FROM the balcony, where he could so easily observe them, Gedeon stared sightlessly down at the writhing couples dancing to the pounding beat of music. He had created the perfect hunting ground with the same meticulous care he’d given everything else. The nightclub was wildly popular. The atmosphere was electric. Pulse-pounding. Sensual. Exciting.
Over the years, the club had saved him. Slayer had become so difficult, driving Gedeon close to the brink of insanity. He recognized that he was getting close to the time he would have to make the decision to end his life for the safety of others. He was well aware the trauma he’d experienced as a youth had colored his life and all relationships. He had trusted no one—until Meiling came into his life.
He gripped the railing of the balcony with both hands, his strength threatening to indent the wood with the impression of his fingers. Meiling. What was he going to do about her? She’d taken this last refuge from him. She hadn’t done it on purpose, but he had no more desire to be with any of these women than Slayer wanted him to be with them. Still, his cock raged at him. His body hurt, every joint painful. His temperature raged through his body just as heated and as out of control as his cock. Slayer was in a bad way. He was as well.
He wiped the sweat from his face and tried to clear the chaos from his mind. He had never allowed himself to be dependent on anyone. He’d never allowed himself to love again, not after his family had been torn from him. Betrayal—and love—had shaped him into the monster he’d become. He hid the monster under a smooth veneer of civilization. Others were allowed to see the killer in him under the guise of the hit man if needed, but they never saw the relentless, merciless monster those his family had trusted had turned him into. He feared Meiling was opening that door he’d kept locked securely for so long.
Even in his state of agitation, he scented Rene, and he turned to face him. Rene looked upset, very unusual for the normally unflappable man. “We have a problem, Gedeon.” He didn’t wait for Gedeon to ask. “Meiling is here, on the dance floor, and she’s . . .” He hesitated. Stopped and looked up at Gedeon. “I don’t know how to describe her. I’d say a woman with a leopard in heat, but my leopard isn’t feeling hers. He responds the way he does toward her but doesn’t sense her leopard. I’m responding to Meiling the way I would if her leopard was in heat, and so are most of the men in the club.”
Gedeon’s heart skipped a beat and then began to pound. He went to the other side of the balcony, where he could look down over the railing directly onto the center of the dance floor. Instantly his gaze was riveted to the woman dancing in the dark bluish light. She might as well have had a spotlight shining right on her.
Meiling wore her long hair down, pulled back on one side, the rest falling in a sexy slide over her shoulder. Long gold earrings matched a multitude of gold bangles that went up her arm, accenting her glowing skin. Her eyes were done with smoky makeup and her lips were poutier than he could ever recall. She wore a dark navy-blue halter top and a little, sexy matching skirt that flared out when she turned or twisted.
She’d always been fluid walking or moving, but when dancing she had a natural sensuous quality there was no denying. She seemed to glow, drawing the attention of everyone. It was impossible not to watch her. Gedeon found he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He knew if a man laid his hands on her, he’d kill him.
“Get her out of here, Rene.”
“She’s dancing, Gedeon. I don’t have any reason.”
“She’s going to cause a scene soon. You know it. Blood will be shed.” He was the one that would be doing the killing. “Is she drinking?”
It was rare for shifters to drink. Meiling didn’t seem to drink. He hadn’t seen her, but then she claimed she didn’t have a leopard.
“I believe she has been drinking, but I don’t know how much,” Rene reported.
Gedeon couldn’t tear his gaze away from the erotic sight of Meiling dancing on the shadowy, blue-lit floor. “Get her out of here, Rene. Tell her to go home. I’ll be there as soon as I can get myself under control. She’s got a leopard, whether she knows it yet or not, and her female has to be close to emerging. Her cat isn’t just affecting me, my leopard and every man here, she’s affecting Meiling as well.”
“I’ll ask her to leave,” Rene agreed. “But Gedeon, if you’re right, and I’m afraid you are, she’s going to be moody and bad-tempered. It won’t be easy to get her to cooperate.”
“Just tell her I’m leaving as well. Whatever you have to say to get her out of here.”
“You do remember I’m single and have my own leopard,” Rene reminded.
Gedeon took a deep breath and let it out to control Slayer’s vicious reaction. This was Rene, not an enemy. He nodded. “I’m sorry, Rene. If I could handle this myself, I would. I’ve had the feeling for some time that she was my mate, but she kept insisting that she didn’t have a leopard.”
Rene shook his head. “If you believed that, Gedeon, you should have acted on it, leopard or not. Now you’re going to have a long, hard road ahead of you that might not work out. Meiling appears to be soft, but she has a will of iron. You hurt her. You said so yourself.”
Gedeon didn’t need the reminder. He knew he was already in trouble with Meiling. “The last thing I need to do is add murdering an innocent man to my list of sins. Please do this for me, Rene.”
Rene nodded and abruptly walked away. From his vantage point above the dance floor, Gedeon watched Rene make his way through the crowd to Meiling. It wasn’t easy. She was surrounded by men. They danced around her, but none made the mistake of putting their hands on her. It was possible she had warned them off her. Gedeon didn’t know or care why they were leaving her alone; he was just thankful that they were.
Rene approached her from her right and called out softly before stepping close enough to interrupt her movements. She stopped and faced him. Even just standing still, she looked beautiful. She raised one hand to push at the thick silk of her hair falling around her face. Just that action tightened Gedeon’s body so savagely he could barely breathe.
Meiling shook her head and gestured around her. Rene talked more. Meiling tilted her head back and looked directly up at Gedeon before pushing past Rene and walking through the crowd of men toward the exit. Rene trailed after her.
Gedeon swore under his breath. She was pissed. Really, really pissed. It didn’t happen often, but when Meiling was angry, she could bring the claws out. He crossed to the other side of the balcony to watch as Rene went out the front door of the club. He was gone longer than Gedeon was comfortable with.
Settle down, Slayer. If we want to keep Meiling in our lives, you have to back off enough to let me go to her with the ability to be calm. He rarely asked his leopard for anything. He commanded and got results. At this stage, the cat had to realize they were both going to lose if the animal persisted in driving Gedeon past his point of endurance.
I cannot stop the burning. The need for sex. The need to fight. For blood.
I can’t either, but we have to try. She’s the only one who can save us. We’re driving her away from us. I believe she has your mate. If we push her away, we’ll lose her before you ever have the chance to know. We won’t have a choice. We’ll have to suicide.
Gedeon could feel the leopard’s tremendous struggle to overcome the ferocious burning needs raging through their bodies. He knew the big cat was as scarred by their traumatic childhood as he was. It had been his leopard who had saved him on multiple occasions. He owed the animal his life and his sanity.
When Gedeon had spoken of knowing love to Meiling, he hadn’t included Slayer or Meiling. He knew he loved both. He might not say it aloud, or even admit the truth to himself, because he was afraid both would be taken from him.
Rene came back inside and made his way upstairs. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked defeated.
“I take it she was upset.”
“I put her in a cab and tried to give them your home address, but she waved me away and shut the door. I don’t think she’s going home, Gedeon.”
“Who do you have on her?”
“Man by the name of Gray Duncan. He’s human, not a shifter. He’s older and wouldn’t bother her even if she did catch him—which I suspect she might. She’s too polite to be rude to an older man.”
“By ‘older’?”
“He’s pushing seventy. Likes to keep busy and asked me for work whenever I had it available. He’s sharp as a tack, Gedeon. I’ve always been able to rely on him.”
Gedeon didn’t know whether to be happy or angry about the fact that the man was older and not a shifter. At least he wouldn’t be trying to cement a relationship with Meiling.
“Contact him and find out her destination. I’m heading out, and if she isn’t on her way home, I’ll need to know where to get her.”
“She wasn’t happy.”
“I could see that.”
“She knew you were the one who sent her away.”
Gedeon shrugged. “I was the one. I wouldn’t want her blaming you for something I did. When you were up close to her, did you get any inkling of a leopard?”
Rene shook his head. “I even asked my leopard to pay attention. He said he couldn’t detect a female leopard close, but I absolutely believe there’s a female about to emerge.”
Gedeon believed it too. He often just knew things, and ever since they left San Antonio, he had been getting so moody and edgy for no apparent reason; it had started to dawn on him that Fyodor had brought those shifters together because he had sensed her female leopard becoming ready to rise. Gedeon was too close to her. He’d been with her for a year and took her for granted. He’d noticed her enhanced beauty, but he was used to her glowing skin and shiny hair.
Her sudden mood swings were few and far between. He was far moodier than she was, and he’d spent his time trying to calm Slayer. By the time it occurred to him that the problem wasn’t Slayer or him, that it was Meiling, it was too late. She had walked into his bedroom, and he’d been having rough sex with another woman. That might as well have put an entire ocean between them.
“Got a text from Gray. Says she went to the Hot Nights Club in Algiers. She just waltzed right in. No one asked her for a cover fee, just showed her to the bar,” Rene said. “Men are lining up to buy her drinks.”
Gedeon slipped on his jacket. “I’ll bet they are.”
“I’ll follow you and have some of the crew meet us there. This could get ugly.”
Gedeon ignored the offer. It didn’t matter if it got ugly. No one was touching Meiling tonight, not even him. If she was drinking, which she never did, she wouldn’t be in control. That meant someone had to look after her. That someone was going to be him. No one would be taking advantage, especially not the man who loved her.
He made the trip to the Algiers club in record time. He’d been there a few times and knew the owner. He’d done a couple of favors for him. He didn’t bother with the line or the security guards. He’d texted ahead and met the owner, a man by the name of Felix Jeansonne, at a private entrance.
Felix let him in. “I already had her surrounded by my personal guards before I got your text, Gedeon,” he greeted. “I knew she was trouble the moment she walked in.”
“We got into a fight,” Gedeon said. “Meiling and I don’t ever fight. She doesn’t drink either. So this is all a first for us.” Deliberately, he sounded rueful. “I had no idea she’d go out dancing alone.”
“It’s clear she has no idea what she looks like.”
Gedeon walked down the hall with Felix. “No, that’s part of her charm. She has no clue.”
“You brought a crew with you?”
“I told them to hold back. I was certain you’d have everything under control. But when my woman gets pissed, she can be difficult.” He laughed, sharing with Felix what it was like to have a rowdy woman. Felix would know. His woman was as sassy as hell and the man wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I will say this for you, Gedeon, you chose well. She’s gorgeous, but you may find yourself having to fight to the death to keep her.”
Gedeon heard the warning in Felix’s voice. He nodded. “I’m well aware. She’s worth it. She doesn’t ever do this. It’s on me. I did something stupid, and I hurt her. She’s got every right to be angry with me. I imagine she thought she’d just go out dancing and drinking and then come home.”
Felix sighed. “It’s never that easy when they have that special something no one can put their finger on.” He opened the door leading to the club floor. The music was almost deafening in comparison to what it had been in the hallway.
Gedeon’s gaze was immediately drawn to the dance floor and the woman commanding attention as she moved to the pounding beat of the music. Meiling was in a shadowy corner, and true to his word, Felix had appointed three of his security detail to surround her, cordoning her off from any of the males trying to get close to her. She seemed oblivious, her eyes closed, as she danced on her own.
“I’m going to come back out this way if you don’t mind, Felix,” Gedeon said. “She may kick up a fuss. If she does, she’s going over my shoulder and I’m just walking out with her.”
“I’ll have my boys walk with you as far as this door and I’ll lock it after you,” Felix said.
“Thanks. I just want to get her home, where she’s safe.”
Felix nodded. “If it was anyone else, I’d be putting her in one of the rooms upstairs with one of my girls to make sure.”
Gedeon knew the man was telling the truth. He was careful at his club. His bartenders watched as closely as they could for anyone putting drugs in drinks. It wasn’t that he was opposed to his clients having fun at his club. He had back rooms and another entire level for adventurous patrons, but everything had to be consensual. The moment he found out there was a problem, his people took care of it instantly. Sometimes, it was rumored, permanently.
Gedeon purposefully strode straight to his woman, moving up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, his body moving suggestively with hers. “Time to go home, Lotus,” he murmured in her ear.
She reached behind her to find his neck, her eyes still closed, laying her head on his chest, finding his rhythm easily. “I want to dance.”
“We’ll dance at home.” He purred the suggestion, one hand sliding up her rib cage and the slight rounded curve of the side of her breast. He bent his head and kissed her neck, pressing his erection tight against her bottom. She pushed back into him, a little moan escaping. Her body was as hot as sin, rubbing against his, inflaming him more.
“We’ve got to go before I take you right here in public.”
She turned her face toward his. “I’m on fire.”
Her eyes were still closed. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. Her body moved against his, demanding sex. He wasn’t certain she knew who he was.
“Come with me now.” He tightened his arm around her waist and caught her wrist. “Meiling. We’re leaving. Going home. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
If he didn’t get out of there, they were in real trouble. He began walking her toward the hall exit, where Felix waited with the door open. The three security guards did their jobs, surrounding them, clearing the way. Meiling seemed dazed, stumbling a little, so he half lifted her, walking faster to get her out of club. In the hall, Meiling wrapped her arms around his neck and began to nibble on his ear.
Felix grinned at him. “Have a good night, my friend,” he said as he closed the private entrance door.
Gedeon managed to get the passenger door open and Meiling onto the seat with her seatbelt fastened, although how, he later couldn’t recall. He glanced at her. It was a mistake. She squirmed and moaned, rubbing her hands up and down her thighs as he put the car in gear and shot down the alley to the main street. Flinging her head back so that her hair fell around her like a dark waterfall and the gold earrings glittered with the lights from the city as they raced for their house, she looked like an erotic, sensual creature sent to tempt him into carnal sin.
She turned her body toward him, one leg sliding up onto the seat, her knee bent, the high heel with the thin gold straps wrapped around her ankle and calf adding to the sexy image she presented to him. He could barely keep the car on the road as she flung her head back and arched her back like a cat in heat.
The scent of sex and Meiling filled the car. Filled his lungs. He could taste her in his mouth. He gripped the steering wheel and prayed for discipline. “I know it’s bad, we’ll be home in a few minutes.”
“I can’t stand clothes touching my skin.” Meiling’s voice was husky. One hand crept up her thigh, pushed the hem of her skirt up to reveal a strip of dark navy lace. Her fingers caught at the two little cords on the left side, and she jerked to pull that side down over the curve of her hip. Then she did the same to the other side.
Gedeon couldn’t think of a way to stop her. The red stoplight illuminated her as she dragged her panties down and kicked them aside. He groaned, his body so hard he was afraid he would shatter. It seemed an impossible task for his trousers to keep the monster inside. His foot hit the gas pedal the moment the light turned green.
Her fingers began sliding between her legs. “You have to do something. You have to make it stop.”
He pulled the Audi into the garage and turned toward her, inhaling deeply. “I’m right here, baby. We’ve got this.”
He stroked caresses up her thigh. She reacted instantly, trying to move her body into his hand. “I’m taking you upstairs where we have room to do this right.”
“I can’t wait.” It was a wail.
He didn’t answer her. He rushed around to her side of the car and dragged her off the seat, flung her over his shoulder and took the elevator straight to her suite. He had a code to get in and he used it. The moment he opened the door, the scent of a female leopard in heat filled his lungs. Slayer roared in triumph. There was no doubt that Meiling had a leopard. The cat had left Meiling in a terrible sexual state.
The moment he set Meiling on the rumpled bedsheets, she was up on her hands and knees, crawling toward him, hungry gaze fixed on the bulging front of his trousers. Her hands immediately opened his waistband, tore at his zipper and pulled it down to free his cock. He reached down and tugged at the little halter top, pulling it free from around her neck.
“Lose the skirt, Lotus,” he commanded.
Her eyes were glazed over, and for a moment she didn’t move, spellbound by the sight of his enormous cock. She stroked it with one hand while she pulled off the skirt with the other. That left her in her heels, bangles and gold earrings. He unbuttoned his shirt and flung it aside, shoved off loafers and trousers and simply flipped her onto her back.
“I see you tried this toy,” he murmured, kissing her chin and then biting it with his strong teeth. “How did that work for you?”
She was writhing under him, her hands moving all over his body. Panting. Begging him for his cock. He kissed his way to her breasts. Her nipples were sensitive beyond belief, hard little pebbles, conduits straight to her clit. She cried out each time he licked, sucked or bit at them.
“It made it worse,” she gasped. “I’m on fire.”
“What were you going to do at the club, Meiling? Find someone to put out the fire for you? Is that why you went there?” Just the thought of her with another man had him snarling with rage.
He nipped at her belly button and lapped at her bare pussy lips. She lifted her hips, desperate for him to help her. He caught up the toy and pressed the button on low, slowly inserting it, watching her face as he flicked her clit and then traced circles around it and over it.
“Answer me, baby, what were you going to do?”
She rode the toy, driving down on it, her moans louder. “Yes. Like you. I was going to find someone to fuck until this went away. First I thought if I danced until I wore myself out it would stop, but it didn’t, so I was going to find someone at the end of the night.”
But not him. She hadn’t come to Gedeon for help. She was honest. He had to give her that. She’d also been drinking to give herself courage to go through with her plan. He tried not to be angry or hurt. His body was too aroused. He was worn out from fighting Slayer. He couldn’t handle this wrong and have her despise him in the morning for taking advantage of her.
More than anything, he wanted to take advantage of her. He wanted to claim her for his own. Slayer raged at him, wanted to try to bring the female to the surface. He cautioned the cat over and over to be patient. They had to do this right. Meiling deserved right. He’d been careful of her all this time; he wasn’t about to blow it at the last moment.
She hadn’t been able to get herself off using the toy, but he was far more experienced than she was. He used his hands, his mouth and her toy until she was screaming, her body nearly convulsing, the orgasms rolling through her.
Gedeon tossed the toy aside and put her legs over his shoulders, desperate for her taste. She was fast becoming an addiction. No one had ever tasted the way she did. An aphrodisiac. He didn’t know if it was because her female leopard had been so close, spilling hormones into her bloodstream, or because she was meant for him alone, but he was greedy beyond anything he’d known.
He devoured her, savored her, used his tongue and teeth like a weapon. He brought her to orgasm again and again until she yanked at his hair, desperate for him to stop and give her a chance to catch her breath. The fiery heat wasn’t subsiding. It never did right away, not in him, and it refused to in her. It was hell descending on them, yet at the same time, the leopard’s enthrallment was paradise. Fire and damnation. Never-ending. There was no way to be gentle, not with the terrible demand claiming both of them.
Somehow—Gedeon wasn’t even aware of how it happened while he was eating her out—she managed to turn around under him. Then she had her mouth on him, eager to swallow him down, no matter how impossible the task. Lightning flashed through his entire body, struck with furious force right at his groin so that he pulsed and throbbed, his girth growing even more. He pushed at the soft tissues of her mouth. So hot. His hips matched the rhythm of his tongue stabbing deep into her pussy. His teeth scraping. His fingers flicking.
He drove her up fast, so she was riding him, but she didn’t let loose of her prize. Not even when he began to take control, pushing deeper, needing a release, knowing it was going to be powerful. His entire body shuddered. Every nerve ending, every cell was centered in one hot, fiery explosion. Her shattered cry was muffled as his seed poured down her throat. His cock jerked over and over, on and on in a never-ending release that managed to finally sate him.
Gedeon collapsed over her, his head on her belly, his heart slamming against his chest, shocked that for once his cock actually relaxed. Beneath him, the tension in Meiling’s body eased and her temperature finally returned to normal. She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes.
Gedeon waited until his strength returned before he cleaned Meiling up as best he could. Then he showered and got in bed beside her, curling around her protectively. They were going to have a very long talk in the morning. Right now, all he wanted to do was go to sleep.
MEILING flung her arm over her eyes so they wouldn’t burn out of her head from the light escaping the blinds. Her stomach lurched the moment she moved, and her head threatened to explode. She tried hard not to think. Not to allow one single thought to enter her mind so she wouldn’t have to face the repercussions of her behavior. Whisper had risen just enough to make her insane with the need for sex. Instead of locking herself in her room, she’d gone out to a club and danced and drunk and acted like a crazy woman. Worse, she’d acted like a leopard in heat.
She covered her face with her hands and rolled over. Gedeon had found her and brought her home. He knew. There was no way he didn’t. He’d brought her back to her room and Whisper’s scent was everywhere. She spread her fingers wide and peeked through them to look around her bedroom. He wasn’t there. The relief was tremendous. She didn’t have to face him when she felt like her head was falling off her body and she couldn’t quite think straight.
There was a note pinned to the pillow right beside her. Very gingerly, as if it might detonate, she held it up and read it several times. There was no denying Gedeon’s masculine scrawl. He’d left to track down their first real tip on the Hawkins case. They might actually have a lead on a trail to Laverne. He couldn’t miss the meet with the informer, but he would be back as soon as possible so they could talk. Take the aspirin on the nightstand. Drink all the water in the bottle. The glass containing what looked like brown goo would do wonders for her headache and lurching stomach. Drink it all. Trust him, the concoction worked. Sleep in. He’d hurry and they’d get back on track when he returned.
Meiling forced herself into a sitting position. Everything hurt—even her eyelashes. Clearly she wasn’t cut out to drink. “I’m sorry, Whisper. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. How do people do this? And why? It isn’t worth it.” She downed the two pills set out for her and drank a good portion of the water while she eyed the brown liquid in the glass suspiciously.
Next to the glass was her toy. The events of the night came flooding back, crowding into her brain whether she wanted to remember or not. Hot blood crept up her neck into her face. Shame filled her. She’d begged Gedeon to fuck her. Pleaded with him. She’d done everything but assault him. For all she knew, she’d done that as well. Certainly she’d thrown herself at him.
Gedeon had been in a fierce state of arousal. He always wanted sex. He was ready to have sex with anyone—usually perfect strangers—just as long as they weren’t her. He had used her toy to get her off. He’d used his fingers and his mouth. He’d been excellent with his mouth. But he hadn’t used his cock. He hadn’t touched her with his body.
Her face and entire body burned with shame. Hastily, uncaring that her head was close to exploding at every movement, she made her way to the bathroom and stood under the shower. She knew this day would come. She’d prepared for it. She just had to act normal and not tip anyone off—meaning Rene.
Very carefully, she braided her hair and dressed for the day. The three-word text she’d dreaded to send went out to a woman who owed her a favor. There was no doubt in her mind: that woman would drop everything and be there for her.
She had cash stashed and she put it in a money belt that went around her waist along with a new identity. Her hands were steady as she looked around her apartment. She would have to leave everything behind. That was one of the hardest things to do. There were always little things one would get attached to. She’d never allowed herself to get attached to people before, other than Libby. Now there was Gedeon—and maybe Rene, if she was telling the truth.
Refusing to dwell on what she couldn’t change, she put on her shoes and texted Rene.
Am heading to Café Du Monde for my usual. Want anything?
Every morning she went out and got coffee, and she always asked him if he wanted anything. Sometimes he did, but most of the time he said no. She sent up a silent prayer he would say no. That would give her more time before anyone realized she was gone. She liked to drink her coffee on the bench by the river. There might be someone watching her. At times when Gedeon worried she wasn’t safe, he had someone keeping an eye out. If there was a guard, that would be okay, because he would report she was doing all the things she normally did.
No thanks. You all right this morning?
She sent him several emojis of an exploding head.
Never drinking again.
Meiling walked out of her beautiful suite. It had been the first real home she remembered ever having. She didn’t look back as she walked briskly along the sidewalk toward her favorite café. She didn’t want to chance running into Rene face-to-face. She didn’t want to try to say good-bye without appearing to do so. She might not be able to pull it off.
She couldn’t blame this disaster on Gedeon. He’d always been straight with her about what his needs were when it came to sex. What his preferences were. She’d been the one with the fantasies.
She distinctly remembered him scolding Slayer, telling him to wait for the female to rise before he could see if they were compatible. That had been her biggest fear. She’d known all along Gedeon would want to find a mate for Slayer and he’d look to her female. Meiling calmed Slayer. It stood to reason he would expect her female, if she was on her first life cycle, to be well matched to Slayer.
If Slayer claimed her female, Meiling would be put in an untenable position with Gedeon. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She had spent a lifetime being rejected. Gedeon had rejected her last night. She was tired of never being good enough. If she was ever going to be with a man, he had to look at her with absolute love, the way Fyodor Amurov looked at Evangeline. It was going to be all or nothing for her. She wasn’t going to be wanted because her leopard had a mate. Whisper could just do without. She’d take her far away from any shifters and they’d both just suffer until the heat cycle was over.
She walked the exact pace she always did, lifting a hand toward the regulars she saw every day on her journey to the café. Was this how Laverne felt when she knew she would have to disappear entirely? Sorrow weighing her down? What had caused Laverne to make such a permanent decision? One that would take away her career. Force her to leave her friends. Why would she do such a thing?
And Edge Wilson, the bodyguard. Why would he ruin his very distinguished career? Had the two fallen in love? There was no hint of impropriety. Not one. There were cameras everywhere. Paparazzi. And yet never once had there been the slightest suspicion that Laverne was cheating on Guy. That couldn’t be said the other way around. Guy Hawkins had a certain reputation with women. He never commented on it, but judging by the way his eyes had devoured her, she believed the rumor mill.
She was letting Laverne down, and she hated that, but Gedeon wouldn’t. He was a professional. He would see the case through. He didn’t care about the money, but he did care about the missing woman. If there had been foul play, he would find out. She was certain if Laverne was dead, her husband was behind her death.
The Café Du Monde was very full, and she stood in line to get her usual café au lait. Several times she glanced at her watch, and then she left the line to go to the women’s restroom. Once inside, she hurried to a stall and stripped, passing her clothes to the woman waiting in the stall beside the one she’d chosen. She dressed in the clothes given to her right down to the hiking boots. Next, she wound her braid tightly around the top of her head and secured it with a net. Pulling on a chestnut wig with a ponytail and bangs, she pushed dark sunglasses onto her nose. Her earrings were next. She handed over the gold hoops and took the little crystal studs. Phones were exchanged. She was given a hot coffee.
Meiling walked briskly out of the restroom, ponytail swinging, bouncing on her heels, small pack on her back and coffee in hand as she strode out of the café and started down the street along the French Market to where a little Mini Cooper was parked. Climbing inside, she drove away.
Meanwhile, the small woman looking like the perfect replica of Meiling stood in line to get her usual café au lait. Once she had it in hand, she strolled down to her favorite spot by the river, put in her earbuds and sat back to relax.
Meiling used the Mini Cooper to get out of Louisiana. She stuck to the back roads as much as possible. Cities had traffic cameras. Gedeon had access to traffic cameras. He would look for her. His specialty was finding people. He would take her running as a challenge.
He knew her better than anyone else in the world did. She had gotten too comfortable with him and given too much of herself away. He knew most of the people who owed her favors. He was familiar with her network, the ones she could count on in a pinch to get her out of trouble fast. Any of them would give her up to Gedeon.
Etienne was the exception. He was hers and Gedeon knew it, so Etienne’s communication would be monitored. She drove all day, stopping only when necessary to get gas and then finding a station where she didn’t have to go inside. She filled the tank using the credit card with her new identity. She was using the name Vivienne LeClare, originally from Canada. Mainly she preferred hiking and camping to any other method of recreation. She was trying to hit most of the national parks across the country.
The Mini Cooper was stocked with camping gear and a very practical all-weather tent. She had several passes to the parks she wanted to visit. Her cover was solid. She just had to become Vivienne in her head until she believed she was. She couldn’t forget for a moment that Gedeon wasn’t the only one hunting her. He might be the one she feared the most, but only because he would tear out her heart. The others hunting her wanted her dead for no reason other than that she’d been born.
Linda Wu, the woman who had taken her place, had to do exactly as she told her and disappear as well. She had done a huge favor for Linda. Both had noticed Linda’s eerie resemblance to Meiling, and when Linda wanted to try to make payments, Meiling had suggested she be ready to do this favor in case Meiling ever needed to disappear. They worked out the details meticulously.
Linda would sit on the bench for an hour, and then she would go to one of the tables and appear to puzzle out the work in the notebooks. Hopefully she could eke out another hour. She was to walk to the public transit. Along the way, she was to break down the phone, take out the card and destroy it, putting pieces in garbage cans, and then, when she reached the transit stop, get aboard. She was to get off at the next stop, where an Uber would be waiting to take her to the truck they had stashed. While aboard the public transit, she could get rid of the wig, change sunglasses, turn her reversible jacket inside out and take out the hoop earrings.
Once in the Uber, she would go near the location of where her truck was stashed, but without allowing the driver to see it. Once he was gone, she could use her truck to drive safely out of town, back to her farm.