by Jade White
“Name’s Tony Underhill. I live just over there.” He gestured to a house similar to hers, next door. “I won’t hurt you; I’m the head of the band police. Looks like you could use a hand moving in.” Tony was fairly tall, and had a lithe grace about him as he moved. His wiry frame was dressed in a pair of faded wranglers and a white button up shirt. It must have been his day off, Kim thought to herself, since he was dressed so casually. He had long black hair tied back at the nape of his neck, and a genuine smile graced his handsome face.
Kim was taken aback by Tony’s charisma. His face had high cheekbones and a strong square jaw. He looked as if he had sauntered out of an old Western novel; the only thing missing was the straw cowboy hat.
“Umm...sure, if you want.” Kim stammered. “I’m able to do this myself but an extra set of hands is more than welcome.” She unlocked the back door of the U-Haul truck and pushed it open. Inside were all her worldly possessions, neatly stacked. She tried to keep her fear down, telling herself that this guy was a cop, and he wasn’t out to hurt her. Smiley’s attack did a real number on her. She did a few months of therapy to help her over it before coming out here, but sometimes the only thing that’s needed is time with situations like hers.
“So, you’re old Otis’ granddaughter, eh?” Tony asked, in an attempt to get to know this beautiful stranger a bit better. “This house used to be my granddad's. My dad knew Otis when he stayed here for that winter. It was a harsh one. I don’t know anyone who would go out for anything during weather like that.”
Kim smiled. “Well, my grandpa was quite the stubborn guy, and he said that his boss increased the quota. He wanted to get in good with the company, I guess, backbiting and selling out his workers, especially if they were Cree.” She grabbed a small box from the truck and walked towards the house with Tony, who was carrying a larger box.
“Well, things are a bit different out here. For one, we don’t allow anyone who isn’t Cree on our land. You’re lucky we’re allowing you, since you’re only half, but since you’re Otis’ family, my uncle thought you were okay.”
“Yeah, Grandpa told me that this place has pretty much isolated itself from the rest of the country. Not that it’s a bad thing, to be honest. You guys missed the worst of the bullshit the Government put us through, mostly those damn schools. Nowadays it’s the addictions, cops targeting us, it’s still pretty bad.”
“Well, we have none of that here.” Tony assured her. “Like, we see all that on the news. All that garbage just makes us want to isolate ourselves even more. Luckily we can, since we’re pretty much self-sufficient out here.”
“Really? That’s interesting.” Kim stated, still keeping this stranger at arm’s length. She placed the box she had down in the living room. As personable as this guy was, she was still pretty leery of men in general. Smiley had done a real number on her.
“Yeah, back when Sir John A. MacDonald was the Prime Minister, he tried to starve our people out. Since then, our band has vowed to not be reliant on the government for anything. We don’t even take the reserve payments. Well, we do, but we donate it to the other bands in the area.” Tony looked incredulous. “You mean you didn’t know that?”
“About the starving? No. I didn’t. School only covered how great he was and all that. Any talk about what was done to us, well, the nuns and other school staff were pretty quick to shut us up,” Kim replied sadly.
The duo made rapid work at unloading the rental truck. They chatted throughout the day, and Kim found Tony very amicable. As they finished unloading the last box, he finally asked the question that had been nagging at him since her application to transfer bands crossed his desk.
“So, why are you here, exactly?” His cop sense had been tingling and he wanted to know what kind of trouble this outsider would be bringing with her.
Kim paled and tried to come up with an excuse. Tony’s piercing eyes stared at her, she knew she couldn’t get away with a lie, but decided to try anyway. He’d pick up on it right away. She choked up. “I... I can’t” She whispered. He could see her spirit break as she forced herself to lie. He had a suspicion that she’d been through something awful, but, decided to let it go for now.
“I see, well, if you ever need an ear, I’m right next door.” Tony wanted to make sure she felt safe here. One, because it was his job and two, he was extremely attracted to her. The elders had wondered why he hadn’t taken anyone to be his life mate yet, and it was getting close to that time of year for him to try to choose again. Thing was, he wasn’t all that keen on settling down, not yet anyway. “You have a good day, okay? If you need me, you can call the number for the station.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “I’ll do that. Thanks for the help, too. It made things go pretty fast.”
“Not a problem, ma’am. I’m here to protect, and to serve.” Tony replied with a wink as he closed the front door behind him. He looked across to the other neighboring house, and saw his cousin Keith standing on the doorstep, staring at him and shaking his head. He was another one who hadn’t taken a life mate yet, and he was five years older than Tony.
“What’s up, Keith?” Tony called out.
“Nothing much. Didn’t take you long to sniff out the fresh meat, you mangy tom.”
“Never does, Keith. Never does. You might want to go over there; she seems like a nice girl. She could use a casserole; doubt she’ll wanna cook tonight.”
Keith Mountainside grunted in acknowledgment. “Yeah, whatever.” He closed the door. He had hoped to have met the strange woman before Tony did, but that man always had his claws, among other things, in everything in the town. He was well known for jumping in bed with the mates of other men. How many younglings in the town were really his, no one really knew, or cared, to be honest, since Tony was the resident golden child.
Keith decided to not let Tony steal his chance with the stranger. He went into his small kitchen to see what he could whip up. Women love men who can cook. His cousin could be such an asshole sometimes.
Keith had yet to find the right woman to call his own. All the local prospects didn’t tug at his soul in the right way. He hoped that this one would. He puttered around the kitchen for a bit. He opened the freezer and found some meat from the elk he managed to take down earlier that month. He got the largest share due to being the one who brought it down, but it all got distributed to the village. Every hunter who brings in a kill gets the largest portion, if he or she wishes, and the remainder gets shared. That was the main way the band stayed free of the government’s aid trap. Every house had a garden in the back to grow vegetables, and there was a community orchard in the center square full of cherry trees, apple trees, and various berry bushes.
He made a wonderful baked stew from the elk, some carrots, potatoes, and various herbs from his garden. He put some tin foil on the top of the dish and decided to introduce himself to his lovely neighbor. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was as he observed Tony and her from his living room window.
There was a polite knock at Kim’s front door. She sighed to herself as she wondered who on earth it could be now.
She opened up the door and saw another handsome man, holding a casserole dish. He smiled shyly as she opened the door further. “Can I help you?” she asked.
“Umm, hey, my name’s Keith. I’m your other…umm neighbor.” He stammered. He wasn’t as smooth with the ladies as his cousin, but there was something about him that endeared himself to her. She felt her wall of self-preservation crack just a little bit as she looked into his earnest brown eyes.
She noted that Keith was slightly stockier than Tony. He was shorter, and seemingly more powerfully built with broad shoulders and a slightly thicker waist. He was muscular, but not overly so, with just a little hint of a belly beneath his red plaid button up shirt; a blacksmith build is what came to her mind. His face wasn’t as chiseled as Tony’s either, softer, less predatory. But there was something about Keith that pulled at Kim.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked. “I mean, if you want. I can just leave this and go…”
“No, it’s okay, you seem harmless enough,” Kim replied as she smiled warmly at him.
Keith’s face lit up as she invited him in. “Thanks! I’ll just go put this in the oven so it doesn’t get too cold. It’s elk, my grandmother taught me how to make it.” He made his way to the kitchen among the maze of boxes and disassembled furniture.
Kim smiled and shook her head at Keith’s earnest practicality. She couldn’t put her thumb on it, but there was something genuine about him. She didn’t notice a wedding ring on his finger. Maybe after she healed a bit from the shit Smiley put her through, she might give this guy a chance. He was definitely her type.
She puttered around, unpacking things while Keith found a tool box and set to work putting some of the furniture together. “You don’t mind me helping with this, do you?”
Kim shook her head as she cut open another box to unpack. She observed him out of the corner of her eye as he worked.
“Did you check out the back yard yet? There’s a garden back there for you to grow stuff,” he said awkwardly, trying to break the ice. He really felt an attraction to this woman. Stronger than any attraction he had felt for any other woman previously. He really didn’t want to blow it.
“Yeah! I love gardening. I’m excited to get some stuff in before the growing season ends,” she answered and her entire being lit up at the thought of puttering around in the dirt. Keith’s breath caught as she smiled directly at him. Yes, he thought, she was the one.
He saw Kim stiffen as she looked out the window. The fleeting moment of joy he witnessed crumbled as she stood staring out the window in abject terror. She began to tremble and hyperventilate.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he said, full of concern.
“I…I just…It was nothing.” She rushed from the living room to the bathroom.
Kim closed the bathroom door behind her and tried not to retch from seeing her ex drive by. He wasn’t supposed to find her here. She hoped he didn’t see Keith come into her house. She would die if anything happened to him because of her. She didn’t understand it, but she did feel a spark of something for him.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite knock at the bathroom door. “Hey, are you okay in there?” Keith asked through the door.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit of nerves from moving into a new place, that’s all. It’s all pretty overwhelming. I’ll be fine, honest.” She opened the door to the bathroom. She was moved by the genuine concern etched on his face.
The look of vulnerability Kim had about her triggered a deeply protective urge in Keith. He gingerly reached out and touched her bare arm to try to reassure her.
A shock of desire jolted through her as his warm hand touched her arm. Kim’s eyes went wide in surprise as the sudden compulsion to make love to this virtual stranger hit her like a ton of bricks. She averted her gaze downwards, hoping he didn’t notice. She couldn’t get involved in another relationship, not so soon.
“Seriously, if there’s anything you need, I’m literally next door. I can come over and help you put your garden in tomorrow if you want. The sooner it gets done the better. At least you can concentrate on getting your house set up.”
“Yeah. You have a point.” She neglected to mention that she would feel a bit safer as well. “Well, umm... I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Yeah. I’ll definitely see you tomorrow,” Keith said with a grin. “Oh, what kind of seeds do you want for your garden?”
“Eh, probably the usual. Carrots, peas, tomatoes, maybe some potatoes if they grow well here.”
“Sure, I think I have some. I’ll check. If not, I know of some other guys that would. You know, you have quite a bit of planting area back there. If you trust my judgment, I’ll plant a bunch of stuff for you. You have a deep freeze?” he asked, craning his neck around her to look for it.
“Yeah, it’s in the dining room.” She chuckled. She noticed he had a difficult time going home and was vaguely amused by it.
“Nice, you’re gonna need it,” Keith said with a grin. “I’ll make sure you’re well provided for. Heck, I think anyone in this village would.” He just couldn’t bring himself to take that step out the door to go home. “Anyway, see you tomorrow, eh?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Kim said as she closed the door behind him, smiling.
Keith stepped out of the house, his broad smile replaced by a frown as he wondered what could have scared Kim so badly. He had seen the news of the murders on the news a few months ago. He wondered if she had any connection to that. He’ll have to go talk to Tony. According to the reports, the guy hadn’t been caught yet.
He decided to take a walk to the band police station, a double wide trailer with one of the rooms converted into a holding cell. Usually it was just used for someone who’d had too much to drink, to sleep it off before heading home.
He passed by the communal orchard, noticing that the cherries were ready to be picked, and the apples were growing at a decent pace. He made note to stop by the general store to pick up some seeds and fertilizer for Kim’s garden. It was the only shop in town, restocked once a week during spring and summer and, whenever the roads were clear enough, in the winter. They usually ordered much larger quantities in mid fall to make sure they had enough supplies to last the winter.
Keith arrived at the police station and opened up the door. He looked around and saw his cousin Tony sitting at one of the two desks.
“Hey, I thought you had the day off today, Cuz,” he greeted.
“Yeah, I was gonna but I figure I’d look into something. Did you get a chance to meet Kim?” he asked.
“Yep. I did. I think she likes me, too,” Keith replied with a goofy grin on his face.
“ ‘Bout time you landed someone. The elders will be happy.”
“Didn’t land her yet. I hope I do, though. Gonna help her with her garden tomorrow.”
“Ah, that’s so like you, being the white knight. Remember, girls like a little bit of a bad boy streak,” his cousin chided.
“Maybe. I want to take it slow before telling her all about me, that way I don’t scare her off. Speaking of Kim, when I was over there, helping her set up some stuff, she saw something and got really scared for some reason. I mean shaking, running off to hide terror. Never seen anything like it.”
Tony sat up. “What do you mean?”
“Like, I didn’t see it, but it obviously scared the daylights out of her. I hope it wasn’t one of the other guys stalking around. I hope they know better than to change when there’s someone brand new in town.”
“Remember, Keith, nobody new has come to town in almost thirty years. You’d hope the rest of us would have some common sense, but if one guy didn’t hear, well, she might have seen him stalking around town.”
“Maybe that’s what happened,” Keith stated, not quite believing it. He had a hunch that there was something else. “You know that double murder that happened outside of Golden a few months back? That guy was never caught, eh? One survivor.”
“Yeah, what of it?” Tony said, losing patience with his cousin. He wanted to get back to watching his movie.
“Well, the news said there was one female survivor. They didn’t want to give out her name...because the killer was still out there.”
“You think it’s Kim?” Tony scoffed. “Come on. Like, I bet she’s here because of a bad break up, nothing more. Her grandmother wasn’t very forthcoming about why she had to hide here, but until she causes trouble, I’m gonna leave her alone, at least as a cop.” he added with a wink, and the allusion was painfully obvious to Keith.
“You’re an asshole, you know that? Anyway, I’m gonna keep an eye out. If something or someone is stalking her, I’m gonna put a stop to it. You’re the cop, so you should want to help.”
“Well yeah, but I can’t go on that kind of hunch. I need hard evidence. Anyway, you keep an eye out. I’l
l do the same. Nothing wrong with keeping her safe. She looks like she’s been through a lot.”
“I’ll do that. Anyway, I’ll call ya if I see anything. Oh, do you have a description of that killer guy? I just want to keep it handy. You aren’t the only one with those instincts.”
“Here you go,” Tony replied as he handed over one of the wanted posters. “Doubt it’s him, but whatever makes you happy and gets you out of my face for a bit.”
Keith folded up the paper, put it in the back pocket of his jeans, and left the station. He stopped at the general store and picked up some seeds for Kim’s garden before they closed for the night. He also wanted to get a case of beer to help dull the burning need that Kim awoke deep in his soul.
When he got home, he cracked open a bottle and sat down at his computer. The satellite internet was sketchy out there at best, but it was better than nothing.
The band might not want much in the way of government aid, but the help they did accept was always for the betterment of their community. The satellite internet was part of the government program for education in the village. There were too few children born in the village to warrant them opening up a school, and it was too remote for them to be bussed into the nearest town, especially during the dangerous winter. So, the government supplied each house with a satellite modem so the band could home school their children. Because of this, the Predator Springs community’s children had one of the highest literacy rates in the First Nations of Canada, since they weren’t forced into a school system that worked against them.
Before the government supplied internet, the kids went to a one room school house located in the center of town. The teacher was old Mrs. Bear. She taught the kids for almost seventy years before she finally passed away at the ripe old age of ninety three.
Keith pulled the wanted poster out of his pocket and unfolded it. He studied the face carefully and noticed the name. Smiley Rockborne.
He opened up Facebook and typed in the name in the search bar. Only two results popped up, and his was one of them.
