Garner by Ann Voss Peterson

Author:Ann Voss Peterson [Peterson, Ann Voss]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pronoun
Published: 2017-03-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

A woman’s scream ripped through the humid night.

Garner’s heart leaped into his throat. He knew immediately the scream was Sabina’s. He could feel it in the pinch of his gut and the shot of adrenaline that slammed into his bloodstream. He raced in the direction of the scream.

Dodging around trailers, he forced his feet to move faster over the rutted terrain. Another scream split the air.

Garner saw her silhouetted in light streaming from the open doorway of a trailer. The outline of a man hulked behind her, one hand holding her around the middle, the other hand on her throat, choking her. He wore a mask, one with a sharp beak and feathers, like a bird of prey.

The attacker released her throat. He raised his fist and slammed it into Sabina’s jaw. Her head snapped back like a doll’s, and she slumped to the ground.

A bellow rose in Garner’s throat. Finally reaching her trailer, he flung himself at the man. His fist connected with plastic and feathers.

The man spun from Garner’s punch. Short yet powerfully built, he regained his balance and lunged at Garner. The blade of a knife flashed in his hand.

Garner grabbed the assailant’s forearm and brought it down hard against the corner of the trailer.

The man grunted, but his fist only tightened around the knife’s handle.

Garner slammed the man’s arm against the trailer again.

This time a cry of pain broke from under the mask. The fist went slack. The knife hit the dirt and bounced under the shadowed edge of the trailer near where Sabina lay.

Garner held the man with one hand, groping under the trailer’s edge with the other. He had to reach that knife first.

Foot lashing out, the man tangled one leg with Garner’s and shoved with strong arms.

Garner lost his grip on the man’s arm and fell backward, hitting the dirt beside Sabina’s still form.

The attacker twisted away. He managed to grab the knife. He held it out in front of him, blade flashing in the light from the open trailer door.

On hands and knees, Garner angled his body between the knife and Sabina. The birdman might have the advantage now, but he would never get to Sabina. Garner would make sure of it.

The assailant’s head whipped around, as if noticing someone’s approach.

Taking advantage of the man’s distraction, Garner scrambled to his feet and lunged at him. Not fast enough.

The man ducked back. Leaving Garner staggering, birdman sprinted away, disappearing into the shadows of the surrounding trailers.

Sabina.

Garner spun back and fell to his knees beside her. She moaned softly, but her eyes remained shut, half-moons of lush lashes brushing pale cheeks.

Fear tinged his mouth, along with the copper flavor of blood. He knelt and gathered her in his arms, then carried her up the few steps and through the open door of the trailer.

The inside looked just like Sabina. Soft, gentle, somewhat exotic. Green pillows lined the bed. Plants of every shape and kind sprang from pots and crept toward the wide windows. Draperies of some shimmery material blocked the night outside.

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