Ultimate Cowboy

by Rita Herron

  They were trying to trick him into ratting out Father. Father had said that the police were like that, that they were the enemy. That they would lie to him, beat him, try to make him believe things that weren’t true.

  His home was back with Father and Jeremy and the others.

  He closed his eyes, willing the images he’d seen today to leave his mind. They hadn’t been real.

  Except those boys had been laughing at the campout. Talking and having fun.

  Fun...not allowed at the compound.

  Then he saw Hank’s face. Hank crying as Jeremy had brought him to Father. Father’s harsh look as he’d dragged Hank to the pit.

  Hank’s scream as he was closed into the darkness.

  He began to shake, sweat beading on his skin. He was back there again, back in the hole, the cold dark swallowing him. He tried to count the minutes until Father would return, but minutes turned into hours. Hours into days.

  Days he couldn’t remember because the terror had played with his mind.

  That agent Julie thought he’d helped lure Hank to Father. That made his stomach roil. He hadn’t lured Hank.

  But still Hank was there now. Suffering. Terrified. Alone.

  Brody’s words echoed in his head. I love you, Will. I want to help you.

  Father had said he loved him, too. Just before he’d whipped him.

  Just before he’d closed him in the pit.

  He went to the door. Maybe he should tell that agent...no.

  The only way to save Hank was for him to go back.

  He paced and paced, then finally decided he’d better turn off the light and pretend to be asleep or that agent and Brody might be suspicious. So he settled on the bed, but that stupid photo album called to him, and he opened it up and studied the pictures again.

  The little boy with the sandy blond hair had looked happy. He was learning to tie a rope in one picture. In another, Brody was teaching him how to saddle a horse. In another, they were out on the boat in the lake fishing.

  He slammed the book shut. That little boy wasn’t him.

  He’d never smiled like that or tied a rope or saddled a horse or gone fishing.

  They were all lies Brody had told him.

  He had to escape.

  But not tonight. He’d already been caught once. He’d have to lay low. Play it like a good soldier. Wait for the right moment.

  An hour later, the house was dark and quiet, and he was actually nodding off when he suddenly saw something flickering through the sheer curtains. He stood and went to look out the window to see if it was a car’s headlights.

  But his pulse hammered when he saw it was a fire.

  The barn across the way was in flames.

  And the horses were inside.

  Chapter Twelve

  Brody jumped from his bed at the sound of the pounding on the door. He swung it open and saw Will in the hallway, his eyes panicked.

  “A fire...the barn...I saw it through my window,” Will cried.

  Brody raced to Will’s room, pushed back the sheers and saw the flames shooting up toward the sky. Pure rage shot through him. Dammit, the horses were trapped in there.

  “Call 9-1-1, get a fire truck out here now!” Brody yelled.

  He ran back to his room, yanked on a T-shirt, jeans, socks and boots. By the time he was dressed, Julie was at the door, her hair spiraling out of control, her hands twisting at her T-shirt and pajama pants.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The barn’s on fire,” Brody said. “I have to get the horses out.”

  “I’m coming, too.” She darted into her room, and he raced down the stairs. Footsteps pounded behind him and he realized Will was on his tail.

  Brody had grabbed his phone and punched his foreman’s number, cursing as he waited on it to ring. Curtis was new and younger than his former foreman. He just hoped he was half as good.

  Finally he answered. “The barn’s on fire. Send some men out to help.”

  “We’ll be there ASAP,” Curtis said.

  “What do we do?” Will asked as he chased Brody outside.

  “We have to get the horses out!” Brody ran toward the barn, half panicked at the sight of the smoke billowing in a thick cloud.

  Julie caught up with them as he yanked open the barn door. “How many horses?”

  “Four,” Brody shouted over the roar of the flames. The fire looked as if it had started in the tack room and was probably spreading back toward the stalls. It would take only minutes to eat up the wood and hay and the barn would be gone.

  Heat radiated off the building and made it nearly impossible to breathe, but Brody yanked a handkerchief over his mouth and raced in.

  “Stay here, and wait for the ambulance,” he yelled at Julie and Will as he dashed into the barn.

  Flames spiked around him in patches, the tack room nearly fully engulfed. He coughed as the smoke filled his lungs, then raced to the first stall, dodging flames and falling wood as the section that had caught the roof sent boards crackling and flying down.

  Behind him, he realized Julie had followed and so had Will.

  “Get the two on the end out,” he said, knowing their stalls were the farthest from the raging fire.

  Julie ran past him and so did Will, both coughing and dodging the splintered boards falling from the roof.

  The horses were terrified, banging against the stalls, kicking and pounding to escape. Brody touched the latch on the first stall, the heat scalding his face and fingers as he turned the latch. “Come on, Sassy, get out of here.”

  The terrified animal rose and kicked at him, but he lowered his voice to a soothing voice. “Come on, get out of here, girl.”

  He slid into the stall, then slapped the horse’s hind section, and she shot forward, whinnying as she ran toward the back.

  Flames inched toward the second stall, the smoke so thick and gray that his vision blurred, and he bent over to draw a breath.

  One breath and he reached for the latch. It was hot, the flames starting to eat the floor of the horse’s stall. She was going crazy, whinnying, kicking and slamming her hoofs against the barn wall.

  “Come on, Honey,” he said softly. “I know it’s bad, but we have to leave the barn.”

  She rose on her back legs and kicked at him, but he held up a hand. “It’s me, girl. Come on, it’s hot in here.”

  She bawled and kicked though, and Brody knew she wasn’t going to come willingly. He looked back at the tack room but it was completely gone. Flames crawled toward him at a sickening pace, wood splintering and crackling all around him.

  “Brody?” Julie cried. “Are you in here?”

  “Yes, get Will and get out!” he shouted.

  “He’s safe,” she shouted. “And the other horses are outside.”

  “I’ll be right there!” he yelled. “Go on!”

  He spotted a rope in the next stall, then grabbed it and raced back to Honey. She was out of control, bucking and kicking but the flames were about to reach her hoofs.

  He made a looped knot and threw it around her neck. She bucked as he tightened it, and he had to brace his feet while she fought. “Come on, girl, I’m trying to save you, help me out.”

  He pulled and yanked and talked in a low tone until finally he coaxed her out. The moment she left the stall, he let loose the rope and slapped her behind. “Go on, girl, get out of here!”

  She galloped out of the barn, flaming boards falling around them as he chased her outside. By the time he exited the barn, the smoke had grown so thick he could hardly see. But the wail of the fire truck rent the air, and Julie’s hands touched his face.

  “We got them all out,” she said as he fell to the ground, coughing and begging for air.

  “Will?”

  “He helped,” Julie said.

  Then they both scanned the area, but Will was nowhere in sight.

  Dammit. He had disappeared.

  * * *

  JULIE HEAVED FOR a breath as the smo
ke billowed higher in the sky. Three ranch hands had arrived, yanking a hose from the house and trying to douse the flames.

  The siren wailed closer, the fire truck screeching to a stop, workers jumping down and rolling out their hoses to attack the fire. Heat wafted off the barn, flames shooting toward the sky, wood splintering and cracking as the barn began to crumble.

  Brody jogged over to meet the firemen. “The horses are all safe, and the barn’s lost. Just try to keep it from spreading.”

  “How did it start?” the lead fireman asked.

  “I don’t know but look for the origin,” Brody said. “I have to find my brother.”

  Julie’s pulse clamored as she scanned the area. “The Jeep’s still here and so is the truck.”

  Brody scowled. “I’ll check the other side of the barn.” He ran to the right then behind the flaming building, and Julie hurried to check the house.

  “Will! Are you in here?” She dashed through the house, checking the office, then the bedrooms but the bag of clothes she’d bought Will still lay on the bed unopened.

  She snatched her service revolver and phone from her room and strapped it on, then jogged back down the steps. By the time she made it back outside, the barn collapsed with a thunderous roar.

  The scene was chaos as the firemen and ranch hands worked to extinguish it. She squinted through the smoke, searching for Brody and Will. Then she spotted two figures running toward the wooded area to the west.

  Brody raced from the back of the burning barn, sweat and soot coating his skin.

  “Brody!” She motioned him to head west, and she took off running.

  He met her at the corner of the stable. “I saw two figures running that way.” She pointed toward the woods, and Brody headed into the thicket of trees.

  Twigs and leaves snapped, the sound of the blaze echoing in the air as they ran deeper into the woods. Julie saw the figures veer to the right, and she took a shortcut, praying she could catch them.

  Although she’d had training and jogged regularly to stay in shape, Brody’s legs were longer and he sprinted ahead of her.

  “Will, stop!” Brody shouted.

  Julie shoved a strand of hair behind her ear, perspiration trickling down the back of her neck as she tried to keep up. A branch slapped her in the face, but she shoved it away, ignoring her stinging cheek, then she jumped over a stump.

  By the time she reached the clearing, Brody was leaning against a tree, anger coloring his face. Dust spewed from the back of an old pickup truck in the distance, blurring her vision. She had a bad feeling Will was in that truck.

  And that he was getting away.

  She stumbled forward and gripped the tree, her chest aching for air.

  “Did you see him?” she wheezed.

  Pain wrenched Brody’s face as he cut his eyes toward her. Then he gave a clipped nod and wiped sweat from his face. “Jeremy was with him,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Good God,” Julie said. “I wonder if he set that fire as a diversion to get Will.”

  * * *

  BRODY CLENCHED HIS HANDS into fists. Had Jeremy set the fire?

  Maybe he and Will planned his escape together.

  But how would they have made contact?

  He had to clear his throat to force the words out. “You think Will set it to get away?”

  Julie reached for her phone. “Don’t go there, Brody. He was the one who woke you up to tell you about the fire, remember? He helped save the horses.”

  Brody’s chest eased slightly. “So why would he go back with Jeremy, especially after all the things we told him?”

  “I don’t know. He’s scared. That family, that life, it’s all he knows.” She tried her phone but there was no connection. “Let’s go back. I have to call this in.”

  Panic seized Brody, and he caught her by the arm. “Julie, what if some cop chases them down and shoots Will?”

  Julie’s eyes crinkled with concern as she squeezed his hand. “They’ll have orders not to shoot unless it’s in self-defense. But you know I can’t hide the fact that he left the ranch, Brody. Will and Jeremy both know where Hank Forte is. We have to find them.”

  He didn’t like it, but he knew she was right. He wanted Will found, wanted to know why he’d run from the brother who loved him to the man who’d abused him for years.

  God, he’d hoped that when Will saw the family photos and heard stories about their youth he’d remember his life before the kidnapping.

  But he hadn’t, and now he’d lost him again.

  “Come on.” They walked back through the woods, the sight of the smoke still billowing above the pasture making anger knot in his belly.

  “At least no one was hurt and the horses are okay,” Julie said as they reached the pasture.

  “But the animals could have died, and someone could have been hurt,” Brody said. “You could have been hurt, Julie.”

  Julie’s expression softened as if she was touched by his concern. “I’m fine and so are you. We’ll find Will again, I promise.”

  Brody wanted to believe her, but if Will told Jeremy the feds were looking for him, he’d probably run.

  The bastard had been hiding out for twenty years and hadn’t been caught. He could hide out another twenty and they might never know where he was.

  And little Hank Forte might grow up like Will and forget about his real family.

  The next two hours were chaos as the firefighters worked to extinguish the last flames. The barn was lost, but he called the vet to check the horses, and Sheriff McRae had arrived and alerted the locals to look for the truck.

  “I called the bureau,” Julie said. “They’re alerting local authorities and issuing an APB on Will and Jeremy. They will put one out on Jeremy. Sadly his parents died a while back.”

  Brody scrubbed a sweaty hand through his hair. “Maybe it’s for the best. It would be hell to finally find your son and learn that he’s wanted by the FBI for aiding his kidnapper.”

  Julie stroked his arm. “Maybe there’s hope for him,” Julie said. “And don’t give up on Will. We have no idea what’s going on in his head. Maybe on some level he did remember you.”

  Brody sighed. Dr. Hornsby, the middle-aged vet with graying hair, approached, his hands in his lab coat. “The horses are okay,” he said. “I didn’t detect any signs of smoke inhalation.”

  Brody shook his hand. “Thanks, Doc, that’s a relief.”

  David Thornton, the fire investigator, had also arrived, and had been examining the scene. Brody saw him talking to Sheriff McRae and strode over to them. “Did you find something?”

  Thornton gestured toward a gas can lying near a shovel in the rubble. “Looks like someone set it on purpose.” He folded his arms. “You have yourself an enemy, Bloodworth? Or do you think it was one of the kids on the ranch?”

  “I know who it was,” Brody said, his throat thick. “And I know why he set it.”

  Sheriff McRae adjusted his Stetson. “I’ll let you know if we get a hit on that truck.”

  Brody thanked him then explained the situation to the fire investigator.

  Julie had been speaking with one of the ranch hands, but she darted over. “Brody, I have to go.”

  “Did someone find Will and Jeremy?”

  “Not yet,” Julie said, her look full of compassion. “But Chief Hurt said a detective in San Antonio arrested another teenager in a convenience store robbery. They took the boy’s prints, and it turns out he’s one of our missing kids.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  Julie shook her head. “You have your hands full here. I’ll call you.”

  “No,” Brody said. “I’m going. The sheriff and my ranch hands can take care of what needs to be done here.”

  Julie hesitated, but finally shrugged. “Let me get my keys.”

  “No, I’ll drive,” Brody said. “Just give me a minute.” He stepped back to talk to the sheriff for a moment, then hurried inside and snatched his keys.
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  A minute later, they climbed in his Jeep and headed off the ranch. The smoke curling in the sky behind him taunted him with what had happened tonight, and despair threatened. He wondered if he had lost his brother forever this time.

  Still, hope fought its way through. Will hadn’t talked, but maybe this kid would. Then they could track down the bastard who’d kidnapped him and lock him away for good.

  * * *

  KYLE COULD STILL smell the smoke on his clothes and hear the horses bawling to escape. Sweat cloaked his body as he remembered the frantic scene, the flames erupting, ceiling falling, the heat sucking the breath from him.

  Then Jeremy had appeared, and he’d realized that he had set the fire.

  The truck barreled over the ruts in the road. Face flushed with anger, Jeremy suddenly swung the truck onto a side road, racing onto the dirt road and flying into a desolate area that looked as if it went nowhere. A ravine appeared ahead, and fear shot through him.

  Jeremy whipped the truck near the edge, parked and jerked around to him. One hand snatched Kyle by the shirt collar, yanking it so tightly he was nearly choking him.

  “You stupid fool,” Jeremy said in a sinister voice. “What did you tell them?”

  “Nothing,” Kyle said, his throat raw.

  “Nothing?” Jeremy snarled. “You’ve been with that agent and came here to live with that rancher, and you didn’t tell them anything about the family? About where we live? About the compound and Father and the brotherhood?”

  “No, I didn’t, I swear it,” Kyle said shakily. “But Jeremy, they said that Father took us from our families, that you were the first one he kidnapped.”

  Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Shut up, Kyle. The law lies to people, to kids,” he said. “Father told you they were bad, that they invade people’s privacy. They locked you up, didn’t they?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t talk.”

  “Not even when they beat you?”

  “They didn’t beat me,” Kyle said. “They just asked me questions.”

  “You told them about Father?”

  “I told you I didn’t tell them anything....”

  “What about Hank?”