by Cassie Miles
When Heather handed her a steaming mug of coffee, Caitlyn grinned at her friend and said, “Thanks for taking my side.”
“I didn’t like those marshals when they showed up here and said they were supposed to protect us. Everybody who works at the Circle L has at least one gun. We take care of ourselves.”
Considering the viciousness of Rojas and his men, Caitlyn was glad it hadn’t come to a showdown. “Your instincts are right about the marshals. They’re working with the bad guys.”
“Fill me in.”
Caitlyn glanced around at the other people in the room—ranch hands and a couple of deputies who were making phone calls. Since she didn’t want to broadcast her story, she spoke in a quiet tone. “Jack is a federal witness who’s supposed to testify on Tuesday in Chicago. He was in protective custody at a safe house that was attacked last night. He escaped, riding the gray mare that showed up on my doorstep. Here’s the important thing, those marshals were supposed to be guarding him, but they stepped aside and let the bad guys go after him.”
“Not all of them.” Danny limped into the room, leaning on his pretty little wife for support. “One of the marshals died a heroic death in the line of duty.”
Though he’d changed into a fresh shirt and his face was cleaned up, he still looked like hell. Caitlyn didn’t feel sorry for him; Danny had betrayed them. “You knew the marshals were waiting here for Jack.”
“They came here to protect my family.”
“How did they know?” she demanded. “If they weren’t working with Rojas, how did they know your family was in danger?”
“They were keeping an eye on the safe house,” Danny said, defending them. “They must have seen what happened to me.”
“And yet, they did nothing to rescue you. They didn’t contact the sheriff, didn’t call for backup. What kind of lawmen operate like that?”
“If they’d called for an assault on the safe house, I’d be dead right now.”
His wife shuddered. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m okay, Sandra.” He patted her arm. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You should be resting until the doc gets here. Let me take you upstairs to bed.”
“Not until this is settled.”
Her lips pulled into a tight, disapproving line, but she said nothing else. Caitlyn sympathized with her dilemma. It wasn’t easy to love a stubborn man who wouldn’t let anyone fight his battles for him. A man like Jack? Though she couldn’t compare her relationship with Jack to a marriage or even to being in love, she cared about him. How could she not care? He’d saved her life. She thought of how he’d rescued her when she froze and his quiet heroics when at the safe house. He was a one-man strike force. But that wasn’t why she cared so much. He’d seen inside her. He brought out the best in her. And, oh my, the man knew how to kiss.
She glared at Danny. “You don’t know the whole story, but I’m not saying another word until you sit down. You look like you’re about to collapse.”
“She’s right.” Sandra gave her a grateful nod. “Let’s all get settled and figure this out.”
While Sandra made her husband comfortable in a leather armchair near the fireplace, Caitlyn perched on the edge of a rocking chair beside him. In as calm a tone as she could manage, she said, “You’ve got to admit that the actions of those two marshals were questionable. They had a whole day to track down Rojas and his men. What the hell were they doing?”
“Their job,” Danny said. “They were tracking down their runaway witness.”
At the cave, they’d come close. “They almost found us.”
“Hold on.” Heather held up her hand, signaling a halt. “It sounds like you and Jack were hiding from the marshals. Why would you do that?”
“We were on the run.” When Caitlyn thought back, the afternoon seemed like a lifetime ago. “Rojas and his men showed up at my cabin. Because the gray horse came to my place, they must have figured that Jack had also been there. When they showed up, I was in the barn. They had guns. They were yelling. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
A residual wave of fear washed through her as she remembered turning to stone. “Jack had been watching my house. He rescued me. We took off on horseback.”
“It’s a damn good thing he was there,” Heather said, “or else you’d be as beat up as my brother.”
“We were hiding in that cavern that’s not far from my cabin—the one with the water that runs all the way through it. Those two marshals nearly found us. I didn’t see them, but I recognized the Texas accent.”
“What did they say?” Heather asked.
She was tempted to lie and tell them that the marshals talked about murdering her and Jack, but she needed to stay on the high road. “Nothing incriminating.”
“You should have spoken up,” Danny said. “If you’d turned Jack in, this whole thing would have been over.”
“Why are you so dead set against him?” Her anger flared. “He’s a good man.”
“He’s a witness in a mob crime, probably a criminal himself who agreed to testify in exchange for immunity. I said it before, Caitlyn, and I’ll say it again. You don’t know anything about this guy.”
Unable to sit still, she rose from the rocking chair so quickly that it almost overturned. “I haven’t finished telling what happened. If you don’t mind, I’d like to continue.”
“Go right ahead.”
“While Jack and I were hiding, we got a message from Danny that told us he’d been captured by Rojas and was being held at the safe house. Jack didn’t hesitate. Not for one minute. He knew he had to get Danny out of there.”
Sandra’s eyes widened. “Jack saved Danny?”
“If it weren’t for Jack, you’d be a dead man. Right, Danny?”
He nodded slowly. “Right.”
“I don’t understand,” Sandra said. “This man risked his life for you, and you’re willing to sit back and watch while he gets dragged off in handcuffs.”
“You’re not seeing the big picture,” he said.
“What’s bigger than saving your life? Oh, Danny, you’re not thinking straight.”
He shifted in the big leather chair. “As far as I’m concerned, Jack could be working with Rojas. He might be responsible for the death of that marshal.”
Caitlyn scoffed. “That’s crazy.”
“Yeah? Well, explain this for me. Jack had the drop on Rojas and that other guy. He could have pulled the trigger and taken them out. Why didn’t he shoot?”
She didn’t have a logical response. “I don’t know.”
“Because he’s part of this scheme,” Danny said. “He let Rojas get away. On purpose.”
“Or maybe Jack isn’t a murderer. Maybe he didn’t want to shoot a man in the back.”
“I’m sure he’s got a smooth-talking answer,” Danny said. “He’s slick enough to convince you that he’s some kind of hero, but I don’t believe him. I’ll take the word of a federal marshal over that of a criminal turned witness.”
“Even when he saved you,” Heather said, as she rose from her chair and stood beside Caitlyn. “I hate to say this because you’re my brother, but Danny, you’re a jerk. And just about as perceptive as a fence post.”
He frowned and looked toward his wife.
Sandra arched an eyebrow. “I’m with Heather on this. Caitlyn, what do you need?”
She was glad for these two votes of confidence. Before this was over, she’d need all the allies she could get. “I don’t object to Jack being taken into protective custody. He wants to testify and break up the Rojas cartel. It’s important to him. But I don’t want those two marshals to be alone with him. They can’t be trusted.”
The front door swung open and Bob Woodley marched inside. He wasn’t even pretending to be a docile, law-abiding citizen. In his right hand, he held his hunting rifle. In spite of his age, he emanated vitality and energy. His clothes were as disheveled as if he’d just gotten out of bed. His thick, w
hite hair looked like he’d combed it with an eggbeater. As soon as he spotted Caitlyn, he charged toward her and pulled her into a bone-crunching hug.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I brought those bastards to your house. I put you in danger.”
“You didn’t know,” she said.
“If anything had happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. Your mother would never forgive me.”
“I’m fine.” She separated from his ferocious hug and smiled up at him. “How did you hear about what happened?”
“Being an elected official, I have an inside track. Half the lawmen in Colorado—state patrol, SWAT teams, cops and deputies—are involved in a manhunt, looking for Rojas. I assume he’s the fellow who told me his name was Reynolds.”
“He lied to you, lied to everybody.”
Danny struggled to get out of his chair. “Everybody else is mobilized. I should—”
“Sit down,” Sandra said. “You’ve done enough.”
Woodley took a look at him. “What the hell happened to your face?”
“Long story,” he said. “Tell me what else is going on.”
“I don’t know much. As soon as I heard Caitlyn was in trouble, I jumped in my Ford Fairlane and raced over here.” He turned back to her. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m worried. Something terrible is about to happen, and I can’t stop it.”
Woodley drew himself up. “Tell me how I can help.”
“That goes for me, too,” Heather said. “I don’t want to see the man who saved my brother’s life get into any more trouble.”
“All of you,” Danny said, “stop it. You need to back off and let the marshals do their job. That’s the law.”
Caitlyn confronted him. “Sometimes, the law isn’t right. Jack saved you. The marshals were willing to let you die.”
“But I’m an officer of the law.”
“That means you’re sworn to enforce justice,” she said, “even if it means stepping outside the law.”
He winced. The bruises on his face were a crude reminder of what he’d suffered at the hands of Rojas. His gaze rested on his sister, then on his wife. “I wanted to keep you both safe.”
“I know,” Sandra said. She rested her small hand gently on his cheek. “Now, we have to do the right thing.”
When they looked to her for direction, Caitlyn felt warm inside. Her heart expanded. These people were her friends, as loyal to her as the troops in combat.
The beginnings of a plan tickled the inside of her head. “There might be something we can do.”
NEGOTIATING WITH BRYANT or Patterson was futile. Jack’s only option was to fight. He had the vague outline of a plan. He’d wait until they left the Circle L Ranch; no point in having anyone else hurt in the crossfire. He’d go after Bryant first. Though the younger marshal wasn’t quick-witted, his reflexes were good. Then he’d take out Patterson. Vague, extremely vague. This version of planning fell mostly into the category of wishful thinking.
Though Jack could hear people coming and going outside the door to the den, this room was quiet, except for Bryant’s tuneless humming of a country-western song and Patterson’s urgent phone conversations.
The old man was kidding himself if he thought he’d get out of this mess with his job intact. Another marshal had been brutally murdered, and that kind of error wouldn’t be excused with a slap on the wrist. Jack wondered how much Rojas had paid for their treachery; he hoped it wasn’t nearly enough to make up for their lost pensions.
Wearily, Patterson stood behind the desk. In the past half hour, he’d aged ten years. His jowls sagged and his eyes sunk deep in their sockets. He concluded his conversation with a crisp “Yes, sir.” When he turned toward Bryant, a cold smile twisted his thin, bloodless lips. “They bought it.”
Eager as a puppy, Bryant bounded toward the desk. “Are you telling me that we ain’t going to get blamed for Perry being killed?”
“We’ll be fine,” Patterson said, “as long as you stick to the story. All you have to say is that we were asleep at the safe house, and Perry was on watch. Rojas killed him and went after Jack. Before we had time to react, it was over.”
“Got it.” Bryant nodded, easily satisfied. “What do we do right now?”
“We have our orders.” He held his cell phone so Jack could see. “I’ve got a couple of emailed verifications from on high. That ought to keep your girlfriend happy.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Jack said. No way did he want any repercussions to bounce back on Caitlyn. “She’s just a woman who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“But she’s a reporter, and that means trouble. Not that she’ll get any answers after we’re gone. Everything about this case is going to turn top secret.”
Jack thought he was seriously underestimating Caitlyn’s abilities but said nothing. He wanted Patterson to think he was getting away clean.
Bryant asked, “What are our orders?”
“We go to a private airfield not far from here. A chopper picks us up and flies us to Colorado Springs. From there, we get a flight to Chicago.”
Jack didn’t like the sound of these orders. A short drive didn’t give him much time to act. “How do you rate a private chopper?”
“Since Rojas is still on the loose, our situation is considered eminently dangerous.” There was a flash of anger in his dulled eyes. “But you won’t be riding on that chopper. Rojas is my excuse for you to be dead before we even get to the airfield.”
There was a knock on the door. Danny stepped inside. Though he moved stiffly, he looked like he was well on the way to recovery. “Marshal Patterson, we have a problem.”
“Now what?”
“There’s an FBI agent on his way to talk to you.”
“FBI,” Bryant yelped.
“Our local congressman, Bob Woodley, showed up, and he’s pretty peeved. He called an FBI agent he’s worked with. I’m afraid if you don’t humor Woodley, he’ll be on the phone to the governor.”
“Let him.” Patterson waved his cell phone. “I have authorization to take this man into custody.”
“Great,” Danny said. “All you need to do is talk to Woodley. It’ll only take a minute. He wants to see both of you. I’ll keep an eye on your witness.”
As soon as Patterson and Bryant left the room, Danny went to the window and yanked it open. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Why are you doing this?” Jack asked.
“Let’s just say this makes us even.”
He didn’t waste another second wondering why Danny had a change of heart. Jack knew the answer. Caitlyn.
Chapter Fourteen
Caitlyn was impressed with Jack’s agility as he slipped through the den window into the shrubs at the side of the house. His cuffed wrists didn’t hamper his movements in the least.
Without speaking, she motioned to him. As soon as he reached her side, she whispered, “Duck down and stay low. We’re going to weave through these cars.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “I’d rather run for open terrain. I can make it to the barn.”
“No time to explain. We do it my way.”
She’d already arranged with Heather to lay down a couple of false trails. Moments ago, Heather had instructed two of the ranch hands to saddle up and ride to the far pasture to check on the couple hundred head of cattle grazing in that area. Another guy was driving one of the four-wheelers toward the south end of the ranch. Caitlyn figured the marshals would be distracted by those tracks while she and Jack got away.
He followed as she crept around the eight or nine vehicles that were parked helter-skelter at the front door of the Circle L ranch house. She moved stealthily, being careful not to attract attention from the ranch hands who had gathered near the barn or the two deputies on the porch. Though she couldn’t make out the words in specific conversations, she heard tension in their voices. By now, everyone was aware of the threat from Rojas.
When sh
e got to Woodley’s huge, finned, turquoise-and-cream-colored 1957 Ford Fairlane, she unlocked the trunk and pointed to the inside.
He shot her a look that was half anger and half disbelief. Then he glanced around. With all these people, he couldn’t run without being seen. Grumbling, he climbed inside.
She joined him and pulled the trunk closed. The dark covered them as tightly as shrink wrap. The air smelled of gas, grease and grit. Even though this space was big for a car trunk, they were jammed together. Her legs twined with his. She couldn’t find a good place to put her arms without embracing him.
“The cuffs,” he said.
She dug in her jeans pocket for the key. After a bit of clumsy groping, she used the flashlight function on her cell phone so she could see well enough to unlock the cuffs.
As soon as he was free, he caught hold of her hand and turned the cell phone light so he could see her. “You combed your hair,” he said, “and changed your clothes.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
“You look nice in blue,” he whispered.
“What is this? A first date?”
Before he turned the light off, she caught a glimpse of his sexy grin. Being this close to Jack was already having a sensual effect on her. She tucked her arms over her breasts so she wouldn’t be rubbing against his chest.
His upper arm draped around her with his hand resting on the small of her back. He asked, “How is Danny going to explain my escape?”
“By the time the marshals get back to the den, Danny will be upstairs in bed with his wife standing guard over him. None of the local guys are going to give him a hard time. They all think he’s a hero.”
Keeping her voice low, she told him about the decoy trails they’d set out for the marshals to follow. “Assuming that they’re able to track in the dark. Patterson doesn’t strike me as somebody who knows his way around the outdoors, but I’ll bet the Texan has done his share of hunting.”
“That’s possible,” Jack said. “There has to be something Bryant is good at.”
The voices from the ranch house took on a note of urgency. There were sounds of footsteps hustling and doors being slammed. She guessed that the marshals had discovered Jack’s escape. The arm he’d wrapped around her tightened protectively. She knew that they needed to be silent.
