Heart of the Hunter

by Chance Carter

  If I had to die, I was ready for it. I’d done my best to be a man. I’d tried to love a woman, briefly though it was. I’d burned myself into her soul in the short time we had together. I’d put my baby in her—left behind a son to carry on my name.

  Now I was going to kill the man who threatened everything I loved. He threatened every chance at happiness and peace Faith would ever know. He’d never let her escape his clutches. I knew that with a certainty that burned in my soul. Men like Wolf Staten didn’t care how much suffering they caused. His honor wouldn’t allow her to escape. It would threaten his manhood and his position as the head of Los Lobos.

  I’m bad. I know that. I’m bad to the bone.

  But like I said before, I never meant any harm.

  I was doing the only thing I knew how to do. I was being the only man I knew how to be. I didn’t see that I had any other option. Faith called me a coward for leaving her, but could she have lived with a man who didn’t stand up for her like this? Could she raise the child of a man she didn’t respect?

  She deserved better than that.

  I crossed the state line into Nevada before stopping for gas. There was a payphone and I called the Brotherhood from it.

  “Jackson, where the hell have you been? You left without a word. We thought you were in trouble.”

  It was Grant Lucas, my friend, one of the brotherhood, a man I’d gladly give my life for. A man who’d step up to protect me no matter what.

  “I had to clear my head, Grant.”

  “Well, come home. It’s not safe out there.”

  “That’s what I’m calling about.”

  “What?”

  “Did you hear about the shooting at the motel near Salinas?”

  “Shit, that was you?”

  “It’s a long story, brother.”

  “Well, shit, Jackson. Where the hell are you?”

  “Listen,” I said. “I’m mixed up with something.”

  “And it involves Los Lobos?”

  “Yes it does.”

  “Come in and talk it out. The Brotherhood will sort it out.”

  “This is something I have to face alone.”

  “We’re brothers. All of us. You face nothing alone.”

  “This is about a woman.”

  “Shit,” Grant said. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re a goddamn fool, Jackson.”

  “I know it.”

  “Well, I hope she’s worth it.”

  “She is.”

  “Right.”

  A woman was the one thing most likely to get a member of the Brotherhood killed. We all knew it. We were the most careful, levelheaded criminals you’ll ever come across. We did nothing without calculating the risks first. We had a code, and we never deviated from it. Except when it came to women. That’s when the rules went out the window. That’s when brothers got killed.

  “She’s different from the others, Grant.”

  “That’s what they all say.”

  “No, this time it’s really different.”

  “Fuck, Jackson. Don’t tell me you’re in trouble because of a woman and it’s different from the others.”

  “It is. She’s carrying my child.”

  There was a moment’s silence.

  “Fuck. I didn’t know. That is different.”

  “Yes it is. You’ve got to help me out.”

  “Of course. Anything, Jackson.”

  “She’s at the desert safe house.”

  “I’ll send someone out for her.”

  “No. You go. Please. I want it to be you.”

  “All right. I’ll go.”

  “And before you go, get rid of any chicks that are at home looking for me. I’m done with all of them.”

  “Fine, but where the hell are you?”

  “I’m taking care of her ex.”

  “How come I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Jackson?”

  “Because her ex is Wolf Staten.”

  I hung up before he could say anything else. I didn’t want him to argue with me. I didn’t want to rationalize what I was doing with him. I knew it wasn’t rational. It was crazy. But it was also the only thing that made sense.

  Plus, I’ve never been good at goodbyes.

  Chapter 17

  Faith

  THE KNOCK ON THE DOOR scared the shit out of me. I was lying in the bed, naked, without a clue what I was going to do. Jackson had abandoned me. I had no money, no vehicle.

  Evening was setting in, the villa was beginning to get a little spooky in the darkness, and then, bang, bang, bang on the door.

  I turned off the light in the bedroom.

  “Hey,” I heard. It was a man’s voice. It wasn’t Jackson, but I didn’t recognize it as any of Wolf’s men either.

  “Who is it?” I called, and as soon as I spoke I regretted it.

  “My name’s Grant Lucas. I’m part of the Brotherhood with Jackson. I’m coming in.”

  “Don’t come into the bedroom,” I called, directing my voice at the window.

  “Don’t worry,” he said.

  I climbed out of the bed and got dressed quickly. I guess Jackson hadn’t completely abandoned me. He’d sent someone, which I was grateful for, even if I was still angry at him.

  When I entered the den, a big, muscular man with a broad chest and intricate tattoos was lighting the fire with the wood Jackson had gathered.

  “Well, well, well,” he said when he looked up at me.

  “I’m Faith Shepherd,” I said.

  He stood up. “Grant Lucas. I’m a friend of Jackson’s.”

  “Me too,” I said.

  “So I hear.”

  “He spoke to you?”

  “He called from the road.”

  “Do you know where he was headed?”

  “Sounded like he was on a mission to face up to your ex.”

  I nodded. I looked at Grant. He wasn’t judging me, but I felt guilty for the danger I’d put his friend in.

  “I didn’t want him to go,” I said.

  “I can imagine.”

  “I asked him for help, but I meant help escaping. I didn’t expect him to square up to Los Lobos on his own.”

  Grant shook his head, as if to say there was nothing either of us could do about it.

  “Jackson’s got to do what he’s got to do. We have a strict code. We back each other up in any situation. But when it comes to women, we have to act alone. ”

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  Grant bent down to the fire and lit a piece of paper with his lighter. He blew on the fire till the wood caught light.

  “I’m sure he told you about the Brotherhood.”

  “He mentioned it.”

  “Well, we do jobs of a certain kind. We get away with a lot of money, and it’s dangerous work. But we calculate every risk. We never move unless we’re certain we can get in and out without losing a brother.”

  “But you don’t apply the same caution when it comes to women?”

  Grant laughed. “When it comes to women, the rules go out the window. We forget all our logic, all our better judgement.”

  “Sounds chaotic.”

  “You get a group of four, woman-crazy criminals like us, emotions can get pretty passionate.”

  “I suppose so,” I said.

  The wood caught fire and Grant piled bigger logs onto the flames.

  “Jackson told me to come up here and get you,” he said. “I’m going to bring you to our home tomorrow.”

  “No one spoke to me about that.”

  “If you don’t want to come, I won’t force you,” he said.

  “I thought I might head for Los Angeles.”

  “If you don’t come back to the valley with me, Jackson will string me up from a post, but I won’t take you anywhere you don’t want to go. That’s all between you and your man.”

  “How do you know Jackson’s my man?”

  “Well,” Grant said, hesitating,
“forgive me for being forward, but he said you were carrying his child.”

  I sat down on a sofa close to the fire. The warmth of the flames was comforting.

  “He doesn’t know that,” I said. “We only spent two nights together.”

  “It’s not like Jackson to say something unless he means it,” Grant said.

  “Well, I’m sure he means it, but you tell me how a man can know if he’s made a woman pregnant or not? Even a doctor couldn’t tell me yet.”

  “I guess what he meant,” Grant said, “was that he hoped you were pregnant.”

  “I guess so,” I said.

  Grant looked me over, head to toe. He wasn’t leering at me, but he made no effort to hide that he was looking. “He always had good taste,” he said.

  “Excuse me?”

  Grant laughed. “You heard me.”

  “Is that supposed to be a complement?”

  “It’s just a fact, Faith. Don’t worry, I’d never make a move on a brother’s woman. You’re safe as long as you’re with me or anyone else from the Brotherhood.”

  “Good to know,” I said.

  Grant stood up. The fire had grown strong.

  “I saw a deer hanging in the pantry,” he said.

  “Jackson shot it yesterday.”

  “I don’t suppose he’d mind if we cut into it.”

  “I don’t suppose he would.”

  Grant left. I looked into the flames while I waited. I thought about my next move. I’d go with Grant to the ‘valley’, wherever that was. If I was ever going to see Jackson again, that’s where he’d find me.

  He returned with two large cuts of meat, skewered and seasoned, and he put them to roast above the flames. The smell was delicious. It reminded me how hungry I was.

  “So, are you coming back to the valley with me in the morning?”

  I looked at him seriously. “If you were in my position, would you?”

  He didn’t answer.

  Chapter 18

  Faith

  THE NEXT MORNING, THERE WAS still no word from Jackson. I was terrified something might have happened to him, but I shoved my fears from my mind. There was nothing I could do. I found myself on the back of Grant’s bike, headed to the Socorro Valley, where the Brotherhood was based. I was surprised at how beautiful the landscape was as we approached their home. Vineyards and orange groves covered the mountainside, which sloped down to the Pacific coast. Waves crashed against the jagged cliffs, sending spray up over the highway.

  We left the highway at Rio Secco, and rode slowly through the picturesque town, which reminded me of the pictures I’d seen of places like Malibu and Santa Monica. It certainly didn’t feel like the base for a criminal group called the Brotherhood.

  The road wound it’s way up into the mountains, through a beautiful vineyard valley, and we stopped outside a colonial mansion shaded by high trees, a stream of crystal clear water flowing from the mountains down through the grounds. A colonnade of white pillars surrounded a central arcade where we parked the bike.

  “This is where you live?” I said to Grant as he pulled up next to a number of other motorcycles.

  “Don’t act so surprised,” he said. “Jackson wouldn’t send you anywhere you wouldn’t like.”

  I admired the vineyard as we walked up the steps onto the veranda. Crickets chirped around us, creating an ocean of sound.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said.

  “Thank you,” a woman’s voice answered. “It’s a lot of work, but these guys are more useful than they look.”

  I looked up at the woman. She was a few years older than me and very beautiful. She had long, blonde hair that framed her pretty face. Her bright eyes sparkled as she took me in.

  “You must be Faith,” she said.

  “My reputation precedes me.”

  “Let me tell you,” she said, “it’s very unlike Jackson to call and have us pick up a woman. To be honest, he’s usually trying to escape them.”

  “I guess I’m different.”

  The woman looked into my eyes. “Yes, you are,” she said, nodding.

  “Is this your house?” I said to her.

  “It’s the Brotherhood’s house. It used to be my father’s, he founded the Brotherhood, but he passed on. My name’s Lacey Eden.”

  “I see.”

  “You’re welcome here as long as you want,” she said.

  “I couldn’t intrude.”

  “Nonsense. Jackson’s a brother in this place. He’s given his life for all of us. If he wants you here, you’re welcome. There’s nothing more to it.”

  “You’re very kind.”

  “As long as you don’t cross me,” she said, and winked.

  A sly smile crossed her lips, but I got the distinct impression she wasn’t kidding.

  “Go on,” Lacey said to Grant. “Take her inside and introduce her to Forrester.”

  “Where’s Grady?” Grant said.

  “Grady rode out to Nevada to see if he could intercept Jackson. If he rides against Los Lobos alone, they’ll kill him.”

  I shuddered. Lacey saw my reaction and put her hand on my shoulder to comfort me. I smiled at her.

  I followed Grant into the house and my jaw dropped when I saw the inside. The hallway was of a beautiful, white marble, with a big staircase spiraling up to the second floor. We walked through to an enormous room with a fireplace at one end and a wall of glass overlooking the valley at the other. From the window I could see the river sparkling in the sunlight, the vineyards on the slopes of the valley, and in the distance, far below, the blue water of the Pacific.

  There was a man sitting on the sofa by the window. He wore ripped jeans and a white tank top. He had the same muscular build as Jackson and Grant, the same intricate tattoo work, and the same rugged look. I was beginning to wonder if sex appeal was a criteria for joining the Brotherhood.

  “Forrester,” Grant called, “meet Faith Shepherd.”

  He stood up and came over to greet me.

  “We’ve been wondering about you,” Forrester said. “Ever since Jackson called.”

  “What did he say?” I said.

  “He said you were his girl,” Forrester said. “Or that was the gist of it at least. I didn’t speak to him.”

  “Who did?”

  “Grant.”

  “Did he say what he was planning?” I said to Grant.

  I was terrified that something bad was about to happen to Jackson, and I knew it was my fault. If he hadn’t met me, he’d be here in this mansion, enjoying the view with his brothers.

  Grant shook his head. “Just what you already know. It didn’t sound good. It sounded like he was going to try to kill Wolf.”

  “You guys know how much security Wolf has, right?” I said.

  “Yes, we do. So does Jackson.”

  “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

  “Grady rode out to try and stop him,” Forrester said.

  “And what if Grady doesn’t find him in time?”

  “We operate under a strict code here,” Forrester said. “We look after our own. We’ll protect you to the last man, Faith, but we don’t control each other. If Jackson wants to take out Wolf Staten, he’s got a right to try. We won’t follow him into that place, but we’ll be here for him when he comes back out.”

  “If he comes back out,” I said.

  Forrester and Grant looked at each other.

  “If he comes back out,” Forrester agreed.

  Chapter 19

  Faith

  I WAITED THAT WHOLE NIGHT, sitting by the huge window overlooking the valley, the roaring fire offering me the only comfort I could get. When the sun rose I got up and made coffee.

  Lacey was the first to wake and I pounced on her with questions.

  “Is there any word?”

  She shook her head. “I have no way of contacting Grady. We’ll have to wait for him to get back.”

  My hand was trembling as I stirred milk into my coffee.

/>   “Faith, you should rest.”

  “I can’t rest. I need to know he’s coming back.”

  I could feel the tears rising to my eyes. I tried to hold them back but it was no good.

  Lacey put her hand on my shoulder.

  “It all happened so fast,” I said.

  “Tell me about it,” she said, doing her best to take my mind from Jackson’s present situation.

  “Well,” I said, “it was just two days ago. I’d finally had all I could take from Wolf.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “He was going to lock me in a compound.”

  Lacey nodded. She’d heard the same stories about Los Lobos I had.

  “So you ran.”

  “I ran.”

  “I’d have done the same thing,” Lacey said. “If I had the courage.”

  “I didn’t know where I was going. I hitched a ride and ended up at a motel along the highway.”

  “And that’s where you met Jackson?”

  “Yes, well, actually, we’d met before at the Los Lobos bar in Reno.”

  “Oh, of course. I heard about that.”

  “Really?”

  “Jackson said he met a real bitch there.”

  I smiled. “Yes, that would have been me.”

  “He also said you were the most intoxicating thing he’d ever set eyes on.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “He said that about me?”

  “We don’t keep many secrets from each other in this house, Faith. Jackson was always a player so we didn’t think much of it at first. But days and weeks passed and he was still talking about you. It was unheard of for him.”

  “Really? I had no idea.”

  “It’s pretty miraculous that you ran into him in your hour of need. He’s one of the few men alive who’d face up to Wolf Staten and Los Lobos.”

  “A strange coincidence,” I said.

  “You could call it a coincidence, or you could call it fate.”

  I nodded. “The more I think about it, the stranger it is,” I said.

  “Very strange,” Lacey said. “It was the night his father died.”

  “The only thing on his mind was having a son to carry on his father’s name.”

  “And then he ran into you, asking for his help. He didn’t stand a chance.”

  I looked into her eyes. It was too much. It was all true. Tears fell from my eyes.