Here There Be Tigers Read Online Free PDF Page A

with Mikhail.”
She smiled to herself as she used the name he hated. “This guy is
safe, right?”
    “ Your grandmother swears we can
trust him.”
    “ You have your doubts?”
    “ What has he told you?”
    “ That Anaya was alive until a few
weeks ago.” The silence from the other end of the line made Nila’s
stomach flip and she closed her eyes. “Is he telling me the truth,
dad?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Dad.” She wanted to cry and curse
all at once. “Why did you lie to me? How could you do that?” Her
chest ached at hearing the reality of his betrayal directly from
him.
    “ What else has Mikhail told
you?”
    “ That he hates being called
Mikhail.”
    “ Nila. What has he told you about
your mother?”
    “ Ridiculous stories that I don’t
believe.”
    Another telling silence.
    “ This isn’t really happening,” she
muttered. “I’m still on the plane, sound asleep.”
    “ I’m so sorry, love. I never meant
for you to get hurt.”
    “ Then why did you lie?”
    “ I hoped you’d never have to find
out the truth. It was too complicated.”
    She wanted to laugh at the understatement.
“Complicated? That my mother was alive until recently? That she ran
off with another man after I was born? Or that I’m the daughter of
a mythical shapeshifting creature? How is that complicated, Dad?
Seems perfectly straight forward to me.” Her voice grew louder with
each question. She breathed deeply, forcing herself to calm
down.
    “ Don’t,” he said. “I know you’re
hurt. I know you don’t understand all this. And I wish more than
anything I could be the one there explaining.”
    “ Then why aren’t you? What the hell
am I doing with this stranger instead of being with you and
grandma?”
    “ This was the only way we could
think to keep you safe. Your mother’s… This man, Petrov Dubrovsky,
he will use us to get to you. He’s been to see your grandmother.
That’s why her friend sent Mikhail to help. Then that other…man
broke into your grandmother’s house earlier today.”
    “ Did he hurt anyone?” Nila didn’t
miss the way her dad avoided calling the man a tiger.
    “ No, no. Mikhail seemed to know he
was coming and we got out in time. But that’s when I decided we
should split up. Petrov will expect us to run together. I can keep
your grandmother safe. But I can’t protect you both from…from
someone like him. Mikhail can.”
    “ How do I know you’re safe? You just
said Petrov could use you? What makes you think he won’t go after
you if he can’t find me?”
    “ I’m taking precautions, love. No
one, not even Mikhail, knows where your grandmother and I are
going. I’m not going to tell you either.”
    “ You have to tell me.” A trickle of
panic started in her gut.
    “ No. Not on cellphones. And I don’t
want to know where you’ll be. In fact, I want you to keep your
phone off unless you absolutely have to use it. We’ll keep ours
off, too. Just in case. I don’t know if Dubrovsky has the resources
to track cellphones, but I don’t want to take any
chances.”
    “ No. Dad, I need to be able to reach
you.” The trickle of panic turned to a steady stream.
    He paused then said, “I don't want to be out of
touch either. Tell you what. As soon as you can, get one of those
disposable phones. Leave me the number in a voicemail. I'll get a
new phone after that, and we can keep in touch that way. I'm pretty
sure those types of cellphones are impossible to trace.”
    "You watch too many cop shows."
    "No precaution is too much when it comes to
your life."
    “ But…”
    “ Nila, I would not be able to live
if anything happened to you. I need you to stay safe and
alive.”
    “ I need the same for you, Dad,” she
murmured as tears pooled in her eyes.
    “ Trust me, love.”
    “ You lied to me. My whole life has
been a lie.”
    “ No! Not a lie. You are who you are.
Don’t start doubting that.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I lied, because
you’ve been hurt, but I would do it