by Aimée Thurlo
Suddenly and inexplicably, she felt Joshua’s presence. The feeling was strong, and no amount of logic brushed it aside. She couldn’t see him—she couldn’t even lift her head—but she knew he was near. She felt it as clearly as the iron grip that held her steady.
“Very brave, terrorizing a woman,” she heard Joshua say.
The men stepped back, but the hand that held her never eased its hold.
“That it took four of you to accomplish this doesn’t say much for you, does it?”
She couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the utter contempt in his voice.
“Let her go now, unless you want to take me on instead,” Joshua’s voice thundered.
Nydia wasn’t at all surprised when the man holding her suddenly let go. She almost fell forward, he’d released her so quickly. As she rose to her feet, she saw Joshua facing the four hooded men.
“If you’re all so convinced I’m the killer, then face me now like men. Take off your hoods and confront me with your accusations.”
Nobody spoke, but they exchanged glances and took another step back.
“Nothing to say? Why am I not surprised?” Joshua mocked.
Her original captor lunged forward, thrusting out with his knife, but Joshua easily kicked it out of his hand. “I’m not an easy target. If you plan to use knives, then you better plan on pain.”
His gaze challenged them one by one. “Attack me now, or back off. The choice is yours.”
The man who’d wielded the knife scooped up his weapon and sprinted toward the far side of the alley. Close on his tail were the other three.
Joshua went to where Nydia stood and laid his hands on her cheeks. “Are you all right?”
Nydia’s pulse fluttered. “Yes. If you hadn’t been here…”
“But I was.” He drew her against him, holding her tightly. “You’re okay now.”
She sighed softly as he tilted her chin and drew closer and closer until their lips touched. His kiss was filled with such tenderness that she yielded to him, encouraging him to continue.
Her surrender added fuel to the fires within him. His kiss, at first reassuring, blazed white hot as he feasted on her mouth and invited her to do the same with his.
When at last he eased his hold, she pressed her lips together, tasting him there, and wondering how something so simple as a kiss from Joshua could shatter her world.
“Nobody will threaten you like this again,” he said fiercely. “You’ll stay by my side as you wanted. No one will dare harm you while I still draw breath.”
They stood heart to pounding heart for what seemed a heavenly eternity, then gathering her courage, she finally stepped away. “It’s not safe here. We should go.”
“They won’t come back. They’re cowards—they’ve proven that by their actions.”
“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d still rather leave the area.”
Joshua walked with her down the street to her truck. Without touching her, he remained so close to her side that she could feel the warmth of his body. It comforted her and gave her courage. “How did you find me? I thought you’d gone out of town,” she asked finally.
“That was the plan, but things went awry. Shadow and I were driving out to the cabin early this morning when he got called away on an emergency. He refused to let me go up alone, so he dropped me off at the sheriff’s office and told Fuzz to meet me there. Shadow figured I’d be safe there until Fuzz arrived, and if anyone found out, they could be told that I’d been placed in protective custody.”
“But how did you happen to see what was happening to me? You couldn’t have had a clear view from the sheriff’s office.”
“I promised Fuzz I’d keep a low profile, but since I knew you were scheduled to buy supplies today, I’ve been watching for you from out near Marlee’s. When you left the boardinghouse, I followed. Although I stayed out of sight on the side streets and alleys, I was never far away.”
Had anyone else as big as Joshua told her he’d been sneaking around alleys, certain he wouldn’t be spotted, she would have laughed out loud. But she’d seen Joshua melt into shadows as silently as a cat. “Does Gabriel know where you’re at now?”
He shook his head and smiled. “He never saw me leave. He was wading through a report for the mayor, muttering to himself.”
“Let’s get you back there before he notices and comes looking. I’ve also got a tape I want you both to hear.”
Gabriel’s glare was as dark as a moonless night when they walked in the door. Nydia flinched, but Joshua gave her a reassuring smile.
“I should have handcuffed you to my desk, Tree,” he said, stepping out of his dispatcher’s office. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Cleaning up your streets, since you’re too tied down with paperwork to take care of that.” When Joshua told him what had happened to Nydia, Gabriel’s face grew cold.
“I’m glad you were there, Tree, even if you shouldn’t have been.”
Nydia interrupted the tense exchange between the brothers with a description of her experience in the market, then added, “I have this tape recording I think you should both hear.” She reached into her purse to retrieve the tape recorder.
“As soon as it’s dark again, we’re leaving,” Gabriel said as she rewound the recorder to the beginning of the conversation she’d overheard. “People know you’re here by now, Tree, and I’m not equipped to handle an angry mob. I have enough firepower, but not enough manpower to even the odds.”
“Your brother did quite well without violence, and was outnumbered four to one,” Nydia said proudly.
Joshua smiled at her. “My training as a hataalii gave me an edge. We learn to control situations that might lead to violence.”
Nydia clicked on the recorder. “Okay, here we go.”
As they listened to the tape, Gabriel and Joshua exchanged glances. They had recognized the voices; Nydia was sure of it and she was glad. Maybe that would help Gabriel identify the troublemakers and keep an eye on them.
When the segment ended, she shut off the recorder, ejected the tape and handed it to Gabriel. “I could see from your expressions that you recognized the men speaking.”
“Yes, one was Manuel Ortega, our mail carrier, and the other might be Alex Green, Ralph’s assistant, or Bill Riley, the trucker who brings supplies into town. Those two sound very alike. But the tape doesn’t give us anything to indicate that they’re the ones responsible for what happened to you in the alley,” Gabriel said. “I can’t arrest them on the strength of this. They’re entitled to whatever opinion they choose to voice.”
“I knew what they thought of me,” Joshua said, “but I had no idea the tide would turn against you, too,” he added, looking at Gabriel. “That worries me.”
“They may think I care more about protecting my brother than I do for my job,” Gabriel reiterated, “but they’re wrong. I work on the side of justice, not mob rule.”
“They’ll come around—give them time. Lies have a tendency to make things flare up like dry kindling on a fire, but they can’t withstand the test of time. Truth is the only thing that has the power to endure.” Joshua walked to the window and peered out the side. “It’s almost dark.”
“And time for you to be on your way.” Gabriel motioned for Joshua to move back as he opened the front door, stepped outside and looked around.
Nydia felt a stab of fear. “Do you think they’ll try to stop us?”
“No,” Joshua answered. “They’ll want to, but they won’t go up against the sheriff. They know he can call in the state police and reinforcements from other communities. My guess is that they’ll regroup, then come after us later on when they build up their courage again.”
Nydia felt her throat go dry. “But we’ll be alone out at the cabin. It’s not a good defensive move.”
“That cabin is almost impossible to find even when you know where you’re going. We should be safe there as long as we aren’t followed.”
“In separate vehicles?” Nydia asked.
“You go with Tree. I’ll drive your truck and tail you both, hanging back to make sure nobody follows you up,” Gabriel said. “Shadow will meet us halfway. I spoke to him a short while ago. I’ll ride back with him. In the meantime, I’ll keep my truck here, parked in clear view, to throw off anyone who might be thinking of following me to get to you. My dispatcher works from home at night, so I’ll make sure she’s aware of what’s going on and knows to reach me on the hand-held or through Shadow, if necessary.”
It took about forty minutes of covering some of the roughest terrain Nydia had ever traveled across, before she finally spotted a rustic log cabin in the middle of a small clearing. The dwelling was nestled between two steep ridges, hidden from the view of anyone more than a hundred yards away. It was dark now and barely visible at half that distance.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of another vehicle approaching up the canyon. Nydia bolted upright and stared into the forest, bracing herself for trouble.
“Relax, it’s only Shadow.”
Nydia sat on her hands so he couldn’t see them shaking. “I thought that maybe you’d been wrong, and the townspeople had found us.”
He shook his head. “You can trust me. I’m seldom wrong.”
“Arrogance?” She smiled, taunting him. “Is that a quality of a hataalii, too?”
“As my brothers are fond of reminding me, a hataalii is just a man who possesses ritual knowledge. He’s not above being human,” he added with a grin.
She saw the moonlight dancing in his eyes, and felt the impact of his gaze all through her body. A shiver coursed through her. Fearing the strength of her reaction to him, she turned away and assured herself that he hadn’t noticed anything. When she glanced back at him, however, she realized that she’d only been fooling herself. “Just remember we’re here on business.”
“Of course.”
She had the feeling he wasn’t at all sorry to be stuck in this secluded cabin with her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The problem was, neither was she. Those feelings meant trouble unless they both kept their guards up and used their heads.
Neither of them had room for romance in their lives, particularly now, and she’d never been the type to go after hopeless causes. And hopeless it was. The last person she wanted to be involved with, or more to the point, to allow her son to draw close to, was a hataalii. John was already influenced enough by the old ways, living with his grandparents so much of the time.
As Joshua parked his truck, his brothers approached. “I’m going to check out the perimeter,” Gabriel said, “though I’m virtually certain we weren’t followed.”
“I’ll take a look from the high ground,” Lucas added.
After they’d left, Nydia walked with Joshua over to the cabin. “It’s a pretty place. Did you come here to hunt and fish?”
“No, not really. It’s mostly a place each of us uses when we need to get away. Building it was a family project for all of us, and we share ownership of it.”
As she stepped inside, Nydia was surprised to see how large it was, and how homey. “Did Gabriel’s wife help with the interior?”
“It shows that much?” He laughed, glancing at the short gingham tie-back curtains. “Fuzz uses this place more than Shadow or I do. It doesn’t have a phone, and there are too many narrow canyons for a cellular, so it’s the perfect place for him and his wife to come and relax.”
“What if he’s needed back in town?”
“He usually arranges for the sheriff in the next county to loan him one of his deputies for a few days to take care of things. Fuzz has to have time off every once in a while just to keep his thinking clear,” Joshua said. Then he added, “We all do.”
As Joshua unloaded the groceries, Nydia walked around the cabin. There was only one bedroom with a full-size bed. She glanced out at the living room. The couch didn’t look like the type that could pull out into a bed. A tingle of apprehension sizzled through her.
“It’s all clear,” Gabriel called out from the front door.
His booming voice brought her back to the tasks at hand. She went into the living room and met the others there. “So, we’re safe for now.”
“Yes,” Gabriel answered, his expression somber. “I’ll leave a cellular phone with you, but you’ll have to climb up one of the ridges before you can use it. If you’re in trouble, Tree will lead you into the forest. My brother knows this area like the palm of his hand. No one will ever corner or trap him here.” He gestured for Nydia to come outside with him while Lucas spoke to Joshua. “Sooner or later, Tree is going to get restless and want to go back into town to investigate. But you’ve seen firsthand how dangerous it is there. For everyone’s sake, try to keep him here.”
“I can’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
“True, but you can be very persuasive when you want to. You’re here, aren’t you?” “I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee results.”
“Just remember, he needs you and you need him. You’re each other’s backup.”
“You can count on me,” Nydia said, then remembered the last time she’d said those words. She’d spoken them to her son when she’d promised to bring Joshua back to the rez.
Determination filled her. She wouldn’t fail any of them, including herself. “I won’t allow him to endanger himself uselessly. Believe that. I need him alive and well so he can return home with me and help my family.”
IT WAS CLOSE TO EIGHT when Joshua came into the kitchen with a load of firewood. “Have you ever used one of these wood-burning stoves before?”
“Frequently. My mother-in-law isn’t big on modern conveniences,” she said, her thoughts turning to the people she’d left behind on the reservation.
As if sensing her worries, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Although Nydia knew it had been meant only as a gesture of comfort, the fires his touch created left her feeling deliciously weak.
“I will find a way to help you,” Joshua said, but before she could respond, he stepped back into the living room.
Ignoring the supplies she’d set out for dinner, Nydia stumbled back onto a chair and sat down heavily. What on earth was the matter with her? They were embroiled in a life-or-death situation. She had no time for these crazy feelings. She needed rational thoughts, not confusion.
Needing to keep busy, she warmed up a can of beans and cut up some fresh vegetables. It wasn’t a feast, but it would do.
A short time later, Joshua came in with more wood and placed it next to the stove. Sitting down at the rough-hewn wooden table, they ate dinner together.
“I’m tired, do you mind if we call it a night?” Nydia asked. “I want to talk to you about your work, but only when I know I can concentrate.” At the moment, she could hardly keep her eyes open.
“No problem. After what you went through today, it’s no surprise that you’re beat. Take the bed.”
She shook her head. “I’ve thought about that, and it isn’t
right for me to be the one who gets it. I’m smaller and I’ll fit just fine on the couch.”
“You have the same look Fuzz gets on his face when he’s determined not to take no for an answer, so I’ll speed things up and offer you a compromise. We’ll take turns
using the bed. Tonight, you get it. You need it more than
I do.”
“I’m too tired to argue, but I have no idea how you plan
to fit on the couch. It’s against the laws of physics.”
“I’m sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag. I’ve done
it many times before. To be honest, I prefer it to the bed. Tomorrow morning, you’ll understand,” he added with a wicked grin.
“Oh, great. Sour my victory.” She walked through the
living room and took the Navajo rug she’d brou
ght in from her pickup. “Good night.”
He looked at the rug, disapproval etched clearly on his face. “You don’t need to bring that thing here. There are sheets and plenty of blankets in the chest at the end of the bed.”
“I’ll help myself if I need them, but I’m keeping the rug. It’s warm, and soft, and I intend to put it to good use.”
Not giving him a chance to argue, she went in to the bedroom and shut the door.
Nydia dropped down heavily on the bare mattress and glanced wearily at the chest. The bed had been stripped, ready for whoever would use it next, but no new linens had been set out. She sighed, too tired to care about niceties right now. Her body still ached from the struggle with the men in the alley. She’d been terrified, certain she was about to be cut to pieces, or worse. In all her life, she’d never felt such terror. Then Joshua had appeared out of nowhere, like one of the mythical heroes of Navajo legend. His courage and inner strength had given him all the power he’d needed against his enemies. She’d known that nothing would hurt her then. His presence had filled that darkened alley with a magic all its own.
Grabbing the pillow, she lay back, intending to rest for just a moment before getting back up and making the bed, but soon she was asleep.
A loud peal of thunder that rattled the windows woke Nydia up sometime after midnight. Reaching for the rug to cover herself, she turned over onto her side, determined to go back to sleep. The storm was noisy, but she could sleep through it if she tried.
As pleasant gray mists began to close in over her again, she heard an insistent voice from within herself, nudging her back to full consciousness.
The sheriff and his wife are in danger. They need your help.
Nydia’s eyes snapped open. Sitting up, she gave the blanket a vicious glare. “I’m getting fed up with this nonsense. If this is due to a hypnotic suggestion, then I’m too tired to deal with it in the middle of the night. Shut up.” She dropped back and tossed the blanket aside, deciding she’d rather be cold than awake.
