Black Ghost Runner

by M. Garnet

  The girl came over to her right away, but she drew back.

  “Hey, it is okay. Noble says he scratched your back and tried to fix it. He can’t shift for long. I just want to look at your back to see if I can help it. We have some natural medicine with us.”

  The girl waited a moment as Beth glared at her. Then Beth figured she had nothing to lose, so she moved, leaning forward. She felt the soft touch of fingers on her back, but no stinging or increase in pain.

  “Okay, this looks like it is healing. I want to put this cream on so that you will heal without any scars.”

  Beth felt the cool contact of liquid on her back. Since it felt comfortable, she sat quietly, letting the girl treat her. She listened to the girl as the medicine did its work.

  “We have made arrangements to get you along with Noble out of here. We are going to move both of you back to the States.” As the girl was talking, she was doing something to the tethers that was making the leather loose.

  Beth rubbed her wrists, then decided that for a while it would serve her to cooperate with this girl. She would have enough time to run if they were able to get her to the States.

  Under the waterfall, a long trek through the damp jungle, a bumpy ride in the shot-up Hummer, a hot long ride to a small town with a poor beat-up local circus. Here she was, pulling on a skimpy red satin swimsuit that was meant to be her costume as an animal trainer.

  As it was explained to her, they had bought out the whole cheap circus so they could use it to move north until they could get into the US. They didn’t share their plans after that, but they felt it necessary to finish the last couple of days at this site in order to avoid suspicion.

  Unfortunately, after the first show, with her performing with the big black cat, the word had spread. The crowd was now spilling out of the tattered tent for each performance. The big cat was brought in first, in a large rolling cage. The big guy, using a long pole pretending that he was afraid, opened the cage outside the round center holding area.

  Feeling totally silly, she came out, dropped her cape, bowed to all the whistles, then entered the cage without a whip or chair. Upon her entering the cage, Noble let out a large roar. The crowd let out screams. To add to the drama, the big guy banged on the bars. The cat charged the bars, claws and teeth showing as he stood up on his hind feet, showing a height of over seven feet. People on that side screamed as they moved back.

  In Spanish, over a loud speaker, an announcer explained how beauty would face the beast. The lovely lady would calm down the wild cat to make him as gentle as any house kitten.

  They went into their act. She approached the center to wait. Noble seemed to hunt her slowly, closer and closer. She finally knelt, patting the ground. He came, lowering his head, leaving his big butt in the air, long tail swishing. He crawled slowly closer. The tent got so quiet with only a cough or two. She scratched his ears. He lay down, then rolled over so that she could scratch his belly. At this, the crowd went wild with approval.

  Beth got up with the big cat following her. She patted the bottom of the small rolling cage. He jumped in. It was a short sweet show. Thank goodness it was all over. The big guy used the stick to lock the door. They could pull the big cat out as he again roared. She took a bow and accepted her cape from a handler so she could leave the tent.

  This was the final of the two daily shows. The plan was to load up, then head north. Everyone was tired after these shows. It was difficult to keep the people away who wanted to see the black cat. They needed to get the battered trucks on the road as soon as possible. Noble’s team kept the motors in top shape, but let the outside of the vehicles stay in unpainted, mismatched rust with big dents, all to disguise the value of the trucks.

  In jeans, covered by a man’s shirt, Beth went to the cat’s rolling cart to help close it up. Noble had helped by just lying down, pretending to sleep and ignoring the lookers. She helped the big guy with the canvas covers. They tied them down quickly around Noble. That took care of the onlookers, who slowly moved away. She did notice a couple of North American men who loitered back after everyone else scattered, with the last couple of kids getting beef sticks from vendors.

  The next hour was hard work, getting the tattered tent down, the inside cage apart to tie on top of Noble’s cage. This was run-down Mexico. There was not a lot of cleaning up. In fact, they probably cleaned up better than most traveling entertainers. They had the Hummer that they had beat up to hide its real value. They tied a lot of items on to hide that it was in a better condition. They used it to pull the rolling cage that hid Noble. A large enclosed truck carried everything along with everyone else. It looked like a rolling junkyard with so much tied to its top. They finished up by attaching items to the fenders. A couple of pickups belonged to locals who worked the circus. At some stops, they slept inside that truck, but most of the time they preferred little tents or just under the stars.

  In Noble’s cage, under the straw where people could not see, were heavy comfortable mattresses that they changed often to give him a soft ride. He was still healing, but she was told that each time she touched him, he improved. She wasn’t comfortable with that. She had a feeling they all wanted her to spend the nights in the cage with him, but this wasn’t in her plans. If he was healing without her night dreams, that was just fine for her.

  It was past midnight before they were ready to hit the road. They had all eaten from the vendors, finding a dark spot to take care of body needs. She went with the big guy to do a final inspection. Both of them came to a stop to see the two Americans leaning against the disguised four by four.

  Beth tried Spanish to see the reaction. “Hola.”

  Neither man moved away from the vehicle. “Hello, little lady, are you the one who speaks for the group, or do you just speak for you and the cat?”

  The big guy moved up to protect her. Beth really had to remember his name—still, she thought she didn’t want to remember him or the girl when she took off. She had her protection. She knew he was tougher than these two guys could suspect.

  “Look, the show is done, we are tired and our permit runs out at midnight, so we are out of here. To tell you the truth, I am so tired, I don’t even remember where our next stop is scheduled. So, give us a break and move on.”

  They both stood up, looking at the cage attached to the Hummer. There was a growl from behind the covers. The same man looked at her as he spoke.

  “We have a business proposition.” He handed over a business card to her. It was plain, black ink on good white stock.

  Paul Storm

  Big Apple Professionals.

  The name of the man was small in one corner with a New York address. There was a New York phone number, a cell number with an email address under everything.

  “You have heard of the some of the big circuses, right?” The two guys looked at her, waiting for her confirmation.

  “Sorry to disappoint you. I have spent most of my life in out of the way places, including here in Mexico. Don’t be insulted. I’m not insulted if Paul Storm has not heard of us.” She tried to reach around the guy for the handle of the Hummer with the broken window.

  “Well, actually, the corporate office just got word of you and the unusually large jaguar, so they have heard of you.”

  The guys looked at her with big smiles as if she should be really pleased. She looked over at her big guy just thinking shit, shit, shit.

  In Spanish, she asked the big man if everything was ready to go. She instructed him to get in the Hummer. Let him tell the crew to start the vehicles as they were leaving immediately, if she could get rid of these guys.

  “Okay, guys, get away from our equipment. We have to get on the road. I don’t know what you want. More, I don’t care. I and my cat aren’t interested in anything except in getting out of here tonight. Just call your boss and tell him this didn’t work and go look for animals you guys can keep in small cages and mistreat in New York or somewhere else.�
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  She shoved the guy who didn’t seem to want to move off the Hummer.

  “Look, Miss, we don’t mistreat animals, which is why we are interested in you. You don’t mistreat your cat. We can give you a lot of money and even pay a bonus to your other workers if you are worried about them.”

  Beth looked at his arm holding the door. “I am worried about getting you to a doctor, when one of my guys breaks your arm if you don’t remove it from this door.”

  The guy hesitated. She was worried about a confrontation, but finally his partner tapped him on the shoulder, so he stepped back. She quickly got into the front seat and looked at him through the broken window.

  “Look, at least take this and look at it. Take some time to read about the different Circus sites and types the Storm Corporation supports.” He was handed a manila nine by twelve business envelope that he held out to her through the window.

  The Hummer might have looked like a rusted wreck, but the motor was smooth. The Team kept it well maintained. It pulled the rolling cage with no problem. There was no talk, so she settled back, watching the little town grow small in the side mirror, leaving the two North Americans in the dust.

  Their plan was to head north and east. Then they would go across the border in south Texas. They would wait until they neared the border to decide how they would cross. Noble’s people had assured her that they had many choices, so she would wait to let them get her back into the US.

  Somewhere during one of the stops, with no one around, where they could let the black cat out, she pulled out the envelope to examine the contents. The first shock was a ten thousand dollar cashier’s check. It required a signature. Attached to it was a letter that explained that this was only a down payment for a contract. It could be cashed with the signature of anyone who legally represented the Lady and the Black Cat Act.

  Then there was all the promotional stuff. The paperwork told the story of Paul Storm, flyers on the Big Circus, playbills on various other shows including animal preserves. All very impressive, with a lot of big money behind it. Someone was making money from all of these shows. For her, big money could also equal big cover up.

  Her hopes over the next rough days and nights were that the two US Circus guys wouldn’t follow them. Noble spent more time out of the cage, shifting at night to eat. He needed to do some exercises. His hip muscle was healing. It needed to be worked out while he was in both shapes.

  Beth watched him from a distance as he stood, talking to the two who were like him. Frequently, he would look over at her. She was thankful that he didn’t approach her, nor did he request that she join him. The bad part was, inside, she knew she would run to him like a drippy teenager. She wondered what he had to talk about with his team.

  * * * *

  “Noble, look at you. You can smell her over here. Have her, it will heal you so much faster. You need to be able to face everyone by the time we reach the farm.”

  He looked at Beth, then shook his head. “She is not one of us. I could shift and hurt her or do something worse. I hurt her in the jungle, deep cuts in her back.”

  “Why have you not turned her?”

  Noble went down on one heel to pull at a dried weed in the dusty ground. He looked sideways at Beth as she rested against the Hummer. Inside, he was drawn to her. He would be attracted to her without the taste. The bite had just helped him track her more easily.

  He sighed, keeping his voice low and looking back down at the weed. “You know the rules. As Alpha, I need to keep to them. What kind of an example would it set if I did whatever I wanted? No turning someone unless they ask or to save a life.”

  “Well, boss, how about saving your life. That seems like a good enough reason for me.”

  He rose up swiftly with a deep growl. Both the girl with her partner, the big guy, stepped back then lowered their eyes. This was the Alpha.

  * * * *

  Beth heard the deep growl and looked over. She’d felt it in the pit of her stomach, and now she saw the action from his two people. She was surprised at the whole scenario. She was looking at a different Noble. Even in the dark light she could see the size of Noble increase, and she felt some type of power that seemed to emanate from where he was standing. She was surprised that, like the other two, she didn’t feel like running away—she felt like bowing or kneeling. What the hell was that all about?

  They were back on the road, heading towards the Texas border. She wanted to catch some sleep. Despite the rough look of the Hummer, its ride was smooth, but the incident at the side of the road with the power from Noble was still bothering her. She adjusted her position constantly on the seat that had rough holes from the jungle fight. She was surprised when the big guy spoke.

  “We are meeting some family soon. They have papers and transportation to get us over the border legally. We won’t be able to take a bath, but there will be clean clothes.”

  She sat up to look out the window, letting the air blow the sweat off her face. Dawn was starting to lighten the east, but the view was still dry Mexico. They were now on a paved highway. Various vehicles were moving with them. There was an area where some buildings were scattered. Some trucks and cars had pulled off the thoroughfare

  The big guy pulled the Hummer off with the truck following, as they found a place to park. A nice Ford SUV was parked next to a standard white windowless van. She was not sure why she noticed, but she saw that they both had dusty South Dakota license plates. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen a South Dakota license plate before, so to see one down here was amazing.

  This early, the buildings were closed. There were the usual couple of kids out selling sticks of gum. A couple of Indians were sleeping against one of the buildings, the items they would sell later covered by blankets at their feet.

  Beth got out, leaving everything inside the Hummer except what she felt was personal items on her. She moved over by one of the closed building to watch. It surprised her how fast and smoothly everything moved.

  Noble, in human mode, moved to the white van. She saw him get in the back. That was the last she saw of him. She watched as the girl handed over the keys to the Hummer and the truck to the two handlers who had been with them for the last couple of shows. She heard the girl tell the handlers that she was sorry that the cat had escaped, but that the papers for the vehicles were signed and in the front visor of each.

  The handlers thanked them profusely then were soon in each vehicle, turning them around to head back south. They could not wait to show their families the great bonus.

  There was another pair waiting for them. These two were a bit older, in their forties at least, looking like Mr. and Mrs. Average. Well, Mr. and Mrs. Average in great shape.

  The woman approached her. “Hi, I am Marly. I have some clothes for you. We need to get rid of everything in order to give you a new identity. If you have something that you absolutely must keep, please let it not have any identification on it. Anything else, we need to destroy, to get rid of any DNA in case the good ole government guys try chasing you along with us. You understand and are okay with this?”

  “No problem. Do I strip down here?”

  The woman smiled. “I have something neat.” The woman went to the SUV then came back with her hands full. She laid everything down pulled out what looked like a big dark sheet. It had a hole in the middle. She slipped it over Beth’s head so Beth had on a long poncho that reached the ground.

  Beth had to laugh as she began to strip off everything, starting by kicking off her shoes. Everything went into a pile on one side. The woman handed her a couple of handy wipes.

  “Sorry, out here this is the best I can do.”

  Well, Beth thought, in this crazy life, it was called make do. She wiped the important parts, then added the wipes to the outside pile. The woman handed her clean clothes, stating with plain white cotton panties and bra, then knee high walking shorts with a loose plaid shirt.

  She took off the
sheet and was given a pair of sandals. She followed the woman to the SUV to sit on the back seat, feet out, shaking off the dust so she could put the sandals on. They were the type with Velcro straps so she could adjust them to fit.

  The woman got into the front seat and leaned over to talk to Beth.

  “The bag is yours. Make yourself familiar with your new identity. It will stand up to an IRS Audit. There is a laptop with a lot of old email from friends and work. I hope you have a good memory. I have been assured you do. We have tried to stay close to what you are familiar with in your life. If you have questions, ask away.”

  Mr. Average got in the car quickly and pulled out. Beth looked out the back window, over the pile of loose luggage in the back to see the white van still waiting in the parking lot.

  Even though Beth hadn’t gotten much sleep lately, she decided to find out who she was. She dumped out the tote on the seat, setting aside the laptop for last. She discovered a worn wallet with a driver’s license including credit cards. She was now Tammy Brown of Toledo, Ohio.

  They had been thorough. There was all kinds of junk in her wallet, also in the tote. She finally turned to the laptop. The first thing it asked for was for her to set a password. Well, well, okay, she made it easy, tb one two three four. That way anyone looking close over her shoulder should not be too surprised.

  Email needed to have a new password so she used the same tb one two three four and soon had it opened. She looked at what was there. Her credit cards were paid up to date. Her bank account had a small amount in it. She was confirmed for the study at the Indian Burial Grounds in southern Ohio in a couple of months. There was some junk mail to delete. There were also the old notes from Marly about their trip to Mexico.

  The ride was only a couple of hours to the border exit. It was a small one, but with all the extra security for the US in the past few years, it looked modern. There were extra lines and new offices with lots of wire fencing. The lines were slow as the US border guards were taking their job seriously.