Chapter Twenty-Seven

Savage Sanctuary Island, Misty

M isty, Paige, and Sarah used the time after Simon left to change back into their dry shirts. They kept their wet pants on in case they needed to leave quickly. It was cold, but Misty knew it could be worse.

She didn’t start to worry about Simon until he was gone longer than she expected. He said he only had to check on the panther cage, and it felt like he had been gone an hour. Paige started casting sideways glances at her, but it was Sarah who spoke up.

“Simon should be back by now,” she said.

Paige looked at Misty. “I’ll go check on him. ”

“No, it’s safer here.”

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” singsonged from outside.

Misty’s eyes went huge. Sarah grabbed her hand.

“Shh,” Misty said softly. “They can’t know we’re here.”

“Check to see if the key is on him,” one of the men said.

Misty crawled out of the den, staying low to the ground. The men stood at the gate, though they were hard to see. Something big was on the ground beside them. One of the men started doing something to the thing on the ground, and Misty heard a groan.

It was Simon. They hurt him.

“Check his pockets.”

“I’m trying. He’s too damn big for me to roll on my own. Why don’t you help?”

“I paid you for this,” the hunter said. “Once he wakes up, we’ll give him a head start, but I want to know those girls are waiting when I return.”

“You didn’t pay me enough to drag this sack of shit through the forest, but I helped. I can’t turn him over, and we need the key.”

Misty crawled back into the den.

“They have Simon, and they’re searching him for the key. He’s unconscious, but when he wakes up, the hunter is going to hunt him like an animal and kill him.” Her heart was beating so hard she thought it would explode. “We can’t let them hurt Simon.”

Indra gave a low growl and Sarah placed her hand on his back. His tail whooshed in agitation.

“We cooperate,” Paige said with a stubborn set of her jaw.

“What?” Sarah asked in surprise.

“If they have Simon, we can’t help him in here. We know nothing about the island, and he does. He has an advantage. If we give ourselves up, they might trust us.”

Misty stared at Paige. “You know what that man wants to do, don’t you?”

“Believe me, I know. If you want to help Simon, we need them to trust us or think we’re too scared to fight back.”

Misty looked at Sarah, and she nodded her head, though her fingers trembled where they rested on her thighs. With resolve that they could survive this, Misty turned back to Paige. “Let’s do it.”

There was no other way, and once the men found the key, it wouldn’t matter. But if the men trusted they wouldn’t fight back, Paige was right, and it could be their only chance. Misty ran to their wet clothes and put her shirt and jacket back on. The lion was still unconscious and hadn’t moved. She went to Indra.

“You need to stay in here,” she told him softly, looking into his eyes, hoping he understood the urgency. She wrapped her arms around his huge neck and leaned in. “We’ll help Simon, please trust me.” Indra blinked slowly before going to his haunches.

Scared out of her mind over what they were about to do, Misty stepped out of the den, back into the rain, and waved her hands.

“We’re in here, and we’re freezing. Help us, please.”

“Good one,” Paige whispered from inside the den.

“Do you have a key?” the older man yelled. He was the one Simon called Jerry.

“No, Simon took it, and we can’t get out. You said there was someplace warm. We want to be warm.”

“Check him again,” said the hunter.

“Then help roll,” Jerry demanded angrily.

They grunted as they pushed Simon to his back. Misty worried he would drown because the rain was coming down so hard.

“I found it,” said Jerry.

“Help me roll him back so he doesn’t drown. I want my hunt,” the other man said.

Misty heard the gate rattle before it swung open.

“Thank you. Please don’t hurt us. We just want to be warm.” She raised the pitch of her voice so she sounded desperate hoping the men believed her .

“Get the other girls out here,” the hunter said.

Paige and Sarah stepped out. They had also changed into their wet clothes. Simon groaned again and moved slightly.

“I think he’s waking up,” Jerry said.

The hunter walked quickly to Simon and kicked him in the head. He went still. Misty almost cried out but stopped herself.

“I don’t like him,” Paige said in a whiny voice, nodding her chin at Simon. “He gives me the creeps.”

The hunter walked up to her and slid wet hair from her face. He pinched her chin and lifted her head so their eyes met. “You made a good choice, and you won’t need to put up with him again.”

“Thank you,” she all but cried while smiling gratefully.

Did Paige take acting lessons? She was really good at this.

“Help me drag the dummy into the cage, and we’ll lock him in,” the hunter told Jerry. “We’ll get the girls into your apartment, and I’ll come back out here once they’re settled.”

They proceeded to drag Simon into the pen and lock it behind them. They didn’t check the den, and Indra didn’t come out or growl. If Simon woke up, the other items they brought with them could keep him warm.

The girls trudged along behind the men as they made their way slowly to the apartment. They were halfway there when the wind and rain died. The forest went still, the pressure in the air was all that increased. A patch of clear sky shone above them with a dark wall holding back the wind and rain. It formed a circle around them. An eerie feeling came over Misty and she rubbed her arms.

“That’s so strange,” Sarah said, looking upward at the still sky.

“We’re in the eye of the storm,” the hunter volunteered.

Nothing moved in their small world.

“It will get worse again,” said Jerry. “We need to get to my apartment. Hurry.”

They moved at a faster pace. The lights of the apartment came into view, and a giant wall of wind and rain hit them. Misty went to her knees. The hunter hit a tree but stayed upright. Jerry grabbed Paige and Sarah and brought them in close to his chest.

“A little further,” he yelled.

Misty put her eyes on the lights, stood, and moved one foot then another.

Sarah cried out. “I’m okay,” she said after a few seconds.

All Misty could do was keep her head down and go forward. She was too afraid and didn’t feel the cold like she had before. They were going to die on this island. If the hunter or Jerry didn’t kill them, the storm would. Rain mixed with tears.

“Inside,” Jerry said and placed his hand on her arm, pushing her into the apartment.

The girls collapsed in a heap once they were out of the rain. The place wasn’t warm exactly, but it was ten times better than being outside.

“There’s the heater,” Jerry said and pointed to the corner on the far side of the room.

Slowly, the girls got up and moved to the small bit of warmth.

“This feels so good,” Sarah whispered a moment after they put their hands close.

“I’ll make them something warm to drink,” Jerry told the hunter.

The man ran his eyes over the girls, and Misty shivered. He looked at them like they were a juicy piece of steak. It creeped her out.

“Get them warm. Maybe showers so they’re cleaned up by the time I return.” He said the words to Jerry, then turned back to the girls. “I want you dry and clean for the party we’re going to have.” He reached his arm out, and his fingers closed around the upper part of Paige’s arm. “You’ll be good girls, won’t you?”

Misty had to physically keep her jaw from dropping when Paige reached out and ran her fingers over his hand. “If you keep us dry and warm, I’ll give you anything you want.” Her voice was deep and provocative.

The hunter smiled. “Call me, Dale.”

“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.