Chapter 16
Paradise’s condo appeared to be in order when they dropped Drew off at the park, then headed for town. Blake scoped out the
fridge for anything that needed to be taken to his mom’s house until someone moved back in here and retrieved pepperoni and
several cheeses. Paradise was in her bedroom gathering a few more items of clothing.
He zipped the cooler and put it by the door before going in search of her. She sat on the edge of the bed with an open suitcase
at her feet. “You about ready?”
She stared at her phone and sighed. “Drew didn’t get any hits on the facial recognition.
“This is hard, Blake. We take one step forward and two steps back. I never seem to get anywhere with this investigation, and
now here I am sleeping in Levi’s bed instead of my own with everyone disrupted again. I want to stay here and find some sense
of normalcy.”
He knelt in front of her. “I’m sorry, babe.
But look at all the leads we’ve uncovered.
Staying together is safest, plus we can talk through the things we’re discovering.
I mean, finding those pictures of Drew’s siblings was a huge development.
With Drew’s connections he’ll find out the identity of his father in no time. ”
“Maybe. I’m just discouraged tonight.” She swept her hand around the room. “All my cozy things are here—my books, my soaps,
my candles—everything that feels like home.”
He could have told her to bring anything with her she wanted, but it wouldn’t be the same as having her own space, and he
knew it. He stood and held out his arms. “I’ll be your haven whenever you need a hug.”
Paradise managed a smile before she stood and stepped into his embrace. He could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat against
his chest as he held her and inhaled her plumeria scent. She’d been through so much, but she kept plugging along until circumstances
slapped her hard. Even though he knew she’d be her chipper self tomorrow, he ached for her pain and longed to go straight
home and slide that ring on her finger. They could start searching for a home together and making plans.
But the timing wasn’t right. If he hoped for her to have peace and closure, they had to stay focused. With new clues dropping
into their laps, he hoped closure was right around the corner.
She sighed and stepped back. “Let me grab another bottle of shampoo. What I have at your mom’s is almost gone.”
He watched her cross the room to the small attached bath. His phone dinged with a message, and he glanced at it. Hey, Blake, I found something at Creed’s this afternoon. “I heard from Mason.” Blake quickly tapped out a response. Can you send me the file?
Sure.
Paradise returned with the shampoo in her hand. “He found the leopard?”
“He didn’t say what he found. He’s sending the file.” His phone dinged with another message. “Let’s open it on your desktop.” He forwarded the file to her email, and they went to the office down the hall.
He flipped on the computer. “I’d feel a lot better if we found that leopard.”
She perched on the edge of the twin bed in the room and hugged herself. “I keep watching the trees and shadows. I’ll be glad
when I don’t have to do that any longer.”
The computer screen illuminated, and he settled on the chair in front of it and called up her email, found the file he’d forwarded,
and opened it. It took a minute to orient where the property was located. Greene lived out near Elberta, and Blake spied a
pond circled by trees. In the woods he glimpsed a metal roof. “Looks like a shed in the woods by the pond. It’s enclosed by
high fencing like we have at The Sanctuary.”
She stood and leaned over his shoulder to look at the video as the drone moved and the camera panned over the site. Her finger
touched the screen. Her breath whispered against his ear. “Blake, that’s a tranq rifle.”
He saw it then. “You’re right. And are those chunks of raw meat just inside the fencing?”
“I think so. It’s hard to tell for sure. He’s got a predator behind that fence though. I’m sure of it.”
“We can talk to Rod about it at the cookout tomorrow. Maybe I can get permission to go look when Rod knows you seem to be
the leopard’s target. That can’t be an accident. Creed has had his sights on you since you arrived.”
“I wonder what would happen if I talked to his wife. Maybe she’d rein him in.”
“Or it would infuriate him so much that you’d be in more danger. Let’s talk to Rod before we do anything else.”
She put her arms around his neck from behind and leaned against his back. He relished the feel of her against him and the
kiss she pressed against his cheek. They’d weather this and find their future.