Booker let a snarl escape his throat. “We’ll get her back, Asia.”
Asia’s heart captured all the kind thoughts, and they were helpful. But she couldn’t raise her gloom until she had her mom back. “I’ve hired Sterling and Lacey to find her. But I appreciate the support of all of you. I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”
“Sterling and Lacey will have their own way of investigating your mother’s disappearance, and we’ll have ours. To start with, we have two objectives.” Casey held up one finger. “One is to visit the preserve area, scope it out, get to know more about it.
“You mean do reconnaissance,” Asher added. “We’re not professional spies, but we do have our keen senses and abilities that make us pretty good at collecting information and staying out of harm.”
“He’s right,” Casey said. He held up another finger. “Second and concurrently, we need to find Cindy, Asia’s mother.”
“Right,” Conrad jumped in, “without attracting attention to ourselves.”
“I get it.” Quinn smiled widely. “We don’t want to awaken the beast that is TNG until we’re ready.”
“Precisely.” Conrad punctuated his response with a jab in Quinn’s direction. “It’s Saturday. I suggest we start our campaign this morning.”
Among themselves they worked out who would do what. Conrad took Asia aside. Despite the seriousness of the moment, the warmth of his touch on her penetrated long held beliefs. They were friends. Adding sex into a friendship ruins the friendship and any chance for a serious relationship. She’d felt so positive that what she wanted was a long term relationship with a human male. Her powers of telepathy had been affected by her interest in knowing all about humans. She couldn’t go back, but who or what was in the future for her?
Her insides squeezed sharply. She didn’t have answers to all those questions. All she knew was her feelings for Conrad were changing, rapidly.
“I want to work with you to find your mother. What do you say?” Conrad’s earnest request touched her.
“Sounds good to me.”
“I think we should go to the preserve, find out what’s there right now. If anything.”
“Yeah. I agree. When?”
“As soon as we can. I can leave right now and meet you at your condo in less than an hour.”
Her heart tugged. “Are we really going to do this?” It occurred to her like a flash of lightning in her face that the danger ahead could change their lives. She might lose Conrad.
“Yes, we have to. What’s the problem?”
She looked away, out the window to the serene setting out behind the house. Rows of flowering bushes, unique trees, and patches of spring flowers just blooming offered respite from the unrelenting awareness of the preciousness of life.
“Nothing. No problem,” she lied.
Conrad squared her. “I’ll have your back, and you’ll have mine. It will be okay.”
“Right. Let’s run it by Casey. He may go with us and use his cat burglar skills.” She chuckled at that idea. Casey was not one to stick to rules he didn’t believe in, but he believed in obeying laws, for the most part. His run in with crime took place years ago and he’d paid the price for stealing other people’s expensive jewels and knickknacks. But as a lynx his heightened senses and ability to see through walls and employ stealth went well with his skill for breaking into locked places and getting what he wanted.
The rest of the colony decided as a group to sneak onto the preserve property and see what they could find. With plans made, including who would be riding together to minimize the size of their intrusion, each were-cat left for their home to prepare.
With her mind even more stirred up, Asia took her moment alone in her Volkswagen to ground herself well. The impending activity would bring her within listening distance to very bad humans and possibly humans in pain. She knew she was getting better at separating out thoughts she didn’t want to enter her mind space, but what she was about to face could be her biggest test.
• • •
Conrad filled bottles with water and stashed them in his Rover along with a couple of blankets and wire cutters. His mind naturally gathered input from past experiences of his own and whatever sources available to him: information he’d read, heard, or just picked up from his environment. But he couldn’t yet see a path for today’s endeavor. His muscles drew tight. He suspected the goals were too vague for his ability to present one. But it rarely failed him, and he had faith it would present something useful soon.
He knew the colony would be breaching the preserve property as humans, therefore he slid a knife into the sheath hidden in his pants leg, and a flashlight in his pocket. He didn’t need the flashlight to see into dark places, but it would make a decent alert if necessary. There was no sense in the cats trying to gather information in lynx or bobcat form, but the knife would be useful in a confrontation.
His body tingled with adrenaline, ready to shimmer at any moment.
He suspected Asia would be just as eager to get to the preserve, so when he pulled up to her condo he honked the car’s horn. The front door opened immediately and Asia dashed to his Rover.
She opened the passenger door and leaned in. “I’ve got a knife, a few zip ties, and a roll of duct tape in my backpack. Can you think of anything else we should bring?”
Her words came out clipped and energized. It made him smile half-heartedly. Asia was a trouper, and thanks to her past, she always prepared for contingencies. But with TNG, no one could predict what the colony might run into. “No. I think we should just go.”
She slid into the passenger seat and Conrad steadied his senses. Dressed in dark jeans, boots, and a dark, long-sleeved top, Asia incited a desire to protect her. She could hold her own, but she’d done so for so long, this time he wanted to spare her the burden.
Conrad studied her. Of course, she’d rather kick me in my shins than let me take care of her.
“So I expect you have the coordinates for the preserve on your phone?” Her eyes snapped, full of determination.
“Yes. You probably have them, too. Did you see Kennedy’s text?
“Yes. I didn’t load them into my GPS, though.”
He passed her his cellphone and in the process felt her soft, warm skin against his hand. A low moan rumbled unbeckoned from his throat. This is ridiculous. Get a grip, man. He glanced at her expression, but she was intensely focused on the map directing them to the preserve.
“It will take us about a half hour to get to the spot.”
“Yeah, I see that.” She scanned the passing scenery. “Do you have a plan for getting on the property unnoticed? I’m expecting tall fences and guards.”
Why had conversation become so stilted between them? They’d always had an ease with each other that made conversations casual and silence comfortable. He didn’t want to lose that.
He shook his head. You’re thinking too much, he told himself. It’s probably just the tension of the mission they were on. It stood especially grave for Asia. She had to be unnerved by the prospect of finding her mother a prisoner at the preserve.
“Yeah. I brought wire cutters for fences and I hope we don’t encounter guards. At least not until we have a better idea what’s there.”
She chuckled. “Conrad the Boy Scout. That’s fabulous.”
“You thought to bring duct tape and zip ties. That was good planning, too. But I don’t see you as the Girl Scout type.”
She cuffed him softly. His eyes collided with hers, sending his pulse racing. She held his gaze for a moment before he turned his eyes back to the road.
Asia cleared her throat. “Umm, looks like we’re almost there. I’ll text Casey and the others to let them know.”
“This countryside is definitely rural. I haven’t seen any houses or businesses in miles, have you?” Conrad swallowed hard and pretended the air wasn’t filled with electricity.
“No. A lot of large tracts of farmland, but still plenty of open pastures and gr
oves of trees.”
“That’s what we need, trees and shrubs to hide our presence.” Eagerness thrummed through him to jump out of the car, away from the tension. Sadness burrowed into his gut, knowing that something definitely was changing the character of their relationship and it was probably his fault.
It was obvious when they’d reached the preserve. Tall fences and a large entrance gate stood out among the natural setting. Conrad slowly drove by, taking in the long drive up to the gate and a main building.
“I don’t see any animals,” Asia said. “Maybe there aren’t any here yet or maybe their enclosures are out farther away from the main entrance.”
“We’ve got to get closer.” He narrowed his eyes and scanned the land surrounding the preserve as they drove by. About a half-mile away from the preserve, he saw a place to pull his car out of sight. He texted Casey, who quickly replied that he and the others would meet there within minutes.
Asia climbed out of the Rover and took the water bottles out of the back of Conrad’s car, handing a couple to him and putting two in her own backpack, just as the others drove up.
Casey motioned everyone to Conrad’s Rover and the colony cats crouched down to keep out of sight. “We’ll stay in touch by phone, and that includes Michelle. She’s at home, but she’ll be monitoring hers. From the strong scents, I would say animals are here but we’ll need to look for them. Conrad and Asia, your one goal is to find out if your mother is here. If you find her, unless you’re positive you can get her without bringing down a plague of TNG workers, leave her alone. We’ll be back.”
Conrad glanced at Asia and saw her lips purse. He knew for her, there was no chance in hell that she would walk away without her mother.
“The rest of us will pair up. So Booker and Shaun, Lara and me, Kennedy and Asher, Quinn and Tizzy. We’re just going to see what’s here and what is going on. We’ll meet back at this spot in an hour, but if you run into trouble and need to get out, get out and stay hidden here.”
Conrad sighed, then turned to Asia. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
Chapter Ten
The sun still hung high in the afternoon sky. Thankfully, Asia thought. We don’t want to be here after dark. The idea of running into lions and warrior were-lynxes in the dark felt too much like they were prey.
She strode silently beside Conrad through the fields outside of the preserve, taking care to let the foliage cloak their approach.
She whispered to him. “I didn’t think of surveillance cameras. Shit. I bet they’re everywhere.” Fingers of fear tightened around her throat. What had she been thinking about? They weren’t ready for this.
Conrad put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll text Kennedy. Maybe she can hack into their security system.”
He sent the text and almost immediately Kennedy texted back.
On it. Give me a few minutes.
Asia shook her head. “Why didn’t we think of this at the meeting?”
“We should have. But we’re not professional spies.” He slanted her a smile.
Crouched in the tall grasses beside Conrad, Asia let his presence calm her nerves. This was how the colony worked. They did the best they could, which was pretty darned skilled, and when something unexpected arose, they dealt with it.
A few minutes later Conrad’s phone vibrated. “It’s Kennedy’s text,” he said. “Got it covered. Proceed.”
They reached the fence and Conrad pulled out his wire cutters. “There are no insulators and wire, so the fence isn’t electrified.”
“Couldn’t we just climb?” Asia shielded her eyes and surveyed the fence.
Conrad pointed to the top. “We could, but the barbed wire at the top would make it difficult.” He proceeded to cut a hole large enough for them to slip through. Once inside the fence, they pulled the flap closed.
“We need to mark this spot.” He looked around and broke off a thick tree branch, then sunk it in the ground.
Asia took two steps into the preserve and instantly stopped. Unexpectedly, thoughts not her own permeated her brain.
This one looks good, probably put up a good fight.
Look at that fur. Now that will look stunning hanging on my wall.
I knew that other guy would chicken out.
Horror stabbed her heart. She turned to Conrad and stared up into his face. He had no idea what this place was. It pained her to think of it. She doubled over and grasped for her ability to tune out the unwanted thoughts.
Conrad reached for her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice low.
A series of gunshots pounded the air, and hollering came far from where they stood.
Goddamn, I’m good.
Wow, that one went down easy.
Where’s the camera?
Asia grabbed her head, shaking it side to side. Again, she tried to breathe in and out steadily, filtering the horrible thoughts out of her conscious awareness, while Conrad slipped his arms around her. He knew. “This preserve is for hunting game. Another thing we weren’t prepared for.”
The scent of desperation and wild fear commingled in the air with the odor of savage thrill. Asia’s heart raced. She needed to get moving. They had a mission. She couldn’t allow anything to freeze her in place.
“Ground yourself. Breathe. You can do this.” Conrad’s words whispered in her ear reminded her she had the ability to weed out others’ thoughts and let them pass by.
“Let’s go. I’m okay.”
Side by side they picked their way to where they expected the animals to be housed. The scents grew stronger as they walked, guiding them to large enclosures about a quarter mile deep into the grounds.
They hunkered down into a patch of shrubbery, listening. Men, probably three of them, commended the hunter who had killed an animal. The scent was unfamiliar but definitely a lynx. Asia heard the men riding on a vehicle—she presumed an ATV—since their voices carried so well. She and Conrad were hidden from the men. Conrad motioned for her to stay still.
As the men drove by, she drew back in horror. A dead lynx lay on a trailer hooked to the ATV. She covered her mouth to keep from vomiting on the spot. Conrad touched her again, rubbing her arm. But she saw his nostrils flare and felt his muscles tense.
From their vantage point, they watched the men pull up to an elevated area, get out, and stand around admiring the kill. A man in what looked like a preserve uniform walked up and congratulated one of the hunters. He carried the carcass to the raised area surrounded by trees and rocks and plopped it down. He motioned to the hunter to join him and arranged the animal in a pose with the hunter and his gun.
Through tears, Asia watched as the guard took multiple photographs of the posed scene. Such a meaningless thing to commemorate with photos. To kill an animal that has nowhere to go is unconscionable.
Was there nothing too low for TNG? Asia turned away, grabbing for control of her sorrow and her rage.
Conrad texted the others. “It’s a hunting ground.”
They didn’t wait for a response. As soon as the men jumped back on the ATV with promises from the guard to prepare the trophy animal and drove toward the building at the front of the preserve, Asia and Conrad crept in the other direction, heading farther back into the grounds.
From a distance Asia picked up the sounds of animals. “Do you hear that?”
Conrad nodded. “Lions and tigers, probably. I even hear some little ones.”
“Yeah, the young ones are closer.” Fear trembled up and down her spine at the idea that not only was this a hunting preserve, but maybe it was a place TNG was breeding animals for hunting.
Off in the bushes, they followed a dirt road that went deeper into the preserve and happened upon another fenced area with a variety of structures. Lumbering in and out of the structures were groups of captive lion cubs and adult females.
“I don’t like the sight of this.” A quiet snarl sounded in Conrad’s chest. “This is unbearable. These poor animals.”
&nb
sp; They continued walking under cover of the foliage and found a fork in the road.
“Which way, Conrad?” Asia knew his ability to see paths in his mind that would lead to resolutions would be working hard.
“I think the way to the right will lead to more of the same, just perhaps different animals. The way to the left is probably our path to find your mom.”
“That’s what I’m here for, mainly. The others can scope out the property, right?”
“Right. I’ll text the group and update them.”
They worked their way through the trees alongside the road on the left. A text from Casey told them he had discovered the same hunting party and agreed that he and the others would continue to cover the grounds.
The road ended up at a large, multi-winged building, hidden behind tall trees and shrubs.
Conrad pointed up. “Let’s climb up the tree and see what we see.”
Asia nodded, and began her climb. Below her, Conrad took the branches effortlessly, hardly breathing heavy. With each reach of a branch and pull up, she felt in sync with Conrad. The labor came easily to them both and they didn’t need to talk to know the right branches and the best path up through the trees. They moved as one, and it invigorated her senses in a completely unexpected way. It was about power and strength and shared proficiency. But it was more. Her insides vibrated with this expansive blending of their intentions.
When they’d reached the highest vantage point, they dared to perch on a limb, their lynx skills naturally keeping them solidly in place.
“I say we watch for a bit, size up the place before we try to get inside,” Conrad said.
Asia nodded and settled in for what might be a long time. But just then a box truck rumbled down the road and pulled up to a loading dock at the building. The door went up and another man in uniform motioned the driver to back up close to the receiving dock. Once parked, the driver turned off the truck and jumped out. He stood beside the truck, looking over papers on a clipboard.
“Stay here,” Conrad ordered. “I’m going down. Just wait for my sign.”
Heartfelt Page 10