“Not as a jaguar. I didn’t recognize his scent.”

  “I’ll take pictures of him in his human form and show them to you.”

  “Fingerprints too?” Rowdy asked. “I’ve got a kit. His fingerprints might be in our human database.”

  “Okay, good idea.” Howard carried Val into his bedroom. After laying her in his bed, he covered her with a sheet and a light comforter.

  “You’re injured.” Tenderly, Val touched his arm where his shoulder had bite marks. He also had a few wicked cuts across his side and back.

  “Just a few scratches. With our fast healing, I’ll be perfectly fine in no time at all. Jillian and Rowdy are staying with you. I’ll be back shortly with pictures of the bastard.”

  “All right. Be careful. We thought Benny was the only one out here, but it looks like something more is going on.”

  “I’ll watch out.” Howard kissed Val on the cheek. “Get some rest.” He turned to see Jillian watching him from the doorway. He knew that look. He wasn’t leaving until she took care of his injuries. But he wanted to get rid of the dead guy right away.

  Jillian folded her arms. “Rowdy’s gone to get his fingerprint kit, and I’ll stitch you up before you leave.”

  “No time.”

  “It’s completely dark out yet. You’ll have plenty of time.” Jillian made Howard come with her. “You know, you are the worst of us when you’re injured.”

  Val chuckled. Howard wished Jillian hadn’t said that in front of her.

  As soon as Jillian had sewn Howard up in the living room, Rowdy came back with the fingerprint kit.

  “I’ll go with you and get his fingerprints. And then return to watch over the women,” Rowdy said.

  “Do you have a gun?”

  “Yeah, and Jillian said she has one too.”

  “She does. She can handle a big cat with one, probably not as a wolf though. It would still be better to take care of them as jaguars. I’ll finish dressing, and we’ll go over there,” Howard said.

  After Howard dressed, he and Rowdy headed through the trees to Val’s cabin, climbed the steps, and entered the cabin. Rowdy locked the door behind them.

  When they reached Val’s bedroom, Rowdy saw the man’s torn-up body and glanced at Howard as if he thought he had killed an unarmed, naked human.

  “He was a jaguar when he tore into me and Val. Remember?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “In death, we turn into our human form.”

  “Okay, gotcha. It just takes some getting used to. When I see a dead body, no weapon on him, well, it’s easy to assume he’s the victim. Especially the way he’s torn up. But then again, so were you and Val.” Then Rowdy frowned. “How are you going to take care of the body? Won’t you need my help?”

  Howard smiled. “As a jaguar, I can carry a lot of weight.”

  “Ah, yeah, right. I’ve done a lot of research about wolves, but I haven’t learned anything about jaguars.”

  “We’ll have to let you in on our secrets.”

  “Much appreciated.” Rowdy took the dead guy’s fingerprints and Howard’s cell phone. “What if Benny or some other jaguar attacks you while you’re trying to dispose of the body? Can you roar for help?”

  “In my jaguar chuffing way, but yeah, Val and Jillian will hear me.”

  “Something else I’d love to be able to do.”

  Howard smiled.

  Rowdy shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m aiding and abetting in the disposal of a dead body.”

  “A would-be murderer. And if Benny hired him to take Val out, he’s probably done this kind of thing before.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “All right. Be back soon.” Howard began removing his clothes.

  “I’ll get the door for you and clean everything up.” Rowdy looked a little unsettled that Howard was going to carry off a dead body with his jaguar teeth.

  If he was going to be a shifter, Rowdy would have to learn about their world and what they would do to keep it secret. Howard did appreciate that Rowdy was willing to help them out though.

  Howard shifted and grabbed hold of the dead guy’s arm. Even though jaguars had the strongest bite of all the big cats—beating out both lions and tigers—they could be gentle too, the female carrying a cub safely in her jaws. Howard didn’t intend to injure the guy any more than he already had.

  Rowdy watched Howard as he pulled the dead guy out of the cabin, then shut the door.

  Howard dragged the man over the same route he had traveled before when the guy had hauled Val to the river. Would the crocodiles still be around after Howard had killed one? He saw two on the bank across the river. They were opportunistic hunters. If he left a meal for them, they’d eat it.

  He dragged the dead man into the river and let the current pull the body away, then returned to shore. The crocodiles watched Howard, but their supper was getting away from them. They both left the riverbank and swam after the dead man. Good. Less of him for anyone to find that way.

  Howard glanced in the direction of Benny’s cabin. Rowdy was with Jillian, the two of them able to protect Val while she was recovering. Howard couldn’t miss the opportunity to prowl around Benny’s cabin. When he finally drew near, he saw Benny’s car was still there.

  As Howard moved even closer to the cabin, he listened for a sign of anyone but didn’t hear anything. No lights were on inside either.

  He climbed the stairs to the door, shifted, and tried the door. It was unlocked, so he opened the door and went inside. He heard snoring in one of the bedrooms and shifted, then walked on silent jaguar paws to the room, poking his head in. Only one body was in the bed—the woman. Howard quickly checked the rest of the rooms. Benny wasn’t there. That meant he was probably running around through the rain forest. Had he known Val was here and after him? Had he hired the other jaguar to take her out?

  If that was the case, the guy looked to be conspiring with other rogue jaguars. This wouldn’t be just about murdering his wife any longer.

  Chapter 7

  While Val was still lying in Howard’s bed recuperating, Rowdy showed her the photos Howard had taken of the dead man, but she didn’t know the man. “Did you send them to headquarters?” she asked Jillian.

  “Yeah. They’re running them through their database.”

  Val glanced at the clock. “How long has Howard been gone?”

  “An hour,” Rowdy said. “I’ll get back to watching things.” He returned to the living room.

  “Howard’s been gone too long. He shouldn’t be off by himself.” Val couldn’t shake loose her concern that Howard could get into real trouble on his own after what had happened to her. She had a better chance of helping him than a human or a wolf shifter would. But she had such a severe headache that she didn’t even know if she could shift without passing out. Still, she couldn’t let him risk his life when he had no backup.

  And she always felt better getting back on track with the mission after she’d been wounded, to prove she wouldn’t be beaten.

  “I agree, but I don’t think you’re in any shape to go running after him.” Jillian had just given Val medicine for the headache, while Rowdy was armed and watching out the windows. But he couldn’t see half as well as they could in the dark.

  Val couldn’t quit worrying about Howard. “I need to go. I can help him fight other jaguars. I need to be there for him.” She climbed out of bed, still naked, and shifted. A sharp pain shrieked through her skull. She quickly sat down on her rump to settle the dizziness.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Jillian placed her hand on Val’s head, her brow furrowed with concern.

  Val nodded.

  “You’re not experiencing double vision, are you?”

  Val shook her head. She stood and prowled toward the bedroom door. She wasn’t certain wolf shifters made good teammates to deal with rogue jaguars. They just weren’t as powerful.

  Jillian followed her out of the bedroom and hurried to unlock the front door and open it for her.

  “Whoa, she’s not going out on her own, is she?” Rowdy asked Jillian, eyeing Val.

  “Yeah, she’s worried about Howard. So am I. He’s taking too long. What if he had to deal with crocodiles again?” Jillian asked. “Or another jaguar?”

  Val agreed and wasn’t waiting for him to return. She ran out of the cabin and leaped to the ground. She followed the path Howard had taken to her cabin and then raced off through the rain forest along the path where Howard had dragged the dead man. She continued to run all the way to the river, but she didn’t see any sign of the man’s body or of Howard. She did see a crocodile sitting on the opposite riverbank. Unfortunately, Howard hadn’t left a scent. Had he followed Benny somewhere? Alone? He probably was at Benny’s cabin. She could bite Howard if he was, especially now that they suspected others might be involved.

  When she raced off to get closer to Benny’s cabin, a jaguar shot out of his doorway, and her heart gave a start. Howard. She let out her breath in relief. He turned to see her, then just stared at her for a moment as if he couldn’t believe she’d be out here after what had happened to her. Then he ran straight for her, and as soon as he reached her, he nuzzled her face and growled a little. Then he shifted. “Benny’s not here. His wallet was on the bedside table. The woman is inside asleep,” he whispered to Val. “He must be running in the rain forest.”

  She rubbed her body against Howard, which was a way of declaring he was her territory among cats, leaving her pheromones on him, just as he’d done with her. Then she shifted. “Let’s find him and take him out.”

  Howard ran his hands down Val’s arms in a caring caress. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Yes. If we can find him, we need to do this.”

  “All right. But we stick close together.”

  “Right.” Val shifted, and for the first time since she’d had her partner on a mission, she was glad to have someone—Howard—on her side.

  Together, they ran in a different direction this time, both smelling for any fresher scents indicating where Benny had run. Val began to feel apprehensive when they got close to Rowdy’s cabin. She smelled Benny’s scent around Rowdy’s place on the far side of the resort from their cabins and could tell he’d followed the detective there. His scent hadn’t been here before. He must have known Rowdy was onto him.

  They heard someone coming, and both Val and Howard slipped underneath the cabin resting on its stilts.

  “Hey,” Rowdy said, his voice hushed. “Howard? Val?”

  They moved out from under the cabin and joined him.

  “Your phone rang several times, and Jillian and I went to your cabin to check if it was your boss calling. Your mom called and said they were in trouble. She said if you could come and help, bring Howard and Jillian.”

  The three of them hurried to return to her cabin.

  Val’s heart was racing as she ran up her cabin steps, shifted, opened the door, and dashed inside.

  Howard went in with her, though his clothes were at his cabin. She knew he came with her to watch over her.

  “We’ll get ready to leave,” Rowdy said.

  “But who’s going to take Benny down?” Val asked from her bedroom as she hurried to dress. “We can’t all leave here. He’s still here somewhere.”

  “Did you see any sign of him?” Rowdy asked.

  “No. But his car is still here. And Howard said his wallet was on the bedside table. The girlfriend was sleeping in their bedroom.” Val finished dressing and tossed some spare clothes into her bag. She joined Howard and Rowdy in the living area, and they went outside with her. She locked up the cabin, then they hurried through the forest to Howard’s cabin. “Two of us need to stay here. And two of us can go. Or I’ll go and check on my parents. That would mean three of us against the bad guys, and three of you here.”

  Rowdy opened the door to Howard’s cabin, and Howard ran inside.

  “What are we doing? I’ve packed our bags in the event we’re leaving,” Jillian said.

  Howard disappeared into his bedroom.

  “I’m staying here,” Rowdy said. “After I learned Lucy’s husband had murdered her, I made a promise to myself that I’d take this bastard down.”

  Howard came out of his room, carrying his bag. “Jillian, we’re supposed to stay together.”

  “Sometimes we get separated when we’re doing a mission. Just like when I had to go after a shooter that I learned was a rogue jaguar shifter, and you and Vaughn went after the other jaguar. We each have our roles to play. I was going to go with you, but if Rowdy’s staying, he’ll need my help. If you and Val go to her parents’ aid, Rowdy and I can keep track of things here. I can smell if Benny’s around. Once you’ve aided Val’s parents, you can return and help us, if we haven’t taken care of matters already.”

  Howard opened his mouth to speak, but Jillian added, “Before you say anything about what Vaughn would say, I’ve already messaged him. He trusts us to do what’s right. I think he’s finally coming to grips with the fact that sometimes we have to go on separate missions, and he can’t constantly worry about me when he has a job to do too.”

  “All right, but don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Howard said. “If you run into Benny and he’s a jaguar, shoot him.”

  Jillian took a deep breath. “You and Val either. Rowdy and I might not have the claws and teeth the two of you do, but we’re packing. If we manage to take him out, we’ll move his body to the river and let the crocs handle the rest of him.”

  “You’re sure the two of you are going to be okay?” Howard figured this was the best option for them, but he still worried about them.

  “Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Jillian said, and Rowdy agreed.

  “Let me know if anything comes up,” Howard said.

  “Same with you,” Jillian said.

  Howard offered to drive Val’s rental car because of the way she was feeling, and she let him. Then they headed to where her parents were. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Yeah. I’m worried about them. They should have retired last year. They nearly died after three male jaguar shifters about our age attacked them on a case. Sure, they have the training, but they’re not as fast as they used to be. And yes, anyone could have been in as much danger if they’d been outnumbered like that. But early in their career, they wouldn’t have gotten themselves into that bind in the first place,” Val said, directing him to her parents’ location.

  “Are you sure? Anyone, no matter their age or training, can get themselves into trouble. Hell, even I did a few times.”

  “A few times?”

  Howard smiled. “I was a hothead and thought I could do anything, that I was invincible. I have a dad who believes if you are going to be great at anything, you have to take chances, no matter how difficult or insane the task. I took his words to heart. And I’ve made some god-awful mistakes, nearly getting myself killed any number of times. Hell, that was before I was even twenty.”

  She chuckled. “But you lived.”

  “Yeah. It wasn’t easy at times. I appreciated my dad’s comment though. I might never have had the courage to do what I’ve done if it hadn’t been for him.”

  “What did he do for a living?”

  “He’s a Guardian. So is my mother. When he told me I had to take chances, he thought I would join the Guardian force like them. It was too tame for me. I wanted to prove to my dad I could do just what he said I could do.”

  She laughed. “I bet you gave him early gray hairs.”

  “I did. He’s told me that every year since I joined the Enforcers. He and Mom weren’t sure about me transferring to the USF. He thought it could be as dangerous as the Enforcers’ jobs. And it can be.”

  “Same with the Guardians, if they tangle with the wrong people.” Val was texting on her phone.

  “Which was what Dad was referring to when he said I had to take chances if I was going to be great at my job. He and Mom both have had some death-defying challenges while trying to protect shifters or jaguars from the rogues.” He glanced at her. “Are you trying to reach them?”

  “Yeah, first my mom, then Dad, but neither are texting back.”

  “Were they glad that you joined the same force as them? My parents wished I had joined the Guardians. They never thought I’d want to be an Enforcer.”

  “No, actually, they wanted me to be a Guardian. It was all right for them to be Enforcers, but they didn’t want to worry about me. They met in the Enforcer branch, and they’ve always had each other to work with. They haven’t liked that I’ve been working alone.”

  “Which is why they contacted my boss to see if I’d watch your back.”

  “Yeah. I can’t believe they did that. Or that Martin Sullivan and my boss approved it. I have to admit you saved me back there. Thanks for that. Jillian said you had to fight off a crocodile to stop him from making me his supper.”

  “True. There were actually two of them, but I convinced the other one to get lost so I didn’t have to kill him too.”

  “Why in the world were you in Benny’s cabin alone, with no backup? I was ready to bite you for it.”

  He smiled at her. He suspected she was serious. “I was angry he might have hired someone to take you out. But he wasn’t there.”

  “What about the woman? What if she’d seen you?”

  “The guy is dangerous to you, me, and most likely the new girlfriend. If he’d been there, I was going to…convince him to leave with me so we could have a talk. Privately.”

  “So that’s part of your living-dangerously creed.”

  “The other man could have easily killed you. I wanted the truth out of Benny. Had he been involved in the attempt on your life? I’d say yes.” Howard let out his breath. “When did you leave your cabin? You should have texted me you were coming.”