Saving Sam

by Lynnette Beers

  Kim came up behind her and pressed her body into hers, gripping her hands on her hips. She brushed the hair back from her shoulder and kissed her on the neck. Then she reached an arm around Sam’s lower abdomen and pulled her close, pressing her pelvis into her butt and kissing her on the neck once more.

  Sam moaned softly and felt a surge of warmth wash over her body—settling in her crotch. Annie was never this affectionate in public, not even when they walked around Hillcrest or went to San Diego gay pride. Usually the most Annie did was hold her hand when they went to the Flame, but that was only during their first few years together.

  Kim faced Sam and placed her hands on her hips, drawing her closer and burying her face in her hair. Kim’s petite but strong body pressed into Sam’s—the firm muscles so angular and hard. Unlike Annie’s body, there was nothing squishy about Kim’s muscular pecs and ripped abs. Sam had never dated someone this fit before. She glimpsed over Kim’s shoulder and peered down the dark corridor then leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips.

  After she released herself from Kim’s arms, Sam faced the glass enclosure again. She located the agama huddled on the branch of a fake tree. She studied the bright orange head and thought of her brother’s neglected lizards and snakes in the barn back home. Mama dropped a mouse or rat into the mamba’s cages every few days and kept a steady supply of bullfrogs on hand to feed the water moccasins, but Robert wasn’t there to ensure they got all that they needed. He lay unresponsive in the hospital, his collection of reptiles at home somehow dwelling in the glass enclosures without him.

  “My brother has one of these,” Sam said and secured her arm around Kim’s waist. “When I was a kid, this was the only reptile I’d hold. This place used to scare the hell out of me. I was close to twenty when I finally came in here unafraid.”

  “I can see why. Reptiles give me the creeps. That lizard is so odd-looking,” Kim said and laughed then pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “But I suppose creatures like this are low maintenance as far as care.” Kim tapped out a text and then stared at her phone.

  “Actually, you’d be surprised at the care these sorts of reptiles need,” Sam said and glanced at Kim’s phone. “Sure, they can remain in a glass pen like this pretty much indefinitely, but they need more than this. A creature like this wasn’t meant to be stuck inside this small box all the time. Makes sense. I mean, this is all this lizard knows. It perches on this fake tree. It’s fed a good diet and is given plenty of artificial light with that sunlamp up there.” Sam nodded to the amber light in the corner, the beam shining on the agama that had no clue there was much more out there than these four walls.

  Right now, Robert lay in a brightly lit hospital room—kept alive by artificial means. Shrouded under fluorescent lighting, he was barely existing. Fed synthetic vitamins and nutrients through his G-tube, his organs continued to function and keep him alive, but that would be all he’d experience from here on out. He’d never again be able to taste a cheeseburger or an ice-cold beer. Not even able to hold a woman’s hand, he’d surely never be able to embrace a woman like Sam could. She tried to shake off these images and focus on the red-headed agama inches away from her behind the protective window.

  “Sorry,” Kim said and focused on her phone again. “Adrianna is bugging me to do another long ride before the Mammoth trip. I’ll tell her I’ll call her later tonight.”

  “You two have been doing a lot of training lately.”

  “You know how it is with the long endurance rides. A hundred miles is a huge endeavor.”

  “How many people are going on this trip?”

  “As of yesterday, only six of us.”

  “You driving up with Adrianna?”

  “Yeah, she’s riding with me and a couple others. We’re trying to keep the size of the group small so we don’t have to rent any trailers for the gear. With the bikes and packs and all that, things are gonna be tight on the ride up. It’ll be cold, so we’ll need tents and warm sleeping bags. All that stuff is a bitch to carry while on the bike.”

  “I suppose you and Adrianna are sharing a tent?”

  “Well, yeah, that’s the plan.”

  Sam got quiet and felt a surge of panic wash through her as she stepped away from Kim. She wrung her hands and peered into the next dark pen, searching for the reptile. “A week in Mammoth sharing a tent with Adrianna. Well, that sounds cozy.”

  “Hey, hold up,” Kim said and gripped her arm. “Adrianna and I are just friends. Do you think there’s more? We’re training partners, friends, that’s all.”

  “Seems like you two spend a lot of time together. You talk about her all the time. You go running or biking with her every day. You shop for gear together. What else do you do together?”

  “Adrianna is like a little sister to me. She’s only nineteen.”

  “Nineteen is a whole lot closer to your age than thirty-two.”

  “Sam, you and I only met a few weeks ago. I’ve known Adrianna forever. I met her when she was only a sophomore in high school.”

  “You two seem pretty close.”

  “We are. She’s my best friend. You’ll have to get used to that. Besides, she’s not actually into women.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?”

  “Well, she’s not into men either. I guess she’s still trying to figure things out.”

  Sam didn’t respond. She stared at the chameleon and studied the bright green body, waiting for the reptile’s skin to change colors.

  “Sam, I like you,” Kim said and touched her arm. “A lot. But we’ve never even talked about whether we’re girlfriends yet or whether we’re exclusive with one another. We’ve only gone out a few times. But, I’d like to keep going out with you, to see where this leads.”

  Sam inhaled deeply, her expelled breath fogging the glass in front of her face. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time about someone. I mean, not since Annie and I first started going out. I guess I worry that maybe you’d rather be with someone younger than me.”

  “Thirty-two is not old. The thing is, Adrianna is way young. She’s just a teenager. She’s like a little buddy to me. She pushes me on the trails. Don’t you have friends like that? Besides, you and your ex talk every day. If I was the jealous type, I’d be a little concerned that you two talk so much.”

  “We’re not usually in such close contact since she got back together with her ex, but...yeah, Annie texts me with updates about the investigation. That’s a whole lot different than you and Adrianna—”

  “Look, Adrianna is just a friend. Nothing more. I still see her as that high school kid I met years ago. I like you. Why do you think I’m here today? And besides, you’re super fit. Plus, you’re way hot. It should be pretty obvious by now that I’m really attracted to you. Haven’t you noticed I can’t keep my hands off you?” Kim took a step closer to Sam then reached for her hand, their fingers interlacing as their bodies moved closer together.

  Sam shook her head then nudged Kim. “I’m not usually the jealous type. The thing is, I wish it were me you were sharing that tent with in Mammoth, but I can’t risk being far in the mountains for a week and being out of cell service in case Annie or my mom needs to get in touch with me about Robert’s condition.”

  “I wish you were going on the trip, too. Maybe next time you can join us.”

  Sam relaxed her body into Kim’s and drummed her fingers on the ledge of the chameleon enclosure. “So, you like older women, huh? Well, that’s a relief. I hope it’s obvious that I’m attracted to you, too. I can’t stop thinking about you when we’re not together. Jeez, even with my brother in a coma, I kept thinking about you...and about that one night together.”

  Kim pulled Sam closer, leading her away from the lizard enclosure. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like there to be a second time. Well, more than a second time.” Kim ran her fingers through Sam’s hair and placed a hand on her face. She kissed her softly on the lips then held her tightly in her arms.

&nb
sp; Sam closed her eyes and inhaled Kim’s fresh scent. She liked the way Kim felt in her arms, but she still wasn’t settled on how Adrianna fit into the picture. Maybe next time you can join us? What did that mean? Share the tent with Kim and Adrianna? Dating around was not something Sam enjoyed—the insecurities, uncertainties, jealousies. Then there was the whole age difference. But, at least Sam had something that Adrianna likely didn’t have: experience. She knew how to please a woman in bed, and most of them always came back wanting more.

  Sam pulled herself away from Kim’s embrace and moved toward the adjacent section of the building. With their arms about one another, they meandered to the next couple of exhibits. This row had no reptiles in the cages. The pens weren’t even lit; none of them had placards describing the cold-blooded creatures. Sam peered down the dark corridor and then peeked behind her. Then she led Kim to one of the cement columns. She recalled what Travis told her earlier this week—that she needed a distraction. But hopefully Kim would be more than that as they continued to get to know one another. Right now, she couldn’t resist kissing her and feeling her body against hers.

  Kim’s lips welcomed Sam’s as the kiss went from soft and sweet to passionate and eager. Wanting more, Sam set her palms on the small of Kim’s back and drew her closer. She moved her hand under Kim’s shirt, running her fingers along the soft skin of her lower back. Sam kissed her one more time, moving her lips to her neck.

  “I’m sure there will be many more nights together,” Sam whispered into Kim’s ear then kissed her softly on the lips. “Definitely way more than just a second time. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  “Well, this is just a taste of what’s to come later,” Kim said and ran her hand through Sam’s hair then stared into her eyes. “There’s a lot more where this came from. This might sound weird, but I kind of like that you’re jealous. I guess I didn’t know that you felt this way about me.”

  Sam couldn’t hold Kim’s gaze for more than a few seconds, so she buried her face in her neck. Kim’s scent aroused her even more.

  “Mmm, let’s get out of here,” Kim said and grabbed Sam’s hand.

  “Wait, I want to check out some of the snakes nearby,” Sam said and led Kim around the corner to the next enclosure.

  Once they approached the next glass pen, Sam read the placard above the king cobra’s large enclosure and searched the area for the huge snake. The cobra quivered slightly as its curved body straightened to at least ten feet long. Sam’s heart fluttered as she staggered back. Always afraid of the king cobra, when she was a kid, she’d usually hide behind Robert if she even felt brave enough to enter the Reptile House. In the corner, the black snake creeped forward a few inches then reared its head, its body suddenly growing taller by the second. By now, Sam had stepped a full three paces away from the cobra as that childhood fear returned to her. The erect serpent flattened its head and grew even taller, the yellow scales on the underside magnifying in both hue and size.

  Sam turned her back to the cobra and meandered to the next snake as Kim trailed behind. As she studied the sign above the enclosure, Sam took note of the way the green mamba’s venom killed its prey. She squinted to read every word. “‘After the mamba bites its victim, the potent poison kills within minutes,’” she recited out loud.

  Kim pressed her chest against Sam’s back and gripped her hands on her hips, but Sam didn’t even lean back into Kim’s body. Instead, she studied the green serpent coiled around the limb of a tree, its body dormant but still so dangerous. She’d seen this snake many times in Robert’s books or in the photos he showed her online, but as she stood in front of it now, she noticed the glowing green hue of the sleek body. The mamba’s body was wrapped around the limb in a chaotic and looped mess, with the head tucked beneath the body.

  Mesmerized by the snake’s bright green color, Sam stared at it for a few seconds and set her palm on the glass. “My brother has one of these, as well as a black mamba.”

  “Really? It says they’re pretty deadly,” Kim said as she skimmed Wikipedia once more. “They say a bite from one of these is called the kiss of death. Hey, let’s get out of here. Let’s drive through Adolpho’s then head back to my place and have a couple beers and then continue what we—”

  “This is one of the deadliest snakes in the world. One bite can result in death within minutes. Once the venom enters the bloodstream, there’s not much that can be done to save the person.”

  “And your brother has one of these?” Kim said and glared at the sign. “How’d he get a mamba?”

  Sam kept her eyes fixated on the snake coiled around the branch. “The green mamba is the deadliest of all the mambas. Well, I should say an Eastern green mamba. They’re also known as tree asps, as you can see here with this one hiding in the branches. There are all sorts of these poisonous snakes—black, Eastern, Western, and another one called Jameson’s mamba. Robert was never interested in that one—only the black mamba and this one here.”

  “If they’re only found in Africa, how would your brother have them? I would assume a dangerous snake like this is only allowed in places like a zoo. It says right here that they’re highly venomous and deadly.”

  Sam stared through the thick glass and thought about how best to answer Kim. She never knew the full details of how Robert got ahold of a mamba or even a boa constrictor, but she knew never to ask. He started collecting the banned snakes after Sam moved to San Diego—where she was far enough away from having to see those creatures slithering about in the glass cages.

  “He’s got his connections,” Sam finally said. “There are ways around those laws, but yeah, they’re extremely deadly. The mambas that Robert has are especially dangerous. I never get close to them, of course—not when he first got them, not now, not ever. Consisting of neurotoxins and cardiotoxins, a bite from any mamba results in a rapid death, usually caused due to respiratory paralysis and heart failure. It’s fast. The victim pretty much has no hope once the neurotoxins start to take effect.”

  “I think I’ve had enough zoology lessons for the day,” Kim said and tugged on Sam’s T-shirt. “Let’s get out of here, get some burritos, and then go back to my place. You know, finish what we started a few minutes ago? Do a repeat of that night a few weeks back? What do you think?” Kim waved an arm toward the exit and stepped away from the enclosure; she left Sam in the Reptile House and slumped on the low cement wall right outside the building.

  Sam peered into the glass enclosure. The green mamba uncoiled its body from the tree as it reared its head and slithered out a forked tongue. Sam leaned against the wall and tapped on the glass with her fingernail. She stared at the mamba until he slithered off the branch and inched closer to her. Then she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she caught a glimpse of her messages, she noticed she had two missed calls from Annie and three texts from her.

  We’ve got a name.

  Sam read the first text and stepped away from the deadly serpent that slithered closer to the glass barrier.

  We now know who hit your brother.

  She paced back and forth in front of the snakes as she made her way through the third text—a long, detailed message that filled the entire screen of her phone.

  The prints on the truck have been ID’d to 56-year-old Jonathan Patterson. Since the truck had been stolen, it took them a couple days to ID the fingerprints because the interior had been wiped nearly clean. But once the prints were ID’d to Patterson, his photo was confirmed by Matt and Greg as being the guy who caused the accident. This guy has done time before. Robbery, assault, petty theft. I wanted to tell you this next thing over the phone or in person, but evidently this guy had been stalking Robert at work. Coworkers say he verbally threatened Robert, said he was there to do to him what he’d done to his brother twenty-four years ago. Witnesses say Patterson had told Robert he was there to even the score.

  Sam braced herself on the ledge across from the snake enclosures. She reread that one line: “he was there
to do to him what he’d done to his brother twenty-four years ago.” She calculated what year it was twenty-four years prior: 1990, when she was eight and Robert was fourteen. She skimmed the first part of Annie’s long text once more, shaking her head as she focused on that name and recalled that year.

  “No, this can’t be,” Sam said quietly. This couldn’t be the same Johnny, or could it? And he’d returned to even the score? That evil man had sworn to Sam and Robert that he’d be back for them one day. And that one day happened last month when he intentionally rammed Robert’s truck off that bridge and into the Bouie River.

  Despite such a hot autumn day, Sam suddenly felt cold and started to tremble. Jonathan Patterson—Johnny, as his brothers called him—had returned to Covington County. Sam now knew with certainty that he’d come back to hurt Robert for killing Chuck. She constantly tried to block that horrible memory, but it always had a way of creeping back to her. How could this nightmare get any worse? Robert remained unresponsive and grew weaker by the day—all because of this evil man. Annie had no idea that this was the same person who hurt her several years ago. Sam had never told her the man’s name, only that three men attacked her when she was eight, telling her that Robert intervened and helped her escape. True to their promise, neither Robert nor Sam told anyone about what else happened that day.

  As she stood near a wide window overlooking the zoo, Sam attempted to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and tried to erase the images of that day from her mind, but that afternoon in the summer of 1990 flooded back to her in sick, suffocating waves. Her head became dizzy, but she willed herself to slow each inhale and exhale. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Deep, controlled breaths into her lungs. Once she finally caught a full breath, she read the rest of Annie’s text.