Page 45 of All He Sees
"Come on," Nicky whispered, and Ken followed her, picking their way across the garden.
As they made their way closer, a house emerged through the trees.
Nicky could hardly believe what she was seeing.
An estate--which looked more like a damn opulent palace--stretched before them. Now, the forest was cleared away, and it looked like a mansion you'd find in Beverly Hills--only way, way bigger. It had different wings and a long driveway that led up to the front door of the main house.
Nicky crept forward, eyeing the windows. She couldn't see anything through them, but maybe that was for the best.
If Charles Medina was home, she wouldn't want to alert him to their presence until she was ready.
They crept around the front of the house. It was large and stately, with pillars that supported the balcony above the front door.
Ken followed her as they made their way around the house. It looked like a hotel, and it had a backyard and a pool and a forest. It was huge, and Nicky could just imagine Medina sitting back and relaxing, watching over his "creation."
She heard something and she froze, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
She looked at Ken, who raised a finger to his lips. He pointed at the house, and Nicky saw that the front door had come open. There was an older woman, pale with blonde hair, standing there in a dress.
"Who are you people?" she asked. "Do I need to phone the police?"
She went to run inside, as if she'd already made up her mind, but Nicky stopped her by holding up her badge. "Ma'am, we're with the FBI."
The woman stopped, holding her nose up. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her thin mouth pursed.
"We're here checking on Mr. Medina," Nicky said, trying to be respectful so not to anger the woman. The easier they got to Medina, the better.
"He doesn't have any appointments," the woman said, her voice prim.
"We aren't here by appointment," Nicky said, glancing at Ken. "I'm Agent Nicky Lyons, and this is my partner, Agent Ken Walker. We need to talk to Charles Medina."
"Why?" the woman asked.
Nicky was firm. "He's wanted for questioning in connection to a missing persons case."
The woman's lips puckered, and a look of seriousness took over her face. "Follow me."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Nicky wasn't prepared for what the backyard of the estate would look like.
An oasis of a pool spread before her eyes, equipped with slides and a built-in jacuzzi. As she and Ken followed the woman around the side of the house, she couldn't help but be awestruck by the sheer wealth. She had never seen anything like this. And Nicky wondered--a man this wealthy could have anything in the world. Did he also need human slaves? Was that why he took Mira, Clara, and Erica? If he did, of course. Nicky still needed to prove that part. But she understood how sometimes, when people had the entire world at their fingertips, they started to thirst for… the taboo.
That was when Nicky heard a sound that made every hair on her body stand on end.
A growl.
A feral, animal growl.
Across the yard, there was a literal tiger--huge, orange, and black-striped--tiger. Thankfully, it was in a cage, but Nicky still felt tingles up her spine at the sheer power of the animal.
This was no domestic cat--this was the king of the jungle.
"Don't worry about him," the woman said, following Nicky's gaze toward the tiger cage. "Charles had him flown in from India. He's the last of his kind."
Nicky turned to the woman, and she saw that the woman was smiling.
"What is his name?" Nicky asked.
