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Rachel
I hated scary movies because the characters never behaved realistically. The women in scary movies would freeze when they saw the killer, and just stand there as he raised a knife to kill them. Meanwhile, I was screaming at my television for them to run, to call for help, to do something. Anything.
Yet as David Haines locked my door and turned to me, I realized that nobody could predict how they would react in such a situation until they were there. It felt like my feet were frozen in place. My tongue was heavy in my mouth. My brain struggled to process what was happening and what I should do next. It felt like my system was rebooting, and I stood there helplessly.
“You,” David said as he turned to me. “We need to talk about what—oh shit. Why are you half naked!”
He turned away and shielded his eyes with a hand.
My voice came out in a squeak. “Because this is my hotel room!”
“Then why did you open the door!”
“Because I was waiting for the front desk to bring me a towel! Why are you here!”
It was a dumb question. I knew exactly why he was here: to take my phone. To retrieve the evidence I had taken.
Or worse.
I cleared my throat and prepared to scream.
“Wait!” David stayed by the door but struck out a hand toward me. “Don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you. I came here to talk.”
“Talk?”
“Yes, talk. You ran out of the zoo before Anthony and I could talk to you about everything. Can you please put on some clothes? It would make me feel like less of a creep.”
Somehow, I felt like he was telling the truth. That he just wanted to talk. I didn’t want to turn around, so I backed up slowly until I was deeper into my room. I felt around for the backpack on my bed, then pulled out the t-shirt I had been planning on wearing tomorrow. That was all I put on, though. If he was uncomfortable talking to me while I was in my panties, then all the better.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
David scratched the back of his head, which flexed the muscles in his arm. “This is the only hotel on the way back to the highway. You were smart parking the car around the back.”
“Must not have been smart enough since you still found it. What do you want?”
David crossed his arms in front of his muscular chest and leaned against the wall. “You’ve got the wrong impression of us.”
“Are you serious?” I blurted out. “That zoo is a shit-show. Unkempt enclosures, wounded animals that have not received attention, and a disgusting food prep room. Every aspect of the zoo is unacceptable.”
To my surprise, David nodded. “Totally agree.”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?”
“Because,” he said simply, “we just inherited the zoo yesterday.”
I gave a start. “You… What?”
“Carl Haines, more commonly known as Crazy Carl? He is my dad.” He flinched. “I keep saying that. He was my dad. He’s dead.”
“Oh. Did, um…”
David gave me a small smile. “No. He wasn’t killed by one of the animals. He was on a private plane coming back from Costa Rica. It crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. No survivors.”
“I’m sorry,” I said automatically, not because I was sorry but because it was what you were supposed to say.
David shrugged. “Dad and I weren’t close. None of us were. He wasn’t the best father in the world.”
“I can imagine.”
“So, yeah. Dad died six days ago and we inherited the zoo yesterday after speaking with the executor of his will. Turns out the place is bankrupt. None of the employees have gotten paid in weeks. As soon as Anthony and I showed up yesterday, the employees who had been sticking around finally left. We’ve been sort of figuring it out as we go since then.”
“That’s why you were so desperate to hire someone as soon as possible.”
“We don’t know the first thing about running a zoo,” he explained. “We’re learning. That’s what we want your help with. We need guidance. On, well, everything. And look. We know our dad isn’t, wasn’t, the best person. We were horrified when we saw the condition of the zoo. We want to fix that. Right now our plan is to send the animals to proper zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. A true home for them. And in the mean time, clean up the zoo and refurbish it so that it’s up to code while we try to relocate the animals.”
That explained why the job was only a short-term contract: not because they were being cheap, but because they were planning on moving the animals to real homes. The zoo was only going to operate for a few more months until that happened. My mind raced. This was the exact opposite of how I expected this conversation to go.
David spread his muscular arms. “There you go. All the cards on the table. What do you think?”
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Tiger Queen
Cassie Cole is a Reverse Harem Romance writer living in Norfolk, Virginia. A sappy lover at heart, she thinks romance is best with a kick-butt plot!
Books by Cassie Cole
Broken In
Drilled
Five Alarm Christmas
All In
Triple Team
Shared by her Bodyguards
Saved by the SEALs
The Proposition
Full Contact
Sealed With A Kiss
Smolder
The Naughty List
Christmas Package
Trained At The Gym
Undercover Action
The Study Group
Tiger Queen
Triple Play