by Marin Thomas
Her mother pressed her fingertips to her mouth and tears slid down her cheeks.
“I told Michael to call Dad for a ride.” Lucy dropped her gaze to the Persian rug.
“Why?” her father choked out.
“I didn’t want to help Michael because I was jealous of his relationship with you, Dad.” Where was the relief she thought she’d feel at finally confessing her guilt? Swiping angrily at a tear, she said, “You believed Michael walked on water because he was good at rodeo. I—” her voice cracked “—wanted you to see that he wasn’t as perfect as you made him out to be.”
Her father stared dumbstruck.
Lucy looked beseechingly at her mother. “Dad never had time for me. He was too busy grooming Michael to be a rodeo superstar.” She swallowed hard. “Had I known that Michael would risk driving himself home to avoid disappointing Dad, I would have driven out to the bar that night and picked him up.” Lucy chanced a look at her father, but he’d turned his back to her.
“I know there’s nothing I can do to save Michael now, but I’ve been trying to make it up to you.” Her voice broke on a sob. “I started the Pony Express because I wanted to honor Michael’s memory and I’d hoped that you’d be proud of me for doing that.” Tears poured down her face. “Please stop blaming Tony, Dad. I’m the reason Michael’s dead.” Lucy fled the room, her heart shattering into a million pieces when neither parent stopped her.
Back in her room she paced the floor, anxiety and sadness suffocating her. She had to get out of the house. Grabbing her cell phone and truck keys, she returned downstairs and passed by the living room, where her parents remained immobilized by her confession.
Once in her truck, she sped toward the highway. She glanced in her rearview mirror, hoping to spot her father or mother signaling her to return.
The porch remained as dark and empty as Lucy’s heart.
* * *
LUCY PULLED OFF the road near the west entrance to the Durango ranch and checked the dashboard clock. Midnight. Up until now she’d been successful in ignoring thoughts of Michael and her parents, but she suspected her subconscious had been hard at work the entire time she’d been driving.
She stared at the chain on the gate, anger and despair warring inside her. What lay in the desert beyond that gate—the Durango Gold Mine—was the root of all evil, or so she wanted to believe. Easier to blame a tangible object for the pain in her life, instead of her own actions.
What would her life have been like if there had been no gold mine? No wealth or power connected to the Durango name? She gripped the steering wheel with her uninjured hand until pain shot up her forearm.
Her mother’s horrified expression flashed through her mind and tears welled in her eyes. Lucy couldn’t possibly understand the depth of her mother’s pain. Both her parents must have felt a devastating sense of helplessness at not having been able to prevent their son’s death. Even so, Lucy was positive their pain couldn’t compare to the agony ripping her insides to shreds. Jealousy over her brother’s relationship with their father had been no reason to leave Michael sitting at the bar. Her own stupidity and immaturity had robbed her parents of a son, her of a brother, Tony a best friend and Maddie a loving master.
In the end, Lucy accepted that no matter how awful she felt, how much she regretted her actions, how hard she worked to make amends for her past, there was no way to fix this. Nothing would bring Michael back.
She could ride a million bulls and it would still never be enough to earn her parents’ forgiveness or allow her to forgive herself. As she sat in the truck, the reality of her situation hit home. Now that her parents knew the truth they’d want nothing to do with her, and she couldn’t blame them. Lucy’s throat tightened. Any hope of a relationship with her father had died when he’d turned his back on her in the living room, but maybe her mother wouldn’t abandon her. A mother’s love was unconditional. With time maybe she would forgive Lucy, but even if she did, every time she looked at Lucy she’d know her daughter had been the one responsible for her son’s death.
Driven by an invisible force, Lucy left the truck to unlock the chain and open the gate. A reckless feeling took hold inside her as she returned to her vehicle and drove on. A voice inside her head demanded she stop, but Lucy pressed the accelerator to the floor.
Whatever fate awaited her in the dark desert was well deserved.
* * *
TONY SCANNED THE desert with a night-vision camera, Maddie resting on the floor by his boots. Nothing but darkness lurked outside the watchtower. “Looks like the bad guys have taken a break for a while.” He set aside the camera. “Where’s Lucy, Maddie?” The dog’s ears perked.
Tony had waited all afternoon and evening for a text from Lucy, telling him how she’d done at the rodeo, but she hadn’t reached out to him. The longer he went without hearing from her, the greater his anxiety grew, but he refused to consider something bad might have happened.
Damn it, he hated being stuck in the middle of this dried-up wasteland. He’d been banished to the post five days ago and the only thing he’d encountered was a herd of javelinas.
He had one more day left before he and Maddie could return home. Tony’s boss had radioed him earlier with the news that they’d received a tip from a chat room, suggesting members of the drug cartel planned to smuggle a group of girls across the border on Tuesday or Wednesday night. Tony and the other agents were heading to the Durango Gold Mine on Monday evening in the event the cartel arrived a day early.
His cell vibrated and he glanced at the display screen. “It’s Lucy, Maddie. Let’s see how she did at the rodeo.”
SOS. Gold mine.
Fear swept through Tony before instinct kicked in and he shifted into border patrol mode. “Maddie, come.” He descended the watchtower stairs and jogged to his truck, the dog running ahead of him. Once he was on the road driving toward the Durango ranch, he phoned his boss.
“What’s wrong?” Romero said as soon as he answered Tony’s call.
“I just got a text from Lucy Durango. She’s out at the Durango Mine and she’s in trouble.” A nagging uneasiness had plagued Tony all day but he’d attributed it to his worry that Lucy would get injured at the rodeo.
“What kind of trouble, Bravo?”
“I don’t know.”
Romero swore. “It’s possible our chat-room snitch tried to mislead us and the girls were brought across the border tonight.”
“I’m headed there now,” Tony said.
“We’re right behind you,” Romero said. “And Tony, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Roger.” Tony disconnected the call and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. What the hell were you thinking, Lucy? Why the heck had she gone out to the mine at this time of night? He gripped the steering wheel until the bones in his fingers ached. If he thought about what the cartel might do to Lucy if they caught her, he’d go insane.
When he arrived at the west entrance to the ranch, the gate stood wide open. He switched on the parking lights and drove through. A mile from the mine he flipped off the truck lights and parked. Using night-vision binoculars, he scanned the area. Lucy’s truck sat parked in front of the mine where several boards had been removed from the entrance. Nina had described the van her kidnappers had used to transport the girls but it was nowhere in sight. Tony could only hope that Lucy’s call for help had nothing to do with her stumbling upon the cartel.
“Stay here, Maddie.” Tony lowered the windows partway to allow air into the truck. “No barking.” He shut the door quietly then headed toward the mine, gun drawn.
Senses on high alert, he cut a trail through the desert. He froze fifty yards out when angry Spanish-speaking voices echoed through the dark. The worst possible scenario—the cartel had captured Lucy.
Heart thumping hard, Tony inched closer and hid behind the
rear bumper of Lucy’s truck. The men continued to argue and Tony shivered as his sweat-soaked shirt turned icy against his skin. The Sinaloa Cartel was known to torture witnesses and snitches—no way would they allow Lucy to walk free tonight. He removed his iPhone from his pocket and sent a short text, alerting his boss to the situation. As he slipped the phone into his back pocket, two men armed with semiautomatic weapons and dressed from head to toe in black emerged from behind a cluster of rocks.
One of the men lit a cigarette while the other entered the mine. A moment later, Lucy stumbled out. Relief that she appeared unharmed left Tony light-headed and he breathed deeply through his nose, forcing himself to remain focused. Lucy’s life depended on him keeping a level head.
He’d made a huge mistake leaving Michael at the bar two years ago. Getting Lucy out of this predicament alive was his chance to make amends to Cal and Sonja Durango. And if that wasn’t motivation to do things right, then needing to save Lucy because he loved her was reason enough not to screw up. The thought of losing her terrified him.
While the men argued, Tony watched Lucy. Her hands were tied behind her back and a gag had been placed in her mouth. Thank God she didn’t understand Spanish or she’d probably faint if she knew her captors were discussing how to dispose of her.
Forcing his fears aside, he assessed the situation. Two against one—not bad odds. He could fire off two rounds before they sprayed bullets in his direction.
Without warning, the taller of the two men turned toward Lucy’s truck and fired at the front tires. Amazed he hadn’t been hit by a stray bullet, Tony watched in horror as the man backhanded Lucy across the face. She dropped to her knees.
Tony’s blood boiled. Don’t be stubborn, baby. Just do as he says. Romero and the other agents would arrive at any moment—but that moment could mean the difference between life and death for Lucy. The tall man disappeared behind the rocks while the other man went into the mine and led out eight girls with their hands tied behind their backs.
Evil bastards.
Lucy slowly got to her feet and the girls huddled around her. The sound of an engine rumbled in the air and a black cargo van drove into sight. The tall man got out and told the girls to get in. Lucy remained behind and Tony could only imagine the terror she was experiencing.
It was now or never. Tony had to make a move. The girls were safe inside the van so he inched toward the front of Lucy’s truck, stepping over her smashed cell phone.
The tall man’s next words chilled Tony to the bone. There was no time to think—only react. He stood, steadied his arm on the roof of the truck and fired twice, hitting both men in the upper shoulder. The tall man sprayed bullets across the windshield of Lucy’s truck as he fell to the ground.
“Run, Lucy!”
Tony’s shout propelled her into action and she fled into the mine. Tony kept his eyes on the wounded men—the tall one lay motionless but the shorter man crawled toward his weapon a few feet away.
“Toca la pistola y te mueres!” The man froze. The bastard wanted to live to see tomorrow. Too bad, because Tony was in a make-my-day mood.
Tony heard whimpers inside the van and warned the girls to remain where they were. “No te muevas, niñas.”
The gunman grimaced and spat, “Eres un hombre muerto caminando.”
Death threats were nothing new in Tony’s line of work, but after bringing down two members of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, he’d have to watch his back more than ever. He stepped into the open. Keeping his gun trained on the men, Tony picked up the weapons. C’mon, Romero. Get here now.
As if his boss heard Tony’s silent summons, truck engines echoed through the desert. The vehicles drew closer, shining their headlights on the mine, and Tony got his first good look at the men. If he’d seen them walking along the street in downtown Yuma, he would have never guessed they were ruthless criminals.
What followed was anticlimatic. The border patrol agents collected the weapons and handcuffed the men, then called for medical assistance. Tony rushed into the mine and Lucy stumbled into his arms. He removed the gag from her mouth and sobs escaped her as she buried her face against his neck. “Thank God, you’re okay,” he said, turning her away from him so he could untie her hands. He grasped her arm with the cast. “What happened?”
“I broke my wrist at the rodeo.” Her lower lip wobbled. “Don’t be mad.”
Mad? Hell, he was so damned relieved nothing had happened to her tonight. Not caring that his boss stood in the mine entrance, Tony hugged Lucy again.
A million things could have gone wrong but luckily no one but the bad guys had paid a price. He guided Lucy out of the mine and they watched the agents load the injured men in a border patrol vehicle and drive off to meet the rescue unit at the ranch entrance. Romero and another agent helped the girls from the van and untied their hands, reassuring them that everything would be okay. The girls piled into two of the border patrol vehicles and were driven back to the station for questioning. Tony, Romero and Lucy remained at the crime scene.
“Lucy, this is Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Cesar Romero.”
“Are you hurt, Lucy?” Romero asked.
“No, sir.”
“How did you get caught up in all this?” he asked.
“Sir, Lucy’s been through hell tonight. Can she come into the station tomorrow morning and give her statement?”
Romero stared at Tony as if he’d lost his mind. They’d just arrested two members of the Sinaloa Cartel who’d smuggled kidnapped girls from Mexico into the States and Tony wanted him to wait to learn the details of what had happened tonight. “No, it’s not okay, Bravo.”
“I’ll give a statement, but I’d like to sit down,” Lucy said.
Tony walked her over to her truck and she sat on the front bumper. Romero brought her a bottle of water from his truck.
“Thank you.” Lucy drank the entire contents then closed her eyes. “Are all the girls okay?” she asked.
“They’re fine,” Romero said. “What made you come out here tonight?”
Lucy’s eyes filled with misery. “It’s personal.”
Romero frowned at Tony.
“The men must have seen the headlights of my truck coming and hidden, because when I reached the mine, there was no one in sight. I sat in my truck for a minute and looked around, and that’s when I noticed the boards had been removed from the mine entrance. I knew something was wrong, so I texted Tony.”
“Why didn’t you turn around and leave?” Romero asked.
“I tried, but as soon as I put the truck in Reverse, the men came out of nowhere and pointed their weapons at me. I knew if I drove away they’d shoot, so I got out of the truck. I couldn’t understand any of their shouting, then one of them tied my hands and gagged me.”
“What about the girls?” Tony asked. “Where were they?”
“Already in the mine.”
“Did they tell you anything about the men or what had happened to them?” Romero asked.
“No. They were terrified.”
“Okay. That’s good enough for now.”
They all got into Romero’s truck and the boss drove them back to Tony’s vehicle. After Lucy and Tony climbed out, Romero said, “Assure Lucy’s father that I’ll be in touch soon.”
After his boss drove off, Tony grasped Lucy’s hand and stared her in the eye. “Why the heck were you out driving by yourself this late at night?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” When she got into Tony’s truck she was greeted with a slobbery dog kiss. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, girl.” Lucy hugged the boxer.
Tony slid behind the wheel. “How did you break your arm?”
“Sloppy dismount. You would have known that if you’d come to watch me.” She stared out the windshield.
“I wanted to, but—�
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“My father warned you to stop seeing me or he’d make sure you didn’t get your transfer to San Diego.”
“He told you?”
She scowled. “I didn’t think you were afraid of my father.”
“The threat of losing my transfer isn’t what stopped me from showing up today.”
“Then what did?” she whispered.
“My boss banished me to watchtower duty. I was sitting up in a tower in the middle of nowhere when I got your text.”
“Oh.”
He nodded to the cast on her arm. “Was it a clean break?” He hated that she’d broken a bone, but a part of him was secretly relieved the injury would prevent her from competing in the final rodeo.
“Yes. The doctor said my wrist will be good as new in six weeks.”
Tony started the engine and turned the truck toward the highway. “Is Shannon upset that you won’t be riding in Cowlic?”
“Who said I’m not riding?”
“You can’t be serious.” A sense of déjà vu hit Tony, stealing his breath. They’d had this same argument before the rodeo in Cibola.
“I have to ride in all three rodeos or Wrangler won’t pay me. I’m going to finish what I started.”
Anger burned in Tony’s chest. After what had happened tonight he would have thought she’d look at life differently and quit taking unnecessary risks.
Back on the highway Lucy asked, “When are you leaving for San Diego?”
“I don’t know. Transfers take time.” He refused to allow her to change the subject. “You’re in no shape to ride next weekend.”
“You’re entitled to your opinion, but I’ll do as I please.”
“Michael wouldn’t want you to take this kind of risk.”
“My brother’s dead. You can’t know what he would have wanted.”
“Think of your parents, Lucy.” Think of me. “They lost one child already.” And I don’t want to lose you. After witnessing Lucy in danger tonight, Tony gave up trying to convince himself that he didn’t love her.
