“Don’t do this,” she pleaded. “This is insane. You can’t get away with murder. You’ll rot in prison or get the death penalty.”
Brother Adam laughed, a sick sound, as he leaned in enough to make sure she could see his face while his two followers began to tie her legs in place.
“We are waging a war against evil and we are willing to die for our cause. We won’t have to do that though. I am smarter than them. I’ve thought of everything.”
He believed what he said. It was clear in his crazy stare. Zandy screamed, bucked her hips, but the two men only secured her with rope around her waist. Her gaze locked on Adam.
“The New Species are going to track your worthless ass down and make you pay for this. You better hope the police arrest you on the spot when you drive up to those gates because I know Tiger will tear you apart for doing this to me.”
He cocked his head. “Who is Tiger?”
“He’s a friend.” They might have ended their relationship but she had no doubt that Tiger would avenge her murder by making sure the people responsible were punished. She had faith in that. “He won’t let you get away with this.”
“I knew you were fornicating with those devils.” His gaze narrowed. “They are the ones who will die. Tiger’s name will go at the top of our list of who to cleanse next. Thank you.”
Her temper snapped. “That devil, as you call him, is going to tear out your heart and make you choke on it.”
The son of a bitch just grinned. “I will always prevail over evil. I am the instrument of God.” He paused. “Tell the devil I send my regards when you see him.”
“You’re a loser is what you are. A bat-shit crazy one who gets off on hurting others. What kind of pathetic life have you led that you think this is the right thing to do? You’re the one who is going to hell, Adam. Tell him yourself.”
Adam’s face twisted into an ugly shade of red from anger. “I’m going to enjoy watching you burn. It’s going to be music to my ears when the flames start melting your flesh and you start screaming.”
They left her tied to the cross while Zandy struggled to break free. She overheard enough to know they had begun breaking camp and what the next step of their plans was. Brother Bruno would drive the motor home to the gates of Reservation and he’d work the winch. Brother Adam would toss the tarp off the roof, address the reporters with the speech he’d written, while pouring gasoline as he spoke. They thought the fire he started would cause enough panic and disarray to escape being arrested.
The ladder creaked in warning that someone was climbing to the roof. Zandy twisted her head to stare at the thin, mousy woman who refused to meet her gaze as she slowly crept forward.
Hope surged that the woman would help her escape but it faded quickly when she reached into her baggy skirt pockets to withdraw a roll of duct tape.
“I’m really sorry to do this to you,” the woman whispered as she pulled off a strip of the tape. “They don’t want you screaming. Hold still. I don’t want to get your nose. You’d suffocate and everyone would be mad at me for killing you too soon.”
Zandy twisted her head away to avoid being gagged. “Please don’t. I thought Brother Adam wanted to hear me scream while I burn.” She tried to use logic, desperate to avoid having her mouth sealed closed.
“Brother Adam will remove the tape before he lights the wood. He doesn’t want you screaming before he’s ready to reveal your presence. We all have to work together to make sure this goes exactly the way he wants.”
Zandy struggled but the woman was able to tape her mouth. Two more layers were added across her lips and down her cheeks to make sure it stayed put. The scream came out muffled when her terror got the best of her. The mousy woman backed away and fled, her job done.
Minutes later two large men climbed over the wood piled on top of the motor home to pull a tarp over the roof. Her terror intensified when the dingy white material they dragged over her body blocked out the sky. It rested on her face and no matter which direction she turned she was unable to get away from it. They had effectively hidden her and the cross.
The motor home engine vibrated slightly when the driver turned it on. Motion assured her that they were on the road as the tires dipped and made the entire vehicle sway under her. Wind whipped at the tarp after the road smoothed to pavement and it picked up speed. She hoped it would fly off but they’d tied the material down tightly.
Zandy closed her eyes and pictured Tiger. He’d be brave and not totally fall apart if he were in her shoes. Of course he could have avoided being taken in the first place. None of Brother Adam’s men would have been able to win against Tiger in a fight. Just thinking about him helped calm her rising panic. He’d saved her once in that bar but she knew he couldn’t do it a second time. He was in a hospital hours away.
I love you, Tiger. I just wish I could have told you.
Chapter Nineteen
Slade slammed his desk phone into the cradle. “Great. This is just what we need.”
Tiger tensed. “What is wrong?”
“Some idiots have called a press conference at the main gate, demanding freedom of speech. The reporters are showing up en masse. Like we need this shit on top of everything else. This group wants us at the front gates too. They said they have something to say to us that we’ll want to hear. I doubt that.”
Bestial sighed. “I’m sure it will just be insults they wish to hurl at us. These things never go well. It’s probably those human-rights people again claiming we’re threatening their way of life.”
“We have about fifteen minutes before this thing is supposed to start. I’m going down there to see what the hell these idiots are up to. I’m tripling the officers on duty and calling in some sharpshooters. I don’t want any unpleasant surprises.” Slade ran his fingers through his hair. “I hate these assholes.”
Tiger stood. “I will go with you. Security is my job.”
Bestial unfolded his body from the chair to stand. “You’re still on medical leave, Tiger. We’ll all go. It beats sitting here staring at the walls while we wait for word from Tim.”
“I’ve got this,” Slade stated. “You’re my second, Tiger. We’ll deal with this crap together.”
The three of them left Slade’s office and climbed into a Jeep. Slade used his cell phone to issue orders while Bestial drove. They reached the main gate and took the stairs to the catwalk on the wall where they could see everything. One of the officers passed them bulletproof vests, which they donned. Tiger assessed the twenty sharpshooters on the wall and the thirty officers assembled below on the NSO side of the gate.
Tiger borrowed one of the radios from a male and ordered an additional fifty males to suit up in case of attack. He wanted them prepared to rush to the gates if they were needed. Bestial watched him grimly as their gazes met.
“Best to be paranoid.” Tiger shoved the radio in his pocket. “Overkill is a good word when our males are holding the weapons.”
“Does everyone have on vests?” Slade yelled to be heard.
Tiger relaxed slightly when they were assured all the high-alert protocols were being followed. He noted the arrival of the local sheriff and four of his deputies. They were there to help with crowd control outside the gates. Sending officers outside wasn’t something he wanted to do—it was too dangerous.
Thoughts of Zandy tormented Tiger. He wondered where she was, if she were alive and just wished she were in his arms. Anger gripped him over having to deal with the current situation when all he really wanted to do was make more calls to have more resources focused on locating her. He’d apologize for the things he didn’t remember saying and make her forgive him. It didn’t matter how long it took but he’d convince her that he was her male.
Bestial growled. “Look at all the news vans pulling up. Who are these people?”
Slade shrugged. “I’ve never heard of them. They are calling themselves Salvation from Sin.” He snorted. “They said they want to tell the world about ho
w evil we are.”
Bestial chuckled. “I don’t suppose we could just shoot them when they arrive to prove them right?”
Tiger wasn’t in a good mood. “Don’t tempt me to give that order.”
“I want to know how they got so many reporters out here. They are obviously crackpots,” Slade said. “They stated they have proof that we are dangerous to humanity and promised the news stations something they’d want to show on the six o’clock news as the top story.”
Tiger gripped his radio to address the officers. “They might try to provoke an attack from us. Hold your tempers in check. Do not open fire unless I give the order or you are fired upon first. They are up to something since they wanted so many cameras on scene. Just be prepared for anything. Do we have smoke gas ready?”
“Yes,” a male responded. “We are prepared.”
Slade sighed. “Great. Just remember to keep your cool, everyone. We are better than these assholes. They want to give some kind of speech and I’m sure it’s going to test our restraint. The calmer we appear at their hateful words, the more asinine they seem.”
Tiger snorted. “True.”
Bestial grinned.
Tiger counted at least fifteen news vans parked along the street but they were far enough from the walls not to be a threat. The protesters had been cleared a good fifty feet away from the gates by the sheriff and his deputies. Sheriff Cooper waved and Tiger acknowledged him with a nod.
“So when is this bullshit supposed to start?” Bestial grew impatient.
Slade glanced at his watch. “Soon. They said they would be here at 5:40.”
“There’s a motor home coming and a car. Do you think it’s them?” One of the officers jerked his head.
Tiger narrowed his gaze, watching the approaching vehicles. “Yes. They have a Salvation from Sin banner on the side of it.”
Bestial snorted. “Look how old that thing is. We’re being visited by the past.”
Slade chuckled. “At least we can rule out them having missile launchers. They couldn’t afford them.”
Tiger agreed. “Maybe we won’t have to worry about them firing on us either. See the rust on that thing? I doubt they can afford bullets.”
Tiger tensed when two males climbed out of the cab of the motor home. One walked to the back of it and used a ladder to climb onto the roof where he stood at the back. He bent and lifted a microphone.
“Is this thing on?” The male’s voice broadcast from speakers obviously rigged to the vehicle.
“The speakers work,” the driver shouted from the front bumper.
“I am Brother Adam from Salvation from Sin. I am the leader of our group. I am here today to tell you that we will not stand for the evil spawn of the devil tainting our women. No God-fearing woman would lay down with a devil. It is wrong and against the word of God to fornicate with an animal. We want the women out there to know that you are condemning your souls to hell by even associating with the spawns of hell that call themselves New Species. Any woman who associates with these demons will burn in hell and I am here to tell you that considering being a bride of the devil will be punished in the fires of hell. Any woman who goes near these vile beings is letting the devil tempt her to be his bride. God has spoken and told me and mine to do this. I am hoping that others pick up the word of God that I preach today and do the same.”
“That’s a terrible speech,” Bestial muttered.
“They spent their money on speakers instead of a publicist,” Tiger quipped.
The human holding the microphone pointed up at the top of the wall. “You shall not put your evil hands on our women anymore. Take heed of our warning that God-fearing men will cleanse their souls.” He moved over and felt for something under the tarp. He yanked hard at whatever it was.
Slade rolled his eyes. “We came out here for this?”
Bestial chuckled. “I’d enjoy an evil woman in my bed.”
One of the New Species males close to them laughed. “Me too. Sinful is best.”
“Shit,” Tiger muttered, grabbing for his radio. “Alert. The human is unhooking the tarp at the back of the motor home. He might have males hidden under it with guns.”
The human male at the front of the motor home bent and the sound of a soft whine started. Slade cursed, putting his radio to his mouth.
“Alert. It could be a weapon.”
Tiger rested one hand on the knife strapped to his thigh. He practiced often and had become very accurate at throwing it. His other hand set the radio on the wall and grabbed for the spare gun strapped to the officer on his right, clearing it from the holster as the tarp rose higher. Whatever was under it was at least twenty-five feet tall. The tarp waved in the air and started to drop as it was fully erected.
A scream startled everyone and the sight of a female tied to a cross was revealed as the tarp dropped away. Tiger’s knees nearly collapsed under him as he stared at Zandy. The shock of seeing her suspended high in the air on top of the vehicle took seconds to register in his mind. Her hair was messy, a bruise darkened her cheek, and she looked very pale. Thick ropes wound around her arms and legs, securing her there. She screamed again, struggling with the restraints. Her terrified gaze focused on the gates.
“Shoot him,” she yelled. “He’s going to set me on fire!”
Tiger’s gaze jerked away from her to the human closest to Zandy. He was holding a red container and poured the contents out on a bunch of wood chaotically spread across the entire length of the roof of the motor home. Tiger’s heightened senses were fully engaged with his heart racing and the stench of gasoline filling his nose.
“Shoot him,” Tiger roared, instantly understanding what the human male planned to do to Zandy.
Screams from the humans on the ground filled the air as they realized what was about to take place. Zandy must have heard his voice. Her chin jerked up and her terrified gaze sought him out. Tears slid down her face as gunfire erupted. The human with the gas can jerked as Tiger darted his attention there, watched as three bullets tore through his chest and propelled his body backward to disappear out of sight where it hit the pavement.
“No!” The human at the front of the motor home screamed that one word before he did something with his hands, throwing an object upward. Flames ignited in a whoosh.
Horror jolted Tiger from his frozen stance as the fire spread across the top of the motor home and surrounded the bottom of the cross. Zandy let out another terrified scream that set him in motion before he gave it any thought. He shoved males out of his way, ran on his still-sore leg and grabbed the wall near the guard shack at the gates.
He vaulted over the wall, his body slammed painfully into the angled roof and he slid on his ass to the edge. He hit the grassy area next to the shack with a grunt, ignored the pain and dropped the gun still clutched in his fingers. He needed both hands to shove off, to regain his footing and rush at the burning vehicle.
More gunshots rang out and bullets slammed into the human who’d thrown the lighter that started the fire. Tiger had to dodge the falling body as the male sprawled on his back, dead. He shoved fleeing humans out of the way to reach the motor home where he leaped and gripped the metal edge of it. He hoisted himself up.
Scorching heat from the flames registered but he ignored them, too focused on Zandy to care if he burned. A large body suddenly landed next to him and he twisted his head to stare at Bestial. The male held a fire extinguisher, which he pointed in front of them. He tore out the pin and sprayed the flames. It doused them instantly.
“Get her,” his friend snarled, turning the spray to make a path to the wooden cross.
* * * * *
Zandy coughed, choking on smoke from the fire below her as it blinded her. She twisted her head but couldn’t find any breathable air until the wind shifted. Tiger had been on the wall above the gates of Reservation. She’d seen him there, heard him order the officers to shoot Brother Adam, but then she’d lost track of him.
“Zandy!”
Tiger roared her name and the cross shook enough to make her entire body sway.
She looked down to see if the fire had eaten through the wood enough to make the thick beam collapse. She stared at Tiger below her as he climbed up the cross to reach her. It was his added weight that caused the rough motion. He inched closer until he reached her feet.
Pain lanced through her but she clenched her teeth when he fisted the ropes to pull his body higher. They bit into her skin from the pull of his weight but she refused to scream. He hugged her and the beam when they were face level.
Their gazes locked. His amazing eyes stared deeply into hers and he crushed against her chest. One of his hands released the rope and he suddenly held a knife. He looked away and sawed at the ropes that secured her arms.
“I’ve got you, little one,” he rasped.
“Tiger,” she whispered, stunned that he was really there.
“Hang on to me.”
One arm was cut free. It hurt to move it but she wrapped it around his neck. He twisted a little to transfer the blade to his other hand and gripped the beam to support their weight.
Sweat beaded his brow and his face was red from exhaustion or perhaps from inhaling too much smoke. She couldn’t look away from him. The tug of the ropes assured her that he was trying to free her other arm.
“Hurry,” a male snarled from below them. “The canister is near empty.”
The wind changed direction and smoke billowed up, making her eyes sting. She tore her gaze from Tiger’s face and buried it against the hot skin at his neck. The masculine scent of him and the smoke were strong. The rope gave way and she wrapped her other arm around him, hugging his neck tightly.
The beam swayed roughly again and she wondered if it would collapse with both of them. It didn’t. Instead a hand gripped her ankle and the ropes around her legs were pulled away.
“She’s free,” someone shouted. “I got her legs clear, Tiger. Hurry. The interior is burning now and we are losing the battle with the fire.”
Tiger (New Species, Book Seven) Page 26