Rescued (4 page)

Chapter 5

Rose slowed to a gentler pace when she spotted Marty about a quarter mile ahead, stretched out on a flat rock, front paws extended, head held high and proud. Statuesque. His caramel coat was sleek and shiny with glints of gold reflecting in the moonlight. This was her first glimpse of him in his animal form. She stopped to admire the sight of the powerful male cougar. Beautiful. Muscular. Bold. Hers.

Her animal prevailed in cat form. She became less the rational female PI and more the instinctual feline. She could no longer deny or question fate. Her mate was near and she needed to go to him. To be with him. She ambled closer.

Marty lifted his nose to the sky. Nostrils flared, he inhaled her scent. Rose. His Rose. His mate. He stood, proud and deliberate, and turned to her. She stopped a few feet from him and waited.

Communication in animal form was limited. No spoken words, but instinct and body language spoke volumes. They each took steady, cautious steps toward the other until their noses were centimeters apart. He inhaled her acceptance. None of the conflict, confusion, or doubt he felt with when they were last together in human form.

Their whiskers twitched forward and touched. Electricity sparked. Marty growled with satisfaction, soft and low, deep in his chest. He took a step forward and brushed his cheek against hers. She leaned into the gesture and purred, recognizing her mate.

Marty’s heart soared. The pride of his mate’s acceptance swelled inside. He nudged her shoulder and turned toward the river with a growl that beckoned her. She moved to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder, as he took the first steps to begin their mated run. She trotted ahead in a spirited manner, leapt and pounced in the moonlight, tempting him further with every movement.

Marty’s graceful mate played before him. Her blonde fur shone almost snowy white under the light of the full moon. She continued to pounce with frisky, six-foot leaps, dancing for her mate, enticing him to respond.

His heart expanded in awe of his spectacular mate. Proud fate chose her for him. He joined her in the valley for a game of tag until they exhausted themselves leaping and springing onto the other from behind trees and rocks.

They came together in the valley to rest from their romp. Marty groomed his mate to the sound of her purring satisfaction. She stretched out and rolled onto her back as his tongue stroked her fur in loving, tender motions. Each had made peace with their fate and reveled in the life ahead. He moved over her to groom her neck and absorbed the vibration of her soft purrs against his tongue. She placed her paw against the fur of his shoulder. Her claws extended, tugging him closer. Their bodies came together full length, immersed in the emotions of mates.

The non-threatening growl of a massive jaguar standing on the cliff above the valley sounded a wakeup call for the sleeping cougars.

It was time to get back to business. Midnight. The neighborhood under surveillance should be quiet now, free of daytime activity, and allow the cats to prowl and gather information. Logan led the way north, about three miles through the woods. They stood at the backside of the property they determined to be Wendy’s current location. Marty tossed his head in a nod to their right and indicated the direction the jags should go. Logan and June turned to the right, slipped around the fence, and through the side gate into the backyard.

Rose and Marty continued around the fence toward the front of the house using their senses of smell and hearing to gather and retain information. As they rounded the corner, he nudged Rose with a low growl and stepped in front of her to take the lead.

A long, determined hiss accompanied her returned nudge. She kept up the pace to remain at his side.

All was quiet outside the house and on the street. Any alley cats prowling around the neighborhood obeyed their instincts and cleared the area to make room for the big felines.

At least three conversations were going on in different rooms inside the house. The front porch light was switched off for the night, providing the perfect opportunity for a quick sniff of the main entrance to determine how many persons had passed through the door in recent days. Marty followed Rose as she walked the length of the drive and back up to the door committing all the scents to memory. The animal was capable of remembering a scent forever and could call upon it at any given time to match with a face.

As Marty and Rose made their way toward the backyard, they spotted the male jaguar investigating a window near the backdoor. Logan stood on his hind paws to peer inside and June surveyed the yard for additional information.

They had collected an abundance of data to exchange as soon as they were able to verbally communicate again.

The jags made their way toward the gate. A quick exit of the property, a short run back to the starting point, a few minutes to change forms, pull on their clothes, and the information swap could take place.

“Catfish bones stink up the place real fast. I’m gonna put these out back,” a man called over his shoulder as he strode out the door with the garbage. Heavyset and in his mid-thirties, he made his way toward the row of cans near the gate. The movement of the jags leaving the backyard caught his attention. “Hey, get the gun! There’s . . . some kind of big-ass animal out here.”

Chapter 6

Rose and Marty joined the others at the edge of the woods.

Curious. How much interest would the men have in what the one thought he saw? Her ears perked up to catch the conversation in the doorway at the house.

“Dude, it was huge! Like a-a wolf or-or a mountain lion or something!” His eyes bulged in their sockets as he stretched up on his tiptoes to scan the area over the fence for any movement.

“You’re seeing things, man. There’s no such thing as wolves or mountain lions east of the Mississippi.” The second man laughed and taunted his friend with a punch to his upper arm.

“I’m telling you, I saw it moving through the slats in the fence, man. It was three-feet tall at the shoulder. Maybe something escaped from the zoo or a circus.” The man stepped closer to the door apparently in anticipation of a full on wild animal attack.

“Well, I don’t see anything and we need to get back inside to call in for an update. The boss said there could be trouble heading our way.” The men made their way inside and secured the door taking one last peek out for anything unusual.

Nothing.

The cats ran together back to their starting point and returned to human form.

“I picked up on four adults and six young people in the house tonight. More have come and gone recently, but we can’t tell if Wendy was one of them or if she’s still inside.” Rose propped her foot on a tree stump to tie her shoe. “We need to know who they were checking in with and what trouble they’re expecting. We need more evidence, dammit.” Her frustration was hard to contain. Something more than catfish bones smelled fishy at
that
house. Her impulsive side said to go in and take the kids out, but her rational side knew there was not enough hard evidence to make any charges stick. She was determined to follow the book and take down every guilty party involved.

Logan agreed. “It also matches what we learned from Oscar, our man in charge of surveillance. We’ll check in with him and his team first thing in the morning. They will have recorded more of the conversations in the house and we can sort out who’s inside. I’m curious about this boss of theirs and his location.” Logan pulled June close and rubbed her arm.

“I heard a young girl sobbing and being comforted by another. From the sound of their breathing patterns, three were asleep and another was awake but quiet. The two men we saw, or who saw us, were accompanied by two adult females in the kitchen,” June added.

“We could all use a good night’s sleep. June, thanks for the invite to stay at your place but Marty and I need to talk. We’re gonna stop at the motel down the road for the night. Can we meet up with y’all at the café around eight for breakfast?”

Rose didn't have a clue how to start the whole mate conversation but one fact was certain, she and Marty had to get a few things straight.

Chapter 7

At the front desk of the River City Motel, Rose didn’t object when Marty requested only one room for the night. Without a word spoken, they collected their bags from the truck and made their way inside room seventy-three to the left of the office.

“Do you want to shower first?” Rose asked, her attention focused on the contents of her bag. How would the impending conversation go after the total and complete acceptance they shared in animal form at the river earlier tonight?

“No, you go first, I need to email my client and I really don’t have any more encouraging news now than I had for the last update.” He busied himself with his laptop.

Kelli was one of her contacts back home. Rose sent texts to her and the director of the teen shelter on their way to the motel with the same update. Nothing.

She gathered her things and made her way into the bathroom. She felt his eyes on her every step of the way. The weight of the world was on her shoulders. How was she supposed to make this work? She had been on her own for so long, made all the decisions about the direction of her life. Now things were getting complicated . . . fast. So fast, it took her breath away. There was no need to even try and deny the mate bond, not that she wanted to deny Marty. It was her destiny to be with him. But she couldn’t imagine doing a complete turnabout with her life. She had a routine. Work and . . . work. That was her world. But was it enough?

She didn’t have the slightest idea
how
to share her life. It seemed selfish and out of the question to even think about her own wants and needs when those poor kids needed her to help end their nightmare.

“That settles it,” she said in a determined whisper to her reflection in the mirror. “This mate thing just has to wait. Those kid’s lives are more important than making a life for myself . . . ourselves. How could I possibly be happy if I don’t stop the ones responsible for snatching them off the streets?” She sighed as she squeezed toothpaste on her brush and began effecting mindless circles on her teeth.

She adjusted the water to a tepid temperature and dragged the shower curtain closed. Resting her forearm against the wall, she leaned her head down. Confused, still teetering between her life choices.

Who was she trying to fool? She couldn’t fight this mate thing and she didn’t want to fight it but she could not,
would not
be taken care of like a piece of china Marty was afraid would break. She needed to be in charge. She had never considered sharing her life but if she went about it as a partnership, maybe she’d be able to pull it off.

That was it. She had to convince him this was a fifty-fifty pa
rtnership.

Marty slumped down in his chair, locked his fingers on the top of his head, and blew out a long, slow, exasperated breath. His heart ached for the parents of the missing children, not knowing if their child is dead or alive, safe or injured. He wanted to put an end to the disappearances and the grief associated.

Family. He prayed Rose had no second thoughts about the two them and their newly discovered mate status. Although it took him by total surprise, this was the life he had always dreamed of . . . a mate, a home, and children.

He hit the send button on the email to his client. He never wanted to give false hope but regular reports were part of the agreement. Following up on the leads in Memphis at least let the client know some progress was being made.

He stood by the window and peered out into the night. What kind of monster would lure these kids away? What happened to them? Something was wrong or they would check in with their families, some of them anyway. Frustrated, he scrubbed a hand through his hair. The sound of the spray from the shower hummed in his ears.

Rose and the surprise fate had handed them haunted his mind. His strode, without thought, until he stood at the bathroom door. The water was still running in the shower. He proceeded with his plan before he lost the nerve. A couple of raps with the knuckles on his left hand, he turned the knob with his right.

“Excuse me.” Rose sang out with more than a touch of annoyance attached to her words. “I offered to let you shower first, now if you can give me a couple of minutes, you can have it all to yourself,” she snapped.

“Rose, we need to talk.” Marty settled himself on the counter by the sink.

“Can it wait until I get dressed, please?” The water slowed to a stop as she waited for his answer.

“No, it can’t.” He had to be firm and make his intentions clear. “I need to tell you how important this is to me. The idea of having a mate has always been in the back of my mind but I never realized until we were by the river tonight just how important it is to me.” Marty flipped her hairbrush in his hands as he poured out his heart to her. “A protective compulsion toward you has twisted my insides since I first caught your scent in the bar the other night. I didn’t know what it was. I just knew I had to be near you.”

Seconds that seemed like hours passed before a delicate arm snaked out from behind the shower curtain and snagged two towels. A minute later the curtain slid open, Rose stood wrapped in a towel with another twisted turban style around her head. The silence continued for what seemed like an eternity. Then, both spoke at once.

“Marty I
—
”

“Rose
—
Oh, sorry, you go first.”

“Marty. It’s not that I don’t want this gift we’ve been given. I do. It’s just going to take time to get used to the idea of sharing everything about myself on a regular basis.” She took a deep breath and glanced down briefly. “I’ve called all the shots in my life since my daddy died and now all that’s changed. Besides, we only met a day and a half ago. We don’t even know each other, not really.” She waited, giving him the chance to respond.

Marty offered a hand, inviting Rose to step out of the shower. He was overcome with the intoxicating scent of her desire. His inner animal craved close contact. To join with her. The mating hormones, pheromones, called only to the true mate.

Eye to eye, he searched for answers. He opened his arms and Rose sank into his embrace. She wedged between his legs as he sat on the countertop. A perfect fit. He cradled her head to his chest. She smelled like a fresh-picked spring bouquet.

“Adjustments will be needed on both sides. There are no hard and fast rules about how mates should react. We’ll take it slow and let our life develop at its own pace. One that suits us.” Marty prayed the transition would be as simple as he had described.

She nestled into his chest with her arms anchored tight around his waist. “Marty, I’m not a
walk three steps
behind my man
kinda girl.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I got that message loud and clear at the house tonight, sweetheart. Lesson learned. One of many, I’m sure. But you have to understand, the deep
need
I have to protect you and to keep you safe is strong. It overwhelms me at times. It’ll take time to control the urge to step between you and anything
I
see as a danger to you.”

She raised her head with one of those
I can look out
for myself
expressions but as their eyes met, she didn’t speak. He brought his lips to hers, slow and gentle at first. Their tongues mingled, teased the other before the kiss deepened to a passionate pace. She eased her hands up his chest, grasped his shoulders, and tugged him closer.

He slid from the countertop. His feet touched the floor without breaking the embrace. He scooped Rose into his arms and headed toward the bed. “You get the covers. I seem to have my hands full.” His lips curled into a smile as he placed her with great care onto the bed and pulled up the sheet. “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the bathroom for a quick shower.

When the door opened again, he stepped out scrubbing a hand towel through his wet hair with another around his waist. She had seen his chest when she woke in his bed yesterday morning but now he was proud to show off more of his body. The top of the towel, slung low around his hips, moved side-to-side as he walked closer.

“Now we’re even, we’re both wearing towels and have messy hair. See how well suited we are? We’ve compromised on our first day together as mates.” He snapped the towel on the bed with a pop and flipped out all the lights except the desk lamp in the corner of the room.

“Aren’t you going to put the lamp out?” She drew her knees up to her chest and settled back against the head of the bed.

“Not that one. I want to see you tonight.” Their night vision was perfect and he could see as well as she in the dark but the short reading lamp cast a soft, romantic glow around the room.

He slid under the cover opposite Rose and snuggled down into the pillow. His eyes fixed on her, he absorbed every inch.

Beautiful. My mate
.

He reached up to circle the back of her neck with his hand and coax her down for another kiss. Their lips brushed together softly back and forth before he began to nibble from one side of her mouth to the other. Warm breath intermingled, enticing them with every inhalation. Rose parted her lips slightly in invitation. His tongue welcomed her touch, hungry for more.

He came to his knees and framed her face with his hands. His eyes scanned hers. “Rose, this feels so right. But if you’re not ready, I’ll understand. We can sleep tonight. I’ll hold you close and count my blessings we’re here together.” His mouth found hers again in a slow exploration.

She knelt with him, slid her hands over his shoulders, and locked her arms around his neck. Her lips found his in a series of steamy kisses. “Marty, I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you at the bar. I didn’t understand why but now that I do, everything is more intense,” she murmured between kisses.

He lowered her to the pillow taking in every inch of her face. “You are so beautiful, Rose. I’ll never understand why fate chose someone so perfect for me. I don’t deserve you.” He closed his eyes to seal her beauty in his memory and inhaled a deep breath. Her scent renewed him. The sweet fragrance was different, headier now that the commitment was made.

Rose stroked his cheek with soft fingertips and smiled. “A girl is only perfect if she’s lucky enough to find the perfect mate,” she whispered as she tugged at his shoulder.

His eyes opened. A sly smile crept across his lips. He eased over her, settled himself between her legs, and nuzzled her neck, still breathing her in. The scent consumed him more with every breath. It was more than a cougar could take. They came together and sealed their fate.

Sleep came easily as the two collapsed together but flashes of young people crying out for help haunted his dreams. He woke several times when Rose jerked her arms or legs hard in her sleep. Each time he cradled her tense body closer, shushed her fears, and assured her she was safe in his arms. “Sleep my sweet Rose. I’ll stop these devils invading your dreams. One way or another.” He vowed he would not rest until this case he had put an end to all their nightmares.