“Then they should have been honest and not gotten into one,” he answered instantly. “No matter how you twist this, Meiling, something isn’t right about this case. Hawkins wants us to find Laverne, but he’s got reasons other than what he’s giving us.” Gedeon was certain he was right, so certain he stated it as fact.
“Sadly, I believe you’re right. I don’t want you to be, because that could mean Laverne is in more trouble than she appears to be.” Meiling pushed the door open. “Let’s go figure out where she might have gone.”
“He’s going to have us followed,” Gedeon cautioned.
“He’ll try,” Meiling agreed. “I was certain he’d do that from the time we entered his office. He’s that kind of man.”
Gedeon’s smile was a little cruel. “I should have said he’d try to have us followed.”
***
MEILINGwas exhausted after spending the entire afternoon and most of the evening with Gedeon, working on uncovering a single thread to a trail to Laverne. It was very clear that she hadn’t suddenly gone off her medication andtaken off. She had planned for months to leave. No one could disappear without a trace the way she had without careful planning.
Laverne’s disappearance had required a good deal of money to be siphoned off without her husband knowing. She had a hefty bank account, but it was clear that it was monitored. She had taken small amounts of money out over time for monthly charities, hair, nail, and clothing allowances. It was all regular spending that never deviated, but when Meiling tried to match it with actual dollar amounts spent, it didn’t add up.
The bodyguard was a man with a good reputation. He didn’t seem like the type of man to run off with someone’s wife, yet he had also disappeared. He spent time with other bodyguards, specifically those around Blue’s Club. He had once taken an assignment guarding Bijou Breaux at Blue’s Club before she was married to Remy Boudreaux. That meant he knew quite a few of the shifters. Gedeon said he’d talk to them. That was a relief to Meiling, although she didn’t let on. She preferred to stay away from the male shifters as much as possible.
When she was finally able to go to her suite for the night, she locked her doors, ran a hot bath and stripped. She needed answers and had decided to ask Evangeline Amurov. Hopefully she would answer.
Meiling sank into the hot bathtub and sent her query to Evangeline.
Have several questions I can’t answer myself regarding first cycle leopard emergence. Will you help? Would have to be as confidential as possible.
She didn’t want to say Evangeline couldn’t share with Fyodor because Evangeline would feel she was doingsomething wrong. This way she would think she was merely helping out.
I’ll do my best.
Meiling wrote out a series of questions and sent them to Evangeline, hoping they wouldn’t point toward her. She tried to make it seem as if a client was asking and she had no answers as she didn’t have a leopard. She never stated those things, just implied them.
I’ve never heard of a female leopard and her human not staying with their mates. If her leopard chooses, she will only do so if her human is attracted and can love the male her leopard is with. That male must be able to love her.
Meiling thought about that as she soaked. Evangeline had never heard of a leopard and her human not staying with her mate.
What if they choose wrong? Could that happen? Would they leave then?
She snapped her fingers in the water, popping bubbles while she waited.
The male would be far more experienced and wouldn’t allow the female to choose wrong. At least he shouldn’t. I suppose there are terrible males. There were in Fyodor’s home lair. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen here, although there aren’t too many shifters, so it’s much more difficult to find mates.
Meiling tried to find a way to ask the next question without giving anything important away.
Is it possible for the leopards to be attracted without the humans being? Or the humans without the leopards being?
When a female goes into heat every male for miles is attracted. The men go insane as well. Believe me, he will be attracted.
Meiling chewed on the side of her lip.
Okay, this one is from me. How would a woman ever know if the male was genuinely attracted to her if he hadn’t known her or showed interest until her leopard came along?
The answer took longer.
That is a difficult question, especially under the circumstances you describe. If he is a stranger, or has never showed interest, he would have to find a way to prove to her that his interest in her as a woman and partner is for herself, not just for her leopard, and I suspect it wouldn’t be easy. At least, it wouldn’t be for me. No woman would want to be wanted just for her leopard.
Meiling snapped her fingers harder at the bubbles.
I took us off the questions. Sorry. What if the man is unfaithful? He wants to have multiple women in his life. Can the woman walk awayeven if her leopard still prefers to mate with his leopard?
They can’t possibly be true mates if he needs that in his life. Yes, she should walk away. It might not be easy because her leopard may think the leopard she’s with is her true mate, but he cannot possibly be.
