Phantom Warriors: Riot (5 page)

A twig snapped and the women froze,
listening. The forest seemed to hold its breath. Kim pointed to a
spot off to her right. Nina nodded in agreement. They waited until
the regular sounds of the woods returned, then continued on. Nina
caught a glint of something in the distance. She took a few steps
forward, then held up her fist. Kim stopped instantly. Nina
squinted and spotted the illegal snare. She pointed to the spot.
Kim nodded and slid off her backpack. She reached inside and pulled
out a pair of wire cutters, then handed them to Nina.

Nina looked around, scanning the woods for
movement, then slowly approached the spot. She examined the ground
carefully before she took each step. The last thing she needed was
to get caught in one of the traps. The snare was strung across a
tree branch and dropped onto the ground. Someone had covered most
of it with leaves and placed a piece of deer shank in the center,
along with smaller bits of flesh scattered around the area to draw
in the creature.

She had two choices. She could either spring
the trap, leaving it useless, but still reusable or she could
destroy the trap so the poachers would have to buy another one.
Nina decided to hit them in their wallets. It would hurt more that
way and it just might save a bear or two in the process. She
crouched down next to the snare and gently slid the wire cutters
under one side. She’d have to cut fast or the snare might spring
and they wouldn’t be able to reach it. Nina took a deep breath and
clamped down on the wire. The metal snapped a second before the
snare whipped into the air, dangling uselessly from the tree
branch.

“One down,” she said to Kim.

Before Kim could answer, an angry voice
shouted from a distance, “What are you doing?”

Nina jumped to her feet and saw a man coming
toward them. She couldn’t make out his features. He was too far
away, but his tone was warning enough. She urged Kim to run.

“Get back here!” The man bellowed as the
women took off. His heavy footfalls echoed through the trees as he
raced toward them.

The man paused to look at his ruined trap.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” His head jerked to the right.

That’s when Nina heard stomping from a second
pair of boots. He wasn’t alone. Fear kicked her chest and she
pumped her arms harder.

A shot rang out, shattering the tree trunk
beside the women.

Kim screamed and stopped abruptly. “Oh my
God, they’re shooting at us.”

“Just run!” Nina jerked her into motion. She
didn’t know which one of the men had shot at them and she didn’t
care. “Get back to the truck!” She urged. “I’ll meet you
later.”

“What are you going to do? Where are you
going?” Kim gasped. They ran side by side, keeping up their brisk
pace.

Nina met her worried gaze. “I’m going to lead
them away.”

“No!” Kim cried.

“There’s no time to argue. One of us needs to
make it back to the truck.” Nina pulled the keys out of her pocket
and shoved them into Kim’s hand.

“We can go together.” Kim squealed as another
shot rang out. “They’re trying to kill us.”

“I noticed. That’s why we have to split up.”
Nina saw a fallen tree up ahead. “I’m going to bank right at the
tree. You go straight for the truck. I’ll make sure they follow
me.”

Tears filled Kim’s eyes. “What if they shoot
you?”

Nina’s side hurt. She wasn’t used to
sprinting for this long. She took a deep breath to answer, but it
was difficult at this pace. Getting shot was a very real
possibility. She prayed that she knew the woods better than these
guys did. “The spirits won’t let that happen,” she said, hoping it
was true. Kim didn’t believe in the old ways and neither did Nina
really, but her grandfather did.

“I’ll get help,” Kim said.

“No! Danny will kill us if he finds out,”
Nina said.

Kim hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “You
better make it back in one piece,” she said, then hurried through
the woods toward Heintooga Ridge Road.

Nina watched her go, fear threatening to
swamp her. Unlike Kim, she didn’t have anyone besides her
grandfather. There was no one waiting at home for her. That, more
than anything, was the reason she’d urged her best friend to leave.
She leapt over the fallen tree and banked right.

The light was fading fast, drowning the
forest in shadows. All she had to do was stay alive long enough to
lose them in the darkness. Nina ran harder than she’d ever run in
her life. Already the men’s voices were growing distant. The stitch
in her side continued to stab her organs. She wouldn’t be able to
keep this up for much longer.

One of the poachers fired another shot. The
sound echoed through the mountains, making it difficult to tell
where it came from, but it seemed farther away. Nina slowed, even
though she didn’t want to. Her body was refusing to keep up the
brutal pace. Besides, it was either that or trip and break her
neck.

She kept moving, stopping every few minutes
to listen. It was hard to hear past the intense pounding of her
heart and the roaring of her blood. A branch cracked. It sounded
like a cannon blast to her strung-out nerves. She froze. She didn’t
dare take out her flashlight for fear she’d be spotted. Instead,
Nina scanned her surroundings. Nothing moved.

It’s probably nothing
, she told
herself, but didn’t really believe it.

***

“Did you hit her?” Hank squinted into the
trees.

The red-haired man shook his head. “Didn’t
spot any blood, so I don’t think so.”

Hank stared at Markus in disgust. “I swear
sometimes you couldn’t hit the side of a barn, even if it was
raised in front of you.”

“I did find something.” Markus pointed at a
spot in the woods. “You need to see this.”

Hank stomped after him, swearing under his
breath. “What is it?”

Markus looked at the ground, studying a spot
near his feet. “I think it’s a bear track, but it can’t be.”

Hank shoved him aside. “Let me see.”

He glanced at the ground, then did a
double-take. What in the hell was it? Hank crouched down and dipped
his hand in the track. It was at least five inches deep and the
ground wasn’t even muddy. He could distinctly make out the holes
where the massive claws dug into the ground. The track had to be
bigger than his head, which meant the bear was…

“What do you think it is?” Markus asked.

“A bear,” Hank said.

Markus snorted. “There ain’t no bear out here
that’s the size of that track. It would have to be huge. Nearly six
feet at the shoulder.”

Hank curled his lip in disgust. “If a bear
didn’t make the track, what did?”

Markus stared at the track and shook his
head. “Don’t know.” His wary gaze scanned the trees. “Maybe it’s
one of those people who run around pretending to be Big Foot.”

Hank scowled. “Does that look like a Big Foot
track to you?”

Markus shrugged. “Ain’t never seen one in
person.”

“Well it ain’t! It’s a bear, I’m tellin’
you.” Hank looked at the woods with renewed interest. If they could
catch this bear, he’d easily bring in enough on the black market
for him to save his house from foreclosure and have a little left
over to retire on. He wouldn’t have to put up with his boss
demanding that he work extra hours, only to have those same hours
slashed the following week. His gaze landed on their destroyed
trapping equipment and he swore. “That bitch cost us a lot of money
tonight. Not to mention a chance at bear big enough for us to
retire off of.” He looked at Markus. “At least tell me that you got
a good look at her. I don’t want tonight to be a total loss.”

Markus grinned, his front tooth missing due
to an encounter with the wrong end of a beer bottle. “I sure
did.”

Hank smiled back. “Good enough to identify
her?”

Markus nodded. “Oh yeah. She’s one of The
People all right. Most of the time they all look alike, but she was
a pretty little thing. I’d know her if I saw her again.”

“Did she see you?” Hank asked.

Markus’s face scrunched. “I don’t think so.
She was too busy running away.”

“Good, you take a ride into Cherokee tomorrow
and to see if you can spot her. Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Hank
said.

Markus looked at him. “What do I do if I find
her? I can’t just haul her out of town by her hair.”

“Once you find her, we’ll follow her until we
can catch her alone,” Hank said.

Markus’s eyes sparked with excitement. “Then
what?”

“We’ll make her sorry she ever came into the
woods. I’m not losing my house over some bitch out to
protect
the environment or whatever in the hell her reasons
for being out here are. I’m tired of those people tromping all over
our rights as Americans.” He sneered. “Now let’s pack up our stuff
and get a move-on in case the bitch decides to call the
authorities.”

“Do you really think that bear is big enough
for us to retire?” Markus asked, looking hopeful.

Hank nodded slowly. “If that track is any
indication, then yes. I sure do.”

“Whew wee! I could use myself a beer right
about now. I’m in the mood to celebrate.” Markus gathered up the
destroyed equipment.

Hank watched him dispassionately. Markus was
always in the mood to celebrate. If he wasn’t so good at following
orders, Hank would have dumped him long ago. Most of time, he was
utterly useless. But Markus was a good shot, when he was sober.
Unfortunately, that was becoming less often these days. Unlike his
alcoholic friend, Hank had no intention of celebrating until they’d
taken care of the woman, and the bear’s vital organs were packed on
ice in the back of his pickup truck. Then, and only then, would he
raise a bottle and relax.

Riot watched the woman. Her blue-black hair
poked out from beneath her hat, slapping the pack on her back as
she sprinted by. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion and she was
holding her side. She slowed to a stop and gasped for air, bending
at the waist. The move gave him a nice view of her round bottom.
When she straightened, he saw that her face was dripping with
sweat. She’d been running so fast that she hadn’t even noticed he
was there. Her slanted brown eyes warily looked around.

Even in the low light, he recognized her. It
was the same woman he’d spotted with the squealing creature the day
before.
Nina.
She took another loud gasping breath. His
attention zeroed in on her full mouth. Her lips brought a plethora
of fantasies to mind. Riot raised his snout to the air and inhaled
the world around him. Her rich musky aroma filled his lungs and his
whole body tensed. He knew she’d smell good. Better than good.
Delicious. Her sweet feminine scent was followed by an acrid odor
that Riot recognized instantly. Fear. She was afraid.

His hearts slammed in his chest. Had she seen
him? Even as the thought brushed his mind, Riot knew that she
hadn’t. She’d been running too fast and had kept glancing over her
shoulder. If not him, then what had frightened her? Riot slowly
scanned the woods, searching for the cause of Nina’s distress. He
caught the scent of sweat and grime emanating from east of their
location.

Men
.

His gaze swung back to Nina. Had she been
hurt? He scanned her from head to foot, taking in her dark
clothing. The cloth didn’t look as if it had been disturbed. He
inhaled deeper, but his sharp senses didn’t detect blood. So Nina
wasn’t injured, but she was afraid. She walked deeper into the
mountains. Riot followed at a distance. He didn’t want to scare her
anymore than she already had been, but he couldn’t leave her here
in the woods alone. Abandoning her went against every protective
instinct in his body.

They walked for what seemed like an hour.
Light had long since retreated to the other side of the world. The
woods thickened and darkness closed in. With the full moon, Riot
could see just fine, but Nina’s human eyes could not. She kept
cursing under her breath as she tripped over stones and fallen
trees. Finally, she clicked on a light, keeping it flush against
her body as she stared at something on her wrist. She shook her arm
and cursed again, then scanned the trees. “Darn compass!”

Riot stayed in the shadows, listening for
predators. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. She was even
more beautiful up close. Slight in stature, delicate compared to
him, he would’ve thought her weak had he not seen her true spirit
yesterday. She’d proven her hidden strength again today by
continuing on, when most people would’ve stopped moving.

The fear that had clung to her tinted skin
was long gone, replaced by frustration. She sighed, then walked
over to a fallen tree trunk and sat down. The temperature was
dropping fast. Riot wasn’t sure if she was dressed warm enough to
withstand a night in the woods. As if in answer to his question,
she shivered.

***

Nina couldn’t believe that she was lost. She
knew these woods. Knew them better than just about anyone, but the
Park Rangers. How could she have gotten so turned around? She
glared at her broken compass. Piece of junk. She knew better than
to buy a cheap model, but between lack of customers and her
grandfather’s medical bills, she hadn’t had much choice.

A breeze picked up, blowing cold air over her
neck. Nina shivered and her teeth began to chatter. She hadn’t
intended to spend the night in the woods. She didn’t think that she
would freeze to death, but it wouldn’t be comfortable. Nina wrapped
her arms around her body. The little warmth it provided didn’t do
much to combat the cold.

It may have been fall, but the temperature in
the mountains could drop substantially. Enough to where someone not
prepared for the weather could find themselves suffering from
hypothermia. She rolled her eyes. That would be just great. She’d
never live this down. A twig snapped to her right. Nina shot to her
feet and swung the flashlight around.