Wild

by Jill Sorenson

  Emma crawled onto the bench beside Chloe, who was hugging her baby bear. Chloe covered her with the tablecloths Mateo had provided. The washcloth stacks made soft pillows. She stretched out next to Emma, leaving some room for Mateo.

  He didn’t join them.

  The lounge was about the size of a double bed, just large enough for three. It would be a tight squeeze, but he had nowhere else to sleep. She placed a washcloth stack and a tablecloth in the remaining space, scooting closer to Emma.

  His brow furrowed at the sight of the pillow and blanket she’d set up for him.

  Declining this unspoken invitation, he pushed an ottoman against the wall and sat down facing the open garage door. He’d tried to close it earlier, to no avail. Perhaps he planned to keep watch all night. Protect them from zombies.

  Chloe closed her eyes and put her arm around Emma. She was too keyed up for a peaceful rest. When she finally drifted off, she dreamed of Josh.

  CHAPTER TEN

  HELENA’S BODY TINGLED from the brief contact with Josh’s.

  The way he’d stared at her mouth had given her hot flashes. She’d dribbled water down her chin, clumsy from thirst, and his eyes had darkened as if this was the sexiest move ever. She’d been convinced that he was going to kiss her.

  And she’d have let him.

  It wasn’t just the intensity of the moment; she liked him. She couldn’t deny it any longer. He was handsome and charismatic, even funny. After spending the past six months alone, she’d become more receptive to his charms.

  She’d always been a physical person. Feelings weren’t her strong suit. She was better at showing than telling. Matters of the heart confused her, but she understood anatomy and science. She liked to touch and be touched. Josh was a fellow hedonist. It took one to know one.

  But so what? She was a 32-year-old woman in a longstanding, long-distance relationship. This wasn’t the first time she’d looked at another man or felt a surge of lust. It didn’t mean anything. Attraction wasn’t action, and fantasy wasn’t cheating.

  Josh was just a distraction, a symptom of her unhappiness with Mitch.

  Their problems had started last year, before he left for Denver. She needed to sit down with him and have the discussion they’d both been avoiding. Until then, she was perfectly capable of controlling herself around Josh.

  Sure, he had a great physique. His personality was appealing. He had good hands, and he probably knew his way around the female body. If the bulge in his pants was any indication, he had the equipment to satisfy on that front as well.

  She flushed at the wayward thought, smothering a groan. When he glanced at her, she coughed into her fist, embarrassed. Life experience had taught her that size and looks had no connection to skill in the bedroom. The same was true in the animal kingdom. Sometimes the showiest males were the biggest disappointments.

  Pushing the almost kiss from her mind, she squared her shoulders. They’d survived a major earthquake and spent a harrowing day together, but they were safe now. This wasn’t the end of the world. There was no reason to panic and let her hormones go wild. She wasn’t going to play Noah’s Ark with Josh Garrison.

  He made a three-point turnaround and followed the other vehicle to the staff building. As soon as he parked, she hopped out and hurried inside, avoiding eye contact. There were a couple of flashlights on the break table. She picked one up and switched it on before walking down the hall to the women’s restroom. It was a mess, with broken mirrors and water all over the floor, but the toilets were intact.

  After using the facilities, she paused to study her reflection in the shards above the sink. Her eyes glittered with cool determination. The familiar sight calmed her. She had dirt smudges on her face and neck. Although the water was turned off, the faucet offered a tiny handful. She used it to wash up. Better.

  When she returned to the main staff area, her guard was firmly in place. Josh was sitting at the table with Trent and Louis. There were snacks scattered across the surface. A lantern-style flashlight sat in the middle of the table, along with a battery-operated radio.

  The only station that came in was based in Tijuana. According to Mexican officials, the entire city of San Diego was under evacuation. Residents had been urged to head east on foot. All major roads and freeways were closed. Emergency services personnel were working on recovery efforts, but access to damaged areas was limited. The National Guard had been called in to assist.

  When the broadcast was over, Trent turned down the volume on the radio. Helena cracked open a soda and tore into a bag of white cheddar popcorn. Although she would have preferred real food, she was too hungry to complain. Josh leaned back in his chair nonchalantly and crunched on pretzels. Trent and Louis seemed tense. Or maybe they were just uncomfortable. They were both wet and splattered in mud.

  Trent Fisher was the second most popular male employee at the wildlife park. For a herpetologist, he was friendly and accessible. He had longish hair and a scruffy beard, and he wore a sweatband around his forehead. Even Helena, who had no interest in fashion, recognized his lack of style. But it didn’t matter to her, or any of the other women at the zoo, because Trent was hot. He resembled a Nordic Viking.

  Louis Simms looked more like a stereotypical reptile enthusiast. He was pale and stout, with a soft chin and slender hands. He had a brilliant mind, if not a sparkling personality. Helena respected him as a colleague.

  Louis and Trent were best friends who’d been working together for years. They were a bro-team, like Josh and his security partner, Cordell. Although she saw all four men on a regular basis, she hadn’t given much thought to their ongoing rivalry. She wondered if Josh’s ironic winter mustache had been a deliberate mockery of Trent.

  Shrugging, she ate another handful of popcorn. The undercurrents between people were like the workings of a car engine. She didn’t want to lift the hood and study either.

  “So what happened to you guys?” she asked.

  It was a long story, as promised. After rounding up the majority of the loose snakes and loading them in crates, Trent and Louis caught a glimpse of Sunny, the yellow python, slithering into the nearby flamingo pond. Louis jumped in after his favorite cold-blooded baby and ruined his radio. Trent didn’t get his radio wet, but the batteries were dying and he didn’t notice it until late in the day.

  “Did you hear me yelling?” Josh asked.

  Trent nodded. “That’s why we decided to quit. We finally got Sunny under control and came to the office for another radio.”

  “Are there still some code ones?”

  “There’s a shitload of code ones,” Louis said. He rattled off a list of frogs, centipedes and salamanders. “We couldn’t catch King, either.”

  Helena glanced at Trent in dismay. King was the largest cobra in the reptile house, and he was incredibly aggressive.

  “I milked him last week,” Trent said.

  “Does that mean he’s safe?”

  “No, but he’ll probably just hide. I’m more worried about Bam.”

  “He’s out?”

  “And he hasn’t eaten lately,” Louis added.

  Bambang was a Komodo dragon, the largest lizard species on earth. They were ambush predators, known to attack humans.

  Despite this bad news, Helena was grateful to Louis and Trent. They’d gone above and beyond their duty—but she’d come to expect that from her coworkers. The primate keepers had secured their area before leaving. Greg had done his utmost to contain Zuma.

  All of the park’s employees should be commended, Josh included. The fact that there were still animals on the loose didn’t mean anyone had been careless.

  “Thanks for staying to help,” she said.

  “Of course,” Trent said, frowning.

  Louis puffed up at the praise. “No keeper worth his salt would do otherwise.”

  “What’s your plan for tonight?” Trent asked.

  She didn’t have one. It was early evening already, and lions had excellent ni
ght vision. “Get some rest.”

  “And tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know.” She’d only been sitting down for five minutes. Surviving until morning was the best idea she could manage.

  “I have to go,” Trent said.

  Louis did a double take at this unexpected announcement. Traveling through the ravaged city after dark seemed unwise. The fires hadn’t reached them, but they were burning elsewhere. “Right now?”

  “I haven’t heard from Melody.”

  Melody was Trent’s on-again, off-again girlfriend.

  “Dude,” Louis said. “No one’s heard from anyone.”

  Trent dragged a hand down his face. He looked exhausted. “She’s pregnant,” he said in a low voice.

  A collective hush fell over the table. Helena wasn’t sure how to respond to this news. Melody was a bit of a free spirit, evading Trent’s attempts to tame her. An unplanned pregnancy was a tricky situation. Congratulations didn’t seem appropriate under the circumstances, and Trent’s expression invited none.

  “We were keeping quiet about it because she hasn’t decided what to do,” he said, sounding grim.

  “She hasn’t decided?” Louis repeated, incredulous. “Don’t you get a say?”

  Trent shot his best friend a warning glare. “Shut the fuck up.”

  Louis put his palms up in surrender. “Whatever, man.”

  Helena wasn’t so indifferent to human dynamics that she couldn’t feel sympathy. Trent was worried about his pregnant girlfriend. Helena didn’t blame him for wanting to leave. “We’ll be okay here without you,” she said. “Go on and do what you have to do.”

  Before he left, Trent tossed some supplies into a backpack. He grabbed one of the flashlights, several bottles of water and a few snacks.

  “Take the rifle,” Josh said flatly. “You might need it.”

  “I don’t care,” Trent replied. “I won’t use it.”

  “I will,” Louis said, picking up the rifle and slinging the strap over his shoulder. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

  Trent turned to Helena, his brow furrowed.

  “He’s right,” she said. “Safety in numbers.”

  “I don’t want to leave you in the lurch, Helena.”

  “Josh is here.”

  “You won’t try to catch King or Bam?”

  She’d sooner wrestle alligators. “No.”

  “What about Zuma?”

  That was a trickier issue. Zuma had already killed or seriously injured Greg. A roaming lioness was a more significant threat to human life, especially if she got out of the park and ventured into the downtown area.

  “We’re just going to hold down the fort for now,” Josh said. “Maybe the fires will burn out by morning and the evacuation warnings will be lifted.”

  Helena murmured an agreement, though she wasn’t sure help would arrive so soon. The park wasn’t a nuclear reactor, threatening global meltdown. Even if the director was trying to get through, roads were blocked and access was limited. Emergency service workers had their hands full with other problems.

  “I’ll take care of Helena,” Josh added.

  She glanced his way, surprised by this claim. She didn’t need anyone to take care of her. Trent nodded his approval. After shaking Josh’s hand in an oddly antagonistic manner, he said goodbye to Helena with a crushing hug.

  Although Helena was disconcerted by Trent’s sudden embrace, she allowed it. These were special circumstances, and she couldn’t deny him this small comfort. She’d always found him attractive. His body felt strong and masculine and pleasant against hers. At the same time, she noticed something missing. There was no heat between them.

  “I hope everything works out with Melody,” she said, releasing him.

  Louis didn’t get sentimental over the farewells, which came as no surprise to Helena. According to him, there were two types of zookeepers. “Bunny huggers” were affectionate, diehard animal lovers, usually women. They acted on emotion and instinct. Non-bunny huggers took a more scientific approach. They were detached and analytical, basing their decisions on data, not warm fuzzies.

  Louis wasn’t a bunny hugger, obviously. Neither was Helena. But some of the best keepers in the park were, Kim included, and Helena didn’t like the term. It was sexist and derogatory.

  “If you see a green frog with red spots, don’t touch it,” Louis said.

  She promised that she wouldn’t. Then they were off, walking through the employee exit and across the parking lot, disappearing like thieves in the night. When they were gone, she wrapped her arms around herself, frowning. She couldn’t remember how Mitch’s embrace felt. She knew one thing—he’d never stared at her mouth the way Josh had.

  “That was interesting,” Josh said.

  “What?”

  “The news about Melody,” he said, giving her an odd look.

  “Oh. Right.”

  “What else would I be talking about? Trent’s passive-aggressive hug?”

  She flinched at the question, unwilling to admit she’d been comparing Josh to other men in her mind. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  He made a skeptical sound.

  She’d picked up on Trent’s protective attitude, and the weird vibe between him and Josh. The reasons behind it were a mystery to her. “I thought the two of you were friends.”

  “We are, but he’s been a little bent out of shape lately.”

  “Over what?”

  “I danced with Melody at a pub after the Christmas party.”

  Ah. Helena hadn’t joined the revelers or heard about this minor scandal. “You said you weren’t a poacher.”

  “I’m not,” he said, scowling. “It was just a dance.”

  “You weren’t trying to hook up with her?”

  “Hell no. Trent was right there. Looking back, I think she wanted to make him jealous. I guess it worked.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Obviously he laid it down. Maybe even that night.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the idea of using unprotected sex to stake a claim.

  He laughed at her expression.

  “You approve of his strategy?” she asked.

  Shaking his head, he said, “I doubt there was any preplanning involved. People get carried away and make mistakes. It happens.”

  “It’s happened to you?”

  “No.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t want kids.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t.”

  Helena sat down across from him, contemplating a bag of cookies. Although she was still hungry, the conversation made her stomach tight. It hit too close to home. Children had been a divisive issue between her and Mitch. “Do you?”

  His brows rose at the question. “Sure.”

  “How do you know?”

  He shrugged, tearing open a candy bar. “I like kids, even little ones. It’s been cool to hang out with Emma every day.”

  “You see her every day?”

  “Pretty much,” he said, chewing a bite of chocolate and nougat. “They live with me.”

  “Since when?”

  “Last year.”

  Helena hadn’t known that. With a start, she realized that she’d been grilling him about personal matters. His responses interested her. Everything he revealed about himself made her want to know more. This was worse than almost kissing him. Disturbed by the revelation, she shut up and ate cookies.

  After refueling, Helena made a list of code ones by priority. Then she considered the needs of the secure animals, many of whom would be easy targets for a loose predator. The park required a staggering amount of daily care and upkeep. Without the staff, cages and enclosures couldn’t be cleaned. Food couldn’t be delivered.

  The good news was that most of the exhibits had water features, and some species could go a long time without water. Animals often went hungry in the wild. Most were able to survive for extended periods on very little nourishment.

  Her main concerns were the cheetah, the li
ons and the Komodo dragon. Cats were roamers and hunters, by nature. She imagined Zuma prowling the beaches at night. Komodo dragons, while less likely to attack a human, were attracted to carrion. Bambang might smell Greg and investigate.

  Helena groaned, fisting her hands in her hair. The entire situation was a nightmare.

  “I have an idea,” Josh said.

  She looked up from her list. He’d been bouncing a tennis ball off the wall for the past thirty minutes, like a hyperactive kid who couldn’t sit still. “What?”

  “There’s meat in the fridge, right?”

  “Right,” she said, wondering if he wanted to fire up a grill.

  “We can toss a side of beef off the Skylift and wait for the lions to take the bait.”

  “There’s no electricity to run the Skylift.”

  “I’ll roll out one of the portable generators. You can operate the controls while I’m in the tram car with the dart gun.”

  She considered his suggestion. It had potential. Zuma and Tau might be tempted by a choice cut of meat. Shooting from the Skylift was safer than shooting from the ground. The best thing about the plan was that Helena didn’t have to ride the tram.

  “Do you think you can hit a target from that distance?” she asked, tentative.

  “What’s the range for the gun?”

  “About a hundred feet.”

  “I can do it.”

  They spent the next hour going through the contents of the earthquake kit, studying blueprints by lantern light. There were instructions for all of the park’s machinery, including the Skylift. Helena had never operated the controls before, but it seemed fairly straightforward. Setting up the generator shouldn’t be a problem. If the Skylift was functional, she could turn it on and wait at the landing while Josh rode the tram to an area near the lion enclosure.

  “This could work,” Helena said.

  “You want to go for it?”

  She nodded, folding the blueprints and stacking them in a neat pile. “First thing in the morning.”