There was a note pinned to the pillow right beside her. Very gingerly, as if it might detonate, she held it up and read it several times. There was no denying Gedeon’smasculine scrawl. He’d left to track down their first real tip on the Hawkins case. They might actually have a lead on a trail to Laverne. He couldn’t miss the meet with the informer, but he would be back as soon as possible so they could talk. Take the aspirin on the nightstand. Drink all the water in the bottle. The glass containing what looked like brown goo would do wonders for her headache and lurching stomach. Drink it all. Trust him, the concoction worked. Sleep in. He’d hurry and they’d get back on track when he returned.
Meiling forced herself into a sitting position. Everything hurt—even her eyelashes. Clearly she wasn’t cut out to drink. “I’m sorry, Whisper. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. How do people do this? And why? It isn’t worth it.” She downed the two pills set out for her and drank a good portion of the water while she eyed the brown liquid in the glass suspiciously.
Next to the glass was her toy. The events of the night came flooding back, crowding into her brain whether she wanted to remember or not. Hot blood crept up her neck into her face. Shame filled her. She’dbeggedGedeon to fuck her. Pleaded with him. She’d done everything but assault him. For all she knew, she’d done that as well. Certainly she’d thrown herself at him.
Gedeon had been in a fierce state of arousal. He always wanted sex. He was ready to have sex with anyone—usually perfect strangers—just as long as they weren’t her. He had used her toy to get her off. He’d used his fingers and his mouth. He’d been excellent with his mouth. But he hadn’t used his cock. He hadn’t touched her with his body.
Her face and entire body burned with shame. Hastily, uncaring that her head was close to exploding at every movement, she made her way to the bathroom and stood under the shower. She knew this day would come. She’d prepared for it. She just had to act normal and not tip anyone off—meaning Rene.
Very carefully, she braided her hair and dressed for the day. The three-word text she’d dreaded to send went out to a woman who owed her a favor. There was no doubt in her mind: that woman would drop everything and be there for her.
She had cash stashed and she put it in a money belt that went around her waist along with a new identity. Her hands were steady as she looked around her apartment. She would have to leave everything behind. That was one of the hardest things to do. There were always little things one would get attached to. She’d never allowed herself to get attached to people before, other than Libby. Now there was Gedeon—and maybe Rene, if she was telling the truth.
Refusing to dwell on what she couldn’t change, she put on her shoes and texted Rene.
Am heading to Café Du Monde for my usual. Want anything?
Every morning she went out and got coffee, and she always asked him if he wanted anything. Sometimes he did, but most of the time he said no. She sent up a silent prayer he would say no. That would give her more time before anyone realized she was gone. She liked to drink her coffee on the bench by the river. There might be someone watching her. At times when Gedeon worried she wasn’t safe, he had someone keeping an eye out. If there was a guard, that would be okay, because he would report she was doing all the things she normally did.
No thanks. You all right this morning?
She sent him several emojis of an exploding head.
Never drinking again.
Meiling walked out of her beautiful suite. It had been the first real home she remembered ever having. She didn’t look back as she walked briskly along the sidewalk toward her favorite café. She didn’t want to chance running into Rene face-to-face. She didn’t want to try to say good-bye without appearing to do so. She might not be able to pull it off.
She couldn’t blame this disaster on Gedeon. He’d always been straight with her about what his needs were when it came to sex. What his preferences were. She’d been the one with the fantasies.
She distinctly remembered him scolding Slayer, telling him to wait for the female to rise before he could see if they were compatible. That had been her biggest fear. She’d known all along Gedeon would want to find a mate for Slayer and he’d look to her female. Meiling calmed Slayer. It stood to reason he would expect her female, if she was on her first life cycle, to be well matched to Slayer.
If Slayer claimed her female, Meiling would be put in an untenable position with Gedeon. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She had spent a lifetime being rejected. Gedeon had rejected her last night. She was tired of never being good enough. If she was ever going to be with a man, he had to look at her with absolute love, the way Fyodor Amurov looked at Evangeline. It was going to be all or nothing for her. She wasn’t going to be wanted because her leopard had a mate. Whisper could just do without. She’d take her far away from any shifters and they’d both just suffer until the heat cycle was over.
She walked the exact pace she always did, lifting a hand toward the regulars she saw every day on her journey to the café. Was this how Laverne felt when she knew she would have to disappear entirely? Sorrow weighing her down? What had caused Laverne to make such a permanent decision? One that would take away her career. Force her to leave her friends. Why would she do such a thing?
And Edge Wilson, the bodyguard. Why would he ruin his very distinguished career? Had the two fallen in love? There was no hint of impropriety. Not one. There were cameras everywhere. Paparazzi. And yet never once had there been the slightest suspicion that Laverne was cheating on Guy. That couldn’t be said the other way around. Guy Hawkins had a certain reputation with women. He never commented on it, but judging by the way his eyes had devoured her, she believed the rumor mill.
She was letting Laverne down, and she hated that, but Gedeon wouldn’t. He was a professional. He would see the case through. He didn’t care about the money, but he did care about the missing woman. If there had been foul play, he would find out. She was certain if Laverne was dead, her husband was behind her death.
The Café Du Monde was very full, and she stood in line to get her usual café au lait. Several times she glanced at her watch, and then she left the line to go to the women’s restroom. Once inside, she hurried to a stall and stripped, passing her clothes to the woman waiting in the stall beside the one she’d chosen. She dressed in the clothes given to her right down to the hiking boots. Next, she wound her braid tightly around the top of her head and secured it with a net. Pulling on a chestnut wig with a ponytail and bangs, she pushed dark sunglasses onto her nose. Her earrings were next. She handed over the gold hoops and took the little crystal studs. Phones were exchanged. She was given a hot coffee.
Meiling walked briskly out of the restroom, ponytail swinging, bouncing on her heels, small pack on her back and coffee in hand as she strode out of the café and started down the street along the French Market to where a little Mini Cooper was parked. Climbing inside, she drove away.
Meanwhile, the small woman looking like the perfect replica of Meiling stood in line to get her usual café au lait. Once she had it in hand, she strolled down to herfavorite spot by the river, put in her earbuds and sat back to relax.
Meiling used the Mini Cooper to get out of Louisiana. She stuck to the back roads as much as possible. Cities had traffic cameras. Gedeon had access to traffic cameras. He would look for her. His specialty was finding people. He would take her running as a challenge.
He knew her better than anyone else in the world did. She had gotten too comfortable with him and given too much of herself away. He knew most of the people who owed her favors. He was familiar with her network, the ones she could count on in a pinch to get her out of trouble fast. Any of them would give her up to Gedeon.
Etienne was the exception. He was hers and Gedeon knew it, so Etienne’s communication would be monitored. She drove all day, stopping only when necessary to get gas and then finding a station where she didn’t have to go inside. She filled the tank using the credit card with her new identity. She was using the name Vivienne LeClare, originally from Canada. Mainly she preferred hiking and camping to any other method of recreation. She was trying to hit most of the national parks across the country.
The Mini Cooper was stocked with camping gear and a very practical all-weather tent. She had several passes to the parks she wanted to visit. Her cover was solid. She just had to become Vivienne in her head until she believed she was. She couldn’t forget for a moment that Gedeon wasn’t the only one hunting her. He might be the one she feared the most, but only because he would tear out her heart. The others hunting her wanted her dead for no reason other than that she’d been born.
Linda Wu, the woman who had taken her place, had to do exactly as she told her and disappear as well. She had done a huge favor for Linda. Both had noticed Linda’s eerie resemblance to Meiling, and when Linda wanted to try to make payments, Meiling had suggested she be ready to dothis favor in case Meiling ever needed to disappear. They worked out the details meticulously.
Linda would sit on the bench for an hour, and then she would go to one of the tables and appear to puzzle out the work in the notebooks. Hopefully she could eke out another hour. She was to walk to the public transit. Along the way, she was to break down the phone, take out the card and destroy it, putting pieces in garbage cans, and then, when she reached the transit stop, get aboard. She was to get off at the next stop, where an Uber would be waiting to take her to the truck they had stashed. While aboard the public transit, she could get rid of the wig, change sunglasses, turn her reversible jacket inside out and take out the hoop earrings.
Once in the Uber, she would go near the location of where her truck was stashed, but without allowing the driver to see it. Once he was gone, she could use her truck to drive safely out of town, back to her farm.
