“You mean not the brains.” Jeremiah smirked.

That earned him a light cuff from Rio, but Jeremiah only laughed, not in the least deterred. Isabeau could see they were already developing a camaraderie of sorts with the newest member of their team. He might be on probation and in training, but they already treated him with growing affection.

“So we go in, Conner and Felipe will be personal protectors for Marcos,” Rio got back to business, “and Leonardo and I will be the same for Elijah.”

“Don’t worry about our uncle,” Felipe hastened to assure. “He might be in his sixties, but he’s fast and cunning when needed. I wouldn’t want to go up against him. And with Elijah, we’ve got six of us, all leopards.”

“What about me?” Jeremiah demanded.

Rio shrugged. “You know Suma is going to be there and he’s tried to recruit you. He can’t see you. How are your shooting skills?”

Jeremiah looked happy all over again. “I’m a crack shot.”

“Don’t say it if it isn’t true,” Conner cautioned.

“High wind. Over a mile.”

The men looked at one another. “We’ll give you a chance to prove what you can do,” Rio said. “If you aren’t exaggerating, you’ll be watching our backs for us.”

“And me?” Isabeau ventured. “I could go in as Elijah’s girlfriend. None of them has ever seen me. Elijah could be here to see me and knew his old friend Marcos was coming.”

“No way.” Conner stated it as a fact.

“She has to be protected,” Elijah pointed out. “We can’t just leave her out and you know it, Conner. She could prove to be a valuable asset. They have two rogue leopards. Those leopards won’t be thinking of anything but Isabeau.”

“That’s really going to make me agree, now isn’t it?” Conner said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

“Not his girlfriend,” Rio said. “Something closer. A sister or cousin. A relative. That makes it war if they touch her. A girlfriend might be considered disposable and the rogues are going to know she’s leopard. They’ll buy it. He came out to see her and bring her some news from home. In the meantime, they’ll suspect that Marcos and Elijah are having a secret meeting. Cortez won’t be able to risk the bait. The pot’s too sweet. Elijah and Marcos, allies who could open doors for her, and you, Conner. Not to mention all the leopards.”

Conner rubbed his temples and looked down at Isabeau’s upturned face. She looked so innocent. She had no idea of the monsters they were dealing with. She’d seen their work, but she didn’t have the capacity to understand the depths of their depravity and greed.

“If we tell you to get out, Isabeau . . .”

“I actually am extremely intelligent, Conner. I’ll take orders from those with the experience.”

There was no point in protesting. There wasn’t another answer. And she did have a sharp mind. She might be an asset. “Let’s get the escape runs done and then we’ll think of every single thing that could go wrong and make plans to cover that as well.”

10

THE escape routes were difficult to set up. Isabeau, riding in the helicopter with both Rio and Elijah, found herself using binoculars and straining her eyes to spot the small balloon tied to a tree. It was Jeremiah’s job to climb the tree and mark the spot with a balloon, signaling to the helicopter where they were to drop the supplies along the escape route. Conner would then cache the supplies and mark the spot so any member of the team would know where to recover the food, water and arms. Even with the bright balloon, the canopy was nearly impenetrable, a world high in the air that cut off everything beneath it from the sky, making it very difficult to spot the target.

The rain forest looked different from the air. The mist seemed to hang like lacy veils throughout the canopy. The trees derived a great deal of moisture from the clouds they were shrouded in. Isabeau felt almost as if she could reach out and touch the drapes of film clinging to the branches and leaves. She even forgot to be scared, although the helicopter continually bucked as the wind came in gusts. Rio kept it just above the tops of the trees once they’d spotted Jeremiah’s balloon.

She admired the efficiency with which they worked and realized they had definitely perfected the smooth way the team ran. She wanted to be a part of it, or at the very least, feel as though she contributed in some way. She tried to learn by watching them and even envied Jeremiah a little that he was able to actively participate.

Once back at the cabin, where they ate and hashed out every conceivable thing that could go wrong, and how to prepare for it, Isabeau found herself melting back into the shadows to watch Conner while they talked. She loved seeing the light play over his face, deepening the effect of a hard, dangerous man. He was intelligent and confident, and the sound of his voice became a drumbeat in her veins. Every breath he took expanded his chest and rippled the muscles beneath the thin material of his shirt.

Conner looked magnetic all sprawled out in his chair, lazy, as only a leopard could be. His jeans were snug, encasing his long legs as he tipped back his chair, his eyes half closed, his attention on the conversation—at least it appeared to be wholly focused there. His gaze flicked up and found her in the shadows, and her heart began to pound to that same drumming in her veins. She felt her womb clench and heated liquid dampened her panties.

One smoldering look. She remembered that so well. He rarely had to say anything—just looking at her could put her into a state of arousal. He was dangerous, sexy as hell. She couldn’t take her eyes from him. When he spoke, his voice poured into the room with the same intensity as his molten gold eyes. He mesmerized her in the way a leopard might its prey. Once his gaze found her, focused on her, she couldn’t find breath. She couldn’t think clearly.