Disappointment flashed across his handsome face, but was quickly replaced by a warrior’s stoic continence. “They will be cared for in your absence or if you’d prefer we could take them with us.”
She glanced up at the sky and caught a black smudge riding the thermals. Her life’s work had been spent bringing these noble creatures back to the Canyon. She knew there were others, younger researchers waiting to take her place.
The sky shifted and suddenly a massive ship appeared above them. “I must go,” Talon said. “It’s your choice, Lynn. Come with me or stay. If you choose to stay, I will wait for you. Forever if need be.”
She stared at the ship. “You’d find someone else,” she said, even though it hurt to do so.
Talon gave her a sad smile, then shook his head. “Now that we’ve mated, there is no one else for me. Only you.”
“I can’t just drop everything and leave,” Lynn said. Could she?
A beam of light appeared out of the bottom of the ship. Talon took a step toward it.
“Wait!” she cried out. “Will I stay this way, even if you go?”
He nodded. “Yes, consider it a gift. Something to remember me by. I’m sure it’ll be of help while you study your birds.”
Lynn watched Talon step into the light. He touched his heart, then raised his hand to wave goodbye. Something inside of her shattered. She’d spent her whole life reading about connections like this in romance novels. At first she’d dismissed them as pure fantasy, but a part of Lynn had always held out hope that she’d experience one for herself. Now that she’d been offered that chance, was she really willing to throw it all away just because she was scared?
Definitely not.
Lynn didn’t even realize she was running until she tripped and fell. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that she’d made a huge mistake by letting Talon go. She pushed to her feet and kept going. Just a little further. Almost there. The light blinked off as she reached it. Lynn looked around, but Talon and the ship were gone.
“No!” she shouted at the sky. “Come back. You can’t leave me.” Her voice broke as she realized she’d just lost the best thing that had ever happened to her. Once again she’d allowed her logical mind to get in the way of her happiness.
A warm hand touched her shoulder. Lynn ignored it at first, afraid that she was imagining it. The touch firmed and she spun around to find Talon behind her. “I thought I’d lost you.” She sniffled, then fell into his arms, holding on for dear life.
“Never,” he said. “I disobeyed a direct order just so I could see you one more time.”
A huge sexy beast of a warrior appeared out of thin air, prowling behind him. His gait was lethal as he silently stalked forward, his golden eyes sparking off the fading sunlight. Lynn yelped, holding onto Talon tighter.
Talon turned and nodded to the man.
“Does he fly, too?” Lynn whispered, trying to imagine the size of his wingspan. He would make one fierce raptor from the looks of him. She pitied any woman who happened to get in this man’s sights. There’d be no escape.
“Fly?” Talon snorted. “Hardly. Cats might be able to land on their feet, but they can’t fly.”
“Lynx,” Talon said, casually, but Lynn felt his muscles tense.
“Talon,” the warrior said in response. “There seems to be a problem with the transporter.”
Talon’s lips twitched. “Yes, you’d better run a diagnostic.”
Lynx’s amber eyes glittered dangerously. “Already have. It’s good to go now.” He pointed to a flash of light a hundred yards away. “I suggest we get a move on before Area 51 scrambles jets to check us out,” he said, strolling toward the beam. Without looking back, the cat shifter added, “Try not to forget your mate this time.”
Talon pulled her close and Lynn snuggled against his warmth. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
# # #
Cut Scenes from TALON
Robbing the Flagstaff, Arizona bank had been easy enough. Getting away afterwards had turned into a pain in the ass--thanks to their twitchy getaway driver who’d panicked before the job finished and drove off.
Earl had, had to carjack a college student. He hadn’t wanted to, but he and Henry couldn’t exactly walk out of Flagstaff carrying a duffle bag full of money. Especially since Henry had managed to go and get himself shot by the bank guard.
At least the wound didn’t appear to have hit anything vital, but he was still bleeding like a stuck pig, which was more than he could say for the dead college student in the trunk. Earl kept to the speed limit as he carefully made his way to Grand Canyon State Park.
If the student were still alive, Earl would’ve thanked him for the backcountry camping permit he’d found in his glove compartment. What better place to lay low than in nineteen hundred square miles of wilderness? The cops wouldn’t think about looking for them there. All he and Henry had to do was get there without being noticed.
Henry moaned. “It hurts Earl,” he said.
Earl glanced in the review mirror. “Are you putting pressure on it like I told you to do?”
“Yes, but it won’t stop bleeding.” Sweat poured from Henry’s brow, leaving his mud brown hair pasted to his head. He dabbed at it using the contents of the college student’s gym bag.
“We’ll pick up some bandages later tonight. We have to get to the canyon and get out of sight first.” Earl shook his head in disgust. Henry should’ve shot the guard while he’d had the chance, but he’d hesitated and now they were both paying for his mistake.
“Okay, Earl. I’ll hang on,” Henry said.
Earl glanced back at the road. Worst came to worst, he’d just have to shoot Henry and dump into the Colorado River.
* * * * *
“Slow down, Earl. I can’t see a thing.” Henry slid on the loose rocks.
Earl scowled. “We have to keep moving, unless you want to turn yourself in.”
Henry yelped.
“Keep your voice down, you idiot. Sound travels for miles in the canyon,” Earl said.
“Can’t we stop for a minute? I think my leg has started to bleed again.” Henry bent at the waist, resting his hands on his knees, and took big gulping breaths of air.
Earl sighed. “All your yapping is going to get us caught, if we’re not careful.” He glanced down at his watch. It was only eight o’clock, but already the night was black as pitch and colder than hell.
He scanned the trail they’d taken. He’d nearly walked off the edge twice and they still had a long way to go. Why had he thought it was a good idea to enter the Grand Canyon? He looked back at Henry, who was wheezing from the exertion. Stupid bastard shouldn’t have gone and got himself shot.
Earl cocked his head and listened. He hadn’t heard any helicopters—at least not for the last hour. Maybe they couldn’t fly at night? He shook his head. That was doubtful. He’d seen plenty of cop shows with them circling the suspects at night. They used spotlights and heat sensors. Maybe the police figured no one would be stupid enough to go into the Grand Canyon to hide? That’s what Earl had been counting on. What he hadn’t anticipated was how hard it was to get into the canyon. They’d been hiking for hours and still had a long way to go.
It didn’t help that he had to keep slowing down for Henry. It was either that or risk his leg bleeding again. A pool of blood would certainly alert their fellow ‘hikers’. It was bad enough that they weren’t dressed for hiking. Fortunately, there’d been plenty of poorly dressed tourists for them to blend in with.
Still, they’d passed a few who’d grown suspicious and had been a little too observant. They’d been dealt with swiftly…and quietly. The last thing they needed was to leave a trail of bodies behind. People fell into the canyon every day. Hopefully they wouldn’t be found for a few weeks. Long enough for he and Henry to get to California.
Earl glanced around to get his bearings and saw a flicker of light in the distance. He turned to his partner. “Do you see that Henry?” He pointed
to the spot.
Henry straightened and looked past Earl. “I don’t see anything,” he said. “I never knew it could get this dark.”
“Follow my finger, moron,” Earl said in frustration. If they weren’t kin, he’d have killed Henry long ago.
“Is that a wildfire?” Henry squinted into the darkness.
“Don’t think so. It’s too small, too uniform to be a wildfire. I think it’s a campsite,” Earl said. He damn well hoped it was. They needed supplies and a place to rest for a while.
“Think they have food?” Henry’s stomach growled before the last of the words had left his mouth. “This kid packed nothing but granola bars. I can’t be expected to live on those.”
“Only one way to find out.” Earl grinned, anticipating hot food and warming up next to the fire. “Think you can make it?”
Henry nodded and scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Lead the way.”
Earl hoisted the duffle bag full of money higher onto his shoulder. Maybe their luck had finally changed.
* * * * *
Lynn was fast asleep when they entered her tent. She didn’t even get a chance to scream as a grubby hand came over her mouth muffling her cries. In her sleep addled state, it took her a minute to figure out what was going on. There were two of them. Men. They stank of sweat and desperation. The shorter of the two was bent over, grasping his leg. Her brain kicked in when the one holding her spoke.
“We don’t want to hurt you, but we need a place to stay. If you promise not to scream, I’ll remove my hand,” he said.
Even though every instinct inside her was screaming, Lynn nodded. If she screamed, there was a very good chance that no one was near enough to help her. As it was, her voice would bounce off the canyon walls, making it nearly impossible to determine where the cries were coming from.
“Good girl,” the man said.
Lynn shuddered as he pulled his hand away. She drew her legs up close to her body, wrapping her arms around them protectively.
“Does she have any food?” The one gripping his leg asked.
Lynn squinted to see the man near her. The fire cast shadows inside the tent, obscuring his features.
“You heard the man. Do you have any grub?” he asked.
She nodded once and pointed to her backpack. There wasn’t much there--only enough food for one person for a few days. Well she’d been hungry before, she could be hungry again. Just like dieting. The important thing was to stay alive until she got a chance to escape. Despite what the man had told her and the reassurances he’d given, Lynn knew he was lying.
They used some of her climbing rope to tie her hands and feet before securing her to one of the boulders that had fallen from the canyon walls, then shoved a dirty sock in her mouth to keep her from calling for help.
Lynn supposed she should be grateful that they’d used her sock and not one of their own. The boulder was tucked near the canyon wall, keeping her just out of view of anyone coming down the river.
Thanks to the firelight she could clearly see the men’s features. The one in charge—and there was no doubt he was in charge since he continuously barked orders at the other man—was dark haired with cool slate-colored eyes and dark brown hair. He had a wiry build that hinted of strength without really showing any muscle. He was the kind of man that people could easily underestimate…once.
The other man was overweight and balding. He’d combed what little hair he had left on the sides, up and over the top of his head. Fooling no one, but himself into thinking he had hair. His blue shirt was untucked and he had a dark stain covering one of his pant’s legs. Dried blood caked his hands, making him look like he’d been digging in clay dirt. The injury looked bad, but not the kind that tended to occur in the canyon. The canyon loved to break bones and twist ankles.
How had this man been hurt? Better yet, where had he been hurt? From the stench, they’d been traveling for a while.
Instead of finding comfort in the fact that she’d finally seen her captors’ faces, the realization sent a spike of fear deep into Lynn’s bones. If she could see them, then she could identify them, which meant these men had no intention of letting her go. Her intuition had been right. It was escape or die. She yanked at the ropes. They didn’t budge. She continued to struggle until she wore herself out.
* * * * *
Lynn woke to a swift kick to the bottom of her foot. She stretched her neck, trying to loosen the kink that had settled in overnight.
“Time to get up,” the man who’d been bleeding said. In the daylight, the dried blood covering his leg looked like rust. He hobbled around the boulder.
A second later the ropes loosened and Lynn groaned. He wasn’t the only one stiff this morning. She rubbed her arms and flexed her fingers trying to get feeling back into her limbs.
“Get your stuff packed,” he said. “We’re leaving in ten minutes.”
Lynn pulled the sock out of her mouth. Her tongue was so dry it stuck to the roof of her mouth. It took three tries to speak. “I thought the other man said you were going to let me go.” She struggled to her feet. Her thighs cramped and she reached out for the rock to steady herself.
“Change of plans,” the leader said as he stepped out of the tent. “We need someone who’s familiar with the canyon to get us to the other side. From the looks of your setup, you’ll do.”
Lynn opened to her mouth to contradict him, but thought better of it. At least as a guide she was useful to these men. If they thought otherwise, she’d be dead. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
The man’s dark eyes narrowed. “Make it quick.” He went to work pulling the tent down.
She relieved herself and then walked to the river to rinse her hands. Lynn splashed water on her face, shivering against the cold, then swept her hair back in a ponytail. She didn’t hear the man approach, but she felt pain when he grabbed her arm and jerked her away from the water.
“You really don’t want to test me,” he said, through gritted teeth. “Now help us pack up the camp. We have a long way to go.”
Lynn eyed the swirling greenish brown water. It was swift enough to carry her downstream, but then what? The only supplies she had were inside the tent. She wasn’t even sure if she could make it to shore before the hypothermia set in. No, it was best to go along for now.
She helped pack up the tent, rolling everything into her backpack. It was clear within minutes that neither man had ever been camping—or if they had, it had been inside a cabin. They looked to her for guidance, which should’ve been a relief, but wasn’t since it made the man in charge twitchy.
“I’m ready.” She rolled the final blanket up.
The leader pointed deeper into the canyon. “After you.” He flashed the butt of his firearm.
Lynn swallowed hard, then began the slow, treacherous hike.
* * * * *
Lynn saw the shadow before she spotted the bird. It was the same raptor that she’d seen on the cliff face, except this time it was cruising on the thermals above them. If she didn’t know better, Lynn would swear the bird was following them, but that was impossible. It probably just equated people with food droppings. It was going to be really disappointed if that were the case. The two men were making quick time with her remaining supplies.
She’d thought about asking them for some food, but had thought better of it. Anything that kept them occupied was good in her mind. Lynn stumbled as the bird dove for their heads and swept by them.
“What the hell!” The man in charge cried out.
“What is that Earl?” the wounded man asked.
The leader shoved the balding man against the rock face. “I told you not to use my name, you fool,” he said.
The hurt man winced. “Sorry, Earl. I forgot.”
“Don’t worry about it, Henry,” he said.
Lynn pretended not to hear them. It only drove home the fact that they planned to kill her, when she outlived her usefulness. The bird dove near them, its wings near
ly scrapping the side of the canyon wall.
“Look out!” Earl shouted.
Henry ducked and so did Lynn. She’d never seen a bird act this way. Maybe they were getting near its nest. She looked around, but didn’t immediately spot a nesting area. The man named Earl took out his pistol.
“The next time that bird swoops by it’ll wish it hadn’t,” he said.
Lynn stopped. “You can’t shoot it. They’re protected.”
Earl’s brow dropped over his eyes. “Do you think I give a shit about a bird, lady?”
“My name is Lynn. Lynn Regis,” she said.
“I’m Henry and this here is Earl,” the chubbier man said.
Earl shoved him aside.
Henry scowled and rubbed his arm.
“Stop talking to the prisoner, Henry.” Then his gaze landed on her hard. “As for you,” he pointed the gun barrel in her direction, “I suggest you keep walking and worry about your own health, not the health of some damn bird.”
Lynn glanced at the sky to the magnificent winged creature soaring high overhead, willing the bird to go away before it got hurt.
* * * * *
Talon’s fury continued to build at he got a look at his woman. Even from this distance he could sense her fear, smell it, feel it like a palpable entity reaching out to snatch the air from his lungs. Whoever these men were, they would pay. He’d make sure of it.
PHANTOM WARRIORS: RIOT
by
Jordan Summers
Note to Readers:
This story is a total and complete work of FICTION. I took many liberties with the town of Cherokee and the Cherokee mythology incorporated in this book, twisting and distorting it to fit the ‘fiction’. The town is beautiful and so are its people. I have the utmost respect for the Cherokee Nation and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you’ve never had a chance to visit, I highly recommend going, so you can see for yourself.
Phantom Warriors Volume 2 Page 13