Final Cut Miami Voodoo You Love? (4 page)

“Barbs.”

She took a step away from him, looking up. She was a tiny thing, really; maybe five-foot-two to his six-three. In the fading light, he couldn’t quite make out the expression on her face, but her scent was unmistakable: sweat and sex and the sudden bite of fear.

“Barbs?” she whispered. “As in… Antonio… Siberians don’t have barbs; we have knots… but only when we breed.”

Siberian? She was a Siberian? Why couldn’t he sense her animal? A few missing facts rolled into place.

“Didn’t say what kind of Siberian I am, did I?” He grinned, knowing his fangs were slightly distended. “The barbs are to coax the female into heat, if she’s not already there. They don’t really hurt; it’s just a bit uncomfortable for the tigress. Most women find it incredibly exciting.”

“Tiger? A Siberian… tiger?” she squeaked. “I just fucked a… and you…” She took another step back, closer to the edge of the dock. She grew steadier, her voice was firmer. More decisive. The rough edge of fear was still there.

“Well, Antonio the Tiger. Tony!” Her laugh had a hysterical edge. Antonio stepped forward, reaching out, but she took another step away. “This was lovely. I’d love to do it again, or exchange cell numbers, but I don’t have one. So maybe I’ll just see you around.”

Before he could respond, she leaped, twisting in the air as she descended. It was a thing of sheer beauty. She hit her board, kicking off the dock and scooping up her paddle all in the same movement. She was skimming across the canal within a heartbeat.

“Coco!” He ran, not willing to go into the water, but unable to simply watch her fade into the darkness. Something tore inside his chest, and the cat made a sound of rage and horror. Antonio went down on his knees at the knowledge of what had just happened. His tiger had just mated a half-crazy Siberian husky. And true to her kind, she’d run. He fisted his hands, pounding them on the wooden planks of the dock.

He was so fucked. His poor, clueless little Siberian was in an even worse spot. Tigers were obsessive once they were mated. And they were monogamous. Coco didn’t know it, but she was stuck with him for the rest of their lives.

Chapter Five

As she approached her home, Coco dropped to her belly on the board, keeping the bundled shorts above the water. She angled the board and paddle and glided under the slight opening in the corrugated steel wall of the boat house. During high tide, the small entrance vanished, but as the tide was going out, she had plenty of space to scrape through without taking skin off her ass.

Inside, the darkness was broken by a small light on a wall, giving the cavernous space a green, watery appearance. She rose to her knees and headed toward the slip at the end, maneuvering the board between an elegant jet boat and the wooden dock. She scrambled up the wooden ladder and stored her board away.

Her makeshift home was a small equipment shed over by the wall. The owner of the shop had cleared it out for her, letting her squat in the boathouse as long as she worked it off by doing janitorial work and teaching the occasional kiteboarding class. She had everything she needed here. A small cooler for her drinks and snacks, a cot and bedding against the wall. There was a biohazard shower and a toilet inside the store. She could slip in any time after hours for bathing. She tossed her shorts and the file she’d pilfered on the bed and grabbed a towel, running in for a quick wash.

She needed to shower, to wash his scent and seed from her body, but Coco was reluctant to do so. The odd sound he’d made as she’d rushed away still tore at her gut; a glance back over her shoulder had revealed Antonio dropping to his knees in the dusk. With a sigh, she showered, toweled down and found a T-shirt to sleep in. Back in her little den, she grabbed a bottle of juice and a protein bar, and then flopped down onto her cot.

The file had been badly maimed during their little altercation, and now had a few water spots on it. But it was still readable. She scanned the info on the missing lawyer, then turned to the more interesting details about the jailed vampire. When she finished reading, she lay back on the cot, watching the shadows on the roof, and listening to the water lapping against the wooden docking beneath her. It had to be the loneliest sound in the world. After a few moments, tears slipped from her eyes.

“Don’t be stupid.” She wiped the tears away with the edge of the T-shirt. Like everything she owned, it had been salvaged from a lost and found pile somewhere. Nothing she possessed was her own, except maybe her name. Maybe.

Rolling onto her side, she thought about the vampire and the tiger and the Siberian who was looking for his sister. It hadn’t occurred to her that someone might be looking for
her
. She’d spent so much time wrangling with her addled brain it had never occurred to her that her family might worry. Her friends might be searching for her. Pulling the thin blanket over her body, she tucked her knees up tightly to her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, deliberately letting her mind go blank and her body numb. That was the only way she had of coping these days. The sound of water against wood and the light scent of tiger lulled her to sleep.

Chapter Six

“Hi honey, I’m home.”

Coco froze briefly at the whisper in her ear. She lunged from the cot… or she tried to. Something very large and heavy pinned her legs in place. Fear turned to blind panic and she struggled in the darkness, striking out, completely silent in her battle with the intruder. One hand connected with something hard, and the attacker cursed.

“Coco, knock it off! Be still!”

The command resonated through the small space, and against her instincts, Coco went still. Both of her wrists were wrapped in a powerful grip. Her mouth dropped open and she panted in fear. She heard fumbling, objects falling to the floor, and then her little lantern flickered to life. There, straddling her legs, was Antonio Silva. A streak of red marked his jaw where she’d connected. As soon as she saw the abrasion, her hand began to throb in pain.

“Ssshhh… you’re okay, kitten. I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was still low and rumbly, and her heart slowed while she was getting control of her lungs. The panic ebbed, to be replaced by anger. Still, fear outweighed the fury and she kept her mouth shut. It had been days since she’d taken the file, and she’d slowly been relaxing, wondering if she’d see the big tiger again.

Antonio looked around her shed, he face carefully blank. When he looked back at her, she thought maybe she saw a flicker of pity lurking in his expression. That was enough to ignite the anger. Fear melted to the back of her mind, and to her annoyance, a thread of excitement shot through her. Of course, he was probably just after her for his file. He’d fucked her. He was undoubtedly finished with Coco.

“What are you doing here? This is private property!” She tugged at her wrists but he didn’t budge. “How’d you get in? Cats don’t do water.”

“The front doorway. You know, most businesses have doors for customers to walk in if they don’t happen to have a paddle board.” His hands remained around her wrists, but his gaze roved her body, a light of hunger in his eyes. So pity wasn’t enough -- now he wanted her? She bucked, managing to do little other than simulate sex, which wasn’t the intention at all.

“Could you please… get
off
?”

For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her, and then he lifted slightly, giving her some breathing space.

“Please. I like hearing you beg.” His voice was a rumbled whisper, his accent was honey sweet. Instead of setting her free, he leaned forward, his face just inches from hers. Suddenly, she remembered just what he was and what he was capable of doing. She went very still, her eyes wide in fear.

“Don’t be afraid of me, Coco.” Easing back even further, he kept her legs pinned. He reached out, stroking her cheek gently. “What happened to you, baby?”

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. What
had
happened? She wasn’t completely certain. She frowned, vaguely remembering another life, one lived in comfortable surroundings and safety. She looked up into Antonio’s eyes, noting in the dim light they looked tawny and golden, reminding her of his feline origins. This time, she wasn’t quite so frightened of him. After all, he hadn’t hurt her.

But he could.

“You’re dangerous.”

He smiled gently. “I am dangerous, but not to you, Coco. Never to you.” He ran the tip of his finger over her lips. “Such odd eyes. So beautiful.”

She blinked in confusion. “Why are they beautiful?”

“One blue, one green.”

Beautiful? She’d taken to hiding, wearing contact lenses to mute and hide the color. Tears started and she blinked them away. She struggled to sit upright, and he lifted slightly, helping her to lean back against the wall. When he lowered himself again, he straddled her lower legs. Gracefully, Antonio scooped up the stolen file from the floor. He studied it for a moment, and then looked at her.

“Why did you take this?”

She shrugged. In truth, she couldn’t explain the impulse. But she should at least try to be honest. “I was curious. You’re looking for someone.”

“I am. Would you like to hear more about what I do?” When she nodded, he continued. “I’m a private investigator.”

“I thought you were a model.” She ducked her head, hiding a slight smile. She suspected that part of his past annoyed him. A huff of breath told her she’d scored a hit, however small.

“Once I was. Now I’m an investigator.”

She wondered if people took him seriously, with his high fashion clothing and pretty boy appearance. Most likely not. Just like they didn’t take a crazy street woman seriously. He shuffled the paper, doing his best to flatten out the creases.

“How long you been a PI?” She looked at him skeptically. He was way too expensively dressed for an investigator. He must be living off earnings from his past career. And she was right on the mark. His cheeks flushed slightly.

“I got my license about a year ago. My office is in Seattle.”

“Oookay.” She supposed there weren’t many paranormal private investigators wandering around. He was definitely in a niche market.

“A fellow came to me… a co-worker. His sister has gone missing. She’s a lawyer.” He tucked the papers back into the dog-eared file. “He can’t be here in Miami to search for her himself, so our employer agreed to foot the bill, as he has need of her services.” He sat back slightly, putting a slight amount of pressure on her legs, reminding Coco she was at his mercy. Instead of fear, a slight thrill ran through her. Now that she knew he’d give her space, she was beginning to enjoy this game.

“What’s all this to me?” She glanced away, pushing the heavy cords of hair from her face. She was hungry and had to pee. She also knew he wasn’t going to let her move until he was damned well ready.

“Most likely nothing. I was just hoping maybe you’d seen her around.” He reached into his jacket, pulling out a photograph. He studied it for a moment, and then looked at her face. “I was hoping you know our missing woman. She’s from Ft. Lauderdale. Her name’s Chloe O’Shea.”

For a moment, her ears rang and her stomach lurched. He turned the photo around so she could see the image of a pretty, professional woman. She smiled up at Coco from the paper, daring her to speak, to share her secret. Seconds passed as she studied the image. The woman had grey-blue eyes and dark red hair. Her skin was like ivory, an oddity in this climate. She probably got a weekly manicure and drove a red BMW with the top down as she cruised in to work from her condo near the ocean. She probably shifted into her Siberian form every Sunday evening, grounding herself for the days spent in meetings and depositions.

Coco sighed and leaned back to study the face of the man she’d just met. Not a man, a tiger; one who was completely and totally integrated with his human.

“I don’t know her.”

Disappointment flickered in his eyes and he slipped the photo back into his pocket. “Would you like to hear more?”

Would she? She glanced at the file, remembering the tantalizing hints of the vampire’s case. How’d she end up in jail? Vamps were notoriously talented at getting away with pretty much everything. She’d screwed up and had been charged with murder.

“Can I use the bathroom first?”

In answer, he rose a bit, freeing her legs. She scrambled off the cot, heading out the door as quickly as she could.

* * *

Antonio bit his lip. Was it wise to have let her go? No matter, he’d be able to track her, and in spite of herself, she’d let him catch her. She might not remember who she was, and her animal might be in hiding, but Coco was his and deep inside, she knew it. Tigers didn’t surrender their toys… or their lovers.

He gazed around at the dismal surroundings and his heart went tight. What had happened in her life to bring her to this place? He’d pretty much ruled out drugs or alcohol. Mental illness was a rarity among shapeshifters, though not an impossibility. His mate was damaged. Sadness washed over him as well as determination. Something had happened and whatever it was, he’d take care of it. He’d take care of her.

In truth, the little shed made him claustrophobic, and his tiger wasn’t comfortable being surrounded by water. Still, she’d come to the water for safety, and he needed to accept even if he didn’t understand. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to her movements in the main building. She started in his direction and then away, only to return. When she stepped from the building to the docks again, he smiled. Curiosity. She couldn’t resist the file. He wished it was him drawing her back.

Antonio sighed and lay on his back. He was a dominant, there was no doubt about that, but with his frightened little Siberian, he needed to take the more subtle route. He could manipulate Coco, but he needed to dial back the aggression. She’d taken the lead in their sex, and had shown no fear of Antonio until she’d learned of his tiger. He had hopes she’d come around quickly and under her own volition. He’d spent the past couple days back on the missing person’s case, patching together what he could learn of Jasper’s sister and the life she’d led before the disappearance. Against all odds, everything he’d learned had led Antonio right back here… to Coco, and to his impossible hunch.