CL Hart -From A Distance (14 page)

"Jose's uncle said it was against the law for anyone to be below on the car deck after we left port," Kenzie said as she chambered a round into her gun. "So the only thing they would be searching for is us."

Cori watched the men - their movements, their body language - and didn't come to the same conclusion. "I don't think so. Looks to me like they work here."

Kenzie brought her weapon up in search of her targets. This was what she knew, what she was trained to do, and her reflexes responded accordingly. Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it, relaxing her nerves and steadying her aim. Focusing only on the two men, Kenzie ignored the cows and the smell of the stale diesel fumes as she raised her gun and took aim.

"What are you doing?"

Kenzie heard the question but didn't think it was worthy of an answer.

"Stop! What the hell are you doing?" Cori said in a harsh whisper. "You can't just shoot those men."

Lowering her weapon, Kenzie turned and glared at her. "Why not? People have been shooting at us."

"Well, so far, these guys haven't. Let's just wait."

"Wait for what? For them to find us and shoot us? I don't think so.

"Kenzie, let's just see what they're doing."

"It doesn't matter what they're doing. They aren't even supposed to be down here," Kenzie said flatly, as she turned her focus to the two men.

As she raised her weapon, Cori reached around and put her hand on the gun, pushing it downward. "No," she said, her features drawn in determination.

They were only inches apart, both stubbornly sure of what they believed.

"Shoot first and ask questions later, that's what I live by."

"Make a mistake and you'll have to live with the consequences," Cori responded quickly. "Sooner or later you're going to have to stop shooting people." Cori stared deeply into the gold of Kenzie's eyes, "Just...wait."

Kenzie broke the stare first, pulling her mind back from the desert of the Middle East. Rolling her tongue along her teeth, she glanced over Cori's shoulder, searching for the men. She located them standing next to a cargo van. One of them lifted the tarp that covered the back of a five-ton work truck, but the taller of the two men was not interested in its contents. He moved away from the work truck toward the cattle trailer.

"And if you're wrong?" Kenzie said without taking her eyes off the man as he approached.

"Then you can go ahead and shoot them," Cori whispered into Kenzie's ear from behind. "I won't say a word. Hell, I'll even help you dump the bodies."

Kenzie didn't respond, mainly because she didn't know whether or not Cori was kidding. She watched the taller man getting closer and turned to Cori, pressing her finger to her lips. The man moved down the length of the trailer, and Kenzie was sure she heard a catch in Cori's breathing when he stopped almost directly in front of them. Without hesitation, Kenzie brought her weapon up level with the man's head just on the other side of the worn wooden slats.

Neither of the women moved as they waited to see what he was going to do. The longer he stood outside the trailer, the more slack Kenzie squeezed out of the trigger. The shot would be silent, but the sound of the bullet tearing through the wood might alert his companion.

A short whistle from beyond the trailer drew the man's attention and he turned away from his impending death. Cori let out the breath she had been holding as they watched him join his partner at the open railing of the ferry.

"Can you see what they're doing?" Kenzie asked in a hushed voice as the two men huddled close together. They were speaking to each other, but the noises from the ferry mixed with the sounds of the ocean masked their words. They appeared to be warily surveying their surroundings, which made Kenzie uneasy until she saw the men turn their backs to the salty winds and place cigarettes in their mouths. As their swirls of smoke dissipated into the air, she relaxed and turned her back to the men.

"It's just a couple of slackers stealing from cars and sneaking a smoke," she whispered in relief as she turned back to Cori.

"And you were ready to blow them away," Cori whispered back.

"I live by my instincts. I've survived this long because I don't trust anyone," Kenzie said as she slid her weapon into its holster.

"Well, your instincts were wrong this time."

"Were they?"

"You almost shot two innocent men. I would say your instincts were wrong." Cori said as she made her way back to their hiding spot. "But I guess you don't really care, do you?"

"They aren't exactly innocent. They're breaking a ton of laws by smoking on the car deck of a ferry transporting dangerous goods."

"Oh yeah, I forgot..." Cori leaned back against the plywood wall of the box. "Smoking is punishable by death in Mexico."

Kenzie glared at her but didn't respond as she took a seat. Reaching up, she slid the lid back over their box, but left it open enough to allow in some light and a slight breeze.

Cori watched with interest as Kenzie pulled out her weapon and checked it over. Dropping the clip, she slid the mechanism back, ejecting the unspent shell into her hand. She fed the bullet back into the clip, shoved the clip back into the butt of the gun, and then returned it to her holster. She moved with precision, confident of herself and her surroundings. The muscles in Kenzie's forearm rippled, her hands and fingers were long and strong, and her eyes - Cori had never seen anyone with gold-colored eyes before. She was more than a little unnerved to realize that she was finding herself attracted to a woman who had such an affinity for killing.

Kenzie reached for a bottle of water. As she glanced up, she noticed that Cori was watching her. Actually, watching was not the right word - more like - ogling.

"How much longer before we reach the Baja?" Cori asked quickly, hoping to cover her embarrassment at being caught staring at Kenzie's body.

Slightly amused at the situation, Kenzie slowly unscrewed the cap from the bottle. She took several long gulps of water, enjoying the attention from the obviously embarrassed young woman. When Kenzie finished, she looked at her watch. "I think we should be almost halfway."

Unconsciously licking at her lips, Cori gave a brief nod. She suddenly didn't care how long the trip was going to take. Looking through one of the air holes in the box, she watched the smokers huddled in the distance as the bright moon lit up the car deck with a silvery glow. The sun had long since set, but it was still hot and humid inside the cattle trailer. The muscles in her arms and legs burned with fatigue, making them heavy and shaky. She tried her best to get comfortable in the straw. Beads of sweat rolled down her body, leaving her feeling damp and dirty. Uncomfortable as it was, the heat and conditions were not what was on her mind.

Kenzie watched as Cori rolled first on one side and then the other. It was obvious that she was having difficulty falling back to sleep. As she continued to stare at the young woman, Cori opened her eyes. Kenzie didn't look away, instead she faced the fear and apprehension that clouded Cori features. She had gotten too close to her target, close enough to see into the reflection in her eyes, and she found herself in a new role - protector.

Cori wanted to look away, but something in Kenzie's stare held her. An uneasy silence fell between them as they swayed with the rhythm of the ship, each looking to the other for something indefinable. Without a word, Kenzie looked away and Cori was sure she was going to roll over onto her side. Much to her surprise, Kenzie raised her arm, inviting her back to where she had fallen asleep before. Cori said nothing, but the desire for comfort was a strong pull for her tired body. She hesitated for a moment, and then crawled over to nestle against Kenzie's side. It was not long before she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

Leaning back against the straw, Kenzie enjoyed the warmth of the body next to hers. It was the first time in a long time that something felt right in her world. After a while, Cori's steady breathing lulled Kenzie into her own slumber.

The cattle were moving restlessly, rocking the trailer, shaking Cori awake. Looking around, she could tell that some time had passed since she had fallen asleep, but she had no idea how much. The moon was high and the stars were bright, adding natural light to the eerie yellow glow from the few working lights that hung over the car deck. Turning her head, she was not surprised to see Kenzie was also awake.

"What's going on?" Cori asked over the noise of the anxious animals.

"I'm not sure, but something's wrong." Kenzie got to her feet and cautiously opened the plywood lid all the way off their hidden hay-box.

"I hear voices," Cori said with alarm.

"So do I, but that's not my only concern. I smell smoke."

"What?" Cori peered out over the edge of their hideaway. The smell of smoke resistered with Cori and the sudden sound of loud, panicked voices in the distance. A wave of anxiety heightened her senses as she heard the growing commotion. "Those voices are getting closer. Do you think they know we're here?" Cori's question was cut off as the trailer swayed abruptly with the sudden movement of the frightened cattle.

Kenzie pulled her weapon from its holster. "I doubt it, but I'm not taking any chances." Kenzie's eyes narrowed and she wrinkled her nose as a stronger whiff of smoke reached her nostrils. The clamor of hurrying feet was growing louder.

"They're coming this way," Cori said as she turned back to face Kenzie. The cattle were thrashing and crashing about, violently shifting the trailer back and forth. She reached out to brace herself and gripped Kenzie's bare bicep. The combination of softness and strength took her a little by surprise.

Ignoring the hand on her arm, Kenzie looked at Cori with concern. "Something is definitely burning."

With so many things going on, it took Cori a moment to focus on what Kenzie was saying. "What?"

The cattle's fear was growing and the trailer continued to rock wildly to one side, throwing Kenzie off balance. She grabbed at Cori to keep her from falling. "Something's on fire!"

Turning away from Kenzie, Cori saw flames bursting from the rear of the trailer. "It's us!"

As if responding to Cori's realization, the cattle surged toward the women, fearfully moving away from the smoke and flames.

"Son of a-" Kenzie pushed Cori away from the shifting mass of cattle as she reached back for her duffle bag. "Don't get pinned, they'll trample you!" Kenzie yelled as she pulled her silencer from her bag and screwed it into place. She leveled her gun at the closest cow and fired.

"What are you doing?" Cori yelled as she looked from the fallen cow to the flames licking at the rear of the trailer.

"Saving our lives." Kenzie glanced out toward the dark waters beyond the wooden slats. Between the oceanic crosswinds and the movement of the ferry, the smoke was billowing upward and outward, away from them and the crazed animals.

Screams of "Fire!" were shouted in several languages just beyond the trailer walls, as well as panicky orders from the crew and deckhands.

Cori didn't hear Kenzie's shot, but she saw the second cow crumple before her. "Stop shooting them, Kenzie!"

"And what...get trampled by these animals?" Kenzie aimed at her next target. "It's us or them, Cori. Take a look around you...we don't have many options. If I shoot enough of them, their bodies will make a barrier and the rest won't be able to get to us." Kenzie shot another wide-eyed cow and then bent down to look through the slats of the trailer. Some of the crew had unraveled the fire hose, but there was no water coming from it. It was apparent that this was not a well-trained safety crew as people ran about the deck in panicked disarray.

Cori turned back to Kenzie. "We have to get out of here."

"I'm open to suggestions," Kenzie yelled back through the chaos as she shot another cow. It fell on top of the others, creating a makeshift blockade between them and the trampling cattle.