Saving Sidewinder: Brotherhood Protectors World

by Kate McKeever

  “Sure,” Charlie’s usual exuberance was absent in his voice and Sam realized the kid had been terrified.

  “Let’s head back,” he held Alana’s helmet out to her, which she accepted without meeting his gaze. It was going to be a long trip.

  Chapter 5

  Sam strode over the terrain that was so like that of the middle east, yet so different. His years in the military taught him many things, chief of which was know your surroundings and use them to your advantage. He kept to the shadows of the few trees amongst the brush and scrubby vegetation along the hillside, his eyes sharp and alert for any trace of the shooter. Yet, as his eyes and senses searched the area for footprints, detritus of a lookout, anything that might give him information on his foe, inside his gut a fire burned. How could he have been so careless as to let Alana and Charlie be shot at? And why did it cut so deep? He'd been in situations like that before. Snipers fired on soldiers all the time, as well as civilians in the field. But the look on Alana's face as she stared up the hill toward her son and Kid seared into his brain, his memory. He never wanted to see that expression of terror again, ever.

  He reached the summit of the hill and glanced over the vista before him. More scrubby bushes, grasses turning golden and brown in the sun and a distant copse of trees greeted him, along with the ever-present shadows created by rolling terrain. He studied each of the hills and valleys with the binoculars he'd borrowed from Taz then headed to the spot he'd found the cigarette butts and shell casings. He'd just reached the bare area and the rock that had shielded the shooter when a buzz on his hip stopped him. He plucked the sat phone from his belt and answered.

  "Have you found anything?" Alana didn't beat around the bush.

  "Not yet. How's Charlie?" He bent and ran his hand along the now fading shoe print. The elements erased evidence quickly here.

  "He's okay, wondering about you." She paused then continued, "Do you think you can find him? Or any evidence of him?"

  Her tone more than anything spurred him to answer. "I'll find him." Even if he didn't uncover any more clues as to the shooter's identity, he'd find the bastard.

  "It's Price. I know it is."

  "Probably. Look, I'm going to be finished up here in about ten minutes and then I’ll head back. We'll talk more about this when I get back."

  "Yes, we will. I need this to be over, now." She disconnected the call, leaving him staring at the lone piece of evidence he'd missed earlier. He retrieved his knife from a pocket and carefully removed a folded piece of paper from a crease between the rock's base and the ground. Taking care not to damage it or smudge any prints, he eased it into the plastic bag he'd brought along and headed back to the ATV.

  Alana looked up from the board game she'd forced Charlie into playing at the sound of an engine outside of the cabin. Her son apparently had the same idea as she as he bounded up and ran to the door, ignoring her call to wait. "It's Sidewinder!"

  He threw open the door only to be nudged back into the tiny living room by the tall silent man, who wore a stormy expression. "Your mother told you to wait, Charlie. Why didn't you?

  Charlie's mouth turned down in what Alana recognized as his stubborn face. "I just wanted to see if you found anything."

  "Found anything?"

  "I know you went to look for evidence, Kid told me. Anyway, I heard Mom talking to you on the phone. Did you find anything?"

  Sam eyed Charlie then turned his gaze on Alana. The intensity of his brown eyes made her stomach drop and she knew he had something. He put a hand on Charlie's shoulder and squeezed it. "Kid's coming to get you. He needs your help in getting his work done this evening."

  Charlie's frown deepened, "You just want me out of the way so you can talk," he grumbled.

  "You’re right, kid. But after the adults talk, we'll fill you in if your mom is okay with it."

  Alana didn't want to fill her eight-year-old son in on the realities of life, but she also didn't want him unknowingly putting himself at risk. Knowledge could save his life.

  Kid knocked on the door then entered, followed closely by Hank Patterson and Taz, as well as another man Alana hadn't seen before. The trio of tough, lean and muscled men, when added to Sam, brought the testosterone level in the room to a nearly unbearable level. As Charlie begrudgingly accompanied Kid out of the house she occupied herself with putting the game pieces back in the box and then making coffee.

  Hank and the other men took chairs at the table, joined by Sam and Alana filled her cup with black coffee. "Coffee?"

  "Thanks, Alana." Hank didn't wait for her to serve them but stood and retrieved cups then filled them for the men and delivered them. As they waited for Alana to sit, Hank continued, "Alana Christian, this is Cole Ramsey. He's working here with Hannah and an old friend of mine. He used to work in law enforcement in Bozeman. When Sidewinder told me about the shooting, I called Cole. "

  "So, you’re here to--?" Alana sipped the coffee, not really tasting it.

  "To see if I can help and to ask you some questions. Hank filled me in on your situation in Helena. But, could you give me your take on it?"

  She sighed, happy Charlie was out of the house. "Sure. I worked on a case a few years ago involving Hanson Shepherd. I'm not sure if you know--" Cole's nod answered her before she finished the question. "Well, if you know the Shepherd brothers, you know Price is the stronger, smarter one. In fact, if Price had been the one making the drug sales and pickup, we probably wouldn't be sitting here today. He wouldn't have gotten caught. Anyway, Hanson was arrested and tried for distribution and trafficking. I sat first chair on the case, my first." She smiled wryly. She'd worked years to make first chair in the State's Attorney's office. "We got a conviction and Hanson's been in prison a little under a year."

  "So why do you think Price is behind this? And why now?" Sam leaned back in his chair.

  "Hanson's first appeal failed." She shrugged. " I think Price, with his arrogance, thought he'd be able to manipulate the courts, just like he's done in the past."

  Sam frowned. "Okay, you guys may know this Price guy, but I don't. So fill me in."

  Hank joined the conversation. "Price and Hanson Shepherd are brothers who live in Carbon County. They've been in trouble as long as they've been around. Got in trouble in school then grew into thugs. The problem is that they're truly mean bastards. Anytime either of them got arrested, and it's usually been Hanson, suddenly witnesses turn on stories or the case would end up with a hung jury. Difference was, in this case, they weren't in their regular hunting grounds.”

  "Price is an arrogant bastard and he won't accept that he can't get his way. He wants Hanson released from prison and he's finished with legal avenues. In fact, I'm surprised he's lasted as long as he did." Alana stared into her coffee cup.

  "You’re convinced Price is the man threatening you?" Cole pulled a small notepad from his pocket and jotted something in it.

  "Yes. He's made veiled threats ever since Price was arrested and when the verdict came through, he swore he'd never see his brother in prison. The fact that we've had Hanson in for three years must be eating him up inside."

  "Sounds like Price is the dominant brother," Sam said,

  "And the smarter one. He's only been arrested once and that was for brawling in a bar back when he was in his twenties. Not to say he isn't knee deep in shit, but he doesn't get caught. Hanson, on the other hand," Cole shook his head. "He's more of a hot head and apparently doesn't know the word caution. He's been arrested for everything from assault to attempted murder. He even got off in Carbon County for murder when a civilian was killed when he went on a ride along with a deputy several years ago."

  "Damn. Sounds like they have that county all sewed up," Sam grimaced then looked at Alana and grinned. "And you got the bastard fair and square."

  She returned his smile with a surge of pride. "I did. But now, I'm paying the price."

  "We have this, Lana." He reached over the table and covered her hand as it rested on the
table, surprising her. The warmth of his grasp surged through her and down to her middle then lower, further shocking her. She looked at him, aware of her flushed face then decided, what the hell, and squeezed back before withdrawing her hand. She turned her gaze back on Cole, who wore a quizzical expression but said nothing. “Is that enough background?”

  He nodded then questioned her briefly about the incident with her car and subsequent flight to the ranch. As she answered his questions, her awareness continued to be divided between Cole and Sam’s intense attention to her answers, as well as the fact that he’d called her Lana, a name no one else had ever called her. It felt right.

  When the questioning turned to the shooting on the ranch, Sam added his own answers to the questions and Alana marveled at his acumen at the distance of the shots, the terrain, the evidence he’d gathered. He further surprised her when he produced a plastic bag from his pocket then. A small, dirt smeared piece paper, folded into a neat square lay in the bag. Her gaze shot to his face. “Why didn’t you show me that when you first came in?”

  He shrugged, “I was going to but when Cole and Hank came in I figured we’d get to it. Anyway, I didn’t find anything new besides this and the picture I forwarded to you. The track had deteriorated when I went back. Looked like an animal might have walked over it.”

  Cole nodded and accepted the plastic bag then withdrew a plastic glove from his pocket. “It was good thinking, taking the picture with your phone. The elements are hard on prints here, with the wind and rain, not to mention winter weather.” He removed the square then eyed Sam. “Did you touch this other than picking it up?”

  Sam shook his head. “I picked it up on the corner, so there shouldn’t be a lot of my prints on it.”

  “Where did you find it?” Cole laid the note on the table then started trying to unfold it. The paper, folded so that a leaf was tucked into another, didn’t cooperate and Cole heaved a curse under his breath. Alana stood and, going to the utensil drawer, retrieved some tongs from it then returned to the table. “May I?” she asked and he withdrew the glove then handed it to her.

  She pulled the plastic bag to her side of the table after moving her coffee out of the way, then picked up the note with the tongs and placed it on the bag. Holding the note in place, she then used her gloved hand to loosen the fold from its moorings and straightened the paper. “I remember folding paper like this when I was in elementary school. I used to send notes to my best friend and when the paper is folded inside itself it’s less likely to become loose.” Her voice trailed off at the end of the sentence and she stared at the writing inside.

  Bitch

  You sent my brother to hell

  Now it’s your turn

  “Oh God.” she breathed and stood, her chair clattering behind her. Sam stepped in front of her, preventing her from opening the cabin door.

  “No, Lana.”

  “Move. I want to see my son.” She glared at him, aware of tears welling in her eyes. She had to see Charlie, make sure he still breathed, he was healthy and content in the stable with Kid.

  “You can’t go running out there halfcocked.” He folded his arms in front of her, a brick wall between her and the door. Still, she’d broken down more barriers than that in the past and she’d get past this one.

  “I need to see him, Sam. I know it’s irrational to think a note can harm him but I know Price Shepherd. And I know what lengths he’ll go to to make sure I suffer. The only thing that can hurt me now is for Charlie to be injured or worse. Now, let me by.”

  Sam looked beyond her to the two men now standing at the table. “We’ll be back in five minutes. I have some questions of my own.” He held his hand out in a gesture for her to follow him and then opened the door and, after scanning the surroundings, led the way to the stable.

  Alana sighed in relief when she entered the dark, pungent structure, hearing voices and laughter. She followed the sounds until she came to the rear of the building. Charlie sat in a pile of straw, his face creased in smiles as a small puppy licked his cheeks. “Look Mom. We found a puppy.” He gathered the wriggling mass of fur close to his chest and grinned over its head.

  “I thought you were doing chores,” Sam said as he came to stand beside Alana, his stance relaxed yet alert. She felt the heat of his body and resisted the urge to lean into his strength.

  Kid walked over, a bridle in his hands. “That little guy was trying to crawl into Beast’s stall and I was afraid he’d get trampled. Charlie’s been watching him.”

  “Where’s his mother?” Alana squatted down beside Charlie to pet the black and white puppy.

  “She’s outside. She’s a Border Collie and she has to herd. If she doesn’t she ends up trying to herd the horses and that doesn’t work. Usually, this little guy follows but today he was more interested in staying in the stable.” Kid gestured toward Charlie, who was playing tug of war with the puppy, using an old rag. “I think Charlie was too tempting to leave.”

  “I think it’s mutual attraction,” Alana murmured and returned to Sam’s side. He spoke to Kid in undertones and, at Kid’s nod, glanced at her. “All set?”

  She nodded in return and on the way out of the stable put a hand on his elbow, slowing him to a halt. “Thanks for letting me check on him.”

  He studied her and then he quirked his mouth into a half smile. “If I hadn’t agreed, you’d have mowed me down, wouldn’t you?”

  She grinned and kept walking to the cabin. “I would have given it my best shot.”

  His chuckle warmed her as she entered the house, “I figured.”

  They returned to the table where the note was centered, having obviously been examined by the two men at the table. Cole scribbled in his notepad, his phone at his ear. Alana emptied the now cold coffee in her cup and deposited it in the sink, abandoning the ruse that she was relaxed. She paced and listened to Cole’s one-sided conversation. Sam, on the other hand, snapped a side holster she hadn’t been aware of closed and stood near the table, his arms folded over his chest. His silence and stolid stance calmed her a bit, but not enough to sit.

  Finally, Cole ended his call and she approached the chair, clutching the back. “Well?”

  “I put in a call to Carbon County. They try to keep an eye on Price and his family, knowing their predilection toward trouble. No one has seen Price in several days.” Cole’s expression turned grim, “About the length of time you’ve been out of town.”

  Alana gestured toward the note. “If I had any doubt about the shooter’s identity before, I have none now. Price is devoted to Hanson. He’ll not stop until someone does it for him.” She sat finally, her legs weakening as her own words sunk in. “I need to leave the state.”

  “No, you don’t. Not unless you’re escorted. And if we need to add more protection, we can.” Hank admonished her.

  Sam gazed down at the note. “What’s Price’s habits? Do you know?” He directed his question at Cole but Alana answered. “He’s into drugs, obviously. I don’t think he uses but Hanson did. That’s one of the reasons we were able to catch him, he got careless as his habit grew. Price, on the other hand, is smart. He’s the numbers guy in the equation. The State’s Attorney has been working on a money laundering case for several months, trying to find some connection between Price and the launderers but with no luck. He’s wiley. But as to his habits, we haven’t found a lot.”

  Cole cleared his throat, “My office knows a little more about Price.” He glanced toward Alana before continuing. “His habits run along the line of prostitution and the flesh trade.”

  Alana turned her surprised gaze toward Cole. “I didn’t know he was running--”

  “Not running. He’s a customer. And there are rumors that he’s not only into adults.”

  Her blood ran cold. The thought of Price with his hands on any child revolted her. “Rumors? Haven’t you found any evidence?”

  “No. Just talk amongst the girls the police have picked up. And hearsay isn’t enough
to pick him up on.” Cole’s eyes turned hard and Alana noticed that Sam and Hank wore similar expressions. Price may think he could hurt her or her son, but she had a bear pack to guard her.

  Sam questioned her and Cole for several minutes more, asking about Price’s skills in weaponry, fighting and so on but he was disappointed as neither she nor Cole could answer his questions with any authority. Only the incidents that she’d survived, the two shootings, served to tell her that the man knew what he was doing. Thank providence that he’d missed both times.

  Kid and Charlie entered at the end of the discussion and Cole smoothly gathered the note and replaced it into the plastic bag, all the while avoiding handling it. Full of his adventures with the puppy, Charlie regaled Sam and Hank with the dog’s antics and near misses under horse’s hooves. Charlie urged his mother to let him bring the puppy, along with its mother, into the cabin until Hank reassured him that the mother dog, Lady, had experience around the horses and could handle the large beasts along with her small charge. Charlie extracted a promise to help when the puppy had a bath the next day and Alana let herself relax at the prospect. The animals on the ranch, along with Kid, were serving their purposes, that of distracting Charlie from the more serious matters at hand.

  Even as the thought ran through her mind, her eight-year-old turned to her and demanded, “You said you’d tell me what’s going on, Mom.”

  She sighed and gestured for him to sit in the now empty chair across from her. Cole and Hank excused themselves and Kid flopped down in the remaining empty chair. Sam stood and went to the kitchenette, where he started assembling sandwiches. She turned to Charlie with a silent prayer that she do this right. “Sam found a note when he went to the hill where the shots were fired.”

  “Did it say what the man wants?” Charlie maintained a steady gaze on her and Alana knew he was looking for any sign of stress. Her son was too observant for his age.