Page 14 of Sanctuary

“Yolanda and I won’t be here tomorrow,” Roberto said. “She made you an overabundance of meals. They’re in the small freezer in the hut. If the power goes out, be sure to turn on the backup generator.”

“I will, Mr. Roberto.”

“I know you will, Simon, it just relieves my mind to go over everything with you. It’s me getting old, and I know you’ll keep the cats safe. I’ll see you as soon as we can get back to the island.”

“You be careful too,” Simon told him.

“If it looks bad, we’ll go to the local school. They always have emergency beds and supplies set up. We’ll be fine. It’s the island that could take some damage.”

Simon grunted. He’d survived many storms. He would survive this one.

Roberto left and Jerry caught up with him.

“You know the rules, Simon. Keep the animals safe and be sure the island stays in one piece. I pay you for this.” He frowned at the dark sky. It was only four in the afternoon, and there was little visibility. Jerry’s usually nervous behavior was in overdrive. He turned a hard gaze back to Simon. “I would hate for some hunter to pay for a docile tiger to mount on his wall.”

Simon didn’t believe his hatred for Jerry could grow larger. He had just threatened the only family Simon had. He lifted his hand and ran it through his hair. His fingers shook with the need to wrap them around Jerry’s throat.

He did nothing and simply watched as Jerry walked to the dock. Everyone who worked on the island pitched in with rides to shore or brought back needed items. Not Jerry. He never helped anyone but himself.

Simon stewed. When the boat was out of sight, he went to Indra’s pen.

“Hey, boy,” he said as he unlocked the gate. “You’re free. I’ll let the others out tomorrow, but you can sleep in the hut tonight.” He hadn’t planned to release Indra until the following day, but Simon needed comfort.

The large tiger stirred up the other cats, but he stayed at Simon’s side while he did his last rounds of the night. The following day would be busy. With Indra on the bed with him, he managed to catch up on the sleep he missed the night before.

When Simon woke up in the morning, he could hear the wind outside.

“I’ll take you out to do your business, and then you’ll need to stay in here while I release the other cats. Come on.” He shoved the tiger gently to get him off the bed before he walked to the door and opened it. He did his business outside too. They were alone, and it didn’t matter to anyone else. This also let the other cats know this was his territory. Letting them out was risky but Simon had done it for years with only a few minor problems and those were usually hunting down a cat reluctant to return to the pens.

A strong wind blew and it would get worse. The clouds blocked much of the sun as the storm built in the distance. Indra walked away to find a private spot. Simon went looking for him after ten minutes. Indra sat near the cafeteria, watching the cove. Simon followed his gaze, and his heart nearly stopped.

Jerry’s boat was docked, which meant he was at the sanctuary.

“We need to hide you,” said Simon. “Come on, hurry.”

The tiger followed him. Indra hated Jerry, maybe more than Simon did. It wouldn’t be good if Jerry ran into them. He secured the cat in the hut and went to see why the boss was back. The storm had worsened, and it surprised him that Jerry would return with the ocean so rocky. He found him in his office. There were two men with him and their camouflage outfits gave away who they were.

“We were just coming to see you,” Jerry said after he looked up with a cheesy smile that was strictly for the hunters. “These two decided the adventure of a hunt during a hurricane couldn’t be missed. I need you to release the two females.”

The men’s heavily bearded faces gave little away. They each had a large hunting knife on their belts. Simon saw no sign of the hunting rifles and assumed they were still on the boat. Jerry never gave the names of the hunters. Their shrewd eyes watched Simon closely. Hunting the lions was highly illegal and they were doing their best to intimidate. Simon could squash them like bugs and not even breathe hard. His gaze returned to Jerry and that’s when he noticed stacks of one hundred dollar bills on the desk. His rage grew and he clamped his fists at his sides so he didn’t take a swing. Simon had never been violent but that’s all his thoughts were about right now.

Jerry, completely oblivious, turned back to the two men. “He’ll release the lions and we’ll give them thirty minutes to hide before you hunt if that works for you.”

One of the men cocked his head. “The thrill would be higher if we waited until dark.”

Jerry kept his smile intact. “I’ve been on this island for over thirty years,” he said. “It’s suicide to be here once the storm hits. Parts of the island will flood and there are mudslides not to mention the power goes out regularly. If we don’t get out of here in time, we’ll be stuck and it’s unsafe.”

That Jerry would have any idea what happened on the island during storms was ridiculous. He’d never stayed to see. Yes, the power went out along with phone access and trees toppled. Sometimes there was damage to the buildings. That was it. No mudslides. Jerry was a liar and Simon wanted to shout it at the two men. He stopped himself because they were as evil as Jerry.

“While we wait,” Jerry continued. “I’ll show you the map so you can see where the animal pens are that you need to stay away from and the basic topography of the island. When that’s done, you can grab your weapons from the boat.” He looked at Simon. “What are you waiting for, you moron? Move your ass and let those animals out.”

Simon turned and exited the office. He had to stand outside for a moment to gain control of his breathing. Images of the two new cats flashed in his mind. He couldn’t let this happen again. It felt like a bolt of lightning went through his head and his vision blurred with every step he took away from Jerry until he stumbled. When he stood upright, his eyes landed on the boat. The only boat.

He approached the dock and saw the weapons cases on board. It took less than a minute to unhook the rope holding the boat to the dock and toss it into the water. Using his foot, he pushed the craft away. When he was sure the men couldn’t get to it, he went to the cat pens. He stopped in front of Carla and Tibby’s cage door and unlocked it.

“I evened the odds for you and you have a chance now. If you mistake Jerry for one of the hunters, that’s okay.”

The cats growled.

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