Wild on You (8 page)

“And whoever’s behind this probably feels justified to go after you. He figures you violated his rights, so he’s going to violate yours. He’s hired two guys who are loyal to his cause and are comfortable using violence. I’ll still need to stay very close, even when you’re sleeping.”

“How close?”

The words had tumbled out. He gave her a speculative look. Hm, what expression did she have on her face? Horror? Or anticipation?

“I’m not going to climb into bed with you, Addie. That would be … unprofessional.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll do some Internet research on Carrigan tonight, see if we can connect the guys who tried to grab you to him in some way. If we can find one picture of the zoo with a thug in the background, that would help. Maybe Chase can pull up employee records. And you should call the detective who’s handling your hit-and-run. If Carrigan’s making public accusations, he’s probably going to file charges against you. You want to give the detective a heads-up, without admitting to attempted theft, of course. Or to violating your restraining order.”

Her stomach tightened at that prospect, but she called the detective while Risk drove the final stretch to the ranch. When she hung up, she said, “Carrigan hasn’t filed charges.”

“Which actually makes him look more suspicious. He probably doesn’t want the police snooping around.”

A short while later, Addie directed him down the road and through the gates to her ranch. Even though he felt they had some downtime, he was on full alert as he drove along the perimeter. He peppered her with questions about her volunteers, her property, and the various buildings. Her protector. The thought shivered through her.

They met up with Shirley at the corrals. He rubbed his hands together. “I’ll take the goats.”

* * *

The boss watched the veterinary student sew up the bullet wound in Alan’s shoulder. Good thing the kid had been on hand. He wouldn’t ask a lot of questions.

The young man nodded toward Doug. “You’d best be careful hunting with that one.”

“Yeah, you bet. I appreciate your help. And your silence. No need to get Doug in trouble, after all. Look at all the shit Cheney had to deal with.”

The kid shook his head as he made the final stitch. “Poor guy was the brunt of jokes for years.” He finished the cleanup and left with a nice wad of cash toward his tuition. Silence, as it turned out, wasn’t golden; it was green.

Once he was gone, Alan said, “That coulda been a mess, boss.”

The three wandered over to the incoming animal pens.

“It could have also been a triumph. But it wasn’t. Instead it was a big fat failure.” The boss was trying to get a handle on how they could have come so close to capturing the woman who’d been causing him grief, and been thwarted. “So you had her, and then the bodyguard showed up out of nowhere.” That wasn’t his only disappointment. He’d been dreaming of making her pay, fantasies of blood and begging, maybe letting her think she was going to live just before he took her life.

Alan scowled as he looked at the bandage on his shoulder. “Son of a bitch shot the gun right out of my hand.”

“He’s going to make it a lot harder for us to get our hands on her. But he’s an obstacle, and obstacles can be surmounted.”

Alan winced when he moved his arm. “I want him dead. Just for being a good shot.”

The boss scrubbed his fingers through his thinning hair as he considered the cub in the cage. “Worked out nice that she was already stealing the cub. She’ll be blamed.” At least he could find something to smile about. “Addie Wunder will do anything to find this critter. She was willing to steal it once, which means she’ll be coming here before long, sniffing around. When she and her bodyguard do, we’ll be ready for ’em.”

* * *

Risk handled the goats very well—out of sheer stubbornness, Addie suspected. He led them one by one to their large corral and barn area. She brought the other animals to the
long large barn to the right of that, and Shirley took them inside to their stalls. Addie’s orders were to stay within his sight, which required her to make sure he was within
her
sight. Which meant looking at him a lot. No hardship there. His biceps bulged as he gripped the ropes. His muscles clenched quite nicely when he used his weight as leverage. Every time he searched for her, she waved.

“Aw, you and the hunk are so damned cute,” Shirley said as they escorted the other animals into their respective areas.

As usual, Addie wasn’t sure if she was being facetious. “We are not ‘cute.’
We
aren’t anything.” When she saw Shirley was about to refute that, Addie changed the subject. “Did Carrigan give you a hard time? Threaten you in any way?” Addie had left out the near-kidnapping part of what had happened behind the zoo. Shirley would freak.

“Nah. He thinks I’m one of your minions. And I let him.”

“Minions? That makes me sound like some evil mastermind.”

“You’re way too sensitive, my little girly friend. You never worry about what you sound like when you’re making those protest videos.”

Addie couldn’t really argue. “So he shouldn’t have any reason to harm you, but be careful anyway.”

“I am ever vigilant. And I’ve got a sweet Smith and Wesson Fifty-seven in case of trouble. You ought to think about arming yourself, too.”

“I am armed.” Addie nodded toward the hunk. Er, Risk. “So, what were people saying when Carrigan showed up accusing me of theft?”

Shirley closed the gate. “Took you long enough to ask that. ’Course, you were busy making cow eyes at the hunk.”

“I was not making cow eyes!” Addie lowered her voice lest the hunk hear. “I have to stay in his sights. He is guarding my body, after all.” Guarding her body but threatening her heart. “What did they say? Did they believe him?”

Shirley shrugged. “They know you’re extreme, Addie. It’s not a stretch. But they didn’t want to get caught up in anything illegal, so they scooted pretty quick. Maybe that was his intention all along.”

Her supporters thought she was too extreme. The idea punched her right in the chest. “Carrigan is trying to make me out to be the bad guy! Son of a bitch.”

“I know you’re upset when you cuss,” Shirley teased, no doubt trying to lighten her mood.

Remember how Risk had talked her out of her panic attack earlier, she took several breaths. “I think we’ve got all the animals put away. Thanks for everything you did today.”

“Anything for you, kiddo. Night. Sleep tight with that hunk of yours.”

“I’m not sleeping with him!” Addie whispered as Shirley headed out the other end of the barn. Shirley just shook her head as she exited. Addie turned back toward Risk, who was maneuvering the last goat into the corral. “Need some help?”

“I’ve got it, thanks.”

“I’ll be in the barn when you’re done.” She made one last pass down the long, wide walkway in the center to be sure the animals were tucked in properly, whispering good night to each one. She paused by Rolling Stone’s stall. “Your mane is all tangled, big guy. Let’s give you a quick brush-out.”

Footsteps on the hard-packed dirt drew her gaze to Risk, who was coming up the middle of the walkway, silhouetted by the fading light behind him. He had a slight swagger, like a cowboy who’d been wrangling colts all day.

“Everything’s away,” he said, coming up beside her. “I saw Shirley heading out.”

“Yeah, she lives in a double-wide on the other side of the ranch. Setting up her home here made sense. She’s always on hand.” At the time, she’d needed a place to stay.

Risk glanced around. “You have boo-coops of animals here.”

“Boo-coops? Is that supposed to be French?”

He chuckled. “It’s as exotic as I get, language-wise, other than some dirty words in Arabic.” He inhaled deeply. “I always loved the smell of wood and fresh hay. Reminds me of hanging out in the barn.”

“With the animals?” she asked, thinking it must be a pleasant memory, to judge by the soft smile on his face.

“More specifically, without my father. We had a couple of cows, and it was my job to feed them. They were nice animals.” He watched as she stroked the horse. “Is this one of your stolen animals?”

“No.” She gave him a mock-insulted look. “I don’t steal all of them. Most, like Rolling Stone here, I got through, ah, gentle persuasion. Some people aren’t intentionally cruel. They just can’t manage what they have and don’t know how to ask for help. Or maybe no one’s ever taken care of them, so they don’t know how to take care of others.”

“You have a big heart, Addie.”

His tender words made that heart step up a beat. She focused on the horse. “It took a while for Rolling Stone to trust me. We connect through food and gentle touch.” She took Risk’s hand and ran it along the horse’s neck. She felt odd holding his hand … and nice. “Tell me about your dad. Did he hit you a lot?”

She watched his expression close right up. “Addie—”

Her phone dinged, and she fought the compulsion to look at it. That particular tone meant a Facebook post.

“You’d better check that,” he said. Discussion over. “Might be our guys posting a threat.”

She checked her Facebook app. One of her supporters had sent her an e-mail. “You’re on the news. And you’re not going to like it.”

Addie pulled up the Internet and then the local news station’s website. Risk sidled up next to her, leaning in close. He had an earthy scent, which made sense, since he’d rolled in the dirt.

The attractive female journalist started the news footage. “The saga between Carrigan’s Zoo and Addie Wunder continues. The activist who founded Animal Huggers has launched protests at the zoo’s last four locations. While Carrigan has been cited by the USDA in the past for violations of animal care and improper medical care, his record has been clear for the last year.”

“That’s because they haven’t been checking on him,” Addie grumbled.

The shot panned to Carrigan, his gray sideburns-turned-beard moving with his
angry words. “Wunder has overstepped her boundaries! Like a common thief, she stole my tiger cub. And fired shots to keep my people away. My God, she could have hit someone.”

Addie’s mouth dropped open. “He can’t really think I was shooting to warn them away!”

Carrigan turned toward the crowd, whose signs were drooping. “That’s the woman you’re supporting. It’s perfectly legal for me to own a tiger. It’s
not
legal for her to steal it. I’m just a guy trying to make a living, to support my family and my four employees, and to entertain people. Wunder thinks she’s above the law because she’s trying to save cute animals. Bah. She’s a crazy activist.”

Shirley, who was several inches taller than Carrigan, stepped up to the camera. “She’s not crazy. I’ve worked with her for three years, and she’s a dedicated animal rights advocate.”

“Today she went too far. And she’s going to pay.”

The journalist returned to the screen. “CBA News did investigate, and Ms. Wunder has been cited on several occasions for trespassing.”

Addie let out a sound of abject frustration. “They’re making
me
out to be the bad guy! And Carrigan’s playing the victim!”

“Trespassing?” Risk asked.

“How do you think I verify a claim of animal abuse? I have to check it out.” She shook her phone. “I’m very careful. And I’m not crazy, I’m … motivated.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “When you put yourself out there, you have to face criticism. That one big, well-known organization has a lot of supporters, but they have a lot of detractors, too. Hell, you can hardly do anything online these days without being rated or liked or whatever.”

His hands felt good on her, comforting and strong. “Do you think I’m crazy?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter what I think. You believe in what you’re doing.”

She plucked his hands from her. “You
do
think I’m crazy.”

He appeared to be mildly amused at her indignation, which just made her more annoyed.

“I wouldn’t say ‘crazy.’ More like …” He scratched his chin and seemed to search for the right words. “Dogged, with a side of over-the-edge.”

“Hmph.”

Her phone rang, Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” pounding out of the speaker. “My father’s ringtone.”

“Ah, yes, I see the connection.”

“The song reminds me to stand up to him. But I don’t want to talk to him right now. He saw the news. He’s going to yell at me.”

Risk curled his fingers in a
gimme
gesture. She thought she might love him right then and there. Well, not
love
-love.

“Yes, sir. This is Risk … She’s fine. She’s busy getting the animals back into their pens, so I offered to take the call.”

She moved a distance away and yelled out, “Hi, Daddy!” Just to let him know she was, indeed, all right. Then she came up close to hear what he was saying. Or yelling, as the case was.

“I know my daughter had something to do with that tiger going missing. And
you
were supposed to be keeping her out of trouble!”

Risk bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, sir, I certainly was. But your daughter is very … resourceful. She ducked out on me, a failing on my part.”

Uh-oh. Risk was getting into trouble. She didn’t want that, especially after everything he’d been through. She tried to take the phone, but he shook his head.

Her father used the recriminating voice she knew well. “I should have you removed from the assignment. If you can’t keep an eye on one slip of a girl—”

“You do know your daughter, don’t you?”

Addie shook her head. Her father didn’t know this side of her, not really.

“I know that she’s headstrong and passionate when it comes to those animals, but this man is accusing her of theft. Did she steal the tiger?”

“No, sir, she did not.”

Not entirely a lie. Addie grasped Risk’s arm, silently imploring him not to tell her father what had happened. If he knew how she’d been threatened, he’d throw her in a locked room for sure.

“Sir, Addie and I have talked at length about her actions. She has promised that she will not sneak away from me or there will be repercussions.” He shot her a stomach-tightening look that made her think he was talking about spanking her again. “I assure you that she will not misbehave anymore.”