Free Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan

where the large guillotine door was tucked behind the thick foliage of
     the trees. The rope holding it open was wrapped tightly around a metal cleat. I ducked
     inside and hunch-backed through a short tunnel.
    When I emerged on the other side, I straightened and drew in a deep breath. The air
     was humid and thick with the scent of moist earth and exotic plants.
    A waterfall trickled into a shallow pool. Through the thick canopy, stars sparkled
     down through the glass ceiling. Moss-covered logs and orchid-draped trees surrounded
     us. I smelled the sweet scent of a night-blooming cirrus and saw a giant one in one
     corner. LaBryce had added some great touches since I’d been there last. “I need to
     come see you more often.”
    But Charm was interested in one thing. She butted her head against my thigh.
Fish!
    “Here you go.” I chuckled. “We should have named you Piglet.” I set the pan of fish-meat
     down and Charm grumbled contentedly.
    “Oh, shit.” In my admiration for the enormous enclosure’s improvements, I had forgotten
     that Kai and the others were waiting out front. I walked to the second guillotine
     door on the inside wall of the tunnel. I freed its ropes from the cleat, allowing
     the door to slide down into place.
    I dialed the stored number to give everyone the green light.
    Kai answered on the first ring. “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Are we clear?”
    “Come on in. We’re in the enclosure in the back of the house. It looks like someone
     left the door open.”
    “Walker?”
    “No. LaBryce wouldn’t be that careless. Whoever should have been taking care of Charm
     screwed up. She wasn’t fed.”
    I glanced down at the jaguar, who slurped happily at her dinner.
    “Maybe he wanted her to be hungry.”
    “I know you don’t believe it, but LaBryce wouldn’t do that.” I looked up and saw Kai
     enter the sitting room, still holding the cell phone to his ear. He walked over to
     the glass partition and said, “We’re going to be here awhile . . .”
    I shrugged. “That’s all right. I’ll stay in here with Charm.”
    Kai looked over at the crouching feline, who hardly responded to the men clambering
     into the sitting room. “I guess she remembered you.”
    “Luckily.”
    “You sure you’ll be all right?”
    “I will, though I’m not sure my sister’s shoes will survive.” I glanced down at the
     dirt-caked sandals and shook my head. “Emma’s going to flip.”
    “Are you actually more afraid of your sister than of being mauled by a three-hundred-pound
     cat?”
    “Cats I can handle.” I looked down at Charm, who had finished her meal and was looking
     up at me hopefully. When I glanced back at Kai, he caught my gaze and held it.
    “I’m beginning to think you could handle just about anything,” he said.
    I flushed at the compliment and the intensity of his gaze. Could I handle loose jaguars?
     Yes. Wild horses? No problem. Hot cops? Not so much. Thankful that Kai had turned
     his attention to Jake, who had just entered the room, I focused on forcing the blush
     out of my cheeks. Kai spoke to Jake for a moment then turned back to me.
    “I’ll call you when we finish up.” He was all business now. “Don’t touch anything
     in the enclosure. We’ll have to search it, too.”
    I nodded and then flipped the cell phone closed. I watched as Kai joined the other
     investigators. Damn it, despite my best efforts, I was beginning to like him.
    And that scared the hell out of me.
    If I liked him, that meant I cared. If I cared, I could get hurt.
    I shoved away the thought. I would be able to freeze Kai out. I’d done it before.
    I was grateful that, for the moment, I had a distraction. And it would serve as a
     reminder why I couldn’t care about Sergeant Kai Duncan. My friend LaBryce Walker was
     suspected of not only endangering the lives of police officers by leaving his jaguar
     out, but murder. I didn’t believe he was guilty of either.
    As luck would