Leopard 02 - Wild Rain

tribesmen. They live in the forest and have a deep respect of nature and other species. Not all men do.”
    “So my stepfather moves us in the dead of night into the city and we immigrate to the United States.”
    She obviously didn’t realize how much that single sentence told him. Her stepfather had been afraid for his family, moving them at night to the States. “Where he has family and an estate in Florida on the edge of the Everglades. Where your mother can continue her nightly runs without fear of reprisals. I think he moved to protect your family.” He watched her closely, with sharp, piercing intelligence shining in his eyes.
    She averted her face, tossed off the towel and reached for a shirt. “Well, he didn’t do a very good job of protecting us. Or himself. His own family isn’t so very hot. Not in the rain forest and not in the States. They’re probably every bit as rigid or worse than your elders. You’re on the wrong track, Rio.”
    “Maybe. It’s possible. Didn’t his family accept you and your brother?”
    She shrugged casually—too casually. “At first they pretended they did.”
    “He came from money,” Rio guessed.
    “He had money. A lot of it. At least his family did.”
    “What family? Did he own the estate near the forest outright, or did it belong to his family?”
    “His brother owned it with him.” Her voice was without any inflection whatsoever, but he felt the distaste. Revulsion even. It was almost tangible in the room between them. “They shared all the homes, even the ones in the States.”
    Rio’s radar went off immediately. “So they are very wealthy. They really can afford the million-dollar reward. Rachael, has it occurred to you that the reward is only to be paid if you’re returned alive? The sniper wanted you dead. Could there be two factions at work here?”
    She swung her head around to look at him, some emotion flickering in the depths of her eyes. “I didn’t think of that.”
    “So it’s possible.”
    Rachael nodded reluctantly. “Yes. And both sides have a great deal of money. My brother and I inherited my stepfather’s share of the estates and his part of the businesses.”
    “How did your stepfather and your mother die?”
    “They were executed. The official police report said they were murdered.”

    “Then there were autopsies performed.”
    She shook her head. “The bodies disappeared out of the morgue. They were stolen. It was a big scandal. I was still young and it was a terrifying time.”
    “So where did you and your brother go after your parents died?”
    Her shoulders were rigid. “To our uncle, my stepfather’s brother. He shared the estates and businesses and took us in.”
    “So it’s your uncle who is either paying to keep you alive or wants you dead.”
    “He would never pay to keep me alive.” She struggled to keep bitterness from stealing into her voice.
    “Why are we talking about this, Rio? Just the thought of him makes my skin crawl. I left that place. I left those people. I don’t want them here in this house with us.”
    “Your brother is a part of you, Rachael. I can tell you love him. It’s in your voice when you talk about him. Sooner or later this has to be resolved.”
    “You obviously care about the elders in your village, but they banished you. I can love my brother and know I’m a liability to him and that it’s better for him if I’m not around. Better for both of us.”
    He tapped his finger on the wall. “Why? What have you done that makes him better off without you?”
    Her gaze was suddenly cool as it swept over him. “I don’t talk about my brother with anyone, Rio. It isn’t safe for you, for me or for him. If you can’t accept that . . .”
    “Don’t go getting all edgy on me again. I asked a perfectly reasonable question.”
    She watched the heat shimmer in his eyes. “I don’t think anyone with a temper like yours should ever call me edgy. I’m hungry, not edgy.”
    His eyebrow shot up. “Do you know how to cook?”
    She glared at him. “I’m a perfectly good cook. I’ve been polite not wanting to get in your way. I’ve noticed you have a tendency to be territorial.”
    Before he could reply, the radio crackled again. Rio spun around and rushed across the room to snatch it up. There was a moment of silence. “It’s a go. We’ve got a go.” There was more static and words Rachael couldn’t catch.
    “What are they saying?”
    “I’m listening to them talking to one