He climbed onto the bed of the truck and sat next to the cage.
“What are you doing?” the other man asked.
“I’m going to give the cat a pep talk.” Bettinger’s grin was as evil as they come.
Chapter 27
Martin came through for them. The license-plate number George had given to Wade belonged to Gunther Jaemison, Candy’s brother. A rural address was listed on a farm road two hours north of where George had put Maya in the trunk of a car, but Wade and David were now only ten minutes from it.
David was driving forty miles over the posted speed limit. Wade had texted the information to Everett, who texted back that they would arrive about fifteen minutes after Wade did.
Then Wade let Connor know what was up.
“I want him dead, Wade.”
“You don’t have to tell me. Bettinger won’t live once I get hold of him.”
George flinched next to Wade in the backseat. George was the only reason they had a lead to where the ranch was. As long as the rest of his story checked out, he was good to go, with a warning.
Wade wasn’t about to let him off the hook yet, though. George had endangered Maya’s life, and she could still die. He would put George’s offer to help them to the test, no matter the sacrifice, if it meant saving Maya.
“What are you going to do?” Connor asked.
“Shift as soon as we get there. I’ve got to locate Maya. From what Candy told George, they’re moving up the hunt to this morning. If they release her, no telling where she’s going to be. I’ve got to try and locate her, and I can’t do that running as a human.”
“What is your brother going to do? Our cousins? Where are they?”
“My brother will direct operations at the ranch. He’ll coordinate with your cousins to make an arrest of all the people at the ranch who are supposed to be watching the videotaping of the hunt. David and our other men will pose as federal agents.”
“And that bastard who’s with you?”
“George?” Wade glanced at him. “It’s his choice. The ones waiting at the ranch are all hunters. More hunters will be in the woods. I’ll let him decide where he thinks he can be of more use.” Though if Wade didn’t agree with him, he was calling the shots.
George’s jaw tightened. “Tell Maya’s brother I’ll be with you. But I won’t be looking for Maya. That’s your job. I’m going after some hunters.”
Wade smiled at him. “Got that, Connor? Two male cats and Maya. They’ll only be expecting the two females.”
George shook his head. “Bettinger said there would be another male cat to hunt.”
Wade pondered that, then said to Connor, “Make that another male cat also. I don’t know if Bettinger is counting on me, thinking that I might arrive to help Maya or…”
“Bettinger is planning on hunting Maya in his jaguar form,” David said.
Wade swore under his breath. “Okay, I think David might be right. Bettinger’s going after Maya—as a jaguar.”
Bettinger smiled at Maya as he peered through the mesh of her tiny cage. The truck bounced them over the rough ground. “You wonder why Gunther looks the way he does? Limps, too?”
She already half expected that she knew the answer.
“Gunther worked at a zoo one summer. He liked the big growly cats best. He thought he could look into their eyes and be their master. Cats don’t work that way. But… he didn’t know any better. He liked to stir ’em up. Make ’em growl. Make ’em restless. Prove he was in charge while they were caged. He thought the jaguar was sleeping when he entered his cage. The cat might have been, but as soon as he smelled Gunther’s scent, the cat roared to life. Territorial, he lunged at Gunther.”
Maya shook her head.
“He was lucky he lived. His sister nursed him back to health. You met her at the club. Candy?”
Maya growled low.
Bettinger chuckled. “Gunther was really angry that the zoo didn’t kill the cat that had attacked him. But they wouldn’t. Said he was in the wrong. Made him pay for his own hospital bills, which were considerable. Fired him from his job. And he couldn’t get another. So now Gunther gets back at the jaguars. And Candy’s happy to help him. He makes a great profit and shares a percentage with her. Believe me, he is truly terrified of big cats. As he should be. But he loves the thrill of the hunt.”
The truck stopped and Maya’s heart nearly stopped with it.
“We’re here. Didn’t take long, did it? Remember what I said. Fend for yourself. The other cat won’t care anything about your fate.”
She wondered how he was going to release her from the cage without worrying that she would attack him.
An ATV pulled up with Gunther driving. “You said you’d have a male cat. Where is it?”
“It’s coming.”
“Damn you,” Gunther said. “He’s supposed to be here as soon as you release the other female. You said you’d have the other one.”
Bettinger spoke softly to Maya. “You have a sporting chance to run wild for a while. If you try to kill us, I’ll shoot you. Drug you, then you won’t have a prayer. Have we got a deal?”
She didn’t make deals with the devil.
He cast her an elusive smile. “Okay, boss, I’m releasing her,” he said to Gunther.
“You’re a fool if you think she won’t kill you,” Gunther said, but he had his camera out and was ready to tape the kill.
Bettinger tried to act cocky, but Maya saw he was sweating. He jerked the cage door open while standing well out of her way. She could attack him and then attempt to attack Gunther. But the man in the pickup truck was still a threat. If she attacked Bettinger, she worried that Gunther would grab the rifle on the seat and forget taping the kill, shooting her instead.
She leaped off the bed of the truck and ran for the forest. Once she was there, she watched to see what was going to happen next. She still planned to kill both of the men if they gave her the opportunity.
The truck headed back to the ranch house. Good. One less gun to worry about.
Bettinger stalked toward the ATV. “Okay, the male cat’s coming.”
Gunther stepped out of the ATV and struck Bettinger in the head with the cane, his face red with rage. “You said he’d be here
Maya closed her gaping mouth. She didn’t think Bettinger would take that kind of abuse from a human.
She was right. He started yanking off his clothes.
“What the hell are you doing?” Gunther said, sounding shocked.
“What…?” Gunther said.
“Never strike a jaguar,” Bettinger said. He was naked now, shaking with rage, right before he shifted. “Here’s the male cat.”
Bettinger turned in a flash into a golden jaguar.
“Holy…” Gunther dropped his cane and the camera, and stumbled backward toward the ATV.
Maya watched the jaguar knock the man unconscious. Instead of killing him with a bite, Bettinger dragged Gunther into the nearby lake and drowned him.
Heart pounding, Maya ran away from the lake through the woods. Bettinger would find her soon enough, tracking her scent, but if she could delay him long enough, maybe someone would have time to come to her
