Jaguar Hunt (26 page)

Tammy was excited about discovering the zoo cat in the warehouse if she was truly there, but still she worried that the building would be guarded, or someone might be there. No vehicles were parked out front. They'd left David's car on a side street two warehouses down and walked here. Her heart raced as David returned with the bolt cutters. The warehouse looked like any of the others. Maybe 20,000 square feet, three stories high, metal, except inside this one, they heard the whirring of motors.

She glanced at David. “Fans,” he confirmed.

He cut the padlock on the metal door with a snap. He shoved the door open with a grinding noise and closed it back up. In the dim glow of the outdoor security lights showing through dusty windows thirty feet above, she and David saw tons of crates stacked high. Huge fans blew inside the building, which wasn't usual for a warehouse that just housed normal merchandise. In the hot Texas weather, if something was alive in here, they'd have to cool the place off a bit.

A television was set up, a couch in front of it, and one popcorn machine, with recently popped popcorn. “My TV!” she exclaimed.

“How much do you want to bet that's the circus's new popcorn machine?” David said.

“Weaver's TV is probably in one of these crates.” She smelled the strong odor of cat urine to the south of them.
Jaguar
. It was fresh, too. “She's probably in there,” Tammy said, pointing to the large fenced-off area, the tops of the chain link visible beyond the tower of crates. They couldn't see the cat yet and Tammy hoped she was still there.

“Joe and Quinn have been here,” David said as they hurried to maneuver through the narrow aisles between crates and found the cat watching them from the top of a crate inside the fenced-in enclosure.

Tammy was elated. “Yeah, and a handful of other men—all human. I don't recognize anyone else's scent, though.” She hoped that Joe and Quinn were the only two in the organization that were bad cats this time around. Tammy smiled as she moved around to observe the cat's flank. “That's her, same spots as in the zoo picture.”

Whipping his phone out, David updated his boss to let him know they were at the correct location. “Yeah, Martin. We got her, and this is the right warehouse. The crates might be filled with stolen goods also. No sign of anyone, but Joe Storm and Quinn Singleterry's scents are strong here. Okay, hurry. The place was unguarded, but it doesn't mean we won't have trouble soon. Gotcha. Out here.”

David paused, frowned, and glanced at the closed door. “Someone's coming,” he warned.

She heard the footfalls also, growing closer to the warehouse door. David seized her hand and they sprinted away from the fenced-in jaguar and ducked behind some wooden crates. She had so hoped Martin's men would get here before anyone else did.

The door groaned open and shut again. Footfalls headed in their direction, one pair.

Maybe it was one of Martin's men. But wouldn't he call out and let them know who he was?

“Come on out, Tammy, David. We know you're in here,” Quinn said. “We saw your car parked at the warehouse down the street. We followed your scent all the way here. So I know you're here. What I don't know is how the hell you ever found the warehouse. It was a carefully guarded secret.”

Tammy knew he was listening for them, trying to discern where they were exactly. David was carefully removing his clothes, trying not to make a sound. Impossible when it came to his jeans zipper and a cat's enhanced hearing.

Quinn swore under his breath, his head turned in their direction. “You've got Olivia's phone, don't you? I looked everywhere for it.” He didn't say anything for a moment. “Ah, hell, don't tell me she documented evidence with that damned phone. How did you find it? Nearly gave Joe a heart attack when he got the call from her cell. Accused me of being a bastard, thinking I was taunting him, that I had her phone and evidence, or some damn thing.”

Engines grumbling, three eighteen-wheelers pulled up in the parking lot in front of the warehouse.

“Don't worry. Everything will be gone before any of this can be reported. I'll be gone. Joe, too. The missing circus cat. And you and Tammy. It's all my fault, really. Olivia was happily dating you, David. She got wind of Joe and my off-duty
investments
. She wanted in. But the only way she could join us was if she got rid of you.”

Tammy glanced at David. He just shook his head, like he hadn't a clue as he untied his boots. She couldn't help feeling bad that he'd been thrown over for money.

“She was trying to be really obvious that she wanted to end things with you, but I think she had a soft spot still for you. Joe said he could kill the romance. And he did. You arrive at her house to find him there, and voilà: he was into the business and you were out. What she didn't figure was that no matter how much she was part of the business, she wasn't going to be Joe's main squeeze. He just isn't geared that way. Somehow she got suspicious about Joe seeing other women. She blew a gasket and well, end of partnership.”

No one moved. She thought she heard a zipper being pulled down in Quinn's direction.

Quinn said, “You probably are wondering if I really wanted to work with you on looking for the cat, Tammy. I truly did. I didn't want David involved. See, if I could have gone with you to Belize instead, we could have had some good times. You would have met with some accident. Kids, too, but they were a lot cleverer than Joe and I thought they would be.”

She narrowed her eyes. Bastards.

Quinn let out his breath. “You know that Joe was aiming to shoot David, but he moved out of the way. Joe got a bead on one of the boys, and he disappeared into the trees. Then there you were. I was trying to maneuver so you'd get it, but you moved and I was afraid I'd be hit, so I leaped the only way I could, knocking you into the water, and took off before David came looking for you. Joe was pissed.” He paused. “It's time to end this now. The movers won't come in until we give the go-ahead. So let's get this done.”

She knew he couldn't see them any more than she and David could see Quinn. Was Joe with him? She didn't hear his footsteps, which meant he could be wearing his jaguar coat and making no sound, plodding alongside Quinn, silent. Unlike dogs' toenails that clicked on cement, cats kept their claws retracted unless they needed them. Then again, if he was here, he had to have come as a human and would need to remove his clothes here and shift.

David had already stripped off his clothes. He was getting ready to shift. Still, he couldn't win against two of them.

She reached for her shirt and started lifting it, but David grabbed her hand and shook his head, speaking in a hushed voice. “He's probably got a gun. You stay back here. I'll take care of this. Call it in.”

“But he said ‘we.' Joe's most likely here too. You can't take out two of them by yourself.”

“As a jaguar I can while they're in human form. Stay here.”

Tammy had just opened a line to her boss when a jaguar leaped on top of the crates. Startled, she screamed and dropped her phone. David shifted and jumped away before Quinn could pounce.

They were fighting on top of her phone, maybe even had stepped on it and disconnected the open line to her boss. She saw a glimpse of another jaguar and recognized him right away.

Her former boyfriend. Joe Storm. She started stripping.

He looked like he might even regret what he'd have to do. But she knew too much. At least he was giving her a chance to fight him when he could have just killed her.

The crashing of crates nearby made her heart skip a beat. Cats' claws scrabbled on the floor to get traction. As much as she wanted to look in David and Quinn's direction and see what was happening, she had to concentrate on the very real threat in front of her. She removed the remainder of her clothes and shifted.

Her heart was racing a hundred miles a minute. She couldn't win. He was too big. Too powerful. All she could think of was his killer fists. And in jaguar form? A jaguar's paw could kill with one strike. Adrenaline coursed through her blood. Mind over matter, she leaped at him.

They tangled, claws extended. They scratched with a vengeance, hissing, wicked canines bared. They swiped with their paws, only he got the best of her because his forearms were longer. He knocked her down against the cement floor. Her cheek was bleeding, the claw marks stinging and burning. He waited for her to scramble to her feet, to come at him again. It was as if they were in a workout, only he meant to allow her to fight him a little before he killed her.

She'd never last at this rate. She growled and jumped again, attempting to swipe him in the head with a powerful paw like he'd done to her, but because her forelegs were shorter than his, she had to get closer to him.

He wouldn't allow it and took another swing at her. Looking like a startled cat, she hissed and jumped straight in the air to avoid his powerful swing. She thought he looked surprised at her maneuver before she landed again on her feet. He leaped this time, as if he was tired of the game. Anticipating his move, she dodged out of his path. He missed her and slammed into a crate with a bang and growled.

She would have felt smug satisfaction if she wasn't trying to stay alive. She whipped around and bit his flank, hoping to impair his ability to fight. He roared and turned so quickly that she wasn't able to avoid his slashing swipe of a paw. His paw connected with her temple, knocking her down.

Lying against the crates on the cold concrete floor, she saw white sprinkles against blackness and knew she was done for.

***

David had fought Quinn before as a cat in practice sessions. He knew Quinn's strengths and weaknesses, but
Tammy
was David's weakness. He'd gotten in some hefty claw marks on Quinn's back and neck. When Joe attacked Tammy, David glanced in her direction and left himself open to attack.

He couldn't fight the two cats at once. He had to finish this with Quinn if he was to have any chance at saving Tammy from Joe.

Where the hell were David's fellow agents?

All teeth and claws, he fought Quinn like a jaguar who was demon-possessed, full of rage, human heartfelt emotion, and a feral big cat's need for survival and desire to protect his mate.

Quinn might also have known David's strengths and weaknesses, but he wasn't prepared for David's relentless, mauling attacks. David wouldn't let the cat catch his breath. Quinn tried to get in a swipe with his claws or a powerful swing. He attempted to bite back, but David was ruthless. Quinn had to die—now.

They'd been snarling and hissing and roaring so much that David hadn't heard the other cats' growls. Not until he bit Quinn in the back of the neck, killing him. Quinn dropped to the cement floor in a dead jaguar heap.

David quickly turned to protect Tammy. She was lying on the floor next to a stack of crates, not even twitching her tail. She looked dazed. Nearby, Joe was fighting a losing battle. Tammy had her own force of JAG agents in training taking care of Joe. The four boys—all in jaguar forms—ripped Joe to shreds.

His body hurting like hell, David loped over to Tammy and licked her cheek where she was pressed up against a crate on the cold concrete, her eyes open, watching the boys. Her gaze turned to David, but she wasn't getting up.

Fearing she was mortally wounded, he shifted and ran his hand over her body, looking for injuries. “Tammy?”

She closed her eyes.

“Don't close your eyes. Tell me what's wrong.” As if she could when she was in jaguar form. “I'll call for medical assistance.” David quickly got dressed and grabbed her cell phone off the floor. “Sylvan.” The line was still open. He rejoined Tammy, sat on the floor, and pulled her head into his lap.

She was breathing all right. Her heartbeat sounded okay, but he wondered if she had a concussion.

“David? What the hell happened? We've got men on the way,” Sylvan said.

Yeah, a little too late for that, David wanted to say. “Tammy's injured and needs medical attention. Appears to me she has a concussion.”

“On it.”

“Three eighteen-wheelers are here and the men waiting for word to enter the building. They need to be taken care of. We found the cat. A cleanup crew has to get here ASAP. Not sure how secure this place is. And we need the cat picked up. Someone should call Henry Thompson from the Oregon Zoo to let him know she's safe.”

Joe and Quinn were dead and had shifted into their human forms, unable to hold their jaguar forms in death. The boys were panting heavily as they stood nearby, bloodied, tails twitching slightly, watching David.

“Joe Storm's and Quinn Singleterry's bodies have to be collected. I need to call my boss.”

“You take care of Tammy until the medical crew gets there. Everyone's already on the way. Martin alerted me that they're on it. But I'll clue him in on what's happened since then.”

“Tell him the JAG has four new recruits who have already completed their first bona fide mission. Which means they need to be on the payroll for this.”

“You got it.”

They ended the call and David noticed Nate had curled up at Tammy's feet. David stroked Tammy's head and smiled a little at Nate.

“I need all of you to shift and dress and wait out of sight until help arrives. You can direct them in here when they get here,” David said, wanting Tammy to shift so he could dress her and talk with her before the medical personnel and anyone else arrived.

With backward glances at Tammy, the boys did as they were told. He heard them just beyond the crates hurrying to get dressed, talking to each other about what they could have done differently with better results.

“Nate, next time, duck when I swing. I thought for sure I'd killed you,” Alex said.

“Hell, yeah,” Nate said. “Me, too.”