Conner shook his head, grateful he had a friend who watched his back. Blood coated his hindquarters and the pain in his back hip and leg was becoming unbearable.

Around them, it looked as if the world was on fire. Flames rolled and spun, reaching high, greedy for something to consume and finding it in the buildings and plants throughout the compound. Already, the tall fence surrounding the estate was on fire in several places. The smoke choked lungs, burned eyes and throats. The loud roar pounded through their ears, driving out nearly every other sound. The conflagration created its own wind, a fierce, hot breath that scorched anyone it touched.

Conner kept going, forcing the pain to the back of his mind, afraid for the children and Isabeau. He kept telling himself Elijah and the Santos brothers were with them. The fence loomed up in front of them, a fiery wall that seemed to surround the entire complex now. Bullets spit into the dirt near him and someone shouted hoarsely. Rio dropped to one knee and began firing.

Conner gathered himself and forced his cat to leap through the flames. Heat seared him, singeing whiskers and fur. For a moment the heat was so intense, he thought he was on fire. He landed on the other side and crouched, panting, his sides heaving as his leg gave way and he staggered and fell. Rio landed beside him, already reloading.

“You need medical attention. Get to the trees and let me take care of that,” Rio said. When the leopard shook its head, Rio’s mouth tightened. “That wasn’t a request.”

Conner snarled, showing teeth, but reluctantly followed his team leader’s order. Rio rarely put things as a command, but he ran the team when Drake wasn’t around—and Drake hadn’t been around in a long while.

They hurried away from the heat and roar of the fire. There were a few men running away from the flames, so they avoided them. The ones hunting the children and Isabeau were a different matter. The leopard sank down into the thick vegetation, while Rio withdrew his medical kit and found what he needed.

“I think the bullet’s still in there, Conner. I’m going to have to take it out.”

He injected the cat with painkiller to numb the area before feeling around to see where the bullet was lodged. Leopards could be unpredictable in the best of times, and digging around for a bullet was not something most would allow. Rio wouldn’t have tried it with just anyone. Conner was strong and held his cat in check through most difficult situations. And they had little time.