Not one of his targets had left the house all day. The old woman was soft in the head. She was their focus. He could use that to his advantage. She made a beeline for the sunroom whenever she could, and the whole family catered to her.
They believed they were safe inside, but surprise was a formidable tool.
He lay belly down just below the crest, near the SUV he’d stolen. He’d divested it of its GPS so no one could track him. He was ready.
He adjusted the fingers of his gloves and glanced over at his companion. Like the idiot he was, the man didn’t wear gloves, said they sissified real men. He was proud of his calluses. It worked out quite well, actually. His prints would be visible—and traceable. Exactly the plan.
It hadn’t taken much to encourage the guy to go after the sheriff. Feed his ego after that night in jail.
“Just so we’re clear, are you prepared to do whatever it takes? It might not be pretty. We’ll have some collateral damage.”
The man pumped his fist. “Thayne Blackwood has a stick up his ass. Nobody puts me in jail and walks away without feeling my wrath. He’s gonna pay for what he done. I don’t care what I have to do.”
“Excellent.”
He handed over a rifle, making sure the man held it firmly enough to leave fingerprints. “Keep it with you.”
The man took the weapon, sighting it toward their targets before nodding. “Ready.”
“We’ll be showing this entire town Thayne Blackwood should never have been made sheriff. All your troubles will go away when he’s discredited.”
The idiot man grinned with lethal satisfaction.
Truthfully, some gene pools should never be allowed to continue. And for the man helping him . . . he wouldn’t get the chance.
Through the tall grass, they belly-crawled back to the SUV and slipped inside. He slammed the door and grabbed the cell phone tucked in the console between the seats.
“Here she is.” He held a phone in his hand and punched in the number of the cell he’d used as the detonator. He covered his face with a ski mask. “You ready?”
“I was born ready.” The cliché tripped off the man’s tongue, and he grinned as if he were clever.
The sooner this was over, the sooner he could leave the guy’s dumb ass behind. “Put on your ski mask.”
He nodded and slipped it on.
“You know what to do?” he asked, and again the man nodded.
He glanced at his watch. The deputy would be circling the barn in seconds.
“Three. Two. One.”
He gunned the SUV and swerved across the grassy lands to the northeast side of the house. He skidded to a halt just feet from the back door and just out of view of the corner of the sunroom.
Without speaking, they exited their vehicle and stood at the ready at the back door. Crowbar in one hand, he nodded and pressed the screen of his cell phone.
A loud explosion rocked the Blackwood Ranch. The old woman screamed. Her husband let loose a curse and told her to stay put. Farther inside, surprised shouts erupted from all around the house.
This was it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Thayne raced through the study door, Riley at his heels. “What the hell was that?”
He shoved open the front door, and the alarm’s tone sounded.
Riley gasped at the sight. One end of the barn had erupted into a hellfire storm. Flames licked up the side.
“Hudson!” Thayne shouted. Everything inside screamed at him to run.
Riley grabbed his shirt. “Diversion,” she shouted and pulled her weapon from its holster.
He knew she was right.
Crouched next to the open door, she aimed it outside and swept the area in sight. “Clear for now.”
Pops exited the sunroom and shoved past Thayne. “You save your brother and the horses. I’ll take care of Helen and the others.”
Thayne followed his grandfather into the study. Pops had already unlocked the gun case. He grabbed his old police rifle and shoved in a clip.
Thayne seized his father’s favorite, and they headed back out the door.
“The fire’s blocked the barn door. The hands can’t get in,” Riley shouted.
Thayne looked on in horror as two hands fought with the water hose. The spray barely made a dent. The flames crawled up the barn’s wall. “Where’s Ironcloud?” he asked.
Riley shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Go!” Pops shouted. “I’ll lock us in, get us into the utility room. Center location.”
Thayne nodded. He and Riley rushed into the chaos, crouched as best they could to make for a smaller target. Truth was, they were sitting ducks. A sniper could pick them off easily. Black smoke billowed into the air, the wind sweeping the dark soot toward them. Horses whinnied in terror just behind a thick wooden wall.
If Hudson was still alive, he wouldn’t be for long.
Thayne headed for one of the windows. Heat blasted at them from just feet away. He braced his shoulder and shoved it through the glass.
Smoke engulfed him, and he squinted through the black. He lifted his shirt over his mouth to use as a mask.
“Hudson!” The fire roared in his ears. Flames licked at his skin. He stumbled another few feet forward and slammed to his knees. His eyes watered and his lungs heaved. A large shape huddled on the ground beneath a large beam.
Please be alive.
Thayne crawled to the body. “Hudson.”
Fire leaped down the wood toward his brother.
“Get some water in here. Hurry!” he shouted.
Thayne braced his legs and edged the wood off his brother’s back just as water from the hoses washed over them both.
He crouched down. Hudson wasn’t moving.
Thayne looked over his shoulder. Riley. Thank God. “We’ve got to get him out.”
The shouts from outside the house caused him to smile. He stood in the sunroom, a good five feet between him and his companion. The old woman sat wide-eyed on the sofa, clutching an artist’s sketchpad.
The girl, Chloe, sat huddled next to the woman, frozen in fright.
The woman he knew to be Riley Lambert’s sister stood in the center, not moving.
The old sheriff faced him, aiming a rifle in his direction. The black ski masks hid their faces. No one would be able to tell them apart. He aimed at the girl.
“Who are you willing to let die, old man?” he said. “Because if you shoot me, he’ll shoot the girl before I hit the ground. Could you live with yourself, knowing you were responsible for her death?”
He nodded to his right. The man tightened his aim.
The old sheriff glanced over his shoulder.
“They won’t get here in time. I made sure of that.”
The old man had no choice. They all knew the truth. His grandson wouldn’t have had a choice, either. Outgunned and outnumbered, with innocents in the line of fire. They couldn’t make the sacrifice.
“Don’t hurt them,” ex-sheriff Lincoln Blackwood said and lowered his weapon.
“Of course not,” he said with a smile and pointed at Madison. “You, come here.”
She straightened her back and walked over, her gaze full of hatred. He didn’t like her.
He handed her a zip tie. “Restrain him. You so much as twitch the wrong way, I kill him in front of you.” He paused. “Or maybe I’ll have my assistant here shoot the girl.”
She glared at him but took the tie. In his head he counted down the time. They were running out.
Once the old man was subdued, they took care of tying up the old woman and the Jordan girl. He crossed the room and tilted his head at Madison, taking a tie from his pocket and binding her wrists. “You’re not in my plans.” He held the rifle barrel beneath her chin. “I could just kill you. Less mess.”
He leaned forward.
She clenched her fists. He leaned closer, his mouth brushing the curve of her ear. She shivered at his touch, and he couldn’t help but smile. He reached f
or his holster and tugged out his pistol.
“The only reason you’re not dead is to deliver a message. Tell your sister and her lover that they’ll never catch me. They’ll never win. I’ll always be one step ahead of them. And that will never change.”
The smoke burned Riley’s eyes. She tugged off her jacket to protect her hand and swiped along the window’s edges to clear the glass.
Smoke filled the barn. Thayne shoved his hand into his pocket and handed her his keys. “Drive the SUV into the side of the barn,” he shouted. “I’ll get Hudson, but we have to open the stalls and get the horses out.”
“I could hit the horses,” she said.
“Drive into the barn about five feet from the far end of the building. Empty stalls there.”
Riley gripped the keys and rushed across the dirt. She jerked open the door and jumped into his car before strapping herself in. She pressed on the accelerator and headed for the target. She braced herself and gunned it.
Her eyes snapped shut just as she hit. The airbag exploded into her face, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. She sat there stunned, then blinked. The airbag deflated, and she peered into the hole she’d created. She yanked the vehicle into reverse and a gaping hole remained, wooden planks hanging along the jagged edge.
She slammed on the brakes. The fire had moved quickly even in those few seconds. She raced back to the window. He’d removed the beam from his brother’s body, but Hudson’s eyes hadn’t opened. Thayne’s back muscles strained as he pulled his brother through the gap she’d created.
“Open the stalls,” he yelled over his shoulder.
At that moment, Deputy Ironcloud stumbled from behind the barn. His hand was pressed to his head. Blood seeped from a wound. He blinked. “Horses,” he muttered.
Riley nodded and raced into the burning barn. The roar of the fire drowned out most sounds. She headed toward the stall closest to the fire and flicked the latch up. She opened the gate. Ironcloud did the same.
She opened the second stall, then the third. Some horses rushed out in a panic, but a few refused to leave their stalls. The mare closest to the blaze whinnied in fear.
Thayne rushed in. He grabbed a rag that hung on the wall and covered the horse’s eyes before leading the terrified animal out.
Riley took his lead. She might not be the best with horses, but they were running out of time. Within a few minutes, the last horse was running free.
Her lungs burned and her legs felt like she’d run through a swamp. She could barely lift them. She lurched from the hole in the barn and made her way over to Hudson’s still form. Sucking in air, she knelt down and placed her ear against his mouth. He was breathing, but he didn’t move.
Thayne shouted orders at his men as they pointed hoses at the flames. The faint sound of sirens rose above the howl of the fire. They weren’t going to save the barn. She glanced at Hudson. Nothing she could do for him. She ran toward one of the hoses. The ranch hand looked ready to pass out, his face blackened with soot. She grabbed hold, and he gave her a tired nod of thanks.
Riley had no idea how long they kept at it before the fire engine finally screeched toward them. Four men launched themselves at the burning building. Ironcloud dragged a hose to the far end and doused the winter-dry grass to keep the fire from spreading.
While several arcs of water hit the flames, a truck barreled toward them. Cheyenne jumped out, her medical bag in hand. Her gaze widened when she saw her brother on the ground.
She rushed over to him. Thayne and Riley met her there.
“What happened?” she asked, quickly examining him. “How long has he been out?”
Riley tried to speak, but her throat closed off. “A big piece of wood fell on him. He was unconscious when we got to him.”
Cheyenne pulled out her stethoscope and examined her brother.
Her husband, Brett, limped over, leaning on his cane. “I could call for more hands,” he said with a narrowed gaze.
“However many you can spare,” Thayne said. “We’ve got to corral the horses and make sure the house isn’t in danger.” He looped his thumb through his belt. “This was a deliberate attack. Tell your men they should come armed and cautious. If you still want to help.”
Brett ignored Thayne’s comment and simply pasted his phone to his ear. He obviously wasn’t about to back down.
Thayne reached out to pat his brother-in-law on the shoulder. “Thanks.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
Riley knew the truth of Brett’s statement. It’s one thing she’d noticed about the people in this very sparsely populated state: They came to help whether you asked or not.
Thayne moved to stand next to Cheyenne. “How’s Hudson?”
Cheyenne pulled back one of her patient’s eyelids and flicked a light across his pupil. Once, then twice.
“Stop that.” Hudson slammed his eyes closed, gripped her hand, and turned his head away.
He groaned and struggled to sit up, but Cheyenne pushed him back down.
“Take it easy,” she said, her face streaked with relief.
“What happened?” He ignored his sister and rose before holding his head with both hands.
“Take it easy,” she said. “You almost got blown up.” She glanced up at Thayne and blinked away the moisture in her eyes. “He’s got too hard of a head not to be fine.”
“Damn, Hudson.” He clapped his brother’s shoulder.
Hudson stared at the barn in shock. “Everyone make it out?” he whispered.
“Hands and the horses. We got them all.”
“Who did this?” Hudson said.
“We don’t know.” Thayne stood and glanced over at Brett. “Keep an eye on them. We need to check the house. Can you handle this?”
Brett scowled at him, and Riley had seen the look before. Brett’s physical condition had improved since he’d almost died from being poisoned a month ago. He had made a remarkable recovery, but still wasn’t 100 percent.
“I can still give you a run shooting a target,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”
Riley rose to her feet and shoved her hand through her hair. Thayne gave his brother-in-law one last nod.
The stench of soaked wood and ash filtered through the air. “That was close,” Thayne said. “If the fire had reached the grass, the house would have burned to the ground. Do you think that was the plan?”
The hairs on the back of Riley’s neck stood on end. “Doesn’t feel right. He burned down the Jordan home to make it look like an accident. No one could mistake this fire for an accident.”
They climbed up the steps to the house. The front door was still locked. Thayne turned the key and pushed through the door. The tone sounded, and Riley relaxed just a bit.
“Pops, we’re coming in,” Thayne called out. When no one answered, he shouted again.
“Maybe they can’t hear you in the utility room,” Riley said.
She picked up her pace anyway. That sinking sensation in her gut made her entire body tense.
They crossed the living area and veered toward the centrally located utility room. Thayne pushed inside.
“Empty,” he said.
They sprinted toward the sunroom. Thayne paused in the kitchen.
“Door’s been pried open,” he said. “Damn it.”
Riley could barely keep up.
“Pops! Gram!”
“Madison! Chloe!” Riley shouted at the top of her lungs.
Thayne hit the sunroom. Riley gasped. Madison lay on the floor, her hands zip-tied in front of her.
She groaned and tried to sit up.
Riley knelt beside her sister, helping her. Thayne pulled out his Buck knife and sliced the plastic bindings.
“What happened?” Riley asked. “Where is everybody?”
“Two men dressed in black. Ski masks. They took them all away.” Madison pressed the heel of her hand against her head and lifted her tortured gaze to them. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop th
em.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Thayne knelt next to the tire tracks at the back of the house and studied them.
Hudson stood beside him, along with Madison. The scent of smoke cloaked him, and Thayne knew he reeked of the same scent. Hudson had refused to rest, of course. Not that Thayne would’ve done any differently.
Madison showed the same grit as her sister. A knot bulged on her head, which Thayne didn’t envy. She pressed an ice pack to it, but that was the only weakness she’d allow to show.
“Please.” Thayne rose. “Go on inside. You both look like you’re about to fall over.”
Hudson ignored his brother’s order. He studied the ground, keeping away from the footprints and scrapes in the dirt just outside the door.
“Pops and Gram walked side by side,” he said. “They dragged Chloe to here.” He pointed out a set of skid marks that suddenly vanished. “Someone picked her up. Probably to stuff her into their car.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Thayne’s lips. “Almost as good as Jackson.”
“Wish he was here.” Hudson frowned. “We could use him.”
“She fought them all the way,” Madison whispered, her gaze glued to the etchings in the earth. “She’s one tough kid.”
“That’s right, she is.” Hudson faced Madison. “We’re going to find her.” He turned to Thayne. “Right?”
Damn his brother. Thayne couldn’t promise anything. He didn’t know where to start looking, and he wasn’t about to lie. Not even to Madison’s hopeful face.
A thunder of hooves galloped toward them, saving him from responding.
Ironcloud rode in and dismounted in a fluid motion as if his head wound had never happened. “They drove north until they hit the highway. Once they made pavement, I couldn’t track them. From the turn, it looks like they headed away from town.”
“They could be anywhere within a hundred-mile radius by now,” Thayne muttered, rubbing the nape of his neck, where the tension had settled into a series of knots. “We don’t have the make or model of the car. Our only description of the perps is black ski masks.”
He hated the direction his mind headed, but he couldn’t see the situation ending well. For Chloe or for his family.
Forgotten Legacy Page 24
