Valiant Read online

  Tiger nodded. “We’ll take it from here. You’re more than welcome to come with us if you want. We can track anything between us two cats and the two canines.”

  “I insist on it,” the sheriff stated as he gave them all a nervous glance, seeming unsure about not being there to watch whatever they did. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my life and when we find Tammy, I have a bad feeling that if she’s still alive, she might want to see a familiar face. I can’t think of why four men would grab a pretty woman unless it’s for the worst. I have an ambulance on standby if they didn’t just rape and kill her flat out.” He paused, frowning. “Two cats and two canines?”

  Valiant snarled and startled all the humans around him as they backed away fearfully, their gazes locked on him. If any of the humans had put their hands on Tammy sexually he’d tear their fingers off. He’d rip their arms from the sockets while they screamed and then proceed to beat them with the their own limbs. He’d—

  Tiger spoke, ending his violent plotting. He flashed a warning look Valiant’s way, silently conveying that he needed to keep a leash on his rage. “Valiant and I are feline species while Brass and Rider are canines.”

  “Oh.” The sheriff seemed at a loss for words.

  Valiant’s irritation couldn’t be contained. Tiger wanted to play polite with the humans but he just wanted to hear what the sheriff knew to help him track Tammy. He hated wasting time. He lifted his lip to flash fangs at Tiger, conveying a silent message of his own. He wasn’t patient and the bullshit needed to stop. A gasp from the humans made him glare at Sheriff Cooper, who stumbled backward, his gaze horrified, and stared at his mouth.

  “Are those…”

  “Teeth,” Tiger acknowledged. “Don’t worry about Valiant. He’s just very angry that the woman was taken and wants to go after her right now.”

  The sheriff finally glanced at Tiger. “I sent somebody to her car at the bar where she was grabbed to see if he could find something of hers that would have her scent. I know when we use hounds they need something from the victim. My deputy should return with it at any time. He radioed in that he has her jacket.”

  Tiger pointed to Valiant. “That won’t be necessary. We’ve both met her. She did a catering job at Reservation and they’ve become friends. That’s why he’s here. He spent more time around her than I did. He’s very familiar with her scent. He’ll have an easier time tracking her.”

  The sheriff shot a horrified glance Valiant’s way. “Well, I guess that’s good. That means you fellas know what a nice gal she is and that we’ve got to find her before the kidnappers have time to really hurt her.”

  “I’m going after her,” Valiant snarled, done listening to them waste time when Tammy needed him. “You stand here bullshitting. I’m getting her back.” He took off toward the woods at a run.

  “Damn, he can move fast.” The sheriff sounded amazed. “I won’t be able to keep up. Just go. Find Tammy. They have an hour lead.”

  Tiger snarled. “Wait up, Valiant. I’m right behind you.”

  Valiant eyes adjusted to the darkness and followed the clear and deep impressions the truck tires had left in the long grass. He knew Rider and Brass followed him closely. They probably were under orders to make sure he didn’t slaughter the human males when he found them. Two Species males wouldn’t be enough to prevent that from happening if they’d done anything bad to Tammy. Tiger should have brought a dozen males with them if that was his intention.

  Valiant located the truck and smelled Tammy right away inside the back of it. He leapt into the truck bed and discovered blood. He crouched down, sniffed, and only calmed slightly when he realized it wasn’t hers. He closed his eyes as he took a few breaths to memorize the stench of the males. Pure rage coursed through him because he could smell Tammy’s fearful scent along with those who had taken her. He stood and jumped out of the truck. Tiger and the two security officers watched Valiant, waiting for his assessment.

  “Two of them had her in the back of the truck. There’s blood but not hers.”

  Tiger nodded. Valiant walked to the open driver’s door. He stopped and sniffed, moving around it to the busted side mirror. He growled as his entire body tensed.

  “What is it?” Tiger moved forward but the answer was there as he inhaled. “Blood.”

  “Hers.” Valiant threw back his head and roared. “Her blood is on that broken mirror so they hurt her. I’ll kill them for this.”

  Brass cleared his throat. “She fell here and ran away but they followed.” He stood about ten feet from the truck near the tree line of the woods.

  Valiant lunged forward. The four of them sniffed the area and studied the tracks on the ground. The small impressions were harder to detect at night. “It’s not old.”

  “That’s what the sheriff stated.” Tiger confirmed. “They took her about an hour ago. Do you think she got away from them?” He stared at the smallest tracks—a female running. He glanced at Valiant. “How physically fit is she? Do you think she could outrun her attackers?”

  “No,” Valiant snarled. “She’s small and no match for four males.”

  “We better find them fast,” Brass growled.

  The four men ran. They stopped where Tammy had been tackled and the signs of where clear to each of them that she’d impacted the ground. Valiant roared again when he discovered more of Tammy’s blood.

  “Easy,” Tiger snarled low. “We’re all allowing our animal sides to rule but we’re dealing with humans. Control your instincts while we hunt. They aren’t deer. Keep that in mind.”

  Rider growled where he crouched, examining the disturbed leaves. “One man is carrying her. His track impressions show the added weight.”

  “He’s dead when I reach him,” Valiant promised. “Let’s go.”

  * * * * *

  Tammy woke and softly cursed. Her shoulder, arm, back, and head hurt. She stopped listing what ached and tried to concentrate instead on what didn’t. Her feet and her ass were fine but that was about it. She forced her eyes open to stare at a blazing campfire. She rested on her side facing it, a few feet away from the flames. She turned her head, only to instantly regret it.

  Four men sat on a fallen log glaring at her. One of them, Terry, had his cowboy boots off. Dried blood stained his chin and shirt. She’d head-butted that one. Another one had strips of his torn shirt stuffed up his nose that seemed to be actively bleeding, while another one had his hand clamped over his arm where bloody claw marks from her fingernails assured her he’d been one of the jerks in the back of the truck with her. The fourth man appeared unhurt.

  She looked away from them and glanced at the trees surrounding them. She had been placed on grass but as she tried to lift up, she couldn’t move her arms. She tugged and realized they were bound behind her. She glared at the men.

  “My leather belt is wrapped around your wrists, you little hellion. You just stay down.” It was the unhurt man who spoke in an angry tone. “I still say we should just kill her. Look at all the shit we’re in because of her. She broke Ned’s nose when she kicked him in the face on her way out of the truck.”

  Surprise registered to Tammy. She didn’t remember doing that but hid a smile, happy it had happened. She vaguely remembered using her feet to help kick off to shove her upper body from the bed of the truck. She’d thought she’d used the floor to do it. The fact that it had actually been his face made it better.

  “I think two of my teeth are loose. She slammed her head into my mouth,” Terry said and grunted while he glared at her. “I say I take my belt and blister her ass with it.”

  “Stop all of that whining,” the guy with the scratched arm ordered. “We need her help. You heard what our informant on the inside of that animal land told us. One of those animals grabbed and carried her off. We need to convince her to go public and tell everyone what he did to her to gain support for our cause.”

  “Like that bitch is going to do that.” Ned paused. “Right. She broke my nose. She’s as