Page 46 of Sanctuary

“Hurry back, Dale,” dripped from Paige’s lips as she smiled up at him.

Dale turned his head and looked at the other two. “We’re going to have a party, and I’ll treat you girls so good, you’ll want to come with me when I leave.” He laughed at his own joke.

Ice fingers crawled up Misty’s spine at the look in his eyes.

They had to save Simon before they saved themselves.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Savage Sanctuary Island, Simon

Simon’s head hurt, and he moaned when a scratchy tongue ran over his wet face. Indra swiped his cheek and nose again, and Simon opened his eyes. Rain ran into them, and he rolled to his knees, which ached horribly. He gritted his teeth and crawled through the door to the den. The small opening rubbed hard against his sides, and he didn’t think he would fit, but with a last push, he made it through.

Inside, he rolled to his back and moved his legs out of the way so Indra could get in. He was in the lion den, but the girls were not. He hadn’t thrown the key, and he silently berated himself for not keeping the girls safe.

“Stupid Simon, stupid Simon.” He lifted his hand and almost slammed his palm against the side of his head, but he remembered what Misty had told him, so he didn’t hit himself. He shouldn’t have said the “stupid” word either, but it was too late. He had to think, but first, he had to get on his feet.

The burn in his knee was so bad he didn’t know if it would hold him. Using the side of the wall, he got his better leg beneath him and rose slowly until he was upright. He couldn’t think of the pain. He needed to find the girls.

Summa started to stir, and he walked over to the lion.

“How you doing, boy?” he asked.

The cat’s eyes opened and closed a few times before they stayed open. He lay unmoving, but he was awake. The hunter had found the girls here. They’d left their things behind. The men hadn’t entered the den, or they would have seen the cats.

Simon tried to clear the fog from his head and shook it once and then again. Where would they take the girls? Jerry’s apartment. It was the only place.

Simon was unsure what to do with the lion. Indra would help if he could, but Summa was unpredictable, and he wasn’t in good shape.

“Can you get up, boy?” Simon asked.

The cat didn’t stir. Simon, unable to go to his knees, gently nudged the cat with his boot until Summa showed his fangs. After a few minutes, he still wasn’t up, and Simon knew he needed to leave him.

“Indra, you’re coming with me. We need to get the girls back, and you can help.”

The tiger made a deep chuffing noise in his throat before he added a growl.

Years before, Simon had hidden a key in each pen because he’d been locked inside once after one of the panthers ate the key. He’d forgotten about it but didn’t call himself stupid this time. The spare was hidden beneath the hay in the corner of the den, but it took him a few minutes to find it because he was unable to go to his knees and had to use his foot. Finally, he saw it. With the wall’s help, he managed to bend low enough to pick up the flat metal. He and Indra left through the full-sized door at the back of the den and were immediately blasted by rain.

Simon had just stepped onto the path when a bullet hit the tree next to him.

“I’ll give you a fifteen-minute head start,” the hunter yelled. “If the tiger attacks, I’ll kill it. I would use the time if I were you.”

“What did you do with the girls?” Simon yelled back.

“They’re with your boss. Don’t worry about them. I’m coming after you.”

“If you hurt them, I’ll kill you.” Simon’s rage was building. This man would not hurt his friends. He bent low and shouted, “Run,” to Indra and slapped his flank. The tiger disappeared into the forest.

“The clock is ticking,” the hunter yelled.

Simon slipped into the forest too. He had to get to the girls. He shuffled about fifty yards, favoring his bad knee, and stopped. The hunter would know where Simon was headed because he’d practically told him when he asked about the girls. He looked around. The rain was a steady downward stream, but the wind wasn’t as strong, and visibility was better than it had been earlier. He had to go where the hunter wouldn’t suspect. An idea formed in his head, and he hoped for once his brain was working like a smart person.

Simon took two steps and stopped again. Carla stood about six feet away. He knew there was no way to get the cat into a pen without putting him and the cat in more danger.

“Where’s Tibby?” he whispered.

The cat blinked and stayed calm. Simon was unsure what to do. He took one large step away from the cat and froze when she growled. Simon lifted his arms and waved them around his body and over his head. At the same time, he yelled loudly, hoping the hunter couldn’t hear it over the storm. He didn’t want Carla or Tibby stepping out to greet the man. The cats would die.

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