Running With The Tiger

by Bonnie Burrows

  The highway stretched before him, heading north keeping his eyes open for a brown sedan. He slammed his fist into the dashboard, angry at the entire situation. He had missed them by a mere fifteen minutes, and now he was less than forty minutes behind them with no way of knowing if he was on the right track. If he had just pushed a little harder, or if the store clerk had spoken up sooner, he would have had them.

  Egan shoved the gas pedal to the floor as he debased himself internally. Over and over he had felt like leaving her was the wrong thing to do, yet he’d gone ahead with it anyway. If he hadn’t been so arrogant, so sure that logic trumped his instincts. He’d been so wrong and now Tom had Cambria. Whether that was entirely against her will or not was yet to be seen, but it didn’t matter. Gone was that contentment he’d felt while Cambria was near. Once again, he was filled with that soul-searing pain that compelled him to find her.

  Even if she’d left of her own free will, he couldn’t stop himself from going after her if he’d wanted to. In the back of his mind something nagged at him, some information that might help him find the pair of them. Whatever it was drifted away every time he tried to focus on it. He pushed whatever it was out of his mind, focusing on his inner compass. He’d found her once before, he knew he could find her again. He just hoped it wasn’t too late when he did.

  Egan turned on the radio, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. A breaking news update broke through the music as he drove, catching his interest when he reached to change the station.

  “Authorities are searching for a man wanted for questioning in the murder and attempted murder of two rest stop clerks along the Interstate; one in Florida and one in Alabama. Britney Channing was nearly killed when the suspect gave her large doses of horse tranquilizer. James Davis was found murdered and locked in the exterior bathroom at a remote gas station near the Alabama-Mississippi border.

  "The man is described as a medium build, Caucasian man in his late thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call their local sheriff’s office or dial 9-1-1.”

  Egan cursed under his breath. Not only was she with Tom but he was wanted by the police. If the man decided to go out shooting, Cambria was likely to get caught in the crossfire. He had to find them before the police did.

  CHAPTER 13

  Tom clicked off the radio and laughed out loud. The sound filled the car and sent shivers down Cambria’s spine. There was no joy in the sound, which was almost maniacal. Yet he continued laughing as if he’d just heard the most amusing joke.

  “Late thirties? Are they insane? I don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

  “You killed those people?”

  “Only one. You heard the report. That stupid bitch Britney lived. When this is all over, I’ll have to find her and finish the job. I can’t have any witnesses milling about, waiting to lock me up and throw away the key.” Tom’s hand slid across the front seat and wrapped her hand up in his. “We don’t need that kind of negativity following us.”

  He squeezed her hand and she smiled weakly, wishing he would just let go. Her skin crawled where he touched her, but she couldn’t pull her hand away. Any indication on her part that she wasn’t interested would surely be a death sentence. If she wanted to get out of this alive, she had to play along with Tom’s crazy game.

  Tom started talking nonstop, all nonsense about his plans for world domination and how he was going to singlehandedly rebuild the resistance against the shifters. “Laskin was a fool and made so many mistakes. This time, we’ll be victorious because what we needed all along was a strong leader.”

  He didn’t take a breath or give any indication that he expected her to contribute to the conversation at all, so Cambria remained silent. She watched out the window, trying to keep track of their progress and hoping for an opportunity to escape.

  But then what? Even if she did escape, where would she go? She didn’t know how to get ahold of Egan and she had no transportation. She was stuck and alone. It was likely that Tom would do the same as Egan, stopping only at the most remote rest stops so that even if she escaped, he was free to hunt her down without an audience.

  Cambria fought back tears as they passed the sign welcoming them to Kansas. She had no idea where they were going, but it didn’t matter. The way she was feeling, he might as well kill her now.

  “Don’t you think so, Cammy?”

  Cambria wanted to rip his eyes out every time he called her that, but she had bigger problems. She had been brooding and had missed his question entirely. But he expected an answer from her, and she knew he would lose it if she answered wrong.

  “I think whatever you want to do is best. We’ve all seen what happens when I follow my ideas.” She managed to blush, hoping that what she said fit. “It’s best if you tell me what you want and I’ll follow you.”

  For good measure she reached out and squeezed his as she smiled at him. He didn’t speak for an eternity and Cambria braced herself for his anger.

  “You’re right. If I’m going to be a good leader, the first thing I need to do is quit asking other people what I should do.” He tweaked her nose affectionately. “Thank you, Sweetheart. You really are my soul mate.”

  Cambria managed to nod and smile. “So where are we going?” she ventured.

  “I don’t know. I figured I would drive until I figured something out. We can’t go back home, that’s for sure.”

  “What about Montana? There’s a lot of wide-open spaces and we can build a compound like our old one. Except it will be bigger and better.”

  He seemed to mull it over a bit and Cambria continued, trying to plant the seed. If she could get Tom to take them to Montana, maybe Egan would remember what she’d said.

  “Land is cheap there and I’m sure I can hack into the bank account that Laskin had.”

  “There was an account? I didn’t know about it.”

  “He didn’t tell anyone, but I saw him access it on his computer a few times. He didn’t think I could see him, but I watched him. It will only take me a few tries to get the password right. Once I do that, I’m sure you can take that money and use it to build your army.”

  “Our army.”

  Cambria nodded. “Of course. Our army.”

  Tom seemed content as he drove. His expression softened and he slowed the car down somewhat as he relaxed.

  “Montana then?”

  “I would love to go to Montana.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll head.”

  Cambria sat back, wondering what she was going to do now. She’d convinced him to head for Montana, but it was at least three states away. What if Egan didn’t find her soon? What if he forgot about Montana? Then what would she do? “I’m really tired Tom. Maybe I can sleep awhile and I’ll drive when you’re ready to rest.”

  “I don’t need sleep,” he indicated a prescription bottle in the cup holder. “I have enough of those babies to get me wherever we need to go.” He playfully punched her thigh, “Besides, if I let a woman drive, what kind of man would I be? You go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when I’m ready to stop.”

  Cambria managed a weak smile and leaned against the window. She pulled the hood of her jacket over the side of her face so he couldn’t see her. She didn’t sleep. Careful to keep her body still and her breathing slow, Cambria watched the road go by, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

  Tom talked to himself from the driver’s seat as if he and a second Tom were the only two passengers in the car. When he answered himself, Cambria’s stomach turned. She’d missed all the signs over the last year, but there was something really wrong with this man. The more he talked, the more she wanted to shriek at him to shut up, just shut up. But then he would just kill her and be done with it. Or worse. And she would never see Egan again.

  She did her level best to focus on Egan and the life they’d shared together recently. Nothing could drown out what was going on a few feet away, but it was a start. She tri
ed to imagine what Egan would do, what he would tell her in a moment like this. She knew that he believed in her and she was going to hold onto that knowledge.

  I can do this, she thought, and she believed it. She’d been through so much and she knew she could overcome this.

  The motion of the car was starting to lull her to sleep when she sat up suddenly, clasping her hands over her mouth and retching loudly.

  “Cammy what’s wrong?” Tom was frantic.

  “I’m feeling sick I—" She covered her mouth again and gagged forcefully. “I need to stop, I’m going to—"

  Tom didn’t need to hear another word. His face turned green as he turned the car roughly, catching the off-ramp at the last possible second and cutting off a car or two in the process. He pulled into the first gas station, a large travel center that was extremely busy. Cambria was expecting threats of some sort when he unlocked the door.

  “Get out! Don’t come back until you’re done. I don’t want vomit in my car.” He threw a wad of dollar bills across the seat. “Buy some mouthwash and something to make you feel better.”

  She nodded and fled towards the bathrooms, hands clasped over her mouth as she went. Cambria shoved the door to the women’s restroom open and went inside. As soon as the door closed she stopped, looking around the room to see if anyone else was in the bathrooms. She was alone. A large mirror stood behind a low row of sinks. Cambria searched the vanity shelf that ran the length of it, hoping to find something to write on the mirror with. There was nothing.

  She went to the first trash can, pulling the lid off and digging through the discarded paper towels. She was almost to the bottom of the can when she saw an eyeliner pencil with a broken cap discarded with the rest of the rubbish. She grabbed it, sighing with relief when she twisted the bottom and there was plenty of the soft makeup pen left. She stood on her tiptoes and stopped. What good would leaving the message in the women’s bathroom do? Egan wouldn’t check the women’s bathroom.

  Cambria pushed the door open a crack and peered out. The hallway was empty. She left the women’s bathroom, slipping through the door of the men’s bathroom and looking under the stall doors to see if anyone was in there. She was alone, for now.

  She went to the mirror, which was smaller and less pristine than the one in the other restroom. Working quickly, she drew two simple mountains. At the base of the mountains she drew a stick-figure woman and a stick-figure man with a tiger-striped shirt. She heard footsteps in the hallway and a man cough. She didn’t have time to make the picture perfect, and even with all the time in the world, she doubted she could do better. She’d never been much of an artist.

  Cambria left the men’s bathroom, running headlong into the man she’d heard in the hallway. “Oops. Wrong bathroom. Did you see the door to the lady’s room?”

  The bewildered man pointed towards the women’s restroom and she went inside again, heading straight for an empty stall. She used the facilities while she pulled a hundred dollar bill out of the money carefully hidden in the lining of her jacket. She zipped the inner pocket back up and left the stall, washing her hands and splashing water on her face over and over until her hair was somewhat damp, sticking out haphazardly in several places.

  She rushed out into the store, grabbing a travel bottle of mouthwash and some pink liquid that claimed to cure any stomach problems. She also grabbed a handful of energy bars that would fit easily in her pockets. They had been on the road for hours and Tom had yet to stop for food or anything to drink. She was starving and whatever he was on was obviously suppressing his appetite. She opened one of the bars and devoured it, saving the wrapper and walking up to get in line at the checkout counter. She shoved the rest of the bars in her pockets while the shelves still blocked her from Tom’s line of sight.

  When the last of the customers was done paying for their purchases, Cambria stepped up to the register. The man behind the counter had a kind face. A little older than Cambria, photos of his family were taped up in every possible area behind the counter. He greeted her when she laid her purchases on the counter.

  “I have ten of those bars in my pocket and I ate one.”

  The man smiled at her and rang up eleven miniature power bars along with the medicine, mouthwash and two bottles of water. Cambria resisted the urge to look out the window to see if Tom was watching. She didn’t want him to get suspicious.

  “That will be $10.91,” he said.

  Cambria pulled eleven dollars out of the wad of cash that Tom had thrown at her, flattening it and laying it on top of the hundred dollar bill. The man saw the bill and looked at her but she kept her eyes on the counter.

  “There’s going to be a man looking for me. It’s very important that he see what’s in the bathroom. Please don’t call the police and don’t watch me leave. The man I’m with will kill me. A man named Egan will come looking for me and he needs to use the men’s room when he does.”

  “I understand.” The man handed back her change and held her hand for a split second while he dropped the change into her palm. “Be strong.”

  She didn’t say another word, grabbing her bag and pulling first the pink medicine out as she walked. She opened the bottle and stepped outside, stopping to take a big swig out of the bottle before she opened the mouthwash. She threw her trash into the can outside the store and moved towards the car slowly. Tilting her head back, she poured some mouthwash into her mouth and swished it around before spitting into the gravel. She got into the car and smiled at Tom, keeping her movements slow to suggest she was still nauseous.

  “You look like shit,” he ground out, his voice angry.

  “I’m sorry. I think that shifter fed me something poisonous or something. I’m in a lot of pain.”

  Tom’s expression softened and he reached out to brush her damp hair out of her face. The instant his skin touched the wet tendrils he grimaced and pulled away, wiping his hand on his pants while he spoke. “This is why we have to eradicate them. What if I didn’t find you and rescue you? Then you’d be in the forest, sick as a dog and maybe dying. And now you’re going to be fine.”

  “I’m still feeling ill. Maybe a hospital would be a good—"

  “No!” he screamed at her, and then he stopped. “No. No hospitals. You’re going to be all right. I’m here now and I’ll take care of you; if you feel sick again, tell me and I’ll stop again. Just don’t forget to take your mouthwash with you. I can’t stand the smell of vomit.”

  Cambria would have laughed at Tom if the situation weren't so dire. He had to be the worst caretaker in the history of time. But she wasn’t surprised that he refused to take her to the hospital. It had been worth a shot, but Cambria hadn’t believed it would work for a second. Still, this plan was working better than she anticipated.

  Cambria waited several more miles before she began gagging again. This time, Tom pulled towards the off-ramp without being asked, pulling into another gas station and waiting in the vehicle.

  The bathroom at this gas station was unisex, which made it a little easier on Cambria. She locked the door behind herself and turned the water on high to drown out the sound of her movements. Pulling the eyeliner pen out, she drew the same picture, hoping that Egan could figure out what she meant. She would give anything to be able to write a simple message, but this would have to do.

  Someone pounded on the door and Cambria about jumped out of her skin.

  “Cambria. I need to take a piss, hurry up!”

  It was Tom. Cambria grabbed a paper towel off the sink and quickly wiped away the picture, leaving large smudges of black across the mirror. She flushed the toilet and splashed water on her face before staggering to the door loudly. She pulled the mouthwash bottle out of her pocket and opened it, putting it to her lips as she opened the door and taking a sip so she didn’t have to make eye contact with Tom. He shoved her into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, leaving her with a mouth full of mint and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 
; “Stay here. I don’t want you running off without me.”

  She nodded, swishing the liquid in her mouth before spitting it into the seat. Tom dropped his pants and a steady stream poured out of him when he turned suddenly and grabbed her by the back of her hair. He pulled her to him, kissing her violently while he stood there. Cambria steadied herself on the edge of the sink, trying not to lose her balance as he held her roughly to him. For the first time since that first heave almost an hour ago, she actually felt like throwing up. The smell of hot urine rose up from the toilet and assaulted her senses.

  Could he not smell that? She wondered. She gagged a little and Tom shoved her away from him. She tripped on her own feet and fell onto the filthy floor.

  “I swear if you throw up on me or in my mouth I’ll shoot you where you stand, you stupid bitch.”

  Cambria nodded, picking herself up off the ground and pretending to lean against the wall for support so she could stay as far away from him as the tiny space allowed. Tom put his hands behind his head, pants still around his ankles and shook his hips. He laughed at the expression on her face and bent down to pick his pants up.

  “I know you can’t wait to get your hands on it again. He missed you. But not now. Later, when you’re not so foul.” He sneered with the last words and Cambria wondered how she’d ever found this man attractive.

  He was repulsive.

  Cambria breathed a sigh of relief when Tom finished washing his hands and asked her to do the same before leading her to the car. She might not have gotten her message on this mirror, but at least she hadn’t been raped on the filthy bathroom floor. Had she not feigned sickness, Tom probably wouldn’t have thought anything of taking her right there. She shuddered at the thought. She had to get away from him, and she had to come up with a “plan B”. She couldn’t bank on Egan finding her in time and she didn’t want to end up rotting in a landfill somewhere.

  If she wanted out, she was going to have to make a way to get out herself. And she was going to have to start by getting Tom to trust that she wasn’t going to run away.