The two youngest brothers looked at each other and then at the ground.
“Did he coerce you in any way, Saria?” Remy ignored her pointed charge. “A female cat emergin’ can be very amorous. He would know that.”
“I coerced him, if you must know the truth, Remy. He was a gentleman the entire time, even though I did my best to seduce him. Is that what you wanted to know?” Now there was defiance and a hint of tears in her voice.
“Saria,” Drake said gently. “You don’t have to say another word. Come here, honey.”
Remy kept his arm around his sister when she turned toward Drake. “He should have come to us.”
“It happened too fast, Remy. I didn’ know what was happenin’ to me. And then I asked him not to go to you.”
“That doesn’t matter, he should have.” This time the cobalt eyes pierced right through Drake.
Drake shrugged. “If you’re implying I was afraid of you, you’re wrong. I would have come this evening. I had important business that couldn’t wait and Saria was safe with me.”
“She was so damned safe someone shot at her.”
Drake shrugged his shoulders. “I would have killed them before they got to her.” His tone was matter-of-fact and absolutely confident.
Remy studied him. “Where are you from?”
“Originally, the rain forests of Borneo. I work for Jake Bannaconni.” Drake glanced at the two men, torn and bloody on the ground. “I’ve never seen a lair like this one. No one that I know of would harm a female and if there was such a male, he’d be killed and burned, his remains buried deep.” He poured disgust into his voice, disgust for the entire damned lair.
Remy didn’t flinch. “We’ll take care of this matter.” He lifted Saria’s chin so she was forced to look him in the eye. “Do you know what his claim on you means? Did he explain that to you? You don’ have to accept him, Saria, even if your leopard does.”
“I’m aware of that. I chose him. I still choose him.”
Remy sighed. “If he’s your choice, Saria, then we’ll stand with you. In the meantime, I need to know who attacked you.”
“I don’ know. I really don’. I couldn’t get a scent. Just leopard. I was so scared.”
“You should have come to me.”
She swallowed hard, ducked her head and nodded. “I know I should have, but I couldn’t, Remy, not then. I have reasons.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Are you goin’ to enlighten us?”
She lowered her voice. “At home. When we’re alone, Remy.”
He studied her face, his jaw set. He gave a small nod. “You are comin’ home then.”
“We have to get this done and then we’ll come right away,” she assured.
“What done?” Remy demanded. His eyes narrowed on his sister, that deep cobalt blue that seemed to pierce through every cover.
“Jake gave me a job,” ake answered, bailing out Saria. She didn’t want to answer in front of the other members of the lair, but she didn’t want to lie. He took the matter out of her hands.
Remy sent him an irritated look. “Call your team in. No one’s goin’ to attack you.” He managed to make it sound like Drake was a little kid and his mama bear was in the woods ready to protect him should there be need.
Drake stared at him coolly. “You don’t have to like me, Boudreaux, any more than I have to like you. You let this happen and you can blame me if you can’t stomach shouldering the responsibility, but don’t think for one minute your intimidation tactics are going to work on me. I’m not a girl wishing her brothers loved her.”
Saria gasped, whirling around to face Drake. “What are you doin’? You’re pushin’ him to fight you.”
Maybe he was. He couldn’t get his leopard to calm down. The animal ripped and clawed, wanting to get at Saria’s brother. Remy appeared to have the same problem, and if the tension emanating from the rest of her brothers was anything to go by—they were fighting for control as well.
Drake frowned, shaking his head, trying to clear away the red haze. He glanced over at the two fallen leopards, torn beyond belief, Elie crouched low, trying to aid them. His mind felt heavy, leaden, thick and dense, as though the red haze had penetrated his brain, making it impossible to think clearly. For one brief moment, his eyes met Armande’s.
Armande Mercier and Robert Lanoux lay in puddles of blood, their bodies shredded, ribs broken, both fighting for each breath. The Boudreaux brothers looked at them with deadly intent, still not satisfied with the punishment Remy had inflicted, yet there was something off. An alarm bell shrieked at Drake, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong.