Jaguar Pride by Terry Spear Read Free Book Online Page A

Huntley.
    â€œHow was your mission?”
    â€œNot good. Can’t give you all the details here, but suffice it to say, two of the bad guys got away. Killed one, though. How about you?” Everett asked.
    â€œTook down five, but one got away. Police are holding the five men.”
    â€œBetter result than we had. How’s Melissa?”
    â€œShe’s good.”
    â€œBetter than working with me?” Everett teased.
    Huntley smiled. He liked working with his brother. They knew each other so well that he never had to second-guess Everett. Like many twins or triplets, they had that secret communication down pat. Melissa was an unknown commodity at times. He found working with her refreshing. More…complicated.
    â€œI have to admit she’s a damn good cook.”
    Everett laughed. “I figured between you and Genista, you’d both starve to death. I never before knew a woman who hadn’t ever used a microwave. Thought she’d burn down the house when she cooked with aluminum foil lining the glass pan, and fire and smoke started pouring out of the microwave that one time I went to your place for dinner. Your place smelled like smoke for weeks, not to mention the smoke alarm going off and nearly deafening us.”
    Huntley chuckled. “Yeah. I’d nearly forgotten about that. And then the baked potato burst all over the floor when she poked the fork into it to take it out of the microwave.”
    â€œHell, yeah.”
    Huntley smiled at the memory. “I think that was about the last time she cooked.”
    Smiling, Everett nodded. “So I take it you’re on break now?”
    â€œYeah, you?”
    â€œNah. Got another assignment. I’m off for the night. Tomorrow night I’m checking into a missing jaguar-shifter case. The man disappeared last year and no one could figure out what happened to him, so the case went cold. Martin wants me to look into it and see if I can get any new leads.”
    â€œGood. I don’t know what he has planned for me next. But I’m not going to worry about it.”
    â€œWhat about joining Genista in Panama?” Everett asked.
    Huntley snorted. “She called it quits with us. Walked out on me while I was gone.”
    Everett stared at him in disbelief.
    â€œYeah, believe it. I wasn’t sure there was anything there for us to build on, the way she’d been acting so distant the last few weeks, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. Though I thought our work might be interfering too much, and I hoped we could get on track.”
    â€œWell, crap on that. So sorry to hear it. But if it wasn’t meant to be, I’m glad you got out of it this early in the game. What about Melissa?”
    â€œMelissa? She’s got a guy. Remember?”
    â€œHa! The life insurance salesman? Are you kidding? So how’s that going for her?”
    Not good, Huntley didn’t think. But then what did he know? “How would I—”
    â€œSpeak of the devil.” Everett grinned, stood, and waved for someone to join them.

Chapter 4
    Huntley turned to see what “devil” his brother was referring to while a few more patrons walked into the club. Along with Melissa. No longer wearing khaki shorts and a cool shirt like she had for the jungle heat and humidity and the trip home, she was dressed to kill in a strapless dress, short on the leg, with high heels that would make great weapons and showed off her shapely tan legs, and she had a sweater slung over her arm. She glanced in Everett’s direction and smiled. Then she saw Huntley, and her smile broadened.
    That cheered him up a little.
    â€œMaybe the guy she’s with isn’t working out for her either,” Everett said to Huntley.
    â€œOr she’s meeting him here after a while.” He really didn’t believe it. Not the way Oliver had acted toward them when Huntley had dropped her off at their place. More likely, she was here to cool