A man. A tiger. A tornado. Jared Montaine owns a big cat rescue in Florida and faces financial pressures, getting over his ex-wife, and the challenge of suburbia creeping ever closer to his enclave for the animals. But when a tornado wrecks part of the refuge, Jared's worst fear comes to life: his Siberian tiger, Sultan, escapes. It's a big cat handler’s nightmare: a tiger on the loose, confused, lost -- and hungry. Jared races against the police, the media, and the hysterical public, all of whom are clamoring for the tiger's hide. He must re-capture Sultan before the cat is killed -- by traffic, by SWAT, or by a civilian who just wants to shoot a tiger. With fellow wildlife handlers at his side, Jared fights desperately to find and capture Sultan before the tiger injures or kills a human. Because that would lead to his worst nightmare -- having to kill the tiger he hand-raised from a cub. Jared’s commitment is tested -- to his animals, his refuge, and his belief that saving the life of even one tiger is worth losing everything.

The Tiger Whisperer

David wanted to be friendly, smooth. “Hey, Peter, good to see you again. Folks, let’s not shake, okay?” They grinned and went back to work. David’s lips fluttered as he tried to control his reaction.


“Wanna Coke or something? Fridge is over there.” Jared motioned, the cleaver’s blade winked in the overhead lights. His face was haggard and stiff; his brown eyes looked darker from the gray circles beneath them. David noticed a palm-sized bandage on his temple. This wasn’t the energetic Jared he had met Monday afternoon; this man looked bone-tired and on the edge.


All this must have hit him pretty hard.


“Yeah, I’ll grab a Coke, thanks.” A good sign, wasn’t it, hospitality? Maybe Jared was warming up to the idea. David hoped the Coke would help settle his stomach.


Chapter 62