Conspiracy (Sanctuary #3)

Chapter 1

Wildlife veterinarian Paradise Alden smiled at the two tiny lemurs as they nudged closer to their mother, Fiona. Paradise

backed away from the indoor nest to give the new family unit some privacy. “I think that’s the last one.” She tugged Blake’s

little half brother, Levi, away too.

Lemurs had a special place in her heart, especially these blue-eyed black lemurs. The females had burnt-orange fur, and only

the males had the distinctive black color. She didn’t know the gender of these two babies, but right now they were the same

color as their mama and blended into her chest fur. If either of them were male, their coats would turn black in about six

weeks.

She stripped off her gloves before lathering her arms under the sink to remove the musky lemur scent.

“Can I hold one?” Levi begged. The seven-year-old was obsessed with lemurs, and his mother, Jenna Anderson, principal owner

of The Sanctuary Wildlife Preserve, had allowed him to witness the birth of the pups.

Paradise couldn’t resist his dimples when he smiled like that. She dried her hands and went back to watch the new family with him. “They’re much too small and fragile. Right now they need milk. Being born is a hard job for them and their mama. Fiona needs to sleep, and it’s way past your bedtime.”

Levi yawned. “Mama said I could sleep in.”

The door to her treatment room opened behind her and Blake Lawson, the man she’d loved since she was fifteen, entered. His

lazy smile in her direction made her pulse race when his gaze dropped to her lips. The front of his thick dark brown hair

stood up in a plume that needed to be trimmed to lie flat. At twenty-nine he was at the peak of good shape.

Exhaustion tugged at her muscles, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up next to him on the sofa with her head on his

broad chest and his strong arm around her. That would have to wait for a while.

Blake scooped up Levi. “Let’s get you home, big guy.”

Paradise peered at the warmer temperature on the gauge. “I’ll be along shortly once I’m sure the little ones are happy and

toasty.”

Blake nodded and carried Levi out of the animal medical building while Paradise knelt beside the nest she’d created with straw

and old blankets for Fiona. The pups were nursing well, and the heat from the lamp was perfect. She set out fresh water and

food for the exhausted mama, then switched off the lights and locked the door behind her.

The June moon glimmered a silvery outline on the barns and buildings scattered around the animal refuge, and the familiar

scent of lion scat mingled with the aroma of freshly mown hay from the nearby field. The wind rustled in the leaves and in

the moss hanging from the oak trees along the path to the house. It was a perfect night, and the tension in her shoulders

eased.

Her phone sounded with “Brother” by NEEDTObrEATHE, and she smiled before answering it. “Hey, Drew.” She hadn’t known an older brother existed until a few weeks ago, and she still felt shy and uncertain around Andrew Bartley, the child her mother had given up for adoption when she was a teenager.

“You don’t sound sleepy.” Drew’s deep voice rumbled in her ear. “I was afraid I was waking you.”

Oyster shells crunched under her sandals as she headed for the house. “I just delivered two blue-eyed black lemurs. Well,

let me amend that. I stood by in case the mama needed me, but she was a pro and didn’t require my help.”

“You’ll have to show me when I get there. What’s a group of lemurs called?”

“A conspiracy.”

He went silent a moment. “Seems appropriate since we’re about to find out what happened to our parents. I plan to arrive on

Saturday if that’s okay. I’m going to drive down.”

“That’s wonderful! How long can you stay?”

“I took a month’s leave of absence. If I need more time, I can take it. It’s important to me to get to the bottom of who killed

our mom and your dad.”

“And yours,” she said. Drew had been last here a month ago, and she was ready to see him again.

The web of lies and murder ran deep and dark, but having Drew in on the investigation meant the world to Paradise. As an Atlanta

detective, he had resources beyond what she could imagine, but her joy went deeper than having help. She’d get to know him, to build a relationship with him. After growing up in foster care and having no one, she’d discovered a brother. It

was like finding buried treasure.

“I’ll text you my itinerary. See you Saturday.”

“See you,” she echoed.

A cloud covered the moon and plunged the yard into darkness. She walked on toward the house, then paused when something rustled in the tree line to her left. The wind? No, the wind didn’t sound like that.

The hair stood up on the back of her neck at the coughing noise that was almost like a well-running lawn mower.

It was the sound a leopard made when warning off an enemy.

She froze and studied the trees for the gleam of a big cat’s eyes. She’d helped Blake feed their leopards hours ago, and they

were secure in their enclosure. Her mouth went dry when the sound came again, and this time she caught the distinct glow of

two eyes.

The shoulder injury caused by a black panther throbbed with the memory, and she wanted to bolt. That would be the wrong move—it

would trigger the leopard to chase her and attack. She didn’t move except to cautiously call Blake on her phone.

He answered on the first ring and she didn’t wait for him to speak. “There’s a leopard in one of the trees beside the house.”

“That’s impossible.” His voice rose with alarm.

“I can see its eyes. It’s there, Blake.”

“I’ll grab a tranq gun and be right there. Don’t move.”

The moon came out from behind the clouds, and she spotted the leopard on a large branch ten feet from her. She flicked off

her phone and watched the leopard as it watched her. Her chest squeezed. This was how prey felt.

The leopard stood on the big limb as if it couldn’t decide whether to leap or rest. Its tail lashed back and forth, and she

caught the stench of its urine as it sprayed the area. And was that a collar around its neck? The cat couldn’t be one of theirs. The size told her it was a male.

Leopards were solitary hunters and took down their prey quickly due to their massive size and lightning-fast strikes.

Leopards suffocated their prey with a bite to the back of the neck.

Her hand crept to the back of her neck and stayed there in case the big cat pounced.

The slight movement made the cat crawl closer along the tree branch.

It bared its teeth at her, and its tail began to swish.

She wanted to run, but her legs were jelly, and she knew trying to flee would bring certain death.

Blake had better hurry. The back door opened, and she spotted him exiting onto the deck. She drew in a relieved gulp of air.

He wore night-vision goggles and carried a tranq rifle. She didn’t dare move her arm to point so she angled her gaze back

at the big cat, which had moved into pouncing position. Even if Blake shot it right now with the dart, it wouldn’t take the

cat down for several minutes.

Would she have time to reach the safety of the house before its teeth sank into her neck?

The rifle spat out a dart and she flinched. The leopard snarled when the point sank into its skin. It reached around and bit

at its flank before disappearing into the leaves. Instead of running, she moved slowly toward Blake while staying alert to

an impending attack. There was a thump as the big cat leaped from the tree and loped toward the tree line.

She’d barely reached Blake when her phone sounded with a text. Drew might not handle a big cat so well. His death will be on your hands.

Someone had sent this animal to attack on purpose? Who would want so badly to prevent Drew from helping her?

Blake studied the surrounding field through the night-vision goggles and didn’t spot the big cat. “You’re sure it wore a collar?” He caught the stench of big cat urine where it had marked its territory. A pile of scat soiled the path as well.

Paradise edged close enough for him to catch her plumeria scent. “Positive. The collar was white and the moon clearly glimmered

on it. And besides, this text message shows someone was behind the leopard’s appearance.” She held out her phone.

He read the text about Drew, and his senses, already on high alert, went into overdrive. “That leopard must be trained to

kill, babe. We have to find it.”

Would problems at the park ever stop? This one was clearly aimed at Paradise and not him, which was even more concerning than

the past incidents. No one had released a big cat from an enclosure this time—they’d brought their own. Whoever was behind

it knew about Paradise’s fear of big cats—and the reason for Drew’s planned visit. Blake fisted his hands. Whoever it was

would have to go through him to get to her.

She hugged herself and followed close behind him as he moved toward the brush. “You gave the cat a large dose? I saw the dart

go in.”

“It should be unconscious by now, but where is it?” The night goggles cast everything in a monochromatic green, and he slowly

turned his head to examine every bit of the landscape he could see. He spotted discarded pop tabs, a crumpled hamburger wrapper,

and a couple of hair ties but no big cat.

The sound of an engine and tires popping on gravel came from across the field by the road.

He turned that way and ran with Paradise on his heels.

They reached the road as red taillights faded into the night at the park exit.

He squatted to examine the marks in the red dirt.

The night goggles brought everything into sharp relief, and he pointed out flattened grass.

“It looks like something was dragged through here. The cat’s owner might have loaded it into a truck or vehicle here. ”

She moved under the security light and took out her phone. “We’d better call Jane.”

“Snap some pictures of the tire tracks and drag marks so you can send them to her. Make sure you tell her the cat had a collar.”