Would you risk your life for him?
The question hit her like a slap in the face, snapping her out of despair. Liddie stood up and wiped the tears from her face. There had to be a way to get out of here.
It was difficult to believe that Parker’s two thugs could get anything over on Garrett. And what about the animals? As long as they were still alive, Garrett’s mission was a go.
She pushed at the closet door. There was no way to get past the padlock. The cabins, however, were built shabby, so there was daylight bleeding through the wood slats.
Garrett had been able to pull back one of the boards in the barn to hand her the camera. She needed to do the same here.
Liddie began pulling, pushing and kicking at the outer wall. There was bug damage that helped. The wood creaked and bent against her palms. The consistent humidity also made the wood weak. She kept testing until she was able to find a susceptible area. Grabbing a hardcover book from the floor, Liddie used it to bang at the board and pry it as far as she could, away from the frame. When she got a large enough space, she took the broom handle and shoved it in, like a crowbar.
Careful not to break the paint‑chipped stick, Liddie applied tension then released, applied tension then released, until finally the nails holding the board in place wiggled loose.
Pulling until she drew blood from her fingers, two planks finally pulled away to create a space big enough for her to squeeze through.
She couldn’t be sure how long it took, but Liddie was finally able to escape the closet and run toward the barn.
Chapter Fourteen
The first barn door was cracked open. Liddie could hear the wildlife riled up with fright. It was torture, waiting for her eyes to adjust so she could see what was going on inside.
When she could finally make out the figures of Jerry and Paco tied up and lying on the floor to the left, her heart soared. Were they dead? She didn’t care. It meant Garrett was still alive. She moved forward and saw him facing Parker.
Both had guns pointed directly at each other. Neither had seen or heard her come in.
A sudden thought crossed Liddie’s mind. She had no doubt that Garrett could handle a gun, having been in the Army. But Parker? Not a chance.
“Parker, look out!” she yelled to distract him.
He turned, and in that instant, Garrett shot the gun from Parker’s hand. Parker grabbed it in pain. The gun hit the dirt behind him, and Liddie ran to retrieve it.
“Liddie, get out!” yelled Garrett, but she’d already decided that she’d get the gun before Parker could.
It was a wasted move. The gun was damaged and not fit for use. She dropped it right away. Garrett hadn’t hit Parker’s hand. He’d hit the gun. The barrel was now distorted.
“The gun’s no good,” she yelled to Garrett.
Liddie looked around. There had to be something that could be used as a weapon.
“Liddie!” Garrett was running toward her, but couldn’t get there fast enough.
Parker grabbed her shirt, wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled Liddie close. She fell back against him. Using her as a shield, he dragged Liddie across the dirt and behind the tiger cages. He had one arm wrapped around her while the other brought a knife up to her neck.
“Parker, let go. You don’t want to do this,” said Liddie quickly.
“Shut up, Liddie.” He squeezed her tighter, pulling her off balance. “If I go, you go.”
****
Garrett stepped back to regroup. Parker wasn’t particularly strategic, and Liddie was tough. The chance of him giving her any kind of a life‑threatening injury on the first try was low. Garrett figured, however, that if Parker got a second chance the odds wouldn’t be as good.
“Let her go, Parker.”
Garrett watched them through the bars of the tiger cage that sat between them. He wanted to take a shot, but there was too much of a chance he’d hit Liddie, or even the tiger.
Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He quickly checked the magazine of the semi‑automatic. No more bullets. Jerry and Paco’s penchant for target practice left them, and now Garrett, with no ammunition when it was needed most. He almost had to laugh.
“Put down the gun, Garrett.” Try as he might, Parker couldn’t keep the panic out of his voice.
Liddie tried to struggle out of his arms, but Parker held her tight. Garrett saw the knife press against her neck. A drop of blood mixed with sweat trickled down to her chest.
Garrett swallowed hard. Time for a new plan.
“Sure, Parker. I’ll put down the gun. Just don’t hurt her.”
“No, Garrett!” screamed Liddie.
“Drop it and kick it this way,” demanded Parker.
Garrett turned and threw the gun toward the barn door. “Why don’t you go get it?”
Nothing. It was obvious to Garrett that Parker didn’t have a clue as to what to do next. If he hurt Liddie, he’d have no protection at all.
“You know you can’t hurt her,” said Garrett, “Hell, all you have to do is get rid of me, and you’re back on track with this whole jungle fantasy of yours.” He caught Liddie’s eyes and held them. “Though I doubt you could ever hold onto a woman like her.”
Parker laughed. “You don’t know me, Wade.” He pulled back tighter on Liddie. “She means nothing to me.” He pushed the knife into her skin. “I’ll slit her throat, I swear it.”
Just when he feared Liddie might be weakening, Garrett felt his heart lift. In one swift move, she slammed her foot down on Parker’s and bit the arm that held the knife to her neck. Parker yelled out in pain and dropped it.
“Run, Liddie!”
Garrett watched her dive away from Parker, grab the knife off the ground and run toward him.
Parker recovered quickly, but remained behind the tiger cage. He’d lost his hostage.
Good, thought Garrett. This will all end soon.
****
Liddie ran into Garrett’s arms.
“Are you all right?” He quickly looked at her neck.
“I’m fine.” She hugged him close and breathed deep. Garrett was here. He was alive.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“Still behind the tigers,” said Garrett. “You’ve got to leave, Liddie. I’m going after him.”
There was a commotion by the cages. Garrett quickly grabbed Liddie’s shoulders and pushed her away.
“Get out of here, Liddie. Right now. Start backing out slowly. Do not run.”
“But why?”
“Go!” He pointed toward the door. “Slow, Liddie. Do NOT run,” he repeated firmly. “When you get to the door, close it and go into a cabin.”
Garrett pushed her again and turned toward the tiger cages. Liddie started to step back slowly like he’d said, then stopped when she saw the reason for his orders.
A tiger!
Parker had opened a cage and let one out.
The monkeys were beyond control, rattling their cages until they fell on top of others. All the animals seemed to realize that a predator was now loose.
The tiger smashed against a few of the other cages, swiping at the animals inside. It let out a roar that sent a horrible chill of goose bumps up Liddie’s spine.
She continued stepping back, shaking with fear but fighting the urge to run. When she got to the door, Liddie couldn’t leave. She turned to watch Garrett, who was standing still where she’d left him.
Then she saw Parker. He was holding a dead animal, trying to get the tiger’s attention.
“Don’t, Parker!” Garrett held his hand up, trying to calm her boss. “Don’t antagonize it.”
Parker ignored Garrett and threw stones at the tiger until it turned his way. Parker wiggled the dead animal. The tiger began to approach.
Liddie wanted to close her eyes, but couldn’t. She didn’t understand what Parker was trying to do until she saw him throw the dead squirrel at Garrett.
The tiger turned toward Garrett with a roar. For a moment,
Liddie thought the terrifying plan would work, and Garrett would be attacked.
Until she saw Parker run. Immediately, she realized his mistake.
The sight of Parker running across the barn played right into the tiger’s natural instinct to chase its prey. That, and the fact that the tiger hadn’t eaten properly for days, sealed Parker’s fate the moment he moved.
Garrett tried to throw a crate in front of the tiger to slow it down, but the animal easily got around it.
Like a film clip from a wildlife documentary, the tiger pounced on Parker, who screamed as its claws came out and pushed into his back. The tiger pulled his head back before leaning forward to bite Parker.
Liddie screamed. The tiger had caught Parker’s shoulder and began to shake him from side to side.
Garrett jumped from his spot and grabbed a broomstick that stood against one of the cages. He approached the two and started hitting the nose of the tiger. It was ripping at Parker’s shoulder. Parker looked like a ragdoll, his eyes wide with fear and his screams barely audible. When Garrett finally got it to release him, Parker was able to crawl to protection behind other cages. The tiger growled with frustration, taking swipes at Garrett who kept him at bay with the stick.
“He’s weak, Parker,” yelled Garrett, “Don’t run.”
“Get a gun!” Parker screamed, his voice thick with fear. “Get a gun!”
Garrett yelled out to Liddie. “Go to the office. There’s a cooler in there with a tranquilizer gun. Go!”
At first she didn’t want to leave him, but knew it had to be done. Garrett obviously didn’t want to let the hungry tiger loose in the jungle as he might do more harm than good. It would mean a certain death for anyone in the immediate area.
Liddie walked out the door, passing the two men tied up on the floor. They were conscious now and screaming to be released.
“How does it feel to be someone’s prey?” she asked, jumping over their legs to get out.
It was raining outside, and Liddie kicked up a lot of mud running to the office cabin. Once, she almost fell, sliding in sneakers covered with dirt. In a panic, she kept checking to make sure the tiger wasn’t after her as well.
No. The tiger was in with Garrett.
She moved fast through the office, immediately spotting coolers piled in the corner. Shaking and out of breath, she ransacked the stack until she found the proper gun. It was like a pistol that shot darts instead of bullets. Next to it was a box with syringes in different sizes. She pulled out a few of the larger ones.
Liddie feared Garrett might be hurt, or dead, when she returned. She tried to figure out how to load the gun, but couldn’t focus.
The forest was loud with raindrops, but she could still hear the frantic cries of the animals, terrified and helpless to run.
She ran back to the barn and cautiously cracked the door open. Garrett was in the same spot where she’d left him, fighting off swipes from the large cat.
Parker, his shirt full of blood, saw her at the door and moved out from behind some cages. With his arm mangled and hanging loose at his side, he stood up and made another run toward the door.
“No, Parker!” yelled Garrett.
In two leaps, the tiger was on top of him again. Liddie screamed in horror.
“Yah! Yahhhh!” Garrett started yelling at the tiger and poking at its face with the stick. It worked. The tiger released Parker immediately and turned its attention to Garrett and the broomstick. Garrett continued to yell as it pawed and growled at the air.
Terrified and bloody, Parker crawled to pass Liddie, who ignored him. She was too concerned for Garrett. Every bone in her body was shaking as she watched him work to keep the tiger at bay.
Then she realized she couldn’t load the gun. Liddie backed up and, in a panic, stopped Parker.
“Load this, Parker,” she demanded.
He ignored her.
“Load this!” she repeated and kicked his injured arm.
Parker reeled back in pain, grabbed the gun with his good hand and fit a dart into it. As soon as he did, Liddie kicked his shoulder again and grabbed it back. The last thing she needed was for Parker to get any more dumb ideas.
“Come up behind me, Liddie,” demanded Garrett.
Advancing slowly and shaking like a leaf, Liddie came up to stand behind Garrett, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest.
“Shoot him in the shoulder, Liddie, and stay behind me. No matter what he does, stay behind me.” He kept the broom handle high. “Do not run.”
The tiger kept coming within stick distance to Garrett who would yell and poke him back. Liddie wondered how long the circus‑like dance could go on. She raised the gun and tried to aim it, but her hands were shaking so bad, the first shot missed the tiger completely and bounced across the dirt floor.
“Again, Liddie!” yelled Garrett.
Liddie reloaded the gun with another dart, just like she’d seen Parker do.
The tiger made a run on Garrett. He held up the broomstick with both hands and, incredibly, ran toward the tiger.
“Yahhhhhhh!” Garrett screamed and hit the tiger’s lifted front paws with the stick, pushing it off balance.
Liddie saw the tiger fall back onto the floor. As it twisted to get up, she moved forward and out from behind Garrett. She held the gun with two hands, raised it up and squeezed the trigger.
The dart hit the animal’s shoulder and stuck there.
Garrett reached forward and yanked her back behind him. The sound of the gun and the hit to the shoulder made the tiger even more agitated. It took another leap toward Garrett who held up the stick and blocked the big cat until its weight pushed him to the ground. The tiger stood over the top of him, trying desperately to get past the stick to Garrett’s throat.
Liddie tried to reload, but dropped the syringes. The sight of the tiger on top of Garrett was provoking a panic that rendered her useless. She looked toward Parker for help, but he wasn’t even turned their way.
She blinked away tears and kneeled down to pick up a dart. She snapped it in the gun for a second try. Blood covered Garrett’s shirt, arms and neck, but Liddie tried to ignore it and concentrate on the shot.
She walked up to stand two feet from Garrett and the cat.
Garrett couldn’t speak. The muscles in his arms popped as his face contorted with effort. He held the tiger back by pushing the broomstick horizontally into its mouth every time it tried to bite him.
Liddie squeezed the trigger.
The pain of the shot had the tiger reeling back off Garrett, and then toward her. Garrett rolled up off the floor and put himself between Liddie and the beast again. Using the stick, he pushed and hollered, and this time, when he pushed back on a raised paw, the cat stumbled easily.
Garrett kept pushing at the tiger until finally, it backed up and showed signs of confusion. As it became unbalanced, the tiger’s back legs gave out and finally, the big cat collapsed.
Liddie, soaking wet and muddy from the rain, stood shaking with the gun in one hand and another dart in the other.
“Stay here,” whispered Garrett. Breathless and bloody, he could barely talk. Garrett walked up to the tiger and nudged it with the stick. It growled. Liddie quickly reloaded the tranquilizer gun and used both hands to point it at the tiger.
Garrett held a hand up to stop her from shooting. He waited a moment, until the animal’s head came to rest on the floor. He poked at it again. Nothing.
Garrett dropped the stick and turned toward Liddie. He opened his arms and she ran into them.
“Oh, Garrett!”
His arms locked around her and Liddie dropped the gun and dart into the dirt. All she wanted to do was hold onto him. His chest heaved with exhaustion, but she felt his hands come up into her hair. She buried her face into his shirt, wet with the sweat and blood of battle.
“You’re hurt!” she cried and pulled at his shredded shirt to see how badly.
Garrett didn’t let go of her. “Scratches, Lid
die. Just scratches.” He pulled the shirt up and wiped his face. “We have to put that tiger away before he wakes up.” He looked past her to Parker who had passed out by the door.
“Do you think you can help me?”
“Whatever you want,” replied Liddie. “Just tell me what to do.”
He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. “Don’t ever leave me.”
****
The tiger was a beautiful animal. For as ferocious as it was, Liddie knew it had acted instinctually. Garrett had properly gauged its actions to save it – all at great risk to his own life.
Unlike Parker, whose only thought was to kill it.
Liddie took a moment to run her hand up and down the fur of its striped back. The hair was thick, soft and gorgeous, but it belonged on the animal – the living, breathing and majestic beauty of a beast.
“How much do you think he weighs?” she asked, admiring the paws that were three times the size of her hands.
Garrett’s breathing had steadied. He took off the shirt that hung with sweat and blood. The sight of his body, slashed and swollen with every muscle pumped up from the fight, had Liddie incredulous with respect and desire.
“They’re not the largest tigers, but he’s a big male. He’s probably dropped twenty pounds since trapped. Maybe 240 right now.” He laughed and took a deep breath. “Piece of cake.” Garrett put his hands on his hips. “You ready?”
Liddie nodded. “You better be sure about this.” It was terrifying to move an animal of that size with those teeth. “I guess I’m ready.”
Garrett moved to the tiger’s head, bent down and reached under its front legs, lifting it like a drunken companion. Its mouth hung open giving Liddie a whiff of its wild breath, along with a good view of the long teeth that could have easily killed them all.
She tried to pick up the back legs of the animal, but couldn’t. It was dead weight and too heavy. There was no way she’d be able to do it.
“That’s okay,” laughed Garrett. “I can drag him. Can you turn the cage this way?”
She ran ahead and pushed the heavy cage toward him, opening the door wide. Garrett slowly backed into it, dragging the tiger with him. He climbed over it to get out.
Wild Suspicions (Romantic Suspense) Page 17
