by Maddy Barone
Rose nodded, but her pale brows pulled together. “We can’t just stroll out of the house to the wall. Running Fox won’t allow it.”
“I am Lupa.” Carla’s shoulders went back. “I will be obeyed.”
“Yes!” Waving her hands triumphantly, Patia did a little dance.
Rose shook her head. “Do you think an order to open the gate for Gina to leave will be obeyed? Even coming from you?”
Carla faltered. “No,” she admitted, stopping Patia’s dance cold.
“Mom!”
“So we’ll have to be sneaky about it,” Carla went on.
“Mom, maybe you could just distract the guard for a minute,” she suggested. “Long enough for Gina to slip out.”
Rose looked Gina up and down and tapped a considering fingertip against her lower lip. “The guard will smell you,” Rose said. “We’ll have to disguise your scent.”
A breath she hadn’t known she was holding rushed out of her. “You’ll do it?”
Carla’s mouth tightened. “I don’t like it. If anything happens to you…”
She hadn’t had long to think about it, but Gina knew what she was about to say was true. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t try to help Cole. I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.”
Carla sighed. “Okay. But this won’t be easy. We can’t leave The Limit without a guard, much less prance through the city on our own.”
Gina’s shoulders sagged. That was true.
“You can ask for Shouting Rain to escort us,” Rose suggested. “His hearing isn’t as good as some. I think I have an idea.”
****
Rose’s idea wasn’t much. All Gina would have to do was slink along behind Rose, Carla, and their guard through Omaha until they got to the wall, wait until Carla lured the men away from the door, and sneak out. It could work. It had to work.
After supper the women spent the hours before full dark rubbing Taye’s T-shirts and sweatpants all over Gina in an effort to cover her scent with his. She and Carla practiced synchronizing their walking rhythms so only one set of footsteps would be heard.
“We’ll make as much noise as we can while we walk, so no one will hear you following us,” Rose said encouragingly.
“I want to go too,” Patia protested. “Aunt Rose is going.”
“No.” Carla shook her head. “Your father will be furious enough.” She bit her lip and looked at Gina. “This isn’t a good idea,” she began.
Gina rushed to cut her off. “Don’t change your mind. Please. It will work.”
Carla gave in. “Alright. Patia, stay here and make sure everyone thinks Gina is in her room.”
Patia reluctantly agreed to stay back. “But only if you promise to talk dad into letting me go visit Ray in the hospital tomorrow.”
“Promise. That will be safer than this.” Carla cast Gina another uncertain look. “Okay, you slip out to the garden while I pitch a fit and demand to go to the wall. Be ready to follow us.”
It worked. In a few minutes Carla and Rose came out of the house with a tall, stocky man Gina vaguely recognized. Both women were talking animatedly and walking heavily, almost stomping, really. It made it easy for Gina to walk in time with them, hiding the sound of her footsteps. The streets were completely deserted. The eeriness of it sent a shiver down her back. In all her months in Omaha she’d never seen the city empty. She kept about fifteen yards behind Carla, Rose, and their escort, but she wished she could follow more closely, just to be near other breathing humans.
It seemed the wall was just as deserted as the city, at least until a shadow moved from the narrow walkway near the top.
“Lupa?” called a man softly.
The man who came quickly down to the ground was also vaguely familiar, but what caught Gina’s eye was the outline of a door in the wall.
“Lupa?’ he said again with concern. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see the door my son left through,” Carla announced in a loudly tragic voice. “Colby,” she choked out, covering her face with her hands. “Oh, Colby.”
Rose put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the door. “Don’t cry, Carla. Come on, it will be okay.”
“Colby,” wailed Carla.
She allowed herself to be pulled several yards away and fell into deep, raw sobs. The two men went with her, making timid, ineffectual sounds of comfort. Carla’s grief and anguish sounded too real to be pure acting. As she moved stealthily toward the door, Gina inwardly promised her mother-in-law that she would free Cole or die trying.
Gina closed the little gate silently and hurried over the muddy snow to the cover of the brush one hundred yards away. Even outside the wall she could hear Carla wailing and figured she had at least until her mother-in-law quieted before the guard would climb back up to the walkway at the top of the wall and look out. Surely he wouldn’t abandon his Lupa while she wept.
Gina made it to the brush and paused to catch her breath. She couldn’t hear Carla anymore, but whether it was because of distance or because Carla had calmed down she wasn’t sure. She started off toward the river with caution, trying hard to walk as noiselessly as Cole had on their journey to Omaha, but it was impossible. She cringed at every crack of a twig as she passed through the shelter of the brush. She had to watch where she was stepping so her foot wouldn’t get sucked into the mud. Walking like that was hard and slow. It was about a mile to the river. How far after that to Todd’s camp? She wasn’t sure. Her pace faltered as she calculated. Could she even get there before morning? Her heart threatened to sink.
It didn’t matter. She would figure it out.
Creeping through the dark, deserted city had been spooky, but slogging through the dark, deserted countryside was scary too. Broken remnants of buildings from the Time Before were the scariest of all. Cold shivers danced along her spine every time she saw a tumbled wall with windows staring at her like empty eyes. You’re brave, she told herself. What you’re doing is too important to let a spooky walk stop you. She wasn’t sure about the first part, but she was determined to find Cole and free him. The details of that plan were still a little murky, but something would come to her.
She found the river by stumbling down the bank and skidding on her back through icy mud. For a moment she lay there, panting and trying to force tears back. A sound from the top of the bank, almost too low to be heard, froze her breath in her chest. A glance up showed two hairy creatures with gleaming white fangs and ferocious glowing eyes.
The creatures sprang down the six-foot bank right at her. Tears blurred her vision before she flung an arm over her eyes.
“Gina?” cried a male voice above her. “Sister, what are you doing here?”
“Why do you smell like the chief?” said another.
She lowered her arm. Two men stood there, stark naked, their hair long and braided. “Wolf’s Howl?”
Her young brother-in-law crouched and laid a careful hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? How did you get here?” He glanced around. “Where is your guard? You can’t be here alone.”
She struggled to sit up. He put on hand under her arm and pulled her to her feet. How annoying that the teenager was taller than she was. She tilted her chin. “I’m going to get Cole.”
The second man, who was just as young as Wolf’s Howl, scowled. “With who?”
“No one. Just me.”
Instead of immediately dragging her back to Omaha, Cole’s brother frowned. “You can’t go by yourself.”
She relaxed a little. “I have to. I can’t sit around waiting. Todd is probably already torturing Cole. Besides, I am the one who knows where Cole will be held and how to get through the camp without being seen.”
The second man said, “We’ll go with you.”
Gina blinked. “What?”
Wolf’s Howl grinned and pounded a fist into his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, great idea, Storm.” He turned the grin onto her. “We will be your escorts. Yo
u shouldn’t be out here on your own.” The grin turned to a frown. “You shouldn’t be out here at all. How did you leave Omaha without an escort?”
Gina ignored the question. “Aren’t you patrolling? That’s your job. You need to stay here and do it.”
Her brother-in-law’s face turned stony. “You’re not going anywhere alone. Dad wouldn’t like it.”
She almost blurted that Taye wouldn’t like them going with her either. They would get in trouble for abandoning their patrol. “You can’t.”
He cocked his head like a dog. “Cole could be hurt. How will you bring him back if he can’t walk?”
That stopped her. She couldn’t possibly carry Cole as he had carried her. She should refuse. But Howl made a good point. And they were tall and strong, and with them along she wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. She sighed. “Okay, but we better get going. It’s a long walk to the camp.”
She ended up not doing much walking since the men took turns carrying her at a ground eating lope. One turned into a wolf and ran ahead while the other carried her like a baby. They switched off every half hour or so. Gina felt awkward. She didn’t know them well. Wolf’s Howl was her husband’s brother whom she had only just met. Storm was a complete stranger. They were naked. Didn’t running naked hurt their dangly bits? She almost giggled at the thought but kept it to herself. It didn’t seem to bother them. The breeze created by their speed cut right through her, but they were warm, so she ignored any thoughts of their dangly bits and held on.
“There,” murmured Storm as he slowed his pace. “I can smell the camp ahead.”
She sniffed as he set her down. “I don’t smell anything.”
“Fire. I smell fire, like something is cooking.” His nose wrinkled like it smelled bad. “Burnt meat.”
What time was it? Much too late for supper, too early for breakfast. She squinted up at the sky, but she didn’t know how to read the positions of the stars to tell time.
“It’s about two hours after midnight.” Wolf’s Howl’s low voice startled her. He must have returned from scouting and changed back to a man without her even noticing. “Where is he?”
Gina was silent, gazing in the direction the camp must be. She was pretty sure Cole would be in one of the cages the army traveled with to punish soldiers. Those were usually on the back of a flatbed truck parked near the mess tent. That location was one the entire army would see every time they went to eat. Todd liked to remind his men what happened to troops who displeased him. But it might be different with Cole. Todd might keep him somewhere close to his own tent.
“Sister, where?” Wolf’s Howl was insistent. “Tell us so we can go and get him.”
She jerked her head to around to stare up at him. “You can’t go.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “Did you think you would go alone?”
“Yes. I know the camp and if I get caught, I won’t be …” She trailed off, not wanting to say ‘tortured’. Because her stepfather wouldn’t cut her or experiment on her but what he would do wouldn’t be pleasant. “Hurt. You stay here. I’ll go find him and bring him out.”
Wolf’s Howl folded his arms over his chest. “No.”
“No?”
“Keep your voice down,” Storm hissed.
Gina swallowed. “No,” she said again, more quietly. “It’s too dangerous for you to go.”
“You can’t go. What if you can’t find him? I will be able to sniff him out. And if he is chained, are you strong enough to break him free? And if he has to be carried, will you be able to put him over your shoulder and run?”
Fists clenched, Gina glared. His argument was unanswerable. Storm put one hand on her shoulder and one on Wolf’s Howl’s. “The longer you fight, the more time we lose. I will stay here. You will both go. If something goes wrong, I can go for help.”
“Nothing will go wrong.” Gina closed her eyes briefly. Please, don’t let anything go wrong. It might have been a prayer, but she wasn’t a religious person. On the other hand, if they got Cole safely away, she’d be willing to go to church every week.
“Nothing will go wrong,” Wolf’s Howl affirmed. “Storm, if we aren’t back by dawn, go back to Omaha.”
While the men clasped forearms, Gina turned and marched toward the camp. Her brother-in-law caught up in a flash. “I will go first,” he told her firmly. “I know where the sentries are and how to get past them.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
She followed him, stepping carefully over the muddy ice. This was really happening. She was going into her stepfather’s camp. A tiny voice screamed she was an idiot, and for a moment cold lead filled her stomach. But she had to find Cole and get him out. She wasn’t completely helpless. Her hand straying to the hilt of the knife at the back of her waist. She had to do it.
She fixed her eyes resolutely on the broad bare back in front of her and went to rescue her husband.
Chapter Twelve
Cole didn’t want to wake up. The pain was waiting to engulf him in flames of agony. He lay on the cold metal floor of the cage and tried to slow his breathing. Was he himself? Or was the wolf out? Very cautiously, he opened his eyes.
A furry leg with less fur than usual was in front of him. Between the patches of fur, portions of the red flesh were blotched black with charring. The stench of burned meat made his stomach turn. The wolf was out. Memories thudded into him like clubs. He had been forced into a choke collar like they used on dogs, and it was fastened to the floor of the cage in a way that allowed him to lift his head only twelve inches. The floor reeked of blood, dead skin, and singed fur. Or maybe that was him.
Gerald Todd was a madman. From noon until midnight he had performed what he called scientific experiments on him. He wanted to see if the man healed burns at the same rate as the wolf. He watched dispassionately as coals were applied to man flesh on the left side of his body and waited with implacable patience until the wolf forced his way out in an effort to protect the man. Then he had the coals applied to wolf flesh on the right. Every reaction was written down. He didn’t ask any questions about who Cole was, but did ask about the Pack and Clan. Cole hadn’t made a sound.
“No screams?” Todd asked at one point with mild interest.
Cole hadn’t bothered to respond even though he’d been in his man form at that time. He was a wolf warrior of the Lakota Wolf Clan, and wolf warriors did not give their enemies the pleasure of seeing their pain. At midnight Todd had genially thanked Cole for his cooperation and told him to get some rest. Tomorrow they would see how he healed from stab wounds.
Cooperation. Cole almost growled out loud. Gerald Todd would die. If Cole himself was unable to do it, his father and kin would. Cole eased his head to the side so he could see the sentry posted a few yards from his cage. The man’s eyes were closed, his body slumped in the chair. Stupid sentry shouldn’t sleep on duty, but Cole was glad for his incompetence. Time to let the wolf go back so Cole the man could get rid of the collar. The collar was tight on the wolf, but a little looser on the man. He placed his hands around the metal on either side of his neck and exerted all his strength to free himself. But try though he might, he was too weak to pry the thing open. He lay his head down again to conserve his strength. Cold didn’t normally bother him, but now he was weak with pain and blood loss, and the cold crept deep into his bones.
A scent teased him. It was there one minute, and then faded, only to return and fade again. He let the wolf out to use his superior sense of smell. The scent was faint. Familiar. Safe. His nostrils flared, trying to catch and identify it.
Dad.
Fierce joy surged through him.
Not just dad. That was … His mate? The cold that weighted his bones was nothing compared to the cold that covered him now. No. No, Gina couldn’t be here. This was the last place she should be. He closed his eyes and dropped his head, forcing back a whine. The heavy chain connected to his collar clanked.
“Hey.” The sentry stood up from
his chair, glaring at Cole. “Shut up there.”
The wolf lowered his muzzle to the floor and closed his eyes as if sleeping. Was dad here or was Cole just imagining it? And if dad was here, why couldn’t he scent anyone else from the pack? Dad wouldn’t come alone with Gina. The wolf inhaled deeply. No, there was another scent. That was his little brother. Dad, Wolf’s Howl and Gina? That didn’t make sense.
A quiet sound had the wolf’s eyes open again. The sentry slumped bonelessly in the chair and the scent of blood rose fresh and sharp in the air. A dark shadow separated from the rest of the shadows, too small to be his dad or brother. It moved in a rush to the cage.
“Quick, Wolf’s Howl,” his mate hissed. “He’s chained up.” She knelt beside the cage, hands clutching the bars. “Oh, Cole.” Tears gleamed in her eyes as she looked him over.
He forced his wolf back and took human form. “I’m alright,” he whispered. He tilted his head to look up at his brother. “Where is everyone else? Dad?”
Wolf’s Howl shook his head. “We’re it. Your mate was coming alone to rescue you. I tagged along.”
He loved his mate, and he loved that she cared enough to come for him, but that was the stupidest thing she could have done. “The guards have a rotation. One will check on me in about thirty minutes. You have to work fast. If you aren’t finished within twenty minutes, you have to leave me. Take her out of here and keep her safe.”
“No,” Gina said.
“Okay.” Wolf’s Howl handed Gina a knife. “Step back, sister. Go search that guard for keys while I work on this. We’ll have him out before any guards come.”
In spite of the pain and horror, Cole smiled to see Gina sheath the knife in the inner sheath in her jeans with one sure motion before she retreated. His mate wasn’t helpless.
Wolf’s Howl crouched, wrapped his hands around two bars, and pulled. His face contorted with the effort. The bars moved a hair’s breadth. His brother released the bars with an explosion of breath, rested a second, then positioned himself again. Every muscle in his bare body bulged as he strained to pull the bars apart.
