The moment one hopped in a car and drove it out, Timur raced after him. In the dark with the entire house on fire, no one paid attention. He drove straight through the gates without slowing down. Once down the road, he parked the car, pulled the woman out, set her a distance away from the car and the estate and walked away.

Their driver picked them up three blocks away. Sirens wailed. Police and fire trucks raced past them. Alonzo ignored the chaos and leaned toward Timur. “I’ve got this bad feeling, Timur. Right before I attacked, Amodeo smirked. I keep thinking about that expression.”

“Smirked?” Timur repeated, frowning. He exchanged a long look with Gorya.

“You certain that’s what you saw?” Gorya asked. “A smirk?”

Alonzo nodded. The knots in his gut tightened. Something was wrong. “There’s only one reason that son of a bitch would smirk.”

“Evangeline.”

Timur and Gorya said her name simultaneously, confirming what Alonzo was desperately trying to deny. Timur reached for the phone, yanking it free of his pack. Alonzo reached for it, snapped it open in one quick jerk and punched in the number for Sevastyan. It rang and rang. Went to voice mail.

“Step on it, Borya,” he commanded the driver.

“We don’t know anything is wrong,” Timur tempered, the voice of reason, although it was strained. “We don’t want to call attention to ourselves. Not with three men missing and Amodeo attacked. Even if the car is caught on cameras, we won’t be seen inside of it. Borya is going to dump the car at the wrecking yard once we’re home. It will be crushed. There won’t be any trace of us anywhere—unless we get stopped by a traffic cop.”

Alonzo swore over and over, trying not to think about what was happening at his home. How many guards had he put on the grounds? How many leopards were there to protect Evangeline? He tried to keep his mind blank, but the closer they got to the Arnotto estate, the more ice poured into his veins.

“Let us out here,” he snapped, before Borya could turn onto the private drive leading to the huge property. He had the door open before Borya could fully stop. “Get rid of this thing and get back here,” he snapped.

Borya nodded as Timur and Gorya followed Alonzo from the vehicle. Alonzo barely managed to take the time to shed his clothes. He shifted fast and allowed his leopard to leap the fence and move quickly and stealthily through the thick brush. The Arnotto property was massive and the terrain included slightly rolling hills. Acres of vineyards, groves of trees and beautifully kept gardens made the leopards feel right at home.