by Tracy Sharp
The dog was barking at the bottom of the tree, jumping at it in a frenzy. His bark was a high pitched whine. His bloodlust for me wouldn’t stop until he’d torn my throat out. His goal was clear.
His ears were shorn back. A sign that he’d been used as a fighting dog. Killing was all he’d ever known, and I was certain that Gabriel hadn’t rescued him from that fate. He’d thrown him into it. My heart sank as I thought of the other dogs on the ranch. There could be big money made in dog fighting. Just like in baby selling.
I gritted my teeth and looked down at the two main lieutenants catching up to the dog. They were laughing.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them. I’d tear their throat out just as the dog jumping at the tree I was in would tear out mine, if it got to me.
I heard an engine in the distance and hope glimmered in my chest. But then, the car could mean more members, in which case I was royally screwed.
As the beam of the headlights grew larger, my heart leapt. A cop car. What were the odds?
I screamed bloody murder, my voice high and hysterical, rising over the tree tops and filling the wintery night air. I screamed like a crazy woman. I didn’t know if the cop would hear me, but I was sure as hell going to try.
* * *
The beam of the headlights shone over us, lighting us clearly. I hadn’t gotten far into the woods. I hadn’t had time. So if the cop was paying attention, he’d see the little situation occurring off the side of the road. I hoped he hadn’t been playing with his radio at the time the beam of the headlights shone over us.
The cruiser pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. I almost cried. He left his headlights on and the cop car running. I prayed that he was calling for back-up.
“Aw shit,” Number One said. “This isn’t good.”
“Yeah, this isn’t exactly a boys will be boys situation here is it, fellas,” I shouted down at them. What were they going to do now, shoot up at me with a cop approaching? I felt like laughing out loud, but I didn’t want to push my luck.
I saw his figure emerge from the car. “You two, come over here.”
Mr. Bones had the dog by the collar, but the dog was lunging into the air, straining against the collar to get to the cop.
Neither lieutenant moved.
Okay, this was bad.
“Over here! Both of you! Now!” The cop shouted.
“How about you walk your ass over here?” Number One said, and though I couldn’t see his face in the dark, I could hear the smirk in his tone.
Oh, shit.
“Get in your car and call for back-up!” I screamed.
The cop began a slow walk over to us.
“Get back in your car!” I screamed at him again. “They will kill you!”
His eyes flicked to me, but he must’ve thought he could handle it, because he wasn’t making a move to get back to his car.
He had his gun drawn, arms straight forward. “I’m not fooling around with you two.”
I could see that he was a young man. Probably hadn’t been on the force for long. He was cocky, and wanted to prove a point.
“They will kill you,” I called down to him. I wanted to plead with him to call for back-up, but by then I knew that it was too late. He was too close, and if he turned his back now they would shoot him through it.
The cop saw the look in the dog’s eye, and must’ve seen the same look in the eyes of Gabriel’s lieutenants, because he stopped a few feet away from them, assessing the situation. There was a long moment of silence, and uncertainty moved across the young cop’s face. At that moment it was clear on his face that he realized that he was in over his head. But there was nothing he could do now except move forward and hope for the best. Showing weakness would be bad for him. He opened his mouth to speak just as Mr. Bones let his dog go. The dog let out a hungry snarl as he lunged at the cop. The cop pointed the gun at the dog and shot him.
This gave both lieutenants enough time to spray the young cop with bullets while he was distracted with the dog.
They laughed as the cop’s body jerked around as he fell to the snow.
I squeezed my eyes shut, moaning deep in my throat.
If I gave up now, I was done. They would climb up and pull me down, and Christ knew what they’d do to me if they got me. I had a feeling I’d be wishing they’d have killed me first.
I looked down at them. I had one chance. They were both facing the dying cop. Not me.
I moved and aimed myself as well as I could and dropped down.
I landed on top of Number One and took him down. He fell, a startled shout escaping his lips. His gun fell from his hand and I scrambled off him and grabbed it. He came at me and I shot him in the face. He fell backward, making a shush sound as his body fell in the snow.
I pointed the gun at Mr. Bones. He looked down at Number One, then me, and smiled widely.
He pursed his lips, his eyes going dead, and made a long, wet sucking sound.
Wild fear skittered over me as I stood, frozen, unable to move. I’d never seen anything so utterly creepy.
I watched his face as a he came back to himself and a murderous light filled his eyes. He wouldn’t kill me right away. He’d disable me and then hurt me badly, for a long, long time before finally killing me.
He raised his gun, aiming for my leg, and I shot him in the chest, then in the throat.
I didn’t wait to see him fall. I ran on torn feet toward the cop car, which was still running, headlights on.
When I got to the car, I sat in it, pressed the door lock button and grabbed the radio. I called for the help that should’ve been here for the young cop that was now lying dead in the cold, snow falling all around him.
Chapter Seven
It didn’t take long for the police to get there. I don’t think I waited longer than ten minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. I sat in that car with the doors locked, jumpy as hell and looking all around me, trying to look everywhere at once. There were a lot of disciples in Gabriel’s ‘family’, and if any one of them had shown up and wanted to get me out of that cop car, they could’ve. And truth be told, I didn’t have much fight left in me. I was sure my feet were torn to the point of serious scarring, and most likely frost bitten as well. I was in no shape to dance that particular dance any more this night.
I told them the truth. They got me an ambulance, but I wanted to make sure that Jack and Declan were okay before I went anywhere. They sent several cars to the compound. When Jack finally got on the police radio to let me know they were fine, I finally agreed to let them take me to the hospital.
“I’ll meet you there, Kicks, as soon as we’re done talking to the police. I promise.” Jack always kept his promises.
“Okay.” My voice sounded like that of a little girl. Suddenly I just wanted to cry. I wanted to hide my face in Callahan’s neck and just sob.
“There’s somebody else here, too, who wants to see you in the worst way.”
“Who?” I was so not in the mood for visiting.
“Hey baby,” Callahan said over the radio. “I’ll be there too, just as soon as we’re done.”
“Cal? What are you doing there?” I was alarmed, but so happy to hear his voice.
“Lucas told me where you were. He was getting worried. He’s here too.”
“Wow. Everyone showed up, should’ve baked a cake.” I was feeling, understandably, a little punchy.
“Yeah, Callahan kind of busted up the party. You would’ve sworn he was Dirty Harry, guns blazing and all. We’ll tell you all about it at the hospital, Kicks,” Jack said. “Go get looked at.”
“Okay.” I couldn’t hide the relief in my voice. I didn’t want to. Then I remembered Pango. “Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a dog there, big rottie girl. Her name’s Pango. I want her. She’s in a structure not far from the compound, off the trail. There’s a big, fenced in area. Call her name, she’ll come. Would you bring her to my house, please? Or ha
ve Callahan do it?”
There was a long pause. “A female Rottweiler?”
“Her name is Pango. Don’t leave there without her, okay? Please?”
“Okay, Kicks. We’ll find her and bring her home.”
I passed out in the ambulance. Woke up briefly in the hospital but kept drifting in and out again. They said I was in shock and suffered from exhaustion. Yeah; being drugged, beat up, and then chased up a tree by a vicious dog and two cult members would do that to you.
I went between feeling numb and swallowing back tears, and I wondered if part of it was having been drugged. I didn’t know what they gave me, but whatever it was, it did a job on me. I’d have the hospital do blood tests to determine what the drugs were, but I was pretty sure it was some kind of date rape drug.
I fell asleep again while they were cleaning and wrapping my feet. Somebody said I was lucky. There was no frost bite. But the cuts were bad enough that I got a tetanus shot, and they put me in bed.
The next time I awoke, I knew it was the middle of the night. Callahan slept in one chair, Jack slept in the other. Looking at them both, my heart swelled, and a lump rose in my throat. I didn’t know how I’d gotten to be so lucky.
I lay awake for at least five minutes this time before I was out again.
Somebody was grabbing my arm. I sat up swinging, gritting my teeth.
“Leah! Leah!”
I opened my eyes. Jack and Callahan both stood over my left side. A nurse was to my right, blood pressure cuff in one hand, the other hand covering her cheek.
“Oh, no.” My mouth was sandpaper dry. “Did I hit you? I’m so sorry.”
She nodded her head. “It’s okay. Not the first time. Is it safe to put this on your arm now?” She lifted the cuff.
“Sure.” I lifted my arm to her.
Within moments she was gone.
“Are you going to be awake for more than five minutes this time? Or are you going out on us again?” Jack grinned.
“I can’t help it. It’s the company I keep.” I smiled crookedly. It took effort, everything took effort.
Callahan looked at Jack, mock shock on his face. “Is she calling us boring?”
Jack nodded. “I do believe she is.”
“Yeah. I haven’t had enough excitement. Bring it on. I’m raring to go.”
“Uh uh.” Callahan leaned down and kissed my forehead. “You scared me, baby.”
“I know. I keep doing that.” I sighed. “Sorry.”
“I know.” Callahan grinned. “But you’re done scaring me for a little while at least, right?”
“At least a few hours. Yes.”
“Well,” he said. “Thank God for small favors.”
It was comedy hour. Everyone was so damned happy to be alive. “So what happened?”
“Lucas told me where you were,” Callahan said. “He said that things weren’t looking good. He thought Jack could use a hand.”
“Agh,” Jack waved a hand. “I had it completely under control.”
“Yeah. Completely,” I said. “I saw that.”
The humor helped us diffuse a little of the horror we were feeling in the aftermath of the terror we’d experienced. We did the same thing every time.
“Where is Declan?” I said, noticing that he was missing from the room.
“Still with the cops,” Jack said. “Answering questions.” He leaned back in the chair, stretching his long legs before him, one ankle crossed over the other. “You know, Cal really did come in guns blazing. Just shot his way through the door.”
Callahan smiled. “It was kind of fun, really.”
“Beats watching game shows, doesn’t it?” Jack said.
I frowned. “Wait. Gabriel didn’t say anything? Didn’t have his minions shoot you on the spot?”
Jack and Callahan looked at each other, then at the floor.
“Guys. What?” Shit. I knew it wasn’t good.
“Gabriel wasn’t there, Leah.” Jack said.
“What?” Cold fingers clutched at my heart.
Callahan shook his head. “He was nowhere to be found. There were cult members there, but they just stepped aside. The two that were beating up on Jack and Declan backed off after I shot one of them in the leg.”
“Cal wasn’t playing,” Jack said, laughing.
Cal gave a lopsided grin. He looked back at me, his face once again serious. “But Gabriel wasn’t there.”
That wasn’t good. “Well, shit. Where the hell is he?”
“Leah,” Jack said. I hated that tone. It meant that something else was coming that I wasn’t going to like one bit.
“Just tell me.” I let out a long breath.
Jack looked at the ceiling, then square at me.
“Jack, what?” I was feeling more alarmed by the second.
He finally spoke. “The pregnant women are gone. Gabriel took them.”
* * *
That news was a little worse than I thought it would be. Gabriel was gone. The pregnant women were gone, including Noel’s sister, Julia. It looked like Gabriel didn’t want to give up his cash cattle. I’m sure he’d made it seem like an honorable thing, taking them away from the compound. His flock would certainly see it that way. So would the pregnant women. But we knew better. The bastard didn’t have an altruistic bone in his sociopathic body. Those women were expendable to him, everyone was. He wanted their babies. They would net him a pretty penny.
I felt sick. Not just because of the fact that we didn’t know where these women were to rescue them, but from the date rape drug Gabriel had given me. And it had been a date rape drug, just like I’d thought; Flunitrazepam. This particular drug does a variety of things to the victim which benefits the rapist’s goal. It’s a muscle relaxant, it’s a hypnotic drug, and it puts the victim out for at least six hours. Side effects include confusion, nausea and headache. All of which I’d been suffering. Mostly the nausea and headache, though. Guess I’d been lucky.
But the fact that he used the drug on me begged the question: what did he do to me while I was sleeping?
I had to submit to a rape kit. The fun just never ended.
They tested me for sexual diseases. The worst part of it was that if he had raped me, I didn’t want to know. I really did not want to know. If I found out that he had raped me, I’d feel contaminated for life. It would be a violation so deep and so terrible that I was certain that I’d never get over it. And I’d commit another murder, this one for fun. But I wouldn’t know for at least a week, maybe two.
The doctor told me there was no bruising or tearing. But then, I’d been unconscious. There wouldn’t be any.
So as if that wasn’t enough fun, the police came to see me. I’d been asleep when they’d visited me the night before.
I explained what had happened. Yes, I’d shot those two men after they’d shot the young police officer. I was not going to be apologetic about it. I added, glassy eyed, that one of them had also shot his own dog, after letting him loose on the cop.
They told me not to worry.
I didn’t think I’d heard them right.
It could’ve been anyone who shot those cult members. Anyone at all, they explained. They weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms in the area. There were lots of people who knew what Gabriel was about. They knew that he ran a cult-like community within his compound. He had made many enemies. In fact, a fellow officer had lost a younger sister to Gabriel’s cult a few years ago. She’d vanished, was still missing.
Both officers spoke, one after the other, taking turns. Everything blurred into the same warped image. I was tired. They said not to worry.
I’d done the world a favor and those cult members had deserved what they’d gotten. This last part I wasn’t sure if one of the cops said on their way out, or if it came from my own mind. It didn’t much matter.
* * *
Callahan took me home. When he opened the door I saw a large, dark, muscular figure standing at the top of the stairs and my heart leap
t. I felt a smile spread across my face and I laughed out loud.
She knew me, and her tail started wagging. She returned my smile with a wide one of her own.
Man, there is nothing in this world like a rottie smile. Not one single thing.
“Pango!” I brushed past Callahan and began to rush up the stairs to meet her, but was reminded of the wounds on my feet pretty quickly. I moved slowly then, reaching my hands out to her, moving them over her soft, smooth fur as I sat next to her on the stairs.
“Oh, I see how I rate,” Callahan said, grinning.
“Don’t you be jealous, this is a girl and her dog moment.” I cupped her blocky face in my hands. “Isn’t it, girl?”
She licked my face and I wrapped my arms around her, hiding my face in her large neck and laughed into her fur.
At that moment, life was good.
* * *
I sent Callahan out for the basics; a bag of dog food and dog dishes. He hated to leave me alone, but I insisted. I set Pango up in the living room with a thick, folded blanket for her to sleep on until I could get her a giant dog bed. I took her out in the large back yard to let her get familiar with the place. Buddy used to do his business in the wooded area surrounding my house. I took Pango there and she did her thing. So far she was easy. In my experience, Rottweiler’s are. They are scary smart, sensitive, and they’ll give their lives to protect you. I love dogs, but I have a soft spot for rotties.
We walked, well, I kind of limped along on my crutches, slowly around the property as Pango familiarized herself, sniffing and peeing here and there. She didn’t stray far from me, never more than a few feet. When Callahan’s car came up the drive-way, she stood still, ears perked, watching the car. When he emerged her tail wagged and she broke into an easy trot to meet him. She was part of the family already.
My brother Jesse would love her. He’d moved to New York City the year before with a girl he’d fallen in love with. He worked as a network administrator- slash-computer expert at a large company in Manhattan. He was doing well. I wouldn’t mention my latest escapades to him. I knew him, and he’d drop everything to come and watch over me. I didn’t want him to worry or to put his life on hold for me. It was pointless. Besides that, I’d put Jesse’s life in danger a couple of summers ago because of the job, and I was determined that would never happen again.