Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run #6)(37)
Author: Abigail Roux

“We’re going to need a list of all your employees,” Ty said. “Especially the interns.”

Tish pressed her hand to her chest. “You don’t think someone who worked here would do this, do you?”

“Anything’s possible,” Zane said. At this point, even she was a suspect.

Ty peered off toward the east. “How far are we from the perimeter?”

“Oh, roughly half a mile. We try to pad the cages with some acreage, just in case.”

Ty smiled gamely and nodded.

“What are these numbers at the bottom of all the plaques?” Annie asked, pointing at the plaque for Hansel and Gretel.

“Those are the costs of keeping them healthy and happy. The first number is monthly, the second yearly, and the last is a lifetime estimate based on a twenty-year lifespan. We rely heavily on donations. You can even adopt one of the animals to ensure it’s taken care of.”

“Admirable,” Zane said. He watched his sister, who was not only a veterinarian but also an animal activist. She was heavily involved with the local humane societies, and her home was full of adopted strays.

“I’d love some information on your programs,” Annie said as she and Tish headed back toward the main facility.

Mark followed them, shaking his head.

Ty stood next to Zane, looking around with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“I just . . . if I’m busting in here to catnap two tigers, I’m going to be prepared, you know?”

“Of course.”

“Plaques say these two tigers topped out over four-hundred pounds each. And you know they had to be tranquilized. They’re not just going to waltz out of here on a leash.”

Zane sighed. “We’ll get the details on all the tranquilizers in the facility. Stuff like that is heavily monitored. If any is missing, it’s a solid lead. And if there’s not any missing, we might be able to canvas the local vets and suppliers.”

Ty made a clicking sound with his tongue, his hands on his hips as he watched the others walk off. “And we’ll track down any SUVs or trucks the facility has on site. We also need to locate every key in the place and vet all the employees.”

“We have absolutely no jurisdiction here,” Zane warned. “If anyone kicks up a fuss, we’re done.”

Ty nodded. “We’ll cross that cattle guard when we get there,” he said, then headed off after the others.

“You’ll have to ride a horse to do it.”

“Shut up.”

Zane hung back, watching his partner go. Something about the way Ty moved—the roll of his shoulders, his easy gait—had always reminded him of a large cat in the wild. Ty fit in here more than he’d probably want to admit. Zane smiled and hurried to catch up.

When they walked past Barnum and Bailey’s cage, Barnum shadowed Ty the entire way. Ty let his fingers slide against the chain link, stopping to rub the tiger’s ear as he went. Barnum chuffed and threw his heavy body against the fence.

Zane smirked. Either Ty was taking a page out of Deuce’s book and trying some exposure therapy, or he had just fallen hard for a tiger.

Chapter 6

“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with tigers,” Beverly said as they sat around the dinner table. “And I certainly don’t understand why Mr. Grady needs to be here to offer wild theories.”

“Mother . . .” Zane scowled. He’d known she’d be rude, but he hadn’t expected it to embarrass him. He met Ty’s eyes, and Ty smiled and winked at him.

“Mother, you should have come with us today,” Annie said. “The sanctuary is beautiful. And Ty and Zane were like real FBI agents, flashing their badges and asking questions.”

“We are real FBI agents,” Zane told her with a smirk.

“You say potato . . .”

Zane rolled his eyes.

“So, two of their tigers are missing,” Harrison said as he cut into his steak. “And you think what I saw was someone stealing them.”

“Yes, sir,” Ty and Zane said in unison.

“Huh.”

“Ridiculous,” Beverly hissed.

Zane met Ty’s eyes across the table. It was an odd theory, but well within the realm of possibility. Exotic animals were a big trade.

Ty nodded and gave Zane another smile. He seemed to have sensed that Zane was uncomfortable and embarrassed, and he kept trying to reassure him. He held Zane’s gaze for another few seconds, then looked down at his own plate. The cut of steak he’d been given was at least twenty-four ounces. It filled almost his entire plate.

Ty pointed his knife at it. “You Texans really take your steak seriously, huh?”

Everyone at the table stopped eating to stare at him. He glanced around and cleared his throat, smiling that self-conscious half-smile that made Zane want to do unseemly things to him.

Ty poked his steak with his knife. “Did this one have a name, or . . . ?”

“Ty, shut up and eat your steak,” Zane said with a smirk.

Ty nodded and started in on it. After their initial burst of conversational effort, they ate the majority of the meal in silence. It wasn’t a comfortable one like the dinners in West Virginia.

When most of their plates were empty, Mark put down his fork and asked, “So, what do we do?”

“About what?” Zane asked through a mouthful of food.

“About the cat thing. How do we handle it?”

“Well, we could take it to the local authorities.” Ty shook his head, so Zane added, “But they’ll probably laugh at us at this point.”

“We need more,” Ty agreed. “I’d like to go out to the spot and look around, see if we can get something solid. Check the ground for cave entrances.”

Zane nodded.

“What do cave entrances have to do with tigers?” Mark asked.

“Not a damn thing.”

Mark raised an eyebrow at Ty.

“We’ll gather the boys and head out there tomorrow,” Harrison said.

Beverly’s fork clattered to her plate. “Harrison, I forbid all of you to go rampaging over the ranch, wasting time that should be spent in more lucrative endeavors.”

“Rein it in, Beverly,” Harrison said, calm as ever. He didn’t even look up, just kept eating.

Beverly inhaled noisily and glanced at Ty as if it was all somehow his fault. Ty either didn’t see it, or he ignored it. The urge to defend his lover was getting stronger, but Zane pushed it down.