Tiger Threat by Sigmund Brouwer Page B

had not been at the party, but at the dentist. And that we had figured out exactly what had been hidden in the crowns of Vlad’s teeth.
    I had to keep driving as if I didn’t know about the driver or his intentions. So on the Trans-Canada, I headed south. Our destination was the Saamis Teepee.
    This was the world’s largest teepee. It was built of steel and was twenty stories tall. It was named for the
Saamis
, a Blackfoot Indian word for the headdress of eagle tail feathers worn by a medicine man—themedicine hat. It was painted white for purity, red for the rising and setting sun, and blue for flowing waters. It had been built for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, then moved to the city of Medicine Hat. It could withstand winds of 150 miles per hour.
    Vlad didn’t appear interested in those facts as I explained them to him. I realized I was talking for the sake of talking because I was afraid. So I shut my mouth and drove.
    Our plan was simple. When we got to the parking lot, Vlad was going to leave the Jeep and walk up toward the teepee. This would force the Russian mafia guy to follow him. That would leave the white rental van empty.
    My job was to run to the van and find the rental papers. All we needed was the guy’s name. Then I would call Abe with my cell phone and give him the spelling of the Russian’s name. We were going to open a bank account for him. Maybe we would have been smarter just leaving all of this alone. But there were no guarantees that giving Big Frank the information would end all of
    this for Vlad. It would be much better to find a way to give Vlad some insurance. Like moving the money somewhere else.
    If Big Frank locked the van before chasing Vlad, I would use a rock to bust the window and break in. Yes, that was wrong. But compared to the threat this guy was to Vlad and our hockey team, it seemed necessary. I wasn’t too worried that he would report the damage to the police.
    Vlad had the tough job. He had to let himself get caught and then allow Big Frank to use those pliers to pull his crown out of his mouth. Freezing or not, I didn’t know if I could do that. Just thinking about a guy pinning me to the ground and jamming a pair of pliers into my mouth was giving me the shivers.
    It was a pretty good plan, I thought.
    Except for one thing.
    When we parked and Vlad got out of the Jeep and began running toward the teepee, Big Frank didn’t chase him.
    Instead, Big Frank walked up to the Jeep with a tire iron in his hand.
    I locked my door. Then leaned over and locked Vlad’s door. I wanted to drive away, but I couldn’t. That would mean leaving Vlad all alone with the monster.
    Big Frank tapped on my driver’s side window with the tire iron. It was a gentle tap, but it sounded like thunder.
    I shook my head.
    He lifted his hand. Swung the tire iron down. I barely managed to shift out of the way as it crashed through the window. Pieces of glass sprayed my leather hockey coat and my head.
    He reached in to unlock the door. What made it more frightening was his total silence.
    I tried to scramble over the gearshift to the other side of the Jeep, but I still had my seatbelt on.
    Big Frank popped open the door.
    I felt the breeze of the cool night air. Saw the brightness of the stars over his shoulders. It was so peaceful at the teepee. But not at my Jeep.
    I fumbled with my seatbelt. It clicked open. Maybe I should have left it on. He draggedme out of the Jeep. He pushed me up against the side. He yelled something in Russian over my shoulder. Like he was telling Vlad he had me.
    I took a swing at him.
    That was as dumb as undoing my seatbelt.
    He grunted as my fist hit his ear. But that was it. Only grunted. Didn’t fall down. Didn’t let go. He was big.
    He lifted the tire iron again. This time it wasn’t to smash my window but my head.
    I tried ducking but the tire iron caught me on the side of my face. The pain was beyond