Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Despite being the one driving, Nadirah barely noticed the passing scenery on the ride back to her place.
Shock clung tight, although she’d at least managed to shed the panic when she thought Khalid might have died in the museum explosion.
She’d fired off a text to him immediately upon hearing the news and sighed in relief when he’d replied he’d made it out safely.
Khalid didn’t see what happened, but later texted to say it appeared as if someone started a fire in one of the storage rooms, which then ignited something that acted as a bomb.
The arsonists all escaped, and the police were calling it an act of terrorism, although she had to wonder what they achieved by destroying priceless artifacts.
Given the wind noise and her frazzled nerves, she and Phoenix didn’t discuss anything on the ride home. Only once she parked did she slump and sigh. “That was unexpected.”
“No shit.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Do you think the people who broke in were after you?”
“Doesn’t seem likely. I mean, no one knew we’d be there. Then again, seems like an awfully big coincidence.”
“I wonder why they started the fire in a storage room? Wouldn’t eco terrorists have gone for the more high-profile artifacts to make a point?
“I think the better question is, which storage room?”
“You think they were after the same thing as us?”
He shrugged. “Given what’s happened, it’s not that far-fetched. Maybe some new thugs were after me and thought we were still in the building when they set the blaze.”
“How would anyone even know we were there?”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible since one of the first things we did when we escaped the lab holding us prisoner was to remove the devices we’d been implanted with.”
Her eyes widened. “They chipped you like animals?”
His lips twisted. “Not just like. I am, after all, half tiger.”
“Could there be a second device?”
He shook his head. “We all went through multiple ultrasounds and even an MRI each to make sure, the latter not being easy in Canada, as those machines are booked solid. Good thing Takhi had a friend who managed to sneak us into a clinic.”
“It’s crazy to me that anyone would do that to people.”
“Those hunting me have deep pockets and see no problem protecting their investment.” A claim spoken with a grimace.
Nadirah couldn’t help but remember the hired thug from the zoo. “Could we have been followed?” She glanced around fearfully up and down her street with its many houses.
“It’s possible.” His less-than-reassuring reply.
“If we were followed, then what happened at the museum was meant to harm us.”
“I’ll be honest. That doesn’t seem likely.
To collect a bounty, they’d have to prove they killed me.
This feels more like targeted destruction.
Could be those responsible wanted to destroy something before it became public knowledge.
Good thing we got to see the tiger shifter stuff before it happened. ”
His remark led to her sliding a hand into her pocket and clasping the box she’d accidentally taken.
When Khalid had told them of the intruders, in her panic, she’d held on to the box as they fled and, by the time she realized she still had it, didn’t have time to return it. “This is all very frightening.”
“Only if we assume it was meant for us. I think your theory of eco terrorists is probably more accurate. Those crazy fuckers do all kinds of crazy things, like glue themselves to floors and throw soup on valuable paintings.”
Her lips pursed. “That’s never been a problem here before.” She grabbed the front doorknob, noticing the lack of lights, indicating Nenek hadn’t yet returned home. “Maybe a night’s sleep will make things clearer in the morning.”
She opened the door, but before she could enter, Phoenix bumped her to the side.
Bang.
A gun fired, and Nadirah blinked because the muzzle flash had come from inside her house, but of even more concern, by pushing her out of the way, the bullet meant for her hit Phoenix.
In the gloom, she saw him waver on his feet, and his pale shirt darkened as blood poured from the chest wound—but didn’t kill him.
To her disbelief—despite knowing what he’d claimed and the fact that she’d seen it before—Phoenix suddenly changed, the clothes she’d bought him splitting to accommodate the lanky shape of a tiger.
A tiger who pinned the surprised gunman to the floor and growled in his face.
Rather than deal with that craziness, Nadirah went in search of her grandmother, who thankfully appeared to not be home.
The relief of not finding a body led to Nadirah slumping onto a kitchen chair and texting, Are you still at your sister’s? She stared at her screen rather than deal with the snarling tiger and whimpering man mere paces from her.
Yes. You need me?
The tension in her body eased. No. Don’t come home. There’s a problem with the toilet. A plausible reason for her grandmother to stay elsewhere for the night.
Nadirah put her phone on the table and glanced at the man lying on the floor. Like the thug at the zoo, he appeared local.
Two fat furry paws on the intruder’s shoulders kept him pinned to the floor. Even without, he most likely wouldn’t have moved, given the tiger that stared and kept growling in his face.
Suddenly angry, Nadirah pushed up from her seat and stalked over to glare. “Who are you? Why are you in my house?”
“Tell your pet tiger to let me go,” barked the stranger.
“I don’t think so. Who sent you? How did you get inside?”
“Backdoor was unlocked.”
Doubtful, meaning he’d likely kicked in the panel. “Why did you break in?”
“None of your business. Let me go and I’ll leave.”
“I don’t think so. You made it my business when you broke in and tried to shoot me,” she reminded.
“By accident. You happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Hardly the wrong place, since this was her home. She crossed her arms and went for a more direct attempt at the truth. “You came looking for a tiger.”
“No, I came looking for a man. No one told me about the fucking cat.” The man swore in Malaysian, and while Phoenix might not understand, he caught the gist by the tone and bared his teeth.
“What man?”
“As if you don’t know.”
“Humor me.”
“I was supposed to kill the foreigner staying with you.”
“You’re a hitman?”
“More like a doer of odd jobs. I was promised five thousand US dollars if I killed the foreigner.”
Her heart stuttered. “Promised by who?”
“I don’t know. The message was posted anonymously on a black-market jobs board.”
“And it mentioned my house specifically?”
“No. Just that you might be the last person who saw him. No one mentioned you had a pet tiger.” The hired killer had the nerve to sound affronted, which led to Phoenix huffing hotly and the man squeaking. “Get the furball off me.”
“Not until you answer all my questions. How were you supposed to get paid?”
“Once I posted a picture of him dead, I would have gotten my reward via Venmo. Which reminds me, did I get him?”
“Get who?”
“The foreigner who came inside with you. I know I shot him. Is he dead?”
Had the deep gloom hidden Phoenix’s transformation? “You tell me. You’re the one claiming you hit someone.”
“No way I missed from that close, but I got blinded by the muzzle flash and then didn’t have time to check before your fucking cat pounced me. So, is he dead or not?”
Was he seriously asking? “You didn’t hit anyone.”
“Liar. He must be dead, or you’d be outside trying to bandage him up.”
“No, because there is no man, just me and my tiger,” she lied.
“Lying whore. You’re trying to steal my money.” He directed his angry words at Nadirah, and the tiger let out a warning sound.
“You said someone posted about me and a supposed foreigner. Who else saw it?”
“How would I know?”
A good point. Could be he was the one and only, or at this very moment, did someone watch and wait for their chance to attack?
Nadirah whirled and tried to think. If she’d been targeted as a connection to Phoenix, then neither she nor her grandmother were safe, a point proven when she heard footsteps crunching out front.
A glance at the tiger showed him still pinning the man to the floor, leaving Nadirah only seconds to grab a weapon. The rolling pin on the counter had some heft. She held it up, ready to swing as the door opened and revealed a familiar figure.
“Nenek! What are you doing here?”
“Why did you lie? The toilet is not broken.” Her grandmother took in the tiger pinning the intruder to the floor. “Who’s this? Did you catch a thief?”
“Killer, actually.” No point in hiding the truth.
“Filthy scum,” Nenek spat. “I shall call the police.”
“No, what you’re going to do is return to your sister’s while I handle this.”
“I am not leaving you alone.”
“Nenek…” Nadirah tried to keep the panic from her voice. “Our house isn’t safe right now. This killer was sent here on purpose.”
“But why? Why would anyone want to kill you?”
“Not me, a foreigner. Apparently, someone posted my name and claimed I might be harboring someone they want dead.”
“Oh.” Nenek’s expression cleared with understanding. “If I go, you’re coming with me!”
Technically, Nadirah could leave. Let Phoenix handle the intruder, after which he’d most likely disappear, leaving her to resume her life. A life with no job since someone murdered all her kitties. A life without a handsome tiger man. A life of boredom instead of excitement and mystery.
Her jaw went taut, but before she could formulate a reply, she heard a car stop out front. Nenek glanced at the open door. “Looks like we might be having more visitors.”
As in, more than one. Nadirah grabbed Nenek’s hand. “Out the back.” Said in English so Phoenix understood.
The tiger’s ears pricked, and he gave one last warning growl before moving from the intruder, herding them to the back door with a hint of urgency they didn’t need, as Nadirah wanted nothing more than to escape.
She and Nenek scurried into their garden.
Once there, they ran for the back fence, which led to a narrow dirt road, more of an alley between the homes.
The tiger emerged from the gate first and immediately snarled—with reason.
Two disreputable-looking males skulked. At the sight of them, one shouted, “That’s the tiger keeper. Get her. She’ll know where the foreigner is.”
At least they didn’t realize the tiger was who they sought. A tiger who saw a threat and roared.
“Shoot it!” screamed the fellow with the pockmarked face, who only held a knife.
His friend fumbled to pull the weapon tucked in his waistband but didn’t manage to get it out before Phoenix knocked into him. The man screamed despite Phoenix doing nothing more than growl, but it proved enough to send his partner in crime running.
It also drew attention.
Shouts from inside Nadirah’s house led to her exclaiming, “Run.”
They trotted up the rutted track that wound sinuously, hiding them from sight from those chasing. Unfortunately, they didn’t go far before Nenek huffed and puffed, pausing to bend over as she sought to recover from the exertion. “Leave me. I’m slowing you down.”
“No.” Nadirah would rather be shot than abandon the woman she adored more than anything in the world.
“I’ll be fine. This is Aini’s house.” Aini, who had an ex-police officer as a husband and likely had a weapon to defend.
“Go.” Nadirah shooed Nenek into the yard.
“What about you? Aren’t you coming?” Her grandmother looked wide-eyed with worry.
“I can’t. I’ll contact you once I find somewhere safe for our furry friend.” Although she’d yet to think of a place that might be secure.
“I love you. Be careful.”
“I will.” Nadirah watched for a moment as her grandmother crossed the yard, but a nudge by a nose had her glancing at the tiger, who eyed her then over his shoulder in a not-so-subtle hint.
A gang approached, five of them strung across the laneway.
“You can’t fight them all,” she murmured when Phoenix growled and dropped his haunches in an attack position.
Grr.
“They have guns.”
One of them shouted something and pointed his weapon just as she mentioned it, but it turned out he wasn’t the only one armed.
Aini’s husband came barreling out of his yard in a white tank top that strained over his belly, pointing a weapon of his own.
The distraction had Nadirah spinning and sprinting.
To her surprise, Phoenix kept pace alongside rather than join the fight.
Before they weaved around a bend, she glanced over her shoulder to see Aini’s husband joined by some of the neighbors who took umbrage at the bully gang threatening one of their own.
Nenek would be safe, and it appeared Nadirah would be, as well.
They reached an intersection, and she glanced left and right before sighing. “I don’t know where to go.” She’d run out without her phone and only had her wallet in her pocket.
A big furry head butted against her leg, and her fingers dropped to stroke the thick hair.
“We can’t go back to my house, as that gang might just wait for another opportunity.
” Not to mention, others might show up, looking to collect the prize.
She couldn’t bring trouble to anyone she knew.
In the end, she could only think of one place to go that no one might think to look.
She had enough cash in her wallet to take a taxi.
However, she doubted a driver would ignore the giant striped feline.
Instead, they walked, the trip more direct since they could take shortcuts, but it still took them more than an hour.
How strange they must look to anyone who happened to notice, a woman with a tiger pacing docilely by her side.
A cat who offered an incredulous look when they arrived at their destination.
The zoo.