Read Online Wild Cat by Christine Feehan - Free Book Online

forefront, shifting back in a sea of pain as her ribs protested. She found herself on the bed, naked, the itch settling down as the leopard withdrew. It had wanted to run free, but it had immediately obeyed when she called it back.
    Siena pulled on her clothes as fast as she could with her ribs screaming at her. They hurt far more now than earlier and she knew shifting had somehow aggravated whatever damage Paolo had done. Quickly she moved the dresser and chair and hurried out of her room to the landing to lean down over the railing.
    Men moved in the house, guns drawn, as if searching. She recognized Alonzo as he raced up the stairs. His eyeswere moving around, searching every alcove before coming back to rest on her face. For the first time ever that she could remember, there was compassion in his gaze.
    Her knees sagged. She gripped the bannister for strength. “Nonno?” She hadn’t kissed him when she left the room. She hadn’t told him she loved him. She did love him. He was her only relative. The only person in her life that cared about her. He’d done terrible things, but she loved him.
    â€œSiena.” Alonzo said her name. And that told her everything.
    She started down the stairs. He caught her arm, bringing her to a halt. “He was executed, sweetheart, and it isn’t pretty.”
    She nodded, swallowed hard and inhaled the scent of gunpowder. It was on his clothes. All over him. She didn’t react, but moved away from him, down the stairs. She had to see for herself.
    Paolo met her at the doorway to the sitting room, reaching for her. She evaded his hand, but she caught the scent of gunpowder again. It was much stronger and she knew. Siena raised her eyes to the man who had murdered her grandfather. Maybe both had. Alonzo and Paolo.
    Paolo ignored her attempt to elude his grip. He caught her bicep in a strong grip and tugged her to him. “He’s dead, Siena,” he told her.
    She knew that already without looking. Death smelled. Her leopard recognized the unique scent. She smelled the blood as well. She nodded and looked away from Paolo to the chair where her grandfather always sat. He was slumped back, blood pouring down the back of his head into the fine material of his chair.
    â€œYou can’t touch him, we’ve called the police.”
    â€œI want to go to him.”
    â€œIt’s a crime scene, Siena,” he explained, as if she were a child. “You can’t touch him or anything around him.”
    â€œWhat happened?” She already knew what happened. “I heard you arguing.”
    He didn’t deny it. He nodded. “Yes. We argued.” His grip on her tightened. “Over you. What I did to you. It got heated. I was angry and I went to the kitchen to cool off. He wanted his nightcap, and Alonzo had come in to take over for me and he went to the bar to get it for Tonio. We heard the shot. Both of us ran, each from a different direction, to the sitting room.”
    He was lying. She heard the lie in his voice, but it was not only plausible, he was so good at telling the story that she would have believed him had she not been able to smell the lie. Smell the gunpowder. Smell the rage lingering in the room. Already sirens could be heard in the distance.
    â€œI heard more gunshots.”
    â€œWe saw a man disappearing through the connecting door, over there.” He indicated the door behind her grandfather. One had to have intimate knowledge of the house to know the door existed. It looked as if it was part of the wall.
    â€œA man?” she echoed.
    â€œWe were fairly certain Elijah Lospostos would retaliate, but this soon?” Paolo shook his head.
    She shook her head. Now he wanted to make her believe that she had sex with the man who murdered her grandfather. She couldn’t tolerate his touch one more moment. “I need to sit down, Paolo. I think I’m going to pass out.”
    He immediately led her to a chair