They paused as another class entered the cafeteria first and Heath looked around, remembering the large elementary school he’d gone to. It had been much more institutional than this small town school. Maizy’s school was a warm place with colorful walls and hallways that echoed with laughter.
He glanced in a classroom as they approached the turn to the noisy cafeteria and something made him pause. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he put up his hand and gestured, automatically slipping into work mode using sign language.
“Heads up. Two o’clock.”
The guys were paying attention to him because they didn’t bump into him as Maizy’s class filed through the door leading to the cafeteria.
“What?” Cody asked softly.
The wind caught the door at the end of the hall and it swung back before stopping at its propped open position again. He could see fenced off playground equipment just beyond the exit.
“Classroom on the right.”
The elderly teacher stood perfectly still, staring at him with fear literally oozing from her. It was the look of fear in her eyes that had caught his attention a few seconds before. Given his work, he was used to reading people.
The back door was open. Was someone in her classroom that didn’t belong? The deathly pale woman looked like she was breathing hard and she reached out a hand to steady herself against her desk. The cafeteria doors swung closed again and quiet descended for a moment before the air was filled with an ominous rattling sound.
Barely audible, Spencer whispered, “Snake? Shit.” Spencer hated snakes with a passion. Good thing Heath didn’t mind them so much.
They inched closer and Heath held up his hands to the cornered woman in a gesture intended to reassure her. She blinked at him and then looked at the floor just a few feet in front of her.
Already armed with a strategy, Cody whispered, “Spencer, go out the back door, come in through the opened window behind her, and get her out of the way. Hurry, she looks ready to faint. Heath, creep in behind it. I’ll slide along the wall and distract it away from her.”
They wasted no time. Heath slipped between the rows of desks and softly said, “Ma’am, we’re going to help you. Just be still and try to calm your breathing.”
The unnerving rattling sound swelled in the still air again. She whispered, “I’m—I’m seeing stars. Please hurry.”
“We won’t let anything happen to you. Just take nice slow breaths,” Cody said as he slipped down the wall, along the dry-erase board, taking care not to knock anything on the floor. His eyes flared as he caught sight of the snake right before Heath did.
It was a granddaddy, coiled up in the center of the open space in front of her desk. Its rattle stood up straight at attention and its head was lifted, poised to strike.
Her voice trembled as she spoke. “My students just left a few minutes ago. I stood from my d–desk and there it was. I don’t know where it came from. It could have hurt one of them.”
“Shhh,” Heath murmured soothingly. “Help is coming for you through the window. Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe.”
Spencer lifted the tabs on the window screen and quietly removed it from the aluminum window frame. Heath prayed that the snake didn’t sense his body heat yet.
Cody moved into his precarious position, adjacent to the snake. If it struck at him before Heath could get into position, he might not be able to move to either side fast enough before it nailed him.
The snake turned its head toward Cody and coiled in agitation when he slowly moved his hand out to the side. They were running out of time. Spencer climbed in the window and said, “I’m right behind you, ma’am. I’ve got you. I’m going to lift you in a second. Just relax, okay?”
“Yes.” Her chest rose and fell as though she was running a marathon. “Oh, please be careful.”
Cody glanced at Heath, nodded slowly, then nodded at Spencer. “Ready.”
Heath moved into a crouch and prayed that the rattlesnake’s attention stayed focused on Cody, and that he was able to act before it struck at his brother. Spencer inched up to the woman and whispered to her. She nodded and slowly turned toward him, allowing him to slide one arm around her back and the other behind her knees, preparing to move fast to take her out of striking range.
Heath knew if he grabbed too low, the damned thing would turn its head and strike him and he’d spend the afternoon and evening in the hospital emergency room instead of at home making love to Maizy. If he aimed too high, he’d have a handful of fangs and an even deeper and more dangerous envenomation. Either way, the prospect of failure sucked. He had to grab it just right, at the base of the pit viper’s skull.