Fight Or Flight

by Amy Shojai

  “Damn! Is that you, Karma? Settle down, girl, don’t you know me?” Combs backed away, his voice a soothing singsong. “There’s a good-dog. Where’s Tee? How about Lia, is she here?” He turned away and shouted to someone before again speaking to her.

  Her ears flicked, and Karma whined. She licked her lips, trying to calm herself as much as any perceived threat, and glanced back at the mewling babies.

  “Nobody’s gonna hurt your babies, Karma. But we need your help to find Lia and Tee, if they’re here.”

  The only words she understood were the names, and “find.” She knew it meant the same as the such command to search. Her ears slicked down, and a distressed yawn turned into a yodel of concern. Karma wanted to find Lia and Tee, too. They belonged to Karma and were her family as much as her new babies.

  But she couldn’t leave the litter. Blind, deaf, helpless and fragile, only Karma stood between them and death. She trusted her girls, but they weren’t here. She barked at Combs, licked his offered hand, but didn’t dare come out.

  He withdrew his hands, taking Lia’s gloves with him. “Lia’s here somewhere, these are her gloves.” He yelled over his shoulder at one of the officers. “Have you found sign of Tee yet? She would’ve found some way to bring her gun.”

  Bring gun. Karma woofed, remembering the new game from that morning. She snuffled in the dirt nearby, found the discarded gun, and picked it up to show Combs. Maybe he’d take the stinky, noisy thing away, and leave her alone with her babies.

  Combs gasped, and gingerly reached out to take the gun. “Good-dog, Karma. So both of them were here. Hope to God they’re still around. I need your help, Karma.”

  Chapter 79

  Combs dialed the number by memory, never taking his eyes off Karma. He held his breath, praying she’d accept the call after he’d bailed on their lunch date again.

  “September, this is work so don’t hang up. Please.”

  He wasn’t ready to give up on September, on them being together. But now wasn’t the time.

  “I need your help. You have every right to be mad, but right now Lia and Tee are in trouble.”

  “In trouble, how? I left Lia at the Corazon estate a couple of hours ago.”

  He didn’t have time for long explanations. “Tee tried to execute a sting on her own, and Lia got caught up in the crossfire.”

  “My God, Combs, is she okay?”

  He hesitated. “We can’t find them.”

  Dead silence. Then, “Combs, Shadow doesn’t track people, you know that.” Her tone included how dare you ask.

  “Karma tracks people, and she’s here, too. But I can’t reach her. I don’t know how to get her to track. September, she’s had her babies, and I can’t get close.” He described the situation.

  September told him what to do.

  ***

  September stared at the phone for long moments. Her throat ached with the effort to focus, focus, stay in the NOW and not fall into the abyss of a flashback. Just the thought of sending Shadow out again made the room spin.

  Shadow nudged her with his nose. She buried her face in his black ruff, breathing deeply of the essence of dog-savior-friend.

  Not to be ignored, Macy pushed his way under one arm. The trio held fast to each other, purrs blending with breaths, wags timed with tears.

  Chapter 80

  Karma cocked her head, mystified, when Combs put Lia’s gloves on his own hands and slowly shoved a box under the crawl space. “I know you don’t understand. But we need you to find Lia and Tee. So let me guard your babies, while you such—go find. Deal?”

  Her ears pricked again. She loved to search for the scent, track down the missing. She’d done that before, towing Lia behind with the long-lead. She trusted Tee to track, too. They both liked this man and trusted him. Could Karma trust him, too?

  She watched his gloved hands reach to grasp the lamb-toy and put it in the box. Then he picked up one of her babies, and a low growl bubbled deep in her chest. He paused, letting her sniff his hand—Lia-smell—and then place the squealing puppy next to the lamb.

  “Everybody, stand clear!” He called to the people in uniform watching from some distance away.

  Karma whined. Maybe he would help Karma take her babies home? She couldn’t carry them all at once. Too far to travel on four paws. She watched as he placed each baby in turn inside the box, heard him gasp when he moved the kitten. When Combs crawled out dragging the container with him, she hurried after him, sticking her head inside and sniffing to be sure no damage had been done. He once again held out his Lia-scented gloved hand, and she inhaled deeply, pressing her face into it with a sigh.

  He stood, cradling the box with mewling puppies and kitten against his chest. Karma jumped up, trying to see inside, but his next words stopped her cold. “Combs guard. You know what that means, good-girl? Guard.” He gestured with the box, and she cocked her head.

  “Karma, such! Good-dog Karma, find Lia!” He offered his scented glove once again.

  Training clicked. Karma lowered her head, and began to track, hearing Combs follow close in her wake with her family. She padded up the wooden steps, scent-trail bright as blood, huffing and hurrying. Her babies would be returned once Karma found her girls—Lia and Tee—and they’d all go home together. Karma couldn’t wait! Wouldn’t that be fine?

  The clear trail couldn’t fool her nose. Karma followed the overlapping scent of both her girls, fear-stink bright, until it came to the end. She lay down to announce her find, looked up at Combs, and woofed. He placed the box next to her, dropped Lia’s gloves inside, and yelled for help.

  Someone had smashed the hidden wheels on one side of the unit. Three men in uniform added their muscles to help Combs roll the floor-to-ceiling storage shelf aside, revealing the hidden door. When it opened, Karma flinched at the icy breath of cold air, and heard a weak cry.

  Lia! Puppies were safe and warm but her girls—Inside, there! In the cold box!

  Dodging past the uniform legs, Karma beat the police to reach her girls.

  “Baby-dog, oh Karma.”

  She bathed Lia’s icy face with her tongue. “Combs, thank God you found us. Help her, help my sister, she’s in bad shape.”

  Karma turned to her other girl, and little whines of concern whiffled out. She licked Tee’s face, her hands, nudged her hard. But Tee didn’t respond. She mewed and cried, blind and deaf to this world. Like her puppies. Karma knew Tee needed her help more than ever.

  Chapter 81

  Lia patted her hair into place and smoothed the new outfit, purchased for her new start. She hadn’t fully reconciled with her grandparents, but she’d stopped measuring success by what they might think. And her sister was right: there were far worse things than adoption. She added a touch of lip-gloss, took a deep breath, and left the restaurant powder room.

  Combs had made an effort, too. His pressed, starched jeans and a pewter wolf’s head bolo tie looked sharp against his yellow shirt. She caught him twirling the end of his tie. He looked as nervous as she felt, and Lia wondered why.

  Smiling, she took her seat. “That’s got to be one of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time.” He’d chosen a hole-in-the-wall cowboy joint that only locals knew about. They’d settled on eating at the copper-topped bar rather than wait for a table, sharing the space with a couple of wranglers with dirt still on their spurs. Lia didn’t mind. This was home.

  He smiled, raised his longneck, and she clinked her bottle to his. “Here’s to new beginnings.”

  “So, how’s she doing?” Lia didn’t have to say the name. Tee had been a topic of conversation for most of the evening.

  “I talked to her partner yesterday. He says she’s struggling, but if I told her he said anything, he’d come over here and give me what-for.” He grinned. “Paraphrasing, of course.”

  Lia sipped her drink and toyed with the dessert she no longer had any urge to finish. Tee remained as much of an enigma as the first day they’d met. After a short
stay in the hospital, she’d gone home to Chicago without a goodbye. Lia wasn’t hurt and didn’t blame her. After what they’d gone through, she’d want to see the back end of Texas, too. They weren’t best buddies, just because they shared a father. You didn’t get to choose your relatives.

  “They caught Tony Kanoa, did I tell you? Arrested him in California. I knew that name range a bell. He’d been flagged for similar cases but never got enough evidence to prosecute.”

  “Who? Oh, you mean the import-export guy.” She shuddered. “What about the little girl he took?”

  “That I don’t know. We think he set the fire back in August, and dumped Vicki’s body, but don’t think we can get him on murder charges. Fortunately the pedophile charges should put him away for a long time.” Combs smiled with grim satisfaction. “We’re still looking for the Boss, also known as Robin Gillette. Did you know she worked for Doc Eugene for a while? Disappeared after that rash of tornadoes in February, and now she’s back in the wind again. Literally.” He laughed. “Of course, Kaliko Wong back in Hawaii has nothing to say and denies any connection. Says the phone call you overheard never happened.”

  Lia pushed the dessert away. “I still can’t believe Grandfather called you. After all the things we both said.” He’d also been the one to reach out after she got out of the hospital. She hadn’t been ready then, but last week when he offered to buy one of Karma’s pups as a ranch dog—and pay her to train it—she had thawed a little. Maybe there was hope for reconciliation, at least with Grandfather. Maybe.

  Wyatt urged her to forgive and said she only hurt herself by holding a grudge. He should know, and said he’d foresworn revenge even on Tony Kanoa and his ilk. She could still hear Wyatt’s words, sounding like a prophet from centuries past: Do not take revenge. I will repay, says the Lord. She wasn’t ready to be that generous, at least not towards Grammy.

  Lia had started learning how to use a gun, and wanted to qualify for open-carry privileges. Hating what guns could do didn’t mean you shouldn’t respect them and know how to use one, especially if she managed to land the job she wanted with the local PD. Today’s lunch was all about convincing Combs to back her plan. She hoped the fact that they’d raised money to have Karma tested—she passed with flying colors—was a good sign.

  Combs forked a piece of pie, chewed, and swallowed. “Dub Corazon may be a stubborn son-of-a-bitch, but he’s as protective of his family as that dog of yours.” He took another drink. “Speaking of Karma, how’s the little momma doing? Gonzales says his kids are over the moon they get to pick a puppy, but his wife’s not thrilled.” He laughed. “Can’t get over that Karma’s raising a kitten! Took me aback when I saw that orange bit of fluff with the black puppies.”

  Lia chuckled. She hadn’t been hallucinating after all, and she found it bizarre that the tiny thing saved her from being burned into crispy bits. Lots of folks wanted one of Karma’s babies. She’d already decided to keep one pup, along with the kitten she’d named Gizmo.

  “Interspecies adoption isn’t all that rare. When the mommy-hormones kick in, just about any baby will do.” Her smile faltered. “You saw how she reacted to Tee. I thought she’d go crazy when the ambulance took Tee away.” That moment had changed everything.

  Don’t think about it! Maybe she’d get used to the notion by the time shipping day came, but for now Lia focused on happier thoughts.

  She was keeping one of the puppies, the one that looked so much like Shadow. The pups were five weeks old now, but she’d already begun training her pick of the litter. His shiny coat looked like black glass, with bright ochre paws and kiss-marks on his cheeks. Lia knew he’d be a warrior dog, a koa like his shadowy father and beautiful mother. She knew because that whisper-tickle connection returned, not with Karma, but with the Magic-pup. Lia smiled, hugging the secret to herself, determined not to share with anyone who would tarnish the gift with skepticism.

  “Hey, earth to Lia. Where’d you go?”

  “Sorry.” She fingered the baby bracelet that spelled out her name.

  “It’s great you moved back into your place.” Combs took another bite of his pie, swallowed, and wiped his mouth. “Did your Grandfather call off the bank vampires?” He spooned up some ice cream with the next mouthful, and slowly chewed.

  She grimaced. What explanation could she offer? Lia shrugged. “Family loan.”

  She had another Skype reunion with Wyatt tonight, to finalize the plans. Wyatt wanted to make up for the lost years. With Auntie Isabella’s help, he’d paid off the loan so Corazon Kennels was free and clear in her name. The only pay back he expected was a special favor for Tee, since she refused his overtures.

  Officer Teves couldn’t afford to buy a trained police dog. Lia had a trained dog ready to go—now that September had finally had a chance to do the official evaluation—but Lia wasn’t a cop. Lia also had family like her new-found cousin September, and friends like Combs, while Tee continued to struggle to connect with anyone. You’d have to be blind not to see the logic Wyatt put forth. But no one could know.

  Lia was sure that Karma would love Chicago, too, as long as she was with Tee. And Karma was the only medicine able to heal her sister’s pain.

  But oh God, it would tear a hole in Lia’s heart. She prayed the Magic-pup would help heal it. He’d be a part of her future with the police force, if she had anything to say about it.

  September had already said she’d help with Magic’s training, in exchange for temporary lodging, to get away from her Mom’s place. Lia figured having her as a roommate at Corazon Kennels would be a piece of cake after living with Tee.

  She took a deep breath, pushed her desert way, and began her pitch to Combs.

  Chapter 82

  Karma whined, unable to move much beyond standing and turning in a tight circle. The hard pet carrier bumped every once in a while, and the sound of heavy engines and rushing wind hurt a good-dog’s ears. She tried not to be frightened. After all, Karma was a brave dog trained to track down bad people and protect her family.

  But her family wasn’t here.

  Lia had brought her to the strange place and hugged and talked with lots of words Karma didn’t understand. But Lia tasted of salt and loss when Karma washed her face. So Karma wriggled and jumped and rolled on her back with a Rottie smile to make Lia happy, and they hugged some more.

  But then, Karma got shut into a dog crate with her wooly lamb toy, and Lia was gone. Strange people picked up the crate and placed it with other boxes and luggage in a big room. That was a very long time ago, though, and Karma needed to take-a-break. She needed a drink, but the bowl of ice had all melted. She sighed and tried to sleep some more. Karma wished Lia would come get her out of the crate, so they could go home.

  Karma loved raising her puppies at the kennel. They romped in the grass and chased bunnies and birds. She helped Lia teach them all the special words like “come” and “find” and “trip” games that make a good-dog’s life so special. She’d been sorry when Gonzales came with his kids and took away one of the puppies, and Lia’s Grandfather claimed another one. But Karma still got to play with Shadow when he and September came to live with them. Her puppy Magic and strange tree-climbing daughter Gizmo kept her tail wagging. At night she slept against Lia’s back with Magic and Gizmo snuggled together.

  Now, Karma was alone and far from home. Home was safe, home was fun, home was love and familiar smells and snuggles and games that made a good-dog’s heart beat fast and tail write joy into the air.

  Karma wanted to go home!

  When the big room gave a sudden bump, Karma yelped with surprise. The big car moved and bumped along until the loud engine noise stopped.

  Maybe Lia would let her out and she could go home again? Karma barked, and then barked again. She needed to take-a-break. And for the first time, her tummy flip-flopped, even though she was very brave.

  Men moved her crate out of the big storage place and took her to another area that smelled of dogs and cats
and pee and fear. She looked and looked but didn’t see Lia anywhere. The cold air smelled different, too, like a city but with snow in the wind. How strange!

  Suddenly, Karma heard voices that made her short black fur stand up with excitement. One voice, especially, someone she’d missed and wondered about and pined for the weeks and weeks they’d been apart. It hurt her heart when family she loved went away. But maybe...maybe the long day meant an extra special treat? Not a bacon-kind-of-treat but something (she could hardly imagine!) that was so much better? Karma stood up in the cramped crate and couldn’t contain herself.

  Whines and yelps spilled from her throat. She recognized the distant silhouette of a small figure, who stood silent and frozen for a long moment. And then Tee ran, ran, ran to the crate, fingers reaching through the front grillwork to touch Karma’s cold nose, and hot slurping tongue.

  “Honey-girl!? Oh my God, it’s Karma, you’re here!”

  Karma shivered with joy, wagging so hard her hips banged and shook the carrier. She’d found her purpose—to love and to serve and protect this woman, this piece of her heart, no matter what.

  Home wasn’t a place. Home was Tee.

  Read the first three chapters of

  HIT AND RUN (Preview Book Five)

  Chapter 1 (34 Years Ago)

  Latana Ojo lied better than anyone she knew.

  She’d never outgrown the make-believe games that filled her days with technicolor drama, a stark contrast to the black-and-white drudgery of the Ojo’s hardworking New York lifestyle. Her older sister’s recent marriage to a wealthy landowner many states away left Tana on the hook for helping in the family business every day after school. Their restaurant catered to high class clientele with five-star cuisine, but Tana wanted more than a future of dowdy hairnets, clunky shoes, and shapeless aprons that Momma wore working her magic in the kitchen.