Can’t see anything around his rig, and it’s driving me nuts.
He stops as I slam on my brakes, throw the truck in park, and jump out.
Willow is ahead of Drake’s truck, and I run past him while he’s climbing out.
“There! Right there,” Willow whispers, pointing into the trees. “See the horses?”
“That’s them, all right. Edison and Edna,” I say with a nod.
Bella, Drake’s wife walks up beside us, along with Drake himself, carrying the long tranquilizer gun.
“See them?” Willow asks, again pointing into the copse of trees.
“Edison, Edna! Meet you at the barn,” Bella says with a whistle.
A horse nickers in reply.
My nerves are just about shot to tatters.
“Careful. We don’t want Bruce to hear,” I tell Willow. “He could be stalking them.”
“I doubt it,” she says, shaking her head. “He’s not hungry, he ate his dinner, so as long as he’s not cornered...he’s not going to treat them like prey.”
“Lady, you’d better be right,” Bella tells her with a wink.
I hope like hell she is too.
For everyone’s sake.
Sure, he’s practically her pet, but I also know he’s a wild beast with instincts that aren’t like any farm animal, much less a house cat.
I keep those thoughts to myself as Bella whistles again.
The horse nickers louder.
“The hell? Why isn’t he coming?” Drake asks his wife. “He always listens to that command.”
“I don’t know, but it’s almost like...he wants me to come to him,” she answers, unsure.
Drake grabs her arm and flings her to his chest.
“Not on your life. I’ll go,” he says.
Bella looks at him with a look that says try and stop me. If it weren’t so damn serious, I’d be laughing. Sometimes I think Drake’s still learning what he’s in for by wifing up an oil mogul’s adventurous granddaughter.
Willow climbs off the four-wheeler and I grab her arm in a flash before she can get ahead of me.
She flashes me an oh, really? look just like the one Drake received.
Without another option, we flank the women as all four of us approach the trees. It’s not too far before we can make out both horses in the dark.
They’re standing underneath a huge oak tree with vast coiling branches that hide the small amount of moonlight exposed by the drifting clouds.
“Hold up,” Drake says, shining his flashlight at the horses and then lashing it around them.
I’m doing the same with my light, wondering if Bruce is somewhere close, crouched down in the grasses.
Maybe that’s why the horses are scared to move, knowing he’ll pounce if they do.
I can’t make out any green-gold eyes in the dark, no movement, nothing that looks out of place.
“Edison,” Bella calls softly. “Meet you at the barn!”
The horse tosses his head and stomps the dirt but doesn’t take a single step away from his post.
Weird.
“Damn, that’s odd. He’s never failed to do it,” Drake says.
Willow reaches over. “Can I see that flashlight for a sec?”
I hand it to her and follow as she moves forward, shining the light up into the trees.
For a second, there’s just a tangle of darkness, crisscrossed limbs and gnarled branches barely illuminated.
Then I see it. The black blur, a large spot blocking the light that shouldn’t be there.
Holy fucking hell.
“That is you,” she hisses, almost in awe.
I zero in on where she’s shining the light and barely make out a long, thick rope hanging down.
No, more like...a tail.
Bella and Drake gasp, rubbing at their eyes in disbelief.
“Fuck, Grady. Is that...”
“Yeah, Drake. Found him,” I whisper.
“Well, I’m not climbing up there to get you!” Willow says matter-of-factly into the darkness. “You’re just gonna have to find your own way down, Brucey.”
Bella moves to her other side, reaching out to rub Edison’s nose. “Mission accomplished, Einstein. Thanks a million. Now time for you to get in the trailer with Edna. There’ll be a whole box of candy canes for you guys tonight.”
Edison nickers, tossing his head like he knows what he deserves. Then he nudges the other horse. They barely pause as they walk past us, heading for the trailer.
“Shit, now how the hell are we going to make that cat cooperate?” Drake asks, chuckling. “Don’t think the candy cane trick will work on him.”
“Damned if I know,” I admit.
We can’t just hit him with a dart, either. He’s hundreds of pounds, and even if he’s not up that high, he might crash down and break a few bones if he passes out.
Willow walks closer to the tree, up to the place where the horses were. I join her.
Bruce is now directly above us, laid out along the branch like a house cat waiting for the fire department to come charging to the rescue. At which point he’d climb higher, of course.
Dammit, I hope that tiger doesn’t go higher.
“So what now?” I ask. “Any ideas?”
“We go help them load up the horses, then I say we pull your truck and trailer as close together as possible,” Willow replies. “He’ll have an easier time jumping, and I’ll make him get in the trailer.”
“How’re you gonna pull that off? We should’ve brought some meat,” I grind out.
“Oh, I’ll think of something.”
Seeing how she’s been right about everything else, I’d be a fool not to trust her.
Edison and Edna clop into Drake’s trailer with barely any encouragement. I pull my truck past his, turn it around, and then back up as close to the trees as possible.
Once the gate opens and I’m standing outside again, I ask, “What now?”
“Get in the truck.”
“Come again?”
“Get in the truck, Grady!” She smiles. “And make sure Drake and Bella don’t get out of theirs.”
“Why? What the hell are you thinkin’?”
“Just get in the truck and trust me.”
I shake my head, refusing to leave her out here alone with a scared tiger.
“Remember when he heard me scream earlier?” she asks. “Unless you want to get ripped to pieces...get in the truck, now.”
Oh.
Oh, mama, let’s fucking go!
Grinning ear to ear, I walk to the driver’s door and climb in, but I keep one hand on the handle and my eyes on the mirror where I can see her.
Taking a huge breath, Willow lets out an earsplitting scream.
My heart leaps into my throat.
The instant sharp crack! of a tree branch braises the air.
Bruce lands on the ground a second later, crouched low and looking around with blazing gold eyes.
Willow says his name and talks to him quietly, softly as he flicks his tail.
Very slowly, he moves closer, looking at her and then swinging his head left and right. She keeps talking till he follows, leading him to the ramp and the trailer one step at a time.
I leap out and run back, help her lift the door, and secure it as fast as my fingers can move.
“Fuck me. If I hadn’t just seen that, I never would’ve believed it,” Drake says, standing at my side, letting out a whistle.