Red Wolf

  ****

  Everyone had traveled across several states to attend the camp. Dinner was relatively quiet. Delilah had spent most of the time sitting on the ground between Boone’s legs. As soon as dinner was over, everyone disbursed and headed for their cabins. Everyone was tired.

  Delilah remained silent as she started setting up the sleeping bags and blankets. Boone went to work starting the fire in the fireplace. They had not had the opportunity to check the cabin for bugs or cameras. They knew to remain quiet until they could sweep the room. They knew Pitman and Hopkins were probably already watching and listening to them.

  They waited until they were in the sleeping bags to continue with their hoax. Boone snuggled close to Delilah, his front to her back and wiggled as if he was trying to arouse her.

  Delilah moved away from Boone. He tried again. Delilah moved away a second time and then sat up. “I am not having sex with you in this filthy place. It is nothing but an old shack. You promised me a real honeymoon. I hate you.”

  Boone jumped up and acted as if he was angry. He walked under the hidden camera and hit the wall with his massive fist. He pointed up at it while Delilah continued to cry. “I am going for a walk,” Boone seethed. “I need to cool off.” He stormed out of the shack, slamming the door behind him.

  “Boone, come back,” Delilah pleaded as she stood and followed him out of the building. Boone continued to walk until he was far away from the rest of the campers to talk.

  “The cabin is bugged, and there are hidden cameras,” he announced confirming their suspicions. “They are probably listening for infiltrators. But what are they doing with the video? Do you think they are taping the couples having sex?”

  “Do we warn the other couple?” Delilah asked.

  “We cannot take the chance they aren’t plants; already members of the group,” Boone stated suspiciously. “We do not know these people.”

  “True,” Delilah agreed. “So do we kiss and make up?”

  “Not until morning, once we are away from the cameras. Let’s keep the hoax up a bit longer. It will be a good rationale for not having sex.”

  “Hit me,” Delilah stated.

  “What the hell!” Boone screamed out loudly so everyone would hear.

  “They expect you to be the dominant male and me to be the submissive wife. Hit me. Then I will storm back and cry all night, and you can come back later still pissed. And then we can both go to sleep,” Delilah suggested.

  “I cannot hit you, Angel.” Boone’s face clearly showed his distress.

  “Either you hit me or I will hit you. We have to make this as real as possible,” Delilah insisted.

  “You hit me then,” Boone decided. Before the words barely left his mouth, Delilah slapped him. She slapped him hard.

  “Damn it, woman!” Boone screamed angrily as Delilah stomped back to the shack. Entering she threw herself onto one of the sleep bags and cried real tears. She hated hitting Boone, but she knew it was the only way for them to be safe. Their mission had barely started. They could not be discovered so soon.

  Boone waited nearly an hour before returning to the shack. He pulled the other sleeping bag a few feet away from Delilah’s and laid down. Ensuring he could not be seen by the camera, he smiled and went to sleep.

  The next morning, Boone and Delilah rose and dressed for a long day ahead of them. Boone made sure to stand between Delilah and the hidden camera. He would not allow them to see her even half naked. Boone and Delilah gathered their belongings and met the others outside. “Today we hike further in and set up camp. We will show the ladies how to set traps and forage for roots and berries. The men will learn how to track wildlife, and hopefully, we will have food for dinner. If nothing is found, trapped or shot, you go hungry,” Pitman announced.

  “Men with me,” Hopkins directed. “The ladies are with Pitman.”

  Boone and Delilah looked at each other surprised. Being separated was not a part of their plan. They had hoped to stay together at all times. Boone’s eyes hooded and darkened, but he nodded slightly to let Delilah know both of them would be okay. “Just remember, you do not need me to be strong,” Boone whispered low enough for no one else to hear. “You are a remarkable woman.”

  Delilah smiled inwardly remembering who and what she was. She had worked alone for ten years bringing in some of the most notorious criminals in the Midwest. She patted her heart as if to say I love you, but in actuality, she was patting her golden rope she had hidden in her bra. While looking forlorn on the outside, on the inside, she was smugly confident.

  Pitman picked up a large canvas sack and motioned for the ladies to follow. The other woman was several inches shorter than Delilah and appeared to be almost forty. The ladies introduced themselves and followed Pitman.

  Anna King and her husband Roy were from Utah. They had four children back home who were being taken care of by Anna’s parents. “I thought it would be fun to really rough it for a couple of weeks,” Anna revealed. “Why go camping when we can learn how to live off the land,” she chuckled. “And without the kids, it will be like a vacation.”

  “We will see if you still feel the same way around day five,” Pitman snorted. “Let’s set some traps. I would like to eat tonight.” Pitman stopped and showed Delilah and Anna how to set the snare traps. Then he pulled a couple of heavy metal foothold traps out of the bag.

  “Damn,” Delilah called out in revulsion. She knew instantly what they were. “I thought those were outlawed.”

  “They are,” Pitman chuckled. “They can snap the leg of an animal or a human in half. Quite painful, I have been told.”

  The ladies stared at each other apprehensively. “What are we trying to catch?” Anna asked.

  “Anything big. There will be a dozen of us to feed tonight. Now let’s forage for edible roots.” Pitman started explaining to the ladies what to look for. Showing them what was safe and what was poisonous. “We have lots of dandelions and clover here. It makes a dandy salad,” he chuckled, quite pleased with himself at the pun. “If we find some wild parsnips or Queen Anne’s lace, we will be royal.”

  Anna looked at Pitman confused. “Wild carrots,” Delilah whispered. “I took a couple botany courses in college. Looks like it I finally get to put them to use.”

  “I was hoping to learn how to shoot,” Anna confessed. “I have always wanted to learn how to use a bow.”

  “Maybe you will,” Delilah sighed. “It is just day one.”

  “This is a bit boring,” Anna continued. “But I guess it is important.”

  “We cannot live on meat alone.” Both the women chuckled.

  “Too bad chocolate doesn’t grow on trees,” Anna quipped.

  “Or wine,” Delilah added.

  “Let’s stop the gabbing and the whining,” Pitman chuckled again. “It is almost lunch time.”

  The ladies rolled their eyes in unison and stifled another giggle. They gathered their wild greens and followed Pitman back to the base camp. On the way, they checked the traps and found them empty. “I need to lose ten pounds from my last baby. She is almost six months old,” Anna smirked. “I do not mind missing a meal.”

  The ladies were cleaning the greens when the men arrived with a good sized bighorn sheep. “We got lunch baby,” Roy yelled to his wife, Anna. It was evident Roy had taken down the animal.

  “Let’s have the women skin and butcher the kill,” Pitman suggested. “It is time to get your hands bloody, girls.”

  Delilah hated being called a girl. She found the term girl to be condescending and disrespectful. One, she was far too old to be considered a girl. Two, she was a lady; a strong, able-bodied woman.

  And lastly, Delilah knew how to skin an animal. She had done it more times than she cared to admit to over the years. But she had kept it a secret from Boone. She knew more about using a knife than she had revealed. She knew she had to hold back a
nd act like a novice. “Yuck,” Delilah grimaced and looked at Boone as if begging to be saved from a horrible task.

  Boone walked over and took her by the hand. “I know you can do this Angel. Make me proud.” Boone said it in such a condescending tone Delilah wanted to pull the knife she had hidden in her boot and stab him. But deep down she knew he was just putting on an act. She took a deep breath and subdued her angst.

  “Okay,” Delilah sighed pouting again.

  Anna and Delilah looked at each other and took the hunting knives their husbands held out to them. “After you gut it, I will skin it for you,” Pitman announced. “We will stretch out the skin, and you will have a nice throw rug. Nothing goes to waste.”

  “A souvenir for the kids,” Roy stated proudly. Roy’s words gave Anna the courage she needed to make the first cut into the sheep’s belly. Following Pitman’s direction, she finished cleaning and butchering the meat for lunch.

  “I need a human moment,” Delilah announced to everyone. She needed a moment alone. She needed time to talk to Boone.

  “I will join ya, baby,” Boone smiled lustfully for the others to hear. The word human was their code for we need to talk.

  Delilah walked far into the wood line and Boone followed. “The bastard has set several foothold traps. Someone could get hurt, badly hurt,” Delilah revealed.

  “I saw wolf tracks earlier today,” Boone snarled. His eyes showed his pain and concern. “I know I am not a real wolf, but it would be like killing or maiming a member of my family. We carry the same DNA. I will sneak away later and spring the traps. We do not need animals we cannot eat getting killed. I might be a meat eater, but...” Boone could not continue. He was visibly upset.

  “I know, Boone,” Delilah whispered as she reached up to hug him. “I feel the same way. It is why I had to let you know. We cannot forsake our ethos just to put these bastards away. We have to hold on to as much of our humanity has we can.”

  Boone kissed Delilah on the cheek. He admired her so much.

  “Do you forgive me?” Delilah asked sheepishly.

  “Forgive you? For what?” Boone asked.

  “For hitting you,” Delilah whispered holding back her tears. “I am sorry.”

  “Angel, there is nothing to forgive,” Boone assured her. “Best friends, always.”

  “I just hated having to pretend we had a fight. I do not like fighting with you.”

  “We were not fighting. Not really. But I have to say that slap of yours had a bit of a sting,” Boone proclaimed as he lifted his hand to his face. “I am glad you were not really mad at me. You are one fierce woman.”

  “I do what I have to do,” Delilah smirked.

  “Well then get over here and let me mess up your hair. They are going to wonder why we have been out here so long,” Boone chuckled. “It is time for us to kiss and make up.”

  Boone pulled his shirt out of his pants and moved his belt to the side. Then he reached for Delilah, still laughing. Boone grabbed her face and then moved his hands behind her head. He pulled her towards her with his fingers intertwined with her hair. “Kiss me, Mrs. Wolfe,” he whispered with his voice full of promise.

  Delilah pulled back and raised her hand as if she was going to hit him again. “You are incorrigible, Mr. Wolfe.”

  Boone grabbed her arm and moved his hand into hers. Smiling like a small boy, he winked. Then he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “Incorrigible?”

  “Okay, wrong word. You are neither irredeemable nor hopeless,” Delilah laughed. “You are just having a bit too much fun.”

  “Like what you did in New Orleans?” Boone asked with a silly grin on his face.

  “I thought you did not remember that?” She was both shocked and worried.

  “I remember everything, Angel. The rope does not work on wolves,” Boone laughed.

  “That kiss was for real?” Delilah asked. Her eyes were wide and scared. She wasn't sure what to believe. More so, she could not believe Boone had the audacity to keep a secret from her, let alone lie to her.

  “Now who is hopeless,” Boone laughed. “It was the best first kiss ever.”

  Delilah wanted to slap Boone, for real. But his laughter was contagious, and she could not suppress her own laughter. Delilah had enjoyed the kiss. She smiled remembering it. It was the perfect first kiss. She had cherished it then and even more now that she knew the truth.

  “Okay, I guess we are even,” Delilah laughed.

  “So no more practical jokes,” Boone asked playfully.

  “I did not say that,” Delilah said coyly. She loved yanking Boone's chain. She loved his naivety.

  “It is nice to see you laugh. You are so beautiful when you are happy.”

  “You too, Hooxei,” Delilah whispered in order not to be overheard. She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and messed up her hair a bit more. “Thanks for dessert,” she laughed and put her hand into Boone’s. Hand in hand they walked back to the camp looking like a couple of newlyweds.

  Everyone stared at the two as if they thought they knew what had happened in the woods. Delilah blushed on cue and Boone grinned and ran his hand through his pretend to be just fucked hair. Then everyone snickered. Boone shrugged and smiled again.

  Delilah continued to flush as she sat next to Anna. “You have kissed and made up,” Anna stated with a smile. “We heard you fighting last night. Sorry, but you were a bit loud.”

  Delilah looked down as if embarrassed. “It is okay, Angel,” Anna continued. “Married people fight once in a while. But we can all see how much the two of you love each other. I remember that. And at least two of my kids were the result of makeup sex.” Then Anna blushed and giggled.

  “Enough,” Hopkins announced to Anna and Delilah. “We need wood for tonight. We need to check our traps, and we need to find more food.”

  “The ladies will be learning to shoot this afternoon while the men go hunting,” Pitman added. “Ladies, let’s go.” Pitman headed to his tent and pulled out three bows and quivers of arrows. “We will start with the basics and work our way up to crossbows by the end of the week.”

  Anna smiled. This is what she had been hoping for. She was practically jumping up and down with glee. It was easy for Delilah to get caught up in her excitement. “Let’s do this,” Delilah smiled.

  The ladies followed Pitman to the makeshift shooting range. He went over the safety rules and the basics of shooting a bow. Anna went first and completely missed the target. “Don’t worry, I will help you,” Pitman stated sincerely. Delilah watched as Pitman touched Anna wrapping his arms around her and showing her how to hold the bow. Delilah immediately became suspicious. The way he held Anna seemed too familiar. Anna did not appear to mind Pitman's arms around her.

  After Anna had shot a few more arrows, it was Delilah’s turn. Delilah had learned archery many years before, but she had not used a bow in a very long time. She knew the basics. And something told her Pitman was not to be trusted. He had been just a bit too friendly with Anna. Did they know each other? Or did Anna just like the attention? Regardless, Delilah was not comfortable with the thought of Pitman touching her. But should she reveal she had taken lessons when she was younger?

  “I think I got this,” Delilah announced repeating all the instruction Pitman had given, practically verbatim. She held the bow in almost the perfect position. But she did not put all her strength into it. She made sure to appear weak. She pulled back on the arrow, but not as far as she could have. She suppressed her smile as her right hand brushed the side of her face. And then she released. When the arrow hit the target, she jumped up and down as if she had hit the target for the first time ever. “Wahoo!” Delilah called out and reached for a second arrow.

  When Pitman moved towards her, Delilah shrugged away and stepped back. “I have to do this on my own,” she scowled. “Boone needs to know I can make i
t on my own,” she added filled with resolution. Delilah put up her hand, and Pitman stopped. “Don’t help me. I have to do this myself.”

  Delilah shot the next arrow, again hitting the target. “I will keep practicing,” she announced shooting arrow after arrow. With each shot, she moved the arrows closer to the center of the target. When she placed the last one into the bulls-eye, she stopped.