Falke’s Captive

he’d give it an hour then make his escape.

He passed the time in the cage, just to make sure they didn’t return, and let his thoughts stray to Beth. A shame she’d turned out to be a scientist who studied wildlife. As much as he toyed with the idea of seeing her again, he knew that brief glimpse of her backside as she left would be his last. He stared at the bars surrounding him and at the lab equipment nearby while queasy sensations churned in his stomach—not from hunger so much as revulsion.

This could be his dreary future if he wasn’t more careful.

When he thought nightfall had come, he transformed into his human body, reached through the bars and unlatched the door. He slipped out of the cage, stretched, then moved to the side exit. It was locked, but luckily from the inside. When he cracked the door open and peered outside, he instantly knew where he was. Right behind the Bavarian Inn at the far end of the back parking lot. The same hotel he and Reidar had walked Beth to the other night. He closed the door and glanced around the mobile lab.

He pulled Beth’s lab coat from the hook and tried to put it on. Though tall, she didn’t have wide enough shoulders, and he couldn’t get it on. He glanced around for something else to cover his nudity, but saw nothing.

Okay then.

He looked back at the cage. No way could a wild puma reach through the bars as he had and open the door. He had to make his escape look plausible. With a groan, he crawled back into the cage, shut the hatch, and then thanking the heavens that she hadn’t used a padlock, kicked at the door until the slide bolt bent enough for him to jimmy it open. She might be stunned to think a cat could force its way out by breaking the latch, but that beat the alternative of opening it undamaged.

Free of the cage once more, he studied the trailer’s exits. The double doors were no good because their locking mechanisms were on the outside. But the single one on the side offered an opportunity for escape because it didn’t have a deadbolt, just a simple push-button lock on a brass lever handle.

Transforming into catamount form, he clawed at the door several times to leave obvious markings behind and then pawed the handle.

He felt a momentary twinge of guilt for not closing the door with all of the expensive-looking lab equipment inside, but a cougar wouldn’t push it shut behind him, so he left it as is and leaped down the steps, darting into the darkness beneath the trailer. Within moments he was off and running through the bushes, headed for home.

It didn’t take him long to cut across the woodland, down along the river’s bank, and away from town, savoring the sweet smell of pinesap and freedom. A few miles later, he arrived at the back of his fathers’ house, located on several dozen densely wooded acres. He was damn glad he and Reidar had chosen not to forego the private surroundings of their childhood home to move into town. A lone cougar traipsing through the streets of Leavenworth wasn’t something he wanted to be, even if the town’s council turned a blind eye to the Falkes’ family pet.

He leaped onto the second-floor balcony outside his bedroom, changed into human form and slipped into his room unseen. Something he’d done since he was old enough to take catamount form.

Sure, he knew his dads had that paternal sense when he’d snuck in or out as a youth, but as long as he didn’t get into too much trouble, they’d let it slide. Besides he wasn’t a teenager anymore.

Even so, today could have been a shit load of trouble. Thank God his captors hadn’t hauled him halfway across the state to experiment on him. He went straight through his room to the bathroom he shared with Reidar, flipped on the light and stared at the reflection of the red plastic tag in his ear.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered as he leaned closer to the mirror and moved his earlobe around to see the back. He’d need wire cutters to get the thing out.

“Kel, that you?” Reidar called just before the other door to the bathroom opened. “What the hell is that?”

Kelan narrowed his eyes at his brother’s reflection. “Thought I’d go wild and get my ear pierced.”

Reidar rolled his eyes. “Axel came by after dinner. Wanted to talk to you. Where you been?”

“Would you just go find me a pair of wire cutters…or something.”

Reidar shrugged. “Everyone seems to be in such a pissy mood today. Don’t rub it off on me.”

Kelan growled, and Reidar chuckled. “Be back in a minute. Then you can tell me what the hell that new fashion statement is all about.” He waved his hand toward Kelan’s ear. “And more importantly, bro, why you aren’t wearing a collar. You obviously snuck inside in catamount form.”

Kelan’s hand went to his neck. His gaze snapped back to his reflection. Sure enough, his collar was gone. Son of a bitch. His scowl darkened. How was he going to explain losing that?

Chapter Three

Drowsy, Beth stretched like a cat beneath the comfort of soft linens. Just five more minutes…

The phone rang loudly in her hotel room, startling her wide awake. Grumbling to herself, she rolled over to pick up the receiver and eyed the alarm clock’s red numerals. Tim better have a good reason for calling so early, especially after she set aside work to go to that theatre with him.

“Hello.” The word came out husky with sleep.

“Ms. Coldwell? This is the front desk. Sorry to wake you.”

“Yeah?” More awake with each heartbeat, she sat up and combed her fingers through her tangles.

“I regret to inform you that we believe your trailer has been broken into.”

“What?” She leaped from the bed and scrambled for her clothes, the phone still held to her ear.

“Tell me.”

“A staff member reported seeing the side door ajar when he came in. I know it’s early, but we thought you should know immediately.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll be right down.”

A short time later she stood inside the mobile lab, confused and ticked, but somewhat grateful. It didn’t appear to be a break-in but rather a breakout. The puma’s cage was damaged, its latch bent, and the hatch open. She should’ve realized the slide latch alone wouldn’t hold a full-grown mountain lion.

She knelt and fingered the grooves scratched into the trailer’s side door. You really wanted to be free, didn’t you, big fella?

Wrinkling her nose, she glanced back at the cage. The raw steak was left untouched and starting to make the trailer smell. After she cleaned that up, tossing it in a nearby garbage bin, she returned to survey the rest of the equipment.

Fortunately, nothing appeared to be missing, a clear silver lining to potential storm clouds. And those clouds grew darker the more she thought about it—a greater concern weighing on her mind, which was why she shooed away the well-meaning hotel worker who’d accompanied her out to the trailer, and why she declined to call the police.

There was a cougar on the loose, a pet that wouldn’t have the natural wariness of humans it should. She lifted its collar out of a drawer and thumbed the raised medallion. Not just roaming the woodlands close to a civilian population, the big cat was in town now…because of her. If it got hurt, or worse if it harmed anyone, she’d never forgive herself.

Adding to the nightmare, Professor Whitmore was scheduled to arrive sometime today.

She fisted the collar and stuffed it into her back pocket. She had to act fast. She didn’t know how long the big cat had been out, but cougars could cover a lot of ground. Hopefully it had fled to the shelter of the forest, but she had to be sure.

Grabbing her handheld tracking device and the tranquilizer gun, she left a quick note for Tim, closed up the lab and headed for the Jeep to begin her search for the elusive, troublesome feline.