The Lion Within (Ghost Cat Shifters #1) (5 page)

Lila took a sip of lemonade and nodded. “He called last night. He sounds better every time we talk. If he apologizes one more time, I might scream, but he keeps apologizing anyway.”

After his arrest for trying to buy heroin, Heath had worked out a deal with the local prosecutor to go to rehab and do community service upon his return. If he stayed clean for the year after, his charges would be dropped. He’d been away in rehab for over a month now. Every time Sophia tried to wrap her brain around the fact that Heath had gotten so addicted to painkillers he went hunting for heroin, she felt like she was in an alternate universe. Prior to his car accident, Heath had been nothing other than stable and steady as a rock. He’d gone into the military straight out of high school, worked his way into the Special Forces in the Marines and lived an upstanding life. His accident had derailed his military career, although fortunately he’d been honorably discharged before the stain of his arrest occurred. Now, he was working his way back to the life he had before. Sophia spoke to him weekly, but she knew he spoke to their parents almost every day. The brother she knew and loved was weighted down with guilt over the events of the last year. No matter how many times she reminded herself only Heath could be held responsible for his actions, she remained sick with fury about the smuggling network and the easy gateway it opened in Painter.

“He’s probably going to keep apologizing, so I suppose you’d better get used to it,” Sophia replied. “He feels terrible. I’m just relieved he’s finally getting help. I wish we’d understood how addictive those damn painkillers could be.” She shook her head sharply and grabbed a cracker.

Lila watched her for a long moment before shaking her own head. “Enough of that. Your father keeps telling me to stop dwelling, so moving on. Ever since you asked me about the Hayes family the other day, I’ve been wondering how their son is doing. If I have it right, he should be about thirty-two years old now. I can’t believe it’s been that long since they moved away. Have you seen him again?”

“Actually, I have. I kind of have a favor to ask.”

Lila cocked her head to the side and nodded for Sophia to continue.

“He asked me what I knew about his family. Since I don’t know much, I suggested he talk to you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind. Does he even know what happened to his brother?”

“He does. I didn’t ask, but he offered it up. I probably didn’t do the best job of hiding my expression when he asked about his family. I guess he wants to learn about them. Seeing as the only one left is Nelson Weaver, and I barely know who he is, I thought you had a lot more to share. You know everyone and everything.”

Lila laughed softly. “Not everyone and everything, but I do know most everyone in Painter. I knew his mother because we grew up together. I know his uncle, but Nelson has all but disappeared the last few years. After David died, Daniel’s grandparents were devastated. They kept to themselves. The whole thing was just terrible. It was bad enough David was shot and killed in front of all those children on the playground, but there were some shifters who blamed the family for putting shifters at risk.”

“What do you mean?”

“The man shot a mountain lion, but once David fell to the ground, he shifted back to human form. Needless to say, it was terrifying. Except for shifters and the humans who already knew they existed, it was like nothing they’d ever imagined. Thank goodness the local police covered it up. Shifter rumors have always been a concern, but it was years before things quieted down after that. The last few years have got people nervous again because of that damn smuggling network.”

Sophia sat quietly for a moment, absorbing what her mother said. Shifters had been so successful at hiding in plain sight for so long, sometimes she forgot how precarious their secrecy could be. All it would take would be something like what happened to Daniel’s brother, or one of the shifter smugglers getting caught in the wrong place and wrong time. She took a breath and brought her mind back to the moment.

“The whole thing is so sad. It seems like that incident overshadows almost everything about Daniel’s family.”

Lila nodded, her eyes tinged with sadness. “Hard not to. The saving grace for Daniel now is it’s been so long. I can tell him what his mother was like before all that. I got to know his father some, but his father was from a nearby town, so I didn’t know him the same way. Next time you see Daniel, tell him I’d be glad to talk with him. Maybe you can bring him out here sometime soon.”

“That’s what I was hoping,” Sophia said with a grin.

Lila eyed her for a long moment. “Tell me, what’s going on with you and him?”

Sophia felt a ping in her center. Her mother was disconcertingly good at picking up on anything with her. She sighed internally. If she tried to hide it, her mother would know. She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just met him, but he’s, uh…” Her cheeks got hot when the memory of his lips against hers flashed through her mind.

Her mother grinned. “Any man that can get you to notice him must be pretty damn amazing! I can barely remember the last time you even bothered with dating.”

Sophia groaned and half-glared at her mother. “He’s just a nice guy. Don’t turn this into something when it’s not.”

Her mother chuckled. “Fine. I’ll leave you be. In the meantime, let me know when you’re bringing him by.”

Mercifully, the conversation moved on. Sophia left a while later and headed straight to Vivi’s house. When she pulled up, Vivi was on the porch again. Sophia walked up the stairs and plunked down in a chair. Vivi glanced over from where she was trimming basil.

“Hey there. On your way home?”

Sophia nodded. “Since I can’t get there without passing by your house, I figured I might as well stop,” she replied with a grin.

Vivi had turned back to the basil, snipping its leaves and dropping them in a small bowl. Jax leapt onto Sophia’s lap, instantly purring when she stroked a hand down his back. After a few moments, Vivi set the scissors down and sat down in the chair beside Sophia. When she met Sophia’s eyes, her gaze was thoughtful.

“What’s up?” Sophia asked.

Vivi was quiet for a beat before she spoke. “I’m wondering if you’re up for a run into the mountains with me.”

Anxiety coiled through Sophia. Ever since Heath had been arrested, she and Vivi had been doing some of their own investigating into the smuggling network. The open secret of the smuggling shifters had been rumbling under the surface of Painter for the last few years. The police had made some local arrests, but little headway had been made. When news broke that the network had stretched its tentacles all the way to Catamount, Maine, the birthplace of shifters, the shifters who were horrified about it had become more vocal. Rumor had it someone, a highly secretive someone, had started the whole mess in Painter. Catamount had succeeded in shutting off the source in its community, so Sophia and Vivi figured that’s what needed to happen in Painter. Heath’s situation kept her anger on a high simmer and pushed her to find a way to do something, anything, to put a stop to the network.

She met Vivi’s gaze. “Of course. Anything new?”

Vivi shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I was at Quinn’s last night and heard some of the guys talking about a meeting place in the woods to the south side of town. I figure we head out for a run and see what we find.”

Quinn’s was a local restaurant and bar in Painter, the go-to place for practically everyone in town. Vivi worked there on occasion when they needed backup at the bar. Her primary job was managing the small landscaping business she owned, but as a single mother, any extra cash flow was a good thing.

Sophia glanced at her watch. “I’ve got a few hours before I need to head to the coffee shop to help close up. If we’re going to scout around, we should go now.”

***

Sophia stood alongside a stream roughly a half-mile into the woods. She and Vivi hiked here often, but they never shifted until they were far enough into the woods to be able to shift sight unseen. Birds chattered in the trees. After a last look around to ensure they were alone, Sophia shifted. Energy coursed through her in a wave, her skin prickled as fur rippled across its surface. Power rose inside as her cat emerged. In seconds, she and Vivi were jogging quietly through the trees, weaving their way deeper into the mountains. Vivi had only vague information about where this alleged meeting place was, but the advantage to searching in lion form was they could cover a lot of ground in little time.

They moved in unison through the trees, pausing to scent out areas. Sophia savored the quiet and the sense of freedom she felt when her cat could roam free. Miles into their exploration, Sophia sensed someone nearby. She froze with Vivi freezing at her side. They stood in the quiet and listened. Her cat senses were so much more powerful than her human senses. A shifter in human form had much stronger senses than a regular human, yet they couldn’t carry the full power of their lion capabilities with them. In the distance, her ears picked up human voices, and she could barely smell mountain lion. Considering it was rare to scent lions and humans in the same area, it likely meant shifters were nearby.

She and Vivi quickly began moving, keeping to the ridgeline and in the trees. They were close to a small valley that opened up. After several moments of stealthy running, they paused behind a large boulder at the edge of the forest. With careful positioning, they could see into the small valley. An old hunting cabin sat beside a stream on the far side of the valley. The cabin was so old, it listed to one side. She recalled traveling through this area a few years back, but it was far enough out few shifters traveled through this area. In a small clearing beside the cabin, two men stood talking. Sophia and Vivi watched quietly. As they watched, two mountain lions appeared in the trees behind the cabin. In seconds, they shifted into human form and reappeared moments later in the clearing. The group of men went out of sight into the cabin, at which point, Sophia caught Vivi’s eyes and swung her head toward the valley. Without waiting, Sophia slipped from behind the boulder and starting running along the edge of the forest, looping around the valley to get closer to the cabin. Adrenaline surged through her, anger the driving force. She wanted to see who the hell was here and why.

She felt Vivi race to her side and bump against her shoulder as they closed in on the far side of the valley. The cabin was close enough for her to see motion through the windows. Vivi nudged her more forcefully again. Sophia ignored her and dodged through the trees. Vivi didn’t take the hint and dashed in front of her with a low growl, knocking her off balance. She scrambled to gain her footing, but Vivi didn’t allow it. Vivi knocked her right back down. Sophia knew Vivi was trying to keep her from doing something stupid, but at the moment, she didn’t want to listen. When she tried yet again to push back, Vivi didn’t hesitate and quickly swatted at her.

Sophia finally relented when they heard voices by the cabin. They froze together and waited in the trees until it had been quiet for several long moments. They moved deep into the trees again and retraced their path. They shifted back into human form and walked quickly to Sophia’s car. By mutual agreement, they didn’t speak until they were in the car with both doors closed.

Vivi took a swig from her water bottle before she spoke. “Well, damn. I wonder how long they’ve been meeting there. Could you tell who any of them were?”

Sophia looked over at her before she started the car. “Hard to say for sure, but I think the two shifters who showed up in the trees were Randy and Doyle Norman.”

She almost spit their names out. Randy and Doyle were the dealers Heath had sought out. They were local and low-level. They’d been arrested with him, but had somehow managed to finagle getting out on bail while they waited for trial. Every damn thing about the situation infuriated her. Heath’s life had been blown up, while Randy and Doyle just got right back to doing what they did.

Vivi nodded. “That was my guess. I couldn’t get a good look at the two guys who were already there though. You?”

“Nah. They had their backs to us almost the whole time.” She started her car and backed up in the small parking lot. The area where they’d hiked in was a state managed reserve. There was a single marked trail leading away from the parking area. She quickly drove back into town and pulled into Vivi’s driveway.

“What now?” she asked, looking to Vivi.

“I’m headed back for another pick up shift at Quinn’s tonight. I’ll ask around.” Vivi brushed her hair away from her face, quickly tying it into a knot. “The good news is we know at least one place Randy and Doyle are using.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know if it means anything.”

Vivi swung to her. “I know you tend to be trusting and cautious, but here’s what we know. Randy and Doyle have already been charged with dealing. It’s been rumored they’re involved with the smugglers. Now we know they’re meeting in the middle of nowhere at an old abandoned cabin. You might not want to connect the dots, but I have no problem doing so. We just need to keep following the bread crumbs. Eventually, they’ll lead us higher up the chain. After what happened with Heath, we can’t keep hoping this will go away on its own.”

Sophia leaned her head back and sighed. “I know, I know. I’m just tired of it all.” She felt like she’d been weary day in and day out ever since she picked up the phone and raced to the hospital to wait for news on Heath. His life had gone into a skid that day and was only now, maybe, just maybe, slowing enough for him to get back on track. The only respite she’d experienced had been since she met Daniel. Beyond the attraction that sizzled like a live wire between them, he was a breath of fresh air in her life and took her mind off the relentless loop of worries in her mind.

Vivi leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. “We all are. Just think about Heath.”

Sophia watched Vivi jog up the stairs. She understood why Vivi reminded her to think of Heath, but the reminder was wholly unnecessary. She also had to keep fighting an internal battle not to just go straight to the police, but nothing seemed to go anywhere with them. With another sigh, she backed up and drove the short distance to her house.