Stars & Stripes (27 page)

They headed off toward the fence, weaving through narrow gullies and over odd-shaped hills. Ty was surprised at how distracted he was at the thought of Barnum and Bailey in danger.

“What do they do with these tigers, do you think?”

“They won’t hurt them, not on purpose,” Annie assured him. “They’re either breeding them or selling them as commodities. A live and healthy tiger is far more valuable than a dead or injured one.”

Ty let out a relieved breath. He’d grown attached to Barnum. Something about the way the tiger looked at him with those golden eyes, one ear flopped to the side. He’d felt an instant connection to the animal. When he’d gone back to visit, he’d seen more of the tiger’s personality and he’d been hooked. Now that Barnum might be in danger, it felt personal.

“You lurve the tiger,” Zane crooned.

“Shut up, Zane.”

“Oh come on, admit it. You’re a big bad tough guy who fell in love with an itty bitty kitty.”

Ty barked a laugh, then tried to glare at Zane and failed. “Are you done?”

“Not nearly,” Zane practically giggled. “You just like things that can maul and maim you.”

“Explains my affinity for you, Hoss.”

“Meow Mix.”

Ty rolled his eyes.

“Why do you call him that?” Harrison asked.

“When we went hiking last October, he was attacked by a mountain lion.”

“Seriously?” Jamie asked, voice going higher.

Ty raised his left hand to show the scars.

“He has a paw print on each shoulder too,” Zane told them, sounding almost proud of the fact.

“You’re both wrong in the head.”

Ty remained quiet as they came upon the fence that ran along the perimeter of the sanctuary. Zane could tell his partner was pissed off and worried, and it struck him as sweet that a man like Ty was concerned over the welfare of a pair of tigers. He also knew whatever Ty had found at the pump house, he’d kept to himself. It worried him—not that Ty was keeping secrets, but why. He knew better than to ask about it now. It would have to wait until they were alone.

They dismounted, leaving the horses with Annie a few dozen yards away, and spread out, trying to find a sign on the ground or a path through the fence. Zane wasn’t exactly a master tracker, but he could find footprints in sand, and that was what they were seeing.

It took them roughly ten minutes, but Harrison stumbled over the entrance, links of the chain fence and the shrubbery that grew along it all cut by a bolt cutter so it would open and close like a door. When they’d visited the sanctuary the day before, Tish had told them that no one had checked the perimeter fences from inside yet. But Zane wasn’t sure they would have seen the opening even if they had. It was only obvious because of the tracks leading to it.

They gathered around Harrison as Annie kept the horses back, trying to preserve the tracks on the ground. The fence had been cut almost seven feet off the ground, and when Ty sliced off a piece of cactus and tossed it at the fence, no current was running through it.

“Means an inside job again, don’t you think?” Zane whispered.

Ty was nodding. “Someone killed the security measures to make it safe to cut the fence.”

“If it’s someone working at the preserve, why not just open the front door and cart the tigers out that way?” Mark asked.

Zane shrugged. That was a good question. “Could be someone with limited access. Could be a convoluted way to cover their tracks. Hell, it might even have been easier to go this way. All those hills and trails inside? We need to look closer at their security to know for sure.”

“I think it’s safe to call in the local LEOs now, though,” Ty said.

“The local what?” Jamie asked.

“LEO. It’s short for law enforcement officer,” Mark answered.

“Oh.”

Zane nodded again. They had enough evidence of a crime to bring in the local authorities. Which meant Ty and Zane could head home soon. The thought excited Zane, but it also made him sad. This was the first visit home he’d truly enjoyed since he’d left for college. Ty and the truth were both powerful sources of happiness.

He glanced at Ty as his lover paced back and forth, head down, body tense, like a prize hound on a scent. Zane grinned. He wondered if Ty would be open to coming back here regularly.

They continued to snoop around, trying to glean more information before they called it in. Ty told them what he was seeing: evidence of three men going in, and six coming out, carrying a heavy load. There were small tire tracks this time, like a hand truck or cart had been used. And they were fresh, less than an hour old.

Ty bent and examined something on the ground, and when Zane came closer, he saw that Ty was holding a tranquilizer dart.

Annie shouted from where she was keeping the horses at bay. “It’s probably a mixture of azaperone and sufentanil. Or maybe carfentanil. A combination of dopamine antagonist and analgesic that would be appropriate for such large animals.”

“What’d she say?” Ty asked.

“She said don’t stick yourself with it.”

“Oh.”

Annie drew closer to look at the dart. She left the horses, their reins draped over scrub brush to keep them from wandering. “When the dart hits, there’s a steel ball that pushes forward and injects the medication. It’s collared to keep it from falling out. The barbs on that dart haven’t been replaced properly, meaning it was either yanked out or it fell out.”

“Why would that happen?” Zane asked. Ty twirled the dart between his thumb and forefinger.

“They could have hit bone with it instead of muscle. That means that the animal they were trying to sedate didn’t get nearly enough of the medication to be out.”

“I hope he eats them,” Ty growled.

Zane patted his partner’s shoulder, torn between amusement at Ty’s vehemence and worry for the animals.

Ty got up and began wandering north along the fence, away from the tracks.

“We’ve got tire tracks, clear as day. I say we follow them,” Mark called out as he examined the tracks that led south, toward the nearest roads. The poachers had obviously found a more direct path to the fence this time.

Zane nodded. He headed over to peer down at the tracks. They were so clear that even he could have followed them. They’d had a rare summer rain several days ago, making the earth just moist enough to retain the heavy impressions. He glanced up, seeking either his father or Ty for their opinions. Harrison was nodding, but Ty had wandered away from them. Annie had managed to wrangle in the other horses, but Ty’s horse was following behind him, unbeknownst to Ty, of course, or he would have been throwing a shit fit about it obscuring evidence.

Zane almost laughed as he watched the animal plod along. What was it that made Ty a target for such undying loyalty? He seemed to inspire it in everyone he dealt with, including animals he hated.

Ty was studying the ground, good hand at his mouth, the casted one stuffed into his pocket.

“Ty!” Zane called out.

Ty glanced up and turned, saw the horse standing right there behind him, and stumbled back with a surprised shout. He almost tripped over a cactus behind him, but he caught himself and bent over, holding his hand to his chest.

“Don’t do that!” he yelled at the horse. The animal whinnied happily and butted its nose against his shoulder.

The rest of them laughed, not even trying to spare Ty’s pride.

When Ty finally pushed the horse’s head away, he looked over at Zane, but then returned his attention to the ground. “I think I have cat tracks here.”

“Tiger tracks?” Annie asked.

“It sure as hell ain’t Tom and Jerry.” Ty knelt to touch the dust near his feet. “I’ve never tracked a tiger before, but this is definitely feline and not canine. Can somebody come get this stupid horse!”

“We thinking one of the tigers got away?” Harrison asked, clearly concerned. He had thousands of acres of horses, sheep, cattle, and other livestock out here, not to mention the daily busloads of greenhorns who came to ride the trails. The last thing they wanted was a large predator on the loose.

“He definitely got away. These are running strides.”

Zane smiled as he watched his partner. The confidence with which he could say that was indescribably sexy, and Zane wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was proud of Ty.

Ty’s aviators glinted in the sunlight, and his jeans and thin white Henley were soaked through with dirt and sweat. Zane wanted to tackle him to the ground and lick him all over.

“I think we follow the truck,” Mark said. “Finding the tiger doesn’t get us any closer to catching these guys.”

“Agreed,” Ty said immediately. Zane looked over in surprise. “But if the tiger’s hurt he won’t last long. There’s also the possibility he’ll be attracted to the main house and barns. To the livestock, or even one of your trail rides.”

“Ty’s right. We at least need to notify the authorities, let them know there may be an exotic on the loose,” Harrison said.

“I think we should follow the tiger,” Annie said, tossing a pleading look at Zane and Mark. “He might be hurt. You know he’s scared.”

“Annie. Honey. He’s a
tiger
. He’s top of the food chain.”

“We could split up,” Jamie suggested. “We’ll follow the tire tracks and see where it’s getting access to the property. Ty and Zane can track the tiger, and Annie can head back to the house and alert the animal control people.”

“Or hell, walk into the preserve and use their phone,” Zane said with a wave at the fence.

“No, no one goes anywhere alone right now. That tiger can take down a horse and rider, sure as the world,” Harrison said. “Damn, I should have kept the boys with us.”

“No, it was the right call to send them back to the house,” Ty assured him.

Harrison nodded, frowning. He glanced at Zane. “I’m sure the sanctuary people called the authorities.”

“But they won’t know the tiger is loose, and —”

“Zane,” Harrison said in a voice that stopped Zane dead in his verbal tracks. “We need a badge to follow after that truck, just in case they’re still around and we actually catch up to them. And Ty’s the only one can track that cat. He needs a vet if he’s going.”

“Wait a minute,” Mark said, voice going higher. “You want Ty and Annie to go after that tiger alone?”

Harrison nodded. His gnarled fingers rolled a cigarette as he spoke.

“Sir!”

Harrison shot a look at his son-in-law that immediately silenced him.

“I have the tranquilizer darts,” Annie said with a hopeful look at Ty.

Ty shrugged. He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair before replacing it. Zane found himself staring again. He met Ty’s eyes, wincing as the sun flashed off his sunglasses.

“I don’t like it, but it makes the most sense,” Ty said.

They laid down a few more logistics, then separated. Zane sat high in his saddle and watched as Ty led his horse away on foot, picking up the trail of the lost tiger. He mounted a few moments later, Annie following a few feet behind him.

“He’ll take care of her, right?” Mark asked, eyes on Annie.

Zane nodded. “With his life.”