Free Mystique Rogue by Diane Taylor Page B

over the man performing on stage.  He had just made the move of getting Khan to go up on his hind legs and dance with his forepaws on his shoulders.  Muscles rippled on both man and beast, trapping her gaze in the motions.
                  After a few moments, the woman beside her leaned against the wall support and grinned. “Mmm hmm. Girlfriend, anything  which struts his stuff like that in front of me would be enough incentive to take the man to bed and screw his brains out.”
                  A movement off to one side of the front row caught Carmen’s attention. The place where the scowling woman sat was now empty. Glancing around, she spotted the woman making her way up the aisle towards the exit. Several figures in the back of the audience separated themselves from the shadows and followed her out. Without taking her eyes off of the departing figures. “Michelle, get back to The Rogue’s dressing room and guard it.  No one is to enter his room no matter what.”
                  “Got it.” Michelle frowned. “Your radar going off again?”
                  “Yep. Get going. I’ve got back stage covered.”
                  Nodding, Michelle quickly disappeared, weaving her way through the darkness, leaving Carmen to gaze out at the audience once more. The rest of the performance went on without a hitch.  Her team continually kept her up to date on the happenings around the building. She moved onto the stage after the last person had filed out of the auditorium and moved to the edge of the raised flooring.  When the last person finally left, Carmen sat at the edge of the stange, visualizing where her target sat.
                     Descending the steps, her gaze went to the right hand side of the front row.  Moving slowly, she took in every nuance of the seat.  Including the sprig of Jasmine placed there next to a stuffed tiger in full bondage.
                  Another sick individual to contend with.   Carmen pulled on a pair of latex gloves. Carefully, she picked up both items and bagged them, noting the date and time on the bags. She left them in place and checked the adjoining seats, finding nothing.  Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, seconds before her earpiece chirped.
                  “Boss?  You’d better get to Rogue’s dressing room, pronto,” Michelle murmured.
                  “On my way.” Carmen arrived to find the corridor blocked by a crowd of people looking outraged. “Make a hole people!”  Her voice parted the bodies like a wedge, allowing her access to the door.  She had a good idea what she’d find, but the view didn’t make it any better.
                  The room had been totally wrecked. Every piece of furniture had been destroyed.  Images had been painted on every available wall space. It appeared to be a strange mixture of Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Arabic. The center of the room had been left spotless so the contents would not be missed.  Kneeling beside it were Khan and Rogue. Both were quivering with barely suppressed rage. 
                  The chained body of a white tiger cub lay next to a pair of jeweled collars. At a glance, the cub didn’t seem to be alive, it just lay there in a pitiful pile under the metal links. Just the sight of the whole mess made Carmen’s blood run cold with fury.  Beside everything else, a branding iron sat.  Its surgical stainless steel design gleamed evilly in the light of the only surviving lamp. Her lips peeled back in a silent snarl of rage. Turning, she looked at those waiting at the door. “Out.” Her words sounded almost like a growl. It made people cringe and move away from the door. “Don’t disturb us until I say you can.”
                  When they were alone, Carmen removed her radio and switched it off.  Coming over to Sean, she knelt and stared