One Down: Bayou Heat (Pantera Security League Book 1) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Page B

this distance.”
    More waving of the gun. “I’ll shoot. I swear.”
    Cerviel laughed, glancing down at the pistol. “And you think that will hurt me?”
    The man looked briefly confused. As if wondering whether or not Cerviel was crazy. Then realization hit him with enough force to make him gasp.
    “Shit,” he breathed. “You’re a Pantera.”
    Cerviel pursed his lips, releasing a low whistle. “Well, well. You’re smarter than you look.” He flicked a gaze up and down the man’s toadlike body. “Of course, that’s not saying much,” he conceded.
    The broad face drained of color. Unfortunately, his fingers tightened on the gun. “I might not kill you, but I can disable you until my guards arrive,” he blustered.
    Cerviel came to a halt, and lifted a hand to cover a yawn. He’d always found the best way to deal with a bully was to refuse to react to their provocation. “Ah,” he drawled. “About your guards.”
    The man licked his lips. “What about them?”
    Cerviel used his thumb to gesture over his shoulder to where the first guard was still sprawled on the ground, blood leaking from his forehead.
    “One is napping,” he said, then jerked his thumb to the steep hill to their left. “And the other decided he preferred the view from the bottom of the mountain.”
    “Christ,” the man hissed, his pallor replaced with an ugly flush of fury. “I suppose you really do get what you pay for.”
    Cerviel gave a lift of his hands. “And now it’s just us,” he said, closely monitoring the man in front of him. He wanted to see if Donaldson’s gaze strayed to the rough terrain. That would indicate he had another guard lurking around.
    When the man merely gave a disgusted shake of his head, Cerviel allowed his attention to focus squarely on Donaldson.
    “What do you want?” the man demanded.
    Cerviel heaved a disappointed sigh. “Weren’t you listening? I told you I want you dead.”
    A twitch developed beneath the man’s pig eyes as he forced a sharp laugh. “I don’t believe that. Everyone wants something.” He cleared his throat, taking an awkward step backward. “Money? I can put a hundred thousand dollars in your hand within the hour.” More eye twitching as Cerviel gave a shake of his head. “Power? I can get you direct access to the congress. You can get whatever you want for your kind.”
    Cerviel snorted. He’d seen how the human politicians would promise everything to their people and deliver nothing.
    “Once again, I told you what I want,” he said, prowling forward. “Blood. Or more specifically, your blood.”
    Donaldson backpedaled even faster, his feet slipping on the loose pebbles. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
    Cerviel closed the distance between them. “You used and abused a vulnerable female. You caged her. Humiliated her. Lied to her.” There was a dark, lethal pause. “You raped her.”
    Sweat trickled down the man’s broad face. “It was just a bit of fun.”
    Cerviel bared his teeth, allowing his cat to glow in his eyes. “Ah,” he snarled. “Then maybe I’ll take you home with me. We can keep you in cage and hire you out for a bit of fun. Would you like that? I know a few humans who’d enjoy hearing a pig like you squeal.”
    “Look, I only did what I was ordered to do.” The man hastily tried to deflect the blame from himself.
    Spineless coward.
    “Ordered by who?” Cerviel demanded.
    “Christopher Benson.”
    A low snarl was wrenched from Cerviel’s lips. Christopher Benson had caused his people incalculable harm over the years. There wasn’t a Pantera in the world who wasn’t hoping to be the one to rip out the bastard’s throat.
    Cerviel sucked in a calming breath. He needed answers. Then he could punish Donaldson for every second of pain and humiliation Hallie had suffered.
    “Why?” he asked.
    Donaldson tried to look innocent. “He didn’t tell me.”
    Cerviel allowed his gaze to skim down to the man’s feet before returning to