by CatNip (lit)
Samuels could only hope it would do Minx good to have her sister around. It might perhaps make it easier to gain Minx’s cooperation in the long run. He, personally, didn’t want to have to use CatNip on Minx. He wasn’t exactly sure of how it might affect a future pregnancy. Too bad, he thought, his nephew hadn’t thought of that when he’d taken the other bitch.
Ah, well, Adonis was still young, Samuels reasoned. He understood the temptation to use CatNip. Goddess knows he had been tempted. His patience was wearing awfully thin with Minx.
Samuels bent over to see what Adonis had mapped out of the Lascaux Ranch. It was a rough sketch of the farm and the surrounding buildings and land. Still, it was fairly comprehensive for a sketch. Adonis had done a decent job of it. Samuels knew this was important to his nephew. Adonis’s time spent camping in the nearby preserved forest land had evidently paid off.
By late afternoon, Samuels, Adonis, and the others had gone over their plan. They had analyzed it backwards and forwards. They wanted to be sure there was nothing they had missed. They hoped to avoid any surprise elements that could come back to bite them. The extra preparation, Samuels knew, would be worth it.
Ahmed finally offered to go pick up some lunch for everyone when Chambers started rumbling on about his appetite. Samuels would’ve preferred a good hunt, hell, they probably all would.
Game was plentiful if you knew where to look, but it just wouldn’t be wise, not now. To do so could ruin their ambitious plans. Hunting was out until after their extraction of the two females was complete. No need to preemptively go announcing their presence. The rare steaks Ahmed promised to return with would have to do for now.
Samuel’s eyed the winding, long and narrow, but empty road that led to the warehouse. He was so hungry for blood, he could almost taste it.
Chapter 26
Roberto stepped into the small bungalow. Demar had called to say Felice was awake again, and he would stay with her until Roberto could return. Roberto found Demar and Felice at the table in the bungalow’s small kitchen. Since he’d left, Demar had started a pot of coffee and had even made a very late brunch for them.
They both looked up as he came in, and Demar swiftly stood up. “I made some of my breakfast burritos. Want a plate, Roberto? I realize it’s closer to suppertime, but, well, I knew you both liked these.”
Roberto nodded and Demar stepped over to the cabinets and got another plate down. He began dishing up some for Roberto, too.
The phone rang. Demar looked at Roberto, who nodded. “See who it is, Demar.”
Demar listened for a moment, then said, “Sure thing, I’ll get her for you.”
“Here you go, Felice. It’s Lynx. She asked for you.” Demar handed the phone over.
Felice hesitantly took the phone, not sure she was ready to talk.
“Hey, Felice,” Lynx began, “I just wanted call and see how you were doing?”
“I’ve been better, but I’m doing okay, if that makes sense,” Felice offered wearily.
Concern laced Lynx’s voice. “I’m here to talk to, Felice, anytime you need to. I hope you know that.”
“Thanks, Lynx, but I am really holding up okay right now,” Felice replied quietly. “How are things with you?”
“I’m good. I don’t want you to be worrying about me any,” Lynx insisted. “I did want to let you know, I talked with COBRA’s staff psychologist, Dr. Sara-Beth Allen, a little while ago. She said she would be more than happy to offer her services when you feel up to it, if you would be interested.”
“Oh, thank you, Lynx. I’ll think about it,” Felice murmured.
“Felice, just so you know, Dr. Allen does all the evaluations and counseling for COBRA and for the other teams, too. I can tell you from personal experience that she’s very empathetic and a great listener. From what I understand, she had some traumatic experiences growing up that prompted her decision to be a psychologist. I really think you’ll like her if you decide to see her. Here’s the number, just in case you want to set up a time.”
Felice listened as Lynx gave her the number. “I’ll contact her, Lynx,” she replied slowly, “but it may be a little bit before I do. I just don’t know if I’m ready to discuss what happened with a stranger yet.”
“That’s okay,” Lynx answered. “She said to tell you whenever you felt up to it, just call and she’ll work with you.”
“That’s very considerate of her.” Felice sighed.
“One last thing. We should do a lady’s night here soon, whatever you like. We could rent some chick-flicks, have some popcorn and munchies, you know, just relax and hang out together. It might do you good.”
“Soon,” Felice promised, “just not right now, Lynx. I’d be really questionable company right now. But really, I’m fine. You don’t have to entertain me, although, I appreciate what you’re trying to do.”
“Felice, anything you need, call me, all right?” Lynx persisted.
“Will do,” Felice said quietly. “Thanks, Lynx.” Felice slowly laid the phone down.
“Felice, how are you feeling today, honey?” Roberto asked softly as he gingerly took a bite of the burrito Demar set in front of him. Felice looked at Roberto. His eyes were so full of concern, it damn near broke her heart.
Felice glanced over at Demar, who’d sat back down and was observing. Demar, she noted, eyed her with some concern, too, but he wasn’t looking at her like he thought she was broken or could break apart in the span of a heartbeat. No, he looked at her as if he knew she’d be okay. His expression was still oddly protective, however.
Felice grimaced. She didn’t want Roberto thinking she was fragile like glass, nor did she want him eaten up with guilt over what had happened to her. She understood what guilt could do. Although he had assured her that she shouldn’t feel guilty, she still did, and she knew him. Roberto tended to feel the weight of the world rested on his shoulders alone.
She leaned towards Roberto, reaching out to smooth away a worry line on his forehead. “I feel much better today, baby. Demar made sure I ate, and I’m already feeling stronger. Don’t worry so much. You know I’m made of some pretty tough stuff. I will survive this. We will all survive this.”
Demar reached for her hand, too, took it momentarily, and then gruffly said, “Felice, doll, you know how we are. Men just can’t help being protective, especially after what happened. You should know, we’d lay down our lives before we’d let anything like that happen to you again.” Demar stroked her hand briefly, reverently, before he laid it softly back on the table.
Tears started to well in Felice’s eyes. She might still be a total emotional mess at the moment, but she didn’t doubt for a second that she could count on the people she loved. That was enough to keep her going, for now.
CatTears
Damn, if seeing Felice’s tears didn’t unnerve him more than Roberto’s possible reaction. It had been instinctive, his need to comfort Felice. Demar glanced over at Roberto. Roberto’s eyes reflected only appreciation and tender affection for Felice.
Good, he hadn’t overstepped. Demar pushed out his chair. “Since you’re here now, Roberto, I should probably go make another perimeter check. I’m keeping a close eye on things. I even had Colby help me install a few extra security cameras.”
Roberto nodded. “That means a lot to us, Demar. I really appreciate you being here with Felice the times I have to take care of other business. Thank you. Oh, and it doesn’t get any better than your burritos, man. Somehow, they taste better each time I have them.” Roberto took an appreciative bite.
Demar tipped his hat and quickly headed outside. It had been a struggle of will just suppressing his urge to wipe away the lone tear he’d seen about to trickle down Felice’s cheek.
Demar made his rounds, his high-powered rifle swung at his side. He slowly walked along the fence-line encompassing the better part of the property at back of the ranch, deeply immersed in thought.
Chapter 27
When the security
guard appeared, Ahmad hastily stepped back behind the cover of trees and retrieved the camera from Chambers with a low warning grumble and scowl. As the ranch’s security guy got farther away, Chambers flinched at Pasqual’s hard stare.
Pasqual gritted out quietly, “Don’t be doing that again, Chambers. All we need is to tip these bastards off that we’re here. We’d have every damn one of them coming after us before we’re even ready.”
On the defensive, Chambers muttered, “Well, you did say to take a picture.”
Ahmad turned on him with a glare. “Yeah, but I thought you’d have enough sense to wait until their guard was far enough away.”
“Yeah, well,” Chambers countered, still feeling defensive, “the guy’s back was to us, and he didn’t see anything, so no big deal.”
“Lucky for you, that,” Ahmed replied with a wilting look. “Next time, think before you go shooting off. Now, let’s make our way back to the other side. We need to get back to the warehouse. There are lots of last minute details to work out with Samuels and Adonis. Hopefully, they should have the supplies we need by now.”
The trip back was quiet. Chambers could tell he’d aggravated the two brothers. The two of them made him nervous, anyways. They were usually serious, and they didn’t joke around a whole lot. Lord knows Adonis could be intimidating, and Samuels, too, but at least they knew how to laugh.
Before Chambers even realized it, they were pulling into the warehouse.
Outside, the air barely stirred, twilight had settled over the quiet scene, and the only sounds were made by crickets and some distant traffic. The warehouse was set back off the main road, and not a whole lot of traffic went directly past it.
Chambers was relieved to exit the Jaguar’s back seat.
Sometimes luxurious just didn’t cover tense by Chambers’s reckoning. Hell, he’d have settled for a good cheap burger, but Ahmed and Pasquel had promised Samuel’s steaks. So, steaks it was. Chambers didn’t mind. He was starving, so just about any meat would do at this point.
Inside, Chambers was glad to finally hunker down to eat. Despite the earlier tense atmosphere, he gleefully dug in. A short while later, he wiped his mouth and watched as the others finished up, his mouth watering. That had been good, but more would’ve been even better. Pasqual shot him a hard look. Evidently, eating hadn’t improved his mood much.
Chambers excused himself to go have a smoke. He got the distinct feeling if he even looked wrong at the other man’s meat he’d wind up regretting it. Nope, not going there He wasn’t that hungry.
~ TattleTail ~
After the last of the meal was consumed, Ahmed and Pasqual showed Samuels the photos they had developed. “So, this is the barn, eh?” Samuels asked, not waiting for any real answer. “Adonis, you mentioned there was some pretty stunning horse-flesh housed there, right? Any of you three notice if their prize stud was still boarded in the barn when you were out there today?” Samuels looked expectantly between Ahmed, Pasqual, and Chambers.
Samuels saw the reproving look Ahmed aimed at Chambers before answering. “Yes, from the looks of it the stud’s still housed in the barn, as are some prime mares. I saw one of the men leading another black stud in from the back pasture while we were there.” Then Ahmed casually added, “If Chambers here hadn’t nearly waved his camera in the security guard’s face, we might have actually been able to find out more. As it was, I didn’t want to take chances on being spotted.”
Chambers blanched.
Samuels was too psyched to waste time berating Chambers. He reckoned Ahmed and Pasqual, from the looks of it, had already ripped the defenseless Chambers a good one already. Samuels silently chuckled. Excitement curled in his stomach again. Samuels swiftly outlined his brilliant plan for tomorrow’s ambush at the ranch in detail. Soon, Chambers’s mistake of earlier was forgotten in the fever of their mounting excitement.
Chapter 28
Mort Greene was on his way across the field, returning from checking to see if the big storm from the previous night had wreaked any lasting devastation on his land. Mort was relieved to find little consequential damage, other than to the big oak closest to those cypress trees at lake’s edge. The oak was a gorgeous old tree, and Mort thought it a crying shame.
Hell, but Mother Nature often left scars like that. Lightning had damn near split the majestic oak in half. The upside was it had rained so much with the storm that no fires had started. It had been a very dry year. Mort knew all too well a single lightning strike could damage far more.
The old oak wasn’t too close to Leo’s farm, set back like it was by the lake. Back from his trip, Mort didn’t need an excuse to be neighborly. Besides, he hadn’t talked to Leo or his men in a while. He was headed that way when Mort noticed the flash of light.
Mort also caught a sudden flash of movement nearby. It was difficult to say for sure, though. Nothing had been there when he’d looked back seconds later. His eyes sure were not what they used to be. Mort decided he’d go back and check it out later. It probably meant nothing.
Mort was whistling when he walked up by the eastern fence. “Hey there, Demar,” he began.
“Hey, Mort, is that a new Gator cap?” Demar asked with a big smile.
“Sure is,” Mort responded with a wide grin. In no time, he had filled Demar in on the latest, greatest Gator’s victory and FSU’s sad loss. He noted Demar looked a little lost when he talked football.
“Hey,” Demar interrupted, “Mort, did you want to talk to Leo or something?”
“Sure, I’d like that,” Mort answered.
He was eager to do more visiting. Mort knew Leo was a bigger football fan. He didn’t mind at all recounting the game. It was like an instant replay, and football was full of those.
Demar went and opened the gate, waved him in.
~ Cat’s Out of the Bag ~
A half-hour later, Mort was about to leave when he suddenly turned to Leo.
“Leo, I forgot to tell you about earlier.”
“What happened earlier?” Leo asked. He hoped asking wouldn’t lead to another of Mort’s long stories.
“Well, I saw a flash out near the woods. Then, I caught some sort of movement out of the corner of my eye. It was probably nothing, but I figured I’d mention it just in case.” Mort scratched his head, clearly puzzled. “I’ll be checking around back there tomorrow.”
Leo’s ears perked up. As soon as he’d heard what Mort had to say, his instincts had started kicking in, big time.
“Hey, I’ll give you a drive to your truck, Mort,” he offered.
Mort insisted he was fine, but Leo was the more insistent of the two and soon had talked Mort into it.
As he dropped Mort off by his truck, he had to add, “Be careful, Mort. I know you can handle yourself, but you and I both know that there are some really dangerous people out there anymore.”
Mort nodded. “You’re not lying, Leo. Things just aren’t like they used to be when I was growing up. Hell, you can’t even lend a helping hand like you used to. Why, just the other day, I saw a hitchhiker. I thought about helping out, but it’s just not the same world we used to live in.”
“So, what did you do?” Leo asked, curious.
“Why, I picked him up, but then I had ole Morticia laying right there where he could see it.
Leo knew the Morticia Mort was referring to was a lightweight Heckler and Koch pistol that was eminently practical and yet equally dangerous. He also knew Mort carried the small gun with him as a precaution, not primarily for any human threat he might come across. Mort, he knew, recognized better than most that forest and swampy glades were home to numerous wild animals. Wild animals were often prone to unpredictable behavior.
Leo had known Mort a long time, and he admired the old cracker’s dedication to conserving and caring for the land. Mort’s conservation of the nearby forests benefited every rancher around, besides protecting the local wildlife.
Leo reiterated his warning.
“Remember
what I said about being careful out there, Mort,” Leo remarked as he watched Mort climb into his truck.
“Sure, will do that, Leo. Hey, you take care of yourself and that pretty woman I caught a glimpse of back at your house, too,” Mort added with a wink.
“It will be my pleasure.” Leo winked back, laughing at Mort’s attempted inflection of humor.
Leo continued to smile as Mort drove off, but it faded as Mort pulled out of sight. He was doubly eager to get back to the ranch, to Lynx. The threat of Adonis looming closer preoccupied his thoughts. Leo couldn’t have been more distracted as he parked just inside the gate and started walking up the wide porch.
Trouble was headed their way. Leo sensed it, and his instincts were rarely wrong.
Chapter 29
Lynx, meanwhile, was growing restless. All her senses were burning, on fire. Her jeans chafed the sensitive flesh between her legs, even the barrette holding back her hair, grown damp in the muggy night, bugged her. She tossed the barrette on the kitchen counter, grabbed an apple, and quietly slipped out the back door. She heard the front door open as she softly closed it.
Lynx delicately made her way over the stepping stones that dotted the landscape. Every sound was excruciatingly magnified to her ears. The cricket’s soprano chirp, the frog’s bass croak down by the lake, even the occasional accompanying whinny from the barn sounded amplified. Distantly, she heard the chorus of the cows mooing. At least they sounded placid enough tonight.
Her feet had carried her to the barn before she’d realized it. Lynx always loved seeing the horses, but Lady Jane was her personal favorite. The mare had such soft brown eyes. They were beautiful set against the sable-red coat of her muzzle. In the barn, Lynx found Lady Jane’s stall. Lady Jane normally greeted her with a neigh. Tonight, she snorted, stamping her hooves, refusing even the apple Lynx tried to hand her.