A thump on the door brought Drake’s head up alertly, and Saria yanked up the covers. She moistened her lips, her eyes holding a mixture of disappointment, amusement and alarm. “I can’t think anymore, you’ve destroyed my brain.”

“Good,” he whispered unrepentant, leaning down to give her another kiss.

The thudding came again, this time more imperious.

Saria laughed softly. “The children are calling.”

He growled a swear word in her ear and then bit down on her lobe, making her squeal. “What is it?” he called, his voice gruff.

“Sorry to disturb you, boss, but you need to see this—now,” Joshua’s voice called out.

14

JOSHUA Tre

gre. Saria had made a point of studying him for signs of depravity and cruelty, once she’d heard his last name. His surname carried a terrible stigma in the swamp and yet Joshua seemed to be a decent man. Certainly Drake and the others trusted him.

“Just a minute,” Drake said and slid out of bed.

“I’m goin’ with you,” Saria informed him, leaping out of bed just as fast. “Give me a minute.” She raced for the bathroom, snagging her jeans and a top as she rushed on through. He’d better not leave her behind.

She caught a brief glimpse of herself in the mirror as she attended to her morning rituals and hastily yanked on her clothes. She was a little surprised to see she looked the same. She didn’t feel the same. She felt—beautiful. Loved. Part of someone.

“Let’s go,” Drake called.

She smiled to herself. He sounded so commanding. So like someone who expected instant obedience—and he probably did—when it counted. He didn’t treat her at all the way he sounded in a crisis. She trusted his judgment, which made it easier to follow his dictates in a dangerous situation. She also loved that he waited.

She ran out to join him, laughing when she saw him pulling on his shirt. “I’m so much faster than you, and I’m the girl.”

He grinned at her, that cocky, arrogant grin that tugged at her heartstrings, and he took her hand before opening the door. Joshua looked grim and Drake’s smile faded.

“What is it?”

Joshua shook his head. “Sorry, boss. We had a visitor. Had to be a couple of hours ago. The kill’s fresh on the lawn. A deer and a small dog. He tore them to shreds. He wasn’t looking for food either, just the fun of ripping something up.”

“Leopard?”

“Both had classic kill bites.” He glanced uneasily at Saria. “And he used a knife on them as well. He had to have slipped in when we were at the other side of the house and he must have made the kills when he left. I noticed the deer earlier chowing down on some roses.”

“You mean he was in the house?” Drake demanded.

Joshua’s gaze again shifted briefly to Saria and back to Drake. She felt her stomach muscles tighten into knots.

“In her room, Drake.”

Drake took the lead, signaling Saria to stay behind him. Joshua fell in behind her. She became aware of the silence. Neither man made a sound. She could hear her own breathing, but not their footsteps. The rain on the roof lent an eerie feel to walking down the darkened hallway to her bedroom.

Drake pushed open the door and stood just inside, surveying the damage. Saria peeked under his arm and her breath caught in her throat. She slipped her hand into Drake’s, her heart pounding. Someone—something—had ripped every single item of her clothing into tatters. The bedding and mattress were in shreds. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, the blood roaring in her ears.

“He hates me. I’ve never had anyone hate me,” she whispered.Drake slipped his arm around her and pulled her into the heat of his body. She hadn’t realized until that moment that she was shivering. “He’s demented, Saria.”

“He’s fixated on her,” Joshua said.

Saria swallowed the protest. It would have been silly to object anyway. The evidence was right in front of her. Without question, whoever was killing and dumping bodies was the same person who had shredded everything in the room belonging to her.

“It’s creepy to think someone is out there watchin’ me. He must know what room I’m in.”

“He’s leopard,” Drake said. “He can find you by scent.”

She pressed her fingers against her trembling mouth, willing herself not to shake in front of Drake or Joshua.

“Did you see him?” Drake asked Joshua.

“I saw where he went into the swamp, but I couldn’t follow him. He left tracks for about a mile and then he was gone. No scent trail at all. None, Drake. And there’s nothing in the room. His scent should be everywhere. The doors were closed and he was in there a few minutes, enough that the room should reek of him. He’s like a damned ghost.”

“He was too close to her, Joshua,” Drake said.

She caught the look that passed between the two men. Drake was angry. Outwardly he appeared calm, but Joshua flushed and nodded his head as if guilty of something.

“It isn’t his job to guard me, Drake,” she said. “I don’ even like the idea of it. This is my home and I’m capable of protectin’ myself, even against this killer.” She had to fight to keep her voice from swinging out of control. “I may be afraid, but I can handle this.”

“No one is saying you can’t,” Drake answered. “He got too close. He came into a building where we were sleeping and we didn’t hear him.”