Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
She tried to jam her fist figuratively into her mouth to prevent any more sobs from making it into her mind. It hurt too much. Still, they were there along with the silent screaming.
We’re close. We’re coming out of the water to the place near the road where I think you can get us a ride. Gatita sounded elated.
They’d made it. Triumph surged through Sonia. Even with the leopards on them, they had outsmarted the males. Well, Gatita had outsmarted them. She had planned an escape route just in case.
I learned from you, Sonia. You always have a plan for us. You’re always prepared.
She hadn’t been prepared this time. Joshua had taken her off guard. Thank you, my beautiful and intelligent Gatita. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Gatita swam for shore and when the river was shallow enough, walked out of the water. Every step was slow, and she padded a distance from the canal to ensure an alligator didn’t spot them and come looking out of curiosity.
Need to rest for a moment, Gatita explained as she powered forward the few more steps that took her back into heavier swamp. She flopped down beneath the shade of a black gum tree. Sonia remained alert, scanning the area, her heart beating hard.
I can take us to the road.
No. Gatita was adamant. It will take me less time and be easier.
She got to her feet just as they heard a twig snap. Then another. And another. Seven twigs snapped. Each sound came from somewhere around them, as if they were surrounded.
Heart pounding, despair hitting hard… Sonia thought each move out. She would have to shift fast, hands first, reach for the bag, unzip it, pull out her gun and be ready to fire before the males could do so. If the men didn’t shift as well and their leopards attacked, it would all be over fast.
14
Gatita took all decisions from Sonia’s hands. As the males came out of the swamp, ringing them, making it impossible to escape, the little female charged. She didn’t snarl or slap at the leaves with her paw to show displeasure. There was no ritual to give her away, she simply rushed her mate before Sonia could stop her, slapping at his face and slashing at his neck as she went past, intending to break through the circle.
Instantly two heavier males closed on her from either side, slamming her to the ground. One had her throat in his mouth while the other held her. Her heart beat wildly. Air sawed in and out of her heaving lungs. Her tail swished. Hot breath blasted in her face, making her narrow her eyes to slits.
Kai and Gray, Sonia identified, another sob bursting through her brain like a heated missile. I liked them. I really thought they liked me. Could she shift just one paw and get to her gun before either stopped her? She doubted it, but was she going to just lie there and hope they didn’t kill her? She could get off one shot. Maybe two. It had to be Kai and Gray, the two men she was closest with. She wanted it to be Joshua, but she wasn’t certain she could pull the trigger. She loved him, and that didn’t just go away because he was a liar.
“Don’t hurt her.”
She couldn’t see him because at the angle Kai had taken her down, he was blocking her view of Joshua. But that voice, filled with command, made her body jerk in protest. That was Joshua – the boss.
No, she couldn’t kill Joshua for herself. Not for self-preservation. But she could kill him to save Gatita. She used the leopard’s radars, taking in all the information coming from whiskers and hair to find Joshua’s exact location. While Gatita appeared to be refusing to submit, she practiced what she would do in smooth order, over and over again until she felt she could do it in her sleep.
Now, Gatita, submit. Relax.
Every ounce of fight went out of the female leopard at once, the tension draining from her, leaving her limp, staring up at Kai’s big male while he had his teeth around her throat. His big head had pushed the pack up, which meant Sonia would have to reach farther than she’d hoped, but the gun was loose and would be easy to grab.
She waited a heartbeat. All the leopards turned their attention – and their heads – toward Joshua for further instructions. Sonia took a breath and exploded into action, one leg and paw shifting. Her arm wrapped around the head of Kai’s male and zipped open the bag. She dropped her hand inside, and for one heart-stopping moment thought she’d lost the gun. Then it was in her fist. She thumbed the safety off as she drew it from the bag and shoved it into the side of Kai’s neck.