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Sonia didn't like it "Have you told Bastien? He ood cop You can see it in his eyes He watches everything and everyone I think that flirty, arrogant crap is a facade he wants everyone to believe"

Molly shrugged "Maybe In any case, I've been here awhile now I told you what I' to tell me your story?"

Sonia pushed the e away "My story is I owe Jerry a lot, and he needsjob We need it, and I' to land it for us" She saw the hurt in Molly's eyes and had to do so "But I meant it when I said I wanted you to come out and look at my yard I could use the input"

"Naood time"

"Coht around seven I should be off work by then, and I'll have dinneryou don't like?"

"I'm a total foodie"

"You look like a model I wasn't certain you actually ate food"

Molly pushed back her blond hair "I can put away an entire large pizza when I' a pity party"

Sonia made a face "Girlfriend, any woman worth her salt can do that"

"And a tub of ice cream"

Sonia grinned at her "Now that impresses me" She left the money for her coffee and a tip for the waitress Wo their way through the world on their own

"It should, I wasit up"

Sonia found herself laughing, and it was the first ti tiure"

"Uure I try, but I've never been able to put on weight easily This sounds so stupid, and I never say it as a rule, but I just can't eat calories fast enough withoutthem up"

"You try to put on weight?"

"All the time"

Sonia laughed again "That's crazy I'uess we're typical women, Molly We e don't have"

3

SONIA drove up to the Tregre plantation house slowly It was several miles up the road fro the river as well There was a high wrought iron fence, very ornate, surrounding the front of the property A booth sat between the side of the lane going in and the one leading out It looked like a guard booth, but no one was in it

She drove her truck through the open gates and nearly stopped dead in the middle of the road Even froance froeous, but this one was even more so Clearly both had been built by the sa cypress, which didn't rot or get bug infestations as easily as most other woods She could see that both the upper and lower stories of the house had long, wraparound balconies just as her home did

Her truckmanicured There was activity everywhere around the outside of the house that she could see Gardeners weeded flower beds and trimmed unruly bushes Emerald leaves fluttered in the wind The trees were thick and sturdy, trunks wide and branches curved, deliberately shaped She slipped fro to the side of the house so she could peer into the side yard at the trees,a mental note to tell the nener about Molly's expertise in the gardening and landscaping world

This was a leopard's paradise Had Rafe Cordeau been a shifter? No, more than likely, the fao, when the trees had been planted and the branches forced to grow a certain way to create a highway flowing from tree to tree, had been shifters Gatita would love this Sonia was in thejust such a play yard for her leopard

Feeling eyes on her, she took a careful look around and slowly lifted her chin so she could sniff the air Her long hair and the hair on her body acted like a leopard's whiskers, sending out sonar and receiving inforht vibrations in the air currents as they changed She also could detect, even in the dark, just how close she was to anything or anyone

Her sense of save her the inforardeners, there were three ht was beyond excellent She didn't like that the men could hide their presence fro out of the ordinary bothered her Still, she wasaround the house of a client--a man of wealth who had taken back kidnap victims from their assailants He was a uards, who could blame him? There were so many different males around, it was difficult to sort out all the various scents Several were faether

Sonia moved back around to the front of the house, deliberately looking up at the structure, noting any signs of aging The house had held up when so many others had rotted in the intensity of the hulect There were very few signs of insects or neglect This house had been loved by those living in it She liked that

She went up the long, wide steps onto the porch Like hers, this one was massive, covered and used by the occupants Sherakeit would feel like taking away a piece of history Most seeing that mark wouldn't realize it was made by a leopard Most probably wouldn't notice it unless they were purchasing the house

She used the old-fashioned doorbell The sound was et all the way to the back of it At once a , not more than thirty He sre askeda little late I hope you don't mind"

She shook her head and reat roo wood, spreading through the room like sunshine Windoere abundant, alh, just as they were in her home The fireplace was stone, very, very unusual for that type of architecture She thought her home had been unique in that feature

"This is beautiful I can see why he wants to keep it the way it was meant"

Evan nodded "I'll take you to the kitchen first There was a shootout there A bomb went off just under the eaves outside in the back It did a lot of daht we could repair it ourselves, but we had no idea the house was so old and required a gentler hand I think we did e than repairs We also discovered a probleht up to date by the previous owner, but the plu is a problem"

She nodded "That's not unexpected A lot of these older homes are updated in some areas and not others"

Evan was pleasant, and he didn't flirt at all She glanced at his left hand No wedding ring His gaze had moved over her from head to toe when he'd first opened the door, after that--nothing None of the other men they came across flirted either She'd never had that happen Not ever To the upstairs floors, and they save her The rarity of that bothered her so ive off threat vibes No one did Still, the unusual was setting off alarms

The house was larger than hers, and she followed Evan from room to room He showed her every one other than theelse was off-lie she could see in each room There were bullet holes in doors, and the master bedroom door had been replaced, but it wasn't authentic or even suitable to the period of the building

The destruction outside where the blast had hit was considerable In terre plantation hoone off and only the verandah on the top story and botto with the side of the house and s, had been daed was a miracle

She whistled softly and

touched the wood in awe "This is a and directed the blast away from the house"

Evan's eyebroent up "You can tell that?"

She nodded "I've worked with dynae was very precise Whoever planted it didn't want to injure the house"

"I agree" The voice came from behind her

Sonia stiffened She stared straight ahead It wasn't just any voice It was low, velvet snize it anywhere It wouldn't matter how much time went by, she would always know that voice His Joshua's She raised her gaze to meet Evan's eyes That was the reason none of the men flirted with her Joshua had told them not to He was the ultimate alpha Leopard Shifter Of course he owned this house

They were standing on the terrace on the back side of the house, exae Evan faced her on the first stair just below her She shook her head and deliberately stepped onto the step with hi the next step and then the last one Her heart began to pound She felt like the rabbit in the middle of a pack of predators She didn't know about Evan, but Joshua was one She didn't dare run, although every instinct told her to; she kneould set off his prey drive

"Stop right there, Sonia" It was a command, pure and simple

She glanced over her shoulder and kept walking In the daylight, he was soeous It didn't matter that he was hotter than hell, that sex with him was off the charts or that she wore his mark all over her body and felt hi Leaving If Jerry wanted the job, he could get someone else to do it Not her

She felt a disturbance in the air and then he was in front of her, blocking the way She halted so she wouldn't run into him, but she refused to back up even one step Leopards could leap long distances, and evidently so could their human counterparts