by Freya Barker
"Feelers on what?"
"Ah shit. He didn't say anything? Dammit." Scratching his head, Neil looks at me guiltily. "I swear I didn't tell him about your adoptive mother, Katie. He knew when he called me."
"I know you didn't tell him. I did. What I don't get is why he called you?"
I'm not sure if I'm angry or confused; a bit of both, I guess.
"He seemed to know I was looking into it, because he called me shortly after you guys came back from Farmington. Asked what I'd been able to dig up and I gave him what I had. He said he had some ideas of his own, took her particulars and that was it."
Standing up from the table he grabs our cups, and refills them from the coffeepot in the kitchen.
"You realize he's really gonna hate me now right?" Neil grumbles as he slides my coffee in front of me.
"He doesn't hate you. Why do you say that?"
"Are you kidding me? The man calls me every diminutive name in the book. I even heard him call me a 'guard puppy' to Gus."
The disgruntled look on his face is so comical; I can't help but burst out laughing. My own irritation with Caleb for going behind my back instantly forgotten.
"You're a goof, Neil."
"Whatever," he says; shaking his head and turning his attention back to the computer screen.
Left to my own thoughts, I'm about to turn back to my own computer when the phone rings.
"Everything go ok this morning?" Gus jumps right in without the customary hello.
"Off without a hitch. He's been gone for three hours and I got a text about an hour ago saying he was going to be out of reach for a while. You want to talk to Neil?"
"No. Why don't you guys head over to the diner and I'll meet you there for lunch. On the off chance anyone was paying attention, seeing Neil instead of Caleb with you at this point is not gonna make a difference. Caleb's safely gone."
"Yesss. Can't wait to get out for a bit. I've gotten too used to the construction noise around us and it is too quiet today without the crew here."
I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. With the possibility Mal may not be hiding from me necessarily, but rather from the cartel and his own gang, it seemed obvious he would pick a place only I would know how to find.
For years our parents had taken us for weeklong camping trips into Arches National Park near Moab. On one of our first trips there, Mal had only been about six years old, I had been instructed to keep an eye on him when he disappeared. Just up the trail from the campground, we had found an area riddled with sagebrush and large boulders where we'd play hide and seek. Except when it was my turn to look for Mal, he was completely gone. I checked every rock and brush in that damn clearing and couldn't find him. About to go running for my parents, I heard a muffled voice call my name. It seemed to come from an area where three large rocks were grouped against the side of a cliff rising up. Afraid he'd hurt himself I ran over but still couldn't see a thing, until his little head peeked up from ground level from right underneath where the three rocks touched. He was stuck in a hole, well, not actually a hole; it turned out to be a mostly intact kiva. An underground chamber. Of course we didn't learn that until later, but for that camping trip and all of the ones that followed, we had found a perfect spot to hide out from our parents and Nascha, our sister, and arch-enemy number one in those days. Even as teens we loved hanging out in there, having cleaned and widened the opening to allow for easier access. When the sun hit at a certain time of day, it could fill the underground room with so much light, you'd never know you were basically in a hole.
God, I don't think I've thought of that place since Nascha died, but for some reason it seems like that would be the perfect spot for Mal to hide out. With a campground nearby, he could make use of the amenities there and Moab's not far away for necessities. On top of that, as far as I know the only other person who knows about that place is me. I certainly never told anyone about its existence. Yes, my gut tells me I'll find my brother there, but I'm not dumb enough to drive my car into the park.
It's not that difficult to figure out if you have a tail on the open roads between Cortez and Monticello, and by the time I get close to my destination, I'm fairly well convinced that I have no one behind me. When I get to the park gate, I follow the road a ways in, until I find a trail entrance that already has quite a few cars in the parking lot. I slide Neil's old truck between a minivan and a Ford-150 and send one last text to Katie, knowing that I won't likely have reception for long. A check of my watch and the small backpack with water and some trail mix and fruit on my back, and I'm setting off on the trail. But not for long.
Making sure there is no one directly in front or visible behind me, about a quarter mile into the trail, I head north, away from the path and in the general direction of the campground a few miles up the road. I check my surroundings constantly, but other the occasional small animal scurrying out of sight before I even have a chance to identify it, there is hardly a sound or sign of life. Yet I have no doubt of what I'll find when I get where I'm going.
I almost slap Neil when he tries to lift me into the Tahoe.
"Would you knock it off? I'm not an invalid."
"Could've fooled me," the ass grumbles as he takes my chair and folds it in the backseat while I pull myself up into my seat.
"Heard that." Guess he's still smarting 'cause I laughed at him, so I punch him in the arm as soon as he sits his butt down beside me. "Knock it off, you sourpuss. You've gotta lighten up a little. You're too young to be so damn grumpy half the time."
"Ouch," he grumbles, rubbing his arm furiously. "For a chick you have a surprisingly solid punch."
Just for that he gets another one.
"Ouch! Have some mercy will you? That'll leave a mark."
"Serves you right. Who the fuck are you calling a chick anyway? Besides, I was just confirming something for you, that way next time you won't need to be so surprised."
A small smile plays at the edge of his mouth. "Not surprised as much as impressed, I guess."
"Oh now you're just blowing smoke up my ass," I chuckle, finding myself enjoying spending time with Neil a lot. He is super sharp with all things electronic and can work the computer like you wouldn't believe, but even more I enjoy the casual familiar banter. Almost like a younger brother I never had. Yeah. I really like the kid.
Listen to me. Calling him kid like Caleb does―he's maybe ten years younger, if that. And he sure doesn't look like a kid, maybe his face, but the rest of him is ripped and toned like a man's body. There's a lucky girl out there somewhere, although he could use some help smoothing his game out.
In the diner the lunch crowd is thick, even for a Friday. Beth has us sitting at the counter, which meant I had to leave my chair and hoist myself up on a stool. Something that was closely observed by Arlene.
"You're doing pretty decent there, missy," she point out.
"Yeah. Getting there," I tell her with a wink, not ready yet to reveal my newfound ability to walk a few steps. Let them see me stand and manoeuvre myself around for a bit. I don't need gawkers anyway. Awkward enough as it is.
Seb comes out of the kitchen and gives me a hug. Cripes, he is a nice man, and Arlene is one lucky woman.
"I have home made elk burgers on special today guys, with sweet potato fries. You game?"
"Hell yes," belts Neil, whose three eggs fried over hard in my kitchen at 10:30 weren't enough to tide him over I guess.
"Yes to what?" Emma asks, just walking up in front of Gus.
"Seb has elk burgers and Neil is a bottomless pit," I announce, "he's already emptied our fridge and now he pretends to be starved again. Don't fall for it."
"Hey, I'm a growing boy," Neil protests, a big grin on his face.
"Sign me up too, Seb." Gus throws in his order and with Emma's and mine to match it's unanimous.
"No table?" Gus wants to know.
"Hang on, I think the corner booth is about to leave, I'll go wipe the table to help them along." Beth gra
bs a rag and heads over to the booth where Clint and some woman are finishing up lunch. Furiously wiping the table and slamming plates and cutlery together, she succeeds in chasing them out of the booth in no time. Clint with a confused look on his face and the woman by his side more than mildly irritated. With a wave in our direction he guides her out the door.
Heading our way is Beth with a giant smile on her face. "There," she says triumphantly, "your booth is ready and waiting." With a toss of her ponytail, she flicks the rag over her shoulder and heads into the kitchen.
"Oh boy." Emma looks at Arlene who is looking at the doorway where Beth disappeared.
Gus starts chuckling behind her. "Leave it alone, Ems. Whatever it is, leave it alone."
"But..." she starts, but she’s cut short when he grabs her around the waist and moves her along to the now vacant booth.
"Come on guys," he says over his should to us, "we've got some business to discuss."
Four elk burgers, a mountain of sweet potato fries and some damn good diner coffee later, Gus finally is ready to go over the details of a call he mentioned earlier he received from Manny Jordan, the detective from Shiprock. Emma stopped him from discussing business while eating, which earned her a scowl, but he did eat first. Never thought I'd see the day.
"Manny says it was a routine traffic stop for speeding, the idiot. They took him in and are holding him for questioning."
"Who is this Benjamin Chee?" Emma wants to know.
"He was, or still is we're not quite sure, Caleb's brother Malachi's best friend and also his number two man in this gang he runs. He may be involved. At the very least, he knows a lot more than he should."
"So we're gonna sit and wait for news?" I ask, hoping I might finally be able to do something instead of waiting around twiddling my thumbs, but no.
"We should know more by the end of the afternoon. Anything else from Caleb?"
"Nothing since the text that he would be out of range."
"How long ago was that?"
"He's been gone for five hours now."
I approach the three rocks along the side of the cliff wall. It's taken me much longer to get here than I had anticipated. An hour's hike is what I counted on, but it turned out to be at least double that. And no reception to give the guys back home a head's up.
A slight rustle above me, has me snap my head up, but all I see is a bird taking off from some brush on the cliff above. Pausing a moment to make sure that is all it was, I rest my head against the sun warmed red and yellow sandstone rock of the cliff. Minutes pass without any further sound and I slowly push away from the wall to make my way over to the hidden kiva.
With a sudden change of light and a rush of air, a large form knocks me forward and flat on my face. The unmistakable cold steel of a gun is pressed to the base of my skull.
"Don't. Move." A voice hisses close to my ear.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"Seb's already prepped tonight's dinner special; Jambalaya. I packed up a tub for you to take along."
Arlene is waiting at the cash register when we're ready to leave. Of course Gus wrangles Neil and I for the bill and wins. Asshat.
The bag is shoved in my direction and when I hesitate to accept it right away, Arlene scoffs and adds, "Don't make a big fuss, okay? I'm having a nice day - don't spoil it. Beth's made these ridiculous little pouches with some kind of wood eating tools for our new take-out menu, and I popped some in so you won't even have to do dishes."
I have a shit eating grin on my face at Arlene's obvious discomfort with having been caught doing something nice―in front of witnesses, no less! For all her abrasive bristle, the woman is a gem and I'm really starting to love her.
With a loud 'humpf', Arlene throws one last dirty look in our general direction, as if daring any of us to say anything, before turning and virtually stomping off into the kitchen.
"Better go," Emma chuckles, "all these kindly vibes are bound to pop her a blood vessel."
Outside I stop Gus by grabbing his arm, not able to forget my anxiety over Caleb despite our little chuckle at Arlene's expense.
"How long till we activate the trackers?"
"I promised him seven hours to get back in touch, Katie. Go home. Trust him to know what he's doing. If we haven't heard by three this afternoon, I'll be at the barn and we move."
Mildly placated with a timeline and a gentle reminder that Caleb is a highly trained professional who would take no unnecessary risks, I join Neil waiting at the Tahoe.
The drive to the barn is a quiet one, both of us alone with our thoughts, but pulling onto the yard the sight of Blue sitting by the picnic table instantly lifts my spirits.
"Whoa, what the fuck is that thing?" Neil exclaims when he gets his first glimpse of all that is Blue.
"Thing? That's not a thing, that's my puppy."
From the incredulous look he throws me, I gather he's not convinced and almost yanks me back in the truck, when I try to slide out.
"Hang the fuck on, woman. What if it mauls you?"
"Get over yourself," I call him on the drama, "he's just a dog. Let me get out and prepare him for you."
"Oh that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks." Rolling his eyes and with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest, he cautiously keeps an eye on Blue as I slide out of the truck and hold on to the door for balance.
"Come here, Blue!"
With a twitch of his ears, the dog gets up and gingerly moves closer. Always aware of any movement around him. There is no hesitation in his approach of me though. Nuzzling my hand, he flops back on his haunches and leans his body into my legs as I scratch him under the chin.
"Hey buddy. Did you come to see me? I need you to be nice to my friend. He's gonna help me inside, okay?"
When Neil opens his door to get out, I can hear the low growl vibrating through Blue's fur.
"I'll be damned," Neil chuckles, "that mutt loves you."
"Don't come barging up right away, he's very protective of me. Let me introduce you first."
"Every man around you is protective of you, Katie. Although it beats me as to why. You may look the part, but you're no damsel in distress. You're actually kinda scary."
I smile at Neil, who lingers at the hood of the car, careful not to come too close.
"Awww, you just gave me a compliment. That's so sweet."
"Me calling you scary is sweet? Fuck I have a lot to learn about women."
A few minutes later Blue is sniffing Neil's hand and is cleared to get my wheelchair out of the back. None too soon either; my legs are starting to buckle from exertion.
I wheel up to the house with Blue in tow, while Neil dives back in the Tahoe to get the food out. To my surprise, Blue actually leads the way once I have the front door open. It's the first time he's been inside. Curiously sniffing around he makes his way around the entry and the doors to the side leading to the laundry and bedroom, stopping only to look back at me as if for approval to move ahead.
"Go on. Have a look around." I urge him on. Neil walks in behind me with the bag of food and puts it in my lap.
"Here, you can put this away, I'm going back to work." He moves over to the table and boots up his laptop, ignoring the dog that does a 'sniff-by' as he passes Neil on the way to the kitchen. I follow behind, curious to see where he'll go.
Blue stops in the middle of the kitchen and sits down, looking expectantly at the fridge.
"You're not such a wild dog, are ya, buddy?" I chuckle; amused he knows exactly where the goodies are kept. Opening the fridge I plop the bag from the diner in and pull out a length of kielbasa Caleb bought last week when we were stocking up. I hate the stuff, but he loves it. Maybe Blue will too. Slicing off a piece I look at Blue whose ears are perched to attention and I swear the dog is licking the drool off his lips. Slightly dipping his head down, he gently lifts one paw and puts it on my lap.
"Well, you little bugger! Somebody trained you at some point didn't they?"
I hold out the mea
t and with his head tilted sideways he very carefully takes it from between my fingers, barely touching them.
"I'll be damned."
Neil is leaning over the counter looking on with a grin on his face.
"Don't know who's got who suckered in, but it looks like love to me."
Before I have a chance to come back with a response, the large window over the sink shatters and Neil dives over the counter and knocks me out of my chair on the ground, covering my body. Blue stands in front of us facing the window, growls coming from deep in his chest and shards of glass glistening through his fur that is standing on end.
"Phone?" I ask Neil, since mine is on the counter where I put it earlier. He hands me his cell from his back pocket, never letting go of the gun he has clutched in his right hand. I dial Gus' number as Neil shoves both of us up against the cabinet under the broken window.
"Gus, shots fired at the barn. Kitchen window, were hunkered down and ok."
"Fuck! On my way. Leave the line open."
Putting the phone on speaker I put it down on the ground and slide out my own side arm, which is strapped, under my arm. Neil is trying to have a look through the window, but dives down when this time a volley of shots comes flying in hitting surfaces around us. Blue's had enough and starts barking furiously. Fuck. That's all we need.
We're not visible from the big sliding doors, which are still locked, but we didn't lock or arm the front door behind us and whoever walks in has us in their direct line of vision. Stuck between the counter and the island is not the worst place to be.
"I'm checking the doors in the back," Neil starts making his way to the back wall, staying low to the ground with his gun at ready. My eyes flick back and forth between the front door and Neil's receding back. Poor Blue is not happy with the situation; he paces back and forth between the disappearing Neil and where I'm leaning against the cabinets in the kitchen, opting finally to stick by my side. I mumble soothing words to him to try and calm him down a little, but the truth is, I'm all but calm myself.
I hear a huge crash and a "Fuck" from Neil, which momentarily draws my attention to the back. At the same time I can feel a draft coming from the other side and before I can even turn around, Blue whips past me and charges the front door. I can't even see to shoot. The dog is in my way, but another shot rings and this time it's followed by a loud yelp as Blue crumples on the ground, halfway to the front door.
