Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) (4 page)

Carter’s wolf ran through the darkness of the valley at full
speed, his pack of clothing bouncing against his back with every stride. The
tension created by the day’s events was washed away by the utter freedom he
felt when leaving behind the world of man.

Thoughts of Gina bombarded him as he neared Mooney Falls.
Their first meeting and, of course, their last, replayed over and over in his
mind.

For the almost three years they’d been together, they’d
managed to keep their relationship a secret. Gina was Yavapai, and their tribes
would never have allowed them to continue seeing one another. So they kept it
under wraps, meeting after dark whenever possible, often spending the entire
night together.

In the beginning, Carter convinced himself that what they
had would be enough. The clandestine nature of their affair added a level of
urgency to every meeting and the excitement was intoxicating. It wasn’t long,
though, before he realized he needed more. He’d fallen in love.

When, on Carter’s twentieth birthday, his father announced
that it was time he took a wife, he knew he had to make a choice. There were
only two roads available to him. Either he fulfilled his duty as the chief’s
son and married the woman his father chose for him, or he brought his
relationship with Gina out of the shadows.

Of course, his heart ended up making that decision for him.
He’d chosen Gina.
If only she’d chosen me, too.

When he reached the base of the falls, he looked for her.
Although he had no reason to believe she’d be there, he found himself feeling
disappointed at her absence. He needed to know if it was Gina he’d seen from
the helicopter earlier that day.

Why do I care?

Gina had betrayed him. She’d captured his heart and used it
to further her own selfish ambition. Gina was Yavapai, and he’d known better
than to trust her. But he’d ignored his instincts and chosen to see what he
wanted to see. Because of that, he’d lost everything. But, no matter how much
he hated her for what she did, he also hated himself for allowing it to happen.

So, why am I here again?

A pebble skipped off the rock to Carter’s right, landing at
his paws. Then another and another. He backed away into a shadow created by the
moonlight, his jet-black fur allowing him to become invisible. The pebbles were
falling from high above him but he couldn’t see who—or what—was there. The
noise from the falls made it impossible to hear anything other than the drone
of cascading water.

Keeping an ever-watchful eye on the space above him, Carter
moved further from the water. The horseshoe-shaped canyon that housed the
narrow falls had a natural incline up one side, and Carter used it to reach the
plateau at its top. It was a popular place for tourists as the view was
spectacular, but not at this time of night. Darkness made that plateau even
more dangerous than it was beautiful. If someone was up there, they were either
lost, stupid, or up to no good.

As he rounded the curve, Carter heard the voices.

“I don’t care if they do find out. Everyone else got to go
except us. It’s not fair.”

“That’s crap and you know it. No one under sixteen was
allowed to go. It’s the rules.”

“Screw the rules! I’m going. You wanna act like a baby, go
ahead.”

Carter listened as the obviously young boys continued to
argue. It was an age-old disagreement presumably experienced by every pair of
siblings in the world. One wants to break the rules while the other doesn’t.
Normally, Carter would have simply left the two to their argument, allowing
them to work it out. In this case, though, he couldn’t. Those kids could get
hurt, or worse, if he left them up there alone.

Shifting to his human form, Carter pulled on the clothes
from his pack and walked toward them. Although his eyesight was nowhere near as
keen in this form, the moonlight made it easy enough for him to find them. They
were still in the throes of their argument and failed to even notice they were
no longer alone. Carter couldn’t help but smile at their adolescent behavior.

“If you tell Mom, I’ll kill you!”

“I’m not gonna say nothing, Ben. I promise. It’s just that
we’re not supposed to be anywhere near here. You know what’ll happen if we get
caught.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen, Lou. Geez, you are such a baby
sometimes. I’m not gonna join the fight or anything. I just want to see them
kick some Havasupai ass, that’s all.”

The smile immediately left Carter’s face as realization
dawned on him. A raiding party was being sent to the village.

When he stepped back, his right foot landed on a small rock
and his ankle twisted painfully. Carter chastised himself for being so
careless.

“Who the hell are you?” The older boy, Ben, he thought,
puffed up his chest in a feeble effort to look tough.

“I’m Carter, and you’re gonna tell me when the raiding party
is planning to hit my village.” Carter limped forward, in no mood to deal with
some snot-nosed kid’s attitude.

“Like hell I will.”

The younger one, Lou, grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “We
should go, Ben. Now.”

“No way. This guy can’t even walk right. We can kick a
little Havasupai ass of our own.”

“Come on, Ben. Don’t be stupid.” Lou was now tugging on his
older brother’s shoulder.

Carter stared the boys down. “Listen to your brother, Ben.
He’s obviously the smart one.”

Ben’s testosterone must’ve been in full swing because,
instead of backing down, he raised it up a notch. “It’s happening now, you
moron.”

Shit. I’m out here nursing a broken heart while the
village is being attacked.
Carter turned his back on the little turd and
his brother and moved as quickly as his ankle would allow off the plateau. He
had to get back before it was too late. He’d only made it a few steps when he
heard the struggle behind him escalate. He looked over his shoulder in time to
see Ben shove his little brother away and charge toward him.

Carter’s eyes widened in fear. Not at the boy about to
attack him, but at the boy who’d just been pushed over the cliff. He made his
choice in an instant. Although he knew his village—and his friends—needed him,
that boy needed him more.

Forgetting the pain in his ankle, Carter pushed Ben aside
and sprinted to where the boy went over. He felt a rush of relief as he saw the
boy clinging to the rock wall less than five feet down. His fingertips had
found a crevice, but his feet were flailing as they tried to find purchase of
their own. “Kid,” Carter yelled. “Stop swinging your feet. You’ll lose your
grip.”

To Carter’s surprise, the boy immediately stilled. The fear
in his eyes was evident, but he was dealing with it well. “Don’t worry. I’ll
get you up.” Carter turned around to find Ben muttering to himself and pacing
back and forth. “Ben, get over here. I need your help.” The boy didn’t respond
so Carter walked over, grabbed him by the shirt collar, and leaned down until
they were nose to nose. “Ben, your brother can’t hold on for much longer. I
can’t reach him by myself. I need you to help me.” The boy’s gaze finally met
Carter’s and he nodded his understanding. “Are you wearing a leather belt?”

“Uh, yeah. Why?’

“Make sure it’s buckled properly. I’m going to lower you
down to your brother. You need to grab one of his wrists with both of your
hands and hold on tight. I’ll pull you both up. Do you understand?”

Ben’s eyes looked like saucers as he shook his head and
stepped backwards. “No way, man. I can’t go over there. What if you drop me?”

“I won’t drop you, but I need you to do this. Lou doesn’t
have much time.” Carter could see that his words weren’t penetrating. Ben kept
shaking his head and saying no over and over again until he simply turned and
ran.

“Dammit.” Carter turned his attention back to Lou. “Hang
tight for a second, kid. I’ll be right back.”

There was a copse of trees by the creek that fed the narrow
waterfall and Carter ran to it. He needed a heavy branch that had at least one
other branch growing from it. When he found one, he grabbed it at its base and
pulled down. Although it bent, it didn’t break. Carter chastised himself, for
the second time that evening, for not bringing a blade.
Where’s an Amazon
when you need one?

Placing all of his weight on his now throbbing ankle, Carter
used his other foot to kick the branch. Again and again he kicked until finally
he was rewarded with a loud crack. He grabbed the branch, tore it the rest of
the way free, and ran back to Lou.

“All right. I’m going to lower this branch down to you. When
you’re ready, I want you to grab it with your weakest hand right here.” Carter
placed his hand in the V shape created by the offshoot branch to demonstrate.
“When you’re sure you’ve got a good grip, put your other hand right above the
first one. Then I’ll pull you up. You got it?”

Lou nodded his head and took a deep breath.

Carter lay down with his head and shoulders over the edge,
spreading his legs as far as he could for leverage. Although the boy would have
a natural handhold on the branch, Carter wouldn’t be so lucky. He gripped the
top of the branch as firmly as he could and lowered it to Lou. “This is it,
kid. You can do it. Whenever you’re ready.”

Lou looked up at him and Carter tried to send him every bit
of strength and courage he could muster through his gaze. “You all right?”
Carter asked.

“Yes, sir. Just trying to figure out which of my hands is
the weakest.”

Carter couldn’t help but laugh. “If you don’t know, then it
doesn’t matter. Just pick one and go for it.”

The boy slowly released one hand from the rock wall and
grabbed the branch.

“That’s good, kid. You’re almost there.” Carter tightened
his grip, ready to take the boy’s weight.

“You sure you can hold me?”

“I could hold two of you. Now stop talking and grab the
branch.” Carter’s bravado did the trick and Lou gave up his hold on the wall.
Carter felt his body slide forward as soon as the boy’s weight was transferred
to the branch. He immediately arched his back, causing his feet to push down
for leverage.

The pain was instantaneous, and without equal pressure from
his lower extremities, his right shoulder lurched over the edge. The branch
jerked, and the boy let out a yelp, but held his grip. Through clenched teeth,
Carter said, “
It’s
okay. I’ve got you.”

This time, it was Carter who took a deep breath. He once
again arched his back and applied pressure with his feet. Knowing the pain
would come didn’t lessen it, but it did allow him to work through it. Carter
pulled the branch up, inch by inch, by placing one hand below the other until
he was able to grasp the boy’s wrist. With one last tug, he hauled the boy up
until his head and shoulders were on the plateau. Then he reached down and
grabbed his belt to pull him the rest of the way up.

They both lay on their backs for a few minutes, recovering
from the exertion. Carter was the first to speak. “I’m sorry to have to leave
you like this, kid, but I’ve got to get back to my village.” When they stood,
Carter took a tentative step and almost crumpled to the ground.

Lou grabbed his hand to steady him. “You can barely walk. I
know first aid. I can wrap your ankle for you.” He pulled a handkerchief out of
his back pocket and held it up for Carter to see.

Although he did need his ankle wrapped in order to make it
back, Carter needed it wrapped while in his wolf form, not his human one. Three
legs were better than one. “Thanks, kid, but I’ll be all right.”

“You can, uh, shift first if you want to. That would
probably be easier for you.”

Carter smiled and nodded his head. He’d forgotten how much
easier things were when people knew his secret. “I’ll be right back. Thanks.”
He limped his way to the nearest bush that would give him privacy. He put his
clothes in his bag, strapped it to his back, and then shifted.

“A wolf backpack. Cool idea,” Lou said, as Carter’s wolf
hobbled toward him. “I’ll have that leg fixed up in no time.” He tore his handkerchief
into strips and expertly wrapped Carter’s hind leg. “There you go. Try and put
some weight on it.”

Carter did as instructed and was pleasantly surprised at the
stability of his leg. The kid had done a great job.

“Hey, I forgot to say thank you. So, thank you. Really. And
sorry my brother’s such an ass.”

As he turned to walk away, Carter looked over his shoulder
and gave the boy a quick nod of his snout.
Cool kid. Must be adopted.

When Carter entered the village, winded from the two-mile
sprint, his heart sank. The attack must have been brutal. Dozens of people, all
battered and bruised to varying degrees, were wandering around as though unsure
of their surroundings. He saw Han and Jackie outside the entrance to the small
schoolhouse and joined them.

“Are you guys all right?”

Han gave him a weak smile. “We’re fine, but remind me not to
come here on vacation. What the hell was that? One minute everything was quiet,
then the next an episode of
Wild Kingdom
broke out.” Han usually turned
to humor in times of stress, and Carter appreciated the effort.

Jackie, on the other hand, looked furious. “It was them,
wasn’t it? The Yavapai? Jesus, Carter, there were kids playing right there.”
She pointed to the open area out front of the school. “We need to get those
sons of bitches. Quickly.”

There weren’t many things in the world that scared Carter,
but an angry Jackie came pretty close. “We will. What’s the situation here
like?”

“No casualties so far, but twenty-five or so wounded. The
clinic was too small, so we’re turning the school into a makeshift triage unit.
There’s not a lot of medical personnel on site so we’re helping in any way we
can. We at least have field training.” It was just like Jackie to take charge,
and Carter wondered if any of these people knew how lucky they were to have her
there.
Right now, I’m guessing they probably aren’t feeling very lucky.

“Where do you need me?”

“I should have known you’d show up after it was all over.
You’re conveniently away while they attack us?” Carter’s former friend shoved
him hard.

It was the wrong moment for Bill to come after Carter. He’d
had about enough for one day of smart-mouthed bullies that seriously
overestimated their ability to back up the garbage they spewed. “You want to do
this now? Really? Fine. Give me your best, Bill.”

Carter saw the punch coming and easily blocked it. Bill,
however, wasn’t so well trained. He took a left hook to the jaw and a right
uppercut to the solar plexus before stumbling backward and landing hard on his
ass. Carter stepped forward, intent on finishing him off and working out the
frustration that had built throughout the day, when a loud voice stopped him in
his tracks.

“Enough!”

Bidzil stepped between them. “There has been too much
violence this day. I will not allow you to add more.”

“He doesn’t belong here,” Bill yelled as he scrambled to his
feet. “He’s not one of us anymore. He has no right to be—”

“That’s enough, William. Go see to the chief.” Bidzil stared
him down as though daring him to say another word. “I said, go.”

 After giving Carter a hard stare, Bill let out a
guttural noise and stomped off.

“If looks could kill, that guy might actually become
dangerous,” Han said.

Carter thought he saw a hint of a smile cross Bidzil’s face,
but it was quickly replaced by a stern look of disapproval. “I expect better
from you, Carter.”

 “I know. I’m sorry. He just gets under my skin.”

“Only because you allow him to do so. That has been your
weakness since you were a young boy. Allowing another to influence your thoughts
and actions is a mistake you must avoid.”

“I’m trying, Bidzil.”

“You must try harder.”

Han interrupted. “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

Carter gave Han an incredulous look. “Seriously? You’re
quoting Yoda to me?”

“It seemed to fit the moment.”

Carter felt the tension drain from his body at his friend’s
wisecrack and began to focus again on the situation at hand. “Bidzil, tell us
what you need us to do.”

“First, you need to take care of that ankle,” he answered.

“How did you …? Never mind.”

The next few hours were exhausting. Jackie separated the
schoolhouse into three zones—serious, moderate, and minor injuries. Bidzil and
the nurse from the clinic worked together to take care of those who were
seriously injured. Jackie, along with two Havasupai women, dealt with the
moderate injuries while Carter and Han were relegated to cuts-and-bruises duty.

There were only two patients that came close to not making
it. They’d both lost a lot of blood through the deep gashes they’d sustained,
but a few pints donated by relatives, and more than a few stitches, had them
stable within an hour.

The line of people coming in to check on their loved ones
was never ending. Many tears were shed, and many angry looks were thrown at
Carter. Bidzil’s words played over and over in his mind, giving him the
strength to ignore the hostility.

By the wee hours of the morning, all of the patients were
sleeping soundly. The nurse offered to spend the night in case of emergency, so
the others said their goodbyes and left the hospital behind.

The air outside was cool, and Carter took a deep, cleansing
breath. He’d had a very long day and wanted nothing more than a good night’s
sleep and a bag of ice for his ankle.

But that was going to have to wait.

Carter’s father strode toward him with Bill at his side.
Apparently, during his absence, his one-time friend had become the chief’s
right-hand man.
Why
am I
not surprised?

“Carter,” the chief said. “The Council has voted and a
decision has been made. You are not welcome here any longer. You and your
friends must leave at first light.”

Bill’s smug smile began to eat away at the thin layer of
control Carter had managed to keep. To his surprise, though, it was Bidzil who
responded first.

“As always, the council’s decision will be abided by. But
you should know that this action will have consequences. I fear there is more
going on here than even you realize, and that we are ill prepared to deal with
it. I urge you, and the council, to reconsider.”

The smile left Bill’s face, replaced by a look of nervous
anticipation. He obviously hadn’t expected anyone to question the chief’s
orders and was worried he might rescind them. The anxiety, however, was
short-lived.

“The decision is final,” the chief said flatly. “You and
your friends will leave at dawn.”

Carter couldn’t help himself. “Your wife’s fine, by the way,
Bill.” He gestured toward Jackie. “You can thank my unwelcome friend for saving
her life.” Having no interest in hearing his response, Carter turned and walked
away, followed closely by his friends.