Forcing herself to focus, she reached into a nearby drawer for a clean washcloth. Kim had a nasty cut on her forehead, along with a lump the size of a golf ball. Helena pressed the cloth to Kim’s temple and glanced around warily for a better place to take shelter. Kim was a small woman. Helena could stash her in the cabinets if she had to.
There were two African lions in the zoo, a mated pair. They were both mature adults, healthy and strong. The male weighed about four hundred pounds, but the female was twice as aggressive. Zuma had been born in a game park in Namibia. She was perfectly capable of stalking and killing prey.
Helena was about to drag Kim across the floor when she opened her eyes. Her pupils looked strange, one larger than the other.
“What happened?” she asked.
“An earthquake.”
Kim moistened her lips and frowned. “My head hurts.”
“You bumped it.”
“I should get up.”
Helena kept a firm hand on her shoulder. “Let’s wait for Josh. He’s coming right now, and he’ll take you somewhere safe.”
“How bad is it?”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I mean…the park.”
“It’s bad,” Helena said, surveying the space between the elephant barn and the path to the lion enclosure. She saw no movement, heard no vocalizations. She didn’t tell Kim that any animals had escaped.
Mbali’s mother came back to the barn for her injured calf. In the chaos, the herd had run away without her. Now Stani touched her trunk to Mbali’s slack ears and mouth, as if trying to rouse her baby. Though temperamental, elephants were caring, compassionate creatures. The love between mother and child was obvious.
Helena studied the pair through the iron bars that separated them, touched by the scene. Mbali appeared unconscious, rather than dead. Helena wanted to examine the calf, but she doubted that the protective mother would allow Helena to enter their space.
After several more nudges from her mama, the little elephant awakened. She ambled upright, swaying. Stani curled her trunk around the calf protectively. As soon as Mbali gained her bearings, she scampered off, seeking the comfort of the herd. Stani followed close behind, touching the calf’s twitching tail with her trunk.
Helena’s chest swelled with emotion as she watched them cross the yard. Mbali was her favorite elephant and Helena couldn’t stand the thought of losing her.
“I have to call Steven,” Kim said suddenly, grasping Helena’s hand.
“Where is he?”
“At our apartment.”
Zoo employees communicated by radio only. They were required to leave their cell phones in lockers. Even if the lines were clear, they couldn’t call anyone until they returned to the staff buildings.
“You’re so lucky Mitch is in Denver,” Kim said.
Helena realized, with some chagrin, that she hadn’t spared a single thought for him. She’d worried about her friends and coworkers. The animals, of course. Her boss. She’d shed tears over total strangers, and been thankful her mother was in Oregon.
Mitch? Nothing.
In her defense, she’d been distracted, and Mitch was probably fine. Even so, she felt particular no urge to call him now. The distance hadn’t made her heart grow fonder.
She’d wondered, more than once, if there was something missing inside her. An empty space or short circuit that prevented her from connecting with others. She’d always been reserved with her affections—toward humans, at least. Animals were easier. Safer, in a way. Their needs weren’t as difficult to interpret.
“I’ll try the front office,” Helena said, picking up her radio. Maybe one of their coworkers could get in touch with Kim’s husband. It was security’s job to communicate with local police and request emergency services. Helena figured Josh had his hands full, along with every other first responder in the city. Kim might not be able to get medical treatment for hours. Before Helena pressed the button to speak, she heard Greg’s voice.
Her spirits lifted. He was alive!
“Code two,” Greg said, panting. “Lion enclosure.”
Oh, no. He was injured, perhaps badly.
“I’ve been trying to block the exit—”
A low growl erupted in the background. It was the sound a lion made before charging. Sometimes they rushed forward as a warning and stopped short.
This was not one of those times.
“Zuma, no!”
Greg’s stern shout was cut off abruptly. There was a heavy thump, followed by a strange gurgling noise. It sounded as if he’d been knocked down, but he hadn’t dropped his radio or let go of the talk button. Helena listened with horror as the lion chuffed air through its nose and continued to make throaty vocalizations.
Then a sinister silence fell.
CHAPTER TWO
HELENA EXCHANGED A horrified glance with Kim.
They both knew how lions killed prey. The first strike was quick and brutal, often crushing the spinal cord.
Helena touched the button on her receiver. “Greg?”
No response.
“Greg, come in!”
Nothing.
Kim’s pretty face crumpled with distress. Greg was in serious trouble, and there was nothing they could do to help him. Helena felt useless and out of control, sick with worry. She stared at the radio in her hand, gripping it until her knuckles went white. She was frozen, struck by the strange urge to throw the device against the wall.
The sound of Josh’s approaching golf cart broke through her paralysis. His driving was fast and erratic, but for good reason. She rose to her feet, her blood pumping with adrenaline. She spotted a hoof knife hanging on the wall. It was a sturdy tool with a long handle and a curved blade. Grabbing the knife, she strode out of the barn. Although Kim called her name, Helena didn’t look back.
Josh parked the golf cart as close to the barn as possible. He exited the vehicle, his gaze narrowing on the impromptu weapon in her hand.
“Take me to the lion enclosure,” she said.
“No.”
She sputtered at his refusal. “Greg needs help.”
“You can’t help him.”
Helena couldn’t believe Josh wanted to follow the rules now, when a man was bleeding to death nearby. She dismissed him and continued toward the walkway. It was only a few hundred yards to the lion enclosure.
Josh had the nerve to jump in front of her, blocking her path. “Helena—”
“Step aside.”
He surprised her by standing his ground. Although he wasn’t armed, he carried pepper spray and a baton on his utility belt. He also had the distinction of being tall and well-built. There were some hard muscles beneath his official-looking uniform shirt. But he was just Josh Garrison, glorified security guard. She gave his chest a rude shove.
This move didn’t faze him. Instead of stumbling back and letting her pass, he locked his big hands around her upper arms, holding her captive. When she tried to jerk free of his grasp, he tightened his grip.
Helena hadn’t expected him to challenge her. She wasn’t quite his size, but she was a physically imposing woman. She’d played basketball on the boys’ varsity team in high school. To put it bluntly, she was a brute. Men rarely messed with her. And if there was one thing she knew how to do, it was push people away.
“You can’t fight off a lion with a knife,” he said, shaking her. “We need guns.”
“He’ll die before then!”
“He’s already dead.”
This awful probability gave her pause. She pictured Greg Patel’s broken neck, his severed carotid artery. In the vast majority of lion attacks, death was instantaneous.
“He has kids,” she whispered, her urgency fading into sorrow.
Josh’s grip on her upper arms softened. Now his touch felt comforting, rather than cruel. She stared at his unmarred throat. It looked smooth and suntanned and unfairly healthy. A beat pulsed in his neck, proof of life.
Swallowing back tears,
she lifted her gaze to his face. He was handsome in a gypsy-wanderer sort of way. His hair was tawny brown, long enough to curl at the edge of his collar. He had good bone structure and strong features. Lucky genetics, basically. His eyes were a warm gold color, framed by thick, dark lashes.
“Let’s get Kim back to the staff building,” he said. “Then we can see about Greg.”
When she nodded, he released her. Going straight to the lion enclosure would have been foolish. Lions could protect a kill for hours. She needed tranquilizer guns from the weapons cabinet, and an organized team.
She followed him into the keeper area, her heart hammering in her chest. She felt so lost and confused, as if her entire world had been turned upside down. How else could she explain the fact that Josh Garrison was talking sense into her?
Inside the barn, he kneeled down beside Kim, brushing a tendril of hair off her forehead. “This is quite a goose egg. You smuggling the Hope Diamond under here?”
Kim hissed as he examined the tender lump. “I wish.”
“How are your ears?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“Nosebleed?”
Kim looked at Helena, uncertain.
“No,” Helena said.
Josh brought Kim to her feet and lifted her easily, carrying her out of the barn. Although she insisted that she could walk, he didn’t listen. Helena tucked the hoof knife into her back pocket, along with the bloody washcloth. She kept an eye out for lions as they walked toward the golf cart. Josh deposited Kim in the back seat, motioning for Helena to join her. Helena sat down and slipped an arm around Kim for support. There were no seat belts, and Kim was still woozy. Helena didn’t want her to fall out of the cart.
“Whose arms do you prefer, Sleeping Beauty?” Josh asked. “Mine or Helena’s?”
Kim smiled weakly. “Helena’s.”
“I don’t blame you,” Josh said, climbing behind the wheel. “She looks cozy.”
Helena knew very well that Kim preferred Josh’s arms, and his company. He was popular with all of the female employees—except Helena. His teasing seemed to put Kim at ease, which was odd. Helena had always felt self-conscious in his presence, unsure if he was mocking or flirting with her.
Maybe she’d been wrong about him. She’d ignored him whenever possible, so she could have missed out on the finer points of his personality. His calm, efficient response to the earthquake impressed her. She wasn’t too stubborn to be grateful for his clear thinking just now. He’d prevented her from rushing into danger. He was smarter and more capable than she’d given him credit for.
As he drove away from Heart of Africa, Helena searched the elephant yard for Mbali. The calf was standing underneath her mother, nursing. The other cows had made a protective circle around them. Obi, the breeding male, guarded the herd.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Helena moved her gaze from her beloved elephants to the perimeter of the yard. It looked secure. No lions leapt out from the bushes as they passed by, but there were plenty of disturbing sights to behold on the way back to the front of the park. Some of the exhibits were wrecked. Others appeared empty. Meer cats peeped up from their burrows, afraid to venture above ground.
Somewhere in Lost Jungle, a rhesus monkey howled. They were loud, boisterous creatures, so the noise wasn’t unusual in itself. The strange part was that she could hear it at this distance. All of the normal park activities had gone mute. There was no upbeat drum music, no birds chirping, no joyous splashing or movement of any kind. It was the sound of nothingness, of cowering anticipation.
Kim jostled against her side as they went over a bump. The concrete path, once flat, was now riddled with cracks and lifted sections. Helena tightened her arm around Kim and kept her eyes on the rear of the vehicle. Again, she thought of Greg Patel. His wife, Anya. Their teenage daughters, Nina and Trish.
The restaurants and souvenir shops at the front of the park had been hit hard. Glass crunched beneath the tires of the golf cart as they skirted past one of the ruined stores. Its windows were shattered, shelves knocked over. Stuffed animals and novelty items littered the floors. If the earthquake had struck during regular operating hours, there would have been children among the rubble.
The main staff building was still standing. It housed the employee lockers, break room and security center. When they arrived at the entrance, Michelle Lu, a veterinary technician, opened the door for them.
Josh parked the golf cart and got out. As he prepared to lift Kim, his eyes met Helena’s. None of the usual mischief danced in them, only fear and anxiety. He might seem calm, even nonchalant, but only a very stupid man didn’t have the sense to be afraid during the worst disaster of his lifetime. Josh wasn’t stupid, apparently. He knew they were in serious trouble. And the worst was yet to come.
His fingertips brushed her breast and she went still. Although the contact was accidental, she shivered in awareness and his gaze darkened. Then he carried Kim away, and the spell was broken.
She got out of the cart, flushing. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. The earthquake must have knocked a few screws loose. She’d never had this reaction to him before. Then again, she couldn’t remember the last time he’d touched her. They might have shaken hands once or twice, years ago. She could still feel his strong grip on her upper arms, holding her captive.
Her pulse pounded with trepidation as she followed him into the staff lounge. It wasn’t as chaotic as she’d feared, but there were several injured keepers in the room. Josh deposited Kim in an empty chair by the break table.
“I have to take care of these guys first,” Michelle said. “Puncture wound from an antelope horn, and a snakebite.”
“What kind of snake?” Helena asked.
“Malayan pit viper. But we have antivenin.”
Luckily, the zoo’s veterinarian kept antivenin and other basic first aid items in stock. There was a hospital and exam area in an adjoining building where they cared for sick animals and performed surgeries. Human patients were usually taken away in ambulances, but they’d just have to make do with the resources available.
After Michelle hurried away to gather medical supplies, Helena turned to Josh. “Are there other injured keepers?”
“Just Greg.”
“What about Spears?”
“He’s off-site,” Josh said. “Management meeting.”
Helena’s stomach dropped. The director wasn’t in the building. Neither was the curator or any of the zoo’s other top officials. They had monthly meetings at the research facility in La Jolla. “Who else is here?”
Josh recited about a dozen names. The majority of the zoo’s staff worked in sales and food service. Those employees hadn’t arrived yet, and the maintenance crew had already left. They were running on a skeleton crew. “The keepers who aren’t hurt are helping capture snakes at the reptile house or trying to fix the gorilla enclosure.”
It dawned on Helena that the two of them were in charge. She outranked all of the other keepers on site, except for Greg. She was the animal expert, and Josh was the chief security officer. They were going to have to work together to restore order. Every living thing in the park was counting on them. The responsibility was enormous.
“How many code ones?” she asked, trying not to panic.
He rattled off a list of escaped animals so far. The cheetah and hyenas were among them. “None confirmed, just reported.”
Helena wanted to make checking on Greg their top priority. He could be suffering, bleeding to death. They had to get the lion situation under control as soon as possible. Unfortunately, venomous snakes also posed a serious threat, and so did aggressive gorillas. Removing a keeper from those tasks could mean risking the safety of the rest of the crew. “Are the webcams working?”
“No. Everything is down.”
“What about emergency services?”
Josh took a cell phone out of his pocket. He was allowed to carry one because he acted as a liaison between the park and local authori
ties. “I think they’re overwhelmed, or communication systems have crashed. The park radios aren’t picking up any police activity, and I haven’t been able to get through on my cell phone.”
“Let Kim try.”
Josh handed Kim his phone. “Maybe you can reach someone outside the city.”
While Kim attempted to send a text, Helena and Josh ducked into the security office to check the monitors. It was a mess inside, with papers and broken equipment all over the floor. The feeds were down, as Josh had reported, and the desk phone was dead.
“We turned off the water because of broken pipes,” he said. “The gas has automatic shutoff valves, so we’re fine there.”
Helena was glad they didn’t have to worry about blowing up, but the utilities were the least of her concerns. They needed to start prioritizing the code ones and securing the perimeter. Packs of predators could be roaming the park. If they escaped into the city streets, there was no telling how much damage they could do. Innocent lives were at stake, and she couldn’t count on help from local law enforcement.
Although the zoo was surrounded by a sturdy twelve-foot fence, some animals could climb or even jump that high. Helena had no idea what she’d do about a code ten, which was an escaped animal outside the park. She was just a zookeeper. She didn’t have the training to handle that kind of emergency.
As they left the office, she noticed an overturned vending machine in the hallway. Water bottles spilled across the floor. Opening one, she drank half of it and passed the rest to Josh, who looked thirsty. He emptied the bottle in three gulps, his throat working as he swallowed. His beige uniform shirt clung to his lean torso. He was sweating. So was she. The situation was incredibly stressful. Tearing her gaze away, she gathered several more bottles of water for the injured keepers and brought them to the break table.
Kim had good news. “I got a reply from my mom in Arizona,” she said, tearful. “She heard from Steven. He’s okay.”
“Ask her to call 911,” Josh said. “She can relay information for us.”
Kim followed his instructions, reading the screen for a response. “She’s on hold with them on her landline. They felt the earthquake there, too, so it might be a while. Is there anyone else you want to try?”
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