Rare Find (31 page)

"Sorry," she said.

"Sorry," he responded gently.

She gave him a sad smile. "He missed out on so much."

"So did we."

"And yet here we are."

Standing across from each other. Both closer than they'd ever been before, but not to where either would like them to be just yet. Too much had happened. Or rather not happened.

Now it was just awkward.

But they'd come so far already. It didn't have to stop at this point.

"I'd like you to meet Eric, my live-in partner."

Her eyebrows flew up at the mention of his assistant whom she'd spoken to many times but had never met. Dennis hadn't been able to take that step - until now.

"Okay," she said. "Better make it quick in case I'm not here next weekend."

Shock slammed into him, making his heart pound deep inside. "What? You were really serious about this tiger stuff?"

"Very," she said, her voice thinning. "If Tabitha dies, there's a good chance I will too. For all I'm standing and looking normal to you, my heart chakra, my cord, is connected to her."

"And if you survive this time? We all die eventually. What happens when her time comes? You said she wasn't in good health to begin with. So what happens then?"

Soberly, she stared at him. "I don't know."

Tuesday at dawn

T
abitha left her father to stew on her words and headed out to find Ronin. It was still the middle of the night for many people. There was so little he could do right now.

Only she couldn't find him. In the kitchen, she turned around slowly, wondering if he'd really left. Wouldn't he have said something first? Wouldn't she have heard him close the door or something? Hear his truck start up at least?

Her father came in behind her. For the first time, she realized he was fully dressed. "Did you not go to bed?"

He waved in the direction of the living room. "I was working."

She glanced at the clock. "So late?"

He hesitated. "I couldn't sleep."

Him too. She certainly had enough nights like that herself. Especially lately.

"Did Ronin drive away?"

"No. I didn't hear any vehicles."

"Neither did I." She frowned and walked out the back door. The stars were bright in the sky, adding to the glow of a waxing moon. Another couple of nights and the moon would be full.

She studied the long pathway into the trees. Tripod barked at her. He stood at the end of the glow of light from her backdoor and stared at her. "Did he go down there, honey?"

Tripod barked again. She glanced down at her slippers and robe, wondering when she'd put that much on. Tripod barked again.

She started down the path toward him.

"Tabitha? Where are you going?" her father called from inside the house.

"Tripod is upset. I'm going to check it out."

"Wait a sec!" her father said. "Let me grab my shoes. I'm going with you."

She could hear a mad scramble behind her.

"You shouldn't be walking around out here on your own."

"Really? And who else is going to check out the place? It's mine, remember?"

His exasperation wove through his voice. "Yeah, I do know. I hate that you live out here all alone."

"That's not going to change."

"It was one thing when your grandfather lived here, but now that you're alone..."

"What, you think I can't handle it?" she asked incredulously. "Dad, I've run this reserve on my own for well over a decade. Grandpa couldn't get around much anymore. Not for a long time. Living here alone is no hardship."

Tripod barked louder from somewhere in the trees. Tabitha raced after him. Then she heard sounds of someone running off. She raced off after them. If there'd been someone on the grounds...

***

Ronin swore as his fourth attempt to raise anyone on the phone failed. It was five in the morning. This night was done for him.

He heard barking then a shout. He spun around.
Damn.
He'd automatically come out the front door of Tabitha's house instead of out back door where that damn cat was.

He wasn't ready to face that yet. And neither had he shared Stefan's insights with Tabitha.

He heard Dennis shout. Ronin raced back inside and out through the back door. "Tabitha?" he roared, "Damn it. Where are you?"

"Back here!"

Her shout came from the path heading toward the office of Exotic Landscape.

He reached her side in seconds, almost knocking Dennis over in the process. "What the hell is going on?"

"Someone was here." She held her hand to her chest and gasped for breath. "Jesus, I almost caught him."

"Are you crazy?" He caught her by her shoulders. "You actually went after the intruder?"

"Of course I did. This is my home. My place. My animals. I will do everything I can to keep them safe," she snapped.

He gave her a good shake. "Oh, of all the dumb-ass stunts."

She gasped and opened her mouth to blast him when he tugged her forward and kissed her. Hard.

She was still spluttering when he set her back. A snicker had him turning to see Dennis trying to hold back his laughter.

"Love is a many splendored thing," Dennis murmured.

"Ha. Tell your daughter that."

This time Dennis guffawed. "As if that will help."

"Hey, guys. I'm right here." She stuck her face in Ronin's face. "And what was that comment all about?"

He sighed, tugged her forward and led her back to her house. "Stay here with your father while I go and check out the place."

Once back in the circle of the outside patio lights, he gave her a gentle push and sent her back toward the house. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'll come with you," Dennis offered.

Ronin nodded toward Tabitha. "I'd rather you stayed with her. She's might bolt."

Dennis sighed and followed Tabitha inside.

With a backward glance, Ronin headed down the path to the office of Exotic Landscape.

***

"If he thinks for one minute that I'm going to stay home like a 'good little woman,' he's sorely mistaken," she muttered to herself as she stormed into her house and up to her room. Her movements were sharp and jerky but efficient as she stripped off her nightclothes and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. This night was over, and the thought of more sleep had become a distant dream.

Some asshole was messing with her place. With her animals.

She reached for her phone and called security. The phone rang and rang.

"Crap." She pocketed her phone and went in search of her shoes.

"Where are you going?" her father asked, standing in front of the doorway. From the wide stance and crossed arms, she deduced he had thoughts about stopping her.

"My security men aren't answering. I have to make sure they haven't been knocked out, that they're awake and on the job."

He frowned. "Isn't that a job for the police?"

"Ah, the police is here, remember?"

"I don't think he wants you out there."

"No, he doesn't. But those are my men. One of them should have answered. Neither did. That could mean trouble."

Her phone rang just then. She pulled it out and checked the number. "It's Ronin."

She answered it. "What's up?"

"I've called for paramedics. Your security guard has been knocked out."

Her gaze flew up to meet her father's somber look. "I'm on my way. There should be a second guard there. Neither answered their phones."

"I'm on it." She could hear the sounds of doors opening and closing.
Was he inside the center?

"Where is the guard?" she said sharply. "I'll come look after him."

"He's outside the back door of the clinic."

"Have you checked inside? We were wondering because of the earlier break-ins if maybe junkies were after the drugs there."

"Do you keep many?" Ronin sounded distracted.

"Hell no. But the junkies might not know or care."

"Right. Bring your father."

"Will do. Be there in five." She put away her phone and slipped into her shoes. "He wants you to come with me. One of my guards has been attacked. Ronin has called for the paramedics, but I need to go and see what I can do."

Her father was already pulling the door open and said, "Does this happen often?"

"First time. Some other problems started a few months ago." Outside, she led the way back along the path to the office.

"Was your grandfather worried about anything?" Dennis asked. "Did the break-ins upset him?"

"Yes. He'd gone very quiet these last few months. As if something bugged him, but he never talked about it."

"No autopsy was done – did that bother you?"

"No." She shrugged. "I didn't see the sense. He was old, his health failing." From the pathway, she could see the lights were on inside the center. She frowned and picked up the pace.

She entered the front door and found the lights on throughout the building. She walked through the office, her heart sinking as she took in the mess. The desk drawers had been pulled out and dumped, the chairs had been overturned, the pictures tossed.

Damn. What about the animals that just had surgery over the last couple days? They shouldn't be disturbed. She hurried through to the clinic side and found the animals untouched. They were nervous, stressed and hurting from their various procedures, but as far as she could see, their energies were solid. No additional injuries or damage.

Immediately, she poured waves of calm energy over the pens and animals, stretching it out, letting it float to the far corners of the reserve.

It's okay. Everything is fine. Relax.

As she turned her attention to the rest of the center, she heard Ronin call her.

She raced to the surgery to find Thomas, her long-time security guard, stretched out on the table.

"What on earth...?"

"My thoughts exactly." He motioned to the door at the far end of the room. "This is the second guard. The first one is outside."

She studied the man's face. There was no apparent injury, but he was definitely out cold. As if sleeping. Or drugged. Her heart sank.

She pulled his sleeve back to see a red injection site. She closed her eyes. "Ah hell. He's been drugged."

***

Ronin left Tabitha and her father at the center and did a quick look around. He was pretty sure that the intruder was gone, but this was no longer a simple case of mischief. Now two guards had been attacked, which said something about the seriousness of the intruder's intentions.

He headed for the security system, wondering if the intruders knew about the upgrades. He knew his brother's company received a copy of the feed. Had they received an alert of an intruder?

His phone rang, and he knew it was Roman before he picked it up. This happened sometimes, as if Roman could hear his thoughts.

"Are you at Exotic?" Roman asked.

"Yeah," Ronin said. "Two guards were attacked and we disturbed an intruder heading for Tabitha's house."

"Professional job?"

"Quite possibly. The guards were knocked out with drugs. The offices have been tossed." Ronin stared out into the early morning light. Inside, his stomach knotted. "What the hell is going on?"

"There were no alarms set off on our end."

"Well, that answers that. The system's new; it has to be an inside job." Ronin paused. "Who installed it?"

Roman's tone turned thin and hard. "I'll be checking into that. You check on her the staff at Exotic?"

Ronin snorted. "Working on it. She doubled her staff after her extended hospital stay. She had to. She's still not back to full strength. At this rate, Exotic will need a new owner, too."

Silence.

"Is that a possibility?" Roman asked seriously, "because that's motive right there."

Ronin thought about it. "It's possible," he answered slowly. "There's no one else in her life at the moment except her father. And those that work at the center."

"Who inherited everything when the grandfather passed away recently?"

Running a hand across his forehead, Ronin told himself to think. To see this for what it likely was – a money grab. Trust his business-minded brother to cut through the distraction and get to the root of the problem.