Locking my truck, I ambled to the house and tried the door. Locked. Not wanting to attract attention, if there were any eyes to see, I strolled around back, my hands in my pockets. As though I belonged there. The backyard had long since gone to weeds, dead and dry at this time of year. The heads scraped my jeans as I walked through them and onto the back porch.
This lock had been busted.
Going inside, I searched first for any squatters. Cautious, I stalked from the rear kitchen to the front room where the fireplace sat, and the few bedrooms down the hall. I breathed in the stink of mice and cat piss, stirred up noxious dust, but the only squatters were a pair of orange tabbies who stood their ground and growled at me.
“Knock it off,” I said. “I’m not bothering you. And if you’re nice, maybe I’ll buy you some tuna.”
The rooms still had some furniture. Dusty, dirty, but possibly useable. In a pinch. Leaving the cats, I returned to the kitchen to examine the basement, hoping the cats had already cleaned out the rat population. The wooden stairs creaked as I carefully went down. Without electricity, I couldn’t turn on any lights, but the sunlight from the tiny windows gave enough light to see by.
“Maybe this could work,” I murmured, gazing at the piles of broken furniture, stacks of wood in tall piles. “Burn this shit to keep warm.”
There was enough plywood to cover the busted windows, thus keep the cold at bay. And keep us safe from prying eyes. I didn’t bother to wonder why no other squatters had taken up residence and simply blessed my luck at finding it. Going in search of nails and a hammer, I found both in the garage.
Whistling as I worked, I nailed the plywood over the windows, darkening the house considerably. The work took most of the day, but as I couldn’t free Jade from her prison until after Arnaud departed, I’d little else to do with my time. The house grew colder as the day wore on, my dragon’s instincts warning me of a cold front arriving soon. I suspected that with a fire going, this little house would stay fairly warm. Comfortable, anyway.
“Clean up some of this dust,” I muttered, “some mattresses and blankets by the fire, easy peasy.”
As I left the house by the back door, I mentally ticked off things we’d need while hiding there.A camp stove, gas, food, cooking pans, water, don’t forget water, changes of clothes, the garage is cold enough to serve as a fridge.
I rounded the house in time to see a pair of teenagers using a slim jim to pry open my truck’s door.
“Hey,” I yelled, running across the dead lawn. “Get away from my truck.”
The kids bolted. I chased them only a short distance, not really trying to catch them. Only to make sure they didn’t come back or think they could beat me in a fight and steal my truck. They rounded a corner and vanished from my sight.
“Pricks,” I muttered, trotting back to my pickup.
Examining my door and window, it didn’t appear they’d done any damage. I unlocked it, glanced around for anyneighborhood observers, and saw none. That didn’t mean they weren’t there. Climbing inside, wondering if I’d have to evict squatters when I returned with Jade, I started the truck.
Speaking of Jade, I figured she’d be hungry by now. Time to take her some decent food.
***
By late afternoon, the dark clouds of the coming cold front covered the sky. The temperature had dropped, the wind rose. Snow would arrive within hours, if not sooner, I thought, as I parked the truck at the dilapidated warehouse. Carrying bags of fried chicken, potato salad, chips and sodas, I walked into the place.
Jade’s guards had built a fire in an old steel drum. They sat as close beside it as they could without burning themselves and watched me with ice in their gazes.
“Is that for us?” one called.
For answer, I flipped him the bird, then crossed the vast room to the stairs. Arnaud must be paying them a fortune to have them sit in an open warehouse, freezing their balls while guarding a chic who couldn’t get out if she grew wings and flew away.
The temperature leveled out by the time I got to the subbasement. Down below the ground level, the air felt the same no matter what weather went on above. I trotted down the stairs, for the first time feeling pleased to see Jade again.I’m busting her out tomorrow.
The light illuminated the place as usual. I crossed the floor, smiling, ready to present Jade a nice chicken dinner. And since I’d brought enough for two, I’d share it with her.
I halted halfway across the cement floor. “Oh, God.”
I dropped the bags, the drinks, and barely noticed I had.
Jade’s big cell stood empty.
“No, no,” I mumbled, stumbling forward. “No, no, it’s too soon. Not yet, no, no, not until he leaves. Oh, shit!”
I leaned my palms against the glass, staring in. No Jade sat on the cot, glaring daggers at me, her lovely mouth a tight line of hatred. The burgers and fries I’d brought her the day before lay scattered across the cement, uneaten. “How the hell?”
I walked slowly around the cage, looking in, not finding any cracks, holes, or places she could crawl through. Not looking where I was going, I kicked something hard, unyielding, and sent it skittering. The clear dome cap on the cage roof rolled away from my boot.
My mouth dried instantly.
