Chapter 43
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Nathan was driving back to the company with Evelyn when Clayton’s call suddenly came through.
“Mr. Ford, there’s an emergency at the mall. I’m tied up with some other tasks and can’t make it right away.”
Clayton knew the restaurant where Nathan and Fabian had met was near the mall, and the situation was too urgent to reroute other staff.
Nathan’s sharp brows furrowed. As he talked over the phone, the car was already approaching the mall.
He steered into the underground garage, and through the windshield, they spotted a crowd gathering outside the main entrance.
Evelyn craned her neck, trying to see past the throng of onlookers, but the sea of heads blocked her view.
Nathan parked the car. Evelyn unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him out.
The mall manager hurried over to explain, “Mr. Ford, it’s a mess. Thanksgiving is coming. The owners of the first–floor children’s playground wanted to use the open space in front of the mall for their contract event.
“So they hired a circus. Everything was fine until the lion suddenly went berserk and bit the trainer. It’s chaotic now–people are livestreaming it all over the place. I tried to have it under control, but it’s too late.”
In this
age of instant internet, the speed and reach of such incidents made damage control nearly impossible without expert help.
Nathan’s frown deepened. He’d known about the circus, but the space in front of the mall wasn’t even Horizon Group’s property.
It was a public area, technically under municipal jurisdiction. People just assumed it belonged to the mall and Horizon Group because it sat right outside the entrance.
“Can’t you even handle such a trivial matter?”
Nathan looked sullen. He shot the manager a cold look, and the manager stiffened with nervousness.
Evelyn silently agreed it seemed overblown. Since the playground owner had hired the circus, they should just compensate the trainer and be done with it.
“Mr. Ford, if only it were so easy. The problem is that the lion escaped. I’ve called the police, but look at those onlookers! They won’t leave, no matter how much I yell, trying to get them to disperse.”
The manager groaned, rubbing his temples. He’d tried his hardest, but if someone ended up hurt–or if there was a death–the mall would have to shoulder some of the blame.
After all, the children’s playground owner brought in the circus with his permission.
Nathan’s expression hardened as he grasped the gravity of the situation. He turned to the manager, his tone serious as he asked, “Any idea which direction the lion went?”
9:23 Mon, Sep 8 B
Chapter 43
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The mall manager shook his head, helpless. “I’ve got security checking everywhere, but no luck yet. We do know he’s still inside the building, though.”
The lion had escaped after hurting the trainer, disappearing into the mall’s maze of passages.
“To the monitoring room.”
Nathan’s order was calm, and Evelyn fell into step behind him.
In the monitoring room.
Several security guards hunched over screens, scanning footage for any sign of the lion.
Downstairs, the police sirens wailed. Evelyn stepped to the window and saw police starting to herd the crowd back, while snipers with rifles scanned the building for vantage points.
Media vans had parked nearby, reporters lingering in their cars, cameras rolling. They were hungry for a scoop but too wary to get closer.
Nathan stood before the monitors, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“Hold on. Zoom in on that.” He pointed to one screen, his finger precise.
Evelyn hurried over. The security guard enlarged the frame, and in the shadowed corner of an underground garage, two faint glows flickered.
“That’s him, the lion.”
In low light, big cats‘ eyes reflected green or blue. She knew this trait well from years of tracking wildlife and could recognize them at a glance.
“Rewind the footage,” Evelyn said.
Evelyn tensed, worried her initial call might be wrong. Stray cats or dogs could explain the glowing eyes, too. She needed more footage to confirm.
The security guard rewound to the moment the lion escaped, then played it at high speed. When the lion came into frame, a collective gasp filled the room.
The footage showed that when Nathan and Evelyn got out of the car, the lion had been lurking just over 300 feet away.
He had stalked them silently as they walked toward the elevator, then sprinted forward the second the doors began to close, missing them by mere seconds.
Everyone’s breath hitched, but Evelyn stared at the screen, transfixed.
The mall manager mopped cold sweat from his brow, thinking, ‘A second slower, and they’d have been the lion’s prey!
Even circus–raised lions retained that primal wildness, unpredictable and deadly.
9:23 Mon, Sep 8 G.
Chapter 43
Evelyn tapped the security guard’s shoulder, motioning for him to move.
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She stepped to the console, leaning in to study the lion. In the grainy darkness, she spotted a faint mark on the lion, but couldn’t be sure.
The guard scrambled up, and Evelyn took over, navigating the controls with practiced ease, hunting for a clearer shot of the lion.
Soon, she found it. As she stared at the lion on the screen, her eyes widened in disbelief.
Moments later, police officers filed in.
“Have you pinpointed the lion’s location?” one asked. “If tranquilizers fail, we’ll have to put him down.”
After all, public safety came first. Wild animals in human spaces were ticking time bombs.
Evelyn heard that and hurried toward them.
Nathan watched her, intrigued. He thought, ‘She seems uncharacteristically charged ever since she saw the lion. Is it a symptom of her occupational craze?‘
“Officer, wait,” Evelyn said. “Can I try? This is likely the lion I rescued years ago. Based on my knowledge of wild animals, once tranquilizers fail to put him down, he could hurt people if he gets aggressive again. But I might be able to calm him.”
Evelyn was certain that the lion was Simo.
She first encountered Simo when he was just a month old. Back then, Simo had apparently been hit by a falling rock, leaving a long scar across his forehead. She looked after him carefully for more than a month. until he got better, then released him.
The police hesitated. Nathan even reached out, gripping her wrist.
“No. It’s too risky. You can’t go.”
Evelyn met his gaze and took a deep breath. “Mr. Ford, trust me. He won’t hurt me.
“A few days ago, we shot a promotional video urging people to protect animals. If we’re going to preach that, we should practice it. And I know I can calm the lion.”
Nathan knew of her history of tracking wild animals, but this was different. An aggressive lion was a far cry from a wild one in its natural habitat, Charging headfirst could get her killed.
“I don’t have to get close,” Evelyn added. “I think he’ll recognize my voice. If not, then use the tranquilizer, or worse. But let me try first.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
