My first Thriller

 Borrowed Trouble

Chapter One

Spring, 2001 North Carolina Mountains.

 The wolves were restless, pacing back and forth the length of their enclosure, sensitive to the anxiety emanating from every pore of her body. She tried soothing them with her voice, but only Chowa responded, padding over to sniff at the hand pressed against the cold metal of the chain link fence. “It’s all right, boy, I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t let them take you from me.”

As if reassured, Chowa returned to the others and she resumed her vigil. It was dark  now, the men would return soon.  She couldn’t bear waiting much longer. Her legs were stiff, her hands cold, and her fingers ached from holding the rifle so tight.

Gazing out at the rugged terrain lit only by the pale moon, a shiver shimmered up her spine seeing the headlights from the caravan of pickup trucks and jeeps making their way back to the lodge. Tightening her grip on the rifle, she stepped further into the shadows, watching breathlessly as the caravan entered the compound.

Two of the trucks were painted with black and white zebra stripes, an ironic reminder  of  the grim cargo they carried, carcasses of exotic animals, still warm, still beautiful in death.  She should be used to the killing by now, having lived on the hunting preserve most of her life, but instead of becoming immune to the savagery, she had become more and more incensed. It shamed her knowing her two uncles were responsible for the slaughter.

If only granddaddy hadn’t died. If only her father had been strong enough to stand up to his brothers when he was told of their plans for the cattle ranch. But there was no use dwelling on the past. Jessup’s Big Game Preserve had become a lucrative business and she had been condemned to live in this brutal, bloody, place.

She couldn’t remember how many times she tried running away, but she never got very far; the game preserve was too far from town. Then, amazingly, Uncle Frank had given her the litter of wolf cubs to raise, and, from the moment she took possession of them, she understood why she was put on this planet.

The men had reached the hunting lodge now, and were climbing out of the vehicles, strutting around, boisterous and drunk with the smell of blood. In a few moments they’d be gone and then she could make her move. She was surprised at how calm she felt, considering what she was about to do, but then she had been preparing for this moment a long time.

She had always known it would come down to this.  Despite her uncles promise not to take the wolves from her, she knew better. It was inevitable that someone would offer them enough money to hunt the endangered red wolf species.  Inevitable that greed would win out in the end.

That day had finally come.

They were planning to hunt the wolves tomorrow.

Time moved unbelievably slow as she waited for the great white hunters to leave in their own vehicles, and go back to the big city jungles they came from. Her father was nowhere to be seen, but that was usually the case. He hated canned hunts as much as she, but was too weak to stand up to his brothers.

Canned hunts. How appropriate. The animals never had a chance. They were released in a closed in place with no chance of escape, and men paid a hefty price for the thrill of shooting them down. Where was the sport in that?

Hearing the engines of the hunters vehicles rev up, her heart started pounding. It wouldn’t be long now. She watched from the shadows as Uncle Frank gave a final hearty wave at the departing cars, then started walking towards the wolf enclosure, just as she knew he would. He was in the habit of checking the lock every night, fearing she would set the wolves free. Did he really think a little metal could keep her from her beloved animals?

Across the compound she heard the deep metallic groan of the gate closing behind the last of the departing hunters, and, hardly daring to breathe, she stepped out of the dark to confront her uncle. Pointing the rifle at Frank, she said, “I warned you not to take my wolves, but you wouldn’t listen.”

The lean, bearded man looked at her as if she were holding nothing more than a broom.  “I don’t like having rifles pointed at me, missy. Even unloaded ones. Put it down or you’ll find yourself spending the night in the tiger’s cage.”

A shiver of fear snaked through her as childhood memories of similar threats swirled through her head, but she kept it hidden. She knew better than to show fear to this brutal man. Laughing bitterly, she said, “I’m not a scared eight year old anymore. I’m fifteen. Fifteen. That threat doesn’t work anymore. But thanks for reminding me of what a cruel bastard you are.”

“Cruel bastard? Is that the thanks I get for taking you in after your ma run off.”

“You drove her off. You made her leave me behind.”

“Is that what you think? Well the truth is, she didn’t want you. She never wanted you. Hell, she tried to get rid of you before you was born, but being a Christian man, I wouldn’t abide that.”

“You’re lying. Lying. Why did you have to say that? Why did you have to ruin the memory of my mother.” Jewel pressed the trigger, and a loud explosion rent the air. In shock, she stared at her uncle as he fell to the ground, a surprised look on his face. But not as surprised as she was to see him fall. Surprised at how easily death had come. Somehow, she had thought he’d be immune to bullets. He had always seemed so godlike.

Suddenly aware of how quiet it was, her gaze turned to Uncle Jeb, finding him frozen like a frightened deer in the glare of headlights still holding onto the closed gate. She raised the rifle again and, taking her time, aimed for the spot between his eyes. Strangely, he raised his hands over his head, as if surrendering. He knew what a good shot she was, even at this distance. Hell, he had shown her how to shoot.

“How does it feel being on the other end of a rifle, Uncle Jeb?  Have you peed your pants yet?”

Jeb’s eyes narrowed to a menacing slit. He was the wiliest of the three brothers and she knew he was weighing his options before making a move.

“How does it feel knowing you’re as helpless as the animals you’ve slaughtered? Why don’t you make a run for it? It’s dark. Maybe I’ll miss.”

Hearing a muffled cry, her head twisted to the left. Her father was standing in the doorway of the lodge.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Jeb vaulted over the gate, but she was too quick for him, catching him midair, like a gazelle or an antelope, but his fall to the ground wasn’t nearly as graceful.

She saw the black hole in his head and knew it had been a clean kill. Funny she felt nothing at all looking at him. Where was the thrill of the hunt? Maybe it was a man’s thing.

“What have you done? Oh, lord. Look what you’ve gone and done.”

Jewel’s finger tightened on the trigger of her rifle again. She didn’t want to kill her daddy, but she would if she had to. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m real sorry. I was just trying to stop them from killing my wolves.”

“Jesus, Jewel. Is that why you did it?”

“They were going to hunt them tomorrow, Daddy. I had to stop them. They’re my wolves.  Mine.  I had to protect them.  I knew I couldn’t count on you to protect them.”

Jewel was astonished when her father sat down on the steps and bawled like a baby. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I should have stood up to my brothers years ago. This would never have happened if I had.”

Anger exploded in Jewel’s head. “Well, it’s just a little too late for that now, isn’t it? I had to stand up for myself, and now the sheriff will arrest me, and you’ll never see me again.”

Harlan Jessup rose to his feet, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Enfolding her into his arms, he cried, “No baby doll, no one is going to arrest you. I swear it. I’m the one responsible. I’ll be the one to go to jail.”

Jewel looked into her father’s eyes and saw he was telling the truth. He’d go to jail for her. A moue of pleasure rippled through her heart. This was working out even better than she planned. In her sweetest little girl voice, she said, “No, Daddy, I can’t let you do that.”

Harlan laughed sadly. “Yes, you can. You know it as well as I do. You gave up on me a long time ago. Can’t blame you for that, but you’ll see. I can do one good thing in my life. I won’t have my baby girl caged like an animal. You got that straight?”

Jewel nodded her head, smiling through her tears. The old drunk was good for something after all. Hugging him tight, she stared up at the moon rising over the mountains. It stared back at her, cold, indifferent, uncaring, reflecting perfectly what it saw in her eyes.