Leopard 02 - Wild Rain

decided.

    A leopard moaned quite close. She recognized the haunting call of the clouded leopard, Fritz warning her. Somehow the small leopard’s acceptance gave her hope. Rachael shoved a knife, sheathed in leather, into the waistband of her jeans. She picked up the smaller of the two handguns.
    Delgrotto reached out and drew her into the center of the room, away from the windows. “Don’t move.”
    She heard the soft thud of something heavy landing on the verandah. Something walked around the house, fur whispering along the railing, brushing against the creeper vines and sliding over the window.
    Shadows moved, dark enough to make her heart leap into her throat.
    They waited. Rachael did what she always did when the tension was too much. She counted. It was a mindless, silly habit, but it worked to keep her brain calm, allowing her to think clearly. There was silence again. The wind sighed through the canopy and the rain poured down steadily. The tip of a knife appeared along the inside edge of the door beneath the bar. It slowly began to rise.
    Rachael moved to the side of the door. “Here’s the thing about night visitors.” She spoke very matter-of-factly. “If they don’t have manners, we figure they aren’t worth keeping around so we just shoot them. Take your knife out of my door and knock like a normal person or I’m going to empty this gun into the wall.”
    There was a brief hesitation and the knife disappeared. Another moment of silence and the knock came on the door.
    Rachael signaled to the elder to take a gun and move into the shadow of the bedroom out of sight.
    Only when he had merged into the gray did she reach out and lift the bar. “Only one person better step through that door and you’d better step through with your hands raised.” She moved again, so they wouldn’t be able to get a fix on her voice if they came in shooting.
    The door swung open slowly. “I’m not armed, Rachael.”
    For a moment she couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded like a runaway drum and her mouth went dry. She stood there, fighting for air, uncertain what she would do. Rachael cleared her throat and forced the words out. “Come in, shut the door, and bar it. I want to see your hands every second.”
    “Damn it, Rachael. You know who I am.” The door was slammed just that bit too hard. Elijah dropped the bar in place and swung his head to glare at her. Tall, muscular, broad-shouldered, his black hair fell in the same riot of waves as hers did. “What the hell were you thinking, taking off like that?”
    “Why are you here?” She didn’t lower the gun an inch.
    “Put the damn thing down before you shoot yourself. You wouldn’t shoot me, not in a million years, so quit pretending you’re tough.” He took a step toward her.
    “She might not shoot you, but I have a very clear shot and I won’t hesitate,” Delgrotto said in a low, disembodied tone.

    Rachael watched her brother stiffen, watched the shock spread over his face. He’d always been so careful, paid attention to every detail. “Rachael, tell him who I am.”
    “Elijah Lospostos. My brother. You have a lot of explaining to do Elijah.” She was looking at his bare feet, jeans, and unbuttoned shirt. “You shifted into the form of a leopard, didn’t you? How long have you been able to do that?”
    He shrugged. “I’ve been traveling fast, Rachael. It wasn’t easy picking up your scent, not until I found it in the leopard form. I had a hell of a time getting away from camp with that guide always watching my every move. I could use something to drink, and I wouldn’t mind sitting down. And put the guns down. What kind of welcome is this? I traveled a thousand miles to save your butt.”
    “No one asked you to, Elijah,” she said softly. “I never asked to be saved.” She blinked back tears.
    “Do you know a man named Duncan Powell?”
    Her brother went ramrod stiff. “Has he been here? He’s a killer, Rachael, and he’s one of us. He’ll be able to track you anywhere. Duncan is one of Armando’s hired guns. If he’s here . . .”
    “He’s dead,” she interrupted. “He left a cobra in my bedroom and then followed me here.” She lifted her chin and glared at him. “Why did you come?”
    Elijah pulled out a chair from the table and sank into it. “I told you why. Why do I always come after you? You can’t go running around unprotected, Rachael. If Armando gets his hands on you . . .”
    “He’ll