by Aimée Thurlo
Two more armed warriors, who’d come out of the arroyo in another spot, were already approaching Trujillo. Their captive was cursing, but standing dead still, his arms in the air, as Hunter kept him in his sights.
By the time Ranger walked back between the vehicles, Dana was sitting on the running board of his truck. The pistol was still in her hand, but pointing down to the ground.
He’d just joined her when his phone rang and he heard Hunter’s voice. “I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Trujillo and his men. The tribal police and Agent Harris are on their way. We’ll be handing these punks over to them as soon as they get here. We also have some great video and audio waiting for them. Once you give Harris your statements and can leave the scene, come to the cave of secrets. Hastiin Dííl wants to meet with Ms. Seles.”
TRUJILLO AND HIS GANG were loaded into patrol units and taken away, and after answering Agent Harris’s barrage of questions, Dana and Ranger were finally free to leave.
Dana walked with Ranger back to his truck. “This part’s done, and everyone’s safe now, but I’ve still got a promise to keep.”
“Hastiin Dííl’s ready to meet with you,” he said. “I’ve been ordered to take you to a place no outsider has ever been-the heart of the Brotherhood of Warriors. This is unprecedented. But first, on behalf of the brotherhood, I need your word that you’ll never reveal its location, or anything else about your visit.”
“You have it,” she said, a shiver of excitement racing up her spine. “The secret will be safe with me.”
“I believe you,” he answered quietly. Her unshakable loyalty was what made her the woman who’d touched his heart…and now held it in the palm of her hand.
“But does Hastiin Dííl even need the list anymore?” she asked. “He must have managed to get the names he needed, or we wouldn’t have had any help when we confronted Trujillo.”
“Some of our warriors were there, but not all. Our secondary identification process is…lengthy.”
The drive took almost two hours, but finally they reached the foothills east of Gallup, near the southern tip of the Navajo Nation.
“This is it,” he said at last, parking beneath a tall piñon pine. They were in a dry forest of junipers and pines, where the mesas rose almost like stair steps into the high mountains beyond.
“The climb up isn’t a difficult one, so don’t worry,” he said, seeing her staring at the jagged sandstone cliff, a worried frown on her face.
A sturdy wooden ladder had been set in place for them and Ranger went up first. Dana followed and a few minutes later entered the opening of a deep, narrow cave carved by wind and water into the cliff side. A piñon log fire was burning in a shallow pit surrounded by stones, and the blue sky was visible through the vertical slit above them where the smoke rose and escaped.
Ranger greeted his brother, their fists meeting in the air, then introduced Dana to him.
Dana watched the two brothers, noting how similar their expressions were. Before she could even try to get to know Hunter a bit more, she was led into one of the antechambers. Hunter asked her to wait, then he and Ranger stepped into an adjoining area, leaving her alone.
After they’d left, an elderly man appeared, wearing the white sash of a medicine man. “Welcome to the cave of secrets, schoolteacher. I’m Hastiin Dííl.” He motioned for her to sit on one of two folded blankets then took a place across from her. “I understand you have a message for me.”
The whole story came tumbling out of her and, lastly, she revealed the names, one by one, giving him time to write each down on a piece of hide. “There were more, but I never saw the other part of the list. Before we could do anything about that…we ran out of time,” she finished with a whisper. The memory brought tears to her eyes, tears she didn’t try to hide or wipe away.
“The brotherhood owes you a great debt.” He rolled up the hide, then placed it into a shirt pocket beneath his jacket. “Tell me, what can we do for you? There has to be balance between us.”
“I’ve learned a lot during this journey-about myself and others, too. That knowledge more than cancels out any debt.”
He smiled and gave her an approving nod. “One thing remains, then.” He called for the others to join them.
Ranger came in first, carrying something in a small box, and handed it to Hastiin Dííl.
The medicine man brought out a silver necklace and slipped the chain over Dana’s head. “The circle of flames engraved in the medallion is our symbol. This will show that you’re under our protection.”
Dana thanked him, then met Ranger’s gaze and smiled. In this one way she’d be a part of his world forever.
The ceremony concluded, a celebration began. While the food was brought out, Ranger took her hand and pulled her into one of the dark, narrow chambers with him.
“We’re bound, you and I,” he whispered. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I love you, and I’d like to spend my life showing you just how much.”
“Starting now?” Welcoming the winds of change, she stepped into his arms.
About Aimée Thurlo
Aimée and David Thurlo have been married for more than thirty years and have been writing novels together for nearly that long, in a variety of genres including romance, young adult, and mystery. They have three ongoing mystery series, the Sister Agatha series, starring a cloistered nun, the Lee Nez series, featuring a Navajo vampire who teams up with a female FBI agent to fight crimes that have elements of the supernatural, and their flagship series, the critically-acclaimed Ella Clah novels. Several Ella Clah novels, including Tracking Bear, Red Mesa, and Shooting Chant, have received starred reviews from Booklist.
David Thurlo was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation and later taught school in Shiprock, also on the Rez. Aimée, a native of Havana, Cuba, has lived in New Mexico for more than thirty years. The Thurlos share their home with dogs, horses, and various pet rodents. They have written more than fifty novels which have been published in more than twenty countries.
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