She gestured toward the bow. “You weigh the game heavily in your favor.”
“My game, my rules.”
She tried another angle. “Is this how a Sioux warrior shows his honor, his courage? Hunting women?”
“You’re more than a woman. This one?” He yanked Jenna’s head back by the hair and had Lil braced to leap. “Half-breed squaw? She’s mine by rights now. I took her as captive, just like our ancestors took captives from the white. Made them slaves. I might keep her for a while. Or…”
He knew so little, she realized, about those he claimed as his own. “The Sioux were hunters of buffalo and deer, of bear. They hunted for food, for clothing. How does it honor your blood to kill a woman who’s bound and helpless?”
“You want her to live? We hunt.”
“If I win?”
“You won’t.” He leaned forward. “You’ve disgraced your blood, your spirit. You deserve to die. But I’m giving you the honor of the hunt. You’ll die on sacred ground. If you play the game well, maybe I’ll let your mother live.”
Lil shook her head. “I won’t play at all unless you let her go. You’ve killed before, you’ll kill again. It’s what you are. I don’t believe you’ll let her live, however I play your game. So you’ll have to let her go first.”
He lifted the knife to Jenna’s throat. “I’ll just kill her now.”
“Then you’ll have to kill me, too, where we sit. I won’t play your game, use your rules unless she’s out of it. And you’ll have wasted all this time, all this effort.”
She ached to look at her mother, reach out to her, but kept her gaze on Ethan’s face. “And you’ll be nothing but a butcher then. Not a warrior. The spirit of Crazy Horse will turn from you.”
“Women are nothing. Less than dogs.”
“A true warrior honors the mother, for all life comes from her. Let mine go. You won’t finish this, Ethan. It’ll never be finished unless we compete. Isn’t that right? You don’t need her. But I need her to be worthy of the game. I’ll give you the hunt of your life. I swear it.”
His eyes glowed at her promise. “She’s useless anyway.”
“Then let her go, and it’s just you and me. Just the way you want it. It’s a bargain worthy of a warrior, worthy of the blood of a great chief.”
He cut the ropes on Jenna’s wrists. She moaned as she tried to lift her aching arms to pull off the gag. “Lil. No, Lil. I won’t leave you.”
“Touching,” he said, and spat as he cut the ropes at her ankles. “Bitch probably can’t even walk.”
“She’ll walk.”
“I won’t. I won’t leave you to him. Baby-”
“It’s all right.” Lil drew Jenna close, gently. “It’s all right now. Step back from her,” she told Ethan. “She’s afraid of you. Step back so I can give her comfort, and say goodbye. We’re only women. Unarmed. You can’t fear us.”
“Thirty seconds.” Ethan stepped back three paces.
“Lil, no. I can’t leave you.”
“Help’s coming,” she whispered in Jenna’s ear. “I need you to go, I need to know you’re safe or I won’t be able to think to win this. I know what to do. You have to go or he’ll kill us both. Give her some water,” Lil demanded in disgust. “What kind of honor is it to beat a woman, to deny her water?”
“She can drink her own spit.”
“Water for my mother and you can take five minutes off my lead time.”
He kicked a bottle over. “I don’t need your five minutes to beat you.”
Lil uncapped it, held it to her mother’s lips. “Slow now, a little at a time. Can you find home?”
“I-Lil.”
“Can you?”
“Yes. Yes, I think.”
“Won’t help you. By the time she gets there-if she does-and they start looking for you, you’ll be dead. And I’ll be smoke.”
“Take the water and go now.”
“Lil.”
“If you don’t he’ll kill us both. The only chance I have to live is for you to go. You have to believe in me. You have to give me that chance. I’m going to help her out of the cave, Ethan. You can hold the bow on me. I won’t run.”
She helped her mother to her feet, cursing when Jenna wept from pain, from grief. Crouched over in the shallow space, she helped Jenna hobble to the mouth. “Help’s coming,” she whispered again. “I can keep him off me until they come. Get home as fast as you can. Promise me.”
“Lil. Oh, God, Lil.” As the sun lowered toward the hills, Jenna held her tight.
“I’m going to lead him to the grassland above the river.” Lil pressed her face to her mother’s hair as if in grief, and murmured against her ear. “Where I saw the cougar. Remember that. Send help there.”
“Shut up! You shut up and she goes now, or she dies now, and you after her.”
“Go on, Mom.” Lil pried Jenna’s scraped and bruised arms away. “Go on or he’ll kill me.”
“Baby. I love you, Lil.”
“I love you.” She watched her mother limp and stumble, saw the agony of emotion in her battered face when she looked back. For that alone, Lil thought, he’d pay. Whatever it took.
“Start running,” Ethan ordered.
“No. The hunt doesn’t start until I know she’s away. Until I know you won’t go after her first. What’s your hurry, Ethan?” Deliberately she sat on a rock. “You’ve waited a long time for this. You can wait a little longer.”
30
The compound was chaos. A dozen people raced from various directions when Coop jumped out of his truck, and all of them talked at once.
“Stop! You.” He jabbed a finger at Matt. “Sum it up, and fast.”
“We can’t find Lil. Lena found her phone in the yard behind the cabin. And when I went back, I found this.” He held out the plastic bag with Jenna’s hair and wedding ring. There was somebody here, paying customer. Lena got a bad feeling about him. Baby didn’t like him either. Nobody can find him. We’re afraid he took Lil. Mary’s inside, calling the police.”
“I already called them.”
“I think it’s Jenna’s ring.” Tears spilled down Tansy’s cheeks.
“Yeah, it’s Jenna’s. He’s got her, and Lil’s gone in to find her. Shut up and listen,” he ordered when everyone began to talk at once. “I need anyone who can handle a gun without shooting themselves. Lil’s got a good hour’s head start, but she’s leaving a trail. We’re going to follow it.”
“I can.” Lena stepped forward. “I can handle a shotgun. Trap shooting champion, three years running.”
“In Lil’s cabin. Shotgun in the front closet, ammo on the top shelf. Go.”
“I’ve never shot a gun in my life, but-”
“Stay here.” Coop cut Matt off. “Wait for the police, then lock the place down. Tansy, go to the Chance farm. If Joe hasn’t heard, he needs to. Listen to me. Tell him it’s most likely Jenna was taken from there. He and Farley, and whoever else he can round up, should start from there. He taught Lil to track. He’ll pick up the trail. We need radios.”
Mary came out of the cabin as two interns sprinted for radios. “The police are on their way. Fifteen minutes.”
“Send them in after us. We’re not waiting for them. You upstairs, bedroom, top left dresser drawer. Three ammo clips. Get them. Wait.” Struck, he held up a hand, looked over to the enclosures. “I need something of Lil’s, something she was wearing.”
“Sweater in the office,” Mary said. “Hold on.”
“That cat loves her. Will he track her?”
“Yes! God, yes.” Tansy pressed a hand to her mouth. “He followed her back every time she tried to release him.”
“We’re going to let him out.”
“He hasn’t been out of the habitat since he was six months old.” Matt shook his head. “Even if he leaves the compound, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
“He loves her.” Coop took the sweater Mary brought him.
“We’ll have to separate the others.” Tansy hurried to the enclosure with him.
“Do what you have to do. Make it fast.”
He held the sweater to the bars. Baby prowled over, then grumbled in his throat. Rubbed his face against the sweater. Purred.