by Aimée Thurlo
The voice repeated its message two more times before she rose to a sitting position, cursing. She couldn’t ignore this, not when the voice had been right in its warnings before. She chided herself mentally. She was losing her mind for sure if she started listening to voices. The premonition had to be coming from something she’d heard or seen somewhere. And considering that she’d been right before, she was probably right not to ignore it now.
Nydia scrambled out of bed, and went to find Joshua. As she entered the living room, she saw him lying half in and half out of the sleeping bag. His jeans lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, and his chest was bare.
Her breath caught in her throat. Moonlight fell on him like a lover’s caress, and her fingers tingled with the need to touch him. She crouched beside him and laid her hand on his chest, waking him gently.
He smiled, his eyes still closed, and placed his hand over hers. “Does the storm bother you? I’d invite you to share my sleeping bag, but then we’d find that lightning is not the only dangerous force that can light up the night.”
His muscles rippled beneath her palm. She fought against the temptation to lean against him. She’d dreamed of a night like this, alone with him, more than once in the past few months.
But this was not why she’d come to him. Gathering her wits, she took a deep, jagged breath. “I came to tell you something.”
Somehow, he sensed her urgency. He sat up. “What is it?”
“My instincts haven’t been wrong so far, and right now they’re telling me that your brother and his wife are in danger.”
“The voice?”
“A voice, from within me. Don’t read more into it than there is.”
“Get your jacket. We’re leaving right now.”
By the time she returned to the living room, he was dressed and waiting by the door. Together, they hurried across the muddy ground to his truck.
“We’ll take the fast way back,” he said as they followed a pair of tire ruts through the trees.
“But what about the townspeople? What if someone spots us near Four Winds? At this hour, they’re likely to shoot first and think about it later.”
“My brother’s home is outside town. His nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away. No one will see us.”
Twice the truck nearly struck a tree, the muddy roads proving treacherous. The shortcut Joshua had selected turned out to cost them time, the storm having turned the forest floor into a bog.
As they finally reached a real road, dawn broke over the horizon. “Fuzz’s house is right over that rise. We’ll be there in three minutes.”
As he accelerated, Nydia tried to keep her hands from shaking. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew the danger was growing, like an evil creature whose power increased in proportion to the fear it engendered.
A short time later, as they cleared the rise, three sharp bangs echoed down the canyon, filling her with terror. Her heart hammered against her ribs. “Were those-?”
He nodded. “Gunshots. And they’re coming from my brother’s house.”
Chapter Six
Joshua parked behind a cluster of boulders fifty yards away from Gabriel’s house. “I’m going in on foot, but I’m staying close to the stream that runs behind his house, just in case. Stay here.”
“No way. I may be able to help. You don’t know what you’re up against.”
As Nydia left the truck and headed toward Gabriel’s house, Joshua stifled a curse. She surely knew how to test a man!
To her credit, she stayed low and to his right, moving with agility and speed. When they neared a clearing, he stopped and held up a hand. Peering ahead, he struggled to pinpoint the precise source of the gunshots, which had continued at regularly spaced intervals.
“I don’t get this,” he said at last. “What’s my brother trying to do?”
“What’s going on?” She stepped up next to him and followed his line of sight.
“Look for yourself,” he said, gesturing ahead. “He’s shooting at the wood pile.”
“Target practice?”
“From inside his house? Hardly. And nobody’s hiding behind the firewood. We can see both sides from here.”
“Maybe he’s had one drink too many….”
“My brother doesn’t drink. None of us do. I’m going to get closer and see what’s going on. I think he’s trying to signal someone—he’s firing three shots at a time. That means there’s trouble.”
He wasn’t surprised to hear her right behind him as he jogged ahead. Stopping short of the house, Joshua yelled to his brother. “I’m here, Fuzz. What’s going on?”
“Be careful! Don’t either of you come any closer to the house. During the night, while the thunder covered up his sounds, someone crept up and taped trip wires to the doors and windows. If they’re opened, what looks like a big pipe bomb placed between the screen door and front door will go off. And cutting the wires isn’t going to help, either. That bomb could still be set to explode.”
Moving cautiously, Joshua stepped closer and studied the wires. “How did you happen to discover all this before setting it off?” he asked Gabriel, who stood behind the partially opened window.
“I tried to use the phone early this morning and discovered it was dead. When I glanced outside the window toward the telephone wires, I noticed the trip wires and the bomb at the door. I’ve been waiting for a chance to signal someone. When I saw your headlights, I started shooting the three-shot distress signal, hoping to draw your attention. I’m sure glad to see you.”
“What about your hand-held radio? Can you call for backup, or did you do that already?” Joshua asked.
“The radio’s not working. Whoever did this must have disabled the receiver in the Jeep, which relays from the hand-held.”
“Bombs are out of my league. Tell me what to do.”
“I’ve moved as much furniture as I can against the living-room wall to create a barrier between us and the bomb, but what we really need to do is disarm it. Get Jake Fields and Shadow out here. With their military experience, especially with Jake having served as an army Ranger, those guys are the best chance we’ve got. Go to my Jeep and see if you can figure out what’s wrong with the radio. If you can’t start it up, then leave Nydia here to warn off anyone who might approach, and go find those guys.”
“I have a better—and faster—idea,” Nydia interrupted. “There’s an ax leaning against the wood pile. I’d be willing to bet that your big little brother could cut a hole in the side of the house you could climb through.”
“Yes, I believe I could,” Joshua said.
“Go for it, then. I want Lanie out of this place as quickly as possible,” Gabriel called out. “The house is expendable. She’s not.”
Joshua picked up the ax, but then, on a hunch, went to take a closer look at the bomb itself. A cold chill swept up his spine as he crouched by the door.
“Tree, what the hell are you doing?” Gabriel called out to him. “Get away from that thing!”
“I’ve got bad news, Fuzz. We’ve all got a big problem. This thing has a timer on it, and it’s counting down. We have less than five minutes.”
His brother’s violent oath was loud, and summed up the situation well.
“That about covers it,” Joshua said ruefully. “Care to give me more-useful instructions?”
“Describe the bomb to me, Tree.”
Joshua did his best, then had a suggestion. “It should shut down if we can disconnect the wires leading to the power supply, which is a lantern battery.”
“Okay, do it.”
“I can’t. I’d have to open the door to reach the bomb, and that would pull a pretty tight trip wire.”
Another expletive followed.
“Your brother is too big to reach in there, but I can fit my arm through without moving the door,” Nydia said.
“Then I guess you’re elected,” Gabriel answered, sounding regretful.
“Be careful out there, please,” Lanie cal
led out, her voice trembling.
“I will be. Think good thoughts, okay?” Nydia rubbed the perspiration from her palms by brushing them against her pant legs, but nothing could stop her hands from shaking.
Joshua noticed it. “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. You’ll be okay,” he whispered so that he wouldn’t alarm his brother’s wife.
She gave Joshua a grateful nod, then called out to Gabriel. “Do you have wire cutters? I’m going to need them.”
“In the garage, on the peg-board rack.” Gabriel answered. “Only make sure there are no surprises there before you charge in.”
“I’ll go,” Joshua said.
Joshua went around the back to the detached garage and studied the area before approaching it. The windows and door showed no signs of tampering. This building hadn’t been touched. There were no tracks on the muddy ground surrounding it, either. Satisfied that it was safe, he took the wire cutters from the peg board and jogged back to Nydia’s side. “Here you go.”
“You’re the only one of us who can actually back away from here,” Nydia said. “Why don’t you stay as far away as you can in case things go wrong? We might need your services.” She glanced down at her hands to show him that she was still trembling.
Instead of doing as she said, Joshua started to do a quiet sing. He felt the power of the ancient chant leaving him and weaving around her distrust, finding a way inside her. Benevolent forces were gathering, responding to his cry for help. Although he could see that she didn’t understand what was happening, her hands stopped shaking.
Nydia reached through the small opening in the screen door, then froze, fear rising again, holding her captive.
Joshua increased the tempo of his chant. Power flowed through him, filling the air. The sing became a cry against the injustices that had brought them to this point and a demand for the right to restore harmony.
Scarcely breathing, Nydia held the clippers to the wires, then looked up at him.
There was nothing he could do except reassure her that they would share the same fate. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, then closed his eyes and focused all his energy on the chant. His senses were so acute it was almost painful. He heard the snip of the cutters, then her sigh.
He opened his eyes, but his relief vanished as he heard her gasp. “What’s wrong?”
Even before she could speak, he heard a low, rhythmic electronic beep. “There’s a second clock,” Joshua called out to Gabriel.
“Find what it’s connected to,” Gabriel answered. “Quickly!”
Nydia bent down, trying to look beneath the bomb without widening the opening between the screen and the door. “The second timer is beneath the bomb. It’s not connected to the top wire, but it’s counting down! Only seven seconds left!”
Joshua shoved her roughly aside, grabbed the bomb and yanked it free. With a mighty heave, he tossed it toward the stream.
The bomb splashed into the water and exploded. The blast knocked Joshua to the ground, and water rained everywhere.
Nydia scrambled to Joshua’s side as he managed to rise to his knees. Sinking to the ground before him, she threw her arms around him. “I thought we were all dead!”
He held her against him. As he felt the softness of her breasts against his chest and her slim thighs against his, passion exploded inside him. Mouth to mouth, they strained against each other, seeking comfort in that union that spoke of fires and life.
His fingers sank into her hair, slanting her head, devouring her sweetness with a wild, reckless hunger.
“Hey, little brother,” Gabriel said, rushing out the front door with Lanie. “Don’t take advantage of this poor woman. You’re a hero, but don’t push it, okay?”
Joshua felt his brother jab his foot playfully against his side. The mood was broken, but he didn’t release Nydia, more out of principle than anything else.
“Time out, guys,” Gabriel said, laughing.
Joshua glared at Gabriel as he helped Nydia up. “You’re lucky I don’t believe in violence, Fuzz.”
Gabriel grinned. “Yeah, I’ve told myself that many times.” He glanced at Lanie and Nydia, who were both walking away, talking at once. “Hey, it’s my job as big brother to keep you from getting in way over your head,” he said quietly. “Be careful, Tree. That woman is not for you.”
“Really?” Joshua managed to say through clenched teeth. He’d never allowed his brothers to butt into his personal life, and he wasn’t about to let it happen now.
Gabriel shrugged. “The beliefs you treasure are ones she
spends time recording, much like a biologist tracking something that crawled out from under a rock.”
Joshua’s hands curled into fists. His brother’s words cut
through him like a knife, mostly because they were true
and he knew it.
“It would be different if you were the type who was just out to get laid, but that’s not you.”
If he’d ever truly considered punching his brother’slights out, this would have been the time. Not for his own sake, but for Nydia’s. Instead, Joshua turned and walked away from Gabriel.
Nydia moved toward him, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother stop her. Gabriel was right to do so. Right now, he needed a few quiet moments to think. Gabriel was right—and yet, so wrong. He couldn’t explain it, but things felt…right…when he was with Nydia. Glancing back, he saw Nydia slip around Gabriel, ignoring him, and come toward him anyway.
“Hey, what’s going on? Was big brother giving you a hard time?”
Joshua managed a smile. “It doesn’t matter. My life’s my own. And I can assure you, I’ve done my share of razzing back.” He returned with her to the house. “Let’s see what else needs to be done here.”
“Has Gabriel asked why we happened to come by?”
“No, but he will. And now that you’ve brought it up, have you thought about what’s been happening? The rug is helping both of us. At the worst time of my life, it suddenly surfaces and reaches out to me through you. That makes for interesting speculations.”
“It’s not the rug that’s at play here. It’s my own good instincts and intuition, which are seldom wrong.”
“And in the middle of the night,” Gabriel said, joining them, “you suddenly got a gut feeling that I was in trouble?”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Ask Joshua or Lanie if I was right. Who knows? Maybe in that mess in the alley, I heard something, or got some indication of this.”
He nodded slowly. “It’s possible, but I don’t suppose you remember anything more specific?”
“No, but I’ll try to think back, and if I recall anything else, I’ll let you know.”
“Did you check out your Jeep?” Joshua asked. “I’m curious about what happened to your radio.”
“It’s been trashed,” Gabriel answered. “My next step is to take a walk around the house and check out the tracks. The mud is going to make it easy for us, harder for the son of a—” he looked at Nydia “—frog, who did this.”
Lanie joined them. “I’ll stay out of your way, but I’m coming along. This is my home, too.”
Gabriel nodded, his jaw clenched. Sensing his outrage, Joshua placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Control your anger. Unless you do, our enemy will win.”
“That works for you, Tree,” Gabriel snapped back, “but not for me. Right now, I’d like to put the person who attacked me and my family in intensive care.”
As they reached the side of the house, Gabriel held up his hand. “Stay back,” he said, crouching by the giant footprints that led around to the porch. “These weren’t here last night, and neither of you came over to this side “
Lanie gasped. “Those prints look like Joshua’s! He’s the only person in the community with feet that big!”
“You’re right,” Joshua said. “But those aren’t my footprints.”
“Joshua was with me last night. He didn’t go anywhere,”
Nydia said staunchly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply-” Lanie looked at Gabriel helplessly.
“Don’t worry,” Gabriel said. “I know darned well this isn’t your work, Tree.”
“Look closer at those tracks and you’ll see they prove it wasn’t your brother,” Nydia said, crouching just behind Gabnel. She gestured to where Joshua had walked. “His tracks sink deeper into the mud. The person who wore these shoes to implicate your brother wasn’t nearly as heavy.”
“Few are,” Gabriel replied. “And for the record, I noticed that tidbit, too, Deputy,” he added with a smile.
“I was sure you had. It’s no reflection on you. I just have a hard time keeping quiet when I’ve got a point to make.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Joshua said, chuckling.
“This attempt to frame Tree may result in this person’s downfall,” Gabriel observed “There are only a few stores who carry shoes this big.”
“Here’s your camera,” Lanie said, handing it to him. “I figured you’d want it.”
“You’re starting to anticipate me,” he said with a smile. “That makes life easier. Thanks.”
Joshua saw the look that his brother gave his wife. He envied him, despite what had just happened to them. His brother had found a mate to share his life with; he had no one. He glanced at Nydia, knowing that she couldn’t be his, that Gabriel had been right about that much.
“I’ll be busy here for some time,” Gabriel said. “I’ve got to photograph the prints, then the booby trap setup and the wiring. Why don’t you all just go inside the house. Just don’t touch anything on your way in.”
Hearing running footsteps coming toward them, Gabriel turned, automatically reaching for his holster. Suddenly, Pete, the diner owner’s son, appeared from behind the pines that bordered the north side of the property.
“Sheriff! Boy, am I glad to see you! My mom and I heard the explosion. Heck, we felt it! She sent me up here, but our truck got bogged down in the mud, so I had to run the rest of the way. Is everybody okay?” He leaned over, resting his hands on his knees and gulping for air.
