by Amy Shojai
Lia flinched and dodged, but it still caught her a glancing blow on the top of one shoulder. She screamed, and scuttled backwards, now using the tree as a thorny shelter. She hissed when one of the spikes caught her back and scored her flesh from shoulder to shoulder.
He came after her, reaching beneath overhanging branches to flail the limb like a scythe.
She scrambled sideways. Fabric ripped and hot wet soaked her shirt, but she ignored the blood and scooted deeper into the tree’s embrace. She’d take a torn up back over a direct hit with the ironwood club. Derek couldn’t swing with any force or accuracy as long as the branches thwarted his aim. And he couldn’t make the tree fall any further. No, Derek needed her out in the open to beat to death, remove the collar, and stage her body.
Lia panted, and watched with narrowed eyes as he scoped out a way to reach her. She just had to wait him out. Coop’s story should have police on the way, sooner or later. When Derek turned sideways to scramble between the massive trunk and limbs, she reached behind her neck to fumble the shock collar’s buckle.
“No you don’t!”
Lia’s mouth opened in a silent scream, fingers unable to function when Derek hit the remote once again.
“Go on. Dammit, pass out already.” He hit the remote again and again.
Lia’s vision blurred, ears buzzed, and black sparklies danced all around. She curled into a fetal position and prayed it would end.
“Son-of-a-BITCH!”
Derek’s startled curse overlapped a high-pitched snarl. At the same moment, the pain in Lia’s neck abated.
She didn’t wait to see what had happened. Despite the muscle tremors and spastic fingers, she fumbled the collar fastener, ignoring Derek’s grunts and curses and the soprano barks and squeals that followed. Lia ripped the collar from her neck, sat up, and flung it away.
It slithered across the slick floor, slapping into one of Derek’s soaked and ruined athletic shoes.
The yelps and snarls faded to growls. Lia looked up, defiant and triumphant, only to see Derek holding the squirming Karma aloft by her scruff.
Chapter 20
Karma struggled at first, but that made her neck hurt worse. She keened, hating that he made her squeal. She wanted more than ever to test her teeth on the man’s flesh.
“Let her go!” Lia’s voice sounded full of gravel, but even the harsh sound made Karma’s heart skip with happiness. Karma didn’t need Shadow after all. All by herself, she’d made the bad man leave Lia alone, and stopped the girl’s screams.
He shook her again and Karma yipped. Her paws flailed the air. “One of the pups got too brave for its own good. Too bad. Could have some potential with Coop’s kennel. He wanted a bitch with some drive.”
Karma turned the yips into a soprano snarl, making her teeth tingle.
But he just laughed, and swung her in mid-air until brave warning growls morphed back into yelps of panic. Swinging made Karma’s tummy feel bad. She’d already vomited dirty water swallowed while fighting the flood, but her body wanted to empty some more.
“Stop it!” Lia clawed her way upright, and clung to the tree. “Such a big brave man to get off on abusing dogs and picking on a helpless puppy.” Her voice changed. “That’s my brave girl. Hang on, Karma, just you wait.”
Karma remembered Shadow’s reaction to the “wait” word, but she felt comforted by the promise it held. She yawned and panted, and focused on the girl when Lia climbed onto the massive trunk of the tree, still spitting angry words. She wondered if Lia would use the tree to get away. Karma hoped so.
“This is the pup you call by name.” He made a funny snorting sound with his nose. “It’s starting to piss me off.”
His fist clenched tighter on the back of her neck, and he exuded a biting scent not too different from the snakes.
Karma’s brow furrowed. The tree rested half inside, half outside, offering an easy slither for snakes to travel. They were bad enough outside, where a good-dog could run away. She whined, but wind blustered through the breached roof, carrying her protest away. Karma kicked her paws again, and tasted the air for snake scent.
Her paws stopped churning at a sudden sound, and she listened hard. There, it came again. This time, the footsteps accompanied a strange smoky smell. Lia didn’t wrinkle her nose or cock her head to acknowledge either. Maybe Lia knew that scent? The pungent smell choked Karma’s senses.
Karma stared into the girl’s face for some clue what to do. She whimpered and turned her head to follow the outside steps, but Lia didn’t understand. So she twisted to give the man a hard stare, and risked her rudeness escalating his punishment.
Nothing she did mattered. He just tucked her under his arm, dropped the branch and knelt to retrieve the strap next to his foot. He set her down, but pressed Karma flat to the cement floor while he fiddled with it. The strap smelled like Lia, with overtones of acrid fear-stink from the girl. Karma shivered when he draped it across her neck.
“Let’s see how your little favorite likes my style of training.”
Chapter 21
Lia teetered, braced herself against a massive limb, and then leaped from the prone trunk. She landed in a crouch midway between the felled tree and where Derek stooped over Karma.
He smiled that she’d taken the bait, and released the puppy. Karma snapped at air before skittering out of reach.
She realized he’d tricked her into moving away from the sheltering branches. Lia stumbled back.
In one smooth motion Derek stood while picking up the branch, stepped forward and swung his club.
She tucked and rolled, instinctively holding up her forearm to protect her head. The limb thwacked against her wrist, and Lia’s scream came out a croak. She grasped the injury with her other hand.
Karma barked and danced with excitement, trying to reach Lia, but had to dodge away when Derek swooshed the club in her direction.
Staring up at Derek, Lia blinked furiously to clear tears. She lay on her right side, and struggled to her knees, difficult to do without using her arms. The pain from the broken wrist radiated to her shoulder. “Why, Derek? Why do you hate me? What’d I ever do?”
He held the branch like a Louisville Slugger, and offered a couple of taunting practice swings while he watched her. “You look so much like her. Sound the same, act the same.” Derek stepped forward, wound up, chose his target and swung. “She made bad choices, too. Went on vacation, and got herself knocked up.”
Gasping, Lia covered her head with her good arm and rolled. This time the club thudded against her thigh. At least she still wore the padding from the morning’s training session. She gasped, then spoke through gritted teeth. “This is about my mom?” It’d be ironic if she’d learn about her birth, and then die with the knowledge. But if she could keep him talking, distract him with his own anger, maybe help would arrive in time.
“Kaylia.” He uttered the name like a filthy word. “Wanted to kill the slut myself when I found out.” He swung again. Missed. Braced his feet and swung again.
Karma whimpered, dodged past Derek and scampered to reach Lia. Without thinking, Lia opened her uninjured arm and Karma ran to her without hesitation.
“The bitch was my fiancée! Our families had an understanding, and she threw all our plans away. If she hadn’t died giving birth to you, I would have . . .” He panted, sobbing. “You killed her. You killed my Kaylia. You should have died, not Kaylia.” Derek grunted, putting everything he had into the next swing.
Her world spun, the emotional blow far worse than the thud to her side that numbed Lia from waist to shoulders. She fell over, only half-aware of her surroundings.
She couldn’t breathe, cement chilled her cheek, her mouth gaped like a catfish. Derek’s soaked, ruined high-tops dragged laces within inches of her eyes . . . Lia sucked one fire-laced breath deep into her lungs, fighting to stay conscious, and waited for the next blow that would end it all.
Karma twisted in Lia’s limp arms, not leaving her side.
She slurped Lia’s eyes and then looked down the aisle toward the office.
Lia followed the dog’s gaze. After one quick smoke-laden puff—she knew that smell!—the wind died, so the clomping boots echoed in the sudden quiet of the night.
Derek looked from her to the approaching figure, and whispered as he hefted the tree limb. “You get some company under that old bois d’arc.” His sneakers made no sound as he hurried to ambush the rescuer.
Lia used every muscle and ounce of will to draw one big breath—God, it hurts it hurts!—to scream, “Run!”
“Lia-girl, that you? Thank heavens, thought for sure the storm got you when I got your text.” His voice shook with emotion. “Where are you?”
She’d hoped he’d send help. But he came by himself? Been worried about her? “Get out, please get out!” Her voice croaked words she could barely hear. The numbness in her torso gave way to throbbing but her good arm still worked. She squeezed the puppy, and Karma squealed.
Derek strode forward. Darkness hid him from view, as club raised, he prepared to clock the man as soon as he came through the door.
Then she knew what to do, the one thing left to save herself. To save Grandfather. Lia cuddled Karma, stroked the puppy’s face, and whispered in her ear, and then let her go.
Chapter 22
Karma wrinkled her brow when Lia released her warm embrace. The bad man had moved away. Lia should get up, up UP. Climb through the tree, maybe lift a good-dog so they could leave together. Karma licked Lia’s eyes and mouth, and then nose poked her, urging action.
But Lia just lay there, clutching one arm and moaning. Karma could tell she felt bad. Lia’s neck looked dark and flushed, and one arm swelled bigger and bigger. Lia’s voice sounded wrong, too. So when the girl whispered in Karma’s ear, it tickled and she had to shake her head hard to relieve the itch.
“Karma. Be a good-dog.” Lia whispered again.
This time Karma concentrated. She needed to pay attention, even if trees plunged through the roof, bad men beat Lia and grabbed good-dogs by the neck.
Derek’s soft steps made his shoelaces swish-swish. Karma tipped her head when Lia used a broken limb to point at the man’s feet. Her brow furrowed, and then her eyes brightened. No words needed, Karma understood. The girl’s eyes rained water. Karma licked the salt away, and wagged her short tail to show she was ready, the way a brave dog should be.
“Karma, TRIP! Good-dog, Karma, go TRIP!” Lia whispered, and pointed again, her silent intent as clear as a spoken command.
Her head came up, neck arched with pleasure. She loved this game! Without hesitation, Karma launched herself down the cement pathway, hearing her own claws scrabble for purchase as she bounded forward.
She tackled the bad man’s foot, the one with the trailing laces, and bit down hard through pants that had no special padding.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” He yelled, stumbled, and dropped the limb as he fell to a knee. He caught one hand on the nearest kennel gate to steady himself.
A tall imposing man with a shock of white hair and smoky smell stepped through the office doorway. “Why the hell are you here? Where’s my granddaughter!”
Karma retreated when a canine growl interrupted. She’d known that signature vibration from the day she was born deaf, blind and toothless. Her ears slicked back, and she tucked her tail tight to her body, shouting “no threat!” in every move. Appeasement gestures kept canine peace and Karma bowed to her mother’s will. That was a dog rule, at least until Karma reached her majority.
But Derek didn’t understand dog rules. He stumbled upright, still clinging to the unlatched kennel gate that swung open, and reached again for the club.
Recognizing the threat, Karma grabbed one end. She couldn’t lift the whole thing, but managed to get enough in her jaws to drag the limb out of reach.
Derek pulled something out of his pocket.
“Grandfather, he has a gun!” Lia whispered, and crawled out just enough to see.
Dolly strained and lurched against the tether.
Growling as loud as she could, Karma tugged the tree club backwards. Every few steps, she stopped and shook her head as hard as she could.
“Good-dog, TRIP Karma, TRIP!”
Giving the branch a final shake, Karma obeyed Lia’s whispered plea and dove again at the man’s shoes. She flinched when a loud “pop-pop” sounded overhead.
Shadow barreled out of the kennel. He snarled and leaped toward Derek, but his legs gave way before Shadow made contact.
Dolly lunged again and again. Her growls faded but her focus never wavered.
Derek kicked at the shepherd, and then laughed when Shadow panted with exhaustion, but didn’t move. He turned and pointed his hand at the white haired man, and motioned for him to move.
The tall man never flinched. He stood rock steady, with eyes only for Lia. “Police are on the way, Lia-girl, hang on.”
Karma padded to Shadow, impressed he’d try to help despite his hurts. She nuzzled his cheek and this time Shadow didn’t object. She smelled salt and tasted copper where blood stained his muzzle. She spun into a head up, teeth bared defensive pose, all sixteen pounds ready to protect the spent black shepherd from the bad man. But she didn’t have to.
With one final lunge, Dolly’s tether snapped. Derek screamed.
Chapter 23
Lia cradled her injured wrist and peered through the cracked glass of the office window to watch the beehive of police activity. Grandfather stood just outside the door, conferring with a man in plain clothes. One of the police cars pulled away with sirens blasting, carting Derek to the hospital. An ambulance waited to carry her away, but so far, Lia managed to put them off. She needed to see to the animals first. If the world would stop spinning.
She squeezed shut her eyes, but that made the vertigo worse. The final moments in the kennel were a blur. Dolly’s attack proved to be more sound and fury than substance, typical of many dog fights, and ended as soon as it began. The mother dog clamped her jaws onto Derek’s arm, and hadn’t let go even when he screamed and dropped the gun. Grandfather collected it, and she’d been amazed when Grandfather knew enough to issue a stern, “Off!” that shooed Dolly away from the cowering man.
He’d locked Derek in a kennel, and Dolly stood guard still wearing the bloody lariat that the black shepherd had gnawed through. Just as she imagined. She’d puzzle over that later.
Grandfather had tried to keep Lia still until the EMTs arrived, but couldn’t stop her from staggering down the aisle to reach Karma. Once satisfied the puppy was safe, she shut Karma and the shepherd together in their kennel and locked Dolly’s kennel gate. The shepherd, very weak from his injuries, fell into a shuddering, dream-filled sleep. The police arrived posthaste, and a detective soon thereafter.
“I’ll give you five minutes, Detective Combs,” Grandfather said as he ushered a tall dark-haired man into the room. “After that, she goes to the hospital.” He scowled at her, adding, “Whether she likes it or not.”
Lia winced when pummeled muscles complained. She slumped into the desk chair he held for her. “I’m okay.” She wasn’t. Even breathing hurt. But she was alive, and each bruise and scrape proved she’d survived.
Without prompting, she told the detective what had happened, pointing him to the recorded evidence she’d also saved on her computer. “What will happen to Dolly? It’s not her fault.” Lia looked up at Grandfather, a man she couldn’t remember having ever expressed an ounce of emotion for himself or anyone else. “She knocked away the gun. Dolly saved your life.” Despite herself, Lia’s chin trembled, knowing the most common outcome for dogs like Dolly. “And Karma saved my life.”
Grandfather spoke with his trademark just-the-facts clipped tone. “Derek owns the Rottweilers. They’re not your problem, Lia.” He softened his voice but talked over her protests. “I’ll contact Sunny Babcock to pick up her dogs.”
Detective Combs interrupted. “You have Babcock’s animals here? We’re looking f
or her.” He tried to keep his tone neutral and failed. “She’s wanted on several charges in another case. Including murder.”
Lia caught her breath. Babcock owed her several hundred dollars in boarding fees for the two Pit Bulls. Any anticipated glowing references from the reality star just turned to crap.
Detective Combs shrugged. “A witness saw Babcock swept away by the flood, too. Lots of people and animals lost in the storm.” He paused, and cleared his throat, moved by something he couldn’t or wouldn’t share. “With the storm damage, and your injuries, best to let the city take the animals.”
A heartrending howl, mixed with barks, interrupted him, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Are they all right?”
It sounded like Shadow, and he soon had the rest of the dogs yelping and barking. “It will take time for them to settle. One of the dogs got caught in the flood and has some pretty severe injuries.” She hated the thought, but it made sense. She was in no shape to argue. She had no legal claim to Derek’s dogs.
But Lia didn’t care what the law said, Karma had claimed her heart. So had Shadow. She might never see them again if they went into the system. The room tilted.
“Detective Combs, she’s had enough.” Grandfather’s hand on her shoulder steadied Lia from tipping out of the chair. “Talk to her later at the hospital, after she’s been treated. Go get the EMTs. Oh, and give my best to your Uncle Stanley. We go way back.” He ushered the man to the door before returning to kneel by Lia’s side.
Grandfather wouldn’t listen, he never had. But he’d come for her despite the storm. That had to count for something, right? “Don’t let them take my dogs.” Talking still hurt, but he had to hear her. He had to listen this time. “Please, I can’t lose them, too.” She looked around at the bedraggled office space, her dream crushed.
“Don’t worry, Lia-girl, I won’t let them take old Thor.” His voice caught, and he turned away, and shouted out the open door. “Can I get some help in here?”