Falke’s Captive

last night.

“I suppose you removed the ear tag too?”

Sindre and Torsten snickered but sobered when Axel scowled at them. Feeling uncomfortable, Reidar nodded to Beth.

“I’m sure there’s some kind of law against that,” she said, her frown out in full force.

“And I’m sure there’s some rule against tagging family pets,” he countered with a smirk, “so let’s call it even.”

She cast a worried glance at the cat, which hadn’t moved from his spot on the counter. “You just let it roam free in the store? Around town?”

“In the store, yes. Around town, he has to be on a leash just like any other animal taken for a walk.”

Her tone softened. “Do you have any idea how inherently dangerous that is? How liable you are

—” Falke yawned, and Reidar fought to keep his expression sober. Hers was an argument as old as every person present, older really, but the villagers had been conditioned to accept the Falke family quirk for generations. Their “pet” had become somewhat of an unofficial town mascot, and the cat was rarely if ever the one who actually caused trouble.

“Falke’s been welcome in Leavenworth longer than you, Ms. Coldwell,” Axel said, his tone harsh. “If you wish to continue your research, I suggest you do it someplace else—”

“Ax…” Reidar began, but stopped when he got the look.

“And not on anyone under my protection.”

“Protection?” She glared at Axel. “I’m not a villain, mister. I’m trying to help, and I thought—”

“The name’s Axel Falke, and I’m sure you think you’re helping, but shooting a firearm of any kind inside my store is not in the wild.” He took the pistol from Dakota, checked to ensure it was unloaded, and handed it back to Beth. “I won’t press charges… this time. But I strongly suggest you determine whether the next animal you sight in on is wearing a collar before you fire. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” he finished pointedly, “I have a brother who needs medical attention.”

She seemed to want to counter but apparently thought better of it. Her lips thinned into a hard line then softened when she glanced at Kelan who lay unconscious on the floor, Heidi attending to him. Slowly, Beth raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing her lips. Reidar fought an urge to wrap her in his arms, console her until the furrow in her brow vanished.

But Axel was right. She’d fired at Falke not once, but twice, and both times the cat had been collared. He didn’t really know Beth, didn’t know what her scientific research entailed, but he knew enough of recent events to know now she was too dangerous to welcome further contact.

“Tell him, I’m sorry. Please?” she all but whispered to him.

“I will.”

She blinked, looked around, her gaze settling on Axel. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you,” she said, her back ramrod straight. She stashed the dart gun in her deep purse then dug around in it and produced a business card, which she handed to Reidar. “I don’t anticipate there being any, but please send any related medical bills to me at that address. I only used a mild sedative. A man his size should awaken within the hour, two at the latest. Goodbye.”

Heidi, bless her heart, didn’t give Axel time to build up steam by waiting for Beth to exit the building before she took command of the situation. “Sindre, Torsten, help me get Kel upstairs to your apartment. He needs to be in a bed, not on the hard floor. Reidar…”

“Yes, ma’am?” he quipped, his lips pressing tight against a grin.

She lowered her voice. “Go to my truck and get my vet satchel out of the cab.” She continued telepathically. If she implanted a GPS microchip on him, which is the only explanation for how she tracked him here, I need to find it and get it out, now.

Beth exited the store with as much decorum as she could muster, but the moment she slid into the driver’s seat of her Jeep, her shoulders slumped, and she gripped the steering wheel. “Damn.” Who did these people think they were? A mountain lion was not a house pet.

She glanced at the awning over the store. Catamount Outfitters. She snorted. It’d almost be cute, if the situation wasn’t so dire. Did these people not watch the news? Read the papers? Wild cats were just that…wild. The same as a wolf, or a bear, or any other creature meant to roam the forests. They could be captured and trained but were still wild deep down, and one little thing—a child’s cry, a grown human making a wrong move— and that was all it’d take for disaster to strike. They’d attack, maim and possibly kill.

And those men thought putting that cat on a leash would help? A full-grown puma had the strength of ten men when agitated.

Besides, if they loved the big fur ball, why didn’t they set it free? Couldn’t they understand that such majestic creatures should be free to roam the woodlands? Not cooped up in some damn store as a publicity stunt.

Shaking her head, she started her vehicle and backed out of the space. She drove through the small town to the end of the tourist district, then headed back to the Bavarian Inn, with her thoughts churning over what had just happened.

Of all the bad luck. She’d shot the sexy hunk in front of his family and ruined all chances of there ever being anything between them, or between her and his brother. She was embarrassed and frustrated and…

“Damn it!”

Little point in staying in Leavenworth now. Maybe they should move on and start in Wenatchee as she’d originally planned.

It didn’t take her long to drive back to the hotel. Tim was pacing, a cell phone in hand, until he looked up and saw her return. He pocketed the phone and waited with a frown on his face for her to park her Jeep next to the mobile lab.

“What the hell happened in there?” Tim asked as he opened her door. “And where’ve you been?

Professor Whitmore called to say he’ll be arriving tomorrow morning. Something last minute came up. He tried to call you too.”

Thank God for small favors.

“Sorry. Phone’s on vibe in my purse. I didn’t hear it. Didn’t you get my note?” She grabbed her purse and got out of the Jeep, slamming the door behind her.

“Yes, but ‘Cat got out. Be right back,’ isn’t exactly the kind of message that sets one’s mind at ease.”

“Sorry, but I was sort of in a hurry. The cat escaped last night. And I tracked it down.”

“You did what?”

She ignored the increased volume of his outburst. “I’m fine, as you can see, and I was right. It’s a pet. A bunch of brothers own him and keep him untethered, roaming loose inside a sporting goods store. Right in the middle of town.” She marched up the steps into the lab and flopped down in her chair. Then she rubbed her forehead and sighed. “They’re mad, the lot of them.”

“It’ll be okay.” Tim came up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders in what she assumed was a friendly gesture, but when they began to slide down her arms, she shrugged him off. His touch was a little too friendly for her peace of mind.

“I need you to get some supplies.” She swiveled her chair so she faced him. “With the professor arriving first thing tomorrow, we need to work fast.”

“Sure. What?”

“I need you to find a hardware store to get a new side door for the trailer.”

“Why?”

Because I don’t want to have to answer the professor’s questions about claw marks on the damn door of a mobile lab we don’t own. She clenched her teeth and forced herself to breathe. “Actually, you know what? I’ll do that.”

“No, I can go get it. What else?”

“All right. Make sure the new door has a deadbolt built in. This flimsy doorknob lock obviously isn’t very effective, and we’ve got a lot of expensive equipment in here.” She waved her hand at the door. “Oh, and get