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“You dumb bitch. You just sealed your own fate. But, you can still save this man, and your precious wolves. You will come with me. You will serve me. In the day, you will train my new army of wolves, and at night you will bend over like a bitch in heat for me or whomever I may want to watch fuck you.”
“No.” Gunner immediately argued.
Guns were raised, but she stepped in front of Gunner. “Hold on. Give us a moment to talk. Tell your men to stand down.”
It was a relief and surprise when Samir complied. Oakley stepped close to Gunner, keeping her hands in clear sight. “I smell wolves. The first I smelled was an injured animal. Now I smell others. Familiar smells. Our pack is close.”
“It’s your call.”
“Do you trust me?”
Gunner grinned. “Lead on, Boss.”
That told her what she needed to know. He was with her. “Fine,” she said, and turned to face Samir. “When you release him and he’s out of range, I’ll surrender. Not before.”
She started to be concerned that he’d back out of the deal, then he agreed and snapped orders to his men. All weapons were lowered. Gunner gathered his gear, walked to her, and leaned down to whisper. “At first sign they mean to harm you…”
“You better,” she interrupted. “The wolves are west of us. Find them.”
He nodded and walked away.
Samir snapped an order, and one of the men approached Oakley and tied her hands behind her back. As she was being bound, Samir issued another order. “Take four men and find the giant. Kill him. But make it slow, I want me to suffer as he bleeds out.”
“Okay, deal’s over,” Oakley said.
“Oh. Well, in case it’s escaped your attention, you’re tied up, you dumb bitch. What do you think you will do?”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t want to find out.”
Samir laughed, and after a few seconds, the rest of his men did as well. When he stopped, it all stopped, like someone flipping a light switch. Was that out of devotion or fear, she wondered. Most likely, fear.
“At sunrise, you will summon your wolves. If you do not, my men will find and kill him. Slowly and painfully.”
“Good luck on that, buddy. If that’s your plan, you better send all of them, but then again, you need men with you, so – well, what does it matter? He’ll kill those you send and then come and kill you.”
“We shall see.” He pointed to a man. “You. Bind her securely. There will be no escapes.”
“Yes, Samir.” The man actually bowed his head, then hurried to Oakley and tied her knees and ankles.
Samir walked over, looked and sneered. “Dawn.”
She didn’t speak, in fact she refused to show any reaction. She just looked at him until he turned and walked away. Fools that they were, they built a fire. Oakley watched, marking in her mind where each man was. She wasn’t close enough to the fire to feel its heat or be caught in smoke when the wind shifted.
Whoever they were, they knew how to build a smoke call. The thing was so filled with leaves and small branches with dead leaves attached, it was a billowing tornado carrying the stink of burning vegetation. She smiled to herself. Neither Gunner nor the wolves would have trouble pinpointing her location.
Her task, until they arrived, was to free herself, so that when her calvary arrived, she was fighting ready. That proved to be a very arduous task. The knot in the rope around her wrists was not readily available. Right now, all she could do was keep twisting and pulling, trying to loosen or stretch the fibers.
Oakley estimated she’d been at it for nearly three hours when she smelled them. The pack. It wasn’t long before she heard them. Just one. No two. Soft chuffing sounds.
It was no surprise when Nashoba and Ba’Cho materialized from the darkness. “Bite ropes,” she whispered and moved her arms toward them. It took only a few seconds for them to comprehend what she wanted, and they went to work, biting and tugging.
Between the three of them, they loosened the knot enough she was able to get one hand free. That’s all she needed. Oakley signed to the wolves to accompany her and retrieve her weapons.
She’d just finished tightening the bow harness when one of the sleeping men woke, got to his feet and hurried over to a tree to relieve himself. When he saw the wolves circling the camp, he stumbled back. His mouth moved way before any sound emerged, and by the time he croaked “help!”, a wolf was already on him. He was dead in seconds, lying on the ground with his throat ripped out.
By then, men were waking, scrambling for weapons and shouting. Oakley felt a hand on her shoulder. Considering her wolves hadn’t reacted, it could only be one person.
She looked over her shoulder. “You ready, big guy?”
