Wild Suspicions (Romantic Suspense) (20 page)

“
I know. You have to go.” She stroked his face and let him kiss her softly.

“
Would you come with me, Liddie?” he whispered, “After all you’ve been through?”

Liddie closed her eyes
and listened to the rain perform a peaceful rhythm through the forest. She remembered how wonderful it was to experience the dignity of the tigers, the curiosity of the monkeys, the songs of the birds, and the playful demeanor of the bears – once they were all cared for and safe. She wanted to fight anyone who would harm or kill them for profit.

“
Travel the world with you?” she repeated. “Oh, Garrett, I want to help you save it.”

Her eyes filled with tears
as a life’s purpose presented itself. She couldn’t sit in a hotel room waiting for him to return from a mission. Liddie wanted to participate in rescuing the wildlife and putting poachers in prison. But would Garrett let her fight beside him?

“
I want to help,” she pleaded. “I want to be with you in the field.”

Garrett pursed his lips, considering the request.
“It’s dirty and dangerous work, Liddie,” he nodded toward the animals. “The clients often bite, and the criminals sometimes kill.”

But Liddie couldn’t be discouraged.
“I know I’m a bit soft,” she admitted, “and I don’t have the proper training, but…”

Garrett
put his hand up to stop her.

“Your training starts now
,” he said softly. Then he kissed her with a passion so urgent and confirming, all doubts were erased.

Garrett
wanted her working beside him.

They embraced
until help arrived, mapping out a plan for the future. At one point, Garrett presented her with a stem of fragrant jasmine plucked from the surrounding foliage.

Liddie smiled.
“It’s beautiful, but there’s a bug on it.” She held it up to show off a shiny, beetle-like insect clinging to one petal.

“
Get used to it,” laughed Garrett. “Work in the wild isn’t for the faint-hearted.”

He was right, of course.
Liddie took a deep breath and shook the flower until the bug fell into the palm of one hand. Garrett watched with amusement as she steeled herself to its creepy crawly nature and placed it on a nearby plant.

“I
’ll get used to it,” she declared decisively, then threaded the pretty blossom into her hair with a satisfied smile.

“I believe you will,”
agreed Garrett, who sealed his approval with a passionate kiss.

They
remained in the camp, answering questions and assisting with the investigation, until every animal received medical attention as well as a plan for release back into the wild.

There are
many wonderful individuals and organizations working to stop the poaching of our precious wildlife populations. Following are links to source materials for the book. Your interest and support would be welcome and appreciated.

World Wildlife Fund

TRAFFIC

Wildlife Conservation Society

Focusing on Wildlife Crim
e (Part 1of 2)
by John M. Sellar, O.B.E. published in The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 7/12/2013

Focusing on Wildlife Crime
(Part 2 of 2)
by John M. Sellar, O.B.E. published in The FBI Law
Enforcement Bulletin 7/12/2013

Special thanks to my niece, Ashley, for all her assistance and support.

Copyright 2013 ©Rebecca Marey/Dickens Dog Press

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Trademarked names may appear throughout this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, organizations, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design: Dickens Dog Press

Top Cover Photo (couple): ©iStock.com/Famke Backx

Cover Pho
to (tiger): ©Depositphotos.com/Dmitriy Kuzmichev