CHAPTER THREE
“We’ve got several loads of feed coming in today, Zane,” said Sniff. “Do you mind handling that for me? I need to get out to the elephants and see how they’re settling in.”
“No sir, don’t mind at all.”
Two of the loads arrived before the sun even fully rose above the bayou.
The heat of summer was oppressive, the mosquitoes and other bugs out in droves.
The good thing was that you could always count on the afternoon rain coming between two and four, drenching everything, cooling it down for just a little while, before sizzling back to insufferable temperatures.
Zane didn’t mind it so much but it seemed like the animals were dying from the heat, or at least some of them.
They knew to get into the water when it became too much and he loved watching them play.
He’d become particularly fond of Semu, learning sign language on his own so that they could communicate.
A year ago, you would have never convinced him that the wisest person he’d ever known, was in fact, not a person at all but a gorilla who wanted to mother him to death. And he loved it.
Walking back toward the front of the island, he stopped as a truck backed up to the dock area. The deliveries were to be made on the dock, on the opposite side of the pedestrian bridge. ATVs would then pick up the loads and take them where they needed to be.
He was surprised when the figure of a woman appeared from the truck. She went right to work and he just kept staring, thinking a male might get out of the vehicle with her.
Zane watched as the woman began unloading the feed for the animals. She wore khaki cargo shorts, cinched with a belt and a tank top that showed her beautiful curves and hard-earned muscles. She had fiery red hair that glistened in the sun.
But what he noticed more than anything, from this distance, were the bruises on her legs and arms.
“Let me help you,” he said jogging towards her. She dropped the bag of feed, surprised that he was running toward her. He skidded to a halt. “Whoa, I’m sorry.”
“N-no. I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t recognize you but I know if you’re on the island you belong here.”
“I’m new or at least kind of new,” he said bending to pick up the bag of feed. “My name is Zane.”
“Zane. It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled at her and chuckled, shaking his head.
“This is usually where you say, ‘I’m…”
She gave a frightened smile and he wondered why that would be frightening to her. He knew about bruises and he knew when someone was being abused. This girl, this woman, was being abused.
“Sorry. I just assume they all know me here. I’m Blake.”
“Nice to meet you, Blake. As I said, I’m new here but my brother and I plan to stay. Or we did. He’s gone off to school for a while. I’ll be helping with the animals, my real love,” he laughed.
“Me too,” she said with a serious expression. “I tend to like the animals better than humans. They’re more honest.”
The walkie talkie at her hip squawked and she jumped, grabbing it.
“I’m coming. I’m just finishing the last of it.”
“Get your ass back here or you know what’s good for you.” Zane frowned as her face flushed and she rushed to get the last bag.
“I have to go,” she said. “Nice meeting you.”
“Wait a minute. I understand what you’re going through. I had an abusive mother. I can help,” he said. She stared at him, shaking her head.
“No, you can’t. And it’s not my parent. It’s my husband.”
He watched the woman pull away in the pick-up truck, just staring at the feed she’d stacked on the dock.
“Everything okay, Zane?” asked Sniff.
“I don’t think so. Do you know that woman?” he asked.
“Blake? Yeah, she’s new but we referred her to a company that provides most of our feed. She’s been great. Why?”
“I think she’s being abused by her husband,” he said quietly.
“Her husband? I wasn’t aware that she was married,” frowned Luke. “To be honest, Zane, we found her on the compound in the Dakotas with some other women. I know for a fact she has veterinary experience and that’s why we referred her to the Feed Store, the company we’ve been doing business with.”
“The walkie talkie went off and he told her to get her ass back as soon as possible. She had bruises on her legs and arms. I recognize those bruises. When I told her I had an abusive parent, she said it was her husband.” (Zane didn’t ask about her boss. He told her he had had an abusive mother.)
Sniff frowned, still looking at the dust cloud the truck had created.
“Come on. Let’s get this put away and we need to speak with Ham and the others. She might have gone from the frying pan into the fire.”