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 withhim. “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 toknowhim, 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.
