a showdown with the man—telling Oliver he managed to drive away the most alluring she-cat ever, and now he had no claim on her.

So that's just what he said. And Melissa looked at Huntley as if he was crazy!

Melissa was tired. After making love as quietly as she and Huntley could in the cabana half the night, and with the energy it had taken to heal up from the cut she'd received, and then the long drive to the airport and the long flight, she couldn't deal with Oliver. Actually, she was shocked to see him standing there, hands shoved in his pockets, giving Huntley a nod as if he was still just her partner on a mission, and then acting as though she was supposed to get a ride with Oliver home. When he was supposed to be seeing Chad. Unless that was already over before it had started. She hoped not.

She had to admit this was a new one on her—Oliver coming to pick her up from the airport and not allowing Huntley to drop her off. Then again, Huntley wasn't planning to drop her anywhere but take her to his studio apartment.

And then Huntley had opened his big mouth. As if
Huntley
had any claim to her! Though she did like that he said she was precious. And alluring. But she hadn't expected Huntley to say anything about her to the ex-boyfriend.

Oliver nodded, but he didn't budge either.

She sighed. “Thanks so much for discovering the Carringtons' identities. That was a real big help to us. About packing up my stuff and moving out—”

“Can we talk, alone?”

She felt Huntley tense beside her.

“Tomorrow. When I come to pack up my stuff. But I'm tired. Certainly not tonight.”

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, as if to object or try to change her mind.

“She said no,” Huntley growled.

Melissa glanced up at him, telling him in no uncertain terms that this was
not
his business.

“Just saying,” Huntley said, still looking all growly.

“I'll see you tomorrow, Oliver. Again, thanks for everything.” Then she walked past him and Huntley hurried to catch up to her.

“You might want to ask Genista why she really left Huntley Anderson,” Oliver called out to her.

Melissa glanced over her shoulder at Oliver. He still stood there, arms folded across his chest now, his expression concerned. Did he think to protect her from Huntley?

She didn't need any protection from him. He was perfectly suited to her.

Huntley wrapped his arm around her shoulders as if he was afraid she might just stop and talk further with Oliver, and he wanted to ensure she didn't. She snuggled against him, loving the way he was ferocious, charming, sexy, and protective.

She wasn't going to buy into Oliver's words. Yet, was there more to Genista's moving out suddenly without doing it face to face with Huntley? Not that it would have anything to do with Melissa's relationship with Huntley, but she was curious.

She shook her head at Oliver and walked with Huntley to his car.

“He doesn't know what he's talking about,” Huntley said as they climbed into his vehicle.

“Are you sure there's not something more to her leaving? Something she wouldn't discuss with you? You said yourself she didn't like to talk about anything important.”

“Well, hell, maybe. Then again, why would Oliver know about it when I wouldn't?”

“Maybe he told her he was worried about me, and she felt sorry for me and told him the truth of why she left.”

Huntley grunted. Then he glanced at her. “You're not really going back to him, are you?”

“Are you kidding? When I can't get enough of you?”

Huntley smiled a little.

“He's never called me precious or alluring. And as far as I know, he's still seeing Chad. So no.”

“Why don't
you
call Genista? Maybe she'll open up to you when she wouldn't with me.”

“I really don't need to.”

“I'd like to know what it was all about if there's something more to it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“All right, but only because you want to know what's up with her.” Melissa didn't want him to think she believed that anything that was an issue for Genista would be one for her. They were just too different from one another, and from the sound of it, Genista hadn't shared the heat with Huntley that Melissa felt for him. The whole way back on the plane, they'd cuddled and were close, and she loved it—realizing she truly did love him.

***

“Better watch out. His dad has a lot of influence over the JAG,” Genista warned Melissa over the phone as Huntley drove Melissa to his place.

“What do you mean?”

“Everett and Huntley served exclusively as a team on missions for a few years because Martin knew they were good at it. Never got injured. Always got their man…or woman. They were totally in sync with one another. Good at their job. Why break up a great agent team?”

Melissa had an idea but didn't think it was true, so she ventured, “The brothers weren't getting along? They asked for others on assignment?”

She glanced at Huntley. He was frowning at her.

“No. They were perfectly happy to work together. All of a sudden they were split up, and I was given the mission to work with Huntley. I almost felt bad for him. He was happy to work with me, and we hit it off great. But at first, I could tell he was having a difficult time getting used to me and the way I work. That soon changed, and well, you know where that led.”

“You were dating him and moved in with him. I thought you were getting married.” Melissa didn't want to hear anything bad about Huntley from the ex-girlfriend, because from the sound of it, she and Huntley just weren't that compatible.

“It has nothing to do with Huntley, truly. He's a likable guy. Well, a real sweetheart. Busy, dedicated to the job, focused on mission—which I loved about him. It also drove me crazy. When I'd come home from a mission, I'd want to forget all about it. He'd want to talk about it. Help me work through mine. I couldn't.

“He said he always did that with his brother. I didn't want to. Maybe some part of me resented that he wanted to treat me like I was his brother.” Then Genista laughed. “Not in any way other than the need to discuss missions. Anyway, then he'd want to talk about his job. I didn't want to hear about it. Maybe that's why he and his brother were so good on their assignments. They worked through things and were ready for the next mission. I don't know. It just isn't the way I like to handle it.”

Melissa could see Genista's point if she wasn't geared the same way as Huntley. “He really wants the best for you, you know.” She wanted Genista to know that he hadn't said anything bad about her. She knew Huntley had to have been upset by the way Genista left him without telling him she was moving out. But even so, he hadn't said anything about how he'd felt to Melissa.

He glanced over at her as he parked in his parking slot.

“Yeah, I know. I told you, he's a sweetheart. That's why I moved out like I did. I was afraid he'd get all woeful looking, and I wouldn't be able to leave because I didn't want to hurt his feelings.”

Melissa could envision him like that. He was a nice guy. More than nice. She leaned over the console and kissed his cheek. He gave her a hug back. He was just perfect for her on and off a mission.

“I was being a total coward, I know. But if I hadn't moved out, the next time he asked about my last mission and he wanted to talk about his, I knew we'd been in the same boat all over again. It was for the best that I cleared out, and well, then there you were,” Genista said.

“I got an ultimatum from my ex-boyfriend—leave my job and work at his, or move out. But then I learned he was seeing someone else.” She didn't want Genista to think she'd been making the moves on Huntley while on assignment when both he and she were seeing someone else.

Genista didn't say anything for a moment. “Oliver told me he was concerned that you'd hooked up with Huntley after I left him and Oliver left you. He wanted to know the real reason I left Huntley. Oliver was worried you'd get hurt since he felt he'd already hurt you. I always knew the guy wasn't meant for you, but he still seems protective of you. I've never seen a wallflower like him at the Christmas party. Not everyone is a wild cat or works for the JAG, and yet there he was, holding up a corner of the wall.”

Melissa smiled. She'd tried so hard to introduce him to everyone, but had finally given up to enjoy herself a bit. “Okay, so you alluded to a reason that Huntley and Everett began to go on missions with other agents. And that was?”

“Huntley wasn't paired with anyone else but me. Did you know his dad has a lot of influence with the JAG branch?”

“Wait, you're saying his dad had something to do with it? Like he wanted the two of you paired on an assignment in a matchmaking attempt?”

“Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. After two missions, I made the mistake of moving in with Huntley. My grandmother had died, and well, it just seemed to be the solution for me at the time. He's a great guy, really. Don't get me wrong. Only he's looking to settle down. I'm not. Especially if his dad is pulling the strings. Huntley just wants more than I'm willing to give right now. Oh, and by the way, if you're being paired with him on missions, it probably isn't Martin's idea either.”

“Why would that happen when you were dating Huntley? I've been on three missions with him already.” Melissa really didn't believe this, though she knew Roy Anderson was involved heavily in the politics of the organization, and he certainly had the money to invest in projects that the JAG wanted to support. Like funding more rangers for the Corcovado National Park.

“His father probably got word somehow that Huntley and I weren't going to last. Betcha anything that if you and Huntley look like you're not getting along, he'll suddenly be paired up with another female agent for the next assignment.”

“Do you have any proof?”

“You know Roy investigated the Patterson brothers, ensuring they were acceptable to him for Maya and his daughter, Tammy, right?”

“Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's getting into the matchmaking business with field agents.”

“I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't already checked into your background before you were assigned to work with Huntley. You know Roy was at the Christmas party and watching his sons and his daughter, Tammy, right? Did you speak to Huntley at all at the party?”

“Yeah, I did. Someone bumped into me when I was getting some eggnog, and I spilled it on Huntley's shoes.” Melissa smiled a little at the memory and realized that was the first time she had really interacted with him.

Genista laughed. “He doesn't care for the stuff, and I wondered why he smelled of it when we went home that night.”

“We got to laughing, and I was helping him mop up his shoes, and I don't know, maybe his father saw us talking and laughing and thought there was more to it.”

“We'd had a bit of a row, so we weren't exactly speaking to one another. Then there you were, being nice to Roy's son, and well, I bet you were paired with him on a mission not long after that.”

“Yeah. The next week, actually. Thanks, Genista.” Melissa didn't know what to think, but she didn't like being manipulated. She'd believed that Genista was way off base on this, but the more she thought about the way Roy was, the more she wondered if there was some truth to it. Not that it changed her mind about how she felt concerning Huntley.

“Huntley's a great guy. But I didn't want his father getting into our business, and the other issues were just unresolvable as far as I was concerned.”

“Did you ask Huntley about it?”

“No.”

“The boss?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“I figured it didn't really matter. I wasn't ready to settle down with him or anyone else. I hope it works out for the two of you. I just thought you should know. Talk later.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Melissa ended the call and realized Huntley had already parked the car at his complex. She climbed out of the car, shocked about this whole situation. If it was true, did Huntley know anything about it? She suspected he didn't.

Huntley watched her, curious and a little worried looking as he grabbed their bags and hauled them to his front door.

She called her boss while Huntley unlocked the door. “Martin, I've got something to ask you.” She looped her finger around one of Huntley's belt loops as he carried the bags inside and shut the door.

Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek, waiting to hear what was up. She ran her fingers down his buttons, ready to start unfastening them as soon as she had both hands free. This was how she wanted to unwind from missions from now on—in this hot,
wild
jaguar's loving embrace. No more tame cats for her.

“Did Roy Anderson have anything to do with my working with Huntley on a mission?” she asked her boss.

Huntley immediately stiffened.

Silence. She smiled up at Huntley, letting him know she wasn't upset if it was true.

“Martin? Did he?” she prompted when there was too long of a delay, and she knew then Huntley's dad had been involved.

“He might have said he thought you'd make a good team,” Martin said carefully. “He doesn't decide who goes with whom on assignment. That's my call.”

“So he suggested we'd work well together.”

“You do, don't you?”

“Yeah, we do. But I want to know the truth.”

“I wouldn't have paired the two of you if I hadn't thought you could be good as a team.”

“All right. As of now, Huntley and I are on vacation. Take us off the work roster, if you will.”

“Will do. Glad you're back. I'll be in touch in a week.”

Melissa took hold of Huntley's arm, led him to the couch, and began yanking couch cushions off. “Make it two. We need a
really
long vacation.” Starting…now.

Martin chuckled. Huntley grinned at her, pulled away, and began to make up the sofa bed for them.