can best describe it herself,” he said. “And then, well, hell, we’re all going to be worthless without sleep.”
* * *
Axel had spoken the truth about one thing—sleep. She was exhausted. She didn’t remember feeling so exhausted, or so worried at the same time.
Titan.
She was never away from him.
Someone had tried to kill her dog.
With poisoned human flesh.
Jordan was in the hospital. He’d nearly been killed by someone, and then a giant snake had tried to finish him off.
It had all begun with that dress...
She still needed to burn the damned thing.
“Raina, are you up for this?” Special Agent Jon Dickson asked her politely, empathy in his voice. She liked him. A tall man with steel blue eyes, he seemed to be no-nonsense, and he seemed to be imbued with the same confidence and air of authority that Axel wore as easily as a cloak.
Kylie was comfortable and self-assured.
She was an attractive woman with chestnut hair and really beautiful eyes—blue and green with little gold spikes streaking out from the pupils.
She had a great smile.
“Are you okay?” Kylie asked her.
Okay? Hell, no. Her world had gone to hell.
But admittedly, she felt a strange sense of both determination and purpose. She wanted the killer caught. She’d never thought she’d be part of something like this, but she was.
And her friends were being affected. Maybe they—or one of them—was involved.
It didn’t matter. She was in it, and she was damned well going to see it through.
“I’m just fine,” she said. “And, Jon, I’m sure you’re a great agent and I’m willing to bet that you’ll easily meet Peg-legged Pete and see the pirate ship, but, Kylie, I think you’re both here because of you.”
Kylie glanced at Axel before speaking.
“I don’t know if I can help anything or not. I mean, what we seem to have is different, but I learned something from the terribly slimy man who almost killed me. I can help talk you through, but I think we should start in the morning.”
“And we need to get back on looking for common ground. It exists somehow, somewhere,” Axel said to Jon.
“Almost 3:00 a.m. now. Call it quits till morning?” Jon asked.
Axel nodded gravely. “Windows and doors,” he said.
“We’re all on it!” Raina said.
The four of them went through her house. All windows and doors were securely locked.
Jon and Kylie bid them good-night. Axel followed Raina to her room, but she paused in the hallway.
“What?”
“I’ve had Titan in this hallway every night since he was a pup,” she said.
“All right, in all truth, I’m not as good as that dog. But between Jon and me, we do wake at just about anything.”
She smiled at him. “I know that I’m well protected. I was just missing my dog.”
“Oh, well, of course, but he’s in good hands. I swear it.”
“I know that, too. And I can’t help thinking...”
“Yes?”
“Oh, God, Axel, someone tried to poison him with human flesh! How horrible could someone be?”
“It’s a warning.”
She shuddered. “And someone out there is missing that flesh.”
“It’s horrible,” Axel agreed. “I know. The thing to keep in mind now is that we put an end to it.”
She nodded and walked into the room, shedding her clothing as she did, heading straight for the shower.
He didn’t join her. She stepped out of the stall and poked her head out the door. “Okay, no offense, but tramping around the Everglades...”
“I just thought you might like privacy, that you were tired.”
“All that’s true. Get in here. Sorry, please get in here.”
He did. She hugged him while the heat and the water raged around them. He held her in return. She was so glad he was there. Glad for the tremendous warmth and vitality of his body and the strength of his hold.
“I know it was a horrible day,” he said quietly.
“It was. Make me forget it. Please, just for a while.”
His mouth touched hers. His hands began to move.
And he did make her forget.
If only for a time.
* * *
Axel’s first order of business was to call and check on Jordan Rivera’s condition.
He was stable; the doctors believed they would be bringing him out of the coma within a few days. His bones would take a long time to heal but the internal organs were doing well and, importantly, his heart was holding up.
Axel called before even rising. He saw Raina was watching him, waiting for an update. He quickly repeated the info. “He’s going to make it,” he assured her.
“He’s going to have survived a python attack...and lived