Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

44: in for a penny

Her eyes were vacant, the muscles in her face flexed in specific places that looked less genuine than her expression from moments ago. This one felt almost too fabricated—like a great drama actor in a bad children's play. Still, she didn't seem to be lying about Phillip, only about how much she cared if he died or not.

"Jackal?" Léon waited until she looked at him, then continued, "He was caught in a fire; there's no secret to curing that other than constant care and observation. Besides, my Amma—my mother—is a doctor here." Léon stepped to the side, putting himself between Jackal and Phillip. "She'll have him on his feet in no time. Then you can contact us."

She studied Léon. His eyes first, then his lips, neck, chest, and the hands he tried to keep steady at his sides. Jackal's stare was more than unnerving, it was withering. Something in his mind told him that she looked scarier than The Mayor himself, but those words didn't make sense in his brain.

"Look," she said in a soft tone—almost too soft. "I admire you, Legend. I really do. I know you're doing your job here, protecting your family and your friend's interests, and keeping a stranger, myself, at bay. And I know this is all about social etiquette. Maybe you'd receive me better had I been more careful. Maybe you'd be more welcoming had I not brought your husband's ex-fiancée."

Toni chuckled, but Jackal raised a hand, stopping him with a glare.

"It was an oversight on my part; I just didn't expect you to know him." She said it in a hard voice, looking at Rio. Then, she looked at Léon again. "But truth be told, I also didn't expect you all to be here. I needed to see Phillip's situation with my own eyes." Jackal fished for something in the internal pocket of her caramel blazer and offered Léon a business card. "You're wrong about Phillip. This is more than a burn." Her lips curled at the ends. "Cidade Santa's doctors, your mother included, can do nothing for him." She smirked. "Doctor Kali knows that too, that's why she agreed to let me see him."

Amma did what?

"All I ask in exchange is for your help studying his condition," Jackal completed. "You have a good life, Léon. You don't have enemies, you don't have to fight, you have your family close... there's absolutely nothing you need to worry about." Her smile widened, showing a wall of sharp teeth. "Why don't you lend me some of your time in the name of the greater good, huh?"

Exhausted, low, weak words echoed in his mind.

She's... already using you, little one. He is using you too. Don't let them.

This was... Léon frowned, and his eyes stung. Why did it feel like it's been such a long time since he last heard him?

What do you mean, Lampee?

He didn't answer.

Lampee?

Maybe unconsciously, Toni brought a thumb to the corner of his lips and flicked it aside as if cleaning it. "Your power is beyond impressive, Léon, just like Rafa's was. Together, you can help us do a lot of good. Don't let this opportunity pass you by."

A shiver crossed Léon's back. And after that, the rustling of plastipaper brought him back to the conversation.

"I'm not sure if I like where this is going." With a sigh, Rafa offered the flowers back. "Take this back, Jackal."

"What?" Jackal tensed. She raised a hand to stop Rafa. "No. Please keep them; it's a gift."

Rafa shook her head no. "It feels wrong to accept something so expensive when you're clearly trying to convince me to do a favor for you."