by Taylor Lee
Gabe frowned. “So? Apparently everyone except your father, Kai and me knew that.”
Ana ignored his sarcasm.
“But Gabe, I didn’t know that Marty and Jake worked for Peter before they came to our ranch. No one did.”
Gabe sat up straighter. He stared at her then whistled. “Jesus!”
Ana was ecstatic. “You see, don’t you? That’s what I thought. I knew I couldn’t go confront Peter, not with how he acted the other night.”
Gabe hissed in disgust. “Well thank God for that. I guess I should be pleased you had that much restraint.”
Ana was too excited to be bothered by his scowl. “Don’t you see? The only way I could prove it was by talking to Eli and Slade. They are my friends. I know they would never hurt me. At the poker game I steered the conversation. Eli told me Peter offered them three times what my father was paying them. Four days later Marty and Jake left the Harcourt place and came to work for us.”
She paused, then said solemnly, “Gabe, I think Peter planted them. He sent them to hurt me. To scare me and my father.”
Gabe stared at her then shook his head, an amazed grin creeping over his face. “Jesus, Ana. You did it. You found the puzzle piece. I’m impressed, Princess. Impressed as hell.” He added with a grimace, “I’m not impressed that you didn’t wait for me, that you didn’t tell me your theory. You could have been killed, Ana, and they would have succeeded.”
Ana puffed up, “But, Gabe—”
He held up his hand to stop her. He took out his cigarette case and took his time
lighting his cigarette. In the flare of the match she saw the concern on his face, the troubled glint in his eyes.
“Yeah, honey. Your smart thinking may have given us the answer we were looking for, but there’s more” He took several drags off his cigarette then held her gaze.
“I was going to tell you this earlier, but it’s even more important now. They’re closing in, Ana. I can’t give you all the details. You may have figured out who the instigator is. But there’s more in play here. No matter who the bastard is at the top of this, he has set things in motion. We need to move you, honey. To some place safe.”
She started to protest, to argue, but he shook his head. “We think there’s someone inside, Ana. Inside your house, your inner circle. We can’t move your father, but we can move you and Kai. Here’s what we’re gonna do, baby. I want you to go say goodbye to your father. Then you and Kai are going to go for a ride with Davy. We want it to look natural, like the two of you are showing Davy around the ranch. You should act angry with me. As though you are still upset about last night.” He grinned at her. “That shouldn’t be hard.”
She tried to smile, but the ache in her stomach stopped her.
“Ana, I had Jing pack a few things for you. We’ll get the rest later. Jing and Chao are the only ones in the house who know you are leaving.”
Ana tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. Her eyes stung. She wanted her voice to be strong, to let Gabe know he could depend on her. But all she wanted was for him to hold her. And never let her go.
“When… when will I see you again, Gabe?”
He ran his finger across her lips and pinched the corner of her mouth. His smile was soft, his voice husky. “Soon, Princess. Very soon. You’re not going to get rid of me that easily. I’ll always come for you, Ana. No matter where you are.”
Chapter 31
Ana’s heart wrenched at the anguish on her father’s face. It hurt more when he forced a smile across his lips. She laid her head on his chest, desperate not to cry when he stroked her hair with trembling fingers.
She sat on the side of his bed and pasted a smile on her face. Keeping her voice as natural as she could, she said, “Father, you look wonderful this morning. You are soon going to be as strong as you ever were.”
Chao smiled softly in return. “Yes, Ana, and you too, Kai,” he said, including Kai in his loving embrace. His voice was firm.
“You both should know. All my life I have fought evil men. And they have never succeeded in taking me down. And they won’t this time.”
He held both their hands in his and gave them a squeeze. “Go now. It’s a beautiful morning. The least we can do for these young men who have turned their lives upside down to protect us is to show them the beautiful place we call home.”
Ana turned back at the doorway with a bright smile on her face.
“We will, father. And soon the three of us will be exploring the canyons again. I found a new place the other day that you will love. So hurry up and get well, Father. Do you hear me?”
Chao nodded. “As always, Ana, I hear you.”
Ana grasped Kai’s hand and dragged him to the doorway. She refused to look back at her father or at Gabe standing at a distance.
~~~
The noontime sun was high in the sky. Not a cloud marred the bright blue expanse. It was a glorious morning. Even the birds agreed. As Ana, Davy and Kai picked their way down the winding trail to the glen ahead, the starlings flitted through sky and the jays squawked their dominion. The riotous colors and heady odors of the wild flowers filled her senses. She glanced back at Kai riding behind her, and then at Davy leading the way. She winced, knowing they were protecting her, at the ready at the first sign of danger. But if there was danger, no one had told the sun and the sky or the fragrant flowers.
As if sensing her anxiety, Davy turned and gave her a little salute. He smiled at her, his face lighting up like a young boy’s when he saw a pretty girl. Good God, Ana wondered, how could such an innocent-looking young man be a dangerous avenger?
As they entered the glen, a blast shattered the peaceful sky. Their horses reared up with sharp whinnies and a flock of frightened jays filled the air with angry squawks. In the blast of shots ricocheting around them Ana saw Davy fall forward, a widening circle of red staining his shirt. Before she could scream, another volley of shots rang out, kicking up the dirt in front of Shadow. Her mare jerked back and Ana lost her grip but not before she heard Kai’s anguished cry. The last thing she saw before she hit the ground was Kai slumped over the front of his horse. And then she landed on the jagged rock and everything went black.
~~~
Gabe sat in the solarium with Gunnar and Eagle, preparing for their conversation with Chao. The older man had drifted off to sleep after Ana and Kai left. Gabe knew the healers were giving him pain medication but they were going to have to stop at least for a while. It was essential that he talk with Chao.
Gunnar and Eagle were astonished at Ana’s findings.
Gunnar marveled. “Damn, Gabe. She is as smart as she is beautiful.”
Gabe grimaced. “And as reckless.”
Taking a bit of malicious pleasure in his friend’s discomfort, Gunnar leaned back and dragged on his cigarette. “I know I’ll never forget the scene when we walked into that poker game. Christ, there she was ruling the table. With seven or was it eight men groveling at her feet? Hell, no wonder they call her the Queen Bee. She coulda been sitting on a throne.” He chortled. “And that cigarette holder. Damn, that may be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. You agree, Eagle?”
Eagle gave him a laconic grin. “I dunno, Gunnar. I think my favorite part was the look on our partner’s face. Hell, if I coulda captured it, I would use it as evidence to the contrary anytime someone raves about Angel’s poker face.”
“You’re right, Eagle. That was the best part. How would you describe his reaction? Shocked or pissed?”
“Definitely pissed. No question about it.”
Gabe intervened. “All right, you two. That’s enough. For the record you’re both right. I was shocked as hell and don’t remember ever being more pissed.”
He took a drag off his cigarette and gave Gunnar an ironic grin. “And, Gunnar, for once I agree with you. That cigarette holder may be the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”
His partners crowed in delight.
Never one to let up, Gunnar persist
ed. “Hell, Gabe. You’re in a mighty good mood this morning given all the shit swirling around us. That must have been quite a Kung Fu practice you had. Word’s out that you and the Queen Bee were in there for over two hours after you kicked out the rest of the fighters and locked the door.”
Gabe was eloquently quiet for a moment then gave him an impassive shrug. “Let’s just say, we worked on some new sparring moves.” He looked down then met his partners’ eyes. “And yeah, my friends, you’re right. Given all the shit we’re in, I’m glad Ana and I had that time together.”
~~~
At that moment, Emil came to the doorway. Gabe froze when he saw him; an icy claw squeezed the breath out of his chest. He rose slowly to his feet, Gunnar and Eagle at his side.
Emil’s face was pale, his eyes shrouded with pain. Most frightening were the tears streaming down his face. He met Gabe’s eyes and nodded.
He choked on the words. “They’re bringing in Kai and Davy now. Kai’s hurt real bad, Gabe.”
Gabe sucked in a long hard breath. “Davy?”
Emil’s sobs muffled his response. All he could do was lower his eyes, and slowly shake his head.
Gabe didn’t know how long the next moment was. He only knew that it was the longest of his lifetime. When he spoke, his voice sounded strangely flat to his ears. It had no emotion.
“Ana?”
Emil faltered, then closed his eyes when he answered.
“She’s gone, Gabe. They got her.”
~~~
Telling Chao was the hardest thing Gabe had done in his life. He could identify. It was the worst thing he’d had to face. Davy, one of the kindest, sweetest of his men, was dead at twenty-one. Ana’s brother, Chao’s son, was critically wounded. The chances of Kai dying outweighed his surviving by at least three to one. The only reason he had a chance at all was because Emil and the rest of the team had been stationed a mile beyond the glen. Ever on the alert, when the trio had not arrived at the prescribed time, Emil’s crew went back for them. It couldn’t have been fifteen minutes since the attack. Too late to save Davy and only the ghost of a chance of saving Kai. And no chance of finding Ana.
Chao insisted they bring Kai to his room. The solarium bustling with silent healers became the infirmary. A reminder of the tragedy, as if anyone needed one. Gabe had close to fifty men working for him. They’d already marshaled half of them and by nightfall the rest were in place. The orders were simple. “Find Ana.”
Ten men scoured the nearby area looking for signs of a party of men. Eagle called in their best trackers and by nightfall the report was in. Gabe listened without flinching when Stuart described the scene and their conclusions. Six men on horseback engineered the kidnapping and murder. All the signs pointed to the desperadoes heading for San Francisco. Which would make it harder to find them, but then, Gabe also had more resources there.
Stuart, who was one of the oldest men on Gabe’s team and still their best tracker, pulled his chair a little closer. He leaned his forearms on his knees and stared intently at Gabe. His eyes were dark, hooded. He leaned his forearms on his Gabe nodded for him to continue.
“This ain’t much to go on, Gabe, but it might help a little. Davy fell where they shot him. As best we can tell, so did Kai.”
Gabe’s voice was tight, controlled. “And Ana?”
“This is where we are taking the biggest jump. We found blood — not much, but definitely not from either Davy or Kai ‘bout twenty feet from Kai’s body. We… we also found this.”
Stuart handed Gabe a broken locket. Gabe stiffened. He’d first seen the locket in the portrait above Chao’s mantel. Ana’s mother was wearing it. Knowing she could take only a few things with her, Ana must have chosen this reminder of her mother. Gabe tucked it in his pocket. He determined at that moment that Chao would never see this locket again unless Ana was wearing it.
“Gabe, one more thing.”
Eagle frowned and pulled his chair closer to Gabe, until their knees touched. Gunnar crowded in behind them.
The wrinkles on Stuart’s sunburned face were deep creases. The furrow between his eyes a crevice. When he turned to Gabe, they seemed to deepen more.
“Look, Gabe, I know what you’re most worried about. First, I think she is alive. We woulda found the body by now. There’s no way with my men and the dogs that we wouldn’t find her. The other thing you gotta be thinkin’ with a young woman and six despicable men, more like animals than men, is rape.”
Gabe couldn’t control the massive tremor that shook him. He leaned into Gunnar’s hand resting on his shoulder and welcomed the pressure of Eagle’s knee.
“At least at the site, there’s not enough blood to make me think it’s rape. Any chance you know if she’s a virgin?”
Gabe nodded. “Yeah, she is.”
“Well, could be that the blood we saw was that, but I don’t think so, Gabe. I don’t think they’d waste that much time. No, if they was gonna do that, they’d wait until they got to where they were going.”
They sat in silence for several minutes, then Gabe asked. “Something’s off, Stu. You said the horses’ tracks look like they headed in different directions. Just to throw us off?”
“We know for sure they was tryin’ to do that. And this is where I’m gonna crawl out the branch and hope to hell I don’t get sawed off. Here’s my thinking. By the time they got close to town, ten, fifteen men had joined the party. Then they all split up, two or three goin’ every which way, all four directions at the same time and every one in between. The big question is, why did they go to town to do that? What’s in town? And we sure as hell know, it ain’t Ana. There isn’t a stick in that hellhole that hasn’t been turned over.”
Gabe stared at him, then jumped to his feet. For the first time since they got the news, his eyes took on the look that had terrified men all his life. He was the panther; stealthy, sleek and deadly, the hunter had scented his prey.
“The train. That’s why they went to town. They thought we’d follow the horses. They would have had us going ten different directions at once. They likely hired a pack of drifters to add to the confusion. Meanwhile they hopped on the train and took off. Hell, probably in luxury.”
Stuart whistled in admiration. “Damn, Gabe. Why the hell do you need me? Except to confirm that I’ll bet my last nut, that’s exactly what happened.”
“Where were the trains headed?”
“We’re in luck. One was on the way Sacramento. Won’t arrive til late tonight. We have men at the station. The other will get to Los Angeles after midnight. We don’t think she’s on that one. We inspected the passenger list. Nope, Gabe, we can’t be sure but she’s likely in—”
Gabe held up his hand. “San Francisco. Has to be. Too many connections to this area. Someone wants her close. Close enough for Chao, and me, to find her. To know every fuckin’ thing they did to her… before they killed her.”
Chapter 32
Gabe did his best to cover his fury, but Chao knew him too well.
“I’m sorry, Gabe. It… it never occurred to me. I truly thought I was making up for the past. Healing wounds, not exacerbating them.”
Gabe looked down at his hands, then lit his fourth cigarette in thirty minutes. He vowed that he would not make Chao feel any worse that he already did, but goddamn it was hard not to. They’d placed a dozen men in and around Harcourt’s place, but it was unlikely he would return. His manservant said his master had left several days ago, the day after Chao was attacked, to be precise. Duncan didn’t expect Peter back for another week.
“Gabe, when you asked me to list the men I’d hurt, humiliated financially, I never thought to include Peter. Hell, when I bought up that last chunk of land and paid off the rest of George’s debts, I thought I was saving him from ruin.”
“How much did that leave him?”
Chao shrugged, his face lined with despair. “Not much. The house and barns, a small pasture. I offered to buy out the rest, but he wouldn’t sell.”
>
Gunnar walked in with a sheaf of papers and a grin on his face that gave Gabe hope for the first time since the news. The reason they’d decided to stay at the Villa until they knew Ana’s location was Chao’s state of the art business center. Housed in a building next to the main house, Chao kept three men there at all times. The main draw for Gunnar was the telegraph system. Rivaling any operation in San Francisco, Chicago or New York, Gunnar and four other men had spent most of the evening poring over Peter Harcourt’s financial records. In his heyday, banks all over the world had done business with Peter. At first glance, he was the image he had created. As they dug deeper, a different picture appeared.
“How much did you offer Peter to buy his place, Chao?” Gunnar asked, holding tight to the papers in his hands.
Chao sighed. “Much more than it was worth. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but he turned me down flat.”
Gunnar laid out the stacks of paper on the desk and pointed to the top sheet. “This is a compilation of what Peter owes to investors across the world. Most of whom you don’t want to be in debt to.” he added with a grin. “Nope, Chao, the reason he didn’t accept your offer was because it’s almost eight million dollars less than he needed.”
Several hours later, Gabe convinced Chao to get back in his bed. The older man had spent most of the day hovering by Kai’s bedside. The healers had done everything they could to save the young man; now it was up to Kai himself. Gabe could only pray that warrior he had seen in Kai’s eyes would fight harder than he had ever fought before. For his life.
Gabe was on one side of Chao’s bed, Eagle on the other. Gunnar was still going over figures at the Chao’s desk. Gabe was touched and gratified that his partners refused to leave his side.
Eagle summed it up. “When we find out where she is, we’ll all go after her together.”
