When we get to the Bostons’, Thomas drives straight to my clinic. Oliver hops out and runs inside to get Declan while I change out my sandals for a pair of boots and grab the supplies we need. Not entirely sure what the tranq dosage should be, I go higher than normal and pack the antidotes just in case. I’d like to put down a charging bobcat fast, rather than wait twenty minutes for a slow-acting sedative to work.
Within ten minutes of stopping, we’re back in the car and driving for the house, filling in Declan on the way.
“Alright, you two stay behind me and cover my back. If I miss the target, Thomas, it will take me a moment to reload, so if it starts coming for us, I want you to take a shot. Declan, if he misses and we’re in danger, you are to put the animal down as a last resort. You’re more for the people element. Keep an eye on our surroundings and the person trapped in the car, as well as keep an eye out for Animal Control.”
My heart is racing as we pull up to the huge gate blocking the entry. It’s over twelve feet high, with razor wire at the top. Behind it is a driveway that’s overgrown and unkempt, and there’s no visual of a house. Declan climbs out and opens the gate while Thomas drives through, then he closes it behind us and gets back in.
The tension in the car is high as we slowly creep down the driveway. The foliage opens up, and my mouth drops open as we pull up to a set of buildings that have not been well looked after. There’s an old station wagon, and standing on its roof is oneverysurprising animal.
“Fuck!!” I exclaim, rubbing a hand across my face to check if what I’m seeing is real. Sure enough, beyond all reason, when I look again, it hasn't changed.
“That’s not a bobcat,” Declan says, turning to look at me in horror. “That’s a fucking tiger!”
ChapterSix
Harlow
“Yup, and a white one at that.” I check out the surrounding buildings and shudder. God, I hope that’s the only one around. The last thing we need is to have a whole heap of them loose. That would be a disaster, not to mention freaking dangerous if they’re all as aggressive as this one is. The tiger jumps off the roof and paces around the car, and right now I can’t do anything but watch.
“What are you going to do?” Thomas asks as I dial Doc Davies back on my cell.
“Are you there?” he asks without any pleasantries, and I can’t help the sigh that escapes my mouth.
“Yeah, but we’re not dealing with a bobcat.”
“Well, what is it? A cougar?” he asks, sounding surprised as cougars aren't native to the area.
“It’s a white tiger.”
There’s a moment of silence before I hear tires squealing. “Fucking hell.” Now I know he’s upset because Doc Davies is an old-school gentleman whonevercurses. I’ve seen a cow with exploding diarrhea fart when he stepped behind it and he never muttered more than a disappointed ‘damn it’. “I’ll call the police and ACO to update them. They should be able to call in additional support as well. I’m going to need a bigger cage, and I’m going to have to call around to some zoos, see if they’ve lost a tiger or can temporarily take one.”
“I’ve got that cage I kept the injured cougar in last year. It was large enough for a few more cats, so it should be big enough for the tiger if you can’t figure out an immediate solution. It might not be happy, but it’ll be able to move around a little until we can make better arrangements.”
“That’s a great idea, Harlow. We may just have to do that.” He sounds a little relieved at that suggestion, which doesn’t bode well for our other options to get this taken care of quickly.
“Alright. Do you want me to wait for you, or do you want me to tranq it and see if they have somewhere for it here? I mean, surely they’ve got to have some sort of enclosure.”
“Use your judgment. I trust you,” he orders, then hangs up without another word.
“What did he mean about calling the police?” Declan asks, not taking his eyes off the big cat in front of us, who is still pacing the car. My attention, on the other hand, is now on the woman trapped in it. Rightfully, she looks pretty damn terrified.
“Hmm? Oh, owning exotic animals is illegal in Connecticut. When we thought it was a bobcat, it would have been easy enough for us to tranq it, cage it, and release it. Now, that’s not possible. Zoos have to beverycareful what they take in, so a quarantine period would be needed. Otherwise, they run the risk of their permanent residents getting sick. The police need to be called in because whoever owns this place is going to go to jail, and Animal Control will search the property to see if there are any other animals here that will need to be confiscated. They’ll also want to see my exotic animal license, which I have thanks to Doc Davies, before they’ll let me take custody of any animals.”
The whole time I’ve been talking to the guys I’ve been watching the tiger, taking in the state of its coat, which is dull and lifeless, and the gauntness of its frame. There’s no way the poor thing has been getting enough meals. I’m worried that if I hit it with a fast-acting sedative, it’s not going to be able to handle it, and we’ll lose it. Whenever possible, I try to choose the course of action that gives the animal a chance at life, especially when it’s clear it hasn’t been living its best.
Making my decision, I grab my tranq gun, eject the dart that was in it, and load in a lower dose that will act slower but will be kinder on the big cat’s nervous system. I do the same to Thomas’ gun then pass it to him. There’s a chance that the cat could calm down if we leave it alone, but that’s not really a waiting game you want to play with a tiger. The chance that it’ll just become more agitated with time is too big of a risk for us to wait for ACO.
“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. This sedative will act a lot slower. The cat will probably turn and charge our car when he realizes we’re a threat, and we’ll be trapped until it works. I’d rather that, which should only take ten minutes tops, than risk killing it because its body wasn't able to handle the most extreme dosage of the drug. Same plan as before, but I’m pretty sure I won’t miss at this distance. I’m going to get out on this side and use the door as cover.”
I grab the handle of the door furthest away from the enraged animal, but before I can open it, Declan grabs me, hauls me forward, and plants a kiss on my mouth.
“Good luck,” he says as he pulls away, leaving me a little dazed.
“Well shit, I shouldn't miss now,” I tell him with a grin and quietly open the door. Thomas copies me on the opposite side, using his door for cover as well. The tiger hasn't stopped to look at us, its focus completely on the woman inside the car.
Cocking the gun, I take aim at his haunches, hoping to hit the meaty muscle on the back leg. I track its movement, take a deep breath, and pull the trigger. The dart flies across the clearing and hits the tiger where I wanted it to. The tranq gun isn't as loud as a normal gun, but we’ve definitely drawn the tiger’s attention now.
“Back in the car!” I tell Thomas, but he’s already climbing back in and pulling his door closed. The tiger whirls on our car and stalks toward it, but already, I can see the tranq starting to take effect. It really isn’t in good condition if the drugs are working so damn quickly. Fuck, I hope I haven’t just signed its death certificate. It circles our car, and I can hear it chuffing its annoyance, but it loses interest and goes back to the other car. There’s no way this woman is just a bystander. She had to have played some role in the tiger’s captivity for it to be so focused on her, which means we probably got here in the nick of time to save her life—whether she deserves it or not.
