The Heart the Cowboy Broke

by M J Andrews

  Sawyer: We’re closer. We have the Saunders farm that way and will clear the location.

  There were hundreds of thousands of acres in the area and he knew they wouldn’t get to search every spot. He felt hopeless and desperate. Finn and Sawyer made their way to the Saunders' farm just off of Route 86. They ran a small milk operation and had a barn and a warehouse for storage. They spent several months a year with their grandchildren up north and their residence would be vacated until they returned.

  They entered the house and a tingle coursed through his body and the hair on his arm stood at attention. The Saunders had been gone for a month, but someone continued to get their newspaper. The two-storey farmhouse was cleared and Finn joined Sawyer in the kitchen to make an entrance to the basement.

  The light was on which immediately piqued Sawyer’s interest as they descended the stairs. Sawyer noted that it looked as though someone was doing laundry.

  “Sawyer,” Finn said looking at a small desk in the corner.

  He moved to see what had caught his brother’s interest. The stationary on the desk was the same as the one that was left with each of Brant’s victims since he was in Silverton.

  “He was here,” Sawyer acknowledged.

  “According to Phillips, he took trophies and kept them with him,” Finn said.

  Sawyer nodded and they started to tear the place apart. Underneath the stairs was a small backpack that had been stuffed out of sight. Sawyer opened the bag and pulled out a medium size box. His stomach sank as he thought about what kind of trophies Brant would have. He inhaled a deep breath before he flipped open the box. Inside he found polaroids of his victims. Terror was etched across their faces. They were all chained or shackled. Sawyer felt his stomach urge as he flicked through the pictures. Then his eyes landed on one of Lexi. She appeared to be unconscious and laying on a dirty mattress with a chain around her left wrist.

  “Shit,” Finn muttered from over his shoulder.

  Sawyer tried not to think the worse. If she wasn’t with them anymore he was convinced that he would feel the loss in his soul. But he held on hope that his smart mouth woman would be able to hold on until he found her.

  Sawyer put everything back the way he found it, “We need everything in place in case he returns. If he does I want to follow him to wherever he is holding Lexi and Carly.”

  “We should search the perimeter. I haven’t seen the bunker that was alleged to have been here, so maybe it's in another part of the farm,” Finn agreed.

  They both stepped out of the house. The calm of the night was juxtaposed with the raging storm in his heart. The stars hung high in the clear sky and it was quiet and peaceful. Sawyer turned his face to the stars.

  “Old man, if you’re listening. I need your help here. I need to find her. Help me find her,” he begged.

  “Sawyer!” Finn yelled and his scream had him running towards him at the rear of the house.

  There he found a latch that had been covered up with years of ground. They quickly turned the lever and after some tugging, they were able to get the latch open. They lowered themselves into the tunnel below. The darkness encompassed them and they waited for their sight to adjust. Sawyer grabbed his brother’s wrist possessively.

  “We don’t split,” he ordered. Finn nodded his agreement and gave the hand signal to move forward.

  They spotted light at the far end of the tunnel. As they came closer to the light, they heard whimpers from a woman. Sawyer turned towards a door that had a brief window in it and gazed inside. There he saw a woman in only her underwear, curled in the fetal position with her back away from him. He couldn’t tell if it was Lexi, but regardless, she needed to get out of there. Sawyer went to open the door only to find it locked.

  “Fuck,” he cursed.

  “Move aside,” Finn demanded as he cranked a flashlight and pulled a small lock picking kit from his pocket. In seconds, Finn had the lock snapped open.

  “Where did you learn that?” Sawyer questioned before Finn pushed open the door.

  “Like our sister, I’ve also found myself in handcuffs,” he confirmed.

  They made entry to the room with weapons raised. Once the place was cleared, Sawyer moved to the injured woman who laid whimpering on the floor. He approached cautiously as he could see a variety of cuts, bruises and burns all over her body. As he got closer he realized the woman wasn’t Lexi.

  “Carly,” he said gently. Her eyes opened as far as they could, “Let’s get you out of here okay? You’re safe with us okay?”

  “Chains,” was all she was able to mutter.

  “Finn, pick this lock,” he commanded and he wasted no time getting the bonds off the woman’s wrist. Once the locks were off, Finn bent and pulled Carly into his chest and Sawyer moved forward to cover. Sawyer tried hard to look around the space, but he failed. The woman had been chained and hanging around here was a variety of torture instruments. They needed to get her out of the hell and get her medical attention.

  “Get her to the surface,” he ordered.

  “We said we wouldn’t split, Sawyer,” Finn barked.

  “She needs help, Finn. Go! I’ll be fine!” He said while moving down the hall. He heard his brother grunt his annoyance before he moved towards the exit they had just entered. Sawyer moved slitty through the long narrow corridors. He came to another door and peeked inside through the small window in the door.

  The room was dark and he strained to see if there was anything in the room. Then out of nowhere, a man popped up banging on the door. His nose was bleeding and his eyes were lit with fire. Sawyer recognized him as the fake Agent Phillips and glared at the man.

  “Where is she, you piece of shit?” he screamed.

  “How the fuck would I know? That bitch attacked me and locked me in here,” he gritted.

  Inside Sawyer was proud that his woman hadn’t given up hope and had fought her way out. Lexi wasn’t the type to sit around and wait for someone to come to find her. She created her own way. Sawyer smirked and made his way down the hall. He ignored the profanities yelled at him from the sick fuck in the locked room. He’d be secure in there for now and he needed to get to Lexi. He’d been in the whole bunker and hadn’t found Brant, so he believed that when Lexi was able to flee that Brant followed her.

  He climbed up the ladder on the other side of the door and made his exit. He saw an ambulance and police in the distance. He yelled out and Finn ran toward him. Lexi had to have left through that exit. He stood above the ground and looked around the space in a circle. What would she do?

  The trees… She’d seek cover from trees. She’d have a better chance of survival with the coverage and hiding places of the green evergreens.

  “She wasn’t there and neither was Brant. I think she made for the tree line,” Sawyer said to his brother. That’s when he heard it.

  “Lexi! I’m going to find you!” a voice from the trees.

  “Jesus Christ,” Sawyer took off running in the direction of the sounds. Before he made it to the first-ever green the sounds of a gunshot boomed through the calm night sky. His blood ran cold and he picked up the pace in hopes of finding Lexi or Brant. Once he got his hands on that psycho, he would kill him.

  Chapter 23

  Lexi

  Lexi ran through the darkness and prayed that Brant had a poor sense of direction. She’d always loved the solitude of the woods in Silverton, but tonight it was working against her. Her breath rushed out of her body as she sped through the trees. Her hand throbbed and her legs were starting to tire.

  She hid behind a tall oak to catch her breath and figure out where she was. She listened for any sudden movements in the distance that would tell her if Brant was close. A branch snapped in the distance and Lexi covered her mouth to muffle the sound of her ragged breathing.

  “Lexi, come on. You know I’ll find you where ever you are,” Brant sang through the trees. He was close and she needed to put a larger distance between them. Lexi took in a large
gulp of air before pushing off the tree and sprinting. She ran in between trees in hopes to prevent Brant from spotting her.

  Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat dripped down her forehead and neck. She hated the idea of running from any problem, but in her current condition, she wouldn’t be able to fight off Brant. Fleeing was the only option and Carly was counting on her to get help. If she was even still alive. She glanced behind her to see if she could spot Brant gaining on her, but she stumbled and fell to the ground. Dirt crumbled into her face and she felt the warm trickle of blood down her knee. She scrambled to her feet and started running but a gunshot boomed through the woods and hit a tree not far from her head. She let out a yelp but kept running, zig-zagging around the evergreens.

  “Lexi!” a familiar voice screamed into the darkness.

  Sawyer.

  Shit! He needed to keep quiet or Brant wouldn’t hesitate to take him out. Lexi couldn’t live with the thought of him hurt because of her. He’d been hurting for ten years because of her accident and the guilt had tarnished a piece of his soul. She wouldn’t let him carry the burden of her life.

  She heard movement around her but couldn’t be sure if it was Brant or Sawyer. One determined to take her life and one was her life. She saw a clearing up ahead and took the chance. She ran towards the grassy field in hopes of finding Sawyer and others to help. Once she made it to the clearing she turned around only to find that she was still surrounded by trees and to one side was a small rock wall.

  “Sawyer!” she screamed taking the chance that he would be able to get to her before Brant.

  Frantically she searched the trees hoping that she would be able to lure one of the men to where she was standing. If Brant found her, she would try and delay the inevitable. Her blood trumped through her veins and her chest rose and fell at a rapid speed. Her hair stuck to her face as she moved her head quickly trying to see into the trees.

  BANG!

  BANG!

  Gunshots.

  There was a rustling in the far corner of the trees and Lexi stood still in the middle of the clearing. Her eyes landed on Sawyer who was walking slowly out of the tree line. Her heart raced and a smile broke across her face as she made to run towards him he called out.

  “No Lexi! Stay there!”

  It was then she noticed a wet spot on his arm and he winced as something from behind pushed him forward. Sawyer fell to his knees and behind him came Brant. From the depths of the darkness, he rose with a gun in his hand and pointed at Sawyer.

  “NO!” Lexi screamed.

  “Lexi, stay back!” Sawyer growled.

  Brant eyed them both before he concluded that they knew each other. His grin widened when he saw the pain in her eyes.

  “Well, isn’t this lovely!” he chirped as he walked to the side of Sawyer adjusting the position of the gun to push against his temple.

  “You two know each other pretty well I take it?” he sneered.

  Lexi’s stomach dropped and the overwhelming feeling of grief stole her breath.

  “Let him go Brant!” she hissed. “He means nothing to you. It’s me you want!”

  “Lexi!” Sawyer bellowed.

  “Oh my, what a wonderful treat! You love him?” Brant questioned with a quizzical expression.

  Lexi didn’t answer and Brant grinned before he pushed in on Sawyer’s wounded arm. He cried out in pain and Lexi’s heart broke.

  “Stop it! Let him go!” Lexi screamed and advanced closer.

  “Answer me, Lexi! Is this the man you love?” Brant hissed.

  Their eyes met across the grassy field and tears escaped down her cheeks. Everything she wanted for her life flashed before her. Her wedding day, her first child, her first niece or nephew all came to the forefront. And all of those memories she stood next to the man she loved. Sawyer. Her life was nothing without him. She couldn’t live or see a future without him in it.

  “Y-Yes…” she whispered.

  Brant clapped his hands together in glee, “Oh my! And you, do you love her?” He pointed the gun to Sawyer’s head and pressed it to his temple causing Sawyer to flinch.

  “Take me!” Lexi cried. “Take me, please!”

  Brant’s head quickly swivelled in her direction and Sawyer dropped his head and closed his eyes. She wouldn’t see him hurt because of her anymore. If she had to offer up her life for his, there was no question about what she would do. Brant’s smile widened and he chuckled like an evil villain in a superhero movie.

  “Come to me, my pet and I’ll let your lover live.”

  Lexi wept but refused to back down. She would do whatever she needed to keep him safe. He deserved a happy life and a future. Lexi had already beaten death once and she knew a second time wasn’t likely.

  Lexi lifted her chin high and slowly stepped towards the love of her life and the end of her life. Every step caused her heart to ache, but she knew she was doing the right thing. Sawyer wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for her. As she approached, Brant reached for her. She couldn’t move her gaze from Sawyer as she reached out and grabbed his hand. Once in his grasp, Brant pulled her in front of him and placed the gun to her head.

  “You won’t get far, Brant,” Sawyer threatened and Lexi saw the pure animalistic rage on his face.

  “Oh, I wasn’t planning to get very far,” he cooed before he raised the gun in Sawyer’s direction and aimed.

  “No!” Lexi yelled as she reached across and knocked the gun from his hand. Brant grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back against him. The gun fell into the grass but Brant came prepared and whipped out a switchblade.

  “Bitch!” he screamed before he plunged the knife into Lexi’s thigh. She crumpled to the ground as the blood oozed from her wound. The last thing she saw before darkness swept into her vision was Brant standing over her with the knife raised.

  Sawyer

  Sawyer’s heart stopped the minute Lexi offered herself up to the psychopath with the gun. He’d been focused on getting to Lexi that he let his guard down and Brant was able to graze his arm with a bullet.

  Sawyer jumped into action when Lexi knocked the gun from Brant, but he wasn’t quick enough to get to them before he stabbed her. Sawyer watched the colour drain from her face as she crumpled to the ground. Brant stood over her with the knife raised ready to end her life, but Sawyer was quicker. He sped at the man and plunged into him taking him to the ground. Brant was surprisingly strong and was an equal match for Sawyer. They rolled around the grassy field as both struggled to get the upper hand. Sawyer swung a right hook into his jaw and watched his head bob back. He kept pounding his fist into Brant’s face until his eyes rolled and his head bounced around. Once Sawyer was satisfied that he was unconscious, he moved to Lexi.

  Her skin had turned a sickly colour grey and her beautiful hazel eyes were closed. He noticed the cloth around her left hand and the blood from the chains on her wrist. The stab wound was bleeding heavily and Sawyer feared that Brant had struck the main vein and that she could bleed out. Sawyer yanked off his belt and wrapped it around her upper thigh tightly.

  “Lexi,” he cried once the belt was in place, “open those beautiful eyes for me, sweetheart.”

  He checked her over for any other wounds and checked for a pulse. It was weak but it was there. She needed medical attention immediately and there wasn’t a minute to spare. Every second they were away from help was a second that she drifted farther into unconsciousness. Sawyer bent to pulled Lexi into his arms, but the sound of a gunshot floated through the air.

  Sawyer turned in time to see Brant’s eyes fall to his chest where a bullet had penetrated. His hand was raised with a knife and he was walking towards them. He dropped to his knees as the blood-soaked his shirt. Another shot rang out and this time it landed right between his eyes and jolted his body back to the floor of the field. Sawyer looked up and around and caught the glimmer of a scope from the top of the rock wall.

  Finn.

  God, he was proud
to have siblings who he could count on to have his back. Sawyer gently tugged Lexi into his arms and rushed out of the field. She fell limp in his arms and his heart clenched.

  “I can’t lose you, baby” he whispered.

  Finn greeted him at the base of the cliff and was carrying his sniper rifle. He’d always known that his brother was a damn good Ranger and sniper, but to see it first-hand made him beyond proud of his baby brother. Finn flanked him as they ran towards the farmhouse.

  “You’re bleeding,” Finn huffed.

  “I know,” Sawyer gritted.

  “Let me take her, Sawyer” Finn demanded.

  “Not gonna happen, brother” Sawyer growled. He understood why his brother would want that. Sawyer was injured and Finn wasn’t. It made sense, but it would be a cold day in hell before he would part from Lexi.