“We’ll have to go back into the woods,” Lucien said loudly as they entered the compound.

“The woods where we think the leopard hides?” Ryenne asked at the same volume.

They ignored the guards lounging around, not even bothering to pretend not to listen to Ryenne and Lucien’s conversation.

“Yes.” Lucien stopped in the middle of the gravel yard, halfway between the gate and the door of the house. “Before he can come out again and kill someone else. We’ll go to where we know he hides and kill him first.”

“Leopards are one of the fiercest African mammals. We shouldn’t go alone. Maybe some of these men will accompany us.” Ryenne glanced around and made sure to make eye contact with a few of the men. “With weapons, of course.”

The men began to melt away, some into the guardhouse, one out the gate, some into the shadows surrounding this side of the house.

She hid her smile and cocked her head in preparation for Lucien’s response.

“No way, we’re professionals. We’ve been trained to take down shifters, and this is only one. We can handle this on our own.”

She paused, feeling the men’s attention on them, hoping they’d fall for the ruse. Since they didn’t know who the leopard shifter was, their only hope was to talk as much about their plan as possible and hope the men gossiped about it all over town. The plan was to use themselves as bait to lure the leopard away from the compound and the village, away from all the innocent lives. Together, they could take the rogue down.

“You’re right, Lucien.” She nodded for extra effect. “We’ll go after dinner, before it gets too late so we don’t risk missing the beast.”

They went into the house then, still hiding their smiles.

“I think they bought it,” Lucien said.

“Definitely.”

Steven glowered at them all through lunch.

“I brought the two of you all the way here and now I’ve lost my best friend. It’s my fault. The rogue has been targeting me all along, and now he went after Kyeri. It was a message to me that I shouldn’t have brought in outsiders. He’s punishing me further.”

Ryenne and Lucien shared a glance across the table. If their trap failed tonight, they’d need to delve into this issue of political or personal enemies. After lunch, she’d send Gavin a message about it. He was awesome at research.

“This isn’t your fault,” Lucien said to Muteti. “It’s the rogue’s fault. You were trying to do the right thing.”

Ryenne nodded. “We’ll find him and stop him. I promise you that.”

Lucien threw her a look with narrowed eyes and lowered eyebrows. Probably because it was a stupid idea to make promises to clients. But this was a case Ryenne would work until the end. Not only did she always finish her cases, but this village didn’t deserve a deranged shifter wreaking havoc merely because it was the home of a prominent businessman. And, the leopard wasn’t only targeting Steven anymore. He’d shown he knew who she was and even which window was hers. He might even be able to get to her.

The afternoon passed quickly. Ryenne and Lucien gathered the tools of their trade and pored over a map of the village. Ryenne realized how much more comfortable she’d become with him when she found herself admiring his dagger and trusted him with her own dagger.

“This is beautifully crafted,” she said. Her fingers hovered over the etched logo, one she didn’t recognize. “What’s the company?”

“It’s my uncle’s work, actually. He’s a blacksmith. It’s his contribution to the family business. He supplies our shifter hunter company with all its metal weaponry and has for as long as I can remember.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. Does he sell to the public, too? Would he make me one like this?”

Lucien shrugged in a typically French way. “I’m sure he would. How about the little Taser you keep in your pocket? Did you buy it online?”

“No, my mother made it for me.” She handed it to him.

“Your mother? Does she look anything like you?”

Ryenne frowned. “Yeah, so?”

“No, no, I meant no offense, but you are not a typical shifter hunter. You remind me of my friend’s younger sister, so sweet. In appearance only,” he rushed to add. “Obviously, you are tough like iron, but if I didn’t know the truth about you, I’d wonder if you were a model.”

“Hardly.” Despite herself, Ryenne was flattered. Men had paid her plenty of attention in the past, and she’d been told countless times she looked like the proverbial girl next door. Until she whipped out her dagger or sword. But Lucien’s words gave her a tingle in the gut. She’d like to show him just how tough she really was, and not at fighting shifters.

They dined alone. The houseboy, Jomo, told them, “Master Muteti was called away on urgent business. He wishes you luck tonight.” He bowed, and melted out of the room.

“Cute kid,” Ryenne said. “I hope Steven pays him well considering he must only be about ten or eleven years old and we’ve seen him here at all hours.” She pulled a vial out of her pocket and tipped the contents into her mouth. She didn’t want to forget in the excitement of tonight’s events.

Lucien raised his eyebrows at her.

“Vitamins,” she explained. She replaced the empty vial in her pants pocket and stared into space for a moment. “You know, Steven keeps going about his business. He never asks either of us to accompany him for protection.”

“Well, he has John, who is pretty formidable.”

Yeah, she wouldn’t want to run into John in the dark and without any of her weapons. “But it’s like he’s concerned in bursts, as he was earlier about his friend, but now he’s at work again.”

Lucien shrugged and swallowed a piece of steak. “Rich men have their own rules. You didn’t finish telling me about your mother. She makes stun guns? It’s an unusual profession, especially for a woman.”

Ryenne pushed a piece of sweet potato around the plate, unsure of how much to tell him. They’d only known each other for a day, and while she was attracted to him, it didn’t mean she was ready to spill her guts.

“She’s a chemical engineer, actually. Her work focused on plastics until my brother’s tragedy turned her attention to weaponry.” She nodded her head as if to say it was all he’d get and then focused on the plate of food in front of her.

“Right, your brother. I’m so sorry.” He reached his hand across the table and grasped hers. He was warm and electrical pings bounced all over Ryenne’s body.

Something about him, and about his gesture, opened a flood gate inside her. “My brother’s death was only the beginning. My dad tried to hunt down his killer and never came back after an encounter with a rogue pack of wolves. Mom grieved by throwing herself into her work and turning the work into something more immediately practical.” She shrugged. It was just her life. She was used to it.

Lucien pulled his hand away and kept silent for several long minutes. Ryenne ate some of her dinner. She was used to people being awkward after learning about her past. It didn’t matter.

Or so she tried to tell herself. Lucien’s reaction seemed colder than his attitude had been prior to hearing more of the details. For some reason, his detachment gutted her.

“So, you grieved by becoming a hunter yourself.”

“Kind of. I was only a kid but when I got to college, I found martial arts and became obsessed. I barely avoided failing out of school because I spent so much time at the dojo. But that kind of physical activity kept me sane when my world had been turned upside down.”

He nodded and went back to eating. Maybe he understood the losses too difficult to talk about.

They finished their meal in silence.