Retreat

by Jay Crownover

  No Easy Way Out

  Both the men were scarily proficient with the weapons in their hands returning fire, so the campsite quickly turned into something that resembled a warzone. The gunshots from the faceless attackers continued to kick up rock and sand while chunks of bark peeled off of the trees all around us. The initial shots were probably meant as a warning, another tactic to scare us. It was clear whoever was doing all of this wanted to get us to move along. My best guess would be that they wanted us as far away from the hidden field of narcotics as they could get us. As soon as both Grady and Webb started shooting back, the threat from those returning fire became more real. A hunk of tree tore off right above where Cy was covering me and I heard him swear as the wooden shrapnel tore across his scalp. A brilliant red drop of blood trickled over the center of his forehead and across the bridge of his nose before he reached up with his injured arm to swipe at it.

  I made a noise low in my throat and asked him if he had a pocket knife somewhere on him. Since he was proving to be more of a cowboy than I originally pegged him for, he produced a tiny folded blade from his front pocket. Ducking my head, I wiggled enough space between the two of us so that I could saw off part of the tail of my shirt and wrap the haphazard bandage around his oozing bicep. I knew it must have hurt because he didn’t protest the silent fussing or tell me to stop. I tore off another piece to dab at the wound on his head, which didn’t look as bad but was sure as hell bleeding a lot.

  “What are we going to do?” I hated that my voice shook but I was scared and it didn’t sound like anyone was going to stop shooting anytime soon.

  Cy grunted and pulled me down lower behind the tree as a branch from a tree next to us took a hit and broke off.

  “I wish I had an answer to that question, Sunshine. Right now all we can do is lay low and wait to see what happens when the bullets run out.”

  “This is bad.” I tucked my head under his chin and prayed that Em was okay. I couldn’t see much of anything beyond Cy’s chest and slivers of forest surrounding us.

  He snorted and his hands tightened on my hips where he was holding me to the tree. “It sure as shit isn’t good. I knew those two oddballs weren’t who they said they were.”

  I nodded and my hair brushed across the scruff on his face. “Why would they have guns and ammunition with them on a trail ride in the middle of nowhere?”

  “That’s a good question. One I hope I get the opportunity to ask.”

  “Son of a bitch!” The scream came from the younger of the two men and had Cy peering carefully around the trunk of the tree into the center of camp. Before I could ask if the man was hurt, all the popping and pinging of bullets stopped.

  “You okay, Webb?” That was the older man hollering the question as Cy eased away from me and took a step to the side. I wanted to pull him back behind the tree just in case there was someone still hiding in the woods ready to take aim. I put both my hands on his injured arm and looked at him with pleading eyes.

  “Wait.” I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to wait for but I wasn’t up for him being an easy target.

  “I have to check on everyone. You stay here until I come back and get you.” He put his hands over mine and had to literally pry my fingers loose. I didn’t want to let him go.

  “They could start shooting again.” I whispered the words as he reached up and brushed the back of his fingers over my cheek. He was worrying about everyone else so I decided it was fine that I was so worried about him.

  “We have to get everyone together and get out of here. I need to check the horses to make sure they’re okay to ride and I need to check on my brothers. Stay low and stay down in case the shooting starts back up.”

  He slipped past me and I sank all the way to the ground, the bark of the tree scratching my back as my shirt rode up. I peeked around the trunk and watched with concerned eyes as Cy made his way to the center of the camp where Grady was bent over the Webb man. They were speaking in hushed tones and it was obvious that Webb was losing a lot of blood.

  Catching sight of Cy, Sutton popped up from the other side of the fire pit after telling Emrys to keep her head down.

  “You’re hit.” Sutton sounded pissed rather than scared as he addressed his brother, but even from this distance I could see worry twist his features.

  “It’s a flesh wound. It can keep until we get everyone safe. I thought we could ride the river but this was an ambush and I don’t want to put any more innocent people at risk if we run across another camp or tour group.” He moved toward the two armed men who proved to be full of surprises. “How badly are you hurt?”

  Webb, who was clutching his shoulder as red oozed through his fingers and stained his shirt, grimaced. “It went through and through. It’s not good but I’ve had worse.”

  Cy grunted. “Don’t suppose you fellas want to explain why you were armed to the teeth like you were ready for a shootout in the middle of the woods?”

  Lane appeared out of the woods in a rush, his words hurried and frantic. “That’s a story I want to hear as well but I don’t think now is the time. We need to get out of here. I don’t know why they stopped shooting but they had enough ammo and enough time to take all of us out. We need to get while the getting’s good.”

  Sutton nodded and ran a hand over his face. “Lane’s right. We don’t have time for twenty questions. I’ve got the 12 gauge, Lane has a .357.” He pointed to where Grady was still bent over Webb in concern. “And those boys have the semiautomatic pistols they just shot the place up with. Assuming they still have ammunition after that firefight, I think the best course of action is that we split the group up. Each one of us take a few of the clients and head on different trails back to the ranch. We’re too big of a target moving all together.”

  Lane frowned. “If we split up there’s no way we can keep in touch with one another if someone gets in trouble. These guys want us off the mountain.”

  Sutton shrugged and looked to his older brother for validation that his idea was the best option. “We can move faster if we all split up.”

  Cy looked out toward the trees and down the river like he was trying to see if the threat was still there. After a long minute, he nodded and looked at the two men who were so clearly not who they said they were.

  “I have a feeling you two know more about what’s going on here than anyone else. I want the Cliffs Notes version of why you’re on this ride, and if I buy that you aren’t part of the bad shit going down, you two will ride with me.” He motioned to Webb who was now bent over and clearly struggling to breathe steadily. “Plus, we’ll be the slowest with my fucked up arm and his jacked shoulder.”

  Grady looked between his injured friend and the injured trail guide. He was obviously weighing his options and deciding how much he could share. Impatiently, Cy pointed at Webb’s shoulder that was leaking more and more blood by the second. “You are on a clock, buddy. Tick-tock.”

  With a sigh, the former military man rubbed a hand over his face and dragged it across his chin. “The long and the short of it is that we know someone who came up to this part of Wyoming and disappeared. He isn’t the type of guy who drops out of communication without a reason. It could put him in a lot of danger if anyone knew that he had people looking for him, so we booked this trip to try and get close but not so close that anyone else looking for him might notice.”

  Sutton shifted his weight and crossed his arms over his chest. “You the good guys or the bad guys?”

  Grady groaned and Webb barked out a brittle laugh that was sharp with pain. “We’re both.”

  Cy grunted and shared a look with his brothers that was clearly them weighing how much trust they were going to put in the two men. Ultimately, their desire to keep everyone under their protection safe won out over any lingering suspicion and doubt. He turned to Sutton and his voice was scary in its intensity when he told his middle brother, “You take the girls. You keep them safe and protect them with your life, you hear me, Sutton?�
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  There was a sharp nod in reply. “You know I will.”

  Cy walked over to his youngest brother and clasped him on the shoulder. “You ride out with the family. Keep on extra close eye on the kids and if the dad slows you down tell him you’ll leave his ass in the woods. He’s jerked his family around enough, don’t let him be the reason they get caught up in something we can’t get them out of.” Lane nodded in reply, his intensity matching both of his older siblings.

  Cy lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. “We have to stick to the trees and the back trails. Try and avoid any paths that are big enough for motorized vehicles, keep an eye on the ground, if there are people out here, avoid heavily traveled areas. Move fast, try and be as inconspicuous as possible. I’ll use the satellite phone to call Brynn and make sure she knows what’s going on so she can call the rangers and the sheriff and update them on the ambush. If you run across a uniform, point them in the direction of the grow field and let them know they have armed individuals in the area who aren’t afraid to shoot at will.”

  “You might not want to do that.” That came from Grady and had Webb barking out his name in protest.

  Grady shook his head at his injured friend and shifted his gaze to Cy. “The last official person who was up here looking for that drug field and the growers behind it ended up a missing person. He’s our friend we’re looking for. The guys who run operations like this aren’t innocent farmers or sharecroppers trying to make some extra cash. Most of them are on a cartel’s payroll. They won’t give a shit if a few tourists end up dead because they got too close.”

  Sutton grunted and pointed out blandly. “Maybe not a missing person any longer. When I was in town, the sheriff’s office was trying to identify a body they pulled out of the river.”

  An unsteady Webb leapt to his feet and then promptly pitched over as both Cy and Grady reached for him to keep him from biting the dust. “No . . . no . . . no.” He folded in on himself as the older man tried to keep him upright.

  “Come on, Webb. We don’t know that it’s Wyatt.” I heard a noise and had to squint at the circle of men to realize it was the wounded man choking back sobs.

  “Who else would it be, Grady? I told you when we came up with this plan that I know my brother. He would never go this long without checking in with his partner or his family. Motherfuckers!” The dirty word echoed off the surroundings and had all the Warner brothers sharing a look.

  “We need to go. We don’t have time for this right now. Who knows why they stopped shooting when they did but I don’t want to be around if they decide to start up again.” Cy’s voice was curt and had his younger sibling jumping into action.

  Grady gave Cy a hard look. “They stopped shooting because they weren’t ordered to kill us. If they had been we would all be dead. They want us off the mountain and away from their crop.”

  Cy turned and headed toward the horses. “Well, we best be getting out of their way before their orders change. I have a first aid kit in one of my packs we can use to bandage up that shoulder but it isn’t going to work miracles. You’re in sorry shape, son.”

  Deciding I couldn’t keep my head down or my mouth shut any longer, I moved around the tree on my hands and knees prepared to drop to my stomach if bullets started blazing over my head again. I crept and crawled my way over to where Cy was trying to calm the jittery horses and met his glare with one of my own when he caught sight of me.

  “I told you to stay put.” He snarled the words at me looking extra fierce as smeared blood from his head wound dotted his forehead.

  “I didn’t listen.” I reached out so I could stroke Boss’s neck. He was sweaty and I could feel how nervous the big animal was. “I don’t want to go with Sutton, Cy. I want to go with you.”

  He sighed and continued to watch me over the top of the line of horses. “Sutton won’t let anything happen to you, Leo. My arm is dinged up, the kid has a hole through his shoulder, and has already lost too much blood. You need to be in capable hands and I need to be focused on the task at hand, not on you. This is the best plan. You have to trust me.”

  I wrinkled my nose at his non-subtle reminder that he thought I was a distraction. “Someone needs to take care of you.” The words were quiet but I was sure he heard me loud and clear.

  His granite colored gaze lightened and that smile that was becoming less and less elusive touched his lips briefly.

  “I better see you again before I head home, Cyrus Warner.” And not just because I wanted the chance at a proper goodbye. I didn’t feel like I had enough of him to last me the rest of my life just yet.

  “I’ll see you back at the ranch, Leo. I promise.” So far, the man had kept his word so I was inclined to believe him since that meant we would both be back together in one piece, if not a little worse for wear.

  Leaving him to his task, I went and found Em who was shaking and looking shell shocked. Knowing it was my time to comfort her, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

  “Hey, it’s gonna be all right. Those boys are going to take care of everything.” I could hear her teeth rattle together and feel the tremor in her hands as she clutched at me.

  “I’ve never had anyone shoot at me before. I thought we were going to die.” She blinked wide eyes at me as her lower lip quivered. “I don’t want to die, Leo.”

  I hugged her even closer and patted her back. “No one is going to die.” Well, no one else. It sounded like the body Sutton had told us about may be tied to the two men and their secret agenda.

  “You don’t know that. I came up here to go fishing and camping. I would never have made you come all the way here if I knew how dangerous it was going to be. This is awful.” I pulled back and seized her cheeks in my hands. I could tell she was on the verge of tears and it was slightly alarming how pale she was under her normally tawny complexion.

  “Em, this trip was exactly what I needed. I needed the shakeup and the change of scenery. I needed the challenge and the dare to do something out of my comfort zone. Sure, right now things are uncertain and this wasn’t part of the plan but we’ll get through it, okay?” I sounded so sure that things were going to work out in our favor and I was surprised that the reason for the confidence was because I really believed everything would be okay. I didn’t just have faith in Cy and his brothers, I had faith in myself and in her. We would figure it out, and once we were back at the ranch and then eventually back at home, we would have this amazing story to tell.

  She moved away slightly and the expression on her face changed from traumatized to wistful. “Did you see the way Sutton jumped over the fire pit so he could cover me? They grow them pretty amazing up here, don’t they?”

  All I could do was nod in agreement. They did grow them pretty goddamn great out here in the wild, wild west. Not quite cowboys were filling in for the fantasy cowboys just fine.

  Sutton and Lane worked on getting the rest of camp broken down and packed up while Cy and Grady took up watch on either side of the camp, each holding a loaded weapon as they watched the trees with unwavering eyes. I did my best to bandage Webb but the injury to his shoulder was far worse than the wound on Cy’s arm. The bleeding didn’t seem to want to stop, and every time he moved his arm he turned several shades of green and made retching noises like he was going to be sick. He didn’t look all that great, and when Sutton ordered us all to mount up so we could go our separate ways, it took both Emrys and I on either side of the man to help him to his feet. The green shade under his skin turned a waxy gray and he pitched forward almost taking both of us to the ground with him.

  Cy made his way over to us and reached out to brace Webb on his good shoulder, his expression tight and concerned. “Are you going to be able to ride with that shoulder, kid?”

  Webb tried to straighten and shake Emrys and me off either side but as soon as we let go he swayed forward. The only thing keeping him upright was Cy’s hand on his chest.

  “Once you get me in the saddle I’
ll be okay.” His voice was strained and he kept blinking his eyes like he was having a hard time focusing on the man in front of him.

  “Can’t put you on one of my horses if you don’t think you can keep control of him. That’s too dangerous for you and the animal. We’ll have to double up.” He sounded grim.

  Lane instantly objected to the new plan. “You can’t ride double and push hard for the ranch. That’s too much strain on you and Edgar which also means you’ll be moving slowly. You’ll be a sitting target if those guys with the guns decide to take you off the mountain permanently.”

  Grady interjected that he could ride with Webb but he was still a big man and nowhere near as proficient and skilled on a horse as Cy was.

  “Not sure we have another option, Lane. It’s our job to get everyone back safe and we can’t leave him behind just because he can’t ride.” Lane opened his mouth to protest further but then snapped it shut again when he realized that the options were indeed limited.

  I looked at Em and then at Cy. Before I even started speaking, he was shaking his head in the negative and glowering down at me. He knew I was about to go all in when it came to risk taking. There was no time to think how it could all go wrong because there was only one option that made sense. “I can ride with him. I’m not a giant like you, so it’ll be easier on the horse and it means you wouldn’t have to travel as slowly.” I was also handy enough in the saddle that I could control the animal and keep Webb from falling off.

  “No.” Cy barked out the word the same time Em did, both glaring at me.

  I pointed at Webb’s nearly white face and his shaking hands. “Look at him. He needs medical attention and we all need to move. There isn’t time to discuss all the pros and cons.”

  “I won’t be able to keep you safe.” His voice dipped low and the raw agony in his words made my heart tumble and my stomach clench.

  I took a step toward him and reached up so I could hold his handsome face between my hands. “You’re going to have to trust me to take care of myself and you, Cy. We don’t have a choice. Get that man on the horse and then get us the hell out of here.” I could sound like a badass when I needed to and my determination to make this happen must have been clear because he didn’t argue with me. He gave a jerky nod and pulled away, snapping at Lane to help him get Webb up on his horse.