Unforgiven by McKenna Lindsay

Author:McKenna, Lindsay [McKenna, Lindsay]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373617487
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2006-04-15T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Where the hell was El Espanto? Reno padded softly in the darkness, his jaguar vision making the night seem like dawn. Dressed in typical sniper garb, he carried his rifle and waited for his mind to churn up some answers. Five weeks ago he’d shot at a horseman galloping along this same trail. And every night since then, he’d hunted the slopes, trying to intercept him again. To no avail.

Stopping, he heard the snort of horses above him and to the left. They belonged to the two mine guards who rode nearby. He was well aware of their rounds, and discounted them.

Had he gravely wounded the ghostly rider? Was that why he hadn’t found him since then? With the cool night air damp with earthy odors of decaying leaves and fallen trees, Reno scanned the area. Normally, the sounds of crickets and frogs made the jungle seem alive. But not now. Why not? Hand tightening around his rifle, Reno began to inspect every patch of nearby real estate.

As he searched for signs of intrusion, he recalled that on four different occasions since he’d shot at El Espanto, a jaguar had raised hell with the guards. Cruz believed it was probably a rogue cat trying to move in and claim another jaguar’s territory. He’d said that a jaguar family owned the mountain and usually left humans alone.

Nothing. Damn. Reno’s fingers tightened briefly around the cool stock of his weapon. As he pivoted and perused the wall of jungle nearby, his mind moved to Calen—again. Always. How badly Reno ached to see her. Since their coffee together three weeks ago, she’d all but disappeared from his life. Reno imagined he’d scared her away by impulsively showing his birthmark. His mind understood the logic: she was rich and of another class. He was a criminal and poor. Even if she came from a poor family, Calen had ascended to the heady realms of the superaffluent. More than likely, she wanted nothing to do with the likes of him.

Reno couldn’t really blame her. But his heart ached and pined away for her anyway. His dreams of her were torrid in the dawn after a night of hunting for the ghost on the slopes of the mountain. In these dreams, Reno made long, slow, passionate love with Calen as he explored every inch of her lush, golden-skinned body. Shaking his head, he told himself he had to stop hoping for the impossible. As a sniper, he couldn’t afford to be lulled into complacency. To do so could mean his death. Reno didn’t fool himself; El Espanto had killed before, and if they met, he could die.

The sudden yelp of a guard above broke the silence. Whirling, Reno heard another scream. It was the second guard, coming over the radio Reno carried.

“Jaguar! There’s that jaguar again! Shit! Shoot him! Shoot him!”

Then Reno heard gunshots shatter the stillness—wildly fired shots. Digging the toes of his boots into the damp clay, he lunged up the slope, rifle ready in his right hand.

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