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was no way for him to escape that fact. And now, if he didn t act quickly, Carissa and
Ava would be dragged back into the savage world Willona had fought so hard to
escape.
Gage didn t know the identity of Team Leader s contact, but it didn t matter now.
Gage had no intention of sitting on his hands while the girls slipped farther from his
grasp. The raptor s defenses had been breached. The location was compromised. The
creatures had no choice but to relocate Carissa. But where would they take her?
Knowing their twenty-fifth birthday was approaching, Gage had been gathering
intel for months. He spread out the photos, considering each location. The Wildlife
Sanctuary was the most defensible setting, but it was also the least discreet. The raptor s
house had been his first choice and his instincts had been correct.
Irritation surged through his focus. This hadn t been the first time his instincts had
salvaged a floundering mission. Why wouldn t Team Leader acknowledge his value? If
Gage hadn t been two steps ahead of the other operatives, the jaguar would have
defiled Carissa. No one else was even close! Yet he was the one Team Leader chastised.
He was the one sent home.
With a deep, calming breath, he cleared his mind and stabilized his emotions. Team
Leader s incompetence would have to wait. The only thing that mattered now was
saving Carissa. The only reason he d followed Team Leader s order in the first place
was because sleep deprivation had affected his aim. His shot should have taken out the
raptor, even with their unexpected gyrations!
Well, four hours of sleep had steadied his hands and cleared his vision. His friend
had warned him that they appeared to be preparing to leave. Even the raptor was
deserting the nest. Now Gage needed to choose his next target.
80
Therian Prey
He picked up the picture of an unassuming cabin, nearly concealed in the trees.
This was the jaguar s home, and it would take several hours to drive there. He d
already spent seven hours attempting to sleep. He wasn t willing to squander any more
time. His instincts were telling him to go to that cabin, and he intended to listen.
* * * * *
Quinn s cabin was smaller than Ian s house, and even less coordinated. Ian s
vaguely Southwestern décor would never earn industry accolades, but at least the
furniture had matched. Carissa looked around Quinn s rustic living room, trying to
decide if it deserved a groan or a giggle. The deep-cushioned sofa was black while the
wood-framed chair and ottoman were burgundy. A wood-burning stove nestled in the
far corner of the room, adjacent to an ultramodern entertainment center. It was all
rather& eclectic.
I don t spend a lot of time here, he muttered as she continued to stare.
Rather than irritate him further, she asked, How is your security better than Ian s?
His house seemed more secluded.
Secluded doesn t always equate with security. He motioned her toward the loft
situated above the small kitchen. A curtain obscured her view, so she climbed the
ladder and pushed the material aside. His large, warm palm cupped her rear and gave
her a playful push. Keep going. He d moved up behind her, his breath teasing the
small of her back. I m losing interest in the tour.
His arm wrapped around her thighs and he started to pull her against him, so she
scrambled up into the loft. Two and a half hours on the road had given them plenty of
time for small talk and wistful smiles. They both liked classic rock and action flicks. He
didn t share her fascination with the paranormal, but she pointed out that paranormal
was passé for a Therian. The light, stress-free mood had been so welcome she hadn t
asked any of the questions lingering in the back of her mind. But her curiosity wouldn t
be denied any longer.
Quinn pulled out one of the chairs from the wraparound desk and offered it to her.
She sat back and watched as he activated the multi-screen computer system. It seemed
rather elaborate for a home office. The monitors flickered to life with images from
popular online games and she couldn t help but smile.
Is this how you spend your days?
No, but it makes a convincing cover for this. He entered several commands into
the keyboard and the computer shifted modes. The animated warriors and busty
fantasy heroines were replaced by real-time images of the cabin and a data access
screen.
Holy shit. She rolled closer to the desk. Why do you need this sort of security?
One monitor was divided into four smaller sections, each one displaying an interior
shot of the cabin. The other three monitors displayed external shots. Even the access
road, which was a deterrent in itself, was covered by surveillance cameras. He unlocked
81
Cyndi Friberg
a drawer on his right and withdrew several small black objects. They were about the
size of nine-volt batteries, and had no obvious controls. What are those?
Proximity transceivers. I need to give them to Landon and his men or they ll set off
the alarms. He put the transceivers in his pocket as she took it all in. It s easy to make
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