by Summer Lane
But practical, right, Elle?
She swallowed and left the bathroom, walking into the room again. Bravo was lying on the floor, his head between his front paws, sleeping softly. Elle quietly transferred the items from her old backpack into the new, waterproof one. She had picked up medical supplies at the trading post. Things like sterile sutures, antibiotics, bandage wraps, water-purifying tablets, pain relief ointments and heat patches all found their way into her pack. She stuffed it with beef jerky and sealed packages of high-calorie crackers and protein bars, three canteens of water and a pair of aviator sunglasses that she had found long ago in the desert.
“You’re very prepared,” Cheng commented.
He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed.
Elle zipped her pack shut. She pressed her lips together.
Then, “Thank you. For the supplies. I don’t know how you managed it, but thanks anyway.”
Cheng slowly opened his eyes.
“You’re welcome.” He looked pleased. “Come sit with me, Elle.”
Elle hesitated, but she sat down slowly, crossing her legs. They were only two feet apart. She closed her eyes, took a breath. All she saw in the darkness of her mind was the tragic horrors of the Bear Mountain Civilian Ward, and the bodies of the dead families.
“Do you get the flashbacks, too?” Elle asked, opening her eyes. “Of the bad stuff?”
“If you could just learn to retrain your brain,” Cheng murmured, “you could go from great to unstoppable.”
“Who says I’m not already unstoppable?” Elle retorted, defensive.
Cheng chuckled, leaning forward, his breath hot against her cheek.
“I suppose you have a point there, little ninja.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, suspended in time. Cheng leaned forward and pressed his lips against Elle’s. Elle’s heart stopped beating. She felt numb. His mouth was soft and warm. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then the kiss was over, and Cheng was on his feet, headed for the door.
Elle was frozen. But only for a second.
She sprang up and charged after him, flushed and furious.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she demanded, darting in front of him, blocking the door. “You can’t just kiss me and run. Coward.”
Cheng looked shocked.
“Coward?” He knit his brow. “Far from it, Elle.”
“Then why are you running?” she said.
For the first time since she had known him, Cheng seemed to be at a loss for words. Elle’s heart pounded against her ribcage. She was terrified, but exhilarated. Cheng’s fine, handsome features looked strained. His eyes were a stormy swirl of blue and gray. Elle’s initial instinct was to retreat and run – fight or flight! But she stood there, meeting his gaze, determined to be the one who would not run. Not this time.
Cheng slipped his hand behind Elle’s neck and pulled her closer, into a real kiss. A long one, a good one. Elle wrapped her hands over his broad shoulders and he held her to him, warm and strong.
Bravo barked.
Elle jerked away, scared, and the doorknob rattled. Elle hurried to the other side of the room, face burning, and looked out the window. The door opened, and Luli walked inside. She was carrying an apple, tossing it up and down in her hand. Cheng stood there, still, spaced out.
“Traded my beef jerky for this apple,” Luli said. “Where have you been? I looked all over.”
Elle sat next to Bravo and absently scratched behind his ears, noting that her hands were trembling. She didn’t like that. It was stupid.
“Bartering,” Cheng said.
His voice was smooth and his expression was neutral. He was suddenly back to normal. “There are clothes and supplies here on the bed. Take what you need.”
Luli chomped on her apple, shooting a suspicious glance at Elle.
“Did you go shopping together?” she asked. “Because that’s so adorable I think I’ll puke.”
Luli rifled through the clothes. Cheng sat on the edge of the bed, watching Elle stroke Bravo’s fur. She deliberately refused to meet his gaze. It would give her away. She stood up and Bravo followed. She walked to the door.
“Where are you going now?” Luli said.
Elle replied, “I’ll be back later.”
She slipped into the hallway with Bravo, moving as fast she could. She had to get away from Cheng. Bravo was the only one she could trust – not Cheng. What was wrong with her? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Elle walked out of the lodge, into the forest, away from the confusion.
She didn’t trust herself with this one.
When Elle had been growing up, her mother had warned her to stay away from boys. Love, her mother had told her, was a trap and a cruel lie. It didn’t exist. All that existed was physical attraction. Beyond that, there was nothing.
Elle had always wondered if that meant her mother didn’t love her own children. She had spent many hours thinking about this subject, whiling away long, lonely days in Santa Monica, foraging for food. She’d been a loner then, and she believed what her mother said.
That love is a lie.
Love is a lie.
Love is a lie.
Bravo nudged her hand with his damp nose. His deep, knowing eyes sparkled at her in the waning daylight.
Love wasn’t a lie. It couldn’t be.
Not completely, anyway.
She kissed the top of Bravo’s head.
“What am I doing, boy?” she muttered.
He laid his head across her knees. She looked across Falcon Point, perched on a rock hidden behind the trees. The steady rhythm of his breathing was a comfort to her. She was ashamed of herself for kissing Cheng. She was strong and independent, and having feelings for him would make her weak. It would cloud her judgment. Cheng held secrets. Secrets could be lethal.
No. Elle would have to be smarter than him.
Smarter than everyone. She could trust Bravo, she knew that. It was her advantage over everyone else – she trusted someone completely, and she wouldn’t be betrayed.
“We should leave,” Elle said at last. “Staying with Cheng and Luli is going to get us killed. It’ll drag us into drama we don’t need.”
Their priority was to stay alive. Period.
Bravo didn’t respond.
“I know it’s hard,” Elle went on. “It seems like every time we make friends – even though I don’t exactly consider Luli a friend – we have to leave them behind. But it’s better this way. We can stay alive if we’re alone.”
Bravo suddenly sat up.
We’ve made it this far. We’re doing okay.
Elle pressed her forehead against Bravo’s.
“I know. But we have to be smart.”
Elle stood up.
“Come on. Let’s go get our stuff from the lodge,” she said. “And then we’ll go. They don’t need to know where we’re going.”
Bravo huffed.
How would they know when we don’t even know?
Elle ignored the obvious sarcasm and they began walking toward the lodge. Her chest felt tight. The exhilarated flutter that she had experienced earlier was gone, and in its place was stalwart determination. Cheng was charming, yes. But he was only human. And so was Elle. Basic survival instinct would win this battle.
She shuddered.
No, she thought. I’m not attached. Just let him go.
Bravo’s presence by her side made the walk back to the lodge easier. She felt calm as she walked up the steps, entered the lobby, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. The building was silent, now. Most people were asleep. The last bit of daylight winked away and the hallway was dark.
Elle stood in front of the door to Cheng’s room.
She took a deep breath. Bravo looked up at her, encouraging her. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again. This was the right door, wasn’t it? She stepped back. Yes, last door in the hall. Bravo’s nose confirmed it, too.
She turned the knob, and the door opened. Elle grabbed the handle of her katana and slid it from its sheath, her vision narrowing. Something was wrong. She sensed it, and Bravo did, too.
Elle pushed the door open with the toe of her militia-issued boots and flicked two fingers forward. Bravo slipped into the room. She waited. He barked once.
All clear.
Elle walked into the room. The curtains had been drawn. Elle pulled them back, shining gray light into the room. The beds looked untouched. Her backpack was nowhere to be seen. Everything was gone.
“Why would they leave?” Elle whispered.
And then it dawned on her that maybe Cheng had felt the same way as Elle – that the kiss had been a mistake, and they should go their separate ways.
Strangely, this made her sad.
“Come on,” Elle said, shaking herself.
Her backpack contained valuable items. Food, water and first aid supplies. And Cheng and Luli had taken all of it. She stormed out of the room, angry and disappointed – although she didn’t want to admit it – and Bravo followed her. She marched downstairs, through the lobby, and stood on the deck. The large, gray mastiffs prowled through the darkness. They were terrifying and beastly in the night.
Bravo barked. He growled, then barked again, tail down, shoulders hunched, fangs flashing.
“Bravo,” Elle said. “Quiet.”
He continued to bark and growl, tensing up. He was insistent, and Elle raised her sword up. What could he see that she couldn’t? What did he smell?
“What is it, boy?” she asked. “Bravo, show me.”
She noticed then that the silhouettes of the mastiffs had vanished, and there was an unearthly, guttural growl coming from the shadows. One mastiff emerged from the bushes, then two more. Elle’s breath caught in her throat. The creatures were massive, the size of a small horse. Her fingers twitched. Her gun was in the waistband of her pants. She could maybe shoot one of them if she had too, but what about the others? What about Bravo?
Oh God, no. They wouldn’t be brought down by guard dogs.
Not after all this time.
“Bravo,” Elle warned. “Do not attack. Listen to me. Stay with me, boy.”
Her voice sparked the mastiffs into a volley of warning barks and growls as they crept closer. She dared a sideways glance at Bravo. He was dangerously close to springing forward, but his common sense kept him glued to Elle’s side.
“All right, child,” a gruff, crackly voice stated. “Set your weapons down. And get rid of the gun in your pants.”
Elle peered into the darkness.
“I’m warning you,” the voice continued. “Keep this up and my puppies will tear you and your dog into bite-size pieces.”
Elle slowly set her katana on the ground and pulled the Smith and Wesson out of the waistband of her pants. She set it on the ground, too, and kept her hands up where they could be seen.
“Good, good. Thank you for your cooperation.” A tall, bulky man emerged from the woods. He wore a floppy brown hat and sported a thick, tangled beard. “You’ve made my day a lot easier.”
Elle didn’t move.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
He laughed. Loudly.
“I’ll ask the questions, thanks,” he replied. “Down, boys.”
The mastiffs stopped their slow progression toward Elle and Bravo, pulling back to their tall, broad owner. The man hoisted a heavy, archaic shotgun into his arms.
“Now, don’t you be touching those weapons,” he warned, “or I’ll just have to shoot your German Shepherd.”
Elle swallowed.
“Stay down, Bravo,” she whispered. “Stay with me.”
Bravo angled his body between Elle and the man, ever protective.
Two more men scurried out of the woods and scooped up Elle’s katana and handgun. It was like a kick in the chest. Those weapons had saved her life many times. They were like old friends.
“What do you want?” Elle asked.
“What’s coming to me,” the man answered.
More men emerged from the woods. Elle’s throat constricted. They were everywhere. She lost count at fifteen. What was this?
“Tell your dog to behave,” the tall man said, “and it will all be okay.”
Elle didn’t believe him, but she warned Bravo into inaction anyway. She spoke to him in low, soothing tones. Two men took Elle’s arms and twisted them behind her back. There were shotguns and men everywhere, and the mastiffs were still standing next to the tall man.
Three men snapped a muzzle over Bravo’s snout. He howled and whined, fighting violently, but they held him down.
“DON’T TOUCH MY DOG!” Elle screamed. “Let him go!”
“Now, now,” the tall man said. “Don’t be yelling at your host. That’s no way for a guest to act.” He rubbed his hands together. In the dull light, Elle could see that one of his eyes was missing, a hollow, black hole in his head. She shuddered.
“Come on,” he told his men. “Back we go.”
The men that took Bravo and Elle were ragtag and filthy. Many of them were missing teeth or fingers. They muttered and cursed amongst themselves, shoving Elle and Bravo through the forest. Elle’s face scraped against branches and hands, drawing blood from her cheeks and neck.
Her mouth was parched and dry. Her feet hurt and her head throbbed. Every moment was filled with a waking terror – were they being dragged to their deaths? If they were, what could they do to stop it?
She heard Bravo yelp as someone shoved him forward, scraping his face against slick granite. Elle jerked furiously against her captors, enraged.
“Don’t you hurt my dog!” she hissed. “Don’t you dare hurt my dog!”
Snickering. Laughter. Muttering.
They kept going, stopping for nothing. Elle’s muscles burned and her vision was blurry. She was dehydrated and exhausted. She stumbled and fell. The arms dragging her along let go and she hit something hard – a rock? – with a crack.
She saw a burst of color, and then everything went dark.
Chapter Six
When Elle came to, her head was bursting with a splitting pain. She blinked a few times, then rolled to her side and vomited. Her head spun. She placed her hands on the ground. It felt like she was bobbing up and down, up and down. She sat up, wincing at the excruciating pain, and peered ahead.
She was inside. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of wood. It smelled damp. Lanterns illuminated the room, which was filled with wooden crates and metal shipping containers. It was shadowy and cold. The stench of her own vomit made her sick, and she scooted away.
“Bravo?” she whispered.
Nothing.
Panic gripped her. Where was he? What had happened to him?
“Bravo!”
Still, nothing but silence. The room continued to bob. Elle attempted to stand, but a swell of dizziness brought her back to her knees, and the room kept rolling. Water droplets dripped onto the floor.
A boat? She was on a boat?
Elle held her head in her hands. When she had fallen, she’d felt something crack. Who knows what she’d done to herself?
Minutes passed – possibly hours.
Where was she? Why was she on a boat?
She heard footsteps and voices in the distance, and then a door opened. The footsteps grew louder. She was sitting up against the wall, rivulets of sweat sliding down her face. The tall man with the floppy hat marched down a row of rickety stairs. Behind him, more men filed down the steps.
Between the men, she saw Cheng and Luli. Their wrists were zip-tied together, and the right side of Cheng’s face was bruised. His lip was bloody. Luli looked relatively unharmed, but there was darkness in her eyes.
They’d been taken, too.
“Well, now,” the tall man said. “You’ve finally awoken. How nice for you to grace us with your presence, little Elle Costas.”
Elle raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, I know who you are,” the man continued. “But you don’t know who I am, do you?” He chuckled. He wore a long, ratty jacket. His shotgun was strapped across his back. His one eye glittered with malignant intent.
Cheng and Luli were shoved against the wall.
Cheng stared at Elle, but she looked away.
“I’m the captain of this ship,” the tall man said. “Captain Matthias. And these are my men. I know what you’re thinking, little girl. We’re nothing but pirates. Vagabonds. Aimless Slavers hunting for children.”
Elle shuddered.
“Give us some credit,” he continued. “I wouldn’t stoop so low. There are other ways to make a profit in a world as damned as this one.”
“Let the girls and the dog go,” Cheng suddenly said. “I’m the only one you need.”
Elle looked at him.
“Not so, little prince,” Matthias guffawed. “I’ve a mind to do what I want, and no boy will dictate my decisions.”
Elle bit her lip. Cheng was speaking as if Bravo were still alive, and that gave her a flicker of hope. Her headache still raged, but she said nothing.
“Cap, don’t you think you should check the boy for the mark?” one of the men said. He wore a black sock cap. Two gold teeth sparkled in the front of his mouth. “Just to be sure?”
Matthias shrugged.
“Well, now, that’s not a bad idea. Remind me not to kill you next week, Kilmer.” He stepped forward and pulled a bowie knife from his belt. He snapped through the zip-tie around Cheng’s wrists and gestured to his men. Cheng’s eyes were full of hate and resentment, but he was smart enough not to act on his feelings. Several of Matthias’s men pulled off Cheng’s jacket and flung it aside. They stripped his shirt off, too, leaving Cheng bare-chested. He was toned, cords of thick muscle wrapping around his arms and torso.
But it was the markings on the right side of his chest that caught Elle’s attention. An intricate tattoo of a snake curled across the right side of his chest and flooded over his shoulder. Matthias forced Cheng to kneel forward. The tattoo carried over to his back. His shoulder blade was swirled with black and brown ink, and in the center of it all – a large, intricate O with the continents of the world within it.
