Stars & Stripes

“Special Agent Grady, you have a real way with animals,” Tish said. “Look, he likes you!”



“Yeah, so did the last one,” Ty said under his breath. He reached out his hand, though, tentatively as if forcing himself, and pressed it to the fence with a shiver. The tiger rubbed his nose against Ty’s palm, trying to edge around so Ty would rub his ear. Ty stared at the tiger for a moment, but then pushed his fingers through the fence to scratch at the bottom of Barnum’s floppy ear. Barnum plopped down and threw his head back, basking in the attention. He started chuffing again, purring on every exhale.



Tish laughed and clapped her hands. “Usually it’s Bailey who makes friends. Barnum rarely warms so quickly.”



“Really,” Zane said, eyes on his partner.



“Yes. I’ve never seen Barnum react that way! Perhaps you could come back and spend some time with him. We love to give the animals human contact when we can.”



“Wrong tree to bark up,” Zane said, though he watched his lover with a fond smile.



Ty was scratching under Barnum’s chin, a half-smile on his face. He finally withdrew his fingers, and they moved on. Barnum followed them, eyes on Ty, making a variety of sounds, like he was trying to talk to them. When they passed the end of his enclosure, the tiger stood on his back feet and propped himself on the fence, grasping at the chain link as he watched them walk away. Ty glanced back at him, and Zane knew the look in his partner’s eyes. He had a feeling they might be back here after all.



“Go on,” Ty said to the tiger, waving a hand at it.



The tiger made a grunting sound and dropped back to all fours, then sat and watched them walk away.



When they reached the final pen, where Hansel and Gretel had been housed, Ty and Zane circled the exterior once, looking for any evidence of a break-in. But the hard-packed dirt was so full of footprints and wheel tracks it was impossible even for Ty to follow their story.



Zane shivered as a lion roared in the distance.



Ty knelt to examine the lock on the door. “It hasn’t been picked.”



Zane turned to Tish. “How many people have access to the keys to these cages?”



“Oh, every staff member and intern has a master key. In case of emergencies, of course.”



“Interns stay on the premises?”



“Yes.”



“How long are they here?” Ty asked.



“Six-month stints. Most of them go on to work at zoos. Some stay here.”



Ty dragged his fingers through the dirt, then stood. “What sort of preparation do they need for the internship?”



“Most are getting their Master’s degrees.”



“So, not an easy thing.”



“No.”



“When did this batch get here?”



“Last month. Why?”



Ty and Zane shared a look. That was when the problems had started.



“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.



“It won’t take but a few hours to ride out that way,” Harrison said. “We’ll take it easy.”



“I’m sorry.” Ty looked up from what remained of his food. “Did you say ‘ride’?”



Harrison nodded.



“On a horse?”



“What other kinds of things do you ride?” Zane asked.



Ty glared at him. He licked his lips, and Zane had to look away before his body could react any further.



Harrison either missed the double entendre, or he was ignoring it. “We’ll give you a trail horse, Ty, you’ll never know she’s there.”



“Great.”



“Well, I think Ty and I need to call it a night if we intend to ride tomorrow,” Zane said. He pulled his napkin out of his lap and set it on the table.



Harrison nodded between bites of mashed potatoes. “Meet here for breakfast,” he said.



“Don’t y’all want to go out with us tonight, Z?” Annie asked. Her eyes were shining like she knew Zane was counting the seconds before he could get Ty in bed. “Cody and Joe are coming, and I think Marissa and Jill said something about wanting to see you.”



Zane glanced to Ty, willing his partner to decline the invitation with something creative and convincing.



“Can I wear my hat?” Ty asked.



Zane rolled his eyes, smiling despite the wave of irritation. “Yeah, you can wear your damn hat.”



Zane looked a lot more relaxed now that they’d escaped the big house and his mother’s cutting commentary, but he still shot Ty an annoyed glance as he drove.



“You couldn’t have just said you wanted to be dragged back to the house and fucked, huh?”



“I didn’t know that was an option!”



Zane laughed and returned his attention to driving.



They idled as Mark got out and opened up the impressive gate, but they didn’t wait once they hit the main road. The truck following them stopped, and either Cody or Joe got out to close the gate before continuing on. They cruised with the windows down, the night air still warm and smelling of dirt and grass. It was a peaceful drive until Zane steered the truck into a gravel lot packed with vehicles.



Before them stood a large, two-story clapboard building lit with neon beer signs in every window. Strings of red chili pepper lights lined a porch crowded with tables and patrons. In the back lot, half visible from their parking spot, sat a handful of battered, vintage Airstream trailers of various sizes that gave the whole thing a very North Texas, you’re-about-to-be-abducted-by-aliens vibe. A banner hanging on the front of the building proclaimed half-price drinks for members of the armed services. A vintage porcelain sign near the road advertised cold beer and air conditioning.



Ty could see how that would be a commodity in Texas in the summer.



Zane found a parking spot, and when he turned off the engine, they could hear the music blaring out of the honky-tonk. Zane grinned. “This is more my speed.”



Ty looked out the window at the garish décor. “You and me both, darlin’.”



The flickering and flashing lights reflected in the mirrors and windows, splashing shards of color across Zane’s face. He pulled the keys out of the ignition, pocketing them before turning to dig behind the bench seat of the pickup. He leaned back with a sharp-looking black Stetson that he settled on his head.



Ty burst out laughing, clapped a hand over his mouth, and snorted loudly as he tried to stop himself. Zane just grinned and winked, obviously not surprised by Ty’s reaction.



“Oh, Jesus,” Ty mumbled behind his fingers. “I’m sorry, I still can’t get used to it.”



“It goes with the boots.”



Ty shook his head, hand still over his mouth. Zane glared at him. The hat settled well on his head and shaded his eyes from the light. “Watch it, Grady.”



“Or what, Sheriff? Showdown at high noon?” He lost his hold on his composure and laughed harder.



Zane grinned, lowering his head until the hat shaded his eyes. Ty had to admit, the man could pull off a cowboy hat. He chuckled and shook his head, reaching out to cock the hat and give Zane a more rakish air.



“Where’s yours?” Zane asked, still smiling from under the brim of the hat.



“I left it at the house.”