Wanted

by Ho, Jo

  “Er, you sure I shouldn’t consult a map or something? Pretty sure, if it came down to it, we’re not gonna win a fight with a giant tree.” Sully gave a snort which I took for his shortened version of “trust me”. Honestly, is it so hard to actually speak the words?

  He expertly maneuvred the truck onto a muddy path, which I could only just see now that we were on it. We hit several bumps, one big enough to jolt Bandit from sleep. He raised sleepy eyes at me and yawned. I got a big hit of dog breath and tried not to gag (he is so sensitive after all).

  Suddenly, the trees cleared and we were at the edge of a ranch. It was a one-story building with a wraparound porch to one side. A stable stood to the fair left of it that must house a couple of horses as I could hear a whinny in the distance. Just in front of the porch, a large plot of land had been turned into a thriving vegetable garden.

  Sully stopped the truck and we got out. Bandit and I were both taken aback by the lush fruits and vegetables being grown. A strawberry patch stood next to pears and apple trees. Thick vines, sagging from the weight of plump purple grapes, wove around a pergola. Vegetables of all shapes and colors decorated the area, including exotic-sounding ones like Kohlrabi and Daikon (thanks to my photographic memory and a school project on homegrown produce, I knew the names of most, though I had hardly tasted any of them). All I could think about was how one of these plots would have fed me for life on the streets. Mental note to self: in the future, if still homeless, live on open land and learn how to farm.

  Bandit was sniffing around a tomato when a GUN SHOT thundered by, so close, it must have narrowly missed our heads. Sully immediately threw himself on top of us, sheltering us with his body. Bandit whined, scared and confused, but kept still.

  “Who the heck’s firing at us?” I hissed.

  Sully’s eyes swept the place quickly before finding their mark standing on the porch. I followed his eye-line to see a guy, a little older than me, pointing a lethal looking shotgun at us. He had shoulder length hair that would be girly if it wasn’t for the square cut of his jaw. He was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, but even from here I could tell he was all muscle. Ridiculously, though we were in a pretty dangerous predicament, I found myself wondering what his eyes looked like close up. Apparently I was about to get my wish, as he called out to us.

  “I’m gonna count to three, and if you don’t state what it is you’re doing, my friend here (he gestured to his gun) will be only too happy to see you off.”

  Sully stuck both hands in the air. “I’m here to see my dad.”

  The boy lowered his gun. “You’re Jake?” Amazingly, he managed to make this sound loaded with accusation. Sully didn’t have a clue what his problem was, but his priority was to not get killed.

  Sully nodded. “Is he here?”

  The boy inclined his head inside, then disappeared into the ranch. I found the whole encounter weird. “Is this how they normally greet strangers in these parts?”

  Sully helped me up to my feet. “Not usually. No.”

  “So we’re really going into the house after the mad boy with the gun who just shot at us?”

  Sully didn’t reply but started walking in after him. I shared a perplexed look with Bandit before we followed hesitantly after him.

  “Well I hope your dad’s going to be happier to see us.”

  CHAPTER 79

  SULLY

  I stepped through the double doors and into the house.

  Several rooms led off from the large entryway. To the left, there was a large, open-plan living area. Through the right doorway stood a well-stocked library and home office. I caught a glimpse of the kitchen, where Zeb’s prized moonshine rack stood. Ever since I was a kid, Zeb had been distilling his own moonshine using a still he’d found antiquing in New England. It was a dangerous hobby, and as a young boy, I had been warned to keep a wide berth. Not that I was ever curious enough to investigate — the white whiskey stank as far as I was concerned, and I never knew how anyone could stand to be near it, much less drink it. Zeb himself only ever drank them on special occasions, which were few and far between. The sight of them was at once familiar yet painful — there wasn’t much happiness that I could remember, only anger and crushing disappointment.

  Though this wasn’t my childhood home — I had grown up in Burlington — I was familiar with the ranch as we had spent many a summer here when Zeb’s friend, Roberts, had owned it. The last eight years or so hadn’t been kind to the ranch though, which was finally showing its age. Paint peeled from the windows and worm-like threads dangled from curtains that hadn’t been washed in what must have been a decade. I was surprised. When had the man turned into such a slob?

  I stepped through into the lounge and gazed down at the floor, where a myriad of scratches were now gouged into the floorboards. Strange. I didn’t remember those.

  Chase stared at me, frowning. What’s up with you, her eyes all but said. I shook my head, nothing. Everything’s fine. Even though my insides are flip flopping around.

  As I began to wonder when Zeb would make an appearance, there came the unmistakable sound of powered wheels. Even before the old man in the wheelchair approached, I had found the answer to the scratches.

  I looked down at my father and spoke one word in greeting.

  “Zebediah”.

  CHAPTER 80

  CHASE

  The old man in the wheel chair was the spitting image of Sully — if Sully were old.

  Instead of brown, Sully’s dad’s hair was a shocking white. He had a beard too, but I don’t think he’d ever be mistaken for Santa — his eyes lacked the twinkle. Those gray eyes pinned on Sully with an unreadable expression. There was a pregnant pause as both men stared each other down. Finally, when Sully’s dad spoke, his voice was loaded with an unexpected hardness. “I was wondering when you would show your face.”

  Of all the things I had expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. Sully seemed to take it in his stride however, and didn’t react to his less-than-welcoming tone.

  “You knew I was coming?”

  Zeb stared up at him, managing to look stern and disapproving in one go. “Insurance company called with some story about your clinic burning down, and you having pulled a runner. Told them the truth: that I hadn’t seen you in almost ten years.” He stopped, assessing Sully with those knowing eyes. “So it’s bad then, whatever you’ve gotten yourself into?”

  Sully’s silence was answer enough. Zeb shook his head, as if he should be surprised by this, but wasn’t. Watching him, watching his treatment of Sully, I felt an indignant rage building up inside me. What was this guy’s problem? How could he talk to Sully like this?! As my mouth was about to shoot off with something I knew I’d regret later, Zeb’s posture suddenly relaxed as some of the rigidness left his back.

  “Sorry to hear about your loss. She seemed like a nice girl.”

  As Sully stared back, I saw his expression harden. “She was, which you would’ve known if you’d bothered to come to the wedding.”

  The sympathy in Sully’s dad’s eyes faded then, like a switch had been thrown. One minute he seemed kind, the next, I found myself taking a step back from the force of his anger.

  “You threw your life away, turned your back on your mother and I, God rest her soul. After everything we had done for you, that was how you repaid us.”

  Sully’s shoulders tensed and he took a big breath before replying. “Everything you had done? You were my parents! You didn’t do anything special. In fact, far from it.”

  As Sully’s Dad glared, a twitch formed in one of his eyes. “I got you into the best medical school in the country, but you wanted to toss away a career as a promising surgeon to cut into animals!”

  I felt Bandit flinch then. He whined unhappily, not liking this turn of events. Couldn’t say I blamed him, this was not my idea of a successful reunion. Standing behind Zeb, shooter boy seemed uneasy too.

  “That’s what I wanted to do, and I’m good at
it,” Sully seethed, hands clenched into fists by his side. “But you didn’t care about that. All you cared about was your own reputation and carrying the family line”.

  “Your mother and I would’ve given anything to have half the talent you had, Jed! We never made it as surgeons, but you could have made something of yourself! Your decision didn’t just make us a laughing stock, it was a criminal waste of your ability.”

  “It’s not a waste to the families of the animals I save every day. Just because my patients can’t say the words doesn’t mean they’re any less thankful for their lives.”

  At this, Bandit woofed. I guess, like me, he couldn’t bear seeing Sully being taken down like. The old man caught himself, suddenly remembering our existence.

  “Who are they?”

  “Chase and Bandit. They need our help.”

  Sully’s dad laughed humorlessly. “So that’s why you came back.”

  I’d been standing here, trying to pretend it wasn’t awkward as all hell (which I think shooter boy was doing also, judging by the weird shuffle he’d been doing with his feet), but enough was enough. This wasn’t going to get us anywhere. I took out Bandit’s iPad. Before I continued with my plan however, I needed to know one thing. I pointed at shooter boy.

  “Who is he and can he be trusted?”

  The boy snorted, insulted, but I didn’t care. Clearly the time for niceties had long gone. He looked me straight in the face.

  “I live here with Zeb. Help him run the ranch.”

  Is this a weird time to notice his eyes were a frosty blue? Though they currently exuded hostility, I couldn’t help but think how pretty they were. Zeb, Sully’s dad, glared at me.

  “Gideon is like my son. The son I never had.”

  The last sentence was said for Sully’s benefit and it did the job; he looked like he had been punched in the gut. To his credit, he recovered quickly. He turned to stare Gideon down.

  “This isn’t a game. They burned down my home, we barely made it out alive. If you don’t want to be a part of this, you’re free to leave now.”

  Hearing the words, the antagonism left Zeb’s face. He took in our haggard state, Bandit’s wound, and the light way we were traveling. His expression turned serious.

  “What’s going on?”

  “It’s easier if we show you.”

  CHAPTER 81

  CHASE

  The small group relocated into the parlor, where a fire was already burning. Out here in the sticks, despite the sunshine outside, there was a chill that ran through my bones. Not used to the cold, I wasn’t able to hide my shivering. I watched as Bandit walked over to the fireplace, and sat, tongue hanging out with pleasure. He stared into the dancing flames, watching them with a childlike delight. I kneeled onto the floor next to him, placing the iPad between his paws.

  Gideon wheeled Zeb into the room, positioning him opposite Bandit. From his impatient expression, I could see he didn’t care for all the theatrics. He wasn’t happy with Sully’s return, and he certainly didn’t care for me, but, out of respect for Zeb, he was keeping a lid on his feelings. At least, I was hoping he would. I’m not a girl who likes confrontations, and we’d already had a few today.

  Sully looked at us. “How about you guys show them why you’re so special.” Bandit turned from the fire to gaze at Sully. I handed him the stylus, and Bandit bent down and started to type…

  “Hello. I am Bandit. Chase and Sully are my best friends.”

  The words were spoken from the app, but Bandit had clearly chosen them. Zeb and Gideon’s couldn’t hide their shock. I was kinda amused, having gone through this exact moment myself, though obviously, these were nicer surroundings. Take it all in fellas.

  Zeb cleared his throat. “That’s some trick.”

  In answer, Bandit typed anther sentence. “No trick. I am special.” And there was that tongue again, lolling out in a grin. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin on his head.

  “Yes you are.”

  Gideon snapped his mouth closed. “How is he doing that?”

  “I read,” came the reply. “Chase got iPad. Now I can speak.”

  Somewhat skeptical, Zeb wheeled close to the dog. “Can you do anything else?”

  Bandit tilted his head to one side, considering the question in such a human gesture, I thought there’d be no question as to whether we were telling the truth or not.

  “I am smart.”

  Zeb raised his eyes to Sully, frowning as his scientific mind struggled to comprehend what he was witnessing. “But how is this even possible?”

  At that, Bandit lowered his chin to his paws, exhaling gravely.

  “They made me like this.”

  CHAPTER 82

  CHASE

  Sully and his dad had been talking for some time now.

  Well, some of it was talking. Some was outright shouting, as one or the other brought up past grievances. Bandit, Gideon, and I were in the kitchen where we’d moved to to give them privacy, as it really was awkward having to watch them fight it out, but even here, we could hear their raised voices.

  Zeb had a ton of questions; some of which I actually understood, but most contained words far too scientific for even my photographic brain to have come across. I sat with Bandit by the table, while the boy, Gideon, kept watching us from across the room, always with those eyes. I’m not sure what it was about him, but he made me so nervous, my hands kept getting sweaty. Bandit must have noticed (he probably smelt the sweat), as his tongue kept snaking out to lick them. I moved them away from him and wiped them on my jeans, hoping he wouldn’t notice. After a while, he came over from his position by the door and sat by us.

  “Is he friendly to strangers?” he asked.

  Bandit barked once, but it only caused him to flinch back. “One bark for yes, two for no,” I explained. “And you can speak to him directly you know. I mean, he’s right there.”

  Gideon gave me a look, but didn’t reply. It was funny: he seemed to care so much about Zeb, but that concern stopped right there. There was an air of distain around him, a deep mistrust for anyone else… and that included dogs, intelligent or otherwise.

  He stared over at Bandit, frowning, as he wrestled with some thought or another. Finally, he must have decided that Bandit wasn’t a threat after all, as he moved closer to him.

  Tentatively, he reached out a hand, leaned across, and stroked him. Bandit sighed happily and nuzzled him with a nose. At this very normal response, Gideon couldn’t help but smile… and my breath caught in my throat.

  Turns out, his face was quite nice. Especially when he wasn’t threatening anyone with a shotgun. There were dimples on his cheeks that made him look suddenly younger. Briefly, the thought flashed across my mind that he must have been a cute baby, before I shoved it aside, annoyed. Why was I acting like some swooning teenage girl? The kind of girl I’d seen at the mall, giggling and batting their lashes at some guy. Always made me want to hurl.

  “When I was young, I always wanted a dog,” he finally volunteered. I was so deep in my mental examination of his face that his voice startled me.

  “Yeah? Your folks didn’t let you get one?” Figured I’d make an effort at conversation since that’s what we were apparently doing now. If I was honest, I didn’t really mind.

  “They weren’t the giving type,” he replied. His expression never changed, but I could hear the bitterness in his voice.

  “Well, guess we have that in common,” I responded before I could help myself. I’m usually very good at keeping things to myself, so this was unusual. It must’ve been those dimples. They were bizarrely distracting. “How did you come to live with Zeb? Are you related?”

  He shook his head. “He took me in after my folks threw me out. Never liked them much anyways, so it wasn’t a big deal. I moved around until I came across the ranch. I’d steal from Zeb’s vegetable garden and sleep in the barn. Didn’t think he knew, ‘cept one day I woke to find a plate of hot food next to me.” His eye
s took on a faraway look. “I took the plate back to him after I had washed it. He told me I could stay so long as I helped around the ranch. I’ve been doing that since.” He focused on me then. “How did you come to be on the streets?”

  He asked so easily, so matter of fact, but I still wouldn’t, couldn’t, talk about it in any great detail. “Similar story, not very interesting.” His eyes turned knowing, and he nodded, accepting this small explanation. I was grateful he wasn’t going to pry. There are some things a girl needs to keep to herself.

  Bandit laid down suddenly and lifted his leg, bearing his stomach. Without thinking, I reached down to stroke the soft fur on his tummy, like every other time he did this, only this time, Gideon did exactly the same. Our hands touched, and I felt a brief shock of electricity before we both snatched our hands away. To my horror, I felt my cheeks redden.

  “I need food,” he said suddenly, shrinking back from me like I had the plague. Now, an ordinary girl might’ve had some issue with this, but me? My thoughts had already settled elsewhere.

  “I could eat,” I answered quickly, while my stomach had already begun a dance in anticipation. Bandit woofed once too, equally keen for provisions.

  He stood up, somewhat peeved by how we had hijacked the situation, and made his way to the fridge.

  And with that, we hurried after Gideon, whether he wanted us to or not.

  CHAPTER 83

  SULLY