The Rebel of Copper Creek (Copper Creek Cowboys)

by R. C. Ryan

  “Pictures of me?” The chief’s words caught her by such surprise, she felt as if she’d just slammed into a brick wall and all the air had left her lungs. “I never posed for pictures. And especially for Heywood Sperry. I’ve told you, Chief, I didn’t even remember the man when he came to my ranch with the offer of bringing a busload of veterans for therapy.”

  “Well, ma’am, he knew you. There are images of you pushing Buddy and your little boy in a wheelchair, apparently while Buddy was in the hospital. Pictures of you sitting at Buddy’s bedside and feeding him. Pictures of you cradling your boy in your arms in a hospital chair beside Buddy’s bed. And pictures of you assisting the hospital therapists, massaging Buddy’s arms and back. There are hundreds of them. What the state police experts are saying is that it proves one thing—this guy is obsessed with you.”

  She pressed her hands to her temples, rubbing at the vicious pain that throbbed. “I didn’t know. How could I? I never noticed him.”

  “There’s more. The state police have been running a background check. Heywood Sperry was a munitions specialist in the Army. Served in Afghanistan until he encountered an IED on the road to Kabul that tore him up real good. Lost both legs and suffered severe head trauma. That’s when he became a patient at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Tampa, at the same time as Buddy. He was there not only because of his physical problems but his serious mental disabilities, as well. His room was directly across the hall from Buddy’s. Which means he could have been observing you for months without your knowledge.”

  “But why? There were hundreds of women there. Wives. Daughters. Mothers. Nurses. Doctors. I’m sure many of them were single. Why did he have to become fixated on me?”

  “We may never know, ma’am. But this much we know—he had a reason for grabbing Ethan.”

  Something in his tone had Griff and Juliet turning to stare at one another.

  “What does that mean, Chief?” Griff was watching Juliet’s composure beginning to slip with every word the police chief spoke.

  “Juliet, Sperry left a note on his computer. In it he gives you the chance to save your son. Of course, at the time he thought he was stealing the younger one – Casey. At any rate, his note says that when he reaches his destination, wherever that may be, he’ll let Casey go if you agree to take his place.”

  There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation in her response. “Of course I’ll take Ethan’s place, Chief. Oh, yes. I pray it’s soon. I’ll do that in a heartbeat.”

  “Hold on now. It may not be that simple. There are conditions. He expects you to come alone. No police. And especially no Griff. He expresses an extreme hatred for Griff Warren.” The police chief paused. “Does he have good reason?”

  Griff and Juliet spoke in unison.

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  Ira’s voice sharpened. “Okay. You first, Juliet.”

  “Obviously he’s jealous that Griff has… come into my life. But I can reassure him that, if he promises to release Ethan, Griff will no longer be a threat to him.”

  Ira said, “Now your take on this, Griff.”

  “Juliet’s right about the jealousy. I was too blind to notice how deeply he resented me, because he seemed to resent everybody. But there’s no way I’m going to stand back and allow Juliet to become his hostage, even for the sake of Ethan. There has to be a way to keep both of them from him, Ira.”

  The chief’s voice softened somewhat, though he was still obviously agitated. “I agree, Griff. And believe me, we’re all working on it. We have sharpshooters, but they have to be in position, and we don’t yet know where this will end.”

  “This road leads to just one thing—the top of Bald Mountain. If you climb high enough, and cross down on the other side, you’ll find yourself in wilderness. So I think it’s safe to say that he’s planning on crossing the mountain range and disappearing into the back country with his hostage.”

  “The state police agree. They have helicopters in the area. They’re trying to stay behind the hills, to keep from spooking him. But we’re tracking him every step of the way.”

  “How about the rest of my family?” Griff asked.

  “Mad and Ash are in the family plane. We’ve given them coordinates. But, like the police, they’re trying to remain invisible. Whit and Brady circled around you and have been driving that area for the past hour, along with a convoy of police vehicles, hoping to spot Sperry’s truck.”

  Juliet’s voice was eerily calm. “Now that I know where he’s headed, I need to get there as quickly as possible, to spare poor Ethan any more agony.”

  “I understand what you’re going through, Juliet. But remember that this man has already committed a string of serious crimes. He no longer has anything to lose. A man like that is a powder keg just waiting to explode.”

  “He has my son, Chief Pettigrew. I’ll risk anything to save Ethan.”

  Ira could be heard sighing before he said, “All right, everyone. Mrs. Grayson is heading up Bald Mountain. If and when we hear from Heywood Sperry, we coordinate our plans and let her know what we want her to do.” His tone softened a bit. “Keep your eyes and the lines of communication open. And hope that this madman stops soon. But when he does, no matter what he says, Juliet, you’re not to allow yourself to become his hostage, even in exchange for your son’s life. With this guy’s hair-trigger temper, it could end up being a disaster for both of you.”

  “Hurry, Griff.” Juliet was beyond listening. She had but one thought playing through her mind. Ethan was somewhere up ahead. She would do whatever it took to save him.

  Mad was the first to spot the truck from the air. “There.”

  He pointed, and Ash studied the dark, custom-fitted truck with the oversized tires and a hydraulic lift in the rear. His communication system was tuned to the state police frequency. “Sperry’s near the top of Bald Mountain. Not off in the brush as expected, but following the road.”

  A police expert’s voice responded. “It all seems to fit. He torched the bus so we’d spot it. And now he’s following the road up the mountain so we can follow. He didn’t leave that note on his computer by accident. He knew we’d search his room and find it, along with the album. This is all part of a plan.”

  Ira Pettigrew’s voice came over the frequency. “And just what is the plan?”

  “He wants Mrs. Grayson to meet up with him. He wants her to offer to take her son’s place.”

  “But why?” Ira sounded more puzzled than angry. “What’s his endgame?”

  “When I have the answer to that, Chief, I’ll let you know,” came the police expert’s voice from headquarters. “The truth is, he may have no plan other than to run away with the object of his obsession.”

  Griff and Juliet had been following the conversation between the chief and the state police experts. Griff turned to Juliet. “You need to know that you’re the one he wants, and you have been from the beginning. He’s using Ethan to get to you.”

  She nodded. “Nothing matters right now except getting Ethan away from him.”

  “Listen to me, Juliet. You can’t do that at the cost of your own life.”

  She shot him a look of complete disbelief. “Aren’t you listening? I don’t care about my own safety. I care only about saving my son.”

  “It’s what we all want.” He reached over and found her hands, twisted together in her lap, as cold as ice. “But if we’re careful, we can get Ethan back without risking your safety.”

  “I won’t listen to you, Griff.” She was shaking her head. “I refuse to take the chance that Ethan could be hurt while we’re being ‘careful.’”

  Griff spotted the truck on the side of the road up ahead. Into his phone he said, “Heywood Sperry is directly ahead of us. Can you see his truck?”

  “We have him,” came the reply from the command post. “Our helicopters are already dropping six sharpshooters up ahead. They should be within range in four to six minutes.” The voice lowered. “Mrs. G
rayson, you need to do exactly as told from this point on. Understood?“

  “I understand.”

  “If he offers your son in exchange for you, insist that he release the boy, at least halfway, before you start forward. That will give our sharpshooters the opportunity for a clear shot, without danger to you or your son. Agreed?”

  Juliet’s voice was calm. “Yes.”

  “We want to prevent bloodshed. I would ask that the rest of you remain far back and as invisible as possible, to minimize the chance of being hit by stray gunfire. I don’t want any dead heroes. Is that understood?”

  Griff couldn’t dispel the sudden knowledge that this was all wrong. Everything had been too carefully choreographed. He’d been in enough military situations to know that in the heat of battle, nothing ever went as planned. Least of all the perceived strategy of the enemy.

  In this case, Heywood Sperry was not only the enemy, but a fellow veteran who had faced the same wartime situations, and knew precisely what the other side was thinking and what they were planning.

  Sperry had to know that the state police would bring in skilled marksmen. He had to know that Juliet would be willing to sacrifice herself for her son. He had to know…

  Suddenly, it was all becoming clear to Griff.

  “Chief—” Before Griff could state his feelings, there was a great, shuddering explosion beneath them and the truck in which they were riding was flying through the air. It tumbled end over end before coming to a sudden wrenching stop.

  Even before the dust settled, the passenger door was yanked open and a knife flashed, cutting neatly through the seat belt holding Juliet. Through a shower of stars Griff reached out to steady her and found only air. She was no longer beside him.

  He shook his head to clear it and could see, through the shattered windshield, Heywood Sperry on his scooter, dragging Juliet by the wrist. When he finally stopped, some distance away, she was kneeling in the grass, bleeding from the forehead, looking dazed and barely conscious. Beside her, clinging fiercely to her was Ethan.

  Griff managed to force his door open and jumped out of the truck before racing across the distance that separated them.

  “I told you not to come.” Sperry’s voice was calm and collected. He actually smiled. “I knew, of course, that you’d be here.” He could have been talking about the weather as he continued in that same cool voice. “And that’s exactly the way I planned it. Because now, marine, you get to watch the woman we both love die right in front of your eyes.”

  “You don’t have to do this, Heywood.” Griff’s eyes were hot and fierce, studying the man as he looked for any way to free Juliet and Ethan. “I know how much you’d enjoy killing me. Let me take their place and I promise you I won’t fight you.”

  “Aw. Isn’t that touching? Sorry. I don’t have any use for you. Now Jules…” Sperry gave a mad, high-pitched laugh. “I can think of a lot of uses I could have made of you.”

  “Jules?” She stared at him in horror. “No one but Buddy ever called me that.”

  “Yeah. That’s what he told me. Just before he died.” There was wild laughter as Sperry added, “Oh. Did I ever mention the fact that I was the one who pulled his plug? I figured he’d outlived his usefulness to me and to you, Jules.”

  Out of the corner of his eye Griff saw Whit and Brady crawling in the grass from the opposite direction. Behind them were half a dozen sharpshooters beginning to fan out.

  Thinking quickly to hold Sperry’s attention, Griff said, “We’re alone up here, Sperry.”

  That had Sperry throwing back his head and roaring with laughter.

  “You think that’s funny?”

  “Don’t try to con a con, marine. I know the drill. While you keep me talking, all those rifles are getting into position. But they don’t scare me.”

  “All right. You’re not afraid of the consequences. Why not tell me what this is about?”

  “It’s about a woman who was everything I’d ever wanted, wasting her time on a man who didn’t appreciate her.”

  Juliet sucked in a breath on the pain his words caused. “Don’t you dare talk about Buddy like that in front of his son. My husband was a hero.”

  “Some hero. Oh, sure. I heard his story from the medical people. He stayed with his plane rather than risk having it hit a playground full of kids.” He snorted his disapproval. “And then what happened? After all you did for that man, massaging his arms and back, spoon-feeding him, working with the therapists hour after hour, while you cared for his kid and even carried another inside you, what did he do?” His face contorted with rage. “The damned fool died without a fight. You wasted all that time and energy and love on a guy who died, and all that time, you never even once noticed the guy in the next room who was willing to live for you. The guy who really loved you.” He lifted her hand and stared at it. “And when I came to your ranch and offered to give you money to do for me what you did for him, you took my money, but you still never noticed me. And then, the lowest blow of all, you let this marine into your house. Into your bed. Into your heart.” He continued holding her hand so tightly she cried out. “Oh, does that hurt? I guess I finally figured out how to get your attention. I killed your husband. I killed your foreman. And I killed MacKenzie’s best friend. And now I have your son. And guess what? You’ll remember my name now, won’t you?”

  “Is that all you want, Heywood?” Despite the pain and terror that gripped her, Juliet managed to lower her voice. Soften it. “Someone to care about you?”

  His eyes narrowed. “I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at your husband all those long days and weeks and months in the VA hospital.”

  “I can do that, Heywood. But first, you have to let Ethan go.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t try to fool me with that act. You’re too late.” His voice rose to a shout. “I’m not stupid. I know there are a dozen or more cops watching my every move. I know that you’ve got sharpshooters getting ready to take me out. You know what I have to say to that? Welcome, all of you. I’m ready to let you end my misery.”

  He released Juliet’s hand while he leaned down to draw Ethan closer.

  With a smile he spoke in a loud, clear voice. “Go ahead. See? I’m not holding them. You’ve got a clear shot. Put me out of my misery.”

  Griff watched as the shadowy figures stood and took careful aim.

  All the hairs on the back of his neck bristled, and he struggled to figure out what was wrong with the picture in front of him.

  Sperry, happily begging to be shot. Sperry, damaged veteran, wounded munitions expert.

  Munitions.

  He studied the front of Sperry’s shirt. The slight bulge beneath it that could be concealing explosives.

  “Stop!” Even though he knew it was too late, Griff was shouting at the top of his lungs, “Sperry’s wired to blow and kill them all.”

  At the same instant that he saw the flash of gunfire, he leapt across the distance separating him from Juliet and Ethan and flung them aside before falling on top of them, shielding them with his body as a terrible explosion ripped through the clearing, lighting up the sky.

  The scene erupted in chaos as the police and the MacKenzie family raced forward from all directions, shouting, swearing, forming a tearful circle around the charred earth and what was left of Heywood Sperry.

  The impact of the explosion had left Griff dazed and disoriented. His shirt and one boot had been blown away, revealing a body bearing dozens of bloody wounds. A body lying as still as death.

  Beneath him, shielded from flying debris, Ethan and Juliet crawled free. Seeing Griff’s still, bloodied body, Ethan flung himself against Griff, burying his face in Griff’s neck, sobbing as though his heart had been broken.

  Ash pushed Mad across the clearing, pausing beside Griff and Ethan. The old man tried to lift the boy into his arms, but Ethan evaded his touch and clung to Griff.

  The little boy’s words were torn from a throat raw with tears. “Plea
se, Griff. Don’t die, Griff. Please don’t die.”

  As the medics moved in, Griff stirred, hearing a voice from so far away, he wondered if he were merely dreaming.

  It came again, louder. A little boy’s voice that he’d never heard. And yet, even with his eyes closed, he recognized it as Ethan’s.

  “You can’t die, Griff. Please.”

  Griff roused himself enough to whisper, “I… won’t die, Ethan.” He tasted his own blood and swallowed before managing, “I have…too much to live for.”

  Around them, nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

  Despite the destruction, Juliet and the MacKenzie family knew in their hearts that they’d just witnessed a miracle.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Griff lay on the examining table in the Copper Creek Clinic while Dr. Dan Mullin and his assistant, Kate Kelly, treated the dozen or more burns caused by the explosion.

  “Looks like you enjoy living dangerously,” Dr. Mullin muttered.

  “I may have, once upon a time. Now, I think I’ve had enough of it.” Griff looked at Juliet, who was seated on the other side of the bed, clinging tightly to his hand. Her other arm was around Ethan’s shoulders.

  The little boy and his mother had been examined by the doctor and pronounced fit. Even the sedative administered by Heywood Sperry had now worn off, leaving no side effects in little Ethan’s system.

  The boy kept his gaze locked on Griff, as though afraid to look away for fear his hero might disappear.

  Juliet, too, was watching the examination with fearful eyes.

  When Dr. Mullin stepped aside, the door to the examining room burst open and the entire MacKenzie family surged forward, surrounding the bed.

  Myrna released Casey’s hand, and he flew across the room and into his mother’s arms. After kissing her, he turned to his brother and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s neck. “Myrna said you were safe, Efan. Were you scared?”