Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty- Eight

Savage Sanctuary Island, Simon

S imon’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.

How much time had passed? He wasn’t sure, but he figured half his time was up, and he had to get away from Carla now. The cat shied to the right at Simon’s comic antics, and then Simon gave a roar similar to what he heard from the male lions, and Carla bolted. Tibby was the shyer of the two and had to be close by. Hopefully, he’d scared them both off.

Simon shuffled faster. He tried to be careful in the slippery mud but stumbled a couple of times. He managed to stay upright, and his knee held. He made it to the utility shed that held Roberto’s equipment. The inside was stuffy and warm, though it didn’t matter because Simon had to hurry.

Roberto kept the shed organized, and he had no problem finding the things he needed. He heard a scratch on the door and knew it was Indra before he opened it. The tiger slipped inside while Simon worked.

Before he left, Simon sat in the only chair inside the shed. Indra moved in close, and Simon petted his head and scratched the ruff of his neck.

“I need you to stay here out of sight,” he told him. “That is a bad man, and he will hurt you. I have no way to keep you hidden. If you’ll do this for me, I’ll make sure he never hurts another animal.”

Simon figured killing someone was easier than thinking about it, so he wouldn’t think about it. He didn’t want to intentionally hurt anyone, but they’d left him no option. He would need to stop Jerry too. With determination running through his veins, Simon left the shed, closing the door on Indra, who looked at him with forlorn eyes.

Simon stayed as low to the ground as he could with the bad knee. He made his way toward Jerry’s, listening over the storm for signs of the hunter. He moved cautiously until he found the perfect spot to hunker down. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to get low and find a comfortable position.

To wait.