Organically Yours: Sanctuary, Book Five by Abbie Zanders (classic books for 11 year olds .TXT) 📗

“What’s going on?” Doc asked Mad Dog as they walked toward the front entrance.

“I think it’s better if you see it for yourself,” was Mad Dog’s decidedly unhelpful reply.

Doc understood when they stepped out of the main doors and he got a look at Tina’s truck. The windshield was cracked on the passenger side, as if a sizable stone had been thrown at it. A closer inspection revealed bits of broken glass lodged in the wiper cowl between the hood and the windshield, and one front tire was noticeably newer than the others.

The need to see Tina and make sure she was okay was overwhelming. “Where is she?”

“Relax. She’s fine. She’s inside with Kate and the others.”

“Any idea what happened?”

“Not yet. Church saw her come in on the security cam and thought you’d want in.”

Damn right he did.

Tina was in the dining room, sitting with a mug between her hands, looking pissed. Other than a smudge of dirt on her forehead, she appeared unharmed.

“Tina.” When she saw him, her features softened. He slid into the seat next to her. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. Just really, really angry.”

Tina proceeded to tell them what had happened, starting with the realization that she was being followed and ending with the shot that took out her tire. His ire grew with each new development. While part of him silently appreciated her spirit, a much larger part of him wanted to wrap her in his arms and insist she never do anything so risky again. As it was, he settled for holding her hand beneath the table.

“Did you recognize them?” Church asked.

“No,” Tina told them with obvious frustration. “Both guys were wearing baseball caps with their hoodies pulled up over the top, so I couldn’t even tell what color their hair was, except for the driver’s beard. It was dark, maybe brown or black. They had on sunglasses, too.”

“Why were they following you, do you know?” Sandy asked.

Tina shook her head. “I’m not sure. My first thought was that it had something to do with Rick finding out I’ve been coming here on the weekends, but it could just as easily be payback.”

“Payback for what?” That was from Kate.

“I fired my field supervisor earlier in the week. Let’s just say, Eddie wasn’t pleased, and it wasn’t an amicable parting of ways.”

“Eddie Schweikert?” asked Church, shooting a glance at Doc.

“Yes. You know him?”

Church nodded but refrained from saying more.

“Yeah, I guess you would,” Tina mused. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think they meant to do anything more than send a message. Things didn’t get nasty until I turned the tables on them.”

“It was reckless,” Doc said before he could stop himself. “Exactly what were you hoping to accomplish?”

Doc received some surprised looks and several raised eyebrows, probably because he was usually the one sitting back and considering all angles of a situation before imparting his two cents. But this was different. His objectivity took a backseat to his protective instincts when it came to Tina.

As for Tina, icy-white-blue flames flared in her pale eyes. “Send a message of my own—that’s what. One that says I don’t like people following me around or telling me what I can and can’t do and that I definitely don’t respond well to intimidation tactics.”

“Except what you did was back them into a corner.”

Her frown deepened. “Are you suggesting I should have done nothing?”

“No,” Doc said carefully, “but I do think there were better ways of handling it.”

“Oh yeah? What would you have done?”

Doc opened his mouth to answer, but a strong nudge on the top of his foot and a glare from Sam made him pause and consider his answer.

“Truthfully? Probably exactly what you did,” Doc admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I like the fact that you did it. You could have been seriously hurt.”

Whether it was his logic or the genuine concern in his voice, he didn’t know, but the ire in her eyes faded, and she exhaled. “Fair enough. But after growing up with Rick, Kief, and Gunther for brothers, I learned early on not to take any shit from anyone.”

“Fair enough,” Doc said, echoing her words. “But next time, maybe consider the risks before you put yourself in danger like that again?” He squeezed her hand.

She nodded. “I will.”

Church cleared his throat, reminding Doc that they weren’t alone. “Did you happen to get a plate?”

She shook her head. “No. They started hurling stuff before I could get close enough to make it out. The truck had a rack of spotters across the top. That much I know.”

“Newer model? Older model?” Mad Dog asked the question casually, but he was clearly thinking the same thing they all were.

A similar-looking truck had forced Kate’s Jeep off the road while she was on her way to see Mad Dog one night. They’d identified the driver as Joe Eisenheiser, a local cop who was firmly on Team Freed.

“Newer, but something didn’t look quite right about it. Like it had been in an accident and someone had replaced some parts from the U-Pull-It yard.”

That made perfect sense because Mad Dog and Smoke had taken it upon themselves to bring a bit of Karma to Eisenheiser’s doorstep after Kate’s accident, and his expensive pickup hadn’t fared well.

“It was black or a dark shade of blue or green or something,” Tina continued. “I’m partially color-blind, so I can’t say for sure.” She sighed. “I know that’s not much to go on, but I’ll know it again if I see it.”

“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Sandy said.

Murmurs of agreement echoed around the table.

Kate got up. “Right, well, sorry, everyone, but I need to get back to getting dinner ready. I’m sorry you had to deal with all that, Tina.”

“Me, too. It’s been a day.”

“Want to head back to my place for a while?” Doc asked.

She nodded. Doc stood and held out his hand, pleased when Tina accepted it without hesitation.

As they stepped out of the main building and into the lot, Doc