Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 139934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 700(@200wpm)___ 560(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 700(@200wpm)___ 560(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Timur sat back in his chair and gave her a slight nod. She knew him well enough to know he meant what he said. His gaze was on the sidewalk outside. He noticed the two men approaching and a small sigh escaped. Cops. He knew them; they knew him. One, Jeff Myers, had been undercover as Brice Addler, and had tried to steal Evangeline out from under Fyodor’s nose. His partner had gone by Reeve Hawkins. His real name was Ray Harding.
“I never noticed before, but you’re actually further gone than Fyodor was, aren’t you, Timur?” Evangeline said softly, compassion in her voice.
He didn’t want her sympathy. He didn’t want anything from her that might somehow change who he was, because then he might not be as sharp, and his brother—or Evangeline—would pay the price for his weakness. He waved her back to work, jerking his chin toward the door. He didn’t want Ashe serving either of the cops. They’d hit on her. Both were like that and he didn’t want the woman telling them a single thing about his family.
Jeff strolled in like he owned the shop, Ray beside him, both in plain clothes. Timur kept his mask in place as they stared at him. It was impossible for either cop to win in a stare down and they knew it from experience, so they didn’t try. They barely acknowledged his existence before they were at the counter, flirting outrageously with Evangeline.
Evangeline had wisely told Ashe to take a break in the back room. That allowed Timur to breathe easier. The last thing he wanted was for his leopard to make him any edgier or moodier than he’d felt the moment he’d seen the cops. They didn’t like him, and he sure as hell didn’t like them.
He kept his gaze on the street, but always had the cops in his vision. Hopefully, Gorya was standing in front of the door to Fyodor’s office just in case Ashe took it in her head to be friendly and go talk to his brother, or worse, decide this was a great time to kill him, if she was an assassin. He nearly groaned aloud. Now he was worried.
“Keep your eyes on the new girl, Gorya, ” he ordered, talking softly into his radio.
“Eyes are on her, ” Gorya confirmed with a little too much enthusiasm for Timur’s liking.
“I said eyes, not hands or mouth or any other part of your anatomy that I might have to cut off if you disobey that very direct order.”
Gorya’s laughter was offensive. Not because Timur didn’t understand it, but because his attraction to Evangeline’s friend burned through his body, making him so uncomfortable he felt surly and edgy even without the help of his leopard. He didn’t trust himself to address Jeff and Ray and the way they flirted with Evangeline. Another time, he might have gotten up and broken up the flirt-fest, but right then it was far more important to sit in his chair, legs sprawled in front of him, and contemplate ways to kill them. He had already thought of at least fifteen and that was without really trying.
He breathed a sigh of relief when they left and told his leopard to calm down and stop making an ass out of himself. The cat answered with a snarl, a show of teeth and a pithy attitude, stating that was all Timur and not him. For once, Timur knew the leopard was right. Still, that didn’t stop him from stalking to the counter and glaring at Evangeline.
“Have they seen or talked to her?” he demanded.
Evangeline didn’t pretend not to know who he was talking about. She shook her head. “Not yet. If they caught a glimpse of her when they were walking through the door before I sent her into the back, they didn’t say, and I think they would have.”
“Try to keep it that way.”
She nodded abruptly, and then the door between the kitchen and the main shop opened and Ashe stepped through. It was easy enough to see why her parents had given her that name. Her hair was a thick mass, colored ash and platinum with a little gold thrown in. He turned his back on her, but watched her in the mirrors he’d installed in strategic places throughout the large room. She didn’t take her eyes off him until he was once again settled in his seat. There was some satisfaction in that.
The next hour saw a steady stream of customers. He took the opportunity to walk around, stretching his legs, keeping his muscles loose. He knew they needed a larger security force around Fyodor, but he wanted leopards and there were only so many. Shifters were faster, and if push came to shove, they could call on their animal counterparts to aid them. Every sense was far more acute and a leopard sensed danger and knew when other leopards were close—with one exception—females whose leopards haven’t yet emerged.