The aroma itself was a comfort. Tom sat down across from her reaching in his jacket he withdrew a small flask. "It's been a long night, and my shift is over." He said pouring a little in his coffee.
“You mind?” Ellie said pushing her coffee his way. He poured until she raised her hand.
“Long night for you two?” He asked.
“Always.” She answered, “Always.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The dark sounds coming from the tiger made the darkness seem otherworldly. Riley's first thought was to run, but then a cold blanket of air embraced her. The silence between the team was ignored until she heard the slight rattle of a gun.
“Don’t shoot,” Jack whispered. His voice seemed loud through her earpiece.
Shoot! Her inner voice screamed. Then the calmness wrapped around her one more time. She heard the moving tiger, waited for impact but as her feet lifted off the floor, propelled backward. Midair, she saw a faint flickering light similar of a flick of a lighter. Riley never saw the tiger leap mid-air, his radar pinpointed on her. What she felt, hot searing pain in her calf as she landed hard on a rack full of clothing. She felt a ripping sensation of flesh and material. A flashlight flicked on. In the bright light, Jack stood with the sights of the tranquilizer gun on the cat. A bright plume emerged and the sound of the needle sucking into flesh lost. The cat leaped to the side. Ryan bolted towards Riley sweeping her to her feet and away from the path of the tiger.
The cat hissed exposing bloodstained teeth. Running wasn’t an alternative but praying the drug would soon take effect was. Seconds ticked by frozen in place and in time waiting for the cat succumb to the drug. The cat turned and walked away. Riley suddenly felt no fear. Jack looked at his watch and then at the team.
“That was close,” Riley said feeling a searing pain in her leg.
“Too close," Jack said. He didn't have to ask Riley if she was okay. She was standing, breathing, and that was enough. "That should buy us some time." Jack pulled out a syringe.
“What’s that?” Adam asked.
“It’s the antidote,” Riley said. “The tiger could die without it.”
“And there’s something wrong with that how?” Conman asked.
“Getting the cat to a safe place isn’t possible at the moment. Killing him isn’t the answer either.” Jack said.
What are you hiding Jack Colton?
Riley had her doubts. Personally, she'd rather not run into the tiger ever again. There was something in her gut telling her the cat wouldn't have been so compassionate. Riley watched Jack go towards the tiger.
“Okay, so how did you do that?” Ryan asked her.
“Do what?”
“Know to jump to the side,” Ryan said.
Riley paused and looked at him wearily. Someone grabbed her out of the darkness and tossed her to the side. She thought it was Ryan since he’d been the closest. Then she looked slightly upward and smiled.
She glanced down at her leg. There was already a steady flow of blood seeping from her calf.
“I just did.” She said and then whispered. “Thanks’ Utah.”
Riley grabbed a shirt off the floor and ripped a large strip. Tying the material tight around her leg to try to stop the bleeding was all she could do for now. So far, no one had noticed. Riley reached down and checked on Conman trying to focus on something other than the pain in her calf. When Jack stepped into the light, they searched his face for the answer to their silent question. “What now?”
“It’s time to go. We can find something safer to hold up in until the weather passes.” He said.
Riley looked down at Conman. “You game,” She asked him.
He chuckled. As long as Conman was conscious, he was game.
They were about to get wet. The team gathered their weapons and moved towards the exit staying out of the light trying to go unnoticed. Nearing the tangled mess that once separated outsiders from getting in, the evidence of just how bad the cat had wanted in was before them. The crushed gate left a gap big enough for a tiger to get through. However, that wasn’t their only problem, the closer to the balcony they got, the sound of rushing water increased.
Using flashlights, the damage done by both Mother Nature, man and beast were becoming increasingly obvious. The storm made the stability of the mall dangerous. Those hiding in the mall risked the chance of collapse. The water reached the lower steps. Debris filtered into the center of the breezeway from various shops. Jack needed to get them to the bottom level and then head out through the lower Sears exit.
The water was cold, and it hit the open wound on Riley's leg jolting her to an upright position. She fought off the need to cry out letting the numbness settle in. The chill was numbing the pain.
Floating boxes of shoes, papers, and articles of clothing passed by them bobbing up and down in the current of the water’s flow. Lights streamed in front of them reflecting off the water as they made their way past the remains of yesteryears. A cup with Burger King printed on the side chased her, but she ignored it. Wading through the aisles until they came to the rear exit.
Ironically, the door was intact but locked. Jack grabbed the closest object and sent it crashing through the glass door. A gust of cold air swooped inward almost knocking Riley off her feet. She grabbed hold of something and hung on until Ryan got Conman through. Adam and Trenton followed, and then Jack reached out his hand to her. She grabbed it, and he pulled her through and out into the belly of the storm.
“Stay together.” He yelled out. His words swept away.
He kept a hold of her hand and moved in closer to his men. The pace was slow. Within seconds, the water soaked them. The light of the flashlight was slight making anything past several feet hard to see.
They pressed onward for what seemed like an hour. Riley had to focus to keep from having her breath stolen away by the force of the wind. The raindrops were huge slapping them in the face, and the sheer strength of the driving gusts threatened to tip them over. Trees shook overhead, and it seemed that all around them there were noises of glass shattering and steel crumbling. They passed under broken streetlights and waded over forgotten crosswalks until coming to a set of what looked like upper scale apartments. They waited while Jack chose one of them and then they climbed two sets of stairs before standing before selecting a closed door.
He knocked, but no one answered. They waited. He let go of Riley's hand and nudged her forward. Known by all them to be the expert lock picker, she glanced at the door know and then the dead bolt. With cold hands, stiff and numb, Riley felt the searing pain in her leg as she bent to recover her tools. With all the reasons combined, she still got the door open within seconds. The team piled in. It wasn’t safe entering any abandoned buildings in these times. The lone wolves met trouble while packs swarmed the weak. Darkness greeted them. The aroma invited them in.
As soon as Adam shut the door, he closed off the fury of the storm's melody. They could still hear it, but it was the quietest it had been for many hours. Riley pulled Conman towards the couch, but he hesitated.
“Grab a towel or something. I don’t want to leak any blood on this lady’s couch.” He said.
“How do you know it’s a lady?” Trenton asked.
Conman pointed to the flowers on the table, “the place has a lady’s touch.”
“Grab whatever you can and to dry off,” Jack said.
Riley stepped toward the bathroom. She found the cupboard in the bathroom well stocked with towels and other needs. She laid several on the couch for Conman.
"Come on." She said guiding him to the sofa. He wasn't paying attention, but Jack was.
“You’re limping.” He said to her.
“I think I got cut on the rack when I fell…, jumped.” She said unable to put pressure on it without shooting pain ripping down her leg.
“Sit down.” He said.
“Let me grab some blankets. We’re all cold.” Riley said. “I want out of these clothes.”
&
nbsp; She found the main bedroom closet stocked with blankets and clothing for her. The pants were a size too big, but the sweaters were perfect. Grabbing clothing and a handful of blankets, Riley tossed them onto the chair next to the couch. Stepping back inside the bathroom, she glanced in the darkened mirror. Her shirt stuck to her body like plastic wrap. Peeling them off was more of a chore than she bargained for. Putting on a dry pair of pants was just as difficult against her cold, damp skin. Riley cinched an old Levi belt around her to keep the pants from dropping to the floor.
Feeling little warmth and slightly numb, she moved to take up rest in a kitchen chair. When she did, Riley saw the trail of blood she’d left behind.
"So much for the ladies carpet." Jack knelt down beside her slitting her pant leg with his knife. He took in a deep breath and then looked at her. “Those are claw marks.”
“That’s bad,” Ryan said. “How come you didn’t say anything back there?”
“It would’ve slowed us down.” She said. “Once I hit the water, it was pretty much numb.”
“Always the hero,” Jack said softly.
“You would’ve done the same.” She said.
“Yes.”
“Is there any of that Vodka and whiskey left?” Jack looked back at Trenton. The boy reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle.
“There’s a little whiskey left, but the vodka is gone." He answered pulling out the first aid kit she'd used on Conman. "I bet there's something around here though."
Trenton got up and started rummaging through the cupboards. Jack cut away the rest of Riley’s pants and started laying out many items from the kit.
“Wading through that water wasn’t the best idea.” He said. She could see the look of concern on his face.
"Just clean it out, and then we'll bandage it,” Riley said, rolling her calf over to the side to get a better look at the wound.
There were four diagonal cuts into her calf each of them about six inches long and maybe three-quarters of an inch deep. Utah had pulled her away just in time. The giant razor claws could have taken a chunk of her leg off, if not the entire limb.
“That’s going to be sore,” Riley said glancing over at Conman to check his status, but he was already fast asleep on the couch.
“I found some peroxide and iodine under the sink,” Trenton said setting the bottles on the table.
“That’ll be good,” Jack said. “This is….”
She finished his sentence, “going to hurt like hell. I know. Just get it done. Quick!”
Trenton found a plastic bucket and placing it under her leg. Jack poured the peroxide on the wound. For a second it felt cold and then Jack gave a little pull on the skin, and the wounds opened taking in the liquid. The liquid turned to foam, and the wound that was a little numb woke up with a hot stinging sensation that pulsed through her leg all the way down to her foot.
“Told you.” He said tugging on the skin and scrubbing while the pain was searing hot. Then he doused the wound with iodine and closed the cuts with butterfly stitches leaving it exposed to the open-air. “Well I know chick’s dig scars, but I’, not so sure about men?”
“Thanks, Jack,” Riley said. He smiled.
Moments like these, when Jack let his guard down, she took on an almost childlike mannerism. This gentleness was the side of Jack, only his closest friends were privy too. Those friends were his team. Riley watched the others mill about the apartment trying to find some comfort. Between adrenaline rushes, taking lives and confronting an extreme storm, they succumbed to exhausted. Ryan posted himself at the door wet clothes and all. The apartment was not a hundred percent sealed, and cold air from the storm outside found its way through tiny openings making the air chilly. They found every blanket and put them to use.
“Anyone hungry?” Jack asked. He started to rummage through the cupboards. They weren't superhuman. Eating was a necessary, and she tried to hide her excitement when he found several boxes of crackers and Velveeta cheese. Two staples that were always good for emergency carbs and protein. They shared with Ryan, eating in silence. They left food on the table for the others.
“You two get some sleep.” Ryan glanced at the last available room. He smiled. “Sleep.”
Jack took Riley’s hand leading her to the main bedroom. Pulling back the covers, which smelled like, Jack tucked her in. She didn't argue and was asleep before Jack left the room. Sometime in the night, he joined her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Tree limbs, dirt, and debris covered the roads and sidewalks, trees tore out by roots lay resting on rooftops. The signs of how fierce the storm had been lay everywhere reflecting damage typical of a tornado. Wind bursts had hurled cars and large objects against buildings and retaining walls leaving heaps of twisted metal and cement. Chaos destroyed most of the city in 2014 but last night's turmoil swept away blood and garbage leaving the city clean.
The sky was dark gray still but at least somewhere behind the clouds, was the rise of the sun. It cast out the darkness and produced a dim light. Jack made his team wait until dawn broke to leave. They’d need a vehicle if they couldn’t reach the compound and because they were already in a residential area, a truck might be an easy find. Between the blood and water, everyone needed dry clothes. If lucky, they’d find another store to loot along the way. Sporting goods stores were always a sure win.
Stepping outside into the fresh air, Riley’s thoughts went instantly to the desert and the sweet scents after a monsoonal rain. It was time to find a safe place for the transporter to pick them up and take them back to the center. She and Conman both needed a doctor to check their wounds. Cats carried bacterium in their claws, which could turn to infection if not treated. Conman struggled to carry his pack. Riley struggled to walk ten feet. Her damaged flesh screamed in protest as the team took up an urgent pace. Adam and Trenton were still with them, which made her think of Emily. Adam kept a watchful eye on her, making her anxious. She tried to ignore him keeping her distance and saying little.
Jack tried several times to contact Chandler, but by his reaction there hadn't been a response. It was time to do some car hunting. Riley admitted her fondness for treasure hunts.
They had walked a long way last night, surrounded by condominiums, and gated communities instead of commercial buildings that reached for the sky. The team moved towards a drive once blocked by an electronic gate. The rod iron panel lay on the ground cloaked by leaves and branches, water and a thick silt. Their best bet was to pass the first row of houses and go in deeper. Leaving behind ransacked homes and abandoned cars where markers might be nesting.
The further they walked, the better the picking became. It meant more walking. Somehow, the area showed fewer signs of looting. They honed in on several big homes with RV and triple garages. Perfect for storing motor homes, boats, and other such luxuries. Funny how some material objects were no longer the norm, she thought. Riley’s Dodge she’d found in a cranberry farmers building in Oregon. The bonus had been a toy hauler, and side by side, which she lost on the highway while traveling to Arizona by a road raged drug infested freak.
“Ryan, take those four houses there and take Trenton and Adam with you. We’ll take these four.” Jack said.
Ryan never argued, seldom anyway. He nodded, and they split up. I watched Adam look back, and her curiosity grew. Riley was not a trusting person. She suspected everyone for being about themselves.
She and Jack, Conman, headed for the first picking. The two-story home could have facilitated several RV’s and a boat with its oversized garages. They left the house untouched and headed for the garage peering in through the windows to nothing but emptiness. The next one was the same, empty.
“I got one,” Ryan said through the mic. “Beige house on the corner. 11724.”
When they walked up the drive, Ryan already had an H2 Hummer sitting outside the garage.
“Nice,” Jack said.
“Thought you might like that,” Ryan said. “Get it back sa
fe, and you'll never have to borrow Lynn's again."
Unable to hold herself back, Riley chuckled. “It’s even his color.”
“Merry Christmas big brother,” Ryan said.
“The owner?”
“Deceased,” Ryan said tossing Jack the keys. “By the looks of it, they put up a good fight though.”
“Let’s get going.” He replied.
Jack needed a car with attitude, now he had it. Flat black with all black and silver accents, the Hummer gave off an impression the person sitting behind the must be a badass. In this case, it was true. The owner had spared no expense on the car, and it was more than likely his prized possession. The team climbed in. The seats so new they squeaked underweight. The new car smell had survived even after all these years. Most importantly the heater worked.
In the Shadow of the Tiger (The Fighter Series Book 2) Page 22
