“Wild pig. He took off running. That was a morning run I hadn’t thought we’d have to go on.” Howard climbed into bed.

  Val joined him. “Did you hear her pacing in the hall? I think she wanted Matt to let her out, but he didn’t know what she wanted.”

  “Good thing you did. I wouldn’t have figured it out either, probably.”

  “Katrina must have been asleep. I think Izzie was hoping one of us would figure it out.” Val snuggled against Howard, the ceiling fan whirling around, keeping them comfortably cool. “I could really learn to love you, you know?”

  “Good, then I’m doing something right.” He pulled her tighter into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

  “Lots of somethings right.” She could really get used to this on an everyday basis.

  * * *

  It didn’t seem like any time had passed when they heard Katrina and Matt moving around between the other bedroom and bathroom. Howard was happily wrapped around Val, thinking she was a dream of a she-cat.

  Val caressed Howard’s chest. “I guess it’s time to get up, have breakfast, and say goodbye to them. It’s going to be awfully quiet around here when they’re gone.”

  “Hell, not if I have anything to say about it.” He smiled down at her, and she laughed.

  “Promises you’d better keep.”

  “I sure will, unless we’re busy dealing with the bad guys.” Howard took a shower after Val did, but once the others left for the trip back to Houston, he had every intention of sharing showers with her.

  After he dressed, he left the bedroom to join the others in the living room. Jillian had texted him that breakfast was ready.

  “Jillian and Vaughn prepared breakfast for everyone, so we should head over there,” Howard said. Val looked like one sleepy, well-satisfied cat as she gravitated toward him as if they were a couple already, and they followed the Sorensons and Izzie out of the cabin. “Good night, right?” he asked Val.

  She chuckled. “I’m going to need a cat nap later.”

  “I’ll join you for one.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “That is if we’re not in a new mess as soon as we get back to the other mission.”

  “That’s the problem with a budding romance during a mission.”

  “I don’t see it as much of a deterrent. Fighting bad guys with a partner just deepens the relationship.” She smiled up at him.

  He smiled back. He imagined all the things they could do together—running, swimming, and climbing as jaguars, dinners in, and dinners out. Enjoying the sunset when it wasn’t raining. Even taking a group tour to be tourists for a change.

  They knocked on Jillian’s cabin door and announced themselves.

  Jillian unlocked the door. “Good morning, everyone.”

  “Morning, Jillian. Vaughn.” Howard and Val let everyone enter the cabin before they did.

  Howard asked, “Did the three of you get enough sleep?”

  “Yeah,” Matt said. “Except for the one time we all went outside, Izzie slept the rest of the night. At least we can all sleep on the plane and don’t have to worry about anyone shifting.”

  “What if I have to go to the bathroom and I shift on the plane?” Izzie asked, sounding worried.

  “Go whenever you have the urge before you shift,” Katrina said. “And we can have a litter box for you otherwise. No problems. We’ll do everything we can to make you feel comfortable.”

  “Litter box.” Izzie sounded disheartened.

  “Yeah, but you might not have to use it. If you do, don’t worry about it,” Katrina said. “Just embrace your wild cat side, and it’ll get better.”

  At least no one had to worry about Izzie taking off on them if she shifted, and they didn’t have to protect her from Benny or any of his pals. She would be perfectly safe.

  Howard thought she seemed glum. He didn’t blame her. She had to deal with all these changes, not to mention that she was going to have a baby. That could add to the emotional stress for anyone, but being a shifter and taking care of a shifting baby too? Even more stress!

  “Where’s Rowdy?” Val asked.

  “He ran over to check out of his cabin since he’s not going to be using it any longer,” Vaughn said.

  Howard called Rowdy’s number, but there was no answer. “No answer. I’ll go check it out.” Howard headed for the door.

  Vaughn and Val went with him. They saw Rowdy hurrying to join them from the direction of the lodge. “Sorry. I just wanted to take care of that since Vaughn and Jillian insist I stay with them.”

  “Okay, we were just worried about you, given the events of yesterday,” Vaughn said.

  Rowdy looked pleased that he was already one of the team—so to speak.

  * * *

  A half hour later, after escorting the team to the private airstrip and helping to load the drug money, drugs, and equipment onto the plane, the Sorensons wished them luck in eliminating all the rogue jaguars. The team, in turn, wished the Sorensons well on their trip home. So far, Izzie was still in her human form and looked to be in pretty good spirits. The team members watched as the plane took off, making sure there weren’t any problems before they headed for the next part of their mission.

  They were dressed and ready for a fight, determined to finish off the rest of the rogue jaguars. “Are we ready to go?” Val asked.

  “Yeah. Two cars, right?” Howard asked.

  “Two cars,” Vaughn agreed.

  Time to take out some more bad guys.

  Chapter 14

  Rowdy rode with Vaughn and Jillian in his rental car while Howard and Val led the way. They knew Belize, while the other three had never been there before.

  “Either Rowdy’s afraid of me, or he figures we’re courting and he’s giving us some space,” Howard said, hoping it was the latter reason.

  “He’s not afraid of you.”

  “Then he assumes we’re courting.” Howard was so ready to spend time alone with Val, realizing how much of a workaholic he normally was and how much Val had changed his feelings about that. He wanted to make time for her. For them. Uninterrupted time. Fun time.

  “My dad would have to approve.”

  Howard glanced at her, not sure if she was joking or not. “Are you serious? I wouldn’t think you’d let him decide something like that for you.”

  She let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s just say I have all the luck when it comes to dating the wrong guys.”

  “But you ought to know I’m right for you.” He was certain they were meant to be together. If she had any doubts, he wanted to get rid of them right away.

  “Yeah, see, as soon as I begin thinking that way, I find myself in trouble.”

  “Such as?” Howard asked, concerned. Here he thought everything was going fine between them.

  “If I bare my soul to you about past relationships, are you going to do the same with me?”

  He hesitated to answer.

  She laughed.

  “It’s not that I have anything to hide, but you’d probably find my dating life rather boring.” He’d dated a lot, but usually not more than a single date with each woman. He’d always thought that being such a workaholic was what worked against him. He’d be out on a date, get bored, and start thinking about his next case.

  “Okay, well, I’ll be the judge of that,” Val said. “I don’t date bad boys. Ever.”

  “That’s good to know. I don’t date bad girls either.”

  She laughed, sounding tickled by his response. “One of the guys I dated was way too much like my dad—overbearing and in charge of everything. Dates, what we did with our spare time. Just everything.”

  “Sounds like a cat I dated. Then there was the one who had set routines for everything in her life. She wouldn’t change them for anything. I like some routine in my life, but if something comes up that I want to do, the routine goes out the window.”

  “I do like a cup of coffee first thing before I start my day, but you know with the kind of work we’re in, every day can be so different.”

  “Yep. Which is the way I like it. No regular nine-to-five job.” Which could be a real problem with a relationship. His mate never knowing when he’d return home. Missed meals. Missed weeks. Like him being here for now.

  “Same with me with loving a varied schedule like this. Okay, so then there was this one guy I went out with who didn’t like me to beat him at anything. I thought maybe he just didn’t like to lose, no matter who he played with. Nope. He didn’t like it that I beat him.”

  “Because you’re a woman.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’m surprised he’d play any games with you.”

  “He kept trying to beat me. Table tennis was the worst. I know how to put a perfect spin on the ball so it flies across the net at a different angle every time, and he could never return it. Dad and I used to play all the time. I could never beat him, but it never stopped me from trying. The first time I won against the ex-boyfriend, he thought it was a fluke. After three more games, he practically slammed his paddle on the table in anger.”

  “Poor sport.”

  “What about you?”

  “At table tennis? I always win.” Howard smiled at her.

  She smiled back. “I mean when you lose. What kind of a sport are you?”

  “Good. I never lose.”

  Val laughed. “Next time we have a chance, I’m beating you.”

  Howard chuckled. That was part of why he really liked her. She had the drive and determination to do whatever she set her mind on doing. Just like he did. “What chance do you think I’ll have at convincing your dad that I’m good for you?” He’d like her father to approve of him, so he would do anything to help that along.

  “You’ve already blown it.”

  Howard paused, a little surprised. How the hell had he already screwed that up? “Oh?”

  “Yeah. You were supposed to be protecting me on the mission, but instead, you were trying to chase down Eric and the other man in the rain forest.”

  Howard wouldn’t have done anything differently. He’d had to discover the location of her parents in case he and Val could still save their lives. “Yeah, I chased after Eric and the other guy. To learn what had become of your parents. We didn’t know that the woman we had taken into custody knew they were across the street.”

  “Yeah, you know, afterward, I realized I should have called my boss to learn where they might be. Then again, if Eric had killed them, he could have already moved them somewhere else. As to my dad, he still would have preferred for you to stay with me to protect me. That was your duty.”

  “How do you feel about it?” That’s all that really mattered to Howard. He’d thought she would have been glad he had tried to learn what had happened to her parents.

  “You needed to go after the bad guys. That was a given. Dad might not see it that way, but I sure do.”

  Howard took a relieved breath. He hadn’t realized how important it was to him for Val to see him in a good light.

  “Okay, we’re nearly there. The first drug house is on the left, four houses down.”

  “White stucco house, four vehicles out front,” he said.

  Sounding concerned, Val asked, “Do you recognize any of them as being the ones out in front of Eric’s place?”

  Howard had a sickening feeling. “That blue pickup inside the carport. Isn’t that the truck Emmie drove off in to get out of here?”

  “Yeah, same license plate too.”

  Howard reached over the console and squeezed Val’s hand. “You couldn’t have done anything for her but tell her to leave.”

  “Right. But what if she went back to him? Either because he forced her to or he convinced her to return to him?”

  Howard couldn’t understand why some people did the things they did. “Or she wanted to return to him on her own. If she had any sense, she would have gotten far away from him, but people fall for criminals all the time, so we can’t discard that possibility.” He was past ready to complete this mission. “Ready for some action?”

  “Yeah. The others are right behind us. Let’s do this.”

  As soon as Howard and Val were out of the car, Vaughn and Jillian hopped out and headed their way.

  His blood pumping hard, Howard knocked at the door while everyone else took up positions that would afford them protection from the windows if anyone started shooting.

  No one answered the door, but there was a lot of movement inside.

  Howard smelled Benny’s and Eric’s scents. He also detected scents for the men he’d terminated and four more male jaguars. Damn it. And he smelled Emmie’s scent. Was this a rescue mission now? Or was she just as guilty as the rest of them?

  Val mouthed, Emmie.

  Howard nodded, though her scent didn’t mean she was here. She might have escaped the men and they had found Eric’s truck. Or she might not have gotten away and was no longer alive. He and Val would treat it as though she was alive and being held hostage. Just in case.

  Val indicated she was going around back. Vaughn went around the north side of the house with Rowdy while Jillian followed Val. Howard waited where he was until everyone was in place.

  Gun out, he tried the doorknob. The door opened, making him wary of an ambush. He shoved the door aside but jumped back to keep out of anyone’s line of sight. He suspected whoever was inside wouldn’t shoot. Not when neighbors might call the cops. At least once the police verified Howard and his team were here looking to take care of the bad guys, they would be fine, though they’d have to explain why Rowdy was with them. Thankfully, the jaguar branches provided a big donation to the Belizean government annually, and they believed the jaguar policing force was a special, secretive unit of the FBI. The jaguar agents had helped them round up human criminals involved in the trafficking or killing of the big cats or any other human criminal activity they ran across while in Belize. In this case, the shifters still couldn’t take these men into custody.

  Suddenly, there was a skirmish at the back of the house, and Howard moved inside quickly. A worn couch sat in the middle of the living room, three chairs on either side of it, with dingy curtains hanging from the windows. He moved toward the kitchen and saw dirty dishes stacked in the sink and beer cans littering the kitchen counters and coffee table in the living room. The place smelled of beer, dust, spoiling food, and jaguars. He couldn’t see how shifters could live in such squalor and not be bothered by the odor.

  He headed for the bedrooms, the doors closed to both of them, and came to the first one. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open, moving behind the wall in case someone took a potshot at him. Then he got a glimpse of the bed and saw Emmie tied to it. She was wild-eyed and gagged, her head twisting toward the closet, warning him someone was hiding in there. Howard moved quickly into the bedroom, careful not to make any noise, though he was sure whoever was hiding in there would hear him moving toward the door.

  Then he heard someone coming down the hall. Afraid he was going to have a fight on two fronts, he slammed his boot into the closet door, splintering it. A jaguar leaped out at him.

  That Howard hadn’t expected, thinking the guy would be armed with a gun instead. Before he could get a shot off, the jaguar pounced on him and knocked him to the floor. Having lost his gun, Howard grabbed the jaguar’s neck. He was trying to hold on to the jaguar so he couldn’t bite him with his deadly jaws. Furious with himself for not being better prepared, Howard struggled to keep the jaguar from killing him, but he couldn’t hold him off for long. Already, his biceps were straining with the effort.

  Rowdy suddenly ran into the room and fired a couple of shots at the jaguar. Hell, Rowdy!

  Howard knew the jaguar would devour Rowdy alive as soon as he released Howard, so Rowdy could forget about getting bitten and turned. The jaguar twisted around to pounce on Rowdy, who bolted out the door and slammed it shut in the jaguar’s face. Trying to get to Rowdy, the jaguar ran into the door with a thud.

  Freed from the jaguar, Howard stripped out of his clothes the fastest he’d ever done, intent on saving Rowdy’s life and his own. Howard gave Rowdy credit for coming to his rescue and shooting the jaguar while giving Howard the time needed to strip and shift. He just hoped no one would alert the police. What a fiasco that would be. He could see the headlines now: Jaguars and Wolves Fighting at Drug House in Belize!

  Howard shifted and tore into the jaguar with snarls and growls of his own—deadly, dangerous, determined to kill the jaguar quickly, his teeth sinking into the jaguar’s shoulder instead of his throat like he’d intended. The jaguar was wearing two nonfatal bullet holes, the areas bloodied. He lunged to tackle the new threat. The very real danger.

  Howard couldn’t kill the jaguar easily, not as big as he was. Or aggressive.

  He dug his fishhook claws into the sides of the cat to hold on as he tried to bite him in the head. The jaguar did likewise, his claws digging into Howard’s flesh, his teeth clashing with Howard’s.

  Howard’s teeth collided so hard with the other jaguar’s that he heard a crack as he broke off one of the cat’s teeth.

  Rowdy opened the bedroom door and was about to shoot the jaguar again. As the big cat turned to look at him, Howard slammed his paw against the jaguar’s head. The jaguar collapsed on the floor and expired on the spot. The rogue quickly resumed his human form, showing he wasn’t Benny or Eric.

  Leaving the room, Howard prowled through the house as a jaguar, determined to learn if the others needed his help. He was grateful Rowdy had come to his aid but worried about him too, both that he might alert the police by firing his weapon and by the real risk of him being torn to shreds.

  Rowdy hurried to free Emmie, but they still had to eliminate the rest of the bastards and make sure the place was safe for her. Howard shifted at the second bedroom door, threw it open, and shifted again, much preferring his jaguar form if he was going to run into another shifter wearing his jaguar coat. He couldn’t believe the other guy had blindsided him like that.