Did you know that I name characters after people I know? When I wrote Sleeping With the Wolf it was sort of a gag gift for a couple of gals at work. I had no intention of getting it published. So Carla and Lisa are based on co-workers. So are Marissa and Faron Paulson, Ray Madison, Mel Dirk, Connie Mondale, and Jon and Tanner Allersen. I often change their names slightly but keep their general appearance. I jokingly tell new hires that they may end up as a character in my book. A couple of weeks ago, I asked my co-worker Jon how he’d like to die. I gave him a choice between being shot and being knifed. He chose, very tongue-in-cheek, to die by knife.

So I am sad to report that my friend and co worker Ray Mason passed away recently. His name was Martin Raymond Mason so he has two characters named for him. He died far too young. I dedicated the paperback version of Victoria’s Cat to his memory. He will be missed.

Even though I didn’t work any overtime last week, I was busy and didn’t do much writing. I didn’t even get a chance to write at Word Weavers last night. I was locked out of my laptop, and another gal’s keyboard died, so we decided to call it a night after critiquing a chapter from Tina Holland. So I have only a teensy teaser for you tonight. Sorry!

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Chapter Fourteen

The chain attached to his neck clanked when Cole lifted his head to catch the faint whisper of a beloved scent on the cold early morning air. Gina. The scent faded so he knew she was moving away from him. The wolf, yearning for his mate, wanted to howl. Closing his eyes, Cole lowered his cheek back to the dirty floor of his cage. He tested each muscle and joint and was satisfied. Four hours with no more torture had given him back some of his strength.

By angling his head just right he could see the cage that held his brother twenty yards away. A guard armed with a long rifle sat between them. Unlike the last guard, this one remained alert. Wolf’s Howl hadn’t been tortured yet, and maybe he wouldn’t be. By now Red Feather would have taken word back to Omaha. They would be rescued by the Pack and Clan. Gina, too. He made himself rest, giving his body every possible moment to heal more.

His mate’s scent came again, teasing his nose and making his wolf crazy. The wolf’s agitation surprised Cole until he caught the extra note in Gina’s scent. Blood. His mate was bleeding! It took all his control to not leap toward her scent. From the clank of chains and enraged growls twenty yards away , Wolf’s Howl wasn’t as controlled. But the scent faded again.

Cole settled against the floor again, trying to relax. He had to get out of here and take care of his mate. What had been done to her? The thought of her alone, hurt and afraid, twisted his guts into festering knots. He was her mate. He should be able to protect her. Instead he was chained in a filthy cage like an animal.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay silently raging over his helplessness before he noticed a new scent. Distant but getting nearer and clearer each second. The Pack had arrived.

It was 63 today!! It really feels like spring now. I meant to go for a walk, but decided to write a little more. Only one big chapter left and the epilogue, and then the rough draft of Gina’s Wolf is done. What comes after that?

Creating cover art.

Editing and re-writes= second draft

Beta reads/feedback

Polishing, incorporating beta readers’ feedback into the final draft

Send it to the editor

Re-writes based on editor’s comments and suggestions.

PUBLISHING!!!

Good news: I have an slot reserved with the editor for mid June. That means the book will be out and available around mid-July. Depending on how much re-writing I need to do. So, it is getting near. Soon you will be able to read this (much polished) book from start to finish. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!

Here is the next bit in the story. Note: I am moving the location of the inner knife sheath to the back of the jeans, in slant so the hilt will be easy to grab and draw.

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“Ma’am,” stuttered one of the guards. “Mrs. Todd, what happened here?”

Jon pushed past the guards to her mother. “It’s obvious what happened. She murdered the president. Arrest her.”

A horn sounded three short blasts. The guards looked at each other. “We’re under attack!”

Her mother snapped, “Go! Find General Atwater.”

The two guards ran out. They apparently missed Jon’s raised hand. Jon took half a step after them but stopped, clenching his fist.

“Unacceptable,” he ground out in his gravelly voice.

On the ground, the president gurgled. Gina hopped back, staring down at him in horror. He was prone, his arms and legs splayed, one cheek resting on the canvas floor. The one eye Gina could see looked filmy, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his lips.

“He’s still alive,” she croaked. She should do something to help him. She swallowed and crouched down to look for the bullet wound. Blood spread in a dark circle over the center of his back. “Is there a clean napkin?”

No one moved to check the table for napkins. Her mom was watching Tanner and Jon with narrowed eyes. They were watching her. Gina got up and went to the table. No clean napkins. She opened the chest that held the clean table ware and found a stack of clean cotton napkins, Grabbing the whole stack, she knelt again by her stepfather. One of his hands was palm down near his face. The fingers twitched. Gina took one of the napkins and pressed it to his back.

The sound of his breath rattling in his chest made Gina shudder. “Somebody, help.” Tanner and Jon both looked at her but didn’t move. “Help! I don’t think he’s breathing.”

Her mom’s cool face crumpled momentarily, then firmed again. Tanner turned a glare on her. “Murderess,” he proclaimed with relish. “You’ll hang.”

Mom ignored him. “Gina, double check.”

Reluctantly, Gina turned back to her stepfather. Only minutes ago, he’d tried to choke her. The front of her throat hurt from the pressure of his thumb on her windpipe. But she couldn’t just let him die, could she? Todd’s eye seemed to focus on her for a brief moment before it rolled so only the white showed through the slit between his lids. He let out a slow breath and his whole body seemed to shrink. His face went utterly slack.  Gina looked up. “I think he’s dead now,” she said numbly.

“Check him for a pulse,” Jon ordered.

Gina had no idea how to do that. “You do it.”

“No.” Her mother motioned to the door with the gun she still clutched. “Gentlemen, please leave. My daughter and I will tend to my husband.”

Tanner laughed angrily and advanced on her. “You’re under arrest.”

Shouts came from outside the tent. Gina turned her head to look toward the door, but it remained closed.

Jon said, “Tanner, let’s go. If the camp is under attack we need to get out of here.”

Tanner ignored him, reaching to take the pistol away from her mother.

“Young man, you should leave,” her mother said in a tight voice.

He didn’t, snatching at the gun again. “You grab Gina,” he tossed over his shoulder at Jon. “I’ll get  the mother. We can take both of them with us. Brother Saul will pass sentence on the murderess.”

Jon hesitated before leaning down to grip Gina’s shoulder and haul her up to her feet. “Come on, wife. Time to go.”

“I’m not going with you,” she snarled, struggling to break free of his hand. “Let me go.”

Jon hauled her close to his body. “I’ll pick you up if I have to. Better to come without a fuss.”

Gina tried to dig her heels in. “I’ll scream.”

He laughed shortly. “Who will hear you through that racket?”

The noise outside had increased. It sounded like a battle. The shouts and screams of men were punctuated by distant gunfire. Another shot sounded so close that Gina jumped and tried to duck instinctively. Jon’s fingers dug into her arms.

“Tanner!” His deep voice was almost soundless. Gina followed his horrified gaze and saw Tanner fall back and then drop to the floor. His head… She had to look away from the bloody mess.

Jon’s hands slackened. “Bitch,” he growled. “Murderess twice over. An eye for an eye, saith the Lord.”

There was murder in his eyes as he let go of her and launched himself at her mother. Gina scrambled after him but tripped over Todd’s arm. From her knees, she saw her mother raise the pistol again. Her finger tightened around the trigger. Gina flinched, expecting another blast of gunfire.

Click. Click.

Jon laughed savagely when the gun failed to fire. He ripped the pistol from her mother’s hand, twisted his hand so he held it by the barrel, and struck her across the face with the gun butt. Blood flew from her mother’s nose.

“Stop!” Gina scrambled to her feet and rushed him. “Stop it!”

Without pausing, Jon swung around and clocked her with the gun. She fell, half dazed, into a sprawl on her back. Something dug into her tailbone. The knife. She was an idiot. She had forgotten the knife! A little dizzy, she got to her feet and reached for the knife. It came into her hand with an ease that amazed her. Just like in practice. Jon was still beating her mother, bending over her fallen body.

A throat slice would be easiest, but his back was to her, so she probably couldn’t get to his throat. A wild stab to the back would probably result in her blade getting stuck in his vertebra or rib. She wet her trembling lips and angled the knife so the blade pointed out and up. Gaze centered on his lower back to the right of his spine, between his hip bone and ribs, she took one quick step toward him and jabbed the knife into his back with all the force she had.

He snapped up with a cry between a scream and a roar. The hilt of the knife was jerked from her hands, slippery with blood. She was too slow to avoid the gun butt as it crashed against her head. She fell, curiously cold and weightless, into a deep well of darkness. AS he light faded, she thought she heard someone far, far away calling her name.

The river crested yesterday at 35.03 feet, the 7th highest flood since records started being kept in 1902. It didn’t really cause much trouble, not like in 2009. But we’re not quite done with our spring woes yet. A nasty blizzard will barrel through Nebraska, South Dakota, southern North Dakota and southern Minnesota. Fargo will probably be on the edge of it. We may get 6 to 8 inches plus some wind, or we may just get a little wind and rain. It just depends on what Mother Nature decides to do. But it will definitely be different temperatures compared with what we had last weekend. I wonder if the weather they are having in the book (Omaha in late March) should be a little colder?

Speaking of the book, I have a good snip for you. I really need to go in and add a little details about the setting. What does the tent look like, where exactly are the characters, things like that. So this is pretty bare bones. I meant to do some self editing and fleshing out last night, but I came down with a nasty stomach bug and I just couldn’t do it. But I hope the main line of the story is clear. Enjoy!

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There were many latrine areas around the perimeter of the camp, but Jon and Tanner led her in the opposite direction of the cage where Cole was. She almost protested. She wanted to see Cole but making a fuss would just draw more attention to him. And the latrines in this direction were on the edge of camp. Could she get away?

No, she could not. They followed her right up to the latrine. Tanner even tried to follow her inside the cramped booth. She turned furiously on him. “There’s not room for two people in here,” she snarled. “Even if I wanted you in here, which I don’t.”

Tanner slapped her face with casual violence. She fell against the wall, holding her cheek and gaping at him in horror. “Don’t ever use that tone with me,” he warned.

There was blood in her mouth. She spat it at him. Tanner reacted with the expected fury. Jon grabbed his arm to hold him back. “Watch it,” he muttered to his brother. “Wait until we’re away from here before doing that.”

Tanner ran a sneering glance over her. “What are you waiting for? Me to offer to wipe your ass? Get in there and get it done. We need to be on the road by daybreak.”

She went in and fumbled to lock the door. She couldn’t leave with them. She could not be their wife. From outside the thin walls she heard Tanner say, “I get her first.”

“I’m older,” Jon countered in his mild voice. “And neither of us will get her first. You know dad always goes first.”

Brother Saul? Did he mean that Brother Saul would have sex with her? The thought made her stomach revolt. Or maybe it was the stench of the waste in the latrine. Gina would have stayed in there for hours, but the odor was too horrible. It was almost pitch black but she imagined the ditch under the booth was overflowing. She took as much time as she could, but after only a couple of minutes, Tanner pounded on the door.

“Hurry up. You don’t want me to come in there to get you.”

She spent a moment imagining the pleasure of pushing his head down the hole. That was only a fantasy, so she buttoned her pants and opened the door with a stoic face. She brushed past the brothers and made for the harem tent.

The ache in her cheek and lip intensified to a throb as she strode along. She was sure her face was swelling. What would her stepfather do when he saw the evidence of Tanner’s violence? Just before she got to the tent Tanner made an attempt to grab her arm. One of the guards blocked him. Gina could have hugged the private. She ducked under the door flap that the other guard held open for her and charged for the area she’d last seen the President. He was still there, sitting at the table with her mother. Brother Saul and the officers were gone.

“I’ve packed your bags,” her mother began, but her voice trailed off when she saw Gina’s face.

Satisfaction at her mother’s reaction warmed Gina. She turned to Todd. “I cannot marry them” she proclaimed, pointing to Tanner and Jon who had followed her in. She blotted blood from her lips with the back of her hand and held it out to show it to him. “See what Tanner did to me?”

“An accident,” Tanner said breezily. “It’s dark out there. I couldn’t see where she was.”

Her stepfather wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Just like squabbling children,” he sighed.

Gina clenched her fists. Was he going to overlook it? He couldn’t. Backing down now after making a point of her treatment at breakfast would make him look weak.

A man flung the door flap open and burst into the dining section.
Red-faced and sweating, he was panting as if he had run a long way.

“Sir,” he wheezed. “A classified blue message for you.”

Gina watched her stepfather take the envelope. The messenger backed away, his hands braced on his thighs as he sucked in air. Blue was the highest level of classification, but not for wartime. As Todd read, his face was dead white, then almost green. He crumpled the paper and pressed it to his chest.

“Get out,” he screamed. “Out!”

The messenger rushed for the door flap, followed by Tanner and Jon. Gina didn’t want to follow them anywhere. They would probably take the chance to bundle her off to their commune. Her mother didn’t leave, so Gina eased herself to one side of the room and watched her stepfather. He clutched the paper to his heart sand rocked back and forth in his chair.

“My son,” he moaned. “My son.”

“Gerald.” Her mother put a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”

 He flung her off. “My son is dead! Suzanne lost the baby. I am cursed to have no children.” The dreadful grief in his voice turned to vicious anger. “None but your ungrateful, disobedient daughter.”

Gina swallowed, recognizing the budding signs one of his insane rages. She should have followed Jon and Tanner after all.

“After all I’ve done for you, how does she treat me?” His voice rose with every word. “She runs away. She lies to me. She disrespects me. She disobeys me. She embarrasses me in front of my allies. I won’t have it!”

She definitely should have left. He had never raised his hand to her, but in this mood, he was capable of anything. His lips were shiny with drool. Bad sign. That was a very bad sign.

“Where is she?” he screamed.

Her mother glanced over at her. He followed her gaze and when he saw Gina his entire face lit up with an unholy fury. Gina cringed involuntarily.

He drew himself up to his full height, which wasn’t much taller than she was, but the madness made him seem ten feet tall. “You,” he spat. “I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to drown you. Your mother refused to allow it. I am a loving husband, so I was merciful. And this is how you repay me? My son is dead!”

Gina almost blurted that she hadn’t killed the baby. She took a sidling step toward the door flap.

“You stay right there,” he screamed. “I’ll have justice for my innocent son.”

He came at her with hands extended like claws. Gina back pedaled as fast as she could.

“Gerald!” Her mother’s voice was hard and cold. “Stop.”

Gina sent her mom a quick glance and her moth sagged when she saw the pistol in her mother’s hand. Belatedly, she remembered that she had a knife. How could she have forgotten it? All the times she had practiced pulling the knife out were worthless now. She fumbled, her hands too icy and shaky to grasp it easily.

“Gerald, stop. You’d regret hurting her when you calmed down. Please.”

He barked a contemptuous laugh, latching onto Gina’s throat. “You die now, just like my son.”

A thunderous crack deafened Gina. The hands cutting off her air fell away, and her stepfather looked into her eyes with mild surprise before sliding to the ground tarp. Gina gaped at the smoke rising from the barrel of the pistol in her mother’s hands.

“Mom?” she said.

The door flap was flung open and the two guards ran in. Tanner and Jon followed them. Jon’s face turned harsh with accusation. Tanner laughed. Laughed? Gina tore her eyes from her mother’s pale face to stare at him.

“Murder,” Tanner said gleefully. “Fraticide. No, not that. What is it called when a wife murders her husband?”

“Justice,” her mother spat.

“Ma’am,” stuttered one of the guards. “Mrs. Todd, hat happened here?”

Jon pushed past the guards to her mother. “It’s obvious what happened. Arrest her.”

A horn sounded three short blasts. The guards looked at each other. “We’re under attack!”

We have been very, very lucky here in the Red River Valley. We were expecting a major flood, but our melt has been very gradual. It’s still below freezing at night, so it melts a bit during the day and then stops until the sun comes up. So instead of a major flood we will have a moderate one. The crest is forecast to be around 20 feet over flood stage, so it’s not like we’re completely dodging the bullet, but we are in good shape to fight this flood. Some bridges are closing and some rural roads are under water, but my volunteer shift for sandbagging has been cancelled. So more time for writing!

I’ve been doing some thinking about the little snip last week featuring Carla and Taye. I still haven’t decided whether or not to include it. I appreciate your comments. They made me think about several points. I think I will ask my editor what she thinks.

This week’s snip is a little awkward. There just isn’t a good place to end it so you are kind of left hanging. Sorry about that!

Chapter Thirteen

Gina was close to despair when she heard the sound of dishes and cutlery clattering and caught the scent of bacon and coffee. Breakfast was being served. She hadn’t slept much. Maybe she hadn’t slept at all. Her mind spent the night rushing from one impossible escape plan to another. Nothing she’d come up with was likely to work.

She got off the cot with a pounding head and a stomach that couldn’t decide if it wanted to growl with hunger or turn itself inside out. Her mother’s calm voice spoke in a murmur from another part of the tent. Gina lingered in her curtained-off section, trying to hear what her mother was saying. If she were a wolf like Cole, she would be able to understand every word, but she wasn’t. She adjusted the knife in its inner sheath, lifted her chin, and strode out to the dining area of the tent.

Her mother sat at the foot of the table, her stepfather sat at the head, and Brother Saul and his two sons, Tanner and Jon, were on one side and a few of the officers of the army occupied the other. Relief touched her when she saw that neither was Major Ellis. She recognized them but didn’t know them well.

Gina was noticed immediately. President Todd ran a frowning gaze over her. Brother Saul rose from his chair and moved to the other side of the table. Tanner pushed his chair back and came to her. He gave her a smarmy grin.

“You look like you slept in your clothes,” he sneered.

“I did,” she answered with a smile that hid clenched teeth.

He didn’t grab her arm as much as catch the flesh on her upper arm in a pinch. “Come sit down. Eat fast. We’re leaving after breakfast.”

 She managed to neither scream nor punch him. The painful pinch was the only reason she followed him to the table. As she sat down in the chair his words sank in. “You’re leaving?”

“We are leaving,” Jon corrected.

Tanner sat next to her and leered. “You’re our wife. You come with us.”

She looked at her stepfather, who smiled benignly at her. “I’m already married,” she informed him.

“To whom?” he inquired coldly.

The words stuck in her throat. The truth would be dangerous to Cole, and a lie wouldn’t come.

When she didn’t reply, he waved a hand. “I didn’t give my consent. It’s not legal.”

“I am over twenty-one.” That came out easily enough, although her voice wobbled. “I don’t need your consent. And how could I be married to them? There wasn’t a ceremony.”

An ugly shadow ghosted over his face and faded into serenity. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, Georgina. I am the President. I am the law. I married you by proxy to the Allersens two days ago.” His voice rose with every word. He paused and gathered himself. “In any case, if your husband is in Omaha you will be a widow very soon.”

A tiny bit of tension eased in her. He didn’t know that his captive was her husband. She wanted to ask how soon but didn’t dare. She reached for the platter of scrambled eggs. Tanner seized her wrist.

“Do you love him?”

“Jealous?” she asked.

His grip tightened so she couldn’t suppress a gasp. “No,” she lied. “I only married him because they made me. But I am married.” The pain forced a choked scream out of her. “Let me go!”

“Indeed.” Her stepfather’s mild voice took on a sweet note that made her blood run cold. “Tanner, I believe I mentioned once before that I don’t like to have my daughter manhandled like that. Release her.”

He did, with a sullen look. Jon inclined his head coolly. “We certainly don’t intend to harm our wife. But since she is our wife, she is no longer your concern.”

General Anderson raised one bushy black brow. Todd set his fork down with great care. “Georgina is my daughter whether she is your wife or not. Her mother would be unhappy to know her daughter is not treated with respect. If my wife is unhappy, I am unhappy. You do not want me to be unhappy with you.”

Gina shot a glance at her mother. It didn’t look like she was paying any attention to the conversation.

Brother Saul made patting motions in the air. “No, we don’t. I’m sure my boys will treat Georgina with all the respect she deserves.” He turned his gaze on her. “Please be patient with them. They are young.”

Gina managed a tight smile. She wanted to jump to her feet and scream that she wasn’t married to them, they were pigs, and she hated them. Instead she reached again for the eggs. She wasn’t hungry, but she would need to keep up her strength. Jon gently pushed her hand aside and took up the spoon himself.

“One spoonful or two?” he asked politely. “Bacon?”

A polite monster. His courtesy was probably due to her stepfather’s implied threat. He poured her coffee and sat back to watch her eat. Gina took her time with her breakfast. Inwardly, she spun in frantic circles, trying to find a way out of this. Another pleading glance at her mother told her she would get no help there. Why couldn’t her mom be like Carla? Carla would do anything to save her kids.

At last she could eat no more.  Jon told her, still polite, to go get packed. “I need to use the necessary first,” she said. “Excuse me. I’ll be back.”

Tanner gave her a toothy grin. “We’ll escort you. This is an army camp.”

She ground her teeth. “I’ll be fine. No one here will hurt me. I’ll be right back.”

“We will accompany you.” Jon stood and held her chair.

Trapped, Gina cast another glance at her mom. There was a tiny pucker between her brows that smoothed out as soon as she saw Gina looking. “Go ahead, dear,” her mother said. “I’ll get your packing started.”

Jon smiled stiffly. “Please set out a change of clothes for your daughter. I’m sure she would appreciate  something fresh to wear.”

Why was she going along with this? Be hauled off by these goons to be their ‘wife’? Gina opened her mouth, but her stepfather cut her off.

“You’ll go, Georgina,” he told her. “You can go on your own two feet, with dignity, or you can go tied up like a criminal. Your choice.”

Gina seethed in silence. He would do it. Being free gave her a better chance at fight or escape. “Fine,” she ground out. She marched to the door flap, hands clenched. Jon and Tanner went with her. Outside the tent it was still dark. “What time is it?’

“Half past five,” Jon said imperturbably. Having a wife who hated him didn’t seem to cause any concern. “This way.”

There were many latrine areas around the perimeter of the camp, but he led her in the opposite direction of the cage where Cole was. She almost protested. She wanted to see Cole but making a fuss would just draw more attention to him. And the latrines in this direction were on the edge of camp. Could she get away?

We are getting close to the end of this story. AT LAST!! I am not sure that this scene will make it into the book. This will be the last book in this world (at least for the foreseeable future) and I thought it might be nice to tie it up with a scene featuring the couple that started the series off in Sleeping With the Wolf. But this little scene doesn’t really add anything to the actual story, so maybe it doesn’t really belong. What do you think? Do you think readers would like this little bit or do you think I should delete it and just have it here on my website? Let me know what you think.

It was nearly midnight when Taye Wolfe climbed the stairs to his room at The Limit. Since coming to Omaha, he’d spent most of his time with Mayor McGrath or at the headquarters building. He missed his mate. He missed holding her warm body, even more beautiful to him now with the extra softness that came from bearing his children. The silver threads in her hair and fine lines around her eyes marked the joys and sorrows they had shared over their years together. He missed talking with her and laughing with her. The sooner this ugly business with Todd was over the sooner he could take her home where she belonged.

He had an hour free now. A forward scout, his cousin Wolf’s Shadow’s oldest son, Eagle, had arrived at the headquarters building to inform him that the reinforcements from the Pack and Clan would arrive an hour after midnight.

“Go back,” he told Eagle. “Tell them stay outside the city and to get ready to attack. Cole’s been taken prisoner. The rest of us will meet you west of the city so we can plan the attack on the Kansas-Missouri camp.”

Eagle gave him a fierce grin. “We’ll slaughter them.”

Yes, they would. That fool would pay for trying to take his Cole’s mate away from him. Before dawn Taye would lead his warriors in battle, but he had an hour free now and he wanted to spend that hour with his mate. They could take comfort in each other’s arms.

He was still yards away from his bedroom door when he heard the muffled sounds of his mate crying. He rushed down the hall and threw open the door. He didn’t need the dim glow of the lap to see his mate on the edge of the bed. She facied away from the door, but she leaped to her feet and twisted to face him. At the sight of him she scrambled over the bed and threw herself at him.

“Taye!”

He held her close. Each of her sobs cut him like a knife. “Sweetheart? What is it?”

She clung to him, her fingers gripping his shoulders while she pressed her cheek into his shoulder. “I’ve done something awful. Oh. Taye, I’m so sorry.”

“Sweetheart, what is it?”

“I was so worried about Colby.” She pulled back a few inches and wiped her wet cheeks. “And Gina …”

He could almost smell her remorse and guilt. He smoothed a tender hand over her hair. “What?”

Carla swallowed. “I let her get away. She went to rescue Colby.”

“What?” he said again, in a very different tone. He took his arms away and put his hands on her shoulders to lean back and look at her more closely. “Carla, what are you saying?”

Carla wiped her other cheek. “Well, you said you wouldn’t trade Colby, that he was just a casualty of war. I wanted to get him back.”

“Carla.” He dropped his hands and stepped completely out of her reach. “You thought I’d just let our son be tortured and murdered? Don’t you know better? We’ve been mated for more than twenty-five years!”

Her tears came again, gleaming in the dark hazel eyes he loved to gaze into. “I know! I was stupid. I was so worried, and you said …” She swallowed. “I heard you say it, on the wall this morning. And Gina̶ -“ She broke off to gulp back more tears. “But after I got home tonight, I started to think. You wouldn’t sacrifice Colby.” She crumpled, hands over her face, and wailed. “I should have known! But why did you say that?”

“Because I couldn’t know if there was a spy or traitor listening who could report back to Todd.” Her anguish broke him. He put his arms around her again. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. The Clan and Pack are close by. We’re going to attack the enemy before dawn. We’ll get Cole back. And Gina too.”

He drew her back to the bed. She shuddered in his arms, weeping as if her heart would break. Or perhaps had already broken. He rocked her like a baby.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered. They wouldn’t indulge in the lovemaking he’d anticipated. His mate was too upset for that, but they could hold each other for an hour. There was comfort and strength to be had in that. He laid his mate between the sheets and curled around her. Tiny sobs still shook her.

“I’m such an idiot,” she confessed. “I’m sure Gina is in trouble and it’s all my fault!”

A wise mate wouldn’t agree with that, and he wasn’t stupid. “It will be okay. Maybe she and Cole are on their way back here already. If not, we’ll get them back.”

Slowly, her shuddering sobs faded. “You’ll be leaving soon to attack.”

It wasn’t quite a question. “Yeah. In thirty minutes or so.”

She was quiet for a long while. “You could be killed.”

He never lied to her. “Not likely, but possible.”

She twisted away suddenly and reached for a handkerchief on the bedside table. After wiping her face and blowing her nose, she tossed the handkerchief to the floor and turned to face him again. There was no hesitation in her when she pulled her nightgown off and dropped it beside the bed.  “Make love to me.”

That was easy. After spending half his life loving this woman he knew exactly how and where to touch to arouse her passion. He lingered over her mouth, caressed her small breasts, stroked the waist that was not as slim as it had been when they first mated. All of her was infinitely precious to him. When he slid into the welcome of her body, the sweetness of it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Afterward he reluctantly rose from the bed and dressed. Carla watched him with a trembling smile. He leaned down to give her one last kiss. “I’ll bring them back,” he promised.

She nodded bravely. “I’ll be waiting.”

The weather has turned nice. It’s been in the 30s most of the week. We will get into the 40s over the weekend!

Of course, that means flooding. I’ve seen the pics of flooding all over the Midwest and my heart goes out to them. It is so dreadful to see homes and towns covered with water. The mayor of Fargo has declared a state of emergency already, and we still have 10-12 days before the river crests. Let’s hope our volunteer sandbaggers will keep up.

Enough of bad news. The good news is I am making good progress on the book. I have hope that Gina’s Wolf will be out in late June or early July. More details to come in the future. Meanwhile, here is another little snip for you.

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Cole counted every second that rushed by. How much longer until a guard made his rounds? Finally, Wolf’s Howl shook out his arms and took up his stance. He pulled. The bars were bending more readily now.  Another inch. Two. Three.

A lazy voice edged with a sneer drawled, “Well, isn’t that impressive?”

Wolf’s Howl spun, shoving Gina behind him with an elbow.

A gravelly voice replied. “Very. That steel alloy is supposed to be the strongest in the world.”

From his position with his head chained only a foot from the floor Cole couldn’t see around his brother, but he knew who was speaking. Jon and Tanner Allersen.  He had met them a couple of months ago at The Limit when they’d all been staying there. He hadn’t remembered them until this afternoon when they’d watched his torture with sniggering commentary. They and their crazy father, Brother Saul, had been on the train from Omaha to Kearney, but instead being shot like the other men on the train, the Allersens were greeted as friends by the Kansas-Missourians. They had informed Todd about the train that carried his stepdaughter. Cole growled deep and low in his throat. They were the reason Gina had been recaptured by Todd.

Cole could see Wolf’s Howl’s leg muscles bunch as he prepared to spring on the two brothers. Before he could though, two powerful spotlights snapped on and flooded them with light.

*

Gina threw an arm over her eyes to protect them from the blinding light. Damn it. Damn it, they had been so close to getting Cole free.

“And look who we have here.” Tanner Allersen’s voice made her want to scream. “I believe that is our bride.”

“Dim the lights.”

That was her stepfather’s voice. Gina swallowed, dropped her arm, and made herself stand up. She had a plan for this eventuality, but she hadn’t shared it with Wolf’s Howl. She hoped he’d understand. She hoped Cole would understand. Growing up with Todd had taught her to hide her feelings and put on an act. This would have to be her best act yet.

She pushed away from the cage, looking at her stepfather. “At last, I’m safe,” she cried. The tremble in her voice was very real. “Finally, I’ve gotten free from them.”

Wolf’s Howl tried to keep her behind him. “Sister,” he began.

She shoved him away. “Don’t touch me,” she screamed.

Rifles were raised. Todd gestured to her. “Come here, Georgina.”

She walked to him, skirting around the Allersens. He halted her when she was still two yards away. A few of the rifles followed her while the others stayed directed at Cole and Wolf’s Howl.

“You wanted to return here.” It was a statement, but Todd’s cool voice implied a question. “That is not the information I was given.”

“I was stolen from this camp when I went to use the necessary. I didn’t leave by choice.”

In the dimmed light her stepfather looked coolly skeptical. “Did Major Ellis misunderstand your refusal to return when he went to Omaha to present my terms?”

“The meeting at Omaha’s City Hall?” She matched the coolness in his voice. “What else could I say with all of them so close to me?” She gestured vaguely at Cole and wolf’s Howl. “I had no choice.”

“I see.” Todd tilted his head and folded his arms.

“Yesterday morning at the gate, I tried.” She did her best to sound convincing. “I shouted that I would make the prisoner exchange, but they made me shut up.”

One of the men to her stepfather’s right stirred. “That’s true, sir. I heard her.”

Todd pinched his chin and regarded her with the same cool stare. “And now you escaped?” he suggested. “And took this young man captive, I suppose? Forced him to accompany you here to this camp?” His voice sharpened. “And forced him to break into the cage that held his fellow creature.”

“No, of course not. Taye Wolfe ordered him to go with me. We were supposed to free him.” She jerked her chin at Cole, not looking at him. “Then the men would leave and I could stay here.”

Todd chuckled. “That’s a silly story, my dear. Would you like to try again?”

“It’s the truth.” She put her heart into her statement, trying to look open and honest. “Why would I make up something so preposterous?”

“If Mr. Wolfe was willing to exchange you for his man why didn’t he do it outside the walls of Omaha yesterday morning?”

“He didn’t want to look weak in front of Mayor McGrath.”

Her stepfather pinched his chin again. “That’s almost plausible. Very well. Jon and Tanner, escort your fiancée to her mother.”

Gina swallowed. “My mother?”

“She refused to leave without you, and what loving husband would force his wife to abandon her daughter?” Todd’s smile was sweet enough to make Gina want to gag. “Go along, now. I have business with these creatures.”

Gina cast one swift glance at Cole and Wolf’s Howl. A hint of shock hid behind Wolf’s Howl stony face. She wanted to pass Cole some message of love so he’d know she would find a way for all of them to escape, but with his brother blocking the way, all she could see of him was his bare, battered body crouched in the cage. She turned away and let Tanner take her arm in a bruising grip.

Tanner gave her a big shit eating grin. “Did you miss me?”

Gina looked away. “I want to see my mother.”

Jon moved up to her other side and the three of them walked toward the center of camp. Behind her Gina could hear men shouting and a wolf snarling. She didn’t look back, even when the snarl turned to an agonized yip. It was up to her to find a way out for all of them. She didn’t know how she would do it, but she would, and she had to do it soon. If only she could count on her mom for help, but that was a useless thought.

Her mom stood just inside of the harem tent in a heavy wool robe and thick socks, holding a lantern that cast a faint golden glow over her stern face. She barely glanced at Gina. “Thank you, gentlemen,” she said dismissively to the Allersens and gestured Gina to enter the tent.

Jon and Tanner looked like they might protest, but the two guards drew the door flap closed. Gina’s mom led the way through the dark tent to the curtained section that had been her bedroom. She used a long splinter of wood to light the lantern on a small table. In the light Gina recognized the trunk that held the clothes someone had packed for her in Kansas City sitting at the end of the cot. She knew it held all the clothes meant for the daughter of a powerful man. Party dresses and other gear totally inappropriate for an army camp.

“Good night,” her mother said.

Gian looked up. “That’s all you’re going to say? No questions? Not even an I-missed-you?”

Her mom didn’t turn back. “Don’t try to leave. If you need the necessary, use the chamber pot beneath the bed.”

Gina stared at the canvas door as it swung closed. Her shoulders sank. For a little while she had been free of this prison, but here she was again. She dropped to the cot and buried her face in her hands. She thought she could save her husband. Instead, she had given her stepfather another subject to torture. She had to get out of this mess, and she had to take Cole and Wolf’s Howl with her. But how?

As usual, I will begin this blog post by talking about the weather. Today was the first day since January 7 that we got up to freezing. That is more than two months! It was so warm that the parking lot is like a lake with ice burgs half submerged.

Fear not. It is not spring yet. We are expecting a ‘massive and possibly historic’ winter storm starting tomorrow afternoon and going through Friday morning. If you want to read about it you can click the link. My day job office may close, but since I’m a telecommuter I will work. Unless I lose power. But that won’t be fun either. Hopefully this will be the end of the bad weather. So all we need to do it get through this and then the flood and it will all be good.

I’ve been making good progress on Gina’s Wolf. I’m getting excited as I move into the final act of the story. I spent several hours playing with cover art last weekend. I need to contact my editor and see when she has a slot open. You know what this means? Depending on her schedule, this book may be out in early summer!

Here is today’s snip. I hope you like it.

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Cole didn’t want to wake up. The pain was waiting to engulf him in flames of agony. He lay on the cold metal floor of the cage and tried to slow his breathing. Was he himself? Or was the wolf out? Very cautiously, he opened his eyes.

A furry leg with less fur than usual was in front of him. Between the patches of fur, the red flesh was blotched with charring. The stench of burned meat made his stomach turn. The wolf was out. Memories thudded into him like clubs. He had been forced into a choke collar like they used on dogs, and it was fastened to the floor of the cage in a way that allowed him to lift his head only twelve inches. The floor reeked of blood, dead skin, and singed fur. Or maybe that was him.

Gerald Todd was a madman. From noon until midnight he had performed what he called scientific experiments on him. He wanted to see if the man healed burns at the same rate as the wolf. He watched dispassionately as coals were applied to man flesh on the left side of his body and waited with implacable patience until the wolf forced his way out in an effort to protect the man.  Then he had the coals applied to wolf flesh on the right. Every reaction was written down.

“No screams?” he asked at one point with mild interest.

Cole hadn’t bothered to respond even though he’d been in his man form at that time. He was a wolf warrior of the Lakota Wolf Clan, and wolf warriors did not give their enemies the pleasure of seeing their pain. At midnight he thanked Cole for his cooperation and told him to get some rest. Tomorrow they would see how he healed from stab wounds.

Cooperation. Cole almost growled out loud. Gerald Todd would die. If Cole himself was unable to do it, his father and kin would. Cole eased his head to the side so he could see the sentry posted a few yards from his cage. The man’s eyes were closed, his body slumped in the chair. Stupid sentry shouldn’t sleep on duty, but Cole was glad for his incompetence. Time to let the wolf go back so Cole the man could get rid of the collar. The collar was tight on the wolf, but a little looser on the man. But try though he might, he couldn’t pry the thing open. He lay his head down again to conserve his strength. Cold didn’t normally bother him, but now he was weak with pain and blood loss, and the cold crept deep into his bones.

A scent teased him. It was there one minute, and then faded, only to return and fade again. He let the wolf out to use his superior sense of smell. The scent was faint. Familiar. Safe. His nostrils flared, trying to catch and identify it.

Dad.

Fierce joy surged through him.

Not just dad. That was … His mate? The cold that weighted his bones was nothing compared to the cold that covered him now. No. No, Gina couldn’t be here. This was the last place she should be. He closed his eyes and dropped his head, forcing back a whine. The heavy chain connected to his collar clanked.

“Hey.” The sentry stood up from his chair, glaring at Cole. “Shut up there.”

The wolf lowered his head and closed his eyes as if sleeping. Was dad here or was Cole just imagining it? And if dad was here, why couldn’t he scent anyone else from the pack? Dad wouldn’t come alone with Gina. The wolf inhaled deeply. That was his little brother. Dad, Wolf’s Howl and Gina? That didn’t make sense.

A quiet sound had the wolf’s eyes open again. The sentry slumped bonelessly in the chair and the scent of blood rose fresh and sharp in the air. A dark shadow separated from the rest of the shadows, too small to be his dad or brother.  It moved in a rush to the cage.

“Quick, Wolf’s Howl,” his mate hissed. “He’s chained up.” She knelt beside the cage, hands clutching the bars. “Oh, Cole.” Tears gleamed in her eyes as she looked him over.

He forced his wolf back and took human form. “I’m alright,” he whispered. He tilted his head to look up at his brother. “Where is everyone else? Dad?”

Wolf’s Howl shook his head. “We’re it. Your mate was coming alone to rescue you. I tagged along.”

He loved his mate, and he loved that she cared enough to come for him, but that was the stupidest thing she could have done. “The guards have a rotation. One will check on me in about thirty minutes. You have to work fast. If you aren’t finished within twenty minutes, you have to leave me. Take her out of here and keep her safe.”

“No,” Gina said.

“Okay.” Wolf’s Howl handed Gina a knife. “Step back, sister. Go search that guard for keys while I work on this. We’ll have him out before any guards come.”

In spite of the pain and horror, Cole smiled to see Gina sheath the knife in the inner sheath in her jeans with one sure motion before she retreated. His mate wasn’t helpless.

Wolf’s Howl crouched, wrapped his hands around two bars, and pulled. His face contorted with the effort. The bars moved a hair’s breadth. His brother released the bars with an explosion of breath, rested a second, then positioned himself again. Every muscle in his bare body bulged as he strained to pull the bars apart.

Cole wanted to help. He was chained in the center of the cage and neither his arms nor legs could touch the bars. If he’d been able to reach that far, Todd would already be dead.  He tried again to pry the steel collar from his neck, but, as with every other time he’d tried, no matter how he gripped it he was too weak to budge it.

The bars groaned as they parted three inches. Wolf’s Howl collapsed against them, shaking. “Almost,” he panted. “One more time.”

Cole forced himself to not order him to hurry.  “Good job, Howl. You are the strongest in our generation. You can do it.”

His mate rushed over. “I can’t find any keys,” she said franticly.

“That’s okay,” Cole said. “My brother has just about got this cage open. Right, Howl?”

His brother nodded, rising again and taking hold of the slightly bent bars. “Ready?

“Wolf’s Howl, you are amazing!”

Cole would have been jealous of the admiration on her face if it hadn’t been directed at his brother.  He couldn’t believe she was here. Once they were back in Omaha he was going to have long talk with her. Not until after he’d covered her entire body with kisses, but they were going to talk.

The bars groaned again and slowly parted another few inches. Wolf’s Howl fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Gina stuck her arm in the gap and then inched her shoulder through.

“Not big enough. Even if I could fit, I can’t pull that chain out of the floor,” she said. “Can you do more?”

Wolf’s Howl nodded. “Just need to rest a few seconds.”

Cole counted every second that rushed by. How much longer until a guard made his rounds? Finally, Wolf’s Howl shook out his arms and took up his stance. He pulled. The bars were bending more readily now.  Another inch. Two. Three.

A lazy voice edged with a sneer drawled, “Well, isn’t that impressive?”

Yes, it is still winter. You’re probably getting sick of hearing that. I’m pretty sick of saying it. Or actually, I’m sick of having it. For some reason I think March means spring. But of course it doesn’t. We’re getting possibly 12″ of snow or more over the weekend. Some of the worst blizzards in history have been in March. The last really bad March blizzard in Fargo was in 1966. The drifts were so big that trains were completely buried. Men stood on top of snow and their heads were level with power lines. You can read a little about that blizzard here

This snip is a bit short, and a little confusing, because I keep changing the name of the young wolf warrior with Wolf’s Howl. It was Looking Glass, but I thought that sounded a bit feminine so I changed it to Owl. But Owl and Wolf’s Howl are too much alike so I’ll probably change it again. Any suggestions?

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

“I have to<” Gina insisted. “I can’t sit around waiting. Todd is probably already torturing Cole. Besides, I am the one who knows where Cole will be held and how to get through the camp without being seen.”

The second man said, “We’ll go with you.”

Gina blinked. “What?”

Wolf’s Howl grinned and pounded a fist into his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, great idea, Owl.” He turned the grin onto her. “We will be your escorts. You shouldn’t be out here on your own.”

 “No. Aren’t you patrolling? That’s your job. You need to stay here and do it.”

Her brother in law’s face turned stony. “You’re not going anywhere alone. Dad wouldn’t like it.”

She almost blurted that Taye wouldn’t like them going with her either. They would get in trouble for abandoning their patrol. “You can’t.”

He cocked his head like a dog. “Cole could be hurt. How will you bring him back if he can’t walk?”

That stopped her. She should refuse. But he made a good point. And they were tall and strong, and with them along she wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. She sighed. “Okay, but we better get going. It’s a long walk to the camp.”

She ended up not doing much walking, since the men took turns carrying her at a ground eating lope. One turned into a wolf and ran ahead while the other carried her like a baby. They switched off every half hour or so. Gina felt awkward. She didn’t know them well. Wolf’s Howl was her husband’s brother whom she had only just met. Owl was a complete stranger. They were naked. Didn’t running naked hurt their dangly bits? She almost giggled at the thought but kept it to herself. It didn’t seem to bother them. The breeze created by their speed cut right through her, but they were warm, so she ignored any thoughts of their dangly bits and held on.

“There,” murmured Owl as he slowed his pace. “I can smell the camp ahead.”

She sniffed as he set her down. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Fire. I smell fire, maybe for cooking.”

What time was it? Much too late for supper, too early for breakfast. She squinted up at the sky, but she didn’t know how to read the positions of the stars to tell time.

“It’s about two hours after midnight.” Wolf’s Howl’s low voice startled her. He must have returned from scouting and changed back to a man without her even noticing. “Where is he?”

Gina was silent, gazing in the direction the camp must be. She was pretty sure Cole would be in one of the cages the army travelled with to punish soldiers. Those were usually on the back of a flatbed truck parked near the mess tent. That location was one the entire army would see regularly. Todd liked to remind his men what happened to troops who displeased him. But it might be different with Cole. Todd might keep him somewhere close to his own tent.

“Sister, where?” Wolf’s Howl was insistent. “Tell us so we can go and get him.”

She jerked her head to around to stare up at him. “You can’t go.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Did you think you would go alone?”

“Yes. I know the camp and if I get caught, I won’t be …” She trailed off, not wanting to say ‘tortured’. Because her stepfather wouldn’t cut her or experiment on her but what he would do wouldn’t be pleasant. “Hurt. You stay here. I’ll go find him and bring him out.”

Wolf’s Howl folded his arms over his chest. “No.”

“No?”

“Keep your voice down,” Owl hissed.

Gina swallowed. “No,” she said again, more quietly. “It’s too dangerous for you to go.”

“You can’t go. What if you can’t find him? I will be able to sniff him out. And if he is chained, are you strong enough to break him free? And if he has to be carried, will you be able to put him over your shoulder and run?”

Fists clenched, Gina glared. His argument was unanswerable. Owl put one hand on her shoulder and one on Wolf’s Howl’s. “The longer you fight, the more time we lose. I will stay here. You will both go. If something goes wrong, I can go for help.”

“Nothing will go wrong.” Gina closed her eyes briefly. Please, don’t let anything go wrong. It might have been a prayer, but she wasn’t a religious person. On the other hand, if they got Cole safely away, she’d be willing to go to church every week.

“Nothing will go wrong,” Wolf’s Howl affirmed. “If we aren’t back by dawn, go back to Omaha.”

While the men clasped forearms, Gina turned and marched toward the camp. Her brother in law caught up in a flash. “I will go first,” he told her firmly. “I know where the sentries are and how to get past them.”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

She followed him, stepping carefully over the muddy ice. This was really happening. She was going into her stepfather’s camp. A tiny voice screamed she was an idiot, and for a moment her stomach felt like it was filled with cold lead. But she had to find Cole and get him out. She wasn’t completely helpless. Her hand strayed to the hilt of the knife at her waist. She had to do it.

She fixed her eyes resolutely on the broad bare back in front of her and went to rescue her husband.

Winter is still not over!

Not surprising, of course, since it’s only the end of February. The last day it was above freezing was January 7. We broke the record for the most snow ever in February a few days ago. We’ve had five blizzards now and several winter storms, plus some light snow like we’re having today. I think it’s supposed to be 3 more inches by midnight. I just LOVE shoveling my car out. At least there isn’t much snow in the forecast. Just a couple of inches on Friday, but that’s March so it doesn’t count. As you can tell from the temps, it doesn’t feel like winter is going to end anytime soon.

I’m still on overtime at the day job, so writing time has been hard to come by. The thing is I do have time, but I am so tired and crabby after my ten hours that I just don’t want to do anything but play stupid Facebook games. So please excuse the shortness of this teaser. Friday is the last day of overtime so I plan for more writing time this weekend.

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Carla allowed herself to be pulled several yards away and fell into deep, raw sobs. The two men went with her, making timid, ineffectual sounds of comfort. Carla’s grief and anguish sounded too real to be pure acting. As she moved stealthily toward the door, Gina inwardly promised her mother-in-law that she would free Cole or die trying.

Gina closed the little gate silently and hurried over the muddy snow to the cover of the brush one hundred yards away. Even outside the wall she could hear Carla wailing and figured she had at least until her mother-in-law quieted before the guard would climb back up to the walkway at the top of the wall and look out. Surely he wouldn’t abandon his Lupa while she wept.

Gina made it to the brush and paused to catch her breath. She couldn’t hear Carla anymore, but whether it was because of distance or because Carla had calmed down she wasn’t sure. She started off toward the river with caution, trying hard to walk as noiselessly as Cole had on their journey to Omaha, but it was impossible. She cringed at every rustle of a twig as she passed through the shelter of the brush. She had to watch where she was stepping so her foot wouldn’t get sucked into mud. Walking like that was hard and slow. It was about a mile to the river. How far after that to Todd’s camp? She wasn’t sure. Her pace faltered as she calculated. Could she even get there before morning? Her heart threatened to sink.

It didn’t matter. She would figure it out.

Creeping through the dark, deserted city had been spooky, but slogging through the dark, deserted countryside was scary too. Broken remnants of buildings from the Time Before were the scariest of all. Cold shivers danced along her spine every time she saw a tumbled wall with windows staring at her like empty eyes. You’re brave, she told herself. What you’re doing is too important to let a spooky walk stop you. She wasn’t sure about the first part, but she was determined to find Cole and free him. The details of that plan were still a little murky, but something would come to her.

She found the river by stumbling down the bank and skidding on her back through icy mud.  For a moment she lay there, panting and trying to force tears back. A sound from the top of the bank, almost too low to be heard, froze her breath in her chest. A glance up showed two hairy creatures with gleaming white fangs and ferocious glowing eyes.

The creatures sprang down the six-foot bank right at her. Tears blurred her vision before she flung an arm over her eyes.

“Gina?” cried a male voice above her. “Sister, what are you doing here?”

“Why do you smell like the chief?” said another.

She lowered her arm.  Two men stood there, stark naked, their hair long and black. “Wolf’s Howl?”

Her young brother-in-law crouched and laid a careful hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? How did you get here?” He glanced around. “Where is your guard? You can’t be here alone.”

She struggled to sit up. He put on hand under her arm and pulled her to her feet. How annoying that the teenager was taller than she was. She tilted her chin. “I’m going to get Cole.”

The second man, who was just as young as Wolf’s Howl, scowled. “With who?”

“No one. Just me.”

Instead of immediately dragging her back to Omaha, Cole’s brother looked thoughtful. “You can’t go by yourself.”

She relaxed a little. “I have to. I can’t sit around waiting. Todd is probably already torturing Cole. Besides, I am the one who knows where Cole will be held and how to get through the camp without being seen.”

The second man said, “We’ll go with you.”

Gina blinked. “What?”

Wolf’s Howl grinned and pounded a fist into his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, great idea, Glass.” He turned the grin onto her. “We will be your escorts. You shouldn’t be out here on your own. Dad wouldn’t like it.”

She almost blurted that Taye wouldn’t like them going with her either. She should refuse. But they were tall and strong, and with them along she wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. She sighed. “Okay, but we better get going. It’s a long walk to the camp.”

Sorry I missed last week. It was my mom’s birthday. She’s not as old as I thought she was. She was born in 1935, not 1933, so she is 84. She has dementia, which is an awful, awful disease. She is not as bad off as some people. That is, she dresses herself (when she feels like it. She often stays in her jammies and robe all day) and uses the bathroom herself. She says the same thing over and over, and over. She asks the same question every few seconds because she has no idea she already asked that. Anyway, I brought over supper and my brother baked a cake and stuck a whole forest of candles on it. When we carried it in singing Happy Birthday her whole face lit up. Seeing her big smile always makes me happy.

We’ve had a few days of warmer weather. I think it hit 17F this week. Of course, we’re expecting 2-4 inches of snow tonight. The weather man said he doesn’t expect it to get above freezing until the first week of March. The last day above freezing was January 7. Remember me saying I love winter? Well, I do, but there can be too much of a good thing!

I have been writing quite a bit. Well, actually, I’ve been mostly deleting what I write, since my idea isn’t panning out the way I hoped it to. I’ve decided to just push forward and get something written. I can edit garbage but i can fix a blank page.

Who do you think should kill President Todd? Or should he live? On with the story:

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It was good to be moving in the chilly air.  Gina wasn’t nearly as smooth and confident with her blade as Rose, Carla and Patia, but she knew she was better than the first time she had picked up a knife. Wouldn’t her stepfather be surprised by her increasing proficiency? Surprised? More like horrified. She bared her teeth in a smile at the thought.

Her body slowed as a new thought came to her. She knew how to set Cole free. All she needed to do was get out of Omaha and into her stepfather’s camp. Taye would never let her go. She turned to her mother-in-law and blurted out her plan.

“No.” Carla’s voice was as firm as her husband’s. She looked away from Gina and sheathed her knife. “I will not tell the gate guards to let you leave. Taye would never forgive me. Even if you managed to free Colby, he wouldn’t forgive me either. Taye will make a plan to rescue Colby.”

“But not in time!” Gina looked imploringly at Rose and Patia. They appeared sympathetic, but not encouraging. She turned back to her mother-in-law. “Carla, do you know what Todd will do to him? He’ll study him. Maybe stab him to see how quickly he will heal or cut off a finger or two to see if they grow back.”

Carla shuddered visibly. “I can’t,” she said, slightly less firmly.

“Please,” Gina begged. “Please, just go to one of those little gates Cole told me about and tell the wolf on guard to let me out. I can go to the camp and let Cole go before he gets experimented on.”

Carla pressed a fist to her mouth. “Even if you made it to camp, how could you set Colby free? There will be guards.”

Gina tilted her knife so the weak March light gleamed along its edge. “I know where they’ll keep Cole, and I know where the guards will be. I’m not very good with this yet, but I know where to stab a man now.” She looked at Rose. “You can drill me in it again. We have time since I can’t leave until dark.”

Rose nodded, but her pale brows pulled together. “We can’t just stroll out of the house to the wall. Running Fox won’t allow it.”

“I am Lupa.” Carla’s shoulders went back. “I will be obeyed.”

“Yes!” Waving her hands triumphantly, Patia did a little dance.

Rose shook her head. “Do you think an order to open the gate for Gina to leave will be obeyed? Even coming from you?”

Carla faltered. “No,” she admitted, stopping Patia’s dance cold.

“Mom!”

“So we’ll have to be sneaky about it,” Carla went on.

“Mom, maybe you could just distract the guard for a minute,” she suggested. “Long enough for Gina to slip out.”

Rose looked Gina up and down and tapped a considering fingertip against her lower lip. “The guard will smell you,” Rose said. “We’ll have to disguise your scent.”

A breath she hadn’t known she was holding rushed out of her. “You’ll do it?”

Carla’s mouth tightened. “I don’t like it. If anything happens to you…”

She hadn’t had long to think about it, but Gina knew what she was about to say was true. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t try to help Cole. I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.”

Carla sighed. “Okay. But this won’t be easy. We can’t leave The Limit without a guard, much less prance through the city on our own.”

Gina’s shoulders sagged. That was true.

“You can ask for Shouting Rain to escort us,” Rose suggested. “His hearing isn’t as good as some. I think I have an idea.”

Rose’s idea wasn’t much. All Gina would have to do was slink along behind Rose, Carla, and their guard through Omaha until they got to the wall, wait until Carla lured the men away from the door, and sneak out. It could work. It had to work.

After supper the women spent the hours before full dark rubbing Taye’s T-shirts and sweatpants all over Gina in an effort to cover her scent with his. She and Carla practiced synchronizing their walking rhythms so only one set of footsteps would be heard.

“We’ll make as much noise as we can while we walk, so no one will hear you following us,” Rose said encouragingly.

“I want to go too,” Patia protested. “Aunt Rose is going.”

“No.” Carla shook her head. “Your father will be furious enough.” She bit her lip and looked at Gina. “This isn’t a good idea,” she began.

Gina rushed to cut her off. “Don’t change your mind. Please. It will work.”

Carla gave in. “Alright. Patia, stay here and make sure everyone thinks Gina is in her room.”

Patia reluctantly agreed to stay back. “But only if you promise to talk dad into letting me go visit Ray in the hospital tomorrow.”

“Promise. That will be safer than this.” Carla cast Gina another uncertain look. “Okay, you slip out to the garden while I pitch a fit and demand to go to the wall. Be ready to follow us.”

It worked. In a few minutes Carla and Rose came out of the house with a tall, stocky man Gina vaguely recognized. Both women were talking animatedly and walking heavily, almost stomping, really. It made it easy for Gina to walk in time with them, hiding the sound of her footsteps. The streets were completely deserted. The eeriness of it sent a shiver down her back. In all her months in Omaha she’d never seen the city empty. She kept about fifteen yards behind Carla, Rose and their escort, but she wished she could follow more closely, just to be near other breathing humans.

It seemed the wall was just as deserted as the city, at least until a shadow moved from the narrow walkway near the top.

“Lupa?” called a man softly.

The man who came quickly down to the ground was also vaguely familiar, but what caught Gina’s eye was the outline of a door in the wall.

“Lupa?’ he said again with concern. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see the door my son left through,” Carla announced in a loudly tragic voice. “Colby,” she choked out, covering her face with her hands. “Oh, Colby.”

Rose put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the door. “Don’t cry, Carla. Come on, it will be okay.”

“Colby,” wailed Carla.

She allowed herself to be pulled several yards away and fell into deep, raw sobs. The two men went with her, making timid, ineffectual sounds of comfort. Carla’s grief and anguish sounded too real to be pure acting. As she moved stealthily toward the door, Gina inwardly promised her mother-in-law that she would free Cole or die trying.