Tiger Born (15 page)

“You should—”

“Let me say it,” he begged.

She fell silent.

“I’ve always thought you were beautiful, and uh…I know you’re not with Heath now because you two live apart. I don’t understand all the mating stuff, but I thought…” He stepped closer, but she took one in retreat. His last words were said in a rush. “I want you to give me a chance because I really like you.”

Deja’s mouth fell open, and when she realized it, she snapped her teeth together so fast they clicked. “Wow, um, I guess… Jake, aren’t you afraid of shifters?”

His cheeks couldn’t get redder. “Yes, but not you. You’d never do like what he did to me last night.”

He couldn’t be more wrong. She knew if she’d found another woman kissing Heath, the bitch would be dead by now. “I’m really flattered, Jake, but I’m sorry. I don’t feel the same way. Heath and I might have our issues, but the truth is, I’m not over him yet. I don’t know if I ever will be.” She shrugged. “I don’t get the whole mating thing either, but I can’t deny he’s…he’s it for me. There can’t be another man.”

The truth of her words sank in, and it brought tears to her eyes.

“You’ll always be special because you’re my first and best friend in Siberia. I hope this won’t ruin it. Can you accept me just as a friend?”

He dropped his hands to his sides and turned toward the door. “I guess I’ll have to. Enjoy your breakfast.”

“Jake,” she called after him, but he yanked the front door open and disappeared through it. Deja sank down on the couch and dropped her face into her hands. Why couldn’t life be more simple?

Chapter Eleven

Deja dumped her breakfast into the trash and opted for toast, juice, and a boiled egg. When she was done eating, she showered and dressed. The thought of showing up to work crossed her mind, but she dismissed it and decided to visit Melanie at hers instead. Melanie worked at a small clothing shop not far from city hall. She’d just started a few days ago, and Deja was happy for her.

She stopped at a doughnut shop on the way to bring her friend a treat and hoped she wouldn’t miss Melanie since it was afternoon. She’d tried calling but didn’t get an answer. Maybe she had cell trouble. Deja would let her know just in case she missed Carter’s calls. Goodness knew how much attitude the men could get when their calls weren’t answered.
Please, like you don’t get the same way.
She grinned thinking about it and turned the corner onto the street where Melanie worked.

The shop, a tiny one with cute women’s clothes, seemed empty for midday when Deja stepped inside. Across the rack-crowded floor, she spotted Melanie behind the counter talking on the phone. Deja’s steps faltered at the scowl Melanie displayed when she looked up and saw Deja.

“Hey, girl, I haven’t seen you in a while.” Deja held up the bag of donuts. “I brought you a treat.”

“I’m really busy here. Have you come to shop?” was the clipped answer.

Deja glanced around. “Busy doing what? There’s not a customer in the place, and you were chitchatting on the phone with Carter just now.”

Melanie frowned. “I forgot nothing is secret from you all. You can hear for miles.”

“Exaggeration,” Deja snapped. “What’s with the attitude?” She threw the doughnuts on the counter and waited, head angled, for an answer that would satisfy.

“Any minute a customer could come in.”

“So?”

Melanie shifted from foot to foot. Her gaze kept darting in the direction of the door as if she didn’t want to be caught talking to Deja. Dawning realization began to hit her, and her throat tightened.

“You shouldn’t be here.” For the first time since Deja arrived, Melanie dropped the chilly tone. “Most of the humans are staying inside, even during the day, but if one comes by, I don’t want…I can’t be seen talking to you. I’m sorry.”

Deja blinked away the moisture starting in her eyes. “I thought we were good and that you weren’t like that, Melanie? You know I don’t care that you’re human.”

“The whole rest of Siberia does,” she quipped.

“You’re still seeing Carter.”

Tears spilled down Melanie’s face. “I think they view me as some kind of pet or a toy. How twisted is that?”

Deja flinched. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m really sorry. I guess I was wrong to think we could survive as friends despite the mess that’s been going on because we were real with each other.” For a long moment, they stared at each other, and Deja couldn’t think of anything else to say. She knew it was pointless, but she hoped Melanie would come around despite the obvious resolution in her stance. She felt like she had no one now that she and Jake had issues.

The door behind Deja opened, and they both turned to see who it was. A human woman strolled in, the same one Deja had seen in the grocery store that first day she met Melanie. The woman paused in the entrance, and the obvious turn up of her nose made Deja itch to go and give her something to turn it up for.

“I told you, this store is for humans,” Melanie snapped behind her. “Why don’t you go buy from the place down the street, which caters to your kind?”

Deja froze. The woman near the door nodded in satisfaction and started toward them. “Right. This is my place of business, and while my people aren’t treated right, you’re not welcome.”

“Excuse me?” Deja put her hands on her hips. “You forgot where you are, didn’t you? And maybe you forgot who I am. I can walk down to city hall and have a talk with Ward. Better yet, I can call him.”

The woman swept her arm in dismissal. “Of course. That’s what your kind do—bully us, hurt us, and leave us with no way to make a living.”

“Who left you with no way to make a living? You’re the fool who wants to cut off half your clientele. How many human women do you think you’re going to get to be able to pay your bills? The way I hear it, they’re all hiding in their houses.”

The woman straightened her back, eyes narrowed, and one side of her nose curled. “You heard Melanie. Get out, and don’t come back.”

Deja ignored the bitch and looked at her friend. “I want to know one thing. If you’re so unhappy, why don’t you just leave?”

Melanie paled so much, she appeared to be about to faint. Her voice never rose above a whisper. “Why don’t you ask your mate?”

Left to figure out what that meant on her own, Deja turned from the two women and headed for the door. Anger boiled inside, and she wanted to go back and yell at them. Despite everything, she felt sorry for Melanie and believed in her heart, Melanie didn’t hate Deja or any other shifter. Melanie seemed more scared and depressed than anything else. The owner of the store was a different matter. That woman would probably sell them all out given half a chance. As she headed down the street, Deja decided to talk to Heath about the situation, just as Melanie suggested.

Deja stopped by the post office and ran through the bit of mail that needed to be sorted. That day, nothing had to be delivered, and she came to a snap decision. She’d had enough. After writing up her letter of resignation—just to be anal, because, after all, who really gave a damn?—she left it in the slot for someone to take it to the city, to her boss. She’d inform Ward later because he would want to control who took over her position, so it wouldn’t be some random human from McAllen.

Next, she locked up and headed over to her landlord’s office. Since every place of importance lay in walking distance, she used the trip as her daily exercise and arrived at the tiny storefront within twenty minutes. Seeing one of the display windows boarded up, she frowned, sure it hadn’t been that way a couple days ago when she passed by.

She walked in, or tried to, but the door was locked. Through the glass, she spotted her landlord at his desk and rapped on the wooden panel. The harassed-looking man with receding hairline and wet patches under his arms stood up and came to unlock the door. Deja moved inside and was surprised the air conditioner was going with him sweating the way he was.

“Are you okay, Mr. Russo?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but the phone rang, and he rushed over to answer, dropping into his chair. Papers fell in every which direction as he shuffled through them and spoke into the phone. Deja glanced around. Hadn’t there been a secretary working here the last time she came? A shifter, she recalled. Where was she now?

“What can I do for you, Deja?” Mr. Russo asked when he hung up the phone. “Your rent isn’t due yet.”

She forced a smile and rung her hands. “Um, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I might be a little late this coming month, and I’m hoping you can give me a little extension. See I—”

“That’s fine.” His gaze slid away from hers and back down to the paperwork. She had the feeling he had no clue what the heck he was doing, and the tension in his posture said he’d been at it a while. “You can pay it whenever.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“Or never,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” She’d heard him but couldn’t believe her ears.

“Nothing.”

Deja glanced around again. “What happened to the window, and didn’t you used to have a secretary?” He didn’t answer but kept his head down. When the phone rang, she could have sworn the man looked relieved. She considered waiting until he got off the phone to question him some more, maybe even asking about a job but changed her mind. An idiot could figure out Mr. Russo had some stuff happen to him just like that couple from the night before. He had either fired his secretary, or she’d abandoned him. Deja wasn’t afraid to stand against the bullies who thought they could do whatever they wanted. Mr. Russo might be human, but he was a good, decent person. He didn’t deserve the mess people were dragging him into. Still, she had to think of the baby, and not until she found out more of what was going on would she decide to take a job working for a human. She thought about going back and tearing up her letter of resignation from the post office but decided she might die of boredom if she crossed the threshold one more time. Better was to go find Heath and drag some answers out of him.

At city hall, Deja ran into Joe and Carter arguing as usual. She leaned in the doorway watching and listening to the interchange with her arms folded under her breasts. “Y’all should take this act on the road.”

Both men looked up, neither surprised to see her. Joe smiled, and she noticed the bandage had been removed from his arm. Other than a slight red spot, she didn’t see a scar where Heath had attacked him. “Hi, Deja, how’s it going?”

“Hi, yourself,” she answered. “They back there?”

Both men’s expressions closed. She studied them. Something was definitely going on.

“No, not right now,” Joe answered. “Maybe around two if you come by then.”

“Where are they?” Deja walked farther into the room. “Scratch that. What’s going on in this town? Humans are being treated like dirt. They’re acting like we’re the devil. All of a sudden, you can’t even go where you want like some kind of revoking of equal rights thing, and I’mma tell you now, I’m not going for it. I think there’s more happening that I don’t know, and from the looks of you two, you know about it. Spill.”

Carter shrugged. “Sorry, Deja. You’ll have to talk to your mate.”

She ignored Carter and looked at Joe. “Joe, where are Heath and Ward, and where were they yesterday?”

Joe glanced at Carter and stood up. He came around his desk to walk over to her and took her arm. “Let me walk you out. Have I told you how great you look lately?”

She jerked her arm from his hold but continued to walk down the hall by his side. “Don’t blow smoke up my ass.”

He offered a tight smile and led her outside. As soon as the door shut behind them, he leaned against it and sighed. “Deja, we’ve got trouble.
Big
trouble.”

“Like what?”

He hesitated. “Like the government closing in on us. Spiderweb right now is just one of our worries.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? Let me guess, Ward said not to say anything?”

He nodded. “I respect you. I also think you have a lot of influence.”

“Please, you’d be wrong there.”

“You do,” he insisted. “Something’s coming. I can’t say what, but when it does, I think you’re going to be the voice of reason. Get Heath to talk to you. Put aside whatever your squabbles are with him.” She opened her mouth to correct him, but he rushed on. “I’m not belittling your problems. I promise I’m not, but this is bigger than just the two of you. Get him to open up. I know you can reason with him, and Ward will listen to Heath. You understand me?”

She nodded.

“That’s all I can say.” He patted her shoulder. “I wasn’t lying when I said you look good. Something’s different, a glow in your eyes. If Heath wasn’t in the way…”

“Oh, goodness, please not another man to confess to me.”

He cast her a curious glance but didn’t ask for details, and that’s what she liked about Joe. “I’ll tell him you’re looking for him,” he assured her, and she had to be satisfied with that.

* * * *

Deja stepped in front of the mirror on her closet door and checked out her body in the bathing suit. She couldn’t believe Heath had asked her out on another date, what with all that was happening in town. He didn’t admit anything, and she hadn’t yet grilled him on the details. She had saved that for when she met him face to face. He’d called not two hours after she’d stopped by city hall and asked her to go with him to the lake the next day. They would make a picnic of it and take their swimsuits to enjoy the water.

She took in the sight of her still slender limbs and her flat belly. Soon that would all change. Her breasts would grow heavier and her belly rounder. She wondered if Heath would still find her attractive. Something told her he would.

She turned from the mirror and selected a dress to wear over her swimsuit. Today, she chose a butter yellow sundress with halter top that tied behind her neck. The dress stopped midthigh, her preferred length, and the material was light enough that even if it got wet, the Texas sun would dry it quickly. With the outfit, she slipped on flat sandals and grabbed a towel from the hall closet. In the kitchen, she finished packing lunch and sat the basket on the couch near the door.