The Right One (15 page)

Cami’s eyes teared. “She was so young and healthy.”

Alex’s hands rubbed her shoulders, dropped and wrapped around her waist.

Jessica nodded. “Yes, but smaller. Indos are smaller than Siberians and she had a good amount of poison in her, I think more than Regellius. She couldn’t work it through.”

Liz walked into the room, paused to stare at the corpse and spoke, voice cracking, “Cami, your parents are here. Do you want me to send them away?”

She shook her head. “No, I better go talk to them.”

He grabbed her hand. “Do you want me to come with?”

“No. I’m not in the mood do deal with all their questions and insinuations about us. I’ll just talk to them, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Text me 911 if something happens with Regellius or Xena, or any of the others, okay?”

“Of course. I won’t leave.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

Liz followed Cami out of the room, the silent agreement between her and Alex passing without words, but Cami understood. With another cat down, and Regellius barely hanging in there, her friends wouldn’t leave her alone.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart stood on the front porch, the impatience on her mother’s face visible even from a distance, and crawled under Cami’s skin. She should be with her cats, not entertaining, even if that entertaining was her parents. She set her jaw.
They have to leave
.

Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart shifted when they saw their daughter, and two matching smiles greeted Cami. A forced smile graced her own lips, she strolled up the walk to the house. “I’m surprised to see you. Everything okay?”

“We were wondering the same thing. Georgette told us you stopped by, and when we couldn’t get a hold of you, we thought we’d better stop by.”

Cami nodded, understanding now. She’d ignored the cell phone, hadn’t called them, of course they’d come by. “It was nothing. I’m not even sure what I stopped by for, right now.”

Her mother stepped forward. “You look upset. Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine, Mom. Just busy.”

Mrs. Lockhart shook her head decisively, searching Cami’s face. “No. There’s something wrong.” Her head lifted and glanced towards the sanctuary. “Quiet here today. Usually the cats are making all kinds of noise – sounds like a zoo around here most of the time.”

Liz stepped onto the first step, standing behind Cami, and Cami grinned. At least someone was there to offer support. Not just the Spanish Inquisition kind. “They’re all inside, Mrs. Lockhart. Hello, Mr. Lockhart.”

“Why, Elizabeth. It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Lockhart. It’s been awhile.”

“Yes, it has. How is your family?”

“Doing great. Dad is crazy with work, Mom has been packing up the house. They’re moving to a smaller place now with us kids out on our own.”

“That’s right, your youngest brother must be out of high school now.”

Liz nodded. “Yep, graduated last year and away at Yale.”

Mr. Lockhart grunted in approval. “Yale. Impressive. We were hoping Cami would attend, but she was never interested.” 

Of course Liz knows that, Dad, we’ve been friends since before we could walk
. “What is he studying, dear?”

“Physics, Mrs. Lockhart. He’s the brains in the family.”

Mr. Lockhart laughed. “Nothing wrong with that. That’s wonderful. Congratulate your parents when you see them.”

Cami’s skin itched.
I don’t have time for this.

Liz laughed and nodded. “Sure will.” She reached over to Cami’s hand and gently gave a reassuring squeeze. “I’m going to head back down. Talk to you soon?” Her voice dropped so the senior Lockharts couldn’t hear.

She nodded, softly smiled.

With Liz gone, and Cami left alone with her parents, she stiffened her neck and marched forward. “Want to come in?”

Her mother nodded. “Of course, dear. We don’t get to visit with you enough as it is, we don’t want to share what little time we have with you out here on the porch.”

She fought back the wave of annoyance and garnered a smile. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Some lemonade for me.”

“Just some water, honey.” Her father settled on the couch, elbows resting against knees.

Cami was sure he saw her mood, and most likely suspected something was wrong with the eyes of a lawyer who knew when client and opposing council were lying. The realization made her self-conscious and she felt like the proverbial egg shells were scattered all over the living and kitchen room floors.

Pouring the lemonade seemed to take forever, her hands fumbling with the glass and nearly spilling the yellow sugary liquid. And hating how much, and easily, they got to her. More than ten years out of their house, and she still felt like a little girl fighting for approval.

She growled under her breath.

In the living room, she handed the drinks out and took a good long sip of water.

“How’s the sanctuary coming, honey? Any problems?”

She gritted her teeth. What to say that wouldn’t be a lie? “I have some sick cats. But the vet is the best I could find, so the prognosis is hopeful.”

“It didn’t take long for something to happen, did it?” Mrs. Lockhart laughed and placed the glass on the coffee table.

Cami narrowed her eyes, neck thickening with tightened muscles. “It’s the nature of the beast, I think.” Except it wasn’t. Not pesticide poisonings. Not intentionally killing the cats by burning their insides until organs bled and died. Anger boiled in the pits of her stomach and she swallowed hard.

Mr. Lockhart’s voice was less amused and gentler than her mother’s. “Anything we can help with?”

“Why? You haven’t been interested in the sanctuary.”

“That’s unfair, Camille.”

She swallowed more water. “If it is, I apologize. Anyway, no, we have it managed.”

A phone rang behind the office door, and Cami settled her glass against a nearby book shelf, home to a handful of books, a statue of a sitting white tiger cub with wide eyes, and a picture of her standing with Liz and Alex with shovels in hand from ground-breaking day. “I better answer that. Excuse me for a moment?”

Retreating behind the office door and closing it with a whisper, Cami jogged to the wireless phone resting on the desk, the caller ID lit with in a hazy yellow glow. Alex’s name, etched in black, broken lined box letters, brought a smile to her face. She answered. “Thank you.”

“Thought you might need a break. Want me to come up there?”

“No, but thank you.”

“You sure? We could tell them we’re a hot item. That’d give them something to talk about for a bit.”

She chuckled at the thought, then stopped. “Alex? Can we go for dinner later this week? Once Regellius turns …” her voice trailed off. She started to say “Once Regellius turns one way or the other”, but the words wouldn’t come out. She couldn’t. “Once we know something.”

Silence draped the connection for a moment, then he said, “You mean a date?”

She sucked a lip over her teeth. “Yes, I mean a date.”

“Cami, I’d be honored.”

She nodded, said goodbye and gained composure to return to her parents when the phone rang again. She didn’t wait for the caller ID this time, picking up the line midway through the first ring. “Hey there, everything okay?”

“I’m sorry, is this Lockhart Sanctuary?”

“Yes, yes it is. And who is this?”

“Michigan DNR. We have two tiger cubs that need a home and were referred to you by another sanctuary too full to take them. Do you have room?”

“I most certainly do. How soon do you need me to come for them?”

“Well, as soon as you can. We took custody of them from a private home, and while they seem strong, the cubs have been neglected. How soon can you come?”

“I’ll leave in the next couple hours. It’s early afternoon, so I wouldn’t be there until late tonight. Are they safe until morning?”

“Yes, and that would be fine. Thank you, Ms. Lockhart.”

“Thank you.”

Cami placed the phone on the receiver, mind racing. Two new tigers. Cubs. A tear seeped down a cheek and then a nod of determination.

In the living room, her parents were huddled together with whispers. Cami didn’t bother to ask. “I’m sorry that took me so long, but I just received a call, and I have to head to Michigan.”

“Michigan? Now?”

Cami nodded. “Yes, I have two cubs to pick up. I’m sorry to leave like this, but-"

“Now? It’s two in the afternoon. You can’t be serious about driving all the way to Michigan now.”

“Yes, Mom, I am. I’m sure I won’t be going alone. Either way, this is my job.”

Mrs. Lockhart scoffed. “Job? This is not a job.”

“Abigail, don’t –"

“No, Thomas, I’m tired of this. Her playing like a female Tarzan around here, living with wild animals who’d just as easily eat her, and now we’re getting kicked out so she can go pick up two more of those beasts. They’re wild animals! Not house cats, but wild animals. And she’s living feet from them. Am I the only one that thinks this is crazy?”

Cami drew in a steadying deep breath. It wasn’t enough. “Why don’t you say how you feel, Mom. Don’t hold back.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that.”

“Look, I don’t have time for this. I have to get ready for transport, and it’s going to be a long day. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to do this when I get back. Maybe later this week.”

Her mother and father stood, the steely movements grinding. Cami wanted to feel bad and couldn’t. The lack of support irked everything within her. The phone call came at the right time. If they’d stayed, the argument would have exploded into something larger and more hurtful.

Without a single goodbye, her parents stepped out the house and headed to their SUV, while Alex strode up the lawn to the house. He turned to watch them leave, then looked to Cami. “Not a good visit, I’m guessing.”

“It almost never is. What do you have going on this evening?”

“A dinner date, I hope.”

She shook her head. “Not tonight. How’s Regellius?”

He shrugged. “Stable.”

“Would you mind taking a road trip with me?”

Alex smiled. “Sounds better than dinner. Where are we going?”

She shook her head again with a smirk. “It’s not like that. Michigan. A couple of cubs need a home.”

Alex’s smile grew wider. “I’d love to come. Overnighter, it sounds like.”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “We have to get all the way there tonight, pick them up first thing tomorrow and come back.”

He took the Stetson off and smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it. What time do we leave?”

“I need to get transport ready, put together an overnight bag. Can you be ready in two hours?”

“Of course I can. I’ll run home and grab a change of clothes. When I get back, I’ll help you get transport ready.” She nodded. “Go check on Reggy. You know you can’t leave without checking on him.”

Cami nodded again and smiled. “Thanks for understanding, Alex. I think you’re the only one who does.”

“Cami …” he paused. The circle of thoughts tumbling for attention were nearly visible. Instead, he said only, “Always.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Regellius steady, Jessica making every assurance he’d survive the night. The overnight bag packed, transport of two large dog sized cages secured in the back of the sanctuary’s black F150 with the matching trailer concealing metal cages inside. Cami’s overnight bag and Alex’s black duffel bag tucked behind the bench, he settled behind the steering wheel. She punched the address of the zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan into the GPS and leaned back into the new upholstered seats. Nine hours, some odd minutes. Not bad.

“Ready?”

She nodded. “Sure. You want to take the first shift?”

“I can do the whole nine hours if you want.”

She shrugged. “Up to you. We can split the time today and tomorrow, or you can drive today and I’ll take tomorrow. What do you think?”

Alex smiled. “I’m yours. Anything you want.”

She cocked her head, hair waterfalling over a shoulder.
I’m yours.
The words tickled something inside and she swallowed hard. “Play it by ear then.”

He turned the key and pulled away from Lockhart Sanctuary. Away from Tommy and an investigation not moving fast enough for Cami, away from her parents and the drama inevitably attached to them, Regellius and the only reason she felt guilty for leaving.

She glanced at him. A trace of a smile played on his lips, the Stetson resting on the armrest between them, short black hair lit with a natural shine, dark eyes trained the road ahead, ever present five o’clock shadow dressing the sharpness of his jawline. They’d grown up together, and there were few days she didn’t see him. Now she couldn’t help but wonder why she never saw how handsome he was. Drop dead gorgeous. The kind that should’ve meant having to beat women off with sticks, invitations should’ve been never-ending. She smiled, looked out the window at the mountains crowned with trees and rounded crags.
Have I been blind?

Alex reached across the armrest and took her hand. “Thank you for inviting me.”

She thought for a moment. “No one else I would have wanted to take the trip with.”

“That’s nice to hear. Seems like we’ve been dancing around each other since we were diapers.”

She laughed. “I guess so.”

A gentle squeeze and he let go, retreating to hold the steering wheel with both hands. “What’s the deal with Paul Schotter?”

“There is no deal. I’m not sure what he was doing. Tommy doesn’t think he’s a part of what happened to the tigers.”

“But you do.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I do. We went on a couple dates, but I never trusted him. That kiss you saw, it was the only one.”

He glanced out the driver’s side window and returned his attention the road ahead of them. “You don’t have to say that. You don’t owe me anything.”

“No,” she said. “I don’t. But I want to. Now, I want to make sure you know that.”

“Why now?” The blinker clicked and he turned east towards Knoxville.

She paused, squirming as a rush of heat passed over her. “Maybe I’m seeing you for the first time,” she whispered. An undefinable silence passed between them. “You know, you’ve always been there for me. Always. I never questioned it. I never considered why, and, maybe I took it for granted.”

“We’re friends, you’ve been just as good a friend to me – nothing about that is taking anything for granted.”

“No, you’re right about that. But, I did take for granted you’d always be there.”

“I will. I’m afraid I’m still not following where you’re going with this.”

She laughed. “I don’t think I’m sure either.”

Another silence gripped the space between them, and Cami shifted in the seat, glancing over the fully loaded cab.
What was I trying to say
? She rolled her eyes as the lids closed over them. Nothing like starting a two day road trip on the wrong foot.

Alex’s hand brushed against one of her hands and Cami opened her eyes, turning to look at him. No words, simple raised eyebrows searching for explanation.

“Cami, haven’t I made it clear enough?”

She drew in a deep breath of air conditioned air. “I’m sorry, I’m circling the landing pad here, I just …” She glanced down at the hand weathered by work and strong against her smaller palm. “How often do you go out on dates? We never talk about relationships, do we?”

Alex chuckled. “I guess there’s a reason for that.” He sighed. “Occasionally.”

“I’ve never seen you with anyone. It’s kinda … hard to believe.”

“Is it?”

“You’re a great guy. Supportive, sweet, hard-working, I could go on and on. You’re every woman’s …” She fell silent, biting on her lips, stumbling over thoughts and feelings.

“I don’t know about that.” He paused, rubbing the stubble on his chin, a strange smile playing with his features. Lighting up his eyes, his face.

Cami smiled too.
Shouldn’t he be my dream come true? Why isn’t he?

“What about you, Cami?”

Reading my thoughts now?
“I won’t answer that.”

The smile widened and then faded. “That’s, uh ...”

She giggled. “It’s not like that, Alex.” She leaned forward and switched on the music. “Change of subject?”

He nodded. “After that answer, I think the old ego needs one.”

Cami and Alex arrived into Battle Creek, Michigan a little after midnight. They checked into a hotel off I-94 with neighboring rooms. He paused at Cami’s room as she fidgeted with the key card, watching the glowing lights shift from red to green. A hand pushed the faux gold-plated handle downward, held it open as she shifted her weight to look at Alex. “I can drive back tomorrow. Thanks for making the drive today.”

He shrugged, fidgeting with the duffle bag. “You needed the break.” His eyes lifted to the darkness of the room, then redirected the gaze back to her face. “See you in the morning.”

She nodded, wondering where his thoughts had wandered to when he looked past her, body burning. She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, then stepped forward and quickly left a soft peck on his cheek. She fell back to her heels, eyes dropping to the patterned carpet and slowly meeting his, face flushed. 

Alex’s eyes remained trained on her, jaw working. He stepped forward, lips meeting her mouth, open hand spread across her cheek, barely touching the skin. She closed her eyes, the feel of his lips against her skin soft and gentle.

He lifted away and whispered, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

Easing her eyes open, she stared into the depths of golden brown pools of adoration. Heart pounded deep within her chest, the pulse battering her ears, legs weak, hands fluttering as they hovered around his neck. No words escaped, the lips only wishing the kiss lasted longer. Or hoping for another. She swallowed hard.

“Good night, pretty lady. See you in the morning.”

Alex walked to the door to his room for the night, smiled at her over a shoulder and disappeared behind the door.

Cami turned, trembling fingers unlocking the door which had slipped closed during the stolen kiss.

Inside, she plopped the overnight bag on the queen sized bed, and dropped next to the bag, hands holding her chin, the kiss playing through her mind and tingling on the soft pink flesh of her lips. The lower lip crept over her teeth, tongue running along it before pushing the lip out. Alex was a better kisser than she imagined. The admittance of ever giving that any thought at all tickled her with a mixture of delight and guilt. Raking fingers through her hair, Cami stood, stared at the wall her room shared with his room and wondered if he was looking at the opposite side.

Laughing, she walked to the television, flicked it on, then off. Pushing out of her clothes, refreshing in the bathroom and sliding into an oversized t-shirt, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes, dreaming of a man, tall, dark and handsome with a white Stetson.

The morning beamed through the thin white curtains hanging across the third floor window. Cami blinked tired eyes open, glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, the green glowing numbers announcing the minutes prior to a scheduled ringing. She groaned, hand slapping the button to turn the alarm off. Rolling over, she pulled the blankets to her chin, yearning for another hour of sleep. 

A knock on the adjoining door and Alex’s voice calling through the cheap metal beckoned her. “Cami, want to go down for a continental breakfast?”

The lingering sleep begged a growl. The sound of his voice earned a smile. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Waiting for you, just knock.”

Ten minutes later, Cami stood before the mirror, brushing out the mane of golden strands dressing her shoulders and streaming down her back. Dressed in jeans adorned with minor rips in the knees and left thigh, along with worn navy-shirt decorated by a tiger face and northern lights, she knew she looked the part of wildlife preservist. A smiled creased her face.
Good.

She packed her bag, stepped into a pair worn sneakers and knocked on the door.

The connecting door opened, Alex’s broad morning smile greeting her. “Ready? Sounds like cold cereal, mini muffins and OJ await us.”

“First class all the way,” she said, eyes focused on his lips, “absolutely.”

Downstairs, as predicted, Cami picked through an assortment of prepackaged muffins, yogurt, cereal and orange juice, and settled on strawberry whipped yogurt, a plain bagel and orange juice. Strange combination teasing tastebuds with sweet and sour.

Alex watched her with amused eyes as he drank ink black coffee and a banana nut muffin.“Looks healthier than what I see you grab most mornings.”

She grinned. “Yeah, I guess it is. I can’t even remember the last time I had a real breakfast of any kind – eggs, waffles, French toast. Seems like I vaguely remember what those are.”

She looked up at him in time to see something catch in his eyes. Cami studied him for a moment, a poker face clean of whatever she’d thought she’d seen. With a soft smile and tiny shake of her head, she turned attentions to the TV hanging a corner of the breakfast room. Weather dominated the newscast, severe storms headed in the direction of northern Ohio, southern Michigan, now only an hour or better away. Her shoulders dropped.

“We didn’t think to check the weather, did we?”

She shook her head. “No. We didn’t. Never even listened to the radio on the way up here.” She paused, listening to the weatherman announce watches and warnings from Michigan to Georgia. A heavy sigh. “We’re not going to miss it, Alex.”

“No, doesn’t look like it. We better contact the sheriff’s department.”

She nodded and stood. “Yeah, we can’t risk transport. Not if they can hold the cubs until later today or tomorrow.”

Excusing herself from the table silently, her fingers punched the number which called her the night before. A short conversation and the pickup date was arranged for the next day. She returned to Alex, sipping his coffee, eyes locked on the television screen.

“It’s all settled,” she said as she followed his gaze, listening to the weather man caution to continue watching the broadcast to stay up-to-date with developments. “How’s it sounding?”

He shrugged. “Heavy duty storm coming. What’d they say about the cubs?”

“All set for tomorrow. I have to call and check on Regellius still, ask Liz to keep an eye on things there. Did the guys ever get anything done on the underground area for the cats?”

Alex shook his head. “Not with the poisonings.”

She nodded. No, of course not. No time, too many distractions. She sighed. “Hopefully it won’t be too bad. The clinic has a basement, but no holdings. Won’t do any good.”

He reached for her hand. “They’ll be fine.”

She grimaced. “With all the drama lately, I wish I could be so sure.”

Alex smiled. “Go call. Then we’ll decide where we’re going to spend our day.”

An hour later, with Jessica’s assurances Regellius’ condition remained steady, Cami sat uneasily on the edge of the bed in Alex’s room, the TV droning on in the background, some daytime talk show being interrupted with a growing list of new watches and warnings. He stood between the wall and the bed, shifting his weight. She felt his eyes settling on her every few minutes, the crawl of acknowledgement shivering the length of the spine. She shifted against the mattress, sidled to meet him. Eyes met, they stared at one another, seconds ticking down, minutes passing, unease louder than the TV humming behind them both.

He stepped forward, paused at the edge of the bed, and sat next to her. “I don’t want it to be like this between us. If this is how it’s going to be, I could apologize for that kiss last night.”

She smiled, legs drawn beneath the rest of her body, leaning against the mattress with stiff arms. “It’s not that, Alex. You didn’t offend me.”

He nodded. “Good to know, because I’ve been wanting to do that for some time. A long time.” He reached out, tucked some hair behind an ear. “Everyone needs someone, Cami.”

She grinned ruefully. “Yes, I guess so. I’ve never had time for that. My focus …”