MEILING became aware of unfamiliar sounds first. The creak of old wood as if the house was settling around her. Someone was breathing in and out quietly, but rhythmically. She smelled juniper and, faintly, the jungle, a feral predatory scent that was a little alarming. Three sensations registered simultaneously: a heavy leg was thrown over her thighs, pinning her down; a very heavy arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her securely to a man’s body; and fingers drifted idly in her hair.
Her heart went crazy before she could control it. She didn’t remember falling into bed with anyone. Certainly not with him. Gedeon Volkov. What in the world had possessed her to crawl in bed with him? He could have murdered her so easily. He still could. She had to extract herself out from under him before he woke up. He was leopard. She doubted that was going to happen. One could be lucky only so many times.
She shifted her weight subtly on the bed, trying to ease out from under him. He came awake instantly, the hand buried under the pillow coming up and out with a gun in it.
“I’m just getting up.” She tried to be matter-of-fact, as if she slept with men every day. “It’s still early, you should just sleep as much as you can. I’ve got quite a bit to do.”
“Such as?”
Gedeon had a note of masculine amusement in his voice that made her want to hit him over the head with a flowerpot. Or the Ming vase that couldn’t possibly be authentic. He hadn’t moved. Not the leg or the arm, or even the fingers playing with her hair. She had spent an inordinate amount of time while on the plane researching him. The information she found about him was just a little bit terrifying. He was also a player. Big time. Way, way, way out of her league.
“Setting up care for you until you’re back on your feet. Arranging for meals to be brought in. Arranging for my disappearance so it won’t be easy for you to find me.”
“I doubt you’re going to suddenly change your mind and sell me out, so let’s take that off the table. We both know I’m not going to hunt you down and kill you. I do have an idea that might interest you. I’ve been thinking about it since you hacked my phone.”
“I didn’t hack your phone,” she corrected, suddenly afraid of what his proposition might be. She might collect favors, but she didn’t pay debts with her body. “I coaxed your password out of you when you had an extremely high fever.”
Gedeon tugged on her hair as he slid the gun under the pillow. He did it with such ease she wondered if his sight had returned. “I think you have a dirty mind, Lotus Blossom. I wasn’t going to proposition you in that way. I’m beginning to think you have a thing for my body.”
She heaved a sigh. “Spit it out, Leopard Boy, I intend to find a hot tub and spend the entire day soaking in it while people I find to wait on you hand and foot do so.”
“Leopard Boy?”
“Lotus Blossom?”
He burst out laughing. Meiling couldn’t help but like that she’d made him laugh. It was a real laugh too. She had the feeling that with Gedeon, laughter was a very rare thing.
“Fair enough. I want you to work for me.” When she frowned and didn’t answer, he hastily corrected himself. “With me. Partners. I need a woman with me quite often. You’re intelligent, witty, you can charm the socks off a man. I can’t see you, but no doubt you dress up nice for a dinner party. You remember things.”
“Yes,” she admitted, her mind racing. All of that was true and he’d said it in a voice that didn’t lie. She heard lies.
“My line of work is dangerous. I need eyes and ears on every conversation. I can’t be everywhere at once. You got me out of Venezuela with few people seeing me. No one can identify me other than that doctor or the cameras at the airport when I flew in.”
“That was taken care of.” She pushed at his leg. “You’re heavy.”
“You won’t run away, and you’ll listen to me?”
She pretended to heave a sigh, but, really, she was very intrigued. “Go on.”
Gedeon shifted his leg off her thigh, and she rubbed at the spot where he’d lain the weight over her. He caught her wrist and felt down her hand to her thigh where he laid his palm. His hand felt very warm on her skin. Too intimate.
“Are you hurt? Tell me the truth. I won’t like it if you lie to me. You know I can hear lies.”
“Let’s finish this other conversation first. I promise we’ll go back to my health.”
He was silent a moment and she willed him to continue. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about herself.
“We are circling back to this, though.” He kept his hand on her thigh and it burned like a brand. “What do you mean, ‘it’s taken care of’?”
“The security cameras at the airport. Your flight tickets. All of it was wiped out. You never flew to Venezuela. You never got on that airplane. As for the doctor, I have no idea what happened to him, but he is well-known to Etienne. He agreed with me that it was best for us to leave immediately.”
“That must have been quite a favor your Etienne owed you to do all that.”
“Huge. And I used it on you. Be grateful and stop being so annoying.”
“You have to get used to my annoying personality because you’re going to work for me. Don’t pretend you don’t like danger, adventure and being with me.”
“I like danger and adventure. Being with you is a real problem. And I wouldn’t work for you. With you maybe, but definitely not for you.”
He ignored the last just like she knew he would. “How many languages do you speak?”
“Five.”
“That’s good. I don’t want anyone to know what you can or can’t do up front. Or how smart you are. You need to be able to fade into the background and collect information for me. The more information we have, the more power we have. And that means . . .”
“We don’t get killed.”
“Exactly.”
“I wouldn’t really leave you until I knew your eyesight was back to normal, Gedeon,” she had to admit. She didn’t want him making a job offer because he thought she’d take off at the first chance she got. She might consider it. Think about it. Even fantasize about it. But she wouldn’t leave him while he was so helpless. He probably knew that about her, the bastard.
“I know you wouldn’t. What I do know is we’d be good together. Partnering up makes sense. You’ll make more money and you’ll be safer. I’ll watch your back and you’ll watch mine.”
This was going to be difficult to admit. “I do have a gun and I know how to use it. I practice every day, but Gedeon, I’ve never killed a single human being in my life. I don’t know if I could.”
“You would have killed the doctor if he suddenly whipped out a knife and was ready to kill me without provocation.”
That was true, but he couldn’t possibly know that. “It isn’t the same thing. You were in a vulnerable position, and I was your only protection.” That and a part of her was fairly certain Gedeon would have pulled out one of the guns, aimed true and shot the doctor if he felt threatened.
“The point I’m making is, you could use a good job and we fit.”
“Why would you think that?” She was a little shocked.
“Because you’re like I am. You have the same gifts. You remember everything. I need your skills. You’re loyal. You’re fearless.”
“You can stop right there. I’m not without fear. If I was, I wouldn’t be in this situation. I would have been the one to kill those men, not you.” She couldn’t keep the shame from her voice. She felt shame that she hadn’t been the one to avenge Libby.
“So, you really are repaying an imaginary debt. You saved my life more than once. I’d say that calls us even. You sent off the money using the exact method necessary to keep me out of trouble.”
“Unless I lied to you.” She couldn’t help giving him a hard time.
“You didn’t lie.” He was that sure of her.
“I’ll tell you what, Gedeon, I’ll hang around and see you through this, and then when you’ve fully recovered your vision and you’re not out of your mind with fever, we’ll revisit this conversation.” She needed time to think things through. She didn’t trust so easily. “For now, I’ve got a lot of work to do. Who do you call when you want to get things done quickly? You need a decent eye doctor and also someone to really look at your leg. You’ve got an infection raging. We’ve got to know where it is and how to get rid of it. Those things come first. Then I’ll need to stock the fridge with healthy food for you and get in cleaners. You need a sterile environment. I’m not cleaning this entire house. If you don’t want anyone in your room, I’ll clean it, but the rest of the house someone else is doing. After that, I have to find my own apartment.”
She began to slide off the bed, but he caught her wrist. Again, he did it so fast and so unerringly, it was difficult not to think he could see. She narrowed her eyes and studied his face, but the bandages were in place. In any case, he wasn’t looking straight at her.
“I told you, I want you to stay here. It’s safer until we know we made a clean getaway.”
“Etienne would never put me in harm’s way.”
“Just what is he to you?” Gedeon demanded.
“You already asked that question. He’s a good friend. I said I’d stay. I just want to see what’s available once you’re back on your feet.” She tried to sound patient, but she wasn’t the nurse type. Unfortunately, he seemed to like the fact that she snapped at him.
“Are you leopard?”
That was the question she’d been dreading. She eased off the mattress, tugging her wrist free and padding barefoot across the room to stare at her face in the antique gold-framed oval mirror. She looked worse for wear.
“You should have run screaming from the jungle when you saw me shift, but you didn’t. You were as cool as a cucumber.”
“I ran.” She opened the door to the spacious and very modern master bath. “I ran because your leopard had every intention of killing me.”
“Actually, you’re wrong. He didn’t. That was the biggest shock of all to me. He hates everyone. He rages night and day. I sleep with bars on the doors and windows. I’m having them installed in this house in a few more days. That way, I can get a good night’s sleep.”
“You slept like a log.” She had too. She didn’t know why she sounded so accusing. She didn’t want to answer his questions.
“That’s because of you. He likes you. You keep him calm. You’re the first respite we both have had in years. Has your leopard come out yet?”
“I don’t have a leopard.” That much was true. There was no leopard inside of her. She was certain of it. Everyone in her lair was dead. She was the only survivor—and she wasn’t supposed to have lived through the massacre. If her enemies knew she was alive, they would hunt her down and kill her. They’d probably hire Gedeon to do the job.
“A lair?” he prompted. Persisted. That was so like him.
“I don’t have a lair. Or a leopard. There’s just me. I like big cats and they seem to like me. I don’t know why, it’s always been that way, since I was a small child. Right now, I’m going to take a shower and try to feel like a human being again. I won’t be long.” She didn’t want any more questions. And she wanted to remember how she’d ended up in his bed. She was still tired, but last night she’d been beyond tired.
“Run, Lotus Blossom. I always catch anything that tries to run from me. I love the hunt.”
She gave him an eye roll, mostly because she was positive he couldn’t see. She firmly closed the door to the master bath loud enough for him to hear.
“Where’s my phone?” he called.
Meiling sighed. It seemed she wasn’t to have peace even in the bathroom. “On the right-hand nightstand where the charging station is set up.”
“Thanks.”
At least he did have some manners. Would she consider his offer of work if it was a genuine offer and not made because his fever was high and he was feeling vulnerable or grateful to her? She had always moved from city to city. Sometimes she’d find a little place in the country and stay there for a few weeks, but she never settled anywhere. It was a lonely life and she’d grown tired of it. Her only real human contact had been Libby. Now she was gone.
Meiling sat on the little bench made of stone tile and let herself cry for Libby. For all those lost women. For the entire previous day and all the lives lost so pointlessly. She drew her knees up and put her head down, making herself into a small ball of total misery. She was always strict with herself. She could be emotional, but emotions were a bad thing to have. She knew that. It was one of the many rules she’d been taught young, and one didn’t break rules. She broke all the rules often, making her a complete and utter failure. She carried the shame of those reminders on her body.
“Lotus.” The voice was a whisper of velvet over her skin. “Baby, you have to tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”
She raised her head, and that was a huge mistake. Gedeon was crouched in front of her without a stitch on. He might have his eyes bandaged, but she didn’t. He had roped muscles everywhere. His body seemed as if it was made of nothing but muscles. Well, there were his incredible male parts, which matched the rest of him. Just as intimidating. Just as enticing. It was no wonder Gedeon Volkov was lethal. He didn’t need the added advantage of his leopard. He was too rugged and tough looking to be called gorgeous, but he was definitely captivating.
Blinking back the flood of tears, she pushed at the wet strands of black hair hanging around her face. “Gedeon, what are you doing in here? I’m taking a shower.”
“Technically you’re crying, and you have to stop.” He reached up with one long arm and got the handheld spray. “Turn around and let me get your hair for you.” With his free hand, he found the bench and easily transferred his weight to it. “Sit here.” He pointed between his thighs.
If he could be casual about his nudity, so could she. Meiling tried not to think about what that meant. He certainly didn’t view her as a potential partner. More like a pet he had to groom. In a way, she supposed that was a good thing. She didn’t want him interested in her as a potential bed partner. That would definitely mess up any chance of working together. On the other hand, it was a blow to her ego. She was always that girl. The unwanted one. The third wheel. Libby had told her more than once that she needed to be more modern. To loosen up a little and have some fun.
Meiling faced away from him, grateful she didn’t have to stare at his rather intimidating male anatomy. He began to massage shampoo into her hair.
“I know it was a shit day yesterday, Lotus Blossom. I didn’t help much with all the snarling I did. I’m not used to relying on anyone.”
“You did more yesterday for me than anyone’s done in my life. My cousin was thrown in a mass grave near that camp in Venezuela like a piece of garbage by those men,” she said in a low voice. “I found her too late. I’d been tracking her for two months. I knew she was in Colombia. She’d texted me that she was visiting some friends of ours there. She wanted me to join her.”
Meiling pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. “I should have dropped everything I was doing and just gone right then. I know how she is when she doesn’t get her way. I was in the middle of doing some work I had promised for someone. I didn’t want to go clubbing in Colombia. I told her to be cautious, to check her drinks. To watch out for who she picked up, all the standard warnings. I told her I’d fly out in a few days, but she was angry with me for not coming right away. Then she went silent. That wasn’t entirely unusual with her when she was angry with me, but it persisted long past the time she normally would have answered. I have contacts in Colombia, friends who know those scenes, and they tried to help me track her, but it was like she just vanished. There wasn’t even evidence of her at the hotel she’d been staying in. That told me she was in real trouble. Whoever took her had real clout.”
All the while she spilled the details of her last failure with her cousin, Gedeon continued to rinse out her hair and then massaged conditioner into it.
“You do know your cousin chose her own path, Lotus. You can’t take what happened to her on your shoulders. She had choices, many of them, and she went down that road all on her own. Even had you been the catalyst because she was angry with you, that was still a choice. I very much doubt you were the reason she went out that night. She was going whether she had the conversation with you or not.”
Meiling knelt on the floor of the shower, staring down at the gray and blue stone tiles, watching as the water hit like teardrops and ran toward the drain. She didn’t even know how she came to be in this place with this man. These were her choices, her path she’d taken. This was a man who killed easily and often. He might solve problems, but his solutions were more often than not permanent.
“Would you have killed me because I saw you shift, or because I witnessed you killing all those men?”
He rinsed the conditioner from her hair, his hands shielding her face from the water. “I’m not going to kill you. I told you that.”
“I’m aware. That wasn’t the question.”
He began combing out tangles, careful to prevent pulling on her scalp. “Both. I can’t leave witnesses to anything I’ve done. It’s a law in the shifter world, to protect all shifters, that no outsider can know of us. I suspect you’ve known of us long before you witnessed me shifting.”
She nodded. “That’s true.”
His hand came down on her shoulder, his fingers lingering on her skin. One long finger found the deep groove that slid down her back. She stiffened. Before he could tighten his grip on her to keep her in place, she scrambled away from him on all fours. Her heart went into overdrive She didn’t care if he heard.
“Thanks for talking to me and doing my hair. I can take it from here. If you need the shower, it’s all yours. I don’t know how you managed to stay so quiet with your leg in such bad shape.” She was babbling, talking too fast, one word stumbling against the next, but she was out of his reach. Safe.
She caught up a towel and wrapped it around her hair like a turban. All the while she dried herself off, she watched him leerily as he slowly shampooed his hair, staying right where he was.
“I called Rene Guidry. He’ll arrange for groceries. Text him whatever you want to add to the list. I’ll give you his number. He’s calling the eye doc and also arranging for a doctor to come in and X-ray my leg. Not that I think the doctor who gave me the once-over wasn’t competent; he was. I just want to heal as fast as possible and would feel better with a second opinion. Rene takes care of things for me when I need them done quickly.”
She shrugged. “I think that’s a great idea.” She folded her arms across the towel to hold it in place and walked back into the master bathroom. The cupboards yielded a jar of her favorite face cream, and it had never been used. “How many women do you let stay here?”
There was a small silence. She glanced over her shoulder to see him draped casually against the wall just inside the room. It was disconcerting that even blind, he could walk so silently. She heard everything. Everyone. Just not, apparently, him. She made herself laugh softly, acting like it didn’t matter. It shouldn’t. She wasn’t holding on to any girlish fantasies about Gedeon Volkov. He was leopard. Right there that meant he was ruthless and dangerous, and that was without knowing who he was. Then there was the high sex drive. Gedeon’s reputation for one-night stands and casual sex was legendary. She wasn’t about to be one of his many conquests.
“There’s a jar of my favorite moisturizer in the cabinet. It’s never been used, but you certainly don’t wear it.” She laughed again. “Or maybe you do. It’s a really good product.”
“One of the companies here, a renowned perfume company, went into skin care. At the time, they needed me to do some work for them. I was given a supply of their products and they’ve continued to send me various upgrades as they work on them.”
“I do exchanges like that in my work, and I’ve never gotten a moisturizer that is this amazing.” She turned back to apply it to her face.
“Just private jets and security escorts along with perfect legal documents when you need them.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “That’s cool and all but not as kick-ass as a moisturizer that works.”
“The company has a store in New Orleans, but their main operation is just outside of the city. They have a large acreage of land where they grow most of their flowers for their perfumes. The skin care line was developed in their lab there. I could arrange a tour. One of the owners, Charisse Mercier, is a little shy but very gracious when it comes to showing off her laboratory.”
Meiling had no idea why she hesitated. She had a built-in radar when it came to leopards. She had been to New Orleans a couple of times, but she hadn’t stayed. The place seemed overrun with leopards, and she hadn’t known Gedeon had his home base there. “Is she leopard?”
He didn’t speak for so long, she almost turned around again, but instead, she concentrated on combing out her hair. There was a blow dryer under the sink.
“Yes. Do you have a problem with leopards, Meiling? Nearly every one of the families I do the most business with are leopard families.”
“So you do know my name.” She had known all along she wouldn’t be able to hide her name from him for very long.
“Your friend Etienne called you Meiling.”
“He did, didn’t he?” She was stalling, trying to think of a reasonable answer. She finished drying off and reached for fresh clothes. “You and I both know Amur leopards are brutal, Gedeon. The males hunt and kill females. Amur leopards are nearly extinct thanks to the brutality of male shifters. Even you admitted to me that you would hunt and kill me because I had witnessed you shifting.”
He was silent so long, she couldn’t help but sneak a quick look at him. He couldn’t deny a single word she said no matter how much he might want to.
“In the forest, when you lifted the branch off my leg and then hauled me out of there on your own, you exhibited tremendous strength. I thought then you had to be leopard. You’ve said you don’t have a leopard.”
“I do come from a leopard background, but my leopard has never shown herself.”
“Lotus, you must know that doesn’t mean she isn’t there. That’s why you’re so fast and strong. You have amazing gifts that many other leopards don’t have.”
She knew that was true, but she avoided leopards whenever possible. “Most of the leopard males can be quite cruel, Gedeon, you included. Don’t bother to deny it. I’ve had plenty of time to investigate you. Your reputation with women is disgusting. That doesn’t begin to touch on the reputation you have with very dangerous families from Russia. I am extremely aware of why the Amur leopard has been brought to the brink of extinction. The terrible rulers of these lairs murdered their women in order to prove their loyalty to the bratya. That’s insane.”
“I was born into just such a lair,” he admitted.
She knew Gedeon Volkov was considered extremely dangerous, even by the Russian bratya families. What did it say about him if they feared him?
She made her way into the master bedroom. The room was quite large. There were two wide steps leading to a sitting area in front of a fireplace. Two wide, comfortable chairs faced the fireplace with a small table between them. She sank into one of the chairs and stared at the iron grate.
“I’m serious about wanting you to work with me, Lotus,” he said.
She didn’t turn around. “If you aren’t wearing clothes, go away. I can’t have a real conversation with you if you’re going to insist on being naked.”
“I’m sorry, Meiling. I’m always alone in my home and I don’t bother with clothes. Give me a minute.”
She heard the closet door slide open. She needed to think about the pros and cons of working with him. He worked mainly with the Russian bratya. That meant leopards. The really cruel, dangerous leopards who would watch her like a hawk. Every moment in their company she would be in jeopardy. She sighed. It would be wonderful to have a place to stay and feel safe. If she were under Gedeon Volkov’s protection, she would definitely feel safer than she had since she was a child, but could she trust him? He was leopard. Admittedly Amur leopard and from a vicious lair. She’d be a fool to even consider staying. Better just see this through, wait until he had his eyesight back and then move on.
“Lotus Blossom.”
The way he said her name made her stomach do a slow roll. He had come up behind her in that silent way he had. Blind or not, he knew his way around the room. There was no stumbling on the two stairs. He found the chair unerringly and sat down, his legs sprawling out in front of him, reminding her one was still very much infected and had to hurt.
“Leopard Boy.”
“You aren’t going to give us a chance. I can feel the way you’re determined to leave. You’ve got one foot out the door, just as you’ve had since you first met me.”
That made her smile. “You can’t exactly blame me, with all your threats and your reputation. You’re a very dangerous man.”
“That should reassure you. In any case, I would venture to say you’re a very dangerous woman when you have to be. You’re also very intelligent. It would be seriously remiss to turn down a business offer without thoroughly going over it.”
“It’s an intriguing offer, Gedeon, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out what the advantages would be for me, and given your clientele, I don’t see that there would be very many. In fact, if anything, working with you could put me in some very bad situations.”
“Do you want me to believe your mind doesn’t insist on dangerous situations? Intrigue? You have a body built for fast reflexes. You’re stronger than most men. In fact, I’d go as far as saying you’re as fast and as strong as many of the male leopards. You’re like me, Meiling. You think faster. Your brain demands more knowledge all the time. I know it does. You might excel more in other areas than I do, but that would be all to the good for us as partners.”
She didn’t want to hear what he was saying because it was all true. Every stinking word. She felt exposed. Very vulnerable. Libby hadn’t even seen those traits in her and Libby had known her all her life. At the same time, someone saw her. Gedeon actually saw the real woman. That seemed a miracle.
“Everything you say could be the truth, but that doesn’t negate what I said about the people you work for. One wrong move and it could all go to hell. I could put your life in jeopardy.”
“You have no idea the power I wield, and the fear I inspire,” he countered. “If you’re my partner, no one would dare think to touch you. Unless your leopard decided to rise. Then every unmated leopard would vie for your leopard’s attention, especially if you were in your first cycle.”
He was coming at her from every angle, certain she had a leopard. Maybe she did, but she’d given up on believing she did when she turned eighteen and there was no sign of her.
“I thought we were going to put this conversation off until you got your eyesight back.”
“You would be gone, and I’d have to chase you down. It’s much better to hash it all out now. You would be a huge asset to me, Lotus. Not to mention, you calm my leopard. Having a respite from his constant fighting me for supremacy is an unbelievable miracle.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “You have a really bad reputation with women. I don’t want any part of that.”
“I’m not going to lie about having a sex drive that won’t quit. On the other hand, I don’t have women hanging around for a reason. My leopard won’t tolerate them. We use each other and they’re gone. I don’t have relationships. No one spends the night. I wouldn’t trust anyone that far anyway.”
“You trusted me.”
“Because my leopard did.”
She banged her head against the back of the chair. “You’re making it hard to say no. I don’t know if I can help you with everything you do. I have a code.”
“Believe it or not, so do I.”
The image of him kneeling on the porch, his head in his hands, weeping, came to her. She would never get that out of her mind. He had a code. Others may not be aware of it, but she saw it firsthand. “I know you do,” she murmured. “You’re making it difficult for me to say no to you. I have a good sense of self-preservation. If I decided to stay on as your partner, there would be things I would have to disclose to you. Just as there would be things you would need to tell me.”
“Ultimately, Meiling, our lives would depend on each other. That means we have to trust each other. I’m willing to take a chance with you. You would have to decide whether or not you’re willing to take a chance with me.”
It was so tempting to have a home. A refuge. A man like Gedeon Volkov would be fiercely loyal once he gave his word. “Anything I disclosed to you would only be to you. You wouldn’t share the information with your man Rene Guidry, would you?”
“No. I wouldn’t expect you to share anything I tell you about me, so I would afford you the same courtesy.”
Meiling rubbed her upper thigh gently with her palm while she thought over what she was going to say. “The idea of working with you has some appeal,” she conceded. “But the rules would have to be very clear. We’d have to go over everything ahead of time so you know what I’m willing to do for your clients and what cases I won’t work on. I’m good with computers, so I could help behind the scenes.”
“You said leopards react much like mine does around you. If you’re in a room with male leopards, will they be raging at you, or just ignoring you as if you don’t exist?”
“They ignore me.” She forced herself to look at him.
Gedeon had pulled on a black tee, stretching it over his thick chest and letting his dark hair fall free. Of course he looked tough and gorgeous. Staying in the same house with him was out of the question.
“Taking you with me when I go to a party will be such an asset. You’re so tiny. If you slide into the shadows, my shy little companion, eventually, the leopards will forget you’re there. They’ll be watching me. Worried about what I’m doing there. What I want. Who I’m after. The more nervous I make them, the more freedom you’ll have. You’ll be wandering around the room, listening to the conversations and collecting data on everything and everyone.”
“I have a price on my head.” She blurted it out.
He might as well know the worst. She might as well know if he was going to turn on her. She watched his reaction carefully. It was impossible to read his expression. He didn’t respond right away. He sat in silence contemplating her disclosure. In the end, he steepled his fingers.
“Who put the price on your head and how much are they offering?”
“I have no idea what the answer is to either question. I lived with Libby’s family since I was a small child. They were attacked on several occasions. Eventually, her father was killed. I think I was ten. Then her mother. I was thirteen. Libby and I were taken in by a neighbor, as we had no other relatives. A year later, they were attacked and killed. Libby and I escaped and ran to a friend’s house. We were taken in and lived with them until we turned eighteen.”
“It could have been both of you girls. Or just Libby.”
“Libby isn’t really my blood relative. We just always called each other cousins. Her father worked for my father and apparently just showed up with me one day. They never talked about the how and why of it. According to Libby, he planned on telling me everything about my family when I was old enough, but then he died.”
“Did Libby know?”
“She would have told me. She couldn’t keep a secret to save her life,” Meiling explained. She spread her hands out in front of her. “I started separating myself from her for a few weeks at a time to draw the killers away from her just to be certain they were after me. I watched over her. I wanted to make certain she was safe. They followed me and left her alone.”
“Were they bratya? Did you ever see them?”
She shook her head. “I never got close enough. I had to make money to support us. Libby is . . .” Her stomach dropped. “Was a spender. She liked nice hotels and pretty clothes. I would get the money to pay for those things for her.”
“She didn’t work?”
Meiling sighed. Libby shone like the brightest star. It didn’t bother Meiling to work for both of them. Libby’s family had taken care of her for most of her life. She could support Libby. “No, she didn’t work. She was never attacked, not until Colombia, and I didn’t get the sense that it was the same people involved. If they had been looking for me, they would have tortured her to get the information on where to find me.”
“Would she have given them what they wanted to know?”
Meiling refused to cry. Libby could be selfish at times. Moody. Even temperamental. But she genuinely loved Meiling and regarded her as family. She shook her head and then reminded herself that Gedeon was blind. “She wouldn’t, at least she’d hold out as long as she could. She was stubborn, and if she thought they were going to harm me, she would do her best to make them believe she didn’t know where I was. Truthfully, she didn’t really know. She did always have my cell number.”