Burn on the Western Slope (Crimson Romance)

by Smith, Angela

  Tanner carelessly and selfishly threw them aside as if they didn’t matter. And they didn’t, to him. If they had monetary value, that’d be another story.

  “Aha,” Tanner said as the last picture he destroyed revealed a safe with a keyhole and combination knob. Tanner turned the knob a few clicks and cursed.

  She glanced at her purse, then swiveled her gaze up, hoping Tanner hadn’t caught her.

  Stupid, stupid Reagan. Tanner grabbed her handbag and dumped everything out on the table. He rifled through the pockets, tried every key he found, opened lipstick tubes, and unzipped every zipper.

  “I know the key. I found it in a stuffed animal. But I didn’t think it was significant. If you’ll let me go back to the condo, I left it there. I know right where it is.”

  A key pinged to the floor. She tried to step on it and conceal it with her foot. Tanner shoved her and grabbed the key. It seemed to work, but none of the combinations he used worked.

  “Fuck!” Tanner turned on her. “What’s the combination?”

  “How would I know?”

  He grew frantic, shuffling through the things that had fallen out of her purse as if the combination would leap out at him.

  “You know someone will catch you. Even if you kill us. Especially if you kill us.”

  “I’m an FBI agent. I’ll come up with something and they’ll believe me.”

  “Garret is FBI too.”

  “So?” Tanner’s eyebrows notched into a frown as he stopped his search. “When’s your birthday?”

  “Are you the one Garret has been investigating all this time? Are you the one who killed his partner?”

  Tanner grabbed her hair, twisted it, and pulled her toward the safe. “When’s your birthday?”

  She mumbled the numbers. March twenty-second. Surely Ray would never use her birthday for the password.

  He turned the knob. Three-two-two. The safe opened. Who would have guessed? How many people knew of her existence before his death?

  Well, apparently Chayton and Garret. Were they involved somehow? Did they know about Ray?

  Reagan sank to the chair, her legs unable to sustain her. She’d never seen so much money. Stacks of money. And jewels. Glistening diamonds, an emerald necklace reminding her of the luminosity of Garret’s eyes when they darkened after making love. A huge sapphire ring reminding her of Garret’s eyes the day they’d played in the snow then fallen into bed and made love. She still couldn’t describe the broad range of color from green to blue, even if she looked into them every day of her life.

  Which now seemed pitifully short.

  “If it wasn’t for Javier Mass’s collection, they probably wouldn’t have even cared about this loot,” Tanner said.

  “What collection?” she asked.

  Tanner shoved her aside. “They collect rare objects of all kinds. One of those collections consists of fossilized shells probed back before the Cretaceous period. Like this ammonite.” He held up an object boasting more colors than she’d ever seen before. Like a rusted seashell bursting with gold and blue, crimson and violet. It was like peering into the soul of high-definition earth.

  Gasping, Reagan extended her hand. “Can I see?” She knew she wasn’t safe with Tanner but wanted to experience the texture of the object and understand why it would be worth killing over. It was the most striking thing she’d ever seen, unlike anything she’d come across while walking the beach. Yet similar, in a strange way.

  Tanner scowled and removed the fossil from her reach. “No. Most of these were stolen from museums. It has taken years for the Mass brothers to accumulate their collection. Saving this probably just saved my life.”

  “What about the jewels?” Reagan asked. Might as well learn everything she could, not that she’d make it out of this alive.

  “The jewels are for their clients. They’ve already lost a lot of money on these.”

  “So they get paid to steal jewels, yet they collect these seashells for their own personal gain?”

  “They aren’t merely seashells,” Tanner said. “And every crime lord has a penchant for something. For the Mass brothers, it’s these fossils. Javier is a collector of artifacts.”

  “He’ll kill, steal, and destroy to get them? Why? What makes them more important than human life?”

  “Stop trying to understand,” Tanner warned as he closed the door to the safe, the trinkets still secured inside.

  “You have what you want,” Reagan said.

  “See, that’s what I love about this weather,” Tanner said. “I can kill you and leave you outside. No one will find you until spring.”

  • • •

  “I’ve got to land.”

  “Where are we? How close are we to the cabin?”

  “I’d say a ten-minute walk.”

  “Can’t we fly a little closer?”

  “And risk landing on top of the damn house, or worse? It’s surrounded by mountains and I can’t fly safely in these conditions. I can’t see a foot in front of me and we are risking an avalanche.”

  That was the extent of Garret and Chayton’s conversation right before Garret feared they were plunging to their death.

  Adrenaline shot through him. As they spun around, his ears rang, his throat wouldn’t close, and his heart was on the brink of exploding. The helicopter bounced on the soft earth. Chayton managed to get the machine under control and land.

  They sat a moment until Chayton looked at him and smiled. “Told you I needed to land.”

  Garret rolled his eyes and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “Can I just close my eyes and pretend this is all a bad dream?”

  “Not an option.”

  Garret crawled out of the helicopter and Chayton handed him their backpack before following. Creeping on all fours, Garret tested the spongy earth to make sure they weren’t perched on anything dangerous that might fall out from under them anytime soon.

  “All’s clear.”

  Garret was tempted to leave everything behind. He didn’t want to waste time, he had to get to Reagan. But he might as well dig his own grave if he went unprotected. Ray’s cabin was nestled between mountains, and the northern wind was unsympathetic.

  He fought for patience as Chayton fed him the gear, their clothing, the weapons, only taking what they needed. He was grateful that Chayton’s elbow sprain had healed, because he didn’t know how they’d manage with a wretched injury.

  Dressed in their caps and gloves, Garret slung his backpack around his shoulders and grabbed his gun. Chayton followed close beside. In the gorge of the mountain they were in, the snow wasn’t so bad. The wind shifted up to a good ten miles an hour at times, but other than that everything seemed to be going their way.

  He and Chayton made their way to Ray’s cabin, thankful they were familiar with these mountains. They’d gone hunting and fishing with Ray, and this cabin or their dad’s cabin was the one they always used. They’d built fires outside and sat around them, sharing ghost stories.

  Every now and again, Garret noticed moose tracks in the snow and thought of the tracks Reagan had placed on his heart. He should have been more careful with her. He should have realized she would never be involved with Kyle. He should have been straightforward from the get-go.

  And Tanner? Who was he? How did he know the location of Ray’s cabin? How did he know Ray?

  When Garret noticed the lights of the cabin in the distance, he wanted to take off running. But he couldn’t burst into the door without knowing what awaited him.

  “You should stay back for now,” Garret said. “I don’t need you going in and getting killed.”

  “Are you shitting me? Should I stay out here and get killed instead? I’m almost frozen stiff. Plus, Nick will kill me if something happened to his chopper.”

  “We don’t know how many men are in there or if they have guns.”

  “I don’t give a fuck either,” Chayton said, his teeth chattering as if that would
prove his point. “If we were playing by the rules, we would have never taken this risk. And I didn’t take this risk only to fall back now.”

  • • •

  Garret peered through his scope, his heart pounding when he saw Reagan, safe and sound. Tanner stood beside her and if he didn’t know better, he’d think it a cozy scene.

  At least she wasn’t dead, and she didn’t look like she was in any imminent danger, so Garret had time to think. He’d talked to Buchanan before taking off on this crazy mission. Buchanan had promised to send backup, told him to wait. But Garret didn’t have time to wait. Surveying the area through his scope, he spotted an unknown man on the sofa.

  Chayton’s teeth chattered beside him. “Let’s go.”

  “Give me a minute. I have to think first.”

  “We’d done enough thinking. It’s time to move.”

  “I have to follow rules. I can’t just start killing.”

  “I don’t play by any rules,” Chayton said. “There are certain laws, yes. Common sense, really. Don’t steal. Don’t murder. Don’t cheat. But rules are just another person’s power trip. I make my own.”

  “When another life is at stake, sometimes you have to follow a certain set of rules.”

  “No. Especially not when another life is at stake. Rules are given by power hungry officials who have no idea what’s going on down here where we’re about to be skinned alive, if not by Tanner then by this weather. I’m not looking out for those damn power mongrels. I’m gunning for myself, for you, and for the woman you love.”

  “I never said I loved her.”

  “Then why the hell are we both risking our lives?”

  Because he loved her, dammit. He didn’t want to live without her, even if he didn’t have room in his life for love. He’d thought he was over that need, he’d hoped to never experience it again, but the opiate effect she had over him was like the most euphoric drug in the world, without all the aftereffects. Well, except for worry, pain, and giddiness.

  Reagan’s arrival in Montana had been a pivotal moment in both Garret’s and Chayton’s lives. She’d inadvertently spurred Chayton’s healing. Garret’s too. There was no way either of them would let her die, even at the risk of their own lives. Garret knew Chayton was in this as much as he was.

  “What’s your plan?” Chayton said.

  “Well, we could barge in and start shooting, but Reagan could get hurt. And you never know, but that guy on the couch could be innocent. So we’re going into the cabin to try to save Reagan without having to shoot anyone. But if we have to shoot, just make sure you don’t shoot Reagan.”

  “Obviously,” Chayton sneered.

  They crept toward the cabin, watching in the window in search for the right opportunity to burst through the door.

  Just as he was about to go in, Reagan swung her purse at Tanner. She missed and attempted to bring her purse strap around his neck to choke him. When he thwarted her, she managed to grab the chair table and swing, but it burst into pieces as it stuck the wall.

  Garret waited no longer. She was running from Tanner when Garret burst through the door. The door struck her. She banged against the wall, her eyes wide in surprise.

  Fuck.

  Tanner halted his pursuit for a second. Made eye contact with Garret. Then flung himself at Reagan.

  “Freeze.”

  Reagan screamed as Tanner grabbed her neck. Shoved his pistol against her head. He leered at Garret. “Drop your gun, Garret. Chayton.”

  Chayton kept his rifle trained on the unknown male suspect behind them.

  “He’s my dad,” Reagan said. “Don’t shoot!”

  “Shut up,” Tanner said, tightening his hold on Reagan’s neck.

  She clamped her mouth closed. Out of the corner of his eye, Garret saw that Chayton kept his rifle aimed on the man. Good, Chayton. Garret had no reason to believe the man was a threat, unless this was all one great big set up, but it was probably best to be safe, just in case.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “How do you know Kyle Maloney?” Garret asked Tanner.

  “That sleaze bucket. Is he still alive?” He pulled Reagan’s hair back. Her mind reeled as he whispered into her ear. “Sorry about that jerk, darling. I would have treated you a lot better.”

  “How do you know Nelson and Javier Mass?”

  “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

  “Well, one of us won’t make it out of here alive, so you might as well tell me.”

  “You mean Ray never told you?”

  Brow furrowing, Chayton stepped forward. Reagan was sure he was going to get himself shot. At least Tanner kept his gun on her.

  “Tanner is FBI,” she said, in case Garret didn’t know. She hoped that would clue him in that Tanner wasn’t an average everyday Joe. He had training, experience, and no reason not to use it right now.

  “Shut up, bitch.”

  Garret didn’t react. “Are you going to tell me or will I have to beat it out of you?” he asked.

  Tanner scoffed. “Yeah, right. Why don’t you hand over your gun and maybe I’ll tell you the story.”

  “Let Reagan go and I’ll consider it.”

  “Uh huh,” he grunted sarcastically.

  Reagan wasn’t at all sure why Tanner didn’t shoot her. She figured it was because he knew Garret would retaliate.

  Garret lowered his weapon but didn’t drop it. “Let her go.”

  Tanner eased his grip on her and released his gun from pointing at her head, but he didn’t release her. She figured now was the time to do something. She doubted anyone was going home if Tanner had anything to do with it and she couldn’t just stand here and let Tanner shoot her.

  She thrust her heavy-booted foot into Tanner’s shin. Tanner grunted. He curled involuntarily and released her.

  She heard two gunshots but had no idea who shot what and where. She dropped to the floor and crawled to her dad.

  “Get out of here,” he said, his voice gravely. “You have to hide.”

  “Not without you.”

  She burrowed into the couch with her dad. Glass rained as windows burst. Two more gunshots rang out. She prayed Garret and Chayton were okay.

  Suddenly, the silence was deafening. No gunfire, no yelling, no indication anyone was alive. She skimmed the room, praying she wouldn’t find Garret lying in blood on the floor. It would be her fault.

  He wasn’t there. She saw Tanner hiding behind the bar, but she couldn’t see Garret or Chayton anywhere. She squeezed herself and her dad further into the couch.

  “We can end this now,” Tanner called out, “before we all get killed.”

  Garret didn’t say anything.

  Oh God, he was dead. Or he’d abandoned her, left her here with Tanner to die.

  No, he wouldn’t do that. He must be hurt, but where was he? She had to help him.

  “Freeze, dickhead.”

  She heard the words, recognized Garret’s voice. He stood behind Tanner, his gun trained at Tanner’s head.

  Chayton loomed to the side, his rifle offering backup.

  “Drop it,” Garret said.

  “And if I don’t?” Tanner asked.

  Garret kneed Tanner in the back. Tanner’s head flopped forward. His gun skittered away. Garret kicked it to Chayton, who grabbed it. Reagan breathed a sigh of relief as tears burned her eyes.

  This was over.

  Reagan jerked when the door burst open. Chief Castro and two policemen barreled through the door.

  “Drop your weapons,” Chief Castro said. Chayton lowered his gun and backed up, but didn’t let it go.

  Garret kept his gun trained on Tanner until an officer approached closer. “Cuff him and read him his rights.”

  Garret searched for Reagan, and she stood to show him she was safe. She wanted to run into his arms and cry, but Tanner stopped everyone with his next words.

  “Hey, Chief. Does Garret know you’re the one who killed his partner?”

  •
• •

  Garret’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at Castro, whose face balled into a slimy smile.

  “You’re a pathetic creep,” Castro told Tanner.

  Garret’s mind raced. His eyes darted between the chief and the two officers. Were they all in on it? Officer Szalowski, who stood behind Castro, flicked his eyes to Garret. The startled look on his face told the truth. He was clean. The other officer didn’t react as he cuffed Tanner.

  Garret steadied his gaze on Castro. Castro widened his eyes as if surprised Garret would consider any truth to what Tanner said. But nothing would surprise Garret at this point.

  “You’re under arrest,” Chief Castro said again. “You may want to watch what you say.”

  “I want it to be used against me in a court of law,” Tanner spat. “Everyone needs to know what kind of slime you are. Garret here has been looking for you for a long time, only he didn’t know it was you.” Tanner flashed his eyes at Garret and nodded toward Castro. “He’s the one who killed your partner.”

  Jonathan’s image flashed through Garret’s mind. He gripped his gun tighter but kept it at his side. His chest tightened. His breathing quickened.

  “Can you prove that?”

  “Yes, I can. Let me go and I’ll get the proof from my house.”

  “Uh, huh,” Garret muttered. “How about you tell me where to find your proof and I’ll get it.”

  “How about we stop this ridiculous conversation and get out of here,” Castro said. “He’s lying. All criminals lie.”

  Garret didn’t like Castro. He didn’t think the chief was on the up and up about everything. But murder?

  “Tanner, is everyone involved in this mess?” Garret asked.

  “I just wanted the goods,” Tanner said, now cuffed. “It was either that, or my life.”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Castro, yes. The others.” Tanner shrugged.

  “Garret,” Chief Castro said. “How could I be involved in this?”

  “I don’t know. Chris and Ray obviously were. Why not you?”

  “That’s like saying Chayton was. I mean, he was Ray’s best friend.”