Leopard 02 - Wild Rain

nothing in his life. All for me. All in payment for my life. He would have been better off if they had killed me too. He would have been free. He could have broken away. He has skills like a chameleon. They never would have found him if he was alone.”
    “He must have been extraordinary, even as a teenager. I would like to meet him. It may be that we can work something out.”
    “But don’t you see why I don’t want you near him? He’s not my Elijah anymore. He’s turned into someone I don’t know. Someone dark and dangerous and twisted inside. I can’t say he’s evil. I know he was trying to get out from under the drug business and sell off the companies that weren’t legitimate.
    He promised me he would. Both of our names are on those companies. We own everything together.”
    “So if you die, everything goes to him.”
    Rachael nodded. “He wouldn’t kill me for the money, Rio, if that’s what you’re thinking. I know he wouldn’t. I don’t ever look at the books. I don’t even own a car. I don’t care about the money, and he knows I don’t.”
    “Is it possible Elijah is the one putting out the reward money to keep you alive and your uncle is the one who has hired assassins to kill you? That would make more sense. You had a fight with Elijah and he said some harsh things to you, but why would your uncle suddenly want to keep you alive? You aren’t worth anything to him if he can’t hold you over Elijah’s head.”
    She was silent for a long time, but he felt her relax a little. “I didn’t think of that. I couldn’t believe it when Elijah just shot Tony right in front of me. He was so angry. I’d never seen him like that before.
    He’s always in control, always very cool under fire.”
    “So he wasn’t acting in character?”
    “He feels dangerous now. He really does. I can’t describe it, but he never did to me before. We were so close, and then somehow he began to push me away. He didn’t want to talk about the business. He wouldn’t answer my questions about Armando. He insisted I stay home, indoors, away from the windows.”

    “Maybe he was afraid for your life.”
    She sighed and reached over to take the drink from the small table where she’d set it. The juice felt cool and refreshing on her sore throat. “We were always afraid for my life. We lived in fear, it was our everyday existence.”
    “You thought by telling me who you are, who your family is, that I’d not want to be with you?
    Rachael, how could you think that?” His hand cupped her face, his thumb sliding over her high cheekbone.
    “If I had tried to go to the police . . .” She trailed off.
    “Why didn’t you?”
    “Two reasons. Armando had police working for him and we didn’t know who they were, and of course, Elijah was heavily involved in the business. That’s how Armando thought to trap him. If he made Elijah dirty enough, he would never be able to get out and they would need one another.
    Armando was willing to kill his brother, but he genuinely wanted his brother’s son. It made no sense to me. I’ve never understood it. I would never betray Elijah for any reason.”
    “And you think I wouldn’t forgive you that? There’s nothing to forgive, Rachael.” Rio lifted his head from hers, drawing in his breath. “He knew. Your uncle knew about your mother being a shape-shifter, and he must have known about your brother.”
    “ I don’t know about my brother.”
    “You said they were close, Rachael. Antonio and Armando. If Antonio had discovered that his wife was a shifter and they moved the family from South America in order to protect them from the elders, then he may have confided in his brother. Why wouldn’t he? Antonio would have told his twin brother why he had to move his family to Florida so quickly, especially if he needed help fast and if he was leaving the running of the plantations to Armando or hired help.”
    “I suppose so. But I don’t know if my brother can shift shape. Why wouldn’t he tell me? We talked about mom and dad a lot. Wouldn’t that be a rather large piece of information to leave out?”
    “Not if he was protecting you. You say your uncle took him out all the time alone. They spent a great deal of time in the Everglades. What were they doing there?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t honestly know. I was a little child. I thought they were fishing or scuba diving or watching alligators. He never came back upset.”
    “If you were a kid and you could run