Black Tiger

Chapter three

Ash watched her walk away. So easy to picture her naked, with those long, strong legs wrapped around his waist.

He rubbed a hand over his face. It had been a long time since a woman had affected him so much. In fact, if there'd been another, he couldn't remember her name. And here she was, in his house, in a room so close to his. Maybe he should go and see his mother. He'd been avoiding the trip and it wasn't late.

On the way to the palace he used his cell phone to warn them he was coming. Nasim was waiting, ready to open the door of the car when he arrived.

He looked up into a bearded, smiling face. "How are you, Nasim? You have a grandson, I believe?" Ash stepped out of the car and let the man close the door for him. His mother's wing of the palace glowed with soft light.

"Yes. Born yesterday. Mother and son are well. But I am very glad you have finally been able to bring a doctor here. My wife and I were both concerned, with our girl so far away in Nagpur." Nasim's boots crunched on the gravel as he led Ash to the side door into his mother's suite.

"They are at home?"

"Yes. They let her leave when they knew there would be a doctor close by."

"I'm pleased to hear that." He was; this was why he'd sought a replacement for Doctor Massud. His people deserved support.

Nasim ushered him inside and disappeared. Ash hesitated outside the closed door to the sitting room, straightening his jacket. Best to get it over with.

As soon as the door opened his mother rose to meet him, smiling a warm greeting. She wore a pink sari and her arms and fingers sparkled, as always, with gold rings and bangles. The traditional bindi, the red spot on her forehead, matched the sari. He kissed her cheek and caught the fragrance of jasmine, her favorite perfume.

"Asok. It's so lovely to see you. Come, sit down, talk to me."

"Have you been well?" Ash said, folding himself into a chair.

"Oh, yes. Much better."

No, she wasn't. She'd looked away for a fraction of a moment. Perhaps Doctor Sally Carter could persuade her that sometimes Indian traditional medicine did not have all the answers.

"Your new doctor is here?"

He nodded, accepting a cup of tea from a proffered tray. "She's resting. It's a long flight from Australia."

"Any news on who killed the tigress?"

He sipped at his tea. "A man from the village. I followed his trail."

His mother smiled, cat-like. "Ah. Is he dead?"

He shook his head while the were-tiger huffed its contempt. "I left something for the villagers to find so they could confirm their suspicions. He was evicted."

She snorted. "Better than he deserved."

"Probably. But the point was made. The Black Tiger looms large. It's a wonderful deterrent, most of the time. And as I tried to explain to my soul-mate, if the tiger kills, they search for a man-eater."

"The tiger does not have to kill. There are other ways." Her voice was almost a purr.

Hire a hitman, she meant. Sure, easily done. His mother could be downright evil. "True. But he may be of more use alive than dead. Kumar is keeping an eye on the man to see where he goes and who he meets."

He put the cup on a side table, then refused a refill with a gesture. The servant stepped away. "Be that as it may, the new doctor was not impressed with village justice." He smiled just thinking about her, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "She has much to learn. But she's..." Words like beautiful, desirable, sexy crowded for a place on his tongue. "She's a nice lady," he finished. "And she's interested in tigers and tiger conservation."