Desert Guardian

by Duvall, Karen

  He nodded. "They all are." He grabbed Jake by the arms and hauled him slowly to his feet, wincing at the pressure on the small stab wound Kelly had made between his shoulder blades.

  Once he had Jake standing, he said, "Take it easy, buddy." He flung Jake's arm around his neck and led him to the door, the younger man's feet dragging behind him with each step.

  "How will we ever get him out of here in that condition?"

  "I have an idea." Sam peered through the partially opened doorway to make sure no one waited outside. They were alone. "I'll help you get Jake to an old van parked beneath some mesquite trees behind the camp. I'll hike up to the ridge and get my Jeep then drive down pick to you both up."

  "But won't the Jeep's engine alert the camp?" she asked.

  "Probably. That's why we'll have to move fast. You'll need to sit behind the wheel while I run into the nursery tent to grab my daughter."

  She paused before letting out a long, relieved sigh. "I'm so glad you found her."

  "She found me." He frowned, confused. "You know about Lynette?"

  "Only by accident. I happened to see her with a group of other children and thought she looked too much like you not to be yours. When I confronted Valya, she confirmed it."

  He stopped to consider what Valya might have done to Kelly. "Did she hurt you?"

  She gazed down at her feet. "I'll be fine. Consuela cleaned me up afterward—"

  "Cleaned what up?" He noticed for the first time the bands of gauze wrapped around Kelly's torso. "Turn around."

  "It doesn't hurt now—"

  He spun her around to check her back. After opening the door a crack to let in some starlight, he lifted what remained of the tattered shirt. He stared at the thin, rust-colored lines showing through the bandage. The stains crisscrossed from her shoulders to the small of her back. "Valya did this?"

  "Her sentry did." Kelly's croaked whisper spoke volumes more than the three words she’d just said. She had obviously been tortured, interrogated relentlessly, which was Valya's way.

  Sam ground his teeth. To think Lynette was being raised by that monster. And here was Kelly, beaten and bruised, only because she wasn't a devout little cultist like the rest of Valya's sheep. Or more accurately, because Kelly was involved with him. His throat tightened when he swallowed, a red haze of rage clouding his vision. If he'd had any doubts before, they were gone now, and his resolve to put an end to Valya's cruelty was bolstered ten-fold.

  "Let's go." He hoisted Jake over his shoulder, surprised at how light he was. Had he been starved as well as drugged? Prisoners of war received better treatment.

  To Kelly, he said, "Stay low, keep to the camp's perimeter, and never walk out into the open."

  Jake bounced against Sam's shoulder as he ran toward the edge of camp. They emerged beyond the curved line of tents and camper trailers. Jake groaned now and then but was otherwise silent, his body having gone completely limp. Sam glanced behind him every few steps to make sure Kelly stayed close. He was pleased to see Cody dutifully take up the rear.

  Once at the blue van parked a hundred yards or so behind the nursery tent, Sam laid Jake down on one of the long seats inside. He retrieved the jacket Lynette had shoved beneath the driver's seat. After donning his coat, he clasped Kelly by the shoulders and peered into her face. Her honey-colored skin was streaked with dried tears, her cheeks and chin smudged with filth. Her full lips were swelled with a bloody bruise made by someone's fist. His anger heated up another degree. "Kelly, I..."

  She frowned. "You what?"

  He hesitated, unsure what he was about to say. He had missed her horribly after she'd left him yesterday, a sense of emptiness hovering over his heart. But that wasn't it. His feelings ran deeper than that. Trust? Yes, he trusted her. Friendship? Of course. They had shared secrets neither had spoken to another soul. It was their shared bed he thought of now, the intimacy of their lovemaking, which had freed him from a tortured past filled with deceit and false promises. A dark past of loneliness, fear, and pain, all because of Valya and Star Mother.

  "Sam, are you all right?"

  He glanced down at Cody, who waited patiently beside him with anticipation shining in his dark, canine eyes. Without looking up, he told Kelly, "Stay in the van and keep out of sight. I won't be long, but the second you hear my Jeep, get ready to move."

  She nodded.

  As he turned to go, she grabbed his arm. "Sam?"

  They locked eyes, and she thrust herself up on her toes to grab him around the neck, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

  He drew back then tenderly traced her bruised lip with his thumb. "Wait for me."

  Her eyes glistened in the starlight. "I won't go anywhere without you. That's a promise."

  ****

  Kelly watched Sam's tall, confident figure vanish into the night. She felt suddenly cold, aware the effects of Valya's concoction may not have completely dissipated after all. But she was coherent enough to understand the fix they were in.

  They were all trapped. She felt enough residual paranoia to know she was on the brink of panic. What if they got caught? That would mean certain death by suicide, probably by poison. She recalled the Jonestown tragedy, the massacre of so many innocent people, and drew a correlation between Jim Jones and Valya. The woman didn't even have a last name. Did she think she was a rock star? Hardly. She was pathetic and completely insane.

  Kelly desperately wanted to know what Sam had been about to say before he’d run off. He'd had a profound tenderness in his eyes, but also confusion. What was he confused about? Did he regret apologizing for his hot words spoken in haste yesterday? If she hadn't lied about the money, he'd have had no reason to become defensive, to guard himself against the pain caused by a betrayal of trust. He had believed her, and she'd let him down. How would she mend the gap she had created between them?

  She checked on Jake, holding her hand against his hot forehead. He burned with fever, yet his body shivered as if cold. He groaned, his legs jerking before going instantly still again. She had to find something to keep him warm.

  Something gray had been wadded up and shoved into a crack in one of the windows. She shook it out and held it up by the shoulders, seeing the shirt was way too small for Jake. Seeing the torn remains of her own shirt, she decided to wear it herself. It smelled musty but was whole and unstained and at least had all its buttons.

  She sniffed the air, wondering where that horrible stench was coming from, then realized it came from her. There were bits of clothing scattered all over the van's floor, and she riffled through them, looking for something to replace her soiled jeans. A pair of wrinkled athletic shorts caught her eye, and she plucked them from the pile.

  She had to find a way to rid herself of the odors her hair and skin had absorbed from the prison trailer. After peeling off her ruined clothing, she hunkered down behind the van and scooped up handfuls of sand to rub on her bare skin. It wouldn't be the first time she'd had to take a sand bath. Frequent camping trips in the Arizona desert had taught her to use alternate resources for bathing when water couldn't be found.

  She donned the shirt and shorts, sans underwear. Scrounging around the back of the van, she searched for a jacket or blanket for Jake. A bundle of brown fabric caught her eye, and she reached beneath a seat to haul it out. The fabric was wool, moth-eaten and torn, but it would keep Jake warm. She grimaced at the rodent droppings that tumbled from the folds and scattered across the floor. At the center of the roll was a crude crossbow, handmade by the look of it. A small quiver of arrows was tucked in beside it.

  Now Kelly had a weapon, though she doubted the tiny arrows would cause much damage if she had to shoot someone. Each arrow was around six inches long and fit neatly into the slotted groove atop the crossbow. The weapon was obviously made to kill birds and rabbits. The arrows may be too small to kill a person, but they would surely slow someone down.

  An expert with a slingshot as a kid, she didn't think this contr
aption was much different. Or at least she hoped not. She set the crossbow beneath Jake's seat then covered her brother with the blanket. He shuddered and moaned but didn't speak. She felt his head. No change.

  "Please hurry, Sam," she murmured.

  ****

  Sam's chest ached, his bruised ribs getting the better of him, but the quarter-mile climb up the ridge had to be made fast. It didn't help that he hadn't eaten in nearly twenty-four hours, so he was understandably weak.

  Cody had reached the Jeep before him and now sat in the passenger seat.

  "Show off," he said to the coyote.

  Cody panted, his open jaws like a mocking grin.

  Sam rushed to the hidden compartment beneath the backseat and lifted out the rifle. He positioned himself on a cluster of large rocks overlooking Star Mother's camp. Below him, every tent and camper was in full view. He switched on the rifle's infrared light and braced the firearm against his shoulder, peering through the scope in search of the generators.

  They were gone.

  "Impossible." Sam stood and ambled to the left then crouched and readjusted the scope. All he saw were tents and trailers, not a soul in sight. And not a generator, either. "Damn it!"

  Cody whined behind him. Sam ran to the Jeep and replaced the rifle in its hidey-hole. "Okay, boy," he said to the coyote. "We need a new plan. But first we have some rescuing to do."

  Sam started the Jeep and headed down a narrow trail used mostly for foot traffic. Huge rocks and a variety of cacti made the drive down more than a little bumpy.

  Von and Valya knew he wanted to shut those generators down. But Valya should think he was still tied up. If she were protecting the generators, she knew he'd escaped. And if she knew he'd escaped, then she must also know that Jake and Kelly were gone as well.

  "I think we're in trouble." He accelerated down the treacherous trail. The coyote bounced on the seat as the Jeep's tires left the ground more than a few times.

  Once on semi-level ground, Sam cut the engine and let the Jeep's forward momentum carry them downhill. He stopped twenty yards or so short of the van. Please let them still be there.

  Kelly must have been watching for him because she emerged from the van and ran toward him, coming to a halt a few feet away.

  "You okay?" Sam whispered.

  She nodded and stepped closer, her eyes locked with his. Her ragged breaths came in short bursts, followed by a muffled cry of anguish. He held his arms open, and she fell into them, pressing her face against his chest, her shoulders jerking with each sob.

  "I was afraid you wouldn't come back. Take us home," she said.

  "I will. I promise." He wrapped his arms more snugly around her, careful not to touch the small of her back where the whip marks were the worst. He noticed she'd changed out of her jeans and wondered where the shorts had come from. The shirt, too. She even smelled a little better.

  He pulled back from her and asked, "Anything happen while I was gone?"

  She shook her head. "Nothing. In fact, it's been spooky quiet."

  "Spooky," he echoed, listening hard to the desert stillness. Not a cricket chirped, not an owl hooted, not a coyote howled. His shoulders tensed, and he felt time slipping away faster than he could think.

  "Help me," he said, as he leaned into the Jeep and grabbed the steering wheel. "We've got to push the Jeep closer to the van, between it and the nursery tent. We'll have only seconds to get out of here once I grab Lynette."

  Kelly ran to the passenger side and opened the door. She leaned forward, her powerful runner's legs pushing against the baked desert floor. Between the two of them, they inched the Jeep closer to camp.

  Once Jake was securely belted in the backseat, he motioned for her to climb behind the wheel. "The key's in the ignition," he told her. "If I'm not out in five minutes, it means something's happened to keep me inside. I want you to leave without me."

  She blinked and shook her head. "No way. We're not leaving you behind."

  "You'll have to. Go immediately to the police station in town and tell them what's going on. Jake's condition should convince them."

  "What about you?"

  He ignored her question. "The police should make it here in time to prevent a mass suicide."

  "I can't let you risk yourself."

  "And I can't leave Lynette. If I'm caught, I want you and Jake to at least save yourselves. It would be senseless for the two of you to stay just because of me."

  Kelly stared at him for several long seconds before reaching out to lay her splayed fingers against his chest, over his heart.

  He grabbed her hand and turned it over to place a gentle kiss on her palm. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

  She nodded, her smile sad and encouraging at the same time.

  He pulled the revolver from the waistband of his jeans and headed for the back of the nursery tent.

  Every nerve ending came alive as he crawled the last few feet across the baked earth to reach the tent. His leather jacket had opened, and grains of sand clung to his sweaty chest. The complete silence made his ears ring, and his palms itched from small pebbles wedged within the calloused lines of his hands. When he reached the flap of canvas covering the tent's rear entrance, he lifted it and peered inside. Dark as pitch.

  "Lynette?" he whispered, and crawled inside. Aware she may not join him willingly, he tugged the vial of chloroform from his jacket pocket. His gaze wandered across the floor of the tent, searching for her sleeping siblings, but he found only scattered blankets and a few pillows. Feeling sick with his deceit, he said, "Sweetheart? Will you come out and at least tell me goodbye?"

  A light suddenly flared from behind him, and he spun around to face it.

  "Hello, lover," Valya said, her lips carved into a crooked grin.

  Lynette leaned against her mother, her eyes wide with fear and bewilderment. Valya grasped the child's shoulder so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Mommy, you're hurting me."

  "Hush, Lynette," Valya hissed. "Your father and I are having a discussion."

  Sam's mouth went completely dry. He couldn't speak. He couldn't do or say anything, especially when he saw his Glock clutched in Valya's hand. It was pointed at his heart.

  "We can all leave our bodies and go to the starship right now," Valya said in a resonating monotone that raised the hairs on the back of Sam's neck. "The comet is close, so close you can see the tail. Did you see it, Sam? Isn't it beautiful?"

  "Yeah, I saw it," he said, his voice scraping his throat like sandpiper. "A bunch of rocks racing through space. Big deal."

  Her grin broadened. She glanced to her right, at the holder of the flashlight. Sam shielded his eyes and blinked.

  "Sorry," said a familiar voice. "Didn't mean to blind you." The light lowered and Von emerged from the shadows. "I'm afraid you didn't make your escape fast enough. Valya is way too observant, and her maternal instincts kicked in with a vengeance. Coming back for the child was your undoing."

  "I had no choice," Sam growled.

  With a lift of his brows, Von said, "But now you've sealed the fate of your lady friend and her brother."

  "Kelly should be halfway to the police station by now," Sam said, hoping she really was.

  Valya's insane smile didn't falter. "Good. Then I don't have to worry about taking her Essence with us and having her interfere with my family. As for the police, by the time they get here—if they even believe Kelly's story—our earthly bodies will be nothing but empty husks."

  Sam's throat constricted as he thought about the future Lynette might never see. Her death would be on his head if he didn't do something fast. His pistol still held firmly in his hand, he knew he couldn't use it. A retaliating shot from Valya's weapon would do him in. However, he had another weapon. An unstable one, but it would have to do.

  He curled his tongue behind his top teeth and blew out a whistle so sharp it made Von wince. A flash of gray fur flew through the tent flap toward Valya. She screamed as Cody's jaws clamped around the fore
arm holding the gun.

  "Mommy!" Lynette staggered back as Valya tried to fend off the coyote, the gun pointed at the tent's ceiling. Lynette flung herself at her mother in an effort to protect her.

  "No!" Sam lunged for his daughter. As he did, the thunder of gunfire split the desert night. The bullet's impact was sudden, branding his thigh with a bright flash of pain. He reached for Lynette. She screamed and scrambled from his grasp.

  Cody lost his hold on Valya when the gun went off, but he quickly latched on again. Sam searched for Von among the dancing shadows thrown by the flashlight rolling across the tent floor. A lanky, white-haired figure jogged clumsily toward the front of the tent in an effort to escape. Let him go. Sam didn't care at this point. All he wanted was to save his child, who clung fiercely to her mother.

  Valya apparently had a different idea as she swung her bloody arm in Von's direction and pulled the trigger. "Coward!" she screamed.

  Von dropped to the ground in a heap, legs sprawled and face buried in the floor of the tent.

  Cody leapt out of the way. Two gunshots were more than enough for him, and he whined while pacing along the tent wall, the smell of blood confusing him. The whine became a growl, and he panted as he paced, his lips red with Valya's blood.

  Hands shaking, Sam pointed his .38 at Valya. She still held her gun with grim determination, switching her aim from the coyote to Sam. Her lips peeled back in a snarl, she ignored Lynette's frightened wails as she steadied the gun.

  The instinct to survive was like an alarm inside his head. He cared nothing for Valya and thought only of his daughter. Lynette's tear-streaked face turned toward him, her eyes filled with pleading to take mercy on her mother. Lynette's mother, a demented fool who would take her own child's life without a second thought. This was the woman who had mercilessly killed his own mother simply for being sick and weak and no longer of any use to her.

  He thumbed back the hammer.

  Valya steadied her aim on him and let out a blood-curdling scream of triumph.

  A whistle of wind seared past Sam's ear, bringing with it a dart-sized arrow that embedded itself in Valya's right shoulder. The woman's maddened cry changed to one of agony as she instantly dropped the gun.