Val had just unloaded her groceries and was unpacking her bags when she heard rustling and a chittering noise in the kitchen. First thought she had was that Benny knew she was here and had come to eliminate her before she could take him out. But it sounded like…animals, rather than a person.
She peeked around the corner of the hall into the kitchen and saw two black howler monkeys eating four of her oranges on the beige tile counter. They were spitting the peelings onto her floor. As soon as they saw her, they shrieked and she shrieked too. She hadn’t meant to, but they’d startled her as much as she’d startled them. Then one threw an orange at her!
Val couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
What she hadn’t expected next was for Howard to rush into her cabin and strip off his clothes. Standing there naked for a moment, he looked at the monkeys and then around the cabin, ensuring that was the only problem.
She had to laugh. The jaguar had some serious muscles. Jillian came in through a back door, gun in hand, but then she saw the monkeys and laughed.
Howard quickly shifted into his jaguar, and the monkeys raced out through Val’s front door. Then Howard shifted back to his human form and grabbed his boxer briefs off the floor. He began pulling them on, offering her a little smirk. “We’re here for you as your backup for any threat, big or small.”
Okay, she deserved that.
He didn’t pull on the rest of his clothes. “You’re okay, right?” He was suddenly very serious.
“Uh, yeah, I guess you could hear all the shrieking from a mile away.”
“We could have, but we’re in the cabin next door,” Howard said, smiling.
“What? Not between Benny’s and my cabin.” She should have known. She didn’t rent that one because she wanted a buffer between her and Benny so she wouldn’t spook him.
“Yeah, we’re your protection,” Howard reminded her.
“That’s not what I meant by you being here on the other side of the resort.” She was surprised he hadn’t bothered to dress yet. Was he trying to show off? He was impressive. “Why aren’t you getting dressed? Not that the sight of you standing there mostly naked doesn’t appeal, but…”
“I was going to go for a jaguar run to check out the area. Want to go with me? Jillian is staying behind to watch over our places.”
Totally exasperated, Val folded her arms. “Okay, so then if he sees the two of us running around as jaguars, what is he going to think?”
“That you and I are here on a vacation, as so many of our kind are when they visit here.”
Jillian tucked away her gun and asked Howard, “Do you want me to stay here or return to our place?”
“You can return to our place and, if you would, let the boss know we are all here and safe.”
“Okay. See you in a bit.” Jillian headed out the back.
Val began to strip off her clothes, throwing her things on the sofa. “The problem with us being lovers coming here for a visit is that you’re staying with Jillian. Now, how will that look?”
“Like I’m having an affair with my next-door neighbor?” Howard smiled. “I’ll wait outside for you.” Then he stripped off his boxer shorts again, opened the front door, and shifted. He loped outside.
He was just as sexy in his beautiful, golden jaguar form as he was in his human form. Gold and tan, covered in black rosettes.
Val stepped outside, closed the door, and finished pulling off her bra and panties to shift, then sprinted after him. It was late at night now, after all their traveling and shopping. It was still raining, but the canopy of the forest kept the rain from reaching them. Still, it wouldn’t matter in their jaguar coats.
They ran until they came to a pond where catfish and bay snook swam, turtles were sleeping on rocks, and in the center of the pond, a small island was situated. Val saw two iguanas perched on top of a stack of rocks on the island.
Howler monkeys screeched a warning that jaguars were on the move down below. They probably wouldn’t steal into her place again, now that they’d learned jaguars roamed the cabins. Spider monkeys were warier of people, so she and Howard didn’t see them until they were farther away from the resort, deeper in the rain forest. Jaguars and cougars were known to prey on spider monkeys, so as soon as they saw the two jaguars, the spider monkeys let out a ruckus and took off.
Val and Howard ran alongside a river, closer to where a baboon sanctuary was located. The baboons began to make a ton of noise, warning of the predators nearby, as the breeze blew their big-cat scents into the sanctuary. Or at least her scent. She hadn’t had time to put on the hunter’s spray yet. She couldn’t smell Howard, so she knew he was wearing it.
He was in the lead part of the way, but then she ran alongside him. She hadn’t gone running with another jaguar in forever. It was usually safer to do it solo, easier to disappear if anyone spotted her. But she enjoyed being with Howard in a nonwork way. Which made her realize she hadn’t taken a vacation in years. The last time had been with a male cat she’d had fun with but who hadn’t been mate material. She was all about work ethic, and he didn’t have any. More a playboy, live-for-the-moment kind of guy. Which made him fun, until he was hitting her up for money so he could continue his freeloader lifestyle.
It felt good stretching her legs. They turned around and raced each other back to the cabin. Howard leaped over a fallen tree, and she leaped over it right alongside him.
She wouldn’t run near Benny’s cabin, not until she was wearing hunter’s spray. Howard licked her cheek, and she nipped at his ear, telling him she wasn’t playing, even though she liked the idea that they could. But she was on a job, and that took priority over anything else.
His tongue was hanging out, and he looked like one happy big cat. She felt that way too, just from the freedom to stretch their legs in the rain-forest environment as if they lived there.
Then she thought back to the business with the monkeys. Eyeing Howard, she hoped he’d never tell anyone he’d rescued her from a pair of cute little orange-stealing howler monkeys on the mission in Belize.
When they returned to her cabin, Howard shifted and began to dress. She did the same.
“Did you want to come over to our place and have a barbecue later? I’ve been thinking about this. It can look like we’re friends, renting two of the cabins. So we can share meals and pretend to be here just on vacation.” Howard pulled on his cargo pants.
“You don’t think it will look suspicious that two jaguars showed up with a wolf, and the jaguars aren’t staying together?”
“Yeah. I think I need to stay with you, and Jillian is on her own.”
“Ha! What would her mate think of that? Not that I’m considering it, mind you.”
“Vaughn would think we made a new plan to get the job done. He knows that when we go into the field, we have to be flexible and change arrangements when a new one seems to be the best choice.”
“You wish.”
Howard chuckled. “I do. Jillian’s just as highly trained as we are. Her shifter half works against her here. Otherwise, she’s a fantastic shot with about any kind of gun. And she knows martial arts too. It actually helps that she’s a wolf because that should throw off Benny if he suspects anything. She’s also been through cyber-warfare training in the military. So she knows her way around computers and, specifically, how to hack into them.”
“That would sure come in handy. I was going to put on some hunter’s spray and check around Benny’s place to see if he’s there a little later tonight.”
“I’ll go with you, if you want.”
Val hadn’t expected him to offer instead of demand. “As my lover?”
“If that works for you.”
“Not happening.” She pulled on her shirt, then pointed to the mess the monkeys had made. “Don’t you dare tell anyone what went on here.” She began cleaning up the monkey-chewed oranges. She’d really wanted to have those for breakfast.
“Mum’s the word. Are you coming over for dinner?” Howard pulled on one of his boots.
“Sure.”
“We’ll be ready in an hour.” He pulled on his other boot.
“All right. See you then. And…well, thanks for coming to my rescue.” She really hadn’t thought she’d be having meals with the USF agents. She wasn’t sure whether this was a bad plan. She wouldn’t be certain until the matter with Benny was resolved or they ran into trouble.
“Anytime.” Howard winked, then left her cabin and headed to his.
He was a charmer, just like when she’d taken him to the mat that one time. Not to mention chasing her and catching her in the swimming pool.
Val finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and wondered what she was getting herself into with Howard. She hadn’t been that fascinated and annoyed with a guy in she didn’t know when. When she called her folks to inform them she was in Belize and staying at this resort, they put her on speakerphone.
“Thanks for letting us know. Any sign of the murdering bastard?” her dad asked.
“Not yet. What about Eric, the drug dealer?” she asked. “I know you would have said if you’d taken him out.”
“He hasn’t returned to the house where he was staying. We’re afraid he might have gotten word we’re here. We sure hope not. We had a devil of a time finding this location. Our source stated implicitly that he’s in the area, so we’re staying put for the time being,” her mom said.
“Well, let me know if you need my help with him.”
“Will do. Same thing goes for us. How’s your protection service doing?” her dad asked.
“They rented the cabin between mine and Benny’s.”
Her dad laughed. “Good.”
“You know, this could hurt my chances at taking Benny out, again.”
“You’ll get him, but we want you to be safe too,” her mom said.
Val sighed. She really appreciated her parents’ concern, but they’d never asked her boss to provide cover for her before. “I’m about to go over and have dinner with them. I’ll keep you posted on how things go here.”
“Same here, Val. Talk later.”
She just hoped they didn’t get into any real trouble and wished that Howard and Jillian would protect her parents instead of hanging out here. Hopefully, Benny would show up so she could eliminate him and get this done with. Then she could aid her parents, though she was reminded of how in charge her dad could be. She figured that for this one job, she could deal with his attitude if her parents still needed her assistance by then.
* * *
When Howard returned to the cabin, Jillian had already started to make spaghetti for dinner. He’d have to barbecue ribs tomorrow for lunch or dinner. “Dinner smells great.”
“Thanks. I figured you would be hungry after your run. I’m starving. I didn’t see any sign of anyone while you were gone.”
“Okay. I invited Val to dinner. That way, if Benny sees us, he’ll believe we’re all friends. She said she’d love to join us. I mentioned being her lover, but she wasn’t buying it.”
Jillian laughed. “Subtle you are not. We can talk on the back deck at some point, establishing our cover, and if he’s around, he’ll hear our conversation.” Then she frowned at Howard as she stirred the spaghetti sauce. “You’re not going to leave the USF if things start to heat up between you and Val, are you?”
“Why? Because of Val? We’re just on a mission.”
“I can smell that your pheromones have kicked up a whole bunch since you’ve been with her. You can’t hide how you feel about her. Not with her or with me. Nor can she hide how she feels about you.”
“I keep forgetting your wolf senses are as keen as ours are. Nothing is going to happen between Val and me, but if something did, we might continue our respective jobs, or she might even join us.”
“Or you might return to the Enforcers to work as her partner, just as her parents work together as a team.”
“Maybe. But you have to remember we’re not wired like wolves. We can be interested in another cat and then later not.”
“I keep forgetting how it is with jaguars. Everett and Demetria are so happy together.”
“Yeah, they’re perfect for each other.” Which was how Howard wanted to be with his jaguar mate, if he found the right woman. He’d known Everett and Demetria from the beginning of their relationship, and they were great partners in the war against jaguar crime. He wanted to be with a woman who understood how it was to work these kinds of jobs, who could work with him.
“How was the run? Besides invigorating and stimulating?”
“Good. We spooked a bunch of baboons. I was worried about you running as a wolf, but we could take a run together. People would probably just think you’re a big dog that befriended a jaguar.”
She grunted.
Dogs originally came from wolves, but wolves didn’t like to be thought of as dogs, which had a lot to do with how dogs mated with any old dog instead of for life as wolves did. Still, it would be a way to explain how a wolf would be running through the rain forest in Belize.
He eyed the spaghetti on the stove. “I told Val I’d barbecue, but I can do that tomorrow.”
“I hope she doesn’t have her heart set on the ribs. I just figured I’d get this started and it would be ready about the time you returned.”
“I guess I should tell her in case she doesn’t like spaghetti.” Howard called Val and told her about the change in menu.
“Sounds good. I love spaghetti.”
“Great. It’s done, if you’d like to come over now.”
“Sure thing. Um, got a text. Be over in a moment.” She ended the call.
“She’ll be over in a few minutes, Jillian.” Howard started to set the table, wondering who was texting Val. Someone who was keeping her informed about where Benny was headed? He hoped so, and that she’d keep them informed about where she was going.
“I hope this isn’t a bust and Benny doesn’t show up.” Jillian began serving garlic toast.
Howard placed bottles of water on the table, then set out the silverware and plates. “Hopefully not.”
A knock on the door sounded, then Val called out, “Just me.”
“Come in,” Jillian yelled. “I’m just getting ready to serve up the spaghetti. Salad and the toasted garlic bread are on the table.”
Val entered the cabin and shut the door. “Sure smells great.”
“Thanks,” Jillian said. “Is everyone up for a glass of wine? You have to have red wine with spaghetti.”
“Yeah, sure, thanks.”
“I’ll get the bottle.” Howard returned to the kitchen and brought the bottle out of the pantry.
Val found wineglasses. After Howard poured the wine, Val took two of the glasses to the table, and Howard brought the other.
They all sat down to eat, Val at the head of the table and Howard across from Jillian.
“I let my boss know about the two of you and that having the three of us here could cause complications.”
“What did he say?” Howard asked, dishing up some of the garlic bread and salad.
“You know how Sylvan is. He said to do whatever it took to get the job done without causing civilian casualties. And that whatever I did, I shouldn’t turn anyone or get myself killed.”
“That goes without saying. Trying to get a newly turned shifter back to the States from south of the border can be a big problem when they can’t control their shifting.” Howard took a bite of the garlic toast. “Great toast.”
“Thanks,” Jillian said.
“What I want to know is what is going on with Benny? Is he here already, off barhopping maybe? Running as a jaguar?”
“Let me see what I can learn.” Val pulled out a business card and called the owner of the resort, putting the phone on speaker. “Hi, I just checked in at one of your cabins, and friends of mine are staying at the one next door. We have more friends who talked of joining us, if they could get the cabin on the other side of number three. Is that one occupied?”
“Yes, a gentleman is staying there. He picked up his key already.”
“How long does he intend to stay?”
“Three weeks.”
“Okay, I’ll let my friends know.”
“We have other cabins available.”
“I’ll let them know that too. If they decide they want to come down, they’ll call you and make arrangements directly with you.”
“Muchas gracias, señorita.”
When Val finished the call, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I was worried Benny had decided not to show up, but since he picked up the key and has rented the cabin for three weeks, he should be around soon. We can go search around the place, but this time, I’ll put on hunter’s spray.”
“I take it I’m cabin-sitting.” Jillian took another piece of garlic bread.
“I think that would be for the best, don’t you?” Howard asked her.
“Yeah, I do.”
* * *
Val liked that Howard had asked Jillian what she wanted to do instead of just ordering her around.
After they finished eating, Howard and Val washed the dishes. Then he went into his bedroom to strip and shift. Val did the same in the living room, spraying hunter’s spray before shifting. Once they had shifted, they went to the back door.
“Be careful, you two.” Jillian opened the back door for them, and they bounded out of the cabin and down the steps.
Val and Howard moved silently through the trees, staying off the lighted pathways and listening for any sound of movement in Benny’s cabin. She noticed a faint light on inside. She smelled Benny’s scent and that of the woman he’d been with at the club. Great. Had she bought her own ticket to Belize?
Trying to take care of him without the woman learning about it was going to be a bigger chore. They didn’t want her calling the local police to tell them her boyfriend went missing.
Val and Howard moved around the back side of the cabin and saw light spilling from a bedroom window into the woods. Unless they’d left a light on and departed, Val assumed someone was home. No vehicle was parked near the cabin though. And she didn’t hear anyone talking or any lovemaking.
Then she saw the shadow of someone walking around in the room. Val and Howard moved farther into the shadows of the trees and watched as the blond-haired woman looked out the window.
Thankfully, she appeared to be fine. Val indicated to Howard with a nudge of her head that she wanted to look for Benny. She thought he must have taken off in a rental car, unless he and the woman had used some other transportation to get here, but if he was running as a jaguar, she hoped to take him down tonight.
Usually, Val took care of a perp, headed home for a break, and then took on her next assignment. This time, she’d have to ensure the woman got home all right. But the issue of the woman calling the Belizean police could be a real problem. Unless they could convince her Benny had abandoned her because he was on the run from the American police for having murdered his wife.
Val and Howard spread out from each other and began to canvass the area. She smelled where Benny had run before as a jaguar and wondered just how long ago he’d moved through there. Luckily, rain didn’t wash away scents. He had circled the huge pond a couple of times and run along the river in the opposite direction they had taken earlier.
They were all creatures of habit, unless something forced them to see a particular path as dangerous, and then they might change their route. She and Howard just had to learn when Benny would take another jaguar run and nail him.
She realized, as she was making up a plan of action in her head, that she was already including Howard in her plans. She swore he’d gotten under her jaguar coat the first time she’d trained with him. He was pure male and hot testosterone, domineering and decisive, but also willing to let her decide what she was going to do about Benny while protecting her back.
They headed back to Howard and Jillian’s cabin in a roundabout way. When they finally reached the cabin, Val slapped the door with her paw. It wasn’t a loud sound, her claws retracted, but with their sensitive hearing, she knew Jillian would realize it was them.
Jillian opened the door, phone in hand, and smiled. “What did you learn?”
Howard loped down the hall.
Val shifted and began to dress, yanking on her panties and then her bra. “The woman he was dancing with at the jaguar-owned club is here. She was at the cabin. We didn’t see a vehicle parked nearby, and we found the paths he’s taken as a jaguar through the rain forest.” She pulled on her shirt.
“Oh, the woman being here isn’t good,” Jillian said.
“I agree. Any news from Vaughn?” Val pulled on her pants, socks, and then her boots.
“They’re still after the guy. I sent Vaughn pictures of the resort. He wants to come here with me when we are both free sometime.”
“It’s beautiful. There’s lots to see and do. You’ll have fun.” Val wasn’t sure about the wolves running as wolves, but snorkeling, diving, canoeing, and all kinds of fun activities for them to do as humans would make up for it.
Howard came out of the bedroom and joined them. “If we hear a car drive into their area, we’ll let you know. If you do, if you can give us a heads-up, that would be great. We’ll try to intercept him.”
“Will do. Do you want to meet up with me and go out really early in the morning if we don’t hear him tonight? Maybe he’ll run before there’s much activity around the place,” Val said.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Even earlier if we hear his car come in later tonight. I had an idea though—about the woman. What if you and Jillian try to befriend Benny’s girlfriend while he’s gone? Not tonight. It’s too late, and she might be afraid if you showed up over there. If you’re together, you can protect each other if Benny suddenly shows up. You’d be wearing hunter’s spray, so he wouldn’t know you’re shifters. Maybe if you visited with her for a bit, we could learn where he’s gone and who she is. Then we can look into her background. I’d go, but she might feel more at ease talking to a couple of women. That way, you can both tell her to call you if she wants some company or needs anything else,” Howard said.
“Like he gets weird with her and she needs a place to retreat to. Sounds like a winning idea to me,” Val said. “If she tells him we’ve been there, he won’t think anything of it. Just more Americans staying in the resort and being super friendly.”
“I like it. So what’s the story you and I would share?” Jillian asked. “My boyfriend is in the States and couldn’t get free from his job, so I came with the two of you?”
“She might wonder why I’m staying with you and not with Val if she learns about it,” Howard said.
“Right. The two of you are dating, and that’s why you’re staying together. I’m here because my boyfriend couldn’t get away to vacation with us. Maybe we’d had this planned for a year, and suddenly he couldn’t come with us,” Val said.
“That sounds like it would work,” Jillian said.
“Do you have a specific reason you’re over there bothering her?” Howard asked. “If she’s not out and about and you just happen to run into her, it might seem odd that you knock on her door and say hi.”
Everyone was thinking, trying to come up with a good reason for starting up a conversation with her.
“I’ve got it,” Val said. “We thought she was a girl we knew from high school.” And that would be the way in, if Benny was gone and Val and Jillian could see the woman on her own. “We could talk more about it over breakfast.”
“Sounds good,” Jillian said, and Howard agreed.
“All right. Night all,” Val said.
Jillian and Howard said good night to her.
Val thought things couldn’t get any more complicated until she’d left their place and was heading through the forest when she saw a man skulking around in the dark, heading toward Benny’s place.
This was not good.