Chapter 3 #2
“Perhaps,’ she murmured. She glanced past the pavilion before softly saying, “The exit has a guard. I will need to distract him so that you might pass unnoticed, unless you want to climb over the fence.”
“How high is it?”
“High enough.”
“You exit like you normally would. I’ll find you on the other side.”
With a bob of her head, Nadirah sauntered off, her pert ass not something he should be noticing right now.
He took off at a jog, paralleling her while keeping out of sight.
He heard the murmur of her voice and that of a man’s as he reached the wall blocking his exit from the zoo.
It wasn’t any worse to climb than the one in the obstacle course during basic training.
In short order, he’d landed on the other side and easily shadowed Nadirah to her—
“You ride a scooter?” he exclaimed.
“It’s the most efficient way to get around.” She put on her helmet and straddled the moped. “Get on if you’re still coming with me.”
“You expect me to ride on the back?”
“Would you prefer to jog alongside?” was her pert riposte.
“This is emasculating,” he grumbled as he wedged himself behind her on the seat. He could practically feel his man card shredding. His manhood certainly shriveled.
“Maybe where you come from it is odd, but here, it is quite normal. Hold on so you don’t fall off,” she admonished.
He wrapped his arms around her just in time, as the moped took off in a lurch.
While he’d have preferred to be the one driving—with her wrapped anaconda-style around him—he didn’t actually hate the ride.
The fresh air on his face felt good, but, even better, the warmth of the woman he held on to.
He couldn’t help but smell her hair. Enjoy the feel of her lithe frame.
Lust… Again, not the right time, but in his defense, he’d not gotten laid in a while.
The trip took about half an hour, and while they passed other people out and about, with some eyeing them curiously, no one stopped them—or fired shots. Hopefully this meant they’d not been followed from the zoo.
It bothered him that he’d only just arrived and someone had tried to assassinate him. Recapture, he could have understood. But to kill… The general obviously wasn’t happy his projects got away. Or so he assumed. Then again, who else would want Phoenix dead?
The bungalow Nadirah parked in front of could have used some paint to freshen up the shabby exterior.
The garden surrounding it appeared to be flourishing, though.
Inside the house, a cozy living room awaited with bright-colored cushions on the couch and chair.
A knotted rug on the floor. More plants.
An older woman, her face wrinkled and her hair gray, stood at a counter. She turned upon hearing them and beamed and chattered something he didn’t understand.
Nadirah replied in kind before chuckling.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“My grandmother wants to know who stole your clothes.”
“Oh.” He glanced down at his bare chest and feet before sheepishly rolling his shoulders. “Guess since I came here to hear her stories, you might as well tell her the truth.”
Nadirah pinched her lips. “It’s going to sound crazy.”
“But you know it’s true.”
“I do,” she uttered on a sigh. She faced her grandmother and began gesturing. The more Nadirah spoke, the more the old lady’s eyes widened. By the time Nadirah finished, the grandmother eyed Phoenix up and down with curiosity. When Nadirah finished, the old woman muttered, “Harimau akuan.”
“What did she say?”
“She simply called you a tiger shifter.”
“Does she know where I can find them?”
“No find easy.” The grandmother spoke in broken English. “Hide. Jungle. Not safe.”
“Do you know where in the jungle?” he asked.
Grandmother shook her head. “You no find. They find you.”
Not exactly helpful. “What can you tell me about the harimau?” He used their term.
The old lady launched into a speech in her mother tongue, which had Nadirah tilting her head.
When her grandmother finished, she glanced at Phoenix.
“She says there are many legends. Some claim tiger shifters are sorcerers who change shape with magic. Others are born that way and control the beast through fasting.”
“I can assure you, I’m not a sorcerer, and I certainly wasn’t born this way. She mentioned they live in the jungle.”
“So the legends claim.”
He paused before saying, “I saw a video before my voyage that appeared to show a man shifting into a tiger after an accident.”
“I’m familiar with it. It caused quite a stir until the person who filmed it admitted it was a prank created with AI.”
He had his doubts about that. “There must be a way to find the guy.”
“They find you,” the grandmother stated, having listened to them.
Phoenix rubbed his face. “And if they can, so can my enemies, which means I should get going before they follow me here.”
“You’re leaving already?” Nadirah sounded surprised.
“I’ve put you in enough danger.”
“Where will you go?”
“Dunno. Probably make my way to the jungle.”
“One does not just walk into the jungle,” Nadirah admonished. “Not to mention, which one? We have many.”
“Guess I’ll have to look at a map and see which one looks most interesting. Don’t see what other choice I have.”
“You can’t leave. You have nothing, not even shoes,” she pointed out.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and someone will hurt me enough I’ll be back in paws.”
Her brow crinkled. “What does hurting have to do with shifting?”
“It’s the only way I know how to change. Part of the reason why I want to find others of my kind. I’d really like to find a way to not turn furry if I stub my toe too hard.” It took more than that, but got the point across.
“Bodily trauma triggers your transition to the tiger?”
“Yeah. Also works in reverse, although, most times, it’s the taste of blood that brings me back. The general called me defective because of it. I take it the legends don’t make mention of that.”
She turned to ask her grandmother, who shook her head.
“She says she doesn’t know the secrets of the harimau.”
“Thanks for trying to help, and sorry about the trouble I caused.” He headed for the door, only to hear her exclaim, “You can’t go half naked. You will draw too much attention.”
“Do you have clothes I could borrow?” he asked hopefully.
“None that would fit you, but I’m sure Nenek and I can gather some things tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to put you through any trouble.”
“My job is taking care of tigers, and technically, that includes you.” An impish smile emerged. “Just don’t expect me to give you an enema to help you expel waste.”
His nose wrinkled. “I think I’ll survive.”
“Since we can’t do anything tonight, I’ll get some bedding for you. The couch won’t fit your length, but we’ve got enough cushions to make you comfortable.”
He would have been fine curling up on the rug, but he didn’t argue against the pampering, which included food the grandmother insisted he have.
The hot shower felt amazing. The cotton shorts Nadirah loaned him, while pink, fit more comfortably than the smelly pants he’d taken off the asshole he’d killed.
When Phoenix bedded down on the floor in his nest, he didn’t think he’d be able to sleep. What if whoever hired the first killer sent more? How hard would the harimau be to find? What if he dragged these two nice women into danger? Could he actually find this tribe of shapeshifting tigers?
In the midst of his mind spinning, he fell asleep and woke first to the grandmother sneaking out with a basket over her arm, then to the soft tiptoe and scent of his hostess.
A woman who looked even more delicious in the morning.