Where Fires Dare to Burn

Chapter 33 - A Lot of Wrath to Go Round

 "You know," Gabi whispered. "The first time I got drunk, like drunk, drunk, I was getting on the bus home and right at the back, hiding under the seats, I found a dog. I thought he was a stray. Don't know how he managed to sneak onto the bus, but turned out he had a collar and everything – belonged to someone on the other end of town from my house."

Luke shot her an amused glance. "What did you do?"

"Well, because drunk Gabi is apparently a complete idiot, instead of just taking him to a police station, or checking to see if his collar had a number on it, I decided it was time for a crusade to take him home myself. Personally."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah..." Gabi smiled bashfully. "So long story short, there's me, four a.m. tugging this poor guy along by the collar down some suburban picket fence nightmare, and then I'm ringing somebody's doorbell."

Luke tried to stifle a laugh. "Jeez, what did they do?"

"It was a mix of 'so happy to have my dog back' to 'some underage drunk is beating down my door at four in the morning'. But, you know, I got that dog home."

"Good for you." He fixed her with a questioning look. "What's your point, exactly?"

"Oh, nothing." She twanged her bowstring experimentally. "Just, I thought that was a weird night."

"Well, buckle up, Gabs," Kenny chuckled darkly from his position tucked against a tree a few yards further down the ridge. "I think tonight's going to top all our stories."

Luke nodded, turning an arrow between his fingers as he waited for the signal from the others. The trio had found a clump of trees over looking the barn where they had a good vantage point to take shots at the patrolling guards. Fortunately it didn't seem like the poachers really expected anyone to track them down. There didn't seem to be much of a pattern to their wanderings, and their eyes generally remained rooted to the dirt track – the only normal way someone would be approaching the compound.

Somewhere out there Mercy was creeping through the woods, as quiet and deadly as a knife in the dark. Kasper, with Kyan in tow, had circled around to the far side of the barn, where a long row of windows waited. Once Luke and the others started their distraction from the front, Kyan would cause further mayhem by smashing those windows to pieces with his bat.

Between them, this would hopefully provide enough chaos for Kasper and Mercy to strike.

"Hey guys," Luke said quietly. "I just want to say, thanks for doing this. I wouldn't have blamed you if you just walked away."

"Careful now, Arbor," Kenny warned. "Still time for that."

"I think you'd have done the same for us," Gabi told him. "Let's just get through this all in one piece, alright?"

"Be careful, both of you," he said, fighting down the catch in his throat. "If anything happened to you guys, or to Kyan, I don't think I'd be able to live with it."

"I'm not getting any closer than I have to." Kenny winked, patting the air rifle. "You're the hero today, buddy. I'll stick to the supporting cast."

Then his phone vibrated. Sucking in a steadying breath, Luke pulled it free from his pocket and looked down at the text from Kyan.

Ready when you are.

"Alright, we're ready to go." He looked at his friends, silently praying to anyone that might be listening that they would get through this unscathed. "Good luck."

No more waiting.

Luke brought up the arrow and knocked it to the bow. Breathed in and out; leaned out from behind the tree trunk. Drawing the string back tight, he looked down on the guards. There were two in range right now, one wandering back and forth with a rifle crooked in one arm, another puffing on a cigarette as he leaned on the fence. He opted for the stationery target.