“That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea. I think she drove her husband to an early grave. He left everything to Armande and Charisse. Iris wouldn’t have cared if it had only been Armande, the darlin’ of her world, but she had no use for Charisse.”

“Why? I thought you said her daughter was brilliant.”

“Oh yeah. She is, but she’s strange. A little off. Different. And all that ability garnered her a tremendous amount of attention in school and from her father. That sort of took the spotlight away from Armande, who is extremely handsome and charming, but without her brilliance. Mama leopard did not like that one bit.”

Drake whistled softly. “She’s nothing like Pauline.”

“No. She’s a force to be reckoned with. She’ll like you, though. She’s very partial to males. Don’t be surprised if she flirts.”

“Flirts?” he echoed faintly.

“She’s quite beautiful and she knows it.”

“And she works at the post office?”

“You get all the local gossip at the post office. She knows everyone’s business and she could really keep an ear out on what her children were up to. All the other women couldn’t wait to tell her if Charisse or Armande did one wrong thing. My brothers always have felt sorry for Armande because they think he has to baby Charisse and his mother is always on him.”

“But you feel sorry for Charisse.”

For the first time in hours, Saria smiled. “I can totally identify with her. I hide from Iris Lafont hyphenated Mercier every chance I get. I get the same lectures Charisse does.”

“What would that be now?” Drake carefully rinsed her hair clean. “You’re out of school.”

“Aw, true, but I’m not a lady. Apparently ladies do not go into the swamp and they fold their hands in their laps, wear skirts and cross their legs at the ankles properly.”

“Does Charisse have to do all that?”

“Of course. She is always oper.” Saria shoved the wet strands of hair from her face and leaned against Drake tiredly. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone with her. Neither will Miss Pauline. We’re all used to gettin’ told how improper we are.”

“Not in front of me,” Drake said.

She smiled at him. This time the smile reached her eyes. “It’s just her way, Drake. I did grow up wild. She never lied about anything. I did skip school when I couldn’t take it anymore. Mon pere was a drunk—that was true as well. I don’t cross my ankles and I never wear dresses. And that’s all right with Miss Pauline and it’s always been all right with me. Charisse is my friend. She doesn’t seem to mind either.”

“Neither do I. Do you have any idea how much a dress would have gotten in the way last night?” he asked.

She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her body tight against him. “You’re insane, but you’re my kind of man.”

“I’d better be. You really got us through last night, Saria. I had no idea just how treacherous the land could be.”

“I know you didn’t,” she agreed, sounding a little smug.

Her face was hidden so he couldn’t see her expression but a small shudder went through her body. It could have gone bad in a heartbeat.

“I’m sorry I put you in such a terrible position, Saria. It was thoughtless of me.”

“At least we found out the Tregres are involved. This may have nothing to do with opium or the Merciers,” Saria said.

“When Elijah and Jeremiah followed the boat, they recovered several soaps with a small ball of opium in the center. The soaps were Mercier soaps, Saria,” Drake said.

Her head snapped up. She stepped away from him and turned off the shower, yanking at a towel. “Just when had you planned on tellin’ me that?”

She was angry. For one moment her eyes had blazed fire at him. He felt the quick jerk of his cock in reaction. She turned away, toweling the moisture from her body, but he could feel the heat from her body, and the rise of aggression in his body in direct proportion to the passion in hers. She made him feel so alive. He wanted to kiss her, but Saria Boudreaux was close to being fully leopard and she was every bit as dangerous as a female cat enticing a male. Her claws and teeth could be lethal.

“When we knew for certain the Merciers had to be involved. We were all over the swamp last night. The Tregres have two shacks on their land besides their home. The roads in and out are rarely traveled. No one is making soaps there or inserting drugs into the middle of them, Saria. You saw the property.”

She straightened up, looked him right in the eye and threw the towel on the floor. “Charisse is not capable of doin’ what you’re accusin’ her of, and in spite of the fact that Armande Mercier is a selfish bastard a lot of the time, he isn’t either. You don’t know them the way I do.” She stomped into the bedroom, caught up her only other pair of jeans and yanked them on. “I’m runnin’ out of clothes and need to go home.”

His heart stuttered. She was angry. Magnificent in her loyalty, but angry with him. Thinking about retreating. He stayed silent and picked up his jeans rather than pickg her up and tossing her onto the bed. His leopard roared for supremacy, eager for the chase, but Drake was much more cautious. Saria was a woman who went her own way. He had to be her choice, first and always. Her fierce loyalty had to be to him. She didn’t give loyalty or trust easily and yet she gave it to Charisse. There was something more going on here than he had first realized and he needed to dig a little deeper.