Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Chapter 39

55 vouchers

When the cops saw the slaughterhouse owner get bitten, they were actually enjoying the show.

Payton had gone straight for the owner the moment he showed up, making it obvious who he was after. So everyone just messed around on the sidelines, treating the whole thing like it was all fun and games.

The cops picked Payton up, but the owner, acting on pure instinct, dove headfirst into the police car like his life depended on it.

The catch was that Payton was still latched onto the owner’s butt and just wouldn’t let go. The guy’s screams could be heard all over the village.

Sierra watched the scene unfold, her eyes filling with tears once again. Her voice was soft and trembling as she called out, “Payton?”

Payton instantly let go when he heard Sierra’s voice, tilting his head toward her. When he saw Sierra crying, his eyes widened in panic, and he scrambled over to her.

Payton said, “Sierra, you’re finally here. Don’t cry, I’m totally fine.”

Payton ran over to Sierra, stood up tall, and nuzzled up to her.

Sierra’s heart was racing, but somehow Payton’s noisy barking calmed her. She scooped Payton up in a tight hug, burying her face in his soft fur. “Payton, I thought you were dead,” she said.

Payton let out a couple of dramatic yelps. He said, “I nearly kicked the bucket. Someone drugged me, snatched me up, and sold me off for just 250. Sierra, be honest.

“Look at me. I’m dashing, suave, and downright gorgeous. Shouldn’t my price have at least three more zeros after that 250? That’s what a dog of my caliber deserves.”

Before Sierra could say anything, Payton got even more fired up. He continued, “And then that jerk thought I was too loud, so he just dumped me at a dog meat joint to get butchered on the spot.

“And he only got 380 for me. That number is just way too humiliating.”

Payton tilted his head, looking all serious. He asked, “Sierra, do I look that cheap to you?”

Sierra thought, ‘Putting aside whether he is cheap or not, he is definitely reckless.

‘Instead of making a break for it the moment he got out, Payton came charging right back for payback, never mind that the slaughterhouse guys could’ve just finished him off then and there’

Sierra wanted to give Payton a piece of her mind, but she stopped herself, remembering how huskies were just built differently. She hugged Payton tight, soaking in his body heat.

Getting him back made her realize just how much he meant to her. She was just so glad and grateful to have him safe in her arms.

14:53 Sat, Jan 3

Chapter 39

Sierra put Payton down and squatted to his level. She asked, “So, how did you escape?

“The dogs on the transport truck helped chew open my cage and told me to get out while I could. Payton

said.

Then Payton started barking his head off, all excited. He said, “Sierra, you have to hurry and save the other dogs they’re taking to the slaughterhouse.

“There are at least three thousand dogs crammed into eight huge trucks. And there are even wild animals packed in with us.”

Sierra’s face changed instantly, and she sprang to her feet.

Sophie noticed something was off with Sierra and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?” As she spoke, she glanced over at Payton.

She thought, ‘This dog acts way too much like a person. There’s something really off about it.

As soon as Payton saw Sophie, he instantly tucked his tail and looked super guilty, totally losing all the swagger he’d had just moments before.

Sierra was too focused on other things to notice anything off about Payton. She looked at Sophie and asked. “Ms. Sloan, have you noticed anything off about the slaughterhouse?”

Sophie heard Sierra’s question and shifted her gaze away from Payton.

She glanced over at the slaughterhouse and said, “This whole place covers about ten acres, but there are only a hundred or two animals here. There’s no way this many animals would need such a huge area: the numbers just don’t add up.”

With that, Sophie turned back to the police car and hauled the slaughterhouse owner out again, who was still bawling his eyes out.

“Where are the rest of the dogs?” Sophie demanded.

The owner avoided her gaze, stammering, “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sophie’s eyes narrowed as she warned, “If those dogs and cats without health certificates end up on the market and we track it back to you, it’s not just about paying a fine. You could end up behind bars.

Seeing the owner hesitate, Sophie pressed, “If you own up now, it counts as turning yourself in. But if the cops dig it up themselves…”

“I’ll talk,” the owner blurted, panicking. He said, “About an hour ago, a batch of cats and dogs was sent off to a dog meat place, but I really don’t know where. They just had a truck come and haul them away.”

Sierra asked, “How many animals are we talking about?”

The owner didn’t dare say a word, but with Sierra and Sophie staring him down, he was totally freaking out. Swallowing hard, the owner stammered, “A-about three thousand.”

14:53 Sat, Jan 3

Chapter 39

Sophie instantly realized how bad things could get.

53

55 vouchers

With more than three thousand stray cats and dogs loose on the market, this would be a huge mess for society.

None of these animals had health papers, so there’s no telling what diseases they might carry or what kind of trouble they could cause for people.

Sophie snapped at her team, “Get the higher-ups on the line and push for the green light ASAP. Lock down every single road. Those trucks are not leaving, no matter what!”

Sierra called out, “Wait.”

Sophie turned around and asked, “Ms. Sterling, do you have anything else you want to ask?”

Sierra nodded and turned back to the owner. She demanded, “Tell me: besides the cats and dogs, were there any other animals on those trucks?”

She stood by the police car, her gaze icy and unwavering. She added, “Wild animals, for example.”

“No way!” the owner blurted out, desperately trying to hide his panic as he shook his head like crazy. He said, “How could I ever dare to openly sell wild animals? That’s a one-way ticket to jail.”

Sierra sneered, “Oh, really?” She pointed at the fox pelt hanging on the sheet metal wall and asked, “So, care to explain where this fox fur came from?”

The owner glanced over and flashed a smarmy grin. He said, “People breed foxes around here all the time. I can show you the papers if you want.”

The owner looked totally confident. The fur trade was huge, and foxes were factory-farmed all over the place. He’d already lined up all the paperwork, so he wasn’t sweating it one bit.

Sierra walked over to the sheet metal wall, grabbed the fox pelt that had already been made into a specimen, and inspected it closely.

She said, “The snout is sharp, the ears are big, stand upright, and are dark brown; the shoulders are pale yellow, the belly’s got white fur, the legs are long with strong tendons, and the most telling feature: the tip of the tail is grayish-white.”

She turned to the owner and scoffed, “Guess you’re so talented you can even conjure up a health certificate for a red fox, which, by the way, is a Category Two nationally protected species.”

The owner looked like his world had just ended.

Sophie snapped, “Spill it, now!”

She thought, ‘There are at least thirty identical red fox pelts hanging here. No way this slaughterhouse is new to the game!

Sophie wasn’t just looking at the surface; she saw the ugly truth hiding underneath.

14:53 Sat, Jan 3

Chapter 39

55 vouchers

She thought, ‘If a slaughterhouse boss could stockpile this many red foxes, there have to be other wild animals getting trafficked, too.’

Just imagining the sheer size of this underground network made her blood run cold.

The owner finally buckled under the pressure and spilled everything after a few minutes. He said, “There were eight trucks in all, and one of them was loaded up with live wild animals.

“But I was just buying them. I swear, I have no clue where the buyers are taking those animals.”

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads

14:53 Sat, Jan 3