by Jordan Dane
He nudged his M-16 when he encountered unarmed nurses and doctors.
“Keep your hands where I can see them. No sudden moves.”
Ciara came from behind him and whispered, “I found prison cells with other kids locked away. I recognize some of their faces, the missing ones from the files Wizard sent us. What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.” Mercer spied Scott Welch walking toward him with his hands up—the coward.
Keiko held her gun on him and stared at Welch as if he were a porterhouse steak.
***
Minutes later
Something primal woke Ichiro. Panting, he sat bolt upright with his breath fogging the night air. Gabriela stirred next to him, but she didn’t awaken. He listened to the sounds of the night in a place he’d never been, praying he had been mistaken and it had only been a bad dream.
Don’t panic. It could have been anything. Man up, he chastised.
From inside the shelter he stared into the darkness, his gaze searching for anything that moved, but his eyes played cruel tricks on him. Whenever the wind blew, the rustling branches undulated to give rise to heaving shadows. In the faint glow of moonlight, a bluish haze dusted everything—the boulders, mountain ridges, and the tall Ponderosa pines that dwarfed him. The deepening gloom stirred in the gusts like a living, breathing ominous thing.
Someone or something watched them.
Ichiro replayed what had awakened him and it set him on edge. It had pulled him from his restless dozing, when he’d been caught between twilight sleep and whatever lurked outside. Not even laying next to Gabriela had settled him.
“What’s the matter? Did you hear something?” Gabriela whispered and reached for his arm.
“It’s probably nothing. I’m a little jumpy.”
It would do no good to worry her.
“What time is it, do you think?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. “Maybe we should get moving.”
He craned his neck to peer outside and gazed at the looming mountain range.
“It’s still too dark.”
When he heard the sound of a twig snap and a soft rustle, Ichiro froze. He didn’t dare breathe.
“What’s that?” Gabriela had heard it, too.
Ichiro hadn’t imagined it.
“I’ll check it out. Stay put,” he whispered.
His mind raced with terrible thoughts and fear gripped his throat like a vise. Throbbing in his ears, his heart punished his ribcage. Ichiro willed his body to stay calm. He had to be brave for Gabriela. He would do anything to protect her.
The men who had taken him and Gabriela could’ve noticed they were gone and be hunting them now. Would they know about the drainpipe? Had they been followed?
He tugged at a sturdy tree branch from the shelter until it broke free. Armed with the only weapon he had, Ichiro crawled into the darkness and stood. His feet wiped out the magatama good fortune symbol that he had drawn in the dirt and he realized the bad omen too late.
Ichiro gripped the pine branch in both hands and stood his ground.
When a shadow darted through the trees, he peered through the gloom with his heart punching his chest like a jackhammer. A noise to his right and he jerked his head to catch it. Nothing, but his skin prickled with goose bumps.
Ichiro knew they weren’t alone.
***
Welch Ranch
“I knew you were trouble when we first met,” Scott Welch stared at Keiko and let his eyes drift down her body. “I should’ve waited for you in the parking lot, like I wanted.”
Keiko glared at him with a look Mercer had seen before, right before somebody died. She stepped into his space as if she had a right and inched even closer.
“I’m going to ask this one time. Where’s the Tanaka kid?”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Wrong answer.”
In a move too swift to see, Keiko slashed a curved knife across his chest and stepped back to watch him bleed. Mercer didn’t know if he should step in. He needed Welch to talk, but after he saw the depth of the cut—and that the mayor’s son didn’t leak like a slaughterhouse pig—he had faith Keiko would know how to get the man to talk.
“What did you do?” Welch stared down at the blood seeping through his slashed shirt. His hands covered his chest and he glared at Mercer in a panic.
“Aren’t you gonna stop this? The bitch is crazy.”
Mercer crossed his arms and smirked.
“If you don’t start showing her some respect, she may snip off a piece I’m sure you’ll want to keep.”
Welch’s eyes grew wide and he yelled, “You can’t do that.”
Keiko stepped closer to him and he backed away with his hands in front of his crotch. With his last ounce of defiance, he raised his chin and stared into her eyes.
“You don’t know who I am.”
“I know exactly who and what you are, little man.” She threatened him with the knife again, letting him see his blood glinting on the blade. “You remember that question I asked you? This time you’re telling me everything, or momma’s making sausage.”
Scott Welch understood the gist of Keiko’s ‘sausage’ reference—enough to know it had nothing to do with her culinary expertise. He told her everything. Ichiro and one of the female hostages, Gabriela Rivera, had vanished and they had no idea where they went. Keiko questioned him until Welch’s eyes watered and he begged her to stop cutting him.
Addicted to conspiracy websites, the guy believed America had been invaded by foreigners who were nothing but criminals. His father had wanted him to follow in his footsteps and go into politics, but Scott never bought into that. He found financial backers online, in various chat room forums, and vetted people who wanted a ‘pure’ America.
He targeted immigrants and ‘those dreamer kids.’ According to him, foreigners didn’t belong, not after their parents were deported as illegals. He said, “They aren’t Americans like me. They’re putting people out of work. Someone had to do something.”
Calling other people criminals was an irony wasted on Scott Welch—considering the undeniable evidence in a facility he had built and operated. The guy hadn’t held anything back. He admitted to things no one even asked him.
Mercer pulled Keiko aside and lowered his voice.
“I believe him. He’s got nothing left to say of value.” He fixed his eyes on Welch, his expression unreadable. The guy flinched. “Tanaka is alive. Let’s focus on finding him and the girl.”
“But I’m only getting started. It takes practice to be a good interrogator.”
“Sorry. I’m pulling the plug,” he said. “We need to find those two kids.”
“Yes, I agree, but you would not deny me one last souvenir. He has too many ears. He could spare one to nourish my Bonzai tree.”
Keiko smiled and headed back toward her prisoner until Mercer stopped her with a laugh.
“Momma’s making sausage?” He fought a smile. “You’re off kitchen duty when we get home.”
“That’s fair.”
He watched as Keiko sauntered back to her prisoner, but his mind reeled with questions. If Welch had told the truth and Ichiro Tanaka escaped with a girl, where would he go? How did he get out of a secured facility that could’ve been a backdrop for American Horror Story?
Mercer needed to call on a higher power of the four-legged variety. Kujo and Six had become invaluable members to his team.
“Let’s round up these lunatics,” he said to the others. “Give them a taste of their own medicine, pun intended.”
Mercer’s team got to work. They disarmed and locked up the hostages in the jail cells, leaving the facility secured and ready for a proper search. The hunt for Ichiro Tanaka would begin with everything hinging on Kujo and his dog, Six.
“You have Tanaka’s T-shirt?” he asked Kujo. “Wherever Ichiro is, I bet we’ll find the missing girl.”
“Yep. I’m way ahead of you
.” Kujo had already given Six a sniff of the garment and given the command for his shepherd to search for Tanaka.
Six sniffed the ground until he picked up on something.
“Here we go. He’s got the scent.” Kujo grinned and ran with his dog. “Find him, boy.”
Six raced down a long corridor with Karl close behind him. When the shepherd came to a door, he pawed at it frantically, eager to get inside.
“What is it, Six?” Kujo took the dog off his leash and pushed the door open with his weapon drawn. Mercer backed him up.
“It’s a…shower?” Kujo lowered his gun after he saw the room was empty.
Both dogs paced the tiled floor, but Six came back to the massive drain in the center of the room and gave his indication sign that he’d found his target.
Mercer puzzled over the dog’s behavior until he finally trusted his gut, believing in Six. He slung the M-16 over his shoulder and took a knee to lift the heavy metal grate.
“That’s big enough for a skinny kid to get through. What do you think?” Mercer glanced over his shoulder.
Kujo grinned.
“I think Tanaka slipped out right under their noses…and he took a girl to save her.”
“So do I.”
Mercer raced back the way he’d come to face Scott Welch one more time.
“Where does the shower room drainpipe empty?”
“I don’t know…the backside of the mountain maybe. We weren’t exactly worried about building code.” Welch grimaced until he realized why Mercer had asked. “You mean that slant got out through the drain?”
Mercer raised an eyebrow at Welch before he shifted his gaze toward Keiko.
She clenched her jaw and said, “You’re dumber than you look and that’s saying something.”
Mercer shook his head and didn’t wait to see what would happen next. He took his dog Karl and headed for the entrance with Kujo and Six. When he heard a familiar sound outside, he quickened his steps and broke into a run. As he hit the cold air, a blinding light from above forced him to squint and he raised a hand to cover his eyes.
A helicopter swung right and targeted its landing. Mercer suspected police had arrived from the air to break up his illegal search. Worry spread across his face.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered a helo when we were in Butte,” Kujo raised his voice to counter the helicopter rotor engine. “Thought it might come in handy. Hank knows a lot of people. He worked something out.”
Mercer stared at the Bell 429 that stirred up dust as it landed near the mine shaft and he grinned.
“Good man. Perfect,” he said, patting Kujo on the back. “Bring Tanaka’s Tshirt. We’ll take the dogs and one more. Reaper, you’re with us.”
Mercer lowered his head and raced for the helo as he gave another order.
“Boots, I’m leaving you in charge,” he said over his com unit. “Lock that place down and evacuate the kids, get them help and have Nilah contact their families once we’ve ID’d them.”
“Roger that, compadre. It would be my honor.”
Mercer opened the rear clamshell cabin door by sliding it aft to hug the fuselage. Karl and Six bounded onto the aircraft through the cargo hold. Once the rear doors were secured, Mercer and Kujo boarded the passenger compartment to the Bell 429 and Ciara climbed in, next to the pilot.
When the engine whined and the rotor blade gained speed, Mercer reached behind his seat to reassure his dog, Karl, while Kujo comforted Six. Once the aircraft lifted from the ground, it gained altitude and speed as it pitched toward the backside of the mountain with Ciara instructing the pilot where to search.
His weapons specialist handed out headphones to communicate with the pilot, but before the helo took them out of range and Mercer would have to stow his team com unit, he spoke to his people on the ground and in the air.
“I’m proud of you. We saved lives today, but we have two scared kids on the run who’ve been through hell. We’re bringing them home. Wolf, out.”
***
Minutes later
Ichiro stared into the deepening shadows under the haze of moonlight, convinced his attackers had returned to take him and Gabriela prisoners again. He held out his tree branch when he caught movement in the pines.
Something in the sounds of the forest sent a chill racing down his spine. The shadows multiplied until there were more than he could count. Wherever he turned, the dark specters inched closer and stuck to the darkness as if they were born from it.
When he heard a low guttural noise—a menacing growl that grew louder—Ichiro slowly turned his head and stared into the unforgiving eyes of a predator. A massive wolf crept from the darkness with its teeth bared. Its pack surrounded its leader, tensed for a hunt.
Ichiro froze where he stood. He didn’t know what to do.
Chapter 13
Gabriela.
Ichiro didn’t know if he said her name aloud. He couldn’t move. The large wolf lowered its head and crept closer, gnashing its teeth. The pack leader’s actions fueled the others into a mounting frenzy.
“Ichiro, what is it?” Gabriela came from behind him and Ichiro cringed.
He didn’t know what would prompt the vicious animals to strike, but if they did, Ichiro would lose and he would know Gabriela died in the cruelest of ways—because of him. He felt her hand on his back, but she gasped when she saw the wolves. Her ragged breaths shamed him.
He couldn’t protect her—not from this.
“No sudden moves.” He forced the words from his mouth and kept his voice even and steady. “Can you make it to the rocks we climbed down? It’s not far.”
One of the wolves charged but stopped when Ichiro threatened it with the pine branch.
“I’m not leaving you,” she said. Her voice cracked.
“You have to. I can hold them off. I’m tougher than I look. When you get to the drainpipe, crawl back in it. They may not follow you into the water.”
He tried to sound hopeful and forceful, but when she wouldn’t budge, he tried again.
“I know you’re scared,” he said. “I am, too. Do it for me. Please.”
Her soft sobs touched his heart and his eyes stung with the regret he would not hold her again. He wanted to tell her that he would never forget her, but he knew she would take it the wrong way. If she suspected he feared his own death, his brave Gabriela would not leave him—yet she must.
“Think of the others, Gabriela. One of us has to get help. You know I’m right.”
When she hesitated again, Ichiro couldn’t wait for her to decide. The wolves were inching closer. If the ferocious animals blocked her retreat, everything would be lost. Ichiro shoved his back into her and nudged her to move with him.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“If they get between you and the rocks, neither of us will have a choice.” He glanced over his shoulder at her, pleading with his eyes. “You have to do this. Be brave one more time, Gabriela.”
With fresh tears in her eyes, she stifled a sob and nodded.
“Don’t look back. No matter what happens, you keep moving. They’ll be after you, but keep climbing. Do it. Now.”
***
Gabriela sidestepped toward the rocks, unable to take her eyes off Ichiro and the wolves.
Please, God. Don’t let him die.
She made the sign of the cross and backed up until she felt the boulders behind her. Gabriela had to turn her back on Ichiro and the threatening wolf pack to start her climb. With her throat wedged tight, she turned and did as he’d told her.
She didn’t look back.
The faces of the other captives flashed through her mind as she hoisted the weight of her body up the mountain. The rocks cut into her hands, but she kept going. Ichiro had been right. She had to find a way to save the other victims, but when she thought of Ichiro, the young man who’d rescued her from evil men, she fought back the tears of abject sorrow.
Would she ever see him alive again?
“Back off. Go!”
She heard him cry out to the wolves. He tried to sound brave, but she knew his fear. When the wolves attacked him, Ichiro’s bold cries turned into painful agony. It broke her heart and her will to live, but she owed it to him to try. The wolves yelped when Ichiro struck them, but he was outnumbered. He wouldn’t win.
Gabriela cried harder and her whole body trembled, but she wouldn’t stop reaching for the next handhold.
Somewhere in the shadows below her, two wolves scrambled after her. When she heard their claws scraping stone and their frenzied growls, she scaled the rocks faster and pulled her body onto the next boulder.
In the dark she heard the patter of water from the drainpipe and headed for the noise—the only safe haven she had—but when she looked up, three wolves showed their vicious snouts on the ridge above the sewer. They glared at her with dead eyes.
Ichiro had been right. The wolf pack had come for her, too.
***
Mercer stared through the helo’s rear window wearing his night vision gear. His enhanced sight colored the ground and turned it into an eerie green. Although NVG gave him a good range of vision in the dark, he had to avoid staring into the blinding lights positioned on the underbelly of the helo. Massive Ponderosa pines and mountain ridges kept the aircraft high until the pilot dropped down into a canyon and navigated through it with skill.
The pilot’s voice came over his headset.
“If you want to fly like a bird, hitch a ride with someone else. A helo is more like strapping a saddle onto a bat out of hell,” the man said. “We’ll find those kids. I’m a stubborn SOB.”
Although Mercer kept his eyes on the terrain, he smiled and heaved a sigh. If Ichiro Tanaka and Gabriela were city kids, they would be lost in the mountains. Without food or water, their chances for survival would be slim. He had to find them.
“I see something, there.” Ciara’s voice came over Mercer’s headset.
After yanking off his NVG, Mercer unstrapped his safety belt and shoved to the edge of his seat. Ciara pointed to the narrow end of the canyon. Mercer stared through the pilot’s windshield to see a pack of wolves in the throes of a feeding frenzy. The vicious animals had a bloodied Tanaka nearly to his knees. If he dropped, it would be over.