Ultimate Cowboy

by Rita Herron

  Brody shook his head no. “Did you?”

  “No movement from the chopper, no sign of a car or van leaving, either. But we should search those outbuildings.”

  Smoke swirled above the trailer, the sickening odor of the ether wafting through the air. Brody gestured toward the wooden structures. “You two take that building, and Julie and I’ll search the one to the left.”

  Miles led Johnny toward the right, and he and Julie headed to the left. The building looked like a garage or storage container, except as he entered, he noticed stalls on both sides.

  “An old barn?” he said as he pulled open the wooden door.

  Julie stepped inside, shining her flashlight across the space. “Perhaps the original owner put up the trailer as a temporary home until he could build a house.”

  “Or he planned the meth lab and needed buildings to house his supplies and product until he could move it,” Brody suggested.

  Inside the building was dark, the floor made of dirt and straw. The stench of urine and sour sweat clogged the air, nearly making him gag.

  “There’s no one here,” Brody said, disappointment mounting inside. Dammit, where was Will?

  Julie walked to the first stall and shined the flashlight inside. “Oh, my God.”

  “What is it?” Brody moved up behind her, his stomach pitching as he realized what had upset her. Leather straps were attached to the posts of the stall, chains also wound around the posts.

  Straps and chains that looked as if they had been used to tie an animal—or a child—inside the stall. They walked to each of the stalls and looked inside and found the same sick setup.

  “I can’t believe this,” Julie said, her face paling in the dim light streaking through the barn. “He is a monster.”

  Brody opened the stall door and walked inside, raking his foot through the straw. He didn’t know what he was looking for, maybe signs an animal had been kept there, not a person. He didn’t find anything in the first stall, and Julie was searching the second, so he moved onto the third. The stream of light from the outside reflected off the stall door, and he knelt to examine it. The wood had splintered, with either a rock or fingernail marks embedded in the rotting frame as if someone had tried to claw their way out.

  He examined the chains and leather strap marks next. His stomach revolted when he spotted bite marks in the leather.

  “Someone was chained in here,” he said. “There are teeth marks on the straps.”

  “Same in here,” Julie said. “I’m going to get a forensic team out here. Our unsub may not be here now, but he was here. Maybe the lab can lift some prints we can use when we catch him.”

  When they caught him? Brody was beginning to wonder if they ever would.

  Julie stepped outside the barn to make the call, and Brody followed, desperately needing some fresh air. Anything to erase the stench of what he’d just seen.

  He spotted Miles and Johnny exiting the other barn and strode toward them. Miles disappeared around the outside of the barn, but Johnny was leaning against the door, his head down. The roar of the trailer fire echoed in the air, although the flames were starting to die down.

  “Anything in there?” Brody asked Johnny.

  Johnny’s look of disgust mirrored his own feelings. “Straps and chains—”

  “Same in there,” Brody said, hitching his shoulder toward the other building.

  “I can’t believe a human could do that to another one,” Johnny muttered.

  Neither could Brody. Bile rose to his throat. But he had a bad feeling the monster who’d kidnapped Will had chained him up like an animal. “Julie is calling a forensic team to process the buildings.”

  Miles suddenly appeared at the edge of the barn, his expression set in stone.

  “What is it?” Brody asked.

  “Not good.”

  Julie ended the call and joined them. “A forensics team is on the way.” Her eyes narrowed as she realized something was wrong. “Did you find something else?”

  Miles gave a clipped nod. “Two graves.”

  Brody staggered backward. Graves?

  Dear God...had Moody killed Will when he’d returned and buried him out here where he thought no one would find him?

  * * *

  JULIE SHUDDERED, then noticed Brody’s pallor turning gray and pulled herself together. Her phone buzzed, so she snapped it up.

  “Mitland checked out,” Chief Hurt said. “He lives with his mother and she verified that he’s clean. Cord called and Fuller checked out, as well. He’s remarried and they have a baby.”

  “Moody’s the guy, Julie said. “We found a meth lab and the buildings where he kept the boys locked. There are also two graves.”

  “Good God,” Chief Hurt said.

  “I need a forensic team but let me check this out. I’ll call you later.”

  Julie hung up, perspiration beading on her neck at the prospect of what they might find. Brody looked shaken as she gestured toward Miles. “Show me where they are.”

  Miles jerked his head, indicating for her to follow, and Brody snapped out of his shock. The three of them trailed Miles as he led them around the barn to the edge of the woods backing up to the building. Julie spotted the mounds of dirt and pushed her hair behind her ear.

  The February breeze picked up, swirling the chemical odor and smoke from the fire around her. Julie knelt to examine the graves, looking for signs they were recent or any evidence the person who’d dug the graves had left behind. A loose button that had fallen off, a piece of fabric or human hair, anything that might help lead them to the unsub.

  Brody suddenly disappeared, then returned a moment later carrying a shovel he must have found in one of the barns. “I have to see if Will is in there.”

  He jammed the edge of the shovel into the nearest grave, but Julie stood and grabbed the handle. “Stop it, Brody, you can’t disturb the graves.”

  Brody wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “I have to know,” he murmured. “Move out of the way, Julie.”

  Julie’s gaze met his. The torment in his eyes nearly sent her to her knees. But she couldn’t allow him to destroy evidence. “I’m sorry, Brody, but I can’t let you disturb the crime scene.”

  “I don’t give a damn about your procedure,” Brody shouted. “My brother might be in there.”

  Miles put his hand on the shovel. “She’s right, Brody.”

  Brody glared at his friend. “But I have to know—”

  “I understand you’re terrified Will is in there, and we will have the graves dug up,” Julie said softly. “But we have to wait on a team.”

  Brody’s face twisted with emotions and Julie couldn’t resist. She pulled him into her arms. “Listen to me, Brody, it’s going to be all right.”

  “Not if Will is dead,” Brody said in a raw whisper.

  Miles took the shovel, and he knelt to examine the graves while Johnny walked around them.

  “The grave looks as if it’s been there for a while,” Johnny said. “See how packed the dirt is.”

  Julie stroked Brody’s back, but his shoulders shook. “There was blood in one of the stalls,” he murmured.

  Julie cupped his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. “We don’t know that it’s Will’s blood, Brody. Hang in there a little while longer.”

  He nodded against her, his breathing shaky, and Julie led him away from the site. She didn’t stop until they’d reached where they’d parked. Instead of getting inside though, she pulled him down to a log on the ground beneath a cluster of trees where it was cool and the barns weren’t visible.

  She quickly phoned Chief Hurt and relayed the events, then asked him to send a coroner and ambulance so they could transport the bodies they were about to dig up. Brody remained silent, his body rigid with anxiety, his breathing labored in the quiet.

  Night had set in, the moon a crescent sliver that fought its way through the storm clouds. Julie pressed a hand to Brody’s back as he ra
ised his knees, propped his elbows on them and rubbed his forehead. She hoped to hell the forensics team could finish before the snow came.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Brody said in a low voice.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Julie said. “Just try to hold on to hope, Brody. Like I told you before, Will survived seven years. Now he knows you’ve been looking for him, he won’t give up.”

  “But he didn’t believe me,” Brody said.

  Julie sighed, wiping at dirt on her forehead. “He may have said that, but on some subconscious level, the truth may have sunk in.”

  She twined her fingers with his, and they sat clinging to one another until the crime unit arrived.

  Johnny and Miles met them at the CSU van, and Julie explained about the case and what they’d discovered. “Let’s start with the graves,” she said. “We need to identify them ASAP.”

  The team introduced themselves as Todd Franks, Janice Crimson and Detective Lyle Burks. A fire crew arrived next to extinguish what was left of the burning trailer and investigate the fire. Dr. Kurt Norman, the local coroner and medical examiner, drove up and Miles guided him to the scene.

  Brody started to follow, but Julie shook her head. “Stay here, Brody. You don’t have to watch this.”

  Brody gave her a sharp look. “I have to see for myself, Julie.”

  Their gazes locked for a long heartbeat but he didn’t budge. Resigned, she nodded. “Come on, we’ll watch together.”

  Johnny stood in the background while Todd and Janice photographed the scene and collected soil samples from the grave. Then Detective Burks and Todd began to dig.

  Miles led Janice to one of the barns, and they began the laborious processing of the scene.

  The sound of the shovel hitting dirt and rocks sounded ominous in the quiet as the men worked. The coroner stayed close, helping to rake away dirt when they reached the body.

  Julie held one hand on Brody’s arm to keep him calm as they unveiled the two bodies. The sight of the bones made Julie sick because those bones were human, and judging from the size they belonged to an adolescent.

  But the bones had been there too long to be Will.

  Brody must have realized it at the same time because his breath whooshed out. Then he turned and strode back toward the Jeep. She followed him and saw him leaning against the driver’s door, his face ashen, sweat trickling down his neck.

  “It’s not Will,” Julie said as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

  Brody gave a short nod. “Thank God.” Then he turned to her with a tortured look. “I’m so relieved. But I feel guilty for that.”

  “I know,” Julie said. “Even if it’s not Will, there are two boys who shouldn’t have died.”

  * * *

  EVEN AS BRODY admitted his guilt, relief swept through him. Sorrow for those kids in the grave and for their families overwhelmed him.

  But Will might still be alive....

  “I’m going to talk to the forensic team for a minute, then we’re going home.”

  Brody didn’t argue. There was nothing else they could do here. Hopefully the crime unit would find evidence to help track down this bastard.

  But at least they had a name now. Barry Moody.

  Although since the man had forced new names on his victims, he’d probably changed his own name, too.

  Johnny walked over to him while Julie went to talk to the team. “We’re going back to the BBL now, but we’ll start looking again tomorrow,” Johnny said. “As soon as it’s daylight.”

  Brody shook his hand. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  Johnny nodded and tilted his hat to one side. “We won’t stop until we find him, Brody.”

  Brody gritted his teeth as Johnny went to join Miles, and they headed back to the chopper. Brody tried to pull himself together, but his emotions were still ping-ponging all over the place as he and Julie drove back to the BBL.

  As soon as they arrived and entered the house, he went straight to the bar in his office and poured himself a drink. Then he offered Julie one.

  “I’m on duty,” she said, although exhaustion laced her voice.

  “You deserve it after today.” Brody said.

  Julie accepted the scotch and swirled it in her glass.

  He sipped his drink. “Johnny and Miles are going to start again early in the morning.”

  “They’re good friends,” Julie said. “They care about you a lot, Brody.”

  “They care about kids,” Brody said. “We...all have our stories.”

  “Yes, we do,” Julie said softly, then she sipped her drink, a silent understanding passing between them.

  Finally Brody knocked back his drink then set his glass on the table. “You were amazing today, Julie.” He walked toward her, then brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “I...don’t know how I would have made it through that without you.”

  Sadness glittered in Julie’s eyes, then a flicker of some other emotion Brody couldn’t define.

  “You’re strong, Brody,” Julie said softly. “You always have been.”

  “No,” he said, a knot in his belly. “I messed up years ago when I blamed you. I...needed you then but I pushed you away.”

  Julie lifted her hand and placed it over his. The touch sent a tingle of awareness and hunger through him. It had been a long damn time since he’d been with a woman.

  Even longer since he’d made love to one, because the only woman he’d ever loved was standing in front of him.

  “But I’m not going to push you away this time,” he said gruffly. “I need you, Julie.”

  A heartbeat passed, then Julie set her glass on the table beside him and reached for him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Julie threaded her fingers through Brody’s hair, unable to resist the urge to comfort him.

  Although as he drove his mouth over hers, kissing her with such fervor, desire flared inside her. She needed comfort as much as he did. Too many nights and days of monsters hurting women and children haunted her.

  It had all started with Will years ago. It had to end with them finding him, bringing him back home, and helping him accept the love Brody had for him.

  Brody emitted a low growl of pleasure as she parted her lips in invitation, and he took the kiss to a frenzied pace, his hands roaming over her shoulders down to her hips where he pulled her against his hard rippled body.

  Her breath caught, delicious sensations pummeling her as his tongue danced with hers. He trailed kisses down her neck, nibbling at the sensitive flesh behind her ear, while she raked her hands over his muscled chest. She wanted his clothes off. Her clothes off.

  To lie naked and loving him forever.

  Then his teeth nipped at the buttons on her blouse, and her nipples stiffened to peaks that ached for his mouth.

  Her back suddenly brushed the stair rail, and she realized they were in the foyer, that anyone could walk in and see them.

  She kissed his neck, her body humming with arousal. “Upstairs,” she whispered.

  He murmured agreement, then swung her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs. She had never been in his room, but it was exactly as she would have imagined it. Masculine colors and furniture, strong lines, with pictures of horses and wildlife on the wall.

  So Brody. The ultimate cowboy.

  He shoved the comforter down and dropped her on the bed, then cradled her face between his hands and gazed into her eyes. His were dark pools of turmoil, pain and hunger.

  Need flared inside her, a need that had been there years ago, one that had never left her. The years fell away, and she felt like she was seventeen again, hungry for Brody’s touch, and so in love she could barely breathe.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” Brody murmured.

  “I missed you, too,” she whispered.

  Raw passion flared on his face as he unbuttoned her blouse, then he lowered his head and claimed her mouth again. This time emotions drove the kiss, and his fingers trailed lower to ra
ke over her breasts.

  She arched into him, her pulse hammering as he kissed his way down her throat. Then he took one nipple in his mouth and suckled it while he unbuttoned her slacks, and she lifted her hips to allow him to undress her.

  A frenzy of desire made her grip his hips and press herself against his hard erection. He groaned, then rose above her and stripped her underwear. Tiny shivers rippled through her as his fingers brushed her heat.

  His look of approval made her reach for his shirt. The buttons flew to the floor as she ripped it off, then his jeans came next, the two of them becoming more frantic with each touch and passionate look.

  She had always wanted Brody. He was the boy who had stolen her heart years ago.

  And he was the man she wanted now.

  * * *

  BRODY SOAKED IN Julie’s beauty, the sight of her naked body lying beneath his fueling his hunger. It had been so long since he’d held a woman, loved one, since he’d had Julie, that he wanted to prolong the pleasure.

  She raked a hand through his hair, and he smiled, remembering the countless times she’d done that.

  And how much he’d missed the intimate gesture.

  Thoughts of that place they’d found earlier started to intercede, but he pushed the ugly truth away. He would hunt again tomorrow.

  Pain and need blended together, making him reach for Julie and kiss her again. She plunged her tongue in his mouth, and he suckled it, using his hands to drive her to a frenzy as he toyed with her nipples, then slid a hand down to slide between her thighs. She parted her legs in silent invitation, moaning softly as he teased her folds then slipped two fingers inside her.

  She whispered his name, clawing at his back, holding him tighter as he teased her again and again. White-hot need raged through him, the urge to thrust inside her almost unbearable.

  Instead of satisfying himself, he raked his tongue down her breasts, then lower to her belly, then lower until he pushed her legs apart and settled his mouth where his fingers had been.

  Julie murmured a low sound of pleasure, arching into him, and he tasted her sweetness, licking and suckling her sweet nub until she cried out his name and quivered with her orgasm.