Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run 6)

“Go call the place, I’ll stay here with him, keep him calm.”

“Fuck no.”

“Well, what do you want me to do with him?”

Zane stared. Both Ty and Barnum were looking at him with their heads cocked. He wasn’t even sure he was awake right now. “How tame is he?”

“I don’t know. Tame enough that he’d rather hug me than eat me right now, but I don’t f**king speak tiger.”

“Should we give him food so he won’t eat anybody?”

“Zane. Why are you asking me like I know what to do? Sure, go grab a brisket off the grill and we’ll see how he likes it.”

“Briskets aren’t cooked on a grill.”

“I’m standing next to a tiger, Zane!”

“I’ll go call the sanctuary.”

“Thank you.”

Zane took a careful step back, giving Barnum one last wary look before turning and calmly walking to the corner of the barn. He couldn’t run no matter how much he wanted to. He remembered what Tish had said about playing tag with a tiger.

He was halfway to the house when his father hurried up to him. “Have you seen Sadie?” Harrison demanded.

“What?”

“We called animal control to get their worthless asses out here and got people leaving for safety, but we can’t find Sadie!”

Zane went cold. He turned to look back at the barn.

If the tiger didn’t have the little girl, then who did?

Ty fought the urge to fidget. It wasn’t hard, what with Barnum leaning against his leg and demanding contact. He stroked Barnum’s cheek, one of the places Tish had told him was safe when handling the tigers. His heart was still racing. Tame circus tiger or not, he was still a f**king tiger and they were not in his enclosure anymore.

The seconds ticked by, and Ty imagined he could feel time expanding as he waited. What the f**k was taking Zane so long?

He looked down at Barnum, and the tiger peered up at him, tongue lolling, his golden eyes full of intelligence and trust. A chill ran down Ty’s body and he fought the resulting shiver.

“What’s the matter, big man?” Ty asked, maintaining a soothing tone. Barnum made a few chuffing noises, responding to his voice. Ty swallowed against the knot of nerves in his throat and began to sing. The first song that popped into his mind was one he used to sing during his Recon days: “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” It was slow and soothing and easy to remember the words to when trying not to panic.

Barnum hefted his body to stand and sniffed the air again. He took a few steps away, and Ty forgot about the song. Then Barnum prowled to the side, beginning to pace.

“Oh please don’t eat me,” Ty whispered.

Barnum rumbled in response, sniffing the air again. He glanced back at Ty in passing, then stalked off toward the darkness, heading away from the barn.

“Barnum,” Ty whispered. He clucked his tongue and made a few hissing noises, but who the hell was he kidding? If the tiger wanted to go, it was going to go. “Come on, buddy, don’t leave me. I’ll sing a different one,” he said as he followed after the big cat. “‘Eye of the Tiger’?”

But Barnum paid him no mind, slinking off into the night so quickly and quietly that Ty lost him in a matter of yards.

Ty peered into the darkness, his heart pounding hard. “Everyone’s a critic,” he grumbled as he backed away from the last spot he’d seen Barnum. It was just too dangerous to track the tiger in the dark, no matter how tame or friendly Barnum seemed to be. Ty needed to get to safety, and then warn the rest of the partygoers.

He continued to back away, turning once he no longer felt eyes tracking him. He made his way to the truck and climbed in, breathing a sigh of relief when he got the door closed behind him.

He found the keys under the brake pedal, where Zane often left them, and got the truck started. He drove right through the yard, not especially surprised to find that the party had dispersed. Harrison had probably taken that precaution and moved the guests inside or sent them home. The bonfire still blazed, sending ashes into the night sky. Torches were lit around the yard, marking the areas intended for the party and keeping bugs at bay. But there was no other sign of life.

Ty pushed down the creepy feeling and headed for the house, parking the truck right at the bottom of the steps. He had been chewed on by enough felines in his lifetime, thank you.

He hopped out of the truck and darted up the steps, then slung open the screen door and didn’t relax until it had clicked behind him.

A gun cocked near his ear, and the distinct barrel of a .45 pressed to his temple.

Ty froze.

“Grady?”

Ty risked a sideways look past the barrel of the gun and found Cody standing there.

Cody lowered the gun and smiled. “Sorry.”

Ty shook his head, growling but unable to produce a curse word appropriate for the moment. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Sadie’s gone missing.”

“What?” Ty asked, his heart sinking.

Cody nodded grimly. Ty noticed that he hadn’t put his gun away. “They think the tiger nabbed her.”

Ty looked from Cody to the gun. “So you thought I was a tiger?”

Cody shook his head. “Stuart said we got trouble in our own house. Can’t be too careful.”

“Where are the others?”

“I don’t know. Party broke up, everyone got scattered looking for Little Bit.”

Ty glanced around the quiet house, then back at Cody. “Come with me. I need you to drive me out to that pump house.”

Cody nodded and headed out onto the porch. Ty followed, glancing around the yard. The night was silent. No insects sang, no horses whinnied from the barns. None of the animals made a peep.

“Why are we headed back out there?” Cody asked.

“Whatever’s under that place, that’s what this is about. It’s not just stolen tigers. And I think whoever has Sadie might be headed there.”

Ty hopped down the steps. The crack of a gunshot tore through the night, and the impact thumped into Ty, stealing his breath and knocking him flat.

Somewhere in the darkness, Barnum the Bengal tiger roared.

Chapter 10

“I don’t get how she can just disappear!” Harrison sounded near panicked as they rounded the dark corner of the house and headed for the front yard again.

“She didn’t disappear, Dad, Mark’s got her! He’s running with her!”

Harrison grabbed Zane’s arm and whirled him around almost viciously. “You best be damn sure before you say that out loud again.”