Eye of the Falcon Read online

  Besides, how could Gray understand the bizarre events that had occurred when Eagle found this woman? Eagle didn’t understand them himself. But he knew, from that moment on, it was his job to protect her. In whatever shape or form was required. In his personal experience he’d seen the enemy in many different disguises. He often intuited when and where the attack would come from. And he was damn sure it was coming. And soon.

  If he hadn’t trusted Gray, Eagle wouldn’t have called him. As he studied the older man, he wondered just how much he trusted him now. Because if he told anyone she was here, … then Gray had suddenly become the weakest link.

  Eagle dropped his gaze and walked to the window and studied the yard around the house. The birds had returned to normal in their pens. They were one of the best security systems he could possibly have. Along with the two dogs.

  He turned back to Gray. “Are you with me?”

  Gray was already prodding the woman’s shoulder. “I think the bullet went through the soft tissue and missed the bone.”

  Eagle walked over and sat down. “Stop.”

  Gray’s fingers froze.

  Eagle pointed. “On that side, a lump is under the skin.”

  Gray whistled. “Pass me the scalpel, will you?”

  Eagle reached over to the towel that held the surgical instruments. He picked up the scalpel, passing it to him. He knew what came next. He grabbed one of the antibacterial cloths and quickly wiped the area. He watched and waited as Gray made a precision cut through the skin and went digging for the bullet so damn close to the surface that it had almost gone through by itself. When he grabbed the tweezers and pulled it out, Eagle held out his hand for it.

  Eagle studied the bloody bullet. Then shook his head. “A .22. Somebody shot her with a .22 rifle.”

  “Good squirrel gun but it doesn’t do so much for humans.”

  “She isn’t much bigger than a squirrel.”

  Grimly Gray nodded. “How long do you think she was kept captive?”

  “That’s something I need to find out. Do you think she’s naturally skinny, or is this malnutrition? As in, could this have developed through weeks to months of captivity?”

  “It’s malnutrition. It’s prolonged stress. I’d say she’s been a captive without food for at least a week, potentially with skimpy rations for a couple months, but she’s naturally lean.”

  “Once again we’ve come up against the nicer side of humanity.” Eagle’s voice was sarcastic, even though he tried hard not to let it out.

  But he’d seen too much of the world to hold much faith in people. He settled back and watched as Gray stitched the tiny wound closed and placed a bandage over it. When he was done, they shifted her position so her shoulder was up and her arm supported with a pillow under it to stop the shoulder blade from pulling on the wound.

  “You better find some clothes for her. Her skin tone is turning gray, and she’s seriously anemic. We need to give her some vitamin shots. But, if she’s hypothermic, that’s another thing altogether.”

  With the same thought, Eagle straightened and walked upstairs into his bedroom. He pulled out a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. When he came back, he said, “I’m pretty sure these will swim on her.” With help from Gray, Eagle quickly dressed her, being careful of her shoulder and her many other bruises, scrapes, and cuts. As they pulled the sweatpants over her hips, Eagle said, “I’m worried about that green spot.”

  “You should be,” Gray said. “That looks like a blow to her right kidney. Probably a direct punch to gain compliance.”

  A muscle worked in Eagle’s jaw as he nodded. “And the rest?”

  “I’m hoping they’re all superficial. But I think this rib on the side is cracked. Without an X-ray, I don’t know for sure.” He turned and glanced at Eagle. “Do you know anybody who would give her an X-ray without asking too many questions?”

  Eagle shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

  “What about the vet you use for the birds?”

  Eagle shrugged. “I don’t know that anyone would let me bring in a human patient.” He studied the frail woman. “How badly do you think she needs it?”

  “It would be the first thing I’d have done if I was in a hospital. I don’t like some of these bruises. I don’t like the fact multiple colors are in the same spot.”

  Eagle pulled a big sock over her foot, tucking it under the loose sweatpants leg, almost smiling when it came to her knees. With the second one on, he tucked her under the bedcovers.

  As he walked out of the spare bedroom with Gray, Eagle said, “I saw lots of that out on missions. Systematic torture. The same bruises day in and day out. And the sustained damage never quite heals.”

  “And they’re all strategically placed of course.”

  “The one on her right kidney is for sure.”

  Gray nodded. “That’s where I think she was somebody’s punching bag for longer than a week. Given her condition, I suspect she’s been missing for several weeks.”

  “Why? Why would somebody do that?”

  Gray stopped to look at Eagle, shoving his hands into his pockets, his medicine bag packed up beside him. “You have to realize there is a good chance she’s been sexually molested. There could be damage on the inside too.”

  Eagle leaned forward. “There was no bruising on her thighs or around the pubic area.”

  “I know. I saw that. And maybe that’s a good thing. But people will rape as a punishment. As a power and dominance thing, not for the sexual pleasure of it. And they’re also quite likely to use an object for the same purpose.”

  Inside his gut Eagle felt something tighten down. It was pure anger. “There was no blood,” he said slowly. In his mind, he searched back to when he’d first seen her. “There was no blood except from the fresh bullet wound and on her head. There was no dried blood anywhere else.”

  “That doesn’t mean she didn’t go through a creek, and it washed off.” He nodded toward her. “However, I agree no bruising was there, and, given the colors on the rest of her body, I’ll surmise she wasn’t sexually assaulted.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her.” Inside Eagle sighed with relief. It wasn’t a guarantee of course, but he trusted Gray’s skill. There wasn’t much he hadn’t seen in his life either.

  “You do that. You might want to consider contacting Annie too.” Gray picked up his bag. “I’d say it’s been a fun time, but I’m not sure I’ll sleep tonight, knowing she’s here. Call me if her condition changes.”

  “I will.” Eagle hesitated a moment. “Thanks for coming.”

  Gray lifted a hand. “Don’t make me regret that I didn’t drive her to the emergency room myself—or that I should’ve called the sheriff.”

  “If you do,” Eagle said in all seriousness, “you just signed her death warrant.”

  Gray shot him a hard look. “And likely your own.” He turned and walked out.

  Eagle didn’t give a damn if he took a bullet. But, as he considered all the birds that needed his care, it made him contemplate what backup plans he should implement, just in case something did happen to him. It was an issue as he was the sole caregiver to so many. Several young men in town gave him a hand when he’d built the new pens. They continued to come out on an irregular basis to help out around the place, so Eagle had no idea how long until their next visit.

  Eagle hadn’t worried about his death up until now. Realizing that a real threat was imminent, he needed to consider it. And fast.

  *

  Stefan rolled over in bed. When he opened his eyes, he could see blue sky all around him. He glanced down at his mattress. But there wasn’t one. Instead it was just a big fluffy cloud supporting him as he floated in the sky. Amazed and filled with wonder, he let himself drift, wondering who and what he owed for this experience. He traveled in the ethers a lot.

  But he had yet to float on a cloud.

  He smiled in joy, closed his eyes, and reached out with his arms, letting a burst of energy from his heart
go free. When he opened his eyes again, the sky had darkened. Not with a cloud or a storm approaching but with night. And somehow the dark midnight sky was even sharper and clearer. He still floated on his crisp white downy bed, but the stars were so clear, it was as if he could touch them. He was amazed at the feeling.

  He didn’t quite understand what was going on, and he wanted to because, as soon as he could, he’d repeat this—at least he’d try to. He twisted his head to see land below him. But it was a long way down there.

  As he searched, he couldn’t identify his location. There were trees and meadows, forest and fences, plus the odd house dotted the landscape. But not any recognizable landmarks to tell him where he was. He sent out a cry in his mind, asking, “Who needs help?”

  There was no answer. None. He frowned and then realized a tiny faint trail of energy surrounded him, as if somebody had floated in this spot in recent times. There was a familiarity to it. He didn’t quite understand. He tried to track the energy, but it disappeared beneath him. As he rolled over to stare below, the world disappeared as clouds moved in.

  He tried to brush away the clouds, but there was no moving them. He rolled off the cloud, pointed himself toward Earth and dove. Just as he thought he was about to break through the cloud cover, he sat up in bed.

  His beloved Celina rolled over and placed her hand on his arm. “A nightmare?” she asked gently.

  He scrubbed his face, pulling his hair back off his forehead. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “But it was the same energy as before.”

  “The woman crying for help?”

  He turned to look down at his wife and nodded. “I haven’t heard or seen that energy in a few days. I was afraid she’d died.”

  Celina sat up, wrapped her arms around him, and just held him close. He knew how lucky he was to have her love him like she did. Well, he was more than lucky. He was truly blessed. He burrowed his face in the nape of her neck and crushed her close.

  “Can you sleep again?”

  A shudder rippled down his body. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “Maybe.”

  They lay back on the sheet, arms wrapped around each other, just giving comfort, both knowing that, at any moment, he could be pulled into another dream, another vision, or, the worst case, another nightmare.

  And he could do very little about it.

  Chapter 5

  Issa opened her eyes, her body frozen, afraid to move for the pain she knew would shoot through her system. She studied the coverlet over her, the white pillowcase under her head, wondering how long she’d been here. She had no sense of time. No idea how long she’d been away from her own home, how long she’d been kidnapped. She didn’t know if the men who’d done this had enough time to track her down or if they’d chosen to run. An insidious anger flowed through her. For what those men had done to her. What they said they’d done to her pets …

  She had so much hatred that she didn’t know how to stop it from poisoning her soul. Those men had enough hatred for everyone in the world. And all because of her family apparently. Although the kidnappers hadn’t explained, she didn’t understand and couldn’t even begin to sort out why they needed her. … Yet the boss would use any method to get the answers he wanted. Answers she hadn’t been able to give because she didn’t have them.

  At least she was alive.

  She focused on that. She didn’t know if she’d gone from bad to worse because pillowcases did not mean she was safe here. Somebody had treated the wounds on her feet. Although sore, even as she lay here, she knew they’d been cleansed. And the hands on her body had been gentle, caring, but that didn’t stop the fear inside her.

  So whoever this was, she’d thank him, but, at the same time, she needed to get the hell away. Potentially the sheriff would be after her too. In the deep recesses of the confusion of her brain, memories were mixed up. She was so afraid she might have killed one of her guards.

  She’d been covered in blood when she’d crossed the stream, falling as her raw feet struggled to keep her footing. It had been a relief to realize, when she stepped out on the other side, that most of the blood was gone. And then Roash had found her. She’d seen his broken wing and done what she could to make it easier for him.

  That he brought her here was a miracle. But, as someone who needed more than one miracle, she hoped more were available. Her bladder was full. She had no idea how long since she’d gone to the bathroom. Neither did she remember the last time she’d had water.

  Her body was dehydrated and broken. But, using the same methodology she’d always used to connect to Roash, she’d used it to help herself. Hence, Roash still sported a broken wing as she’d taken enough of his spirited energy for her own use, but that had left him short. How sad was that? She felt bad about that, but she’d been in desperate need. At the crooning beside her ear, she turned her head slightly to see the big falcon standing guard on the headboard. She murmured, “Hey, big guy. How are you doing?”

  Roash rumbled back at her. Not a cry but more a murmur of gentleness. She smiled and took that comfort back under again as she slept. This time deeper, easier, and more peaceful.

  When she woke the next time, she still didn’t feel better, but she needed to get up and empty her bladder. It refused to be silenced. She pulled off the covers first and stared down at the oversized T-shirt and massive sweatpants that she wore. Even her feet were covered. She should’ve been sweating in this getup. Instead it was a cozy nest she hated to leave. From where she lay on the bed, she could see a bathroom across the floor. And yet the distance appeared to be miles away.

  She had to stand up. Slowly shifting to a sitting position, she only cried out once as her injured shoulder jerked. She had to sit straight because of her ribs, and so many other body parts screamed for attention, yet she couldn’t do anything for them. But what she really needed was to get up onto her feet and make it to the bathroom. She took a deep breath and gathered her strength.

  “Let me help you.”

  A huge man strode across the bedroom. She froze, her eyes dark as they watched him without an expression. She’d learned a long time ago to never let anybody know what was going on inside. But he didn’t appear to care one way or the other.

  She was scooped up, her breath coming out in a harsh gasp as her ribs were dislodged.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m sure all of you hurts. And I don’t quite know how to stop that but with the passage of time.”

  She never said a word.

  He stood in front of the toilet. “Do you want to risk standing on your feet?”

  She contemplated the toilet and then said, “Yes.”

  Her voice was so faint he leaned closer.

  He nodded and gently lowered her until she had a hand on the vanity beside the toilet and a hand on him. Then she slowly dropped her feet to the floor. She blew her breath out and put weight on them. Waves of pain rolled up through her stomach, slamming into her ribs and her throat.

  She shuddered, and he quickly dropped her pants, plunked her butt on the toilet, and pushed her head to her knees. He grabbed a large bowl out of the bathtub and held it near her mouth. She fought to hold back the acid in her stomach. When she finally managed it, she sat back and groaned. “That was worse than I thought it would be.”

  He nodded. “We will have to do this for several days until your feet scab over.”

  She opened her eyes and stared at him. “I don’t think I want to ask.”

  “Don’t then,” he said reasonably. “When you’re better, we’ll discuss some of these injuries. Right now I need you to go the bathroom and then call me, so I can pick you up and carry you back to bed.” He stared down at her. “Got that?”

  She nodded. She really wanted to protest that she could get there on her own, but she wasn’t so sure she could.

  As if reading her mind, he said, “Do not do anything on your own right now. Your feet are in bad shape, and so is the rest of your body.”

  The corner of h
er mouth turned down. “Got it.”

  He walked out of the bathroom but didn’t shut the door. He was out of sight, but she had no idea where he was. And it didn’t matter.

  Her bladder released as if it finally knew it was safe to do so. When she was done, she managed to pull up her pants without standing. He walked back in, scooped her up, and softly sat her on the vanity. “Can you reach the water?”

  He turned on the faucets, and she washed her hands. It was the first time she’d really seen her hands. Lots of scratches were over her fingers; her nails were bloody and filled with dirt. She shook her head. “You saved my life. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now let’s make sure we get you back to health again.”

  She lifted her gaze to him, seeing a hard-chiseled chin and a slight dimple in his cheek when his mouth twitched. “I didn’t mean to be such trouble,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  He shook his head. “None of that. You’re in trouble. I can help.”

  She gave him a ghost of a smile. “I don’t think anybody can help. And the longer you keep me here, the greater the chances are my kidnappers will come after me and kill both of us.”

  He studied her face, his gaze intense as he searched deep into hers. She wasn’t lying. She was at the end of her rope. If she couldn’t even walk to the bathroom, no way could she run.

  Finally he gave her a clipped nod. “Let them. I don’t die easy. And I’d be sure to take as many with me as I could.”

  “There could be one less,” she whispered. “I think I killed one with a bat. But I don’t know for sure. The memories are all mixed up.”

  His arms came around her. He picked her up and walked into the bedroom. As he sat her on the bed, he said, “Good. That’s one less for me.”

  She lay back down, her face pale from the pain … everywhere.

  He pulled the covers over her. “Now sleep. Your body needs to rest.” He turned out the light she hadn’t realized was on, and the room was instantly showered in darkness.