"I can't wait." Caitlyn grinned, feigning a bubbly excitement. "I read about it online when I booked the hotel." She avoided saying that she'd been to Chiang Mai before. "There's this old city that's surrounded by a moat. And then there's a nightly bazaar, so I can go shopping."
Carlos stiffened. "No, no shopping."
"We have to buy stuff for the children."
"Anything you buy would have to be dragged along for the entire trip. We don't have room in our backpacks."
"I'll buy little things."
The professor shook his head and muttered in Thai, "Definitely married." He switched to English. "I will call Tanit immediately to let him know when to meet you at the airport."
"Thank you." Carlos rose to his feet. "I appreciate your help."
"Here." Pat gave him a business card. "This has my office number and my cell phone number. Call me anytime, day or night."
"Thank you." Carlos slipped the card into his trouser pocket.
"And if you find out anything about the cat shifters, you must call me immediately," Pat insisted.
Caitlyn's instincts prickled with suspicion. She leaned over to retrieve her handbag, then decided to leave her water bottle there. She stood, hitching her handbag over her shoulder. "It was nice to meet you, Pat."
He nodded, smiling. "I am very excited and hopeful for your success."
As Carlos walked her to the door, she said just loud enough to be heard. "I'm so glad we're going to have an interpreter. Their language is so confusing. The words are a mile long."
Carlos nodded. "I know."
She stepped into the hall with him, and he closed the door. She pressed a finger to her lips and leaned against the door to listen.
His eyebrows lifted in an unspoken question.
She heard Pat's voice inside, waited a moment, then cracked open the door.
Pat looked up with alarm, his cell phone by his ear.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she tiptoed into the room. "Don't mind me. I just left my water bottle."
Pat nodded with a grim smile. "It's all right, Tanit," he murmured in Thai on the phone. "It's just his wife."
There was a pause, then Pat continued, "I don't know why she came, but I don't think she'll give you any trouble. Just remember your priorities here. Do whatever you can to help them find the cat shifters."
Caitlyn made a pretense of looking around the chair Carlos had sat in.
"Mrs. Panterra?" Pat spoke impatiently. "You weren't sitting in that chair. Your water's over there." He pointed to the other chair.
"Oh." Caitlyn looked surprised. "That's right." She shook her head sheepishly. "Jet lag. I can't think straight anymore." She leaned over to grasp the water bottle. When Pat had motioned with his hand, she'd spotted an odd tattoo on the inside of his wrist.
"Call me immediately if you find a cat shifter," Pat said in Thai on the phone. "We must find one for the Master."
The Master? Caitlyn strode to the door, then smiled at Pat as she exited. She motioned for Carlos to follow her to the elevator. Thank God she'd come along on this trip.
She had a terrible suspicion Carlos was walking into a trap.
Chapter Nineteen
"Isn't it lovely?" Caitlyn asked, looking out the restaurant window.
"Yes." Carlos took another bite of Kaphrao gai. The green chilies set his mouth ablaze, and he reached for his glass of water.
They'd met their guide, Tanit, at the airport in Chiang Mai. He'd driven them to their hotel, then to this restaurant overlooking the Mae Ping River. In the distance Carlos could see the mountains of brilliant green vegetation beneath a fiery sky, ablaze with the setting sun. Caitlyn had taken the seat by the window, and he sat next to her. The air was filled with exotic, delicious smells: curry, chilies, garlic, and basil.
Tanit sat across the table, fidgeting with his chopsticks. "Chiang Mai is a very beautiful place." He was a young, slim man who seemed eager to please, but Carlos sensed that he was nervous. "We have many national parks. Mountain biking is very popular and looking at the elephants. We also have many lovely temples. The Wat Chiang Man was built in 1296 and houses the Crystal Buddha."
"That sounds interesting, but this is a business trip," Carlos said. "I assume Pat told you what we were looking for."
Tanit nodded as he pushed the fried rice around his bowl. "It is...most unusual."
"I think it's exciting." Caitlyn grinned. "But let's not leave till tomorrow. I want to go to the bazaar tonight."
Carlos hid a smile. She was doing a good job of pretending to be an airhead. "You'd better not buy very much. We'll have to take it with us."
"It won't weigh anything," she assured him. "I want to buy some Mudmee silk scarves. The silk here is so shiny and soft. And I can't wait to see all the silverware." She sat up. "Speaking of silver, we're going to the Akha tribe tomorrow, right?"
"Yes," Tanit replied, frowning. "But I'm not sure how they can help you find the...cats you're looking for." He glanced nervously over his shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry about that." She waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm just dying to see all the stuff they make. I hear the ladies wear beautiful headdresses made of silver coins and beads. I'd love to have one."
"Sounds heavy," Carlos muttered. He ate more food to keep from laughing. Caitlyn was one sneaky rascal. She wanted to go to the Akha tribe because she'd spent time with them before. She didn't want Tanit to know, so she was making it sound like a shopping spree.
"I should go and make sure everything is ready for our trip," Tanit said. "I'll pick you up at your hotel in the morning. Will nine o'clock be all right?"
"That's great. Thank you," Carlos replied.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like some dessert?" Caitlyn asked. "I'm going to have some ice cream."
"No, thank you. I should go." Tanit stood and pressed his hands together. "Thank you for dinner." He hurried from the restaurant.
Caitlyn watched him go. "Did he seem nervous to you?"
"Yes." Carlos glanced at Tanit's plate of Khao pad gai. "He hardly ate a bite."
Caitlyn leaned closer. "Did you notice his tattoo?""No. You have a thing for tattoos, don't you?"
"Only yours, because you hide it and that makes me want to rip your clothes off."
"In that case, I should tell you I have a tattoo on my rump."
Her eyes widened. "Do you really?"
His mouth twitched. "You'll never know."
She swatted his arm. "Don't be cruel."
He snorted. Cruel was sleeping on the floor, knowing that she was nearby in a bed and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. He knew he loved her, but he still couldn't have her.
She retrieved a small memo pad and a pen from her silk handbag. "Tanit had a small tattoo on the inside of his right wrist just like the professor had."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." She gave him a wry look. "All my years of shopping have given me a great eye for detail. I studied Tanit's tattoo when he wasn't looking." She drew the design on her memo pad.
"Looks like a Chinese symbol," Carlos said.
The waiter came to their table, and Carlos asked if they had ice cream.
"We have very nice vanilla, served with jack-fruit and grilled bananas." The waiter gathered up their used dishes.
"We'll take two of those." Caitlyn showed the waiter her drawing. "Do you know what this means?"
The waiter frowned. "It looks Chinese. One of our cooks is Yao. Maybe he knows."
"Could you ask him, please?" Caitlyn tore off the page with her drawing and passed it to the waiter. "Thank you."
"You can't understand written languages?" Carlos asked.
"No." She shrugged. "I know it's strange. If I could just get someone to say the word, I would understand it."
Carlos sat back in his chair. "I have to tell you, Catalina, that hiring you was one of the best things Angus and Emma have ever done."
Her face lit up. "Why, thank you. I thought you considered me hopeless and helpless."
He smiled. "You're not the best warrior around."
"I'm not a violent person."
"I know." It was one of the many things he loved about her. She was soft and sweet. If he ever attacked her, it would be to make love. He pushed that thought aside and tried to remember the point he was making. "When it comes to investigation, you're a natural."
"Thank you." She grinned. "I'm naturally nosy." Her smile faded. "I'm still worried about this 'master' thing Pat talked about on the phone. He seemed desperate to me, and Tanit's way too nervous. There's something going on we don't know about."
Carlos nodded. "I've been thinking about that. Maybe Pat is involved with the trafficking of exotic animals. That could explain why the informant talked to him."
She placed her hand on his. "Whatever's going on, we need to be careful."
He entwined his fingers with hers. "I'm still worried about your safety, but I'm glad you came. I'm not used to having someone to watch my back. You...you do it really well."
She smiled at him, her eyes filled with love, and he wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to take her back to the hotel room and make love to her.
The waiter returned with their ice cream. He handed the slip of paper to Caitlyn. "Our cook said it meant a worker, the kind who works for a master. No pay."
"You mean like a slave?" she asked.
The waiter nodded. "That's it." He hurried off.
Carlos exchanged a worried look with Caitlyn. Professor Pat and Tanit were intelligent, modern men who worked regular jobs. How could they be slaves? And more important, who was their master?
After an hour of riding in the backseat of Tanit's car, Caitlyn was struggling to stay awake. The mountain road swung back and forth, lulling her into a sleeplike trance. Fortunately, every time she nodded off, they'd bounce over another pothole or swerve to miss a motorcyclist.
The reason for her exhaustion was all Carlos's fault. He was stubborn as a mule. She'd lain in bed last night, listening to him toss and turn on the floor. She'd invited him to share her bed, promising not to molest him. He refused. After another hour of hearing him thrash about on the floor, she offered to switch places with him. Again he refused.
Thirty minutes later, still awake, she took matters into her own hands. She grabbed a pillow and blanket and joined him on the floor. He ordered her to leave him be. This time she refused. She was comfy and he could have the bed.
He scooped her off the floor, strode to the bed with her in his arms, and dumped her. He returned to the floor, and she lay in bed, marveling over how strong he was. And sexy.
For another thirty minutes she considered stripping and straddling him on the floor. She'd never done anything that bold before. Or pathetic. If he wanted her, he'd make a move for her. She couldn't force herself on him. And she couldn't handle being rejected again. He still wanted a were-panther mate. Her secret fantasy of him tossing that away just to have a future with her was not likely to ever happen. So she'd stayed in bed, restless and frustrated, while he remained on the floor.
The car slowed to a halt as the road dwindled into a footpath through the jungle. The Akha tribe they were visiting lived in a remote area close to the Burmese border. Since she was pretending never to have been there before, Carlos was the one insisting they visit this particular tribe. She hoped their wily old leader, Ajay, was still there.
"We have about a thirty minute hike," Tanit said as they exited the car. He glanced warily at the jungle. "There are other tribes not so remote, much closer to Chiang Mai, and they have wonderful handicrafts, too."
"We're going to this one." Carlos hefted his backpack onto his shoulders. "If the cat shifters exist, they'll be in a remote area like this."
"I suppose that's true," Tanit mumbled.
Carlos slipped some knives into his belt, then handed one to Caitlyn. He'd bought them at the bazaar last night while she'd bought three beautiful silk scarves for the were-panther girls.
She wedged her knife under her belt, then slathered insect repellent on her bare arms and neck. "Want some?" She offered the tube to Tanit.
"Thank you." He spread some on. "You know, there are worse things than mosquitoes in the jungle."
"That's why I bought this." Carlos holstered a semiautomatic pistol on his belt.
Caitlyn shuddered. She hoped he wouldn't have to use it. She fastened the ties of her khaki hat under her chin so it wouldn't fall off. Like Tanit, she was nervous about trekking through the jungle. She had visions of huge poisonous spiders dropping out of trees to land on her head. At least her hiking boots were thick enough to offer some protection from scorpion stings or snake bites.
She jammed water bottles into every pocket on her backpack, then swung it onto her back. "Ready?"
Thankfully, their trip through the jungle was fairly uneventful. Carlos spotted a pit viper in a tree, but it ignored them as they walked by. Caitlyn bit her lip to keep from squealing.
The sun was high in the sky when they entered the clearing where the Akha tribe lived. She estimated almost twenty wooden houses with thatched roofs. Each house was built on stilts, with ladders to the main floor. Several huts were at ground level, and she remembered from her previous stay that one was used to store farming equipment while the other two were village workshops for making intricate silver jewelry.