Darkness United

by KC Luck

  know she was going to go home in a few hours and would be back in the morning. If nothing else, even if everything was okay, she needed to rest. If I don’t get some sleep, I’ll get sick myself.

  JACKIE RESTED HER ELBOWS on her desk and held her head.

  The fearful faces of the people at the Saturday Farmers Market flashed in her mind. As she stood back and watched Meg carry the little boy out of the building, Jackie’s mind went to the memory of the two men she was speaking to right before everything else happened. They wanted to get rid of the new arrivals. This could be the beginning of big trouble, she thought. After hearing the child was okay, she went back to city hall, knowing she needed to figure out a plan. Unfortunately, Greg was waiting for her the minute she walked in the front door.

  “Is it bad?” he asked wringing his hands. “I heard about the boy. Are there more like him? Is he going to die?”

  Jackie held up a hand to stop the flood of questions.

  “Stop,” she commanded. “I don’t want to stand here and discuss this in the hallway. Let’s go into my office.”

  Once inside with the door closed, Greg paced babbling about pandemics and super flu. It was enough to give Jackie a headache. Looking up, she watched the tall, charismatic, and entirely useless mayor spin up. He will be no help, she thought and cursed the fact Taylor was still gone. The timing could not be worse. Not only was she unavailable to provide advice, but Jackie worried over her safety. What if the murderer turned the tables somehow? The idea sent a stab of fear through Jackie and she shook her head. There was no way Taylor would let that happen. It was just a matter of time until she would be back with the man in handcuffs. But what do I do in the meantime?

  “We tear that place down,” she heard Greg say, pulling her from her thoughts. “We send those people packing.”

  Jackie frowned and decided her best course was to pretend she knew nothing of his plan. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “Tear what down?”

  Greg moved to the edge of Jackie’s desk. His eyes were a little wild. “The tents!” he exclaimed. “Send in the deputies to evict those people. Order them to leave Astoria.”

  Jackie’s mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious,” she said.

  “Even if we did, what’s to stop them from coming right back?”

  Greg smiled smugly. “We close our borders,” he answered. “Put armed guards at all the roads into town. No one gets in.” Then, he started to pace again, but instead of looking frantic, he looked elated. “Yes, that’s it,” he continued. “Out they go and we will put up barricades. That will keep the flu out.”

  Barricades? Jackie thought. He can’t be serious. “No, Greg,” she said. “Our policy in Astoria is to welcome anyone in. You know that.”

  Greg stopped mid-stride and whirled on her.

  “That was your and Taylor’s policy,” he snapped. “Not mine. I never wanted these people here. This is your fault!”

  Jackie felt her face flush with heat. The audacity of the man to accuse them of anything but saving this city fired up her temper. She stood and came around the desk. Stopping only a few inches from Greg, she put a finger in his face.

  “Not another word,” she hissed at him. “You will not tear down the tent city or put up stupid barricades. We will wait until Taylor returns and then work together to find a solution to this.”

  Greg’s eyes blazed with fear and fury and Jackie realized the man might be breaking under the pressure of a possible epidemic.

  “You’re fired,” he whispered. “Do you hear me, Jackie Scott. You. Are. Fired.” Jackie blinked, shocked by his

  statement. The idea he would ever even think of getting rid of her had not crossed her mind. The man relied on her to make every decision to run Astoria. She had even joked to Taylor how he brought in his ties so she could pick the color of the day. And now he thinks he can fire me? she thought.

  Before she could open her mouth to respond, Greg walked away. He was headed out the door to her office. “I appointed you to this job, but I can see that was a mistake,” he added over his shoulder. “You can go.”

  TAYLOR’S FRUSTRATION was mounting as she and Grace neared the end of their search. They had methodically explored the entire perimeter of Astoria. With the river on one side, she had led them in a half circle not far outside the city limits. Even by searching at night hoping a campfire would be noticeable from a distance, they saw nothing.

  There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Taylor was tired and irritated at herself. The man had to be hiding near town to get in and out so quickly and easily. Regardless, Taylor knew it was about time to call off the hunt for the night.

  As they neared a final double-wide trailer located in a well-kept clearing, Taylor paused at the edge of the trees.

  Grace stopped beside her. They both looked on as a whisper of smoke lifted out of the metal chimney of what Taylor guessed was a small wood stove inside the dwelling. There was no other movement.

  “Same procedure as before?” Grace asked.

  Taylor nodded. “I’ll knock and you cover the back,” she answered. Without a word, Grace started around the edge of the open lawn to take up position. Taylor watched her for a moment, pleased she brought the woman along. She was competent and reliable, just as Taylor remembered from

  their time together a decade ago. With time, she hoped Jackie would see Grace for the good person she was and they could all be friends.

  Once Grace was in place, she gave Taylor a signal to go ahead. Taylor nodded moving out to cross to the front door.

  Keeping the rifle slung on her shoulder to avoid freaking out the trailer’s residents, she still put her hand on the butt of her handgun in its shoulder holster as she climbed the front steps. There was nothing wrong with being careful.

  At the door, she stopped and listened. Still no sign anyone was home but for the woodsmoke. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for anything, Taylor knocked.

  There was no answer and Taylor suddenly felt a tug of concern. Something did not feel right. She knocked again, but this time stepped back from the door and pulled her weapon. The moment held and Taylor began to believe no one was going to answer until there was a rattle of the door’s handle. Lock, Taylor thought. Deadbolt. Once it was unlocked, the door opened and a middle-aged woman stood looking inquisitively at Taylor. She did not appear surprised, but instead, her face was anxious. This is definitely not feeling right, Taylor thought. Keeping her gun in her hand but pointed at the ground, Taylor cleared her throat.

  “Ma’am, I’m Chief Taylor Barnes from Astoria. I need to ask you a couple questions,” she said. “Is that okay?”

  The woman nodded slowly. “I can do that,” she said but showed no plan to let Taylor inside. Everyone else Taylor encountered welcomed her in for a drink of water or a bite to eat. Deciding to press the issue to get a chance to see past the door, Taylor holstered her weapon.

  “Mind if I come in so we can talk? Looks about ready to rain,” she said. Before the woman could answer yes or no, Taylor heard a shout go up from the back of the house. It was Grace yelling for someone to stop. Pulling her rifle around, Taylor leaped off of the front porch and scrambled around the building. She heard a gun fire and as she

  rounded the corner, she noticed her friend on the ground with the giant of a man who once followed Jeff Eider standing over her. The giant had Grace’s service weapon in his large hand.

  Seeing Taylor, he raised it and fired a wild shot at her.

  She did not even bother to duck, guessing it would miss.

  “Drop it,” she ordered and prepared to return fire if he did not comply. Instead of doing what he was told, the giant fired again and this time his aim was better. Taylor dove to the ground and felt the bullet pass her cheek. Damn, that was close, she thought while at the same time shooting back. As she rolled, Taylor heard the giant grunt a moment before he turned and ran. In a few long strides, he was into the forest. Taylor aimed for another shot
but the man was smart enough to use the trees as cover. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Taylor had to decide if she would give chase or help Grace. When the woman groaned, her mind was made up. Holstering her weapon, she moved to Grace’s side and saw the bullet had hit low near the woman’s hip. She could not tell if it punctured her abdomen and prayed it had not. If the bullet nicked an organ ... Taylor shook her head at the thought, recognizing the severity of the situation. There was no doubt in her mind that, even if she carried the woman back to the hospital at a full out run, Grace was quite possibly going to die.

  CHAPTER 26

  iding in Taylor’s arms as she carried her, Grace kept her Rteeth clenched to keep from crying out. The pain from the gunshot wound to her hip was excruciating and made more so by the movement of Taylor’s fast pace. Grace knew the woman was using every last ounce of her strength to get them back to town before it was too late. Before I bleed out, she thought. Even though Taylor applied first-aid and wadded up her own t-shirt to use as a compress, the dressing was soaked through. And even if we do get back to Astoria before I pass out, what can they do for me there? It was not like there was a blood bank to replenish her anymore. They could not do surgery to repair any internal damage. She tried not to become overwhelmed by the thought she would most likely die today. Staying calm was the most important thing she could do.

  Forcing herself to think about something else, Grace turned her mind to Meg. Beautiful, commanding Meg.

  Captain of the Wind Dancer. Strong. Sexy. Everything about her was exciting. Not to mention she is a great kisser, Grace thought remembering the feel of the woman’s lips on hers.

  Everything inside her had wanted to pull Meg into her and make the kiss go on and on. Only her military commitment to keeping their relationship professional stopped her from letting Meg do whatever she wanted. I should just have listened to my heart. And now it might be too late. Grace felt deep regret as she considered she would probably never have the opportunity to tell Meg what she really thought of her. She might never have a chance to apologize for being so cold. Especially when on the inside, Meg made Grace feel

  anything but cold. It was not lost on her that, if she had said yes to the woman’s request to sail away with her, she would never have been shot. She would not be slowly bleeding to death, Life could be so unfair.

  “Talk to me, Grace. I need to hear you’re still with me,”

  Taylor said as she adjusted Grace in her arms while not missing a step. The movement shot bolts of pain through Grace and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. It would do no good to let on how much she hurt. Taylor was doing everything she could. Swallowing hard, and after waiting for the pain to subside to a dull throb again, Grace cleared her throat.

  “Taylor, I need you to stop and rest before you collapse,”

  she said. “It won't do us any good if we are both down.”

  “I'm not going to collapse,” Taylor growled between deep breaths. “It's only another mile. I just need you to hang on.”

  Of everyone Grace had met in her life and career, she believed Taylor was indeed the one person who absolutely would not collapse until the job was done. Grace could only hope they arrived while she still was conscious and that Meg would be there. And what if she sailed away already? Grace thought. The idea had not occurred to her until just then, and it was almost too much to stand. She closed her eyes and willed herself to stay strong a little longer. Meg could not be gone. Not yet.

  AS THE SUN SET OVER the trees around them, Taylor’s arms and shoulders raged with pain. Grace’s blood soaked through her clothing. Her legs were growing wobbly under the weight of the woman in her arms, but Taylor struggled on. She was finally at the edge of town and the hospital was not far. Grace had not answered her questions for the last ten minutes and she feared the worst. A gunshot wound

  anywhere around the midsection was bad. Even if she got her to help while still alive, without a way to do emergency surgery, she could die. Stop with the negative self-talk, soldier, Taylor thought in her harshest army drill sergeant voice. It helped push her the last quarter mile.

  Thankfully, when she approached the hospital, there were people in the parking lot. Seeing her stumbling toward them, they helped carry Grace the rest of the way. Once inside, Taylor saw nurses in the hall. They were caring for a lot of people who did not look to be faring well. Taylor collapsed into a folding chair, but not before noticing all of the medical staff were wearing surgical masks. Blinking in pain, the sound of a few people coughing registered. What is going on here? she thought, but the throbbing in her recently healed broken arm distracted her from connecting the dots. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

  Barely a minute passed when Taylor heard a woman give a short scream. “Taylor! Oh my God, Taylor,” she heard Jackie sob and she was beside her, grabbing her shoulders.

  Taylor opened her eyes to look into a beautiful face filled with dread. She thinks all of this blood is mine, Taylor figured out.

  “Jackie,” she said and took the woman’s hands. “I’m okay. Just tired and sore from carrying Grace.”

  Jackie sank to her knees beside Taylor’s chair and tears ran down her cheeks. A hint of anger snapped in her eyes though.

  “Damn you, Taylor Barnes,” she sobbed. “Why would you scare me like that?” Taylor shook her head and pulled Jackie up into her lap. They put their arms around each other, and Taylor softly kissed the woman she loved.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I did not mean to upset you.”

  Jackie rested her forehead against Taylor’s and groaned.

  “Tell me about Grace,” she whispered, and Taylor blew out a breath before explaining what had happened. When she was done, Jackie hugged her tighter. “I'm so sorry.”

  Emotions threatened to rise up in Taylor, but she clamped them down. Now is not the time, she thought.

  Grace would simply have to be okay. Wanting to think about something else, she took Jackie’s face in her hands and kissed her again. “Talk to me, Jackie,” she said. “What did I miss?”

  Jackie did. She explained more about the flu, the confirmed tent city connection, and finally about Greg Orion’s plans. Taylor took a moment to let it all sink in. How could all of this happen while I was gone? It was not even forty-eight hours, she thought. “Okay,” she said. “Let me up, Jackie. I need to talk to Anna and then we will go wake up Greg and convince him his idea is lousy.”

  Jackie stood but shook her head. “Anna just left for the farmhouse. She’s worried something is wrong, and I finally insisted she go,” she said. “As for Greg, he’s dead set on tearing the tents down and kicking those people out of Astoria. Taylor, he even fired me over it.”

  Taylor raised her eyebrows. What she heard grew more unsettling by the second. A problem at the farmhouse? Greg fired Jackie? she thought feeling her temper starting to flare.

  She was not sure what she could do to help Anna with what may be wrong, but Greg Orion owed them his life and she would be damned if she would stand by and let him destroy any sense of unity and peace in Astoria.

  MEG TOSSED AND TURNED on Jackie and Taylor's couch trying to sleep when she heard the key in the front door’s lock. She was grateful Jackie let her stay, otherwise, she would have had to find someone to row her back out to her ship, and she wanted to be in town until Grace returned.

  She sat up and watched as Jackie, followed by Taylor, came in. Meg’s eyes widened when she realized blood stained

  Taylor’s clothing. “What happened?” she asked, bolting off of the couch with her heart in her throat. Nothing good could come from Taylor looking the way she did.

  Jackie reached out a hand and put it on Meg’s shoulder as Taylor shut the door and then faced her. For a second, Meg could not even breathe as she considered what they were about to tell her. Oh no, she thought. Please don't let this be Grace's blood. I don't know if I can stand it. “Tell me,” she whispered.

  Taylor's face was lined with sadness. �
�I'm sorry,” she said, and Meg saw the pain in the strong woman's eyes.

  Slowly, her legs feeling weak, Meg sank onto the couch.

  “Is she gone?” Meg asked, and Jackie sat beside her putting an arm around her shoulders.

  “No,” she said. “She's at the hospital.” At this new information, Meg felt her heart start to beat faster.

  “I need to go there,” she said getting up.

  “Hold on a second,” Taylor said putting up her hand to keep Meg from barreling out of the house. “You need to understand she's been shot. And we don't know how bad it is.”

  “It doesn't matter,” Meg said as she put on her shoes. “I want to be with her.”

  Taylor paused and studied Meg’s face. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I'll go with you. Just let me put on different clothes.”

  While Meg waited for Taylor to change, Jackie continued to comfort her. “Do you have any more details?” Meg asked.

  Jackie shook her head. “I don't,” she said. “I didn't even see her come in. I just found Taylor in the hallway.”

  Meg closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. She would know more soon. “Okay,” she said as she started to pace the room. Thankfully, Taylor came out in another moment and, after Taylor gave Jackie a quick kiss, they left.

  Meg could tell that the woman was exhausted and in pain. It did not take a leap of the imagination to guess Taylor

  probably carried Grace from wherever she was shot. Still, Taylor kept up the fast pace Meg set, and after a few minutes, they were at the hospital.

  Rushing through the front doors, Meg grabbed the first nurse she saw by the sleeve. “I’m sorry, but I'm here to see Major Grace Hamilton. Can you tell me where she is?” The nurse gave Meg a compassionate look.