by R. D. Brady
Tess clenched her fists. “You will not touch her.”
“Well, that’s up to you now, isn’t it?”
He reached for her. Tess slipped the scissors out of her sleeve and into her hand. When he grabbed her hair and pulled her up. Tess shoved the scissors into his chest in an upward motion, right under his ribs.
He let out a yell and backhanded her. Her cheek exploded with pain, and she crashed back onto the couch.
Abe stared down at the scissors sticking out of his chest before he lunged for Tess. “You bitch!”
She scrambled off the couch, but slipped and landed with a thud on the floor. Crawling away on her hands and knees, she stumbled to her feet and ran to the kitchen.
Abe yanked the scissors out of his stomach, then marched toward her menacingly. “You know, I was being nice. But now I’m pissed.”
Tess backed up against the stove. Behind her, she wrapped a hand around the handle of the frying pan she’d used to make eggs that morning. As Abe charged at her, she swung for all she was worth. The pan slammed into his shoulder and he stumbled sideways with a grunt. She brought the pan back up, backhand, and caught him under the chin.
The front door flew open and Shawn sprinted across the room. He grabbed Abe by the back of his shirt and his neck, yanked him off his feet, and body slammed him, face first, into the ground. The floor shook with the force. Shawn grabbed the back of Abe’s head and slammed his face into the ground again for good measure.
Pax appeared in the door, his eyes wide. He started for Tess, but she waved him off, pushing away from the stove. “Missy. Get Missy. Bedroom.”
Pax changed direction and disappeared into the bedroom.
“Shawn?” Tess asked. Tess had never seen Shawn angry before; he was always so easygoing. She had sometimes wondered how he was as a SEAL. And now she knew. He was a warrior through and through.
“He’s out,” Shawn said. “You okay?”
Tess grimaced. “I’ll live.” Her ribs ached, but she forgot all about them when she remembered Shelby. She ran over and knelt at the dog’s side. “Hey, girl.”
Shelby didn’t get up, but she was awake and breathing. She gave a whimper and a feeble wag of her tail.
Tess lowered her head to Shelby’s. “You’ll be okay. We’ll get you fixed up like new.”
She raised her head as Pax reappeared, Missy wrapped protectively in his arms. He knelt down beside Tess.
“You okay, Missy?” Tess asked.
A tear rolled down the girl’s cheek as she nodded. Tess wiped it away. She’s shed too many tears for one so young.
“She called us,” Pax said. “Told us you were in trouble.”
Tess rubbed Missy’s back. “You did the right thing. I’m so proud of you.” Then she glared at Abe. Shawn still had the man pinned to the floor, his arms behind his back, and Tess could feel Shawn’s anger.
She was angry too. Furious. She wanted to kill Abe for scaring Missy, and that desire scared the hell out of her.
She turned away from him. Bastard.
But she knew he wasn’t the real villain here. Abe was just a puppet—one whose strings had been cut.
It was the puppet master she still had to worry about.
CHAPTER 91
Tess walked behind Shawn as he carried Shelby outside to Madge’s truck. She wanted more than anything to go with Shelby to the vet, but she couldn’t leave Missy alone, and she didn’t think the cold, sterile waiting room of Happy Tails—the one and only vet in the area—was what Missy needed right now.
Madge opened the passenger door of her F150, and Shawn gently placed Shelby on the seat while Madge put her arms around Tess. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll take good care of her. And I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”
Tess only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Shelby had been her constant companion for ten years. She couldn’t imagine her life without her.
Madge’s face went cold when she spotted Abe in the back of Dev’s cruiser. “You make sure Dev doesn’t let that piece of garbage make it to the jail alive.”
Tears in her throat, Tess gave a little laugh, knowing Madge meant every word. “Not sure he can do that, but I like the idea.”
Madge gave her another squeeze before heading for the driver’s door. “Take care of that little girl, and I’ll take care of this one.”
Tess walked to the open passenger door where Shawn stood rubbing Shelby’s head. He looked at Tess. “She’s tough. She’ll be all right.” He clapped Tess’s shoulder and headed back inside the cabin.
Tess leaned down to kiss Shelby’s head. “You have to be all right, you hear me? You and I have to take care of our little girl, okay?”
Shelby gave her a tired wag.
With a shuddering breath, Tess stepped back and closed the door. Madge revved the engine and pulled away. Tess watched them go, wrapping her arms around herself.
Once again, the image of Abe kicking Shelby appeared unbidden in her mind. Tears burned the backs of her eyes. People called bigfoot monsters—but she’d seen no evidence of that. It was humans who were the real monsters. Monsters who killed or hurt one another for their own gain.
And it was Carter Hayes who had sent that monster after her. Which meant he was a monster too—one with deep pockets and a long reach.
Tess wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold but knowing it wasn’t from the air surrounding her. This cold went much deeper. She looked back at her little house. The day she’d bought it, she had been filled with optimism at what the future held. And now…
Now I need to figure out a way to protect everyone I care about from being destroyed by Carter Hayes.
CHAPTER 92
Tess sat on the bed with Missy, rubbing her back, Dev at her side. Tess’s ribs ached, and Dev wanted her to go to the hospital, but she knew they weren’t broken—although it wasn’t for lack of trying on Abe’s part.
Yet even bruised ribs proved to be pretty painful. Every time she moved or even breathed too deeply, pain shot through her side. Shawn had wrapped her chest tightly, but she still gasped when she moved too quickly.
After Tess had seen Shelby off, Missy had run to Tess and had refused to let her go. She’d stayed in Tess’s lap the entire time Dev and Hank had questioned her. In fact, she hadn’t fallen asleep until just a short while ago.
“She doesn’t deserve this,” Dev said quietly.
“No, she doesn’t.” Tess hated that she couldn’t give Missy a peaceful home. The poor girl had started with the world’s worst father and then found peace in the most unlikely of places, only to have it yanked away again. And now she had Carter Hayes adding more violence to a young life that had already seen too much of it.
She curled her fists, wanting to hit something. How could anyone be so cruel?
“Are you coming?” Dev asked.
They were going to talk about their next steps, but they’d agreed to wait until Missy was settled.
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
Dev kissed her on her cheek. “Take your time.”
Thirty minutes later, Tess was still sitting beside Missy. She couldn’t seem to make herself leave. A shadow fell across the bed as Pax made his way into the room. He sat gently on the bed next to Tess. “You two okay in here?”
Tess nodded.
“Sasha and Abby are here for the talk.”
Tess nodded again but made no move to leave.
Pax put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to lie to me. You’ve never been very good at it.”
She clasped his hand but kept her gaze on Missy. “They’re so determined to get to the bigfoot, they’re willing to hurt a little girl to do it. How do I fight that?”
“We’ll figure out a way.”
“She’s already been through so much. I—” Tears choked off her words.
Pax pulled her into his arms. Tess let the tears flow. She knew if she didn’t, they’d eventually overwhelm her. After a few minutes, she pulled back and
wiped at her eyes. “Thanks.”
“That’s what twin brothers are for.”
“I suppose we need to go talk to the gang. Figure out our next steps.”
Pax gestured to Missy. “I’ll stay with her. You guys can fill me in later.”
“You sure?”
Pax placed his hand gently on Missy’s back. “Yeah. I’d rather she not be alone, and to be honest, I’m too angry to think straight right now. So I won’t be much help.”
Tess took a long look at her brother. She could see that he was angry. His jaw was taut, and his eyes had a hard edge to them. Pax was rarely angry. Even growing up, he was always the even-tempered one.
Tess took his hand. “Just being here, you’re helping. Thank you for putting your life on hold.”
Pax shook his head. “We haven’t put our life on hold. We just put our jobs on hold.”
Tess kissed his cheek. “Well, whatever you want to call it, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now go, before you make both of us cry again.”
Tess leaned down to kiss Missy on the forehead. She sucked in a breath as pain pierced her chest, then winced as a sharp inhale caused her yet another piercing pain.
“You okay?” Pax asked, concerned.
Tess stood. “No. But I will be as soon as we take down Carter Hayes.”
CHAPTER 93
As soon as Tess stepped out of the bedroom, Sasha flew across the room and engulfed her in a hug.
At Tess’s first gasp of pain, though, Sasha jumped back. “Sorry, sorry.”
Tess let out a breath as the pain passed. “It’s okay. I’ll risk a little pain for a hug any day.”
Sasha shook her head, her lips forming a tight line. “I can’t believe that asshole did this. To you, Missy, and Shelby.” Her hand flew to her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes.
Abby came over and threw an arm around Sasha. “It’ll be all right. We’ll figure out a way to keep them safe.”
Tess settled onto the couch next to Dev. He took her hand. “You need anything?”
She squeezed his hand. “This is all I need right now.”
Abby and Shawn took the two club chairs, and Sasha sat on the couch next to Dev. Abby looked around the group. “Okay. We know Carter Hayes is behind this. The question is why, and how do we keep him at bay?”
Tess exchanged a glance with Dev; he met her look with a nod. He would keep her secret if she wanted him to, as would Pax and Shawn, but she knew that to form a real solution, they were going to need more than that.
She took a breath. “I found a sample of bigfoot hair a few weeks ago. While I was away, someone broke in and took it. I’m guessing it was Abe, the man who attacked me and Shelby. And I believe he gave it to Carter Hayes.”
Sasha frowned. “So why does that matter? I mean, you provide him samples as part of your grant, right?”
Tess hesitated.
Abby answered for her. “She terminated her contract with Hayes.”
Sasha’s eyes went wide. “What? Why would you do that? That was your dream grant.”
Tess sighed. “It was. But then things changed.”
“What changed? Missy?” Sasha asked.
“No. It started changing before that. I just didn’t realize it.” She took a breath and looked around the group. “It began with a friend I call Charlie.”
CHAPTER 94
The storyboards were lined up along the wall in Tyler’s camper. He pointed to the one in the bottom right, which depicted Tess’s cabin. “We need to get those shots early in the morning, before anybody’s up. And maybe late at night, when the shadows fall across it. That’ll give it a nice ominous feel.”
“I can use a lens that will darken the shot, increase the appearance of shadows,” Tyler’s cameraman said. Tyler had no idea what the man’s name was, despite the fact that he had been with Tyler for three years.
Tyler slapped him on the shoulder. “Great.”
The door to the cabin opened and Seth stepped in. Tyler turned back to the cameraman. “Make sure everything’s ready to go first thing in the morning.”
“Will do.” The cameraman gathered his stuff and slid out past Seth. “Seth.”
Seth nodded at him. “Oscar.”
Oscar. Of course. And of course Seth knew the man’s name. Seth knew everybody’s name.
Seth walked over to the storyboards, and Tyler took a sip of his coffee with a smile. This was the first time he’d created the storyboards himself. Usually Seth did it. But Tyler hadn’t wanted to trust this story to him. After all, this was going to be the story.
Tyler gave Seth some time to look everything over. Finally, he couldn’t wait any longer. “Well?”
Seth turned around. “What’s this?” He gestured to Tess’s cabin.
“We’re going to get some shots of the cabin. And I was thinking we could spend some time out there and hopefully get a few shots of the kid.”
Seth’s mouth fell open. “You want to stalk a kid?”
Tyler waved him away. “She’s news whether she likes it or not, which makes her fair game.”
“She’s six, Tyler. And she’s probably traumatized. And you want to—what? Leap out at her from the trees?”
Tyler sat back surprised, envisioning that. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. We could—”
“What is wrong with you?” Seth yelled.
Tyler stopped and stared at Seth. “What’s wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you? This is the show that’s going to send us into the stratosphere, and all you’ve done is drag your feet.”
“Do you even know what happened to them today? The woman and that little girl? They were both attacked in Brannick’s cabin.”
“So?”
Seth ran his hand over his face. “Look, you want to go out into the woods and shoot some footage—fine. You want to interview some people in town or even that useless father of hers—fine. But the kid’s been through enough. She doesn’t need us traipsing around and traumatizing her some more.”
“Been through enough? Seriously? That kid is our ticket to national exposure. And if she’s already been traumatized, us asking her some questions won’t make it any worse.”
Seth stared at Tyler. Seconds dragged by.
“What?” Tyler demanded.
“You know, we’ve been friends since we were kids. And I know you’re amazingly self-involved. But I never imagined you’d put your personal goals ahead of a kid’s welfare. This is wrong.”
Tyler felt the blood rush to his cheeks. “No, what’s wrong is that my producer is trying to ruin what could be the best show of my career! What’s wrong is that instead of leading this charge, you’re standing in the way.”
Seth pointed at the storyboards. “You really don’t see that this crosses a line, do you?”
“There is no line. Not when it comes to a story.”
Seth shook his head. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this.”
“You’re refusing to help? This is your job.”
Seth turned and headed for the door. “Not anymore.”
CHAPTER 95
Sasha wiped at her eyes. “So they gave her to you to keep her safe?”
“Yes. They loved her—still do. But they knew she couldn’t survive out there. I get the feeling that wasn’t her first illness.”
“That’s just amazing. I mean, they really exist. And they’re… Well, what are they?” Abby asked.
“They’re something unique. They’re a primitive type of human,” Tess said. “Actually, ‘primitive’ is not the right word. They’re a different type of human. I mean, if you saw them together, you’d understand better. But they respect nature. They understand it. They have no possessions—none at all. I think that’s why no one’s found them before. They can just pick up and move without having to take a thing with them.”
“Would it really be so bad if they were found?” Sasha said. “I mean, I’d love to see something like that.”
Tess shook he
r head. “See them how? Put them in a zoo? Give them a little cell where people can peer at them? Or worse, have some hunter take one or more down, drag the bodies back, and show them to the world? It would be a media circus. And their way of life would be completely destroyed.”
“It would be like the European settlers rousting the Native Americans,” Dev said quietly.
“Or any other conquering group,” Shawn said. “And besides, they seem to be getting along just fine without us.”
“Any chance we could make that argument to Carter Hayes?” Sasha asked.
Tess shook her head. “We could, but I’m certain it wouldn’t change his mind. The financial incentive for finding bigfoot is mind-boggling. I mean, here’s a close human relative who is incredibly strong and fast. And Hayes has contracts with the military. He would have to be looking to exploit that. See if there was a way to adapt their strength and speed for our use.”
“Not to mention the marketing angle,” Shawn said.
Abby nodded. “The merchandizing rights alone would be through the roof. He’d make millions.”
“So how do we stop him?” Sasha asked quietly.
No one answered her. Tess suddenly felt overcome with guilt. “I never should have signed that stupid contract. I could have just done my research as I always have, and no one would have known anything. But I never thought I would actually find them. I mean, not like this. I thought if I was lucky I’d find some better prints or hair, maybe get a clear picture of one of them. But a group? A society? Actually interacting with them? Living with them for two weeks? Nothing like that ever even crossed my mind.”
Dev squeezed her hand. “You can’t beat yourself up for that. I mean, people have been looking for bigfoot for centuries. And no one’s found them.”
“Actually, that’s not entirely true,” Tess said. “There were reports that in the Middle Ages in Europe, a few bigfoot were captured at different times. But because there was so little communication between groups, it didn’t destroy their way of life. That’s all changed now. With our instant global communication, the entire world will know about bigfoot mere seconds after their existence is announced. And people from all over will pour into these woods, and into every other area that is hypothesized to house bigfoot. We’ll destroy everything.”
