Renegade Protector

by Nico Rosso

  “But you—” He cut off her concern with a quick move toward one of the fallen men near him. Ty snatched up a gun from the ground and sped toward her house. Before he was lost from her view by the roof of the porch, Ty dived quickly to the side. Someone shot at him but missed. Ty slid on the ground and rose up, firing both pistols.

  A man’s voice called out in pain before going silent.

  Ty sprinted to the side of her house, shouting to her, “The back!”

  Mariana steeled herself and scurried to the rear window. One rider remained on his motorcycle near the top of the orchard. He zoomed back and forth, making a nearly impossible target. The first rider to wreck against the wires remained on the ground, out of the fight. Two others were taking cover behind trees and aiming up at her.

  She fired at the man with the wounded leg. He ducked behind his tree. On the other side of the orchard, the man who’d abandoned his bike leaned away from cover to shoot. Ty’s voice from the base of her house commanded, “Drop it!” The man didn’t move. “Drop it!” Ty repeated, stepping into view below and to the left of her. He stalked forward, holding one gun now, braced with his off hand. “Don’t—”

  The man shifted his gun toward Ty, who fired a rapid succession of shots. The rider was quite a distance away, but one of the bullets hit him. He flew back to the ground. She swung her attention to the other man in the orchard just as he was preparing to fire at Ty. A single bullet streaked from the right side of her house, dropping the man. Vincent, pistol extended, moved into view and approached the hill cautiously.

  The rider at the top of the orchard kicked up a tail of dirt as he sped higher and disappeared over the ridge. When the scream of the engine receded, the sound of distant sirens barely reached Mariana’s ringing ears. She stood on exhausted legs. Toro still cowered in the corner. “It’s okay, amigo.” She barely recognized her own rasping, shaken voice.

  Her kitchen door opened downstairs, followed by quick footsteps. They ascended her stairs and her grip tightened on her rifle. “Mariana!” It was Ty. She lowered the gun and wanted to drop the heavy weight to the ground forever.

  Ty appeared in her doorway, worry etching his face. Dried blood striped down the side of his forehead and stopped at his eyebrow. She reached forward, then hesitated. “Are you hurt?”

  He must’ve seen where she was looking and dabbed at his head with his fingers. They came back with blood on them. “It’s not bad. From the car crash.” He stepped toward her. Empty bullet casings rolled away from his feet. “Any injuries?”

  Her body still trembled. There hadn’t been time to discover if she’d been wounded. She took a moment to assess, and couldn’t detect any unusual pain. “I don’t think so.” Her scan extended past herself and took in the bullet holes in the walls and ceiling of her bedroom. Both the front and rear windows had been broken out, with large pieces of the wood splintered.

  Ty looked the space over as well, with emotion-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mariana.”

  Her ears were so muffled from the gunfire she didn’t know if she whispered or shouted, “Thank you for coming back.” He was standing so close. Her body wanted him against her, reassuring they were both safe. She didn’t move.

  A deep pain flashed over his face. “This isn’t how I wanted to come back.” The angry ache of their parting sank back into her. She was too tired to wrestle with it. The adrenaline had burned off and all the gravity of the world pushed down on her. The pair of them looked out the front window, at two police cars that sped closer to the property, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

  Mariana picked up her phone and spoke to the operator. “The police are almost here. We’re okay. Thank you.” She hung up and tipped her head toward the coming cars, asking Ty, “What do we tell them?”

  Ty took out his badge wallet. “Vincent will take the lead, say something about how he was tracking these men and they led him here, but he didn’t know what this situation was.”

  “Stephanie?” Mariana saw her standing with Vincent at his SUV. The woman was putting a sleek pistol away in her purse.

  Ty shrugged. “She’s his informant or something like that. Vincent will talk circles around them.”

  She turned from the front and stared out at the back orchard. Three men lay there, two of them dead. A sob caught in her throat. She leaned the rifle against the wall, where it had been when she and Ty had gone to sleep in this bed together the night before. Everything had changed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ty clenched a fist and released it, but the tension would not let out. He’d fired his gun at men before. He’d killed. A cornered money launderer had tried to shoot his way out of being arrested, giving Ty no choice. This was different. Mariana had almost died. It would’ve taken only one bullet out of the dozens fired.

  He ached from the inside out. She was alive, sitting on the front steps to her home, Toro leaning hard into her side. Ty remained apart from her, near his wrecked car. She might never let him back on her property. Once he knew she was safe, he would disappear. And he would never be the same again.

  The local police, including Pete, had already talked to her and Ty separately. To his credit, Pete had kept everything professional. The ambulances had come and gone with the injured and dead men. Vincent now stood with Pete and the other officers, pointing to different areas of the property like a conductor leading an orchestra. His authority was obvious, and the men nodded along with his explanation.

  Stephanie sat in the open passenger side of Vincent’s SUV. Her gaze shifted between the scene around them and her phone. She locked eyes with Ty for a moment and raised her eyebrows with a question toward Mariana. Ty shook his head. He didn’t have an answer.

  A flatbed tow truck arrived for the black sedan, breaking up the debriefing between Vincent and the police. While the cops dealt with the car, Vincent approached the house. Stephanie joined him, they gathered Ty and all walked to Mariana, who stood.

  Vincent spoke only for the group. “I’m sure I can tie whoever these shooters are to an open investigation and pull FBI authority.” He turned to Ty. “You’ll need to contact your CO and iron things out.”

  Ty wasn’t looking forward to that phone call. “Within the hour.”

  Mariana’s face was unreadable. “Is my land a crime scene?”

  “No.” Ty hated all that had been imposed on her. Including what he’d done. “It’s your home.”

  Vincent nodded. “Between my badge and Ty’s we’ve got the pull to wrap this up.”

  Stephanie looked with sympathy at Mariana. “But you don’t have to be here alone if you don’t want. I can stay.”

  Mariana’s jaw tightened. “They’re not done.”

  “It doesn’t look like it.” Vincent watched the car being loaded onto the flatbed. “Feels more personal than business now.”

  A fire lit in Mariana’s eyes. “I’m not just going to sit around here and wait for them to come back.”

  Ty knew exactly how she felt. He addressed Vincent and Stephanie through clenched teeth. “Give me Innes. Give me everything on him and I will let him know he’ll never touch this place.”

  Stephanie held up her cell phone. “I already pointed more people at him.”

  “As soon as I’m on a computer.” Vincent’s mouth twisted to a frown when he looked at Ty’s car. The front left wheel was bent nearly flat to the ground. “You’re not going anywhere in that.”

  Stephanie waved a dismissive hand. “I have friends in the car business. We’ll get you a new ride.”

  “I’m a cop, remember?” Ty was already way out on a limb with everything that had happened with Mariana. “It’s got to be clean.”

  “I know how to bleach paperwork.” Stephanie put her finger to her lips.

  Mariana spoke to Ty as if they were alone. “I have to be there when you get to Innes.”

  A
hundred reasons why that was a bad idea sprang into his head, but before he could voice any of them, his phone rang. He checked the screen. “My captain.” The conversation with Mariana would have to wait. He answered the call and stalked off to the side of the house. Ty’s captain hadn’t reached his position by jumping to conclusions. He was a good listener and started his questions with a level tone. Ty answered as honestly as he could, explaining the events of the day with a detailed timeline. His Frontier Justice tie to Vincent and Stephanie was left out. It was as if they’d just met.

  He looked back to see Mariana still on her steps, talking to Vincent and Stephanie. It didn’t look particularly warm, but it still wasn’t as iced as things had been when Mariana had kicked them all off her land. A pang still stabbed him each time he thought of that. It always would.

  His captain seemed satisfied with everything Ty had given him and wrapped up the call with gentle caution to stay out of any more tangles while on vacation. Ty knew that was impossible, but thanked him anyway before hanging up.

  Instead of returning to the group, he stayed at the edge of the house to look up at the orchard along the hill. The bodies had been removed. The harsh snap of gunfire was now replaced by an afternoon breeze bringing fog from the sea. Somehow, Ty’s ancestor had managed to live through his own storm of lead and save this land. Lives were lost then and now. Ty would never be able to release the burden of pulling that trigger, but those men had come to kill, and it was the only way to stop them.

  He pocketed his phone and returned to Mariana and the others. She was talking to Vincent, gesturing toward the other side of the house. “That was a hell of a shot with a pistol.” Ty had still been revving too high with adrenaline at the moment to be impressed, but damn, it must’ve been seventy yards in a high-pressure situation.

  “You’re right,” Vincent responded with a small smile. “It was.” The flatbed finally got the sedan secured and honked its horn twice before pulling away. Pete indicated that he and the other officers were wrapped up and they got into their cars. As soon as the police left, Vincent asked Ty, “Everything squared with your CO?”

  “As good as it could be.” A missing detail nagged him. “Why didn’t the local captain show up here?”

  Stephanie huffed an ironic laugh. “Something was more important than a shootout in his jurisdiction.”

  Ty’s unanswered question resonated like he’d hit a deep vein. “I’ll look into him.”

  Mariana faced Ty. “I’ll help.” Her eyes were clear, shoulders squared, as if what she’d said wasn’t one of the last things he expected to hear. She challenged, “You didn’t think you were going to start Frontier Justice without me, did you?”

  He was staggered. She stared back at him, chin tilted up. His heart leaped at the idea, but caution threw ice water down through him. Unresolved complications remained. “Only if you want to.” He still felt the stab through his ribs from her anger at his breach of trust.

  Her voice heated with emotion. “I want to.”

  “It was always going to be your choice.” Having her join in this fight was an incredible asset. But their personal connection may have been gone forever. “I was never here to take that away from you.”

  Instead of addressing what he’d said, Mariana turned to Vincent and Stephanie. “Thank you for coming back. Thank you for everything you’re doing.”

  “You’re welcome.” Vincent tipped his head.

  “Anytime.” Stephanie reached out and briefly touched Mariana’s arm.

  Vincent added, “I’ll stay on top of this and let you know what I find. There are a few leads...” A pointed look from Stephanie slowed him down. She drew his attention to his SUV, then the road off the property. He smiled understandingly. “A phone call and we’re here.” He shook hands with Ty, who gave Stephanie a wave of goodbye. A moment later, Ty and Mariana were watching the SUV make its way down the hill and toward town.

  Mariana didn’t take her gaze from the road to speak. “You can stay.”

  “I have to.” His broken car was a couple of dozen yards in front of them.

  She chuckled, and then a serious air descended around her. “You wanted my house.”

  “I had an idea about your house,” he clarified. “I told it to them.” The SUV was a small dot by now. “Before I knew the circumstances here. Before I met you.” That had changed everything.

  “So that’s how you found out about the trouble. You were looking into my house.” She still didn’t face him.

  “I was digging as deep as I could about Frontier Justice. Old stories passed down, rumors, fragments from the past.” It had been like sifting through sand to find enough rusty nails to build something. “This property was mentioned a few times, along with the fight for it. There weren’t any stories that came before it, so I knew this is where it started.”

  “And you wanted to start it again.” There was a slight tremor in her voice, an echo of the hurt he’d given her.

  “I did. Looking into this property, I saw the records of your complaints and knew I had to do something.”

  “You had to save the house.” She didn’t move, but he felt her moving farther away.

  “For you.” Her look did turn to him then, doubting. “What I wanted out of this place never got in the way of that. And I was never going to try to take this away from you. It was just a possibility I had in my head.”

  Her gaze softened slightly. “It’s still a possibility.” And her steel remained. She walked from the front of the house around to the side. Together they stepped higher on the hill, into the orchard strung with wires. Stepping close to a tree, she muttered a curse and “Lo siento, amigo.” Her fingers ran over the bark, stopping at two bullet holes bored into the wood.

  “Will it survive?”

  She continued to inspect the tree. “It should.” Something on the ground stopped her progress and she moved away. Blood spattered across several crushed apples and fallen leaves.

  Ty reached toward her, but hesitated to touch her. “It’s not the first time blood was spilled defending this land.”

  “This man...” She backed toward Ty. “This was the one you... I can’t imagine what you...” Turning, she put her hand in his. The late sun caught in her shining eyes. “Are you all right?”

  Her warmth rushed into him through this simple touch. The care and concern from her sent that heat deeper into his chest. “I am, thank you.” But where that left the two of them, he still didn’t know. “How about you give me a ride to the hardware store for supplies and I help repair your bedroom?”

  She started toward the house, still holding his hand, then paused. “Emails first. I’m sure the neighbors are freaking.”

  “Don’t give any details.” He resumed their progress out of the orchard. “Tell them you’re fine and the appropriate authorities are on the case. You can’t say any more until the investigation is over.”

  Her attention extended down the hill from her property, toward the rest of the world. “I’ll use that on everyone in town, too.”

  “There’ll be a lot of looks.”

  She brushed it off. “I’m used to those by now.”

  He remembered the attention they’d drawn at lunch. “It’ll be different. More fear, like the violence is coming with you.”

  Her steps slowed. “Will you be with me?”

  “As long as you want.” Tentative tendrils reached between them. Fragile, like the smallest doubt could break them.

  “No more surprises.” She held his gaze.

  “You know everything now.” And he wanted to learn more of her.

  She stopped in front of her house. “I meant it when I said you can stay.”

  The gravity of doubt lifted from his shoulders. He breathed. His body was free to move closer to hers. She met him, and they leaned against each other’s shoulders. “You’re safe,” he told
her and reassured himself. And with her, he was safe.

  * * *

  TY HAD BEEN RIGHT. Fear shone in the eyes of the locals in the hardware store. Only one of them had the courage to approach Mariana and ask after her. She reassured that she was unhurt and gave the standard nonanswer regarding the rest of the details. The same as she’d emailed to her concerned neighbors.

  Her texts with Sydney had also been vague, but with the added warning to keep vigilant and not go anywhere alone. Returning up the long road to her property, Mariana explained to Ty how her friend had helped inspire her to join up with Frontier Justice. “She said that her family property had also been defended by our people. It’s not far from here. Someone must’ve been tearing through, trying to grab whatever they could. The same could happen now with the Hanley Group.” There was activity at her house in the distance, but it was only the flatbed tow truck Stephanie had arranged for Ty’s car. “Even if we hold them off at my place, they’ll just find another person to intimidate until they sell off.”

  “That’s the goal.” Ty scanned the darkening landscape around them. “Stop them here. Let them know their tactics won’t fly anywhere anymore.” He tested his forehead with his fingertips. The blood had been cleaned off hours ago.

  “Is it okay?” She nodded toward his head.

  “Just a little tender.” He narrowed his eyes like a tough guy. “I’ve had worse. Busted a couple guys who’d been robbing construction sites. They came at me with every tool they had before I got them cuffed.”

  She scoffed. “One time, an ostrich from Mrs. Gonzalez’s farm got through her fence and into my orchard.” It had been like a scene from a dinosaur movie. “But you know I got a riata around its neck after it nearly took a chunk out of my shoulder.”

  Ty put his hands up. “You win.”