B.J. Daniels

by Forsaken

  “But you made it out once,” Tony argued. “You can get us out again.”

  “We aren’t going anywhere,” Alex snapped. “Geoff’s right. We wait for the storm to let up.”

  “But what about these tracks?” Tony asked, sounding scared. “If someone else knows...”

  “No one knows.” Geoff wiped his sweating forehead and leaned back against the plane in the spot where he’d dropped as if he couldn’t take another step.

  “You’re wrong,” Alex said, more annoyed with Geoff than he could ever know. “The sheep rancher and a sheriff’s deputy are up here looking for the sheepherder.” The other two men stared at him. “I didn’t think they would be a problem since they haven’t been here long. Apparently I was wrong.”

  Geoff shook his head. “Nice—you are just now telling us this. But even if they made a call to the feds, no one is flying in here until this storm lets up. Anyway, I doubt anyone got a call out of here. There is limited cell-phone coverage, and I took care of the radio in the sheep camp. Once the storm quits, we hightail it out of these mountains, just like we planned.”

  Alex wondered when Geoff had decided to take over their little operation. Not that it mattered. Alex could feel the last of this plan turning to dust as it slipped through his fingers. What had he been thinking bringing these two morons in with him?

  “You’re forgetting that we have a dead sheepherder and possibly an eyewitness, that kid who was with him,” Alex said and wondered why he was wasting his breath.

  “The kid doesn’t know anything. I told you that,” Geoff said. “The deputy will think the kid killed the old man. I used the old man’s gun to kill him then got rid of it.”

  “Sounds like you have it all figured out.” Alex began to gather wood for a fire. He agreed that no one would be out in this snowstorm since it appeared to be getting worse by the minute. But once it let up that was another story.

  It came down to one simple fact: if they couldn’t get the drugs out and pay the money he owed for them, he was a dead man. He just hoped his contact hadn’t panicked and called someone in the cartel. That was all they needed.

  Not that it mattered. Alex doubted any of them would get out of these mountains alive now anyway—even if the cartel didn’t show up. Maybe this operation had been doomed from the beginning. As he looked at Tony and Geoff, he knew he only had himself to blame.

  That realization struck hard, but once he’d accepted the truth, it allowed him the luxury of deciding how he wanted it to end. He wasn’t through with these mountains. Or the people in them.

  * * *

  “I THINK YOU need more time off,” Undersheriff Dillon Lawson said when they were back at the department. Frank had followed him into his office, but while Dillon had taken his seat behind his desk, Frank had remained standing.

  “What I need is to find Pam.”

  “What would you have done if you had found her?” Dillon asked.

  Frank merely looked at him.

  “That’s what I was afraid of. This isn’t like you. You’re coming unraveled, and it’s damned hard to watch. Frank, I respect you. You’ve always been so level-headed and fair. I can’t bear to see you throw away your career like this.”

  Frank knew what Dillon was saying was true. He no longer recognized himself. But then, he’d never been pushed this far. He could take anything Pam dished out. But it wasn’t just him she was hurting. What she’d done to Tiffany was criminal. Trying to kill Lynette? He felt a rage in him that burned so hot he could barely stand it. And as she’d said, she wasn’t through with him yet. He had to find her and finish this.

  “You’re playing right into Pam’s hands,” Dillon said. “She wants to see you break. She wants to ruin you. You can’t let her win.”

  Frank feared it was too late. He knew Pam must be loving seeing him like this. When they were married she would try to rile him, and when she couldn’t, she’d tell him that he had no passion in him. No killer instinct.

  He smiled to himself at the thought of how wrong she was on both counts.

  “What are we going to do about this?” Dillon asked.

  “How about find Pam and put her behind bars?”

  They both knew that wasn’t going to happen. Even if they could locate Pam, they had no real evidence that she’d done anything. Maybe an assault charge would stick now that she didn’t have an alibi, but without any real evidence and her with no prior record, she would probably get off easy.

  Not to mention that Pam would be one hell of an actress before a judge. He’d seen that Bull felt sorry for her and blamed him. An allegedly heartbroken woman would play on everyone’s sympathy. Pam would be a champion at it.

  “We have an APB out on Pam,” Dillon said. “That’s all we can do right now.”

  Pam would hide out for the time being. Even if Frank knew where to look, he probably couldn’t find her.

  “Here’s the situation, ” the undersheriff said. “Take some time off, get your head on straight. You have vacation coming. Take more of it. We’ll forget what happened today.”

  Frank knew he could be suspended for what he’d done and that Dillon, just like the judge, was trying to help him. “That’s the last thing I need right now. I need to work.”

  Dillon shook his head as his phone rang. “I can’t let you do that, Frank. We both know you shouldn’t be working right now.” He took the call. When he hung up, he said, “It’s starting to clear up in the mountains.” He disconnected and placed another call. “Get the helicopter ready to lift off as soon as possible. Call me when we’re ready to roll.” He put down the phone and looked at the sheriff. “Well, Frank?”

  He knew Dillon was right. He wasn’t capable of doing his job. Not as long as Pam was out there. He began to take off his gun.

  “Frank, what are you doing?” Dillon asked.

  He laid his silver star on the undersheriff’s desk. “I’m quitting.”

  “Frank, no,” the other man said, getting to his feet. “Take some vacation time—”

  “It’s best this way. Like you said, I’m not acting rationally, and I sure as hell am not acting like the sheriff of this county.”

  Dillon shook his head. “I’m not accepting your resignation, Frank. As far as I’m concerned you’re on extended leave. You’re going to cool down, get your head on straight and be back for your star and gun. It will be waiting for you.”

  Frank started for the door. “Go save Jamison. He’s a good man.”

  “Frank, wait. What are you planning to do? I don’t have to tell you what will happen if you take the law into your hands, do I?”

  “No, I know how it goes.” He stepped through the open doorway.

  “We’ll talk soon.”

  Frank didn’t answer as he left.

  * * *

  CLETE OPENED HIS eyes to a blinding headache. He attempted to sit up, shocked to find himself on the floor in front of a dead fire. The room had gone cold, but someone had been thoughtful enough to throw his coat over him.

  What had happened? He couldn’t remember at first. Then he recalled Alex and Tony making dinner. But he couldn’t remember eating it. Had he?

  His stomach roiled. He lay still, eyes closed, trying to keep whatever he’d last eaten down. The cabin was too quiet. He opened his eyes and glanced around. Where was everyone?

  Light came in from the falling white snow outside the windows and illuminated the small space. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that the cabin was empty. Alex, Tony and Geoff were gone—so was their gear.

  He lurched into a sitting position to check his watch. It was morning. What the—

  As he tried to rise, his head swam. Getting on his hands and knees, he crawled over to look in the only other room, the kitchen. Empty, too. Their sleeping bags were gone as well as their saddlebags. They’d taken off in the middle of the night or first thing this morning?

  Clete lay back, closed his eyes again and breathed for a few minutes as he worked to ease the nausea. His
stomach rolled like a boat being pitched on a heavy sea. How much had he drunk last night? He recalled only two drinks. Geoff had been making them strong, but normally Clete could hold his liquor. Hell, he owned a bar.

  He worked his way up, hanging on the doorframe until he got his feet under him. Stumbling to the front window, he looked out. The horses that had been in the small corral were gone. All of them, including his.

  He moved into the kitchen, his mind whirling. All the food and supplies were also gone. As his mind cleared a little, it hit him like a truckload of bricks. He’d been had. Geoff had drugged him. No wonder Alex and Tony had offered to cook. They’d drugged him and left him here without supplies or a horse? Why would they do that? He realized they’d also taken his saddlebag with his gun and ammunition in it. He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. It was nothing compared to his growing anger.

  What he couldn’t figure out was why? Why hire him to bring them this far just to leave him?

  He shuffled into the kitchen. They’d left an almost-empty bottle of booze and part of a cola. He chugged a little of the cola. Then added a little hair of the dog. The vodka made his stomach roil again, but it helped clear his head a little.

  In the living room he put on his coat. At least they’d left it, and he was still wearing his boots. They could have left him here naked. Or they could have killed him. The sad thing was that he thought that had been an option. Had he overheard them talking about doing just that?

  He took another drink and returned to the living area. He realized that without those three idiots he could make great time on foot. Alone he could reach his uncle’s house and his vehicle in no time.

  Or, he thought, as he glanced around the cabin, he could go after his horse. All of his uncle’s horses. Let Alex, Tony and Geoff hike out on foot. The bastards deserved it.

  At the thought of Bethany and his soon-to-be-born son, Clete tamped down his anger. Going after them would be stupid. Through the window he could see that the storm had dumped a good foot of snow and it was still coming down. Instead, if he got moving, he could be waiting for them at Tower Junction when they came out.

  Also, the sooner he got moving, the sooner he’d be home with Bethany.

  As much as he wanted to pay the three men back, he was going home to his wife—then he was going after his uncle’s horses—and his money.

  A shadow of a memory moved almost within reach. He stood frozen in place, the memory teasing him before coming to him slowly. He had heard their conversation just before he’d passed out. They had been talking about killing him!

  But that wasn’t all.

  “Is he out?” Tony’s voice.

  “Like a light.” Geoff this time.

  “I wish we didn’t have to do this to Clete.” Tony talking, sounding more than a little drunk.

  “I wasn’t the one who ended his football career.” Geoff again. “Let’s remember who did the damage.”

  “Because Alex told me he was the one behind that sick prank against me.” Tony sounded as if he might cry.

  “Who says he wasn’t?” Alex this time from the kitchen. “We should eat. We have a long ride ahead of us.”

  “I still think we should kill him.” That damned Geoff.

  The bastards. They’d ended his football career and now they’d almost ended his life and for what? Clete began to shake from the cold and the anger. He was amazed they’d left him alive. He realized there was only one reason they had.

  They didn’t expect him to come after them.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “YOU CALL THAT a fire?” Tony said with a curse as he leaned over the small blaze.

  “We don’t want to burn down the entire forest. Nor do we want it to lead anyone to us,” Alex said irritably.

  “Like someone is going to see smoke through this damned snowstorm,” Geoff muttered from his spot away from the fire.

  The sky was lightening, the storm appearing to let up. Alex felt antsy. Now that he’d made up his mind, he just wanted to get moving.

  “We will be leaving soon, so let’s try to relax,” he said not for the first time.

  Geoff didn’t even bother to respond as Tony scooped up more dried pine needles from the base of a nearby tree where the snow hadn’t reached. Alex watched him throw them onto the fire. The brown needles sizzled and popped before catching flame.

  Over the flames, Alex studied his two former teammates. He’d thought them tougher than they were. He deeply regretted getting into business with them. But how could he have known how quickly they would fall apart when things began to go wrong? Surely they had been tougher in college when they’d been able to take a hit and get back up. Since then, they’d gotten soft apparently.

  He considered how to deal with them—just as he had been forced to deal with everything else.

  “I should never have let you talk me into this,” Tony grumbled, his gaze on the fire. “You said this was going to be a piece of cake. Not to worry. Just think about the money.” Tony’s gaze lifted to glare across the fire at him.

  Alex had no trouble staring him down, though. His bigger concern was Geoff because Geoff was the brighter of the two.

  “I still think we should load up and get out of here,” Tony said and glanced back at Geoff, obviously hoping he would agree.

  But Geoff was in no shape to agree to anything. He had stopped rubbing his leg. Hell, he had stopped moving altogether.

  “The storm is letting up,” Alex said. “It makes sense to wait. Not to mention, we’re all exhausted. Anyway, there is no reason to panic. Like Geoff said, he took care of the radios at the sheep camp, and no cell phone is going to work in this storm.”

  Tony seemed pacified for the moment.

  Alex moved closer to him. “Geoff’s leg is infected,” he whispered. Geoff had his eyes closed and appeared to have dozed off.

  “How do you know that?” Tony demanded.

  “Keep your voice down. He’s sick.”

  Tony turned to look at Geoff. As cold as it was, even Tony had to see that Geoff looked sweaty, feverish. “So he sees a doctor as soon as we get out of here. He should have gone before coming up here.”

  “Well, he didn’t. He was afraid the doctor would ask too many questions.” Alex glanced again at Geoff, who didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them or anything else. “We need to put distance between us and this plane—and as quickly as possible once this storm breaks. Geoff isn’t going to make it.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Alex stared at him. “He won’t make it.”

  Tony swore and looked sick to his stomach. “You’re the one who talked him into coming. You knew he was hurt.”

  “We needed him to bring us to the plane. Even with a GPS, we couldn’t have found the plane without Geoff.”

  “You can’t just leave him here.” Tony sounded close to tears.

  Alex wanted to slap him. Instead, he said, “I had no idea his leg was so bad. He kept saying he was fine.”

  Tony shook his head angrily. “You can’t leave him behind. How barbaric is that?”

  “We can’t get him and the coke out.”

  “I wish I’d never gotten involved in this.”

  “So you keep saying, but you did,” Alex said. “Now you need to buck up if you hope to get out of here alive.”

  “You are one coldhearted bastard, you know that?”

  “I’m a realist,” Alex said. “I say what everyone else is thinking but doesn’t have the guts to say.”

  Tony shook his head again and reached for more pine needles to throw on the fire.

  Alex wondered if Tony was finally realizing that if Alex could leave behind Geoff this easily, he could do the same with him.

  Tony would be wary now. Alex figured Geoff could be dead by midmorning. But by then, the coke would be loaded on the horses. Then what? Alex had thought about trying to hide the drugs in the mountains and coming back for them later, but he knew that was a pipe dream. A
s was trying to get the drugs out of the mountains now that the plane had been found by the deputy.

  He shook his head, thinking what would happen to him if he didn’t pay the cartel the rest of what he owed for the coke. Worse if they heard that the plane had gone down in these mountains and decided to take matters into their own hands.

  Would his associate back in the valley double-cross him to save his own neck? In a heartbeat.

  Alex swore under his breath, remembering when they’d spoken on the phone. Had he already sold him out then?

  He watched Geoff sleep for a moment. Tony was trying to get warm by the fire, looking miserable.

  What Tony didn’t know, but Geoff no doubt already suspected, was that too much had gone wrong, and it was too late to walk away from this latest adventure. Alex had a new name, a passport and enough money hidden away that he could try to disappear, but it would mean a life on the run, always looking over his shoulder, never knowing when they would find him—but knowing that they would eventually.

  Geoff had been so sure the sheepherder and the boy hadn’t known about the drugs, hadn’t told anyone. But the rancher and deputy had found the plane, found the drugs. That changed everything, and these two fools weren’t smart enough to know that.

  He watched Tony throw more pine needles on the fire and ask Geoff how he was doing. Geoff mumbled something that made Tony glance in Alex’s direction. His worried look made it clear he didn’t think Geoff was going to make it, either. Tony turned away, no doubt in tears. Alex was too angry for tears. When he got like this, he wanted to hurt someone.

  * * *

  JUST BEFORE DAYLIGHT, the storm began to let up. Jamison hated leaving Maddie and yet he feared when the storm finally quit, the drug runners would return to the plane.

  What would they do if they noticed his and Maddie’s tracks? They would know about the sheep camp, anyway. They’d already killed once; he was sure of that. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill again.

  But he believed he had time on his side. That and the drug runners’ need to get their payload out before getting caught. He was counting on the storm slowing them down—or keeping them out of the mountains altogether.