Jaguar Hunt

  She fought the current pulling her toward the next waterfall. She struggled to keep her head above the foaming water and reach the shore as the roar of the waterfall grew louder the closer she got.

  Chapter 15

  Shots fired. One pop! Two! Hell and damnation. Where was Tammy? They should have met each other by now.

  In a near panic, David roared for her as he raced in her direction, but she didn’t respond. He roared again. Still no response. Fearing she’d been shot, he continued to search for her until he found the last scent of her at the river’s edge. And Quinn Singleterry’s scent, too. What the hell was going on?

  David circled around and checked the trees, but she hadn’t moved anywhere around here. He couldn’t find Quinn’s scent either. Had he gone into the river?

  David turned to look at the swiftly flowing river. She had to have fallen into the water.

  He roared again and took off running downriver, diving through underbrush, trying to spy any sign of a jaguar bobbing up and down in the turbulent water as the full moon shown on the white caps. No sign of her. He called to her again. He hurried off in search of her, hoping the boys might have heard his calls and help with the search, but they hadn’t responded, either.

  He prayed they were just out of his range and that no harm had come to them. Frustrated with his lack of speed on the shoreline, he feared she was moving more swiftly downriver because of the pull of the water. He squinted his eyes and thought he saw something way up ahead in the water nearing the waterfall, and he roared. He lunged forward again. If what he saw was Tammy, he had to reach her before she went over the falls and hit the rocks below.

  ***

  Tammy barely could keep her head above water, choking on it, getting a snootful of it and having to sneeze, which forced her muzzle into the water again for another bout. She was a strong swimmer, like all jaguars, but the water going down the wrong way was hindering her. She needed to get out of the water, run back upstream to where she’d been when she was knocked into the river, and let David know what had happened to her.

  He was sure to be frantic when he didn’t come across her on the riverbank like he should have. Over the roar of the water, she heard David calling out to her. She tried to roar back but she swallowed another mouthful of water. Damn it.

  Coughing, choking, and sneezing, she got another nose full of water. She felt like she was drowning as she persisted in swimming toward the shore. Her cat paw pads finally touched the slippery moss-covered stones beneath the water. She scrambled for purchase and dragged herself onto the rocky bank. Trying to catch her breath, she sneezed again and again, and coughed up more water. When she felt she could breathe in and breathe out normally, she roared to let David know where she was and that she was safe.

  David answered her, growing closer as he ran in her direction. Feeling relieved, she shook off some of the excess water, coughed and sneezed again, and then raced to join him. She climbed the steeper rocky areas with a leap and a bound, until she smelled him on the breeze coming off the water and swirling downstream.

  His scent grew stronger until she was practically on top of him, his eyes glowing green in the moonlight. God, she loved seeing him. He looked so endearing—his overprotective he-cat expression mixed with a look of unguarded anxiety.

  They greeted each other nose to nose at first, whiskers brushing gently, caressing. Assuring each other they were okay. But he quickly nudged at her wet neck, a question in his action, wondering why she’d decided to go for a swim, no doubt. She licked his muzzle and was ready to return to the bungalow, but he wasn’t leaving. Instead, he checked her over from head to tail, making sure she hadn’t been injured. When he seemed content that she was all right, he nudged at her to return.

  Appreciating his concern, she ran back with him, still trying to detect any smells that would indicate who else might be out here. The cat who had knocked her into the river had been big and had to have been male, since he’d been much bulkier and heavier than her, but she hadn’t had time to smell his scent before she plunged under the water and had to come up for air. His scent on her had washed away in the water. Had it been Quinn?

  She couldn’t believe the guy was in on all this. She had always assumed that he thought all jaguar-shifter females were put on this earth to swoon at his feet with adoration, nothing really criminal.

  When they reached the backside of their bungalow, she leaped on top of the wall surrounding the shower and jumped down. Her fur had long since dried. David landed beside her and again nuzzled her in a way that told her he’d worried about her. Had he seen what had happened to her?

  Before she had the chance, he shifted and unlocked the door to their bedroom using the key hidden inside one of the potted plants. “What the hell happened out there?” he asked.

  She ran inside and shifted. “Did you smell Quinn Singleterry’s scent where you were?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  From the feral look on David’s face, she assumed he thought Quinn had knocked her into the river.

  She pulled on a T-shirt and panties. She was worn-out and past ready to go to bed. “I’m all right.”

  “Hell, Tammy,” David said and approached her, still looking a bit shell-shocked. He pulled her into his heated—very naked—embrace. She wondered if he always acted this way when he learned a fellow agent had become a rogue. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  Frowning, she looked up at him. “If you smelled Quinn where I’d been knocked into the river, it must have been him.”

  “What?”

  David hadn’t known? What had he thought happened?

  “A male cat slammed into me, shoving me into the river. I didn’t catch his scent at the time, but I had earlier.”

  “I heard two gunshots fired.”

  Now it was her turn to look shocked. “Are you serious?” She knew he was, but she just couldn’t believe it.

  “Yeah. When I reached where you had been, I couldn’t find your scent trail and was certain you fell into the water—after you’d been shot. Twice. I roared and roared, trying to get you to respond as I headed downriver. You didn’t call back.”

  “I…I didn’t hear anything at first. I was underwater for a few minutes, trying to get to my feet and paddle. Coughing, choking, and sneezing after that.”

  “Did Quinn end up in the river with you?”

  “Not that I saw. He might have. I was concentrating on returning to shore. I assumed whoever did it shoved me in and took off. I’m not sure what his purpose was. He couldn’t have drowned me unless I ended up going over the waterfall and slammed into some rocks down below and knocked myself out. I didn’t have a lot of time to look around to see if anyone else was in the water with me.”

  “I don’t know what to believe. Had he tried to save your life by protecting you from the gunman?”

  “Maybe. We should call this in.”

  David cupped her face and took a deep breath. “I thought I’d lost you. Twice now. Your brothers and mine would kill me.” Without any warning, he kissed her.

  He wasn’t working up from sweet to something hotter, just kissing her—lips to lips, tongues entwined, hands in her hair—and holding her close, lost in the moment.

  She loved the way he was so tender and passionate at the same time, wanting so much more. Not that she should even entertain such a notion.

  She kissed him with just as much exuberance, enjoying the feel of his warm, sexy mouth against hers, the caress of his hands on her cheeks, as she stroked his bare back with as much tenderness. She knew she should pull away and remind him they needed to let their bosses know what was going on.

  After one more kiss.

  David had nearly had a seizure when he’d heard gunshots fired. He knew Tammy had been in that vicinity, and he couldn’t get to her fast enough.

  Two thoughts had run through his mind. The sho
oter was a jaguar shifter and could see in the dark. Or he was a human wearing night-vision goggles. Had he meant to shoot her? Or just any big cat he might get a bead on? The cable-snapping incident and now this were too much of a coincidence.

  David pulled her close and hugged her tight. He reminded himself that he was solely on a mission, that Tammy was a fellow agent and his brother’s wife’s cousin. Which meant his goal in holding her close was to reassure her—and himself—that everything was all right.

  She smelled so heavenly, felt so soft in his arms, and kissed like an angel and a siren in one. Maybe once they were done with this mission, she really would consider dating him, despite what her brother said about her preferring humans. She’d already agreed to going with him to dinner and the theater. Maybe a trip to a pool, beach, lake, or something where he could enjoy the sun with the she-cat, too.

  All he wanted to do right now was kiss her and hold her tight. His cell phone rang. Damn!

  She quickly pulled free. “We’ve got reception. See if it’s Martin. I’ll grab my phone and see if I can get through to my boss.”

  Whoever it was, David wanted to kill him for the interruption. He got his phone and saw it was his brother, which more than surprised him, though he still couldn’t tamp down his irritation. “Wade?”

  “Martin called me and said that things might get a little hot for you. Any leads on who the bad agents are? We’ve been trying to come up with possibilities.”

  “Tammy smelled Quinn Singleterry in the area.”

  “What did Martin say? Did he send him down there to sniff around and help out?”

  “Not that Martin said. You know he’s pretty thorough. We just got back from searching the area.” David explained about the gunshots fired and the jaguar pushing Tammy into the river.

  Silence.

  “You still there, Wade?”

  “Damn it. What the hell’s going on?”

  “We don’t know. The kids said they stole the jaguar from the Wilde & Woolly Maximus Three-Ring Circus that had stolen the cat from the Oregon Zoo. When the boys tried to hand the cat over to an agent, he turned out dirty and returned the jaguar to the circus. Not only that, but the agent used my name.”

  “Hell. Has to be someone we know, then. I’d come to help you both out in a heartbeat, but Martin’s got me on another case. And Tammy’s brothers are on an operation right now in Costa Rica.”

  “I know. We’re okay.” At least David hoped so. “We’re not certain the shooter was aiming for Tammy. He might have been a hunter.”

  Tammy motioned to David that she had news. “Got to go, Wade. Will let you know what else we discover when I can.”

  “Keep her safe.”

  “I’m doing my damnedest. Out here.” David said to Tammy, “What have you got?”

  “I got hold of my boss. Sylvan says neither Weaver nor Krustan are down here on an assignment. They’re supposed to be on R and R. Martin told him two JAG agents are trying to track down the teens, Peter and Hans Fenton, the friends of the Taylor boys. Sylvan will attempt to call Weaver and Krustan and question them concerning the matter.”

  “Damn. All right. Let me call Martin and see what he has to say about Quinn.” As soon as David got hold of Martin, he explained the situation with the kids, the circus, Quinn, the shooting, and the two Enforcers.

  Martin was silent for a long time, mulling the situation over. “Okay, so was the shooter a hunter or something else?”

  “We don’t know for certain. I planned to explore some tonight to see if I could find shell casings or discharged firearm cartridges once I returned Tammy to the bungalow and made sure she was okay.”

  Tammy gave David a look that meant she wasn’t happy with the notion.

  “The kids won’t say where the cat is until you prove who the rogue agents are, right?” Martin asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll have some agents check into the circus. I don’t like this situation with Enforcer agents lying about why they’re down there, or that someone was shooting at Tammy. Especially after the zip-line accident earlier.”

  “I’m with you on that.”

  “I’ll make some inquiries into the situation with Quinn. He’s on leave for a couple of weeks. I know he’s had some financial issues, but I wouldn’t think he’s involved in any of this,” Martin said.

  David wasn’t as sure about Quinn as his boss seemed to be. Why the hell was Quinn down here in this particular place at this particular time?

  Then again, Martin had recruited him and had worked with him more closely than David had. Martin and Quinn were big fly-fishing enthusiasts, and if anyone ever got them on the subject, they’d talk an ear off. David liked fishing and eating fish as much as the next jaguar, but he preferred catching his prey in a lot faster way—with jaguar fishing hooks.

  “Watch your backs,” Martin said.

  “Will do.”

  Tammy stretched like an elegant feline. “Okay, we have to go as jaguars. It’s the only way we can travel that well at night and reach the area. We look for shell casings or spent cartridges, the rounds also, and the shooter’s scent. We can take a small bag in case we find any evidence. You can shift, place the evidence in the bag, and shift back.”

  “You know I don’t want you in harm’s way, right?”

  “Yeah, and I really appreciate it. Since I’m allowing you to help with my case, are we in agreement?” She cast him an elusive smile. “I brought some small plastic bags that we can use.”

  “All right, but you stick close to me,” David said.

  She snorted. “I was going to say the same to you.”

  She couldn’t be serious. “Who’s carrying the plastic bag?” he asked.

  “I will. That way you can be all ferocious and growly while we’re running through the jungle. Just in case we run into anyone dangerous.”

  He chuckled. “Works for me.”

  When they walked out on the shower patio, he saw a new bottle of suntan lotion. He read the attached note out loud: “‘If you ever need help with putting on the lotion, we’ll be there. AN.’ Looks like the teens bought you a special brand of suntan lotion. You sure got their attention.”

  “You were focused on them when you were trying to chase them down, right?

  “Most of the time, yeah.”

  She shook her head. “Did you have any doubts the swimsuit would work?”

  “Yeah, I did. I wasn’t sure they’d be around when you acted as bait.”

  “You know, I’d really like this assignment if there were no flying bullets or snapping cables involved. I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun as I did during the white-water kayaking,” she said.

  “I have to admit I’m enjoying it almost as much as a vacation, if we could just stick to the fun adventures and I’d get to oil you up next time.”

  “Maybe some other time.”

  “I’m taking you up on it, you know.”

  They shared a look that said he had every intention of following through, and he thought from the hint of a smile in her expression that she was willing. But first things first.

  They shifted on the shower patio, and Tammy took the bag in her teeth before they leaped over the wall and headed into the jungle. It was around eleven, so David hoped whoever had shot at Tammy was holed up in his rental unit now and sound asleep.

  An hour or so later, they found the site where Tammy had gone into the water. David sniffed the air and ground like she was doing. And smelled the cat who had to have knocked her into the water. It definitely was Quinn Singleterry’s scent.

  She looked at David, and he saw the question in her blue eyes. He wondered if Quinn had attempted to save her by slamming his jaguar body into hers just as the rifle was fired. When Quinn had first met them at the jailhouse, David could have sworn he didn’t have any real clues abo
ut the missing jaguar. Now David wasn’t so certain.

  How had Quinn known a shooter was getting ready to fire a rifle? How was he involved in all this?

  Except for the noisy cicadas droning on and crickets chirping, they didn’t hear any human voices or jaguars calling to each other. The water splashed over rocks here, rapids churning, the smell of fish and fresh water, but no odor of gunfire in the vicinity. Maybe the shots came from across the river? Or from a high-powered rifle?

  David glanced at Tammy. She was looking across the water like he had been. She had to be thinking the same thing. The shooter had been on the other side, in a tree most likely. Though the cliffs on the opposite bank would also give someone an advantage.

  She turned and headed away from the river, smelling the ground, looking for the two spent rounds of ammunition. He sniffed at nearby trees at the same height as Tammy stood to see if he could find either of the rounds embedded in the trunks.

  Before he located them, he heard Tammy scratching the bark of a tree nearby, growling softly.

  He hurried to join her, smelled the base of the tree trunk, and saw the metal rim of a round buried in the bark and sapwood. He poked at it with his nose but smelled no scent on it. The shooter had to have been wearing gloves when he loaded his rifle. Swearing to himself, David shifted into his human form and crouched down, trying to pull out the round with his fingers, but it was buried too deep.

  Tammy scratched at it again with her long, wicked jaguar claws, but she couldn’t get it out that way, either.

  “I’ll have to return here with my camping knife,” David said with regret and shifted back into his jaguar form. He looked around the area some more, searching for the other round but not finding it. He’d hoped he could locate it in the mud and they’d have at least one of the rounds for evidence.

  Tammy finally stopped scratching at the tree to also look for the other round. When he sensed she wasn’t nearby, David’s heartbeat accelerated. He glanced around and saw her at the river’s edge, staring across the swirling water. He joined her and nudged at her to come with him. At this location, they wouldn’t be able to get out of the water on the other side because the cliffs were too high and the flow of the river was strong.