Saving Sidewinder: Brotherhood Protectors World

by Kate McKeever

  Chapter 8

  Sam stretched, his back protesting the short sofa serving as his bed for the night. He stood, glancing out of the window at the dim morning, the sun just peeking over the mountains in the distance. It might be early, but he’d rather be standing than suffering the effects of contorting his body on that couch. He walked into the kitchenette and started coffee before stepping out onto the porch and greeting Kid.

  “Everything go okay last night?” He stood, leaning against a lodge pole.

  Kid nodded, his eyes heavy with fatigue. “Just some wildlife nosing around. I saw a couple guys patrolling but nothing else.” He looked up from the chair he’d propped against the wall. “What’s going on, Sidewinder? Don’t you trust me to do a good job patrolling?”

  Sam lowered himself to the porch floor, propping against the pole. “I do. I guess I just want to make sure Charlie and Alana are surrounded by people I trust.”

  Kid eyed him for a minute. “Bullshit. If you didn’t trust any of those men and women out there, you wouldn’t have assigned them the jobs you did. I may have been hit over the head in Iraq, but I’m not that stupid. You just think I am.” He stood and stomped down the steps.

  “You don’t want coffee?”

  “I’ll get some in the chow hall. I’ll be back to escort Alana and Charlie in a few.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Get some rest for tonight.”

  “Right, boss. Can’t let those owls and coyotes get the best of me.”

  Sam stood and gripped the lodge pole, tempted to punch the thing. Kid might not like the assignment he had, but it kept him in Sam’s range. He entered the house, finding Lana at the counter, pouring coffee into two mugs. She handed him one then sipped at her own before sighing and pushing her shoulder length hair out of her eyes. “I’ll be needing a few of these,” she lifted her cup to her mouth again before heading to the cabinet and bowls for cereal. Sam followed, retrieving milk and spoons. They silently poured cereal and milk then sat at the table.

  “How’s Kid this morning?”

  “He’s fine. Gone to get some sleep.” Lana didn’t need to know Kid still sulked like a boy. She only had to know he’d do his job and do it well.

  She nodded, swirling her spoon in the milky cereal. “What are the plans for today?”

  “Same as yesterday.”

  “And tomorrow? Day after tomorrow? How long will this go on, Sam?” She left her cereal and returned to her coffee.

  “As long as it takes to get Price. You know that.” He finished the first bowl of cereal and rose to replenish it. Charlie entered the room and stumbled to the table, his hair in spikes on his head and his eyes slits. Sam filled a bowl for him and put it in front of the boy. Charlie began eating automatically. Alana rose and poured a glass of juice for her son then refilled her coffee before joining him and Sam who’d started in on the second bowl of oat flakes.

  “The cabin is going to get tiring,” Lana murmured.

  “There’s stuff to do, right? School stuff, work stuff?” Sam pushed the rest of his cereal away. He wouldn’t need that much fuel for the day.

  “And you? Will you be doing seat work?” She challenged.

  “I’ll be out patrolling, watching the perimeter, but I’ll be close by. The cabin will never be out of my sight.” He reassured her.

  “But you’ll be outside.” She sighed and nodded, her expression resolved. “Okay, Charlie and I will get to work.”

  “Mom, can I go riding after school work and chores?” Charlie, more alert after his meal, obviously hadn’t followed the conversation.

  “We need to stay inside today, kiddo. Maybe later, okay?” Lana stood and retrieved the dishes, carrying them to the sink. Charlie’s voiced became a whine. “But I might forget how to ride. Beast might forget me. And Kid could ride with me, watch me.”

  “No, Charlie.” Lana’s firm voice halted Charlie’s protests but not his mutinous expression as he stomped from the room. She turned as if to reprimand him then sagged and returned to the table. “I can’t blame him. I hate the idea of staying in all day, too.”

  “It will come to an end, I promise. I’ll end it.” Sam covered her hand with his and squeezed, hoping he could keep his promise.

  Alana sat back and rubbed her eyes. She’d been working on a brief at her laptop for several hours and the strain was telling on her vision. She stood and gathered the empty coffee cup to rinse, calling to Charlie. “Charlie, do you want a snack? I have some apples and peanut butter in the fridge.”

  She waited for his response, sighing at the lack. He’d been moping in his room ever since they’d finished his school work earlier. Figuring it was time he got over it, she strode down the short hallway and knocked on the closed door. “Charlie. It’s time to come out and view the world. Or at least watch a movie.” Nothing. “Charles Emerson Silver, answer me.”

  When she got nothing, she tried the doorknob only to find it locked. Muttering under her breath, she retrieved a butter knife and with a few maneuvers she’d learned in high school, soon had the door open. She tried to keep her temper as she entered, “Charlie--”

  The room, a small square large enough for a bed and a night table, was empty. The curtained window opposite the bed opened with the curtain fluttering in the late summer breeze, greeted her. Alana swallowed a spurt of anger, followed immediately by terror. She ran from the room, making her way through the house and flung open the door. As she ran into the compound’s yard her gaze darted around, looking for someone, anyone who’d seen her son. Finding no one in sight, she headed to the stable. There, she noticed a stall door standing open, something Kid said didn’t happen. If the horses were out of the stalls, the enclosures were cleaned and readied for the horse’s return and loosely fastened. A creaking or wind-pushed stall door could spook a gentle horse, much less the traumatized ones Kid and the other ranch clients worked with.

  Alana noted the chalked in name on the stall door, Beast and whimpered. Charlie had taken the horse out, she knew it. But where? And had Kid gone with him?

  She ran to the stable office and called the main house. Hannah answered on the first ring, her voice cheerful.

  “Hannah, have you seen Kid this morning?” Alana’s gaze darted around the office. It wasn’t unusual for it to be empty. Talley and the other men and women who worked the ranch preferred to be outside rather than in.

  “He ate breakfast with us in the chow hall then said he was going to get some sleep. I think he pulled night duty, last night.” Hannah’s tone turned serious. “Is there a problem?”

  “Charlie’s not in his room. I think he went riding.” Alana sank into the desk chair, her heart beating so fast her legs went weak.

  “Oh no. Okay. I’ll be right there.” Hannah disconnected and Alana stared at the riding tack laying on the floor across from the desk, her mind numb for a second. Then, shaking herself, she replaced the phone receiver and reentered the main stable area. Sam and Hannah entered as she did. Sam strode to her and cupped her shoulders with his hands. “How long has he been gone?”

  Alana shook her head, “I don’t know. I worked for about three hours on the computer after we finished school work. When I took a break, I found his window open and him gone.” She glanced at her watch. “We finished school work by ten, so any time after that.” Oh, God. Over three hours. He could be anywhere.

  Sam shook his head. “I don’t think Charlie’d go anywhere he isn’t familiar with. He enjoys riding but he also has been reminded time and again that the horse needs special attention.”

  “But he’s also eight years old, Sam. He loves riding and I’m afraid…” Her voice failed her as she thought of the things that could happen to her son on a trail alone. Or not even a trail. “We need to find him. Now.”

  “RIght. I’m going to go get the ATV. I’ll be back.” He turned but Hannah raised a hand.

  “I’ll call and have someone bring it here. You two go and get changed. You’ll need some jackets and sturdier
shoes, Alana. And get a jacket for Charlie. It can get cold out here after the sun goes down.” Hannah didn’t wait for a response but spun around and jogged to the main house. Sam and Alana headed to the house.

  “Didn’t you have someone on patrol here?” Alana questioned him as she walked.

  “I do, but on the outer perimeter. There are always people milling around with the animals in the main compound. I used our men and women to watch for Price out of the busy areas.”

  While Alana understood the reasoning, it didn’t help find her son any faster.

  Sam pulled the radio handset from his belt and gestured her inside the house. “Go ahead and change shoes and get a jacket. I’m going to check in and see if anyone saw Charlie.”

  She rushed through her change and grabbed a lightweight jacket for her and Charlie then spied Sam’s jacket draped over a chair. She snagged it, noticing the heavy weight in one pocket as she carried it to the door. She reached inside, retrieving a closed knife, spare and utilitarian but deadly looking. She jammed it in her jeans back pocket before joining Sam in the compound yard. Several ATVs growled in the center of the dirt covered area, mounted by men and women from the rehab ranch. Alana noted several artificial ankles or wrists poking from clothing and wondered at the owner’s abilities to control the machines briefly before changing her train of thought to gratitude for the turnout. Everyone looked at Sam who held his hand up in the air. In the rear of the group, Kid stood silently, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Charlie was sighted to the west, going toward the creek. Alana and I’ll go that way. I want everyone else to spread out in a standard V. Keep your radios on and chatter down. Only contact if you see something or Charlie.” Sam headed to the all-terrain vehicle closest to him. Alana, standing beside another, started to mount it when Sam stopped her. “You ride with me.”

  “And if we find Charlie? Where would he ride?” She countered and swung her leg over the machine.

  “You sure you can handle it?” He didn’t bother answering her question. The ATVs might be large for their make but they couldn’t handle three people on a single machine and he knew it. She ignored his question and adjusted herself on the vehicle, praying silently she wouldn’t screw up the gas and brakes on the thing. She’d watched Sam on the other ATV and this one looked similar. And she’d driven one to the garage a few days ago. She tried to look knowledgeable as she turned the key then pushed the ignition button on the handle. Waiting until the others cleared the area, she surveyed the rest of the controls on the machine, determined that she could manage this monster if it meant finding her son. If Sam mentioned her staying--.

  “It might be a better idea if you stayed here.” He cruised up beside her and she shot him a glare through her visor. “FIne, just try to keep up.” He muttered then advanced in front of her.

  The ride, rough and rugged as she’d remembered, took on a surreal aspect as the afternoon sun beat down on her helmet, warming the insides to uncomfortable lengths. Also, the play of sun and shadow in the hills and valleys ahead made her think she saw things, animals or odd shapes that turned out to be rocks or bushes. How could someone do this at a fast speed and in the dark?

  Ahead, Sam raised his arm and gestured to the right. She slowed her machine to turn and followed him, then came to a stop. He turned his engine off and took his helmet off. She followed suit. “Why are we stopping?”

  “We’re at the creek. I need to check out the muddy area without messing up the terrain with the tires. See if I can find any tracks.” He dismounted and laid his helmet on the seat before heading to the creek bank. Alana shut her machine off and followed, her muscles protesting the bumpy ride. Sam pulled her down beside him when she arrived, eliciting a squeak of surprise. “You’re a smaller target this way,” he said, reminding her Price was still out there. Panic surged through her at the thought that he might be near Charlie and she shut her thoughts down when a more dire possibility arose. “Is there anything here?” She looked around, only seeing mud and rocks. He pointed to the edge of the stream where an indention was filling with water. “I think that’s a hoof print. Let me take a closer look.” He shifted and ran his fingers lightly around the indentation, at one point closing his eyes, to better concentrate? Alana remained quiet, scanning the surroundings for any other sign she might have read about in books or seen on television. She was no help at all, she realized. And more of a threat to Sam since she was a target as much as Charlie was. But her son was out there and she could no more stay at the ranch than quit breathing.

  “It’s a hoof print.” Sam propped his wrist on his bent knee and surveyed the area around them. “I think Charlie was going this way,” he pointed. “Let’s hope the creek didn’t muddle the print up too much.” He stood, wiping his hands on his pants then held out a hand to Alana. She accepted then headed back to the ATV, eyeing the scrub brush and grasses around them.

  They’d started down the creekside and were able to ride alongside each other. Sam glanced over at her. “You doing okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m handling it okay.” She gestured with her chin toward the machine. “It’s almost like riding my grandfather’s riding lawn mower.”

  “With a few more horsepower, yeah. I meant are you okay otherwise. You seemed a little spooked back there.” Sam returned his gaze to the trail in front of them, but Alana noticed his small changes is head’s tilt and realized he continuously scanned right and left without seeming to change position.

  “I just realized how open this country is. How vulnerable you can be.”

  “Any neck tingles or chills?”

  “No. No one walked over my grave. Why? Did you see anything?”

  He shook his head. “If I’d seen something we wouldn’t be back on these monsters. We’d be behind a tree or rock. No, I just wondered. I’ve learned to trust those chills and feelings.”

  “Did you have them in the middle east?”

  “All the time and I only discounted them one time.” His tone became flat.

  “When you and Kid were injured?” She guessed.

  “Yeah. Last time I don’t trust my instincts, or anyone else’s.”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes then Alana gave in to her curiosity. “Why didn’t you assign Kid a patrol like the others?”

  “I told you--”

  “The real reason,” she pressed.

  “He’s my responsibility,” Sam answered with a staccato tone, sending a clear message she wouldn’t get any more information. But then, she didn’t need any.

  Sam’s radio squawked, startling Alana into squeezing her brake and stuttering on the trail. Sam slowed his own machine but kept going as he answered the summons. “Sidewinder, go ahead.”

  “We found evidence of a camp.” The static filled response came through with enough clarity to send Alana’s pulse racing.

  “Where?”

  “About three clicks east of the ranch. Looks like he’d pitched a tent, had a small fire or stove and something bigger than an ATV. Larger wheel base but not big enough for an SUV.”

  Sam pulled his machine in the shadow of a scrubby tree and motioned for Alana to stop beside him. He pulled his helmet off before responding to the message. “How old is the fire?”

  “It’s cold.”

  “Okay. Surveil the area and report back. You got back up?”

  “I’m the east point.”

  Alana watched as Sam’s face darkened and he continued. “You armed?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. Keep your eyes peeled and be careful. Report back every thirty.”

  The radio went silent after the other man acknowledged Sam. Alana put her hand on his arm. “Translation?”

  Sam heaved a breath. “Price had a campsite a couple miles east of the ranch. He’s not been there since around morning, since the ashes are cold. Kodak, the guy on the radio, is alone on the east point of the V and he’s going to keep watch as he heads back.” He looked up at the sky, a bright blu
e with the odd cloud drifting by. “I need to call everyone in. You want to take a break?”

  She stared at him. “Call them in? Why? We haven’t found Charlie yet.”

  “But we know he’s passed here and the searchers can all converge on this area to increase our chances.”

  She nodded finally and relaxed, removing her own helmet. As Sam called the searchers, she removed a water bottle and sipped at it, more for something to do than anything. She offered him the bottle after he returned his radio to his belt. He drank then handed it back to her before starting his machine again.

  Several minutes later they rounded a small hill and saw a rider in the distance. Alana’s spurt of happiness faded when she realized the rider wasn’t Charlie. Sam sped up, obviously intent on intercepting the rider when Alana recognized the brown-haired man.

  Kid pulled his horse up as he came even with Sam and Alana. “I found his horse.”

  She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “Beast? You found Beast? Where is he? And where is Charlie?”

  Kid shook his head and held his hand out to halt her. “Beast is okay, I sent him back to the ranch. He knows his way. Charlie wasn’t with him.” Kid turned his steely gaze on Sam, “I think somebody has him.”

  Sam revved his engine. “Alana, go back to the ranch and call the police. Kid, show me where you found the horse.”

  “No! I’m going with you.” Alana’s protest was met with Sam’s slashing his arm in the air.

  “I’m going to go as fast as this damn machine will carry me. You think you can keep up?” He didn’t wait for her response. “We need some law enforcement here, Lana. We need someone who can justify what I’m going to have to do. Now go back to the ranch. I’ll radio in as soon as I know anything more.”

  She gritted her teeth as she watched the two men ride off, Kid leaning over his horse and Sam following along, his ATV bouncing over the rough terrain. She turned her own machine and followed the trail back to the ranch, fighting tears of frustration and panic all the way.

  As she pulled into the ranch yard, she noticed Hannah and Talley alongside Beast. The horse’s sides were wet and lathered as if he’d run full tilt the entire way to the ranch. Alana dismounted her machine and jogged to the couple. “Has Sam radioed yet?”