Black Rock Guardian

by Jenna Kernan

  Ty let that soak in. All his life they had been there, this dark black hole that swallowed up their youth and from which they could not escape. But he and the tribe had done what couldn’t be managed before. The Wolf Posse was no more.

  “We have to make sure they aren’t replaced by another gang,” said Ty.

  Jake smiled. “Might be a good job for you.”

  Ty shook his head, not understanding what he could do.

  “All this time,” said Jake, “I was looking up to Wallace Tinnin and Jack Bear Den, when you were right there in front of me. I feel so stupid.”

  “He was behind you,” said Kee. “Behind all of us. That’s why we couldn’t see him.”

  Ty placed a hand over his mouth to keep them from seeing his trembling lower lip.

  “Can I see Abbie and Ma?” he asked.

  * * *

  TY WAS BACK at tribal headquarters the next morning and greeted by Kee’s girl, Ava Hood.

  “They’re waiting for you in the chief’s office,” she said.

  A step up from the interrogation room, he thought.

  “Good work, Ty,” said Ava, and gave him a warm smile.

  This feeling of pride was so new to him he didn’t know what to do with it.

  “Thanks,” he said, and ducked his head, making his way across the squad room.

  On the way he was congratulated by Officer Harold Shay and thanked by Officer Daniel Wetselline. Detective Jack Bear Den stood at the chief’s office and extended his hand. Ty took it and accepted both the handshake and Bear Den’s sincere thanks to him for coming in.

  Ty felt as if he’d stepped into some alternate universe, where he was no longer a “known associate of the Wolf Posse” and a potential threat to the tribe. It felt so odd and he was uncomfortable in his own skin.

  One glance told him that Beth Hoosay was still not here. It seemed they were intentionally keeping them apart. Or perhaps Beth knew better than to buy the hometown-hero bit. Perhaps she did not wish to see him again, not even to say goodbye.

  Tinnin waited for Ty to be seated in front of the large wooden desk that seemed to have survived from another century.

  “It’s possible that Chino Aria might testify in exchange for a deal. He would be tried here in our court system. What’s your opinion on that?” Tinnin asked.

  Ty tried to think of the last time anyone had asked his opinion on anything other than auto paint color and came up short. “He’s dangerous. Wanted to take over the posse. If he’s out, he’ll try to build it again.”

  Bear Den met the chief’s gaze and there was a silent exchange. Ty surmised that this was the opinion of at least one of them.

  “What about the others?” asked Ty.

  “The rest will be turned over to the DA for federal prosecution.”

  It was a break from past practices. The tribal leadership tried very diligently to take care of all violations of law. But they had never faced an organization that preyed on their women and worked with a notorious criminal organization.

  “That’s a good move,” said Ty.

  They reviewed his statement with him and he signed it.

  “Anything else?” asked Tinnin.

  “Randy Tasa?” asked Ty.

  “Yeah, he’s in some trouble. But we’ll handle it within the tribe.”

  Ty approved of that. Even considered taking Randy under his wing. The boy reminded Ty of himself at times, trying to please and fit in and look out for his sister even when she was a mess and far beyond his help.

  The last question was hardest. “Will I be seeing Beth Hoosay again?”

  “Not officially,” said Forrest. “She’s been retrieved by the Oklahoma field office. She’ll complete her work on this case from there.”

  Ty thought he did not succeed in keeping the emotions from showing in his expression. What did you do with a broken heart when it fell into your lap before a roomful of tough, seasoned lawmen?

  “Doesn’t stop you from seeing her unofficially,” said Tinnin.

  Ty met his gaze and then let it slip away. He was not going to chase after Beth unless she made it known that the partnership that he had taken all the way to his heart had affected her in some way.

  Tinnin’s sigh was audible and he lifted his spur, the one that perpetually sat on his desk, and spun the rowel absently. “When this is all settled, the tribe would like to offer you a position.”

  “Auto pool?” he asked, trying not to feel insulted. It was considerate of them to think at all about his future because the market for fast cars by the Wolf Posse had just dried up.

  Thank goodness and heck, yeah, he thought.

  “No,” said Bear Den. “With the tribal council and in conjunction with our school system. They want you as a youth counselor.”

  “A what?” His head snapped up and he looked from one man to the next. They did not smirk and nothing in their expressions indicated that they were pulling his leg.

  “I don’t have any qualifications for that,” he said.

  “We disagree. You are overqualified to work with troubled kids and we have more than most,” said Tinnin. “We’d consider it an honor to have you. And if you want some letters after your name, Kenshaw Little Falcon has offered to help you apply to the correct programs. Though I doubt they’ll teach you anything you don’t already know about human nature.”

  Ty stammered, “I—I don’t know what to say.”

  It was a position of merit and respect. The very last sort of job he ever expected to be offered.

  “Say yes,” said Tinnin.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Beth waited with Hemi on the bottom step of Ty’s place. She’d missed him this morning. Her black Escalade waited in his drive before the closed bay doors, packed and ready to go. Forrest had assured her that once this case was settled she’d have her pick of any field office in the country.

  She was considering Phoenix. It wasn’t New York, but it was a larger office than Oklahoma, though that no longer seemed to matter. She began to wonder if the real reason that she had wanted out of Oklahoma was that it was where her father had died. Perhaps some distance would help her come to terms with her mother’s anger and allow them both to mend their relationship.

  She’d called her mother today for the first time in she didn’t know when. The conversation had been awkward, but it was a start.

  Strange that, accidentally, while she was trying to solve a case, she had fallen in with a tribe and a family and a man who had all reminded her that family was worth fighting for. Ty had shown her what it felt like to be a part of something, and she wanted that. She loved it here. Turquoise Canyon was beautiful and, with all its flaws and troubles, it had people of character who loved this land and this tribe with the sort of selfless hearts she admired.

  And Ty was here. If this was where he intended to be, then this was where she would stay, if he’d let her. He was worth losing a placement over. Why did she need to go to New York? The job here was no less valuable and neither the size of the field office nor the prestige of the placement made any difference to her now. She knew that because she’d finally gotten what she’d wanted and it didn’t make her feel more important or more valuable.

  She accepted in her heart that trying to be placed in an office of ex-army rangers and special ops agents would not bring her closer to her father any more than riding her bike or joining the army had done.

  The offices in New York and DC handled big problems—global problems—and they were important. But so was this corner of the Southwest, so close to the Mexican border with all that that entailed.

  The question remained, would Ty let her in?

  The sound of the GTO’s engine was unmistakable. Beth stood to greet Ty. Hemi rose and stretched, glancing back at her before trotting out to the road to escort Ty’s gold Pontiac in
to his drive. He parked beside her Escalade, hands gripping the wheel as he glanced to her, and cut the engine. His expression was grim and his movements were slow as he exited the vehicle. Everything about him said he dreaded this meeting. Beth’s heart sank and her smile dropped away.

  He greeted Hemi with a pat and the dog trotted off to circle his Pontiac, sniffing as she went.

  “Hey,” Ty said.

  “Hi there,” she replied, forcing her hands into her back pockets, which caused her blazer to gape in the front so her shoulder holster and pistol showed.

  She’d killed his father. The scene flashed before her, and her smile went brittle. What did he think of that?

  Ty approached with a slow, measured tread.

  “So, you all packed?” he asked, thumbing toward her vehicle. She was but not for the reasons he suspected.

  She began to wonder what Forrest had told him. Did he know about her being called back to Oklahoma?

  Ty continued without waiting for an answer. “You did it. Made a big case. Broke up the surrogate ring and took down our gang. Well done, Agent Hoosay.”

  “We don’t have all your girls back yet. Still working on that.”

  “You think you’ll find them?” he asked.

  His gaze slipped over her and she felt her body responding to just his glance. She held herself back, not wanting to make a mistake. This was too important. “I have confidence that their location will come to light. I’m not going to give up.”

  “That’s good.”

  He wasn’t looking at her now and it seemed he was trying not to look at her.

  “Ty?” she asked. She drew her hands from her pockets and intended for them to hang at her sides but found herself reaching for him. “I have to go to Oklahoma for a while. But it’s temporary.”

  “Before you get your promotion?”

  “Yes, but I’d call it a choice of placements.”

  “I remember. DC or NYC. All the important initials.” Ty’s shoulder throbbed. His heart ached and he could not keep himself from staring at her. She was going without him, onward and upward, to take on the world. And he would stay here and protect his tiny corner of it. “Congratulations, Agent Hoosay. I’m happy for you.”

  How had he even managed to say that? Happy for her? He needed to get away before he did something unforgivable, like begging her to stay here. He glanced at his garage and the tiny apartment above, feeling all his insecurities roiling up like the river after the monsoon.

  She reached and took hold of him by each hand, her cold palms sliding into his warmer ones. “Are you? I was hoping you’d want me to stay.”

  He blinked at her. “Stay? Stay where?”

  Hemi returned and nosed at their joined hands. Beth laughed and released one hand to pet Hemi’s blockish head.

  “Ty, I don’t want to leave you. If you let me, I’ll transfer to the office in Phoenix or Flagstaff so this would be my territory.” She motioned to the world around them.

  “Here? You want to stay here? That doesn’t make any sense,” he said, but his heart was hammering now, crashing against his ribs like a fist. “Why would you do that?”

  “To be with you.”

  He withdrew his hand from hers and stepped back. “No. You are not giving up everything you’ve worked for to stay here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’ll resent me for it, for making you lose your chance.”

  “First, I wouldn’t have a chance if you hadn’t helped me because we both know I had exactly zero likelihood to make this case alone. Second, I love it here. Your tribe is special, Ty. You’re special.”

  “You’re making a mistake,” he said.

  “No mistake. I love you, Ty, and I will do anything and everything to prove it.”

  “I don’t want you here.”

  She gave him a knowing smile. “Yeah, right. Not this time, buddy.”

  He shook his head, not understanding what she meant.

  “You think love is selfless. You sacrificed for your family, to keep your brothers safe, to give them families of their own, and you did all that at your own expense. How about I show you the kind of love that does not require loss? My love for you will make us stronger and it won’t hurt.”

  He swallowed past the lump.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered.

  Beth stepped into his arms and wrapped her hands about his neck, kissing him on the lips. When she drew back, he was certain that he wondered if she might really mean it.

  “I’m yours, Ty Redhorse. I’ve found the best man for me and you know I am not letting you go. I love you, Ty.”

  He gathered her against his chest, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

  “Thank God,” he whispered.

  Epilogue

  Two months passed, and January arrived with a cold, constant rain. Here in Atlanta, Georgia, the winter was wet and gray. The raid had been successful. Ty and Beth stood together outside the adults-only establishment in FBI rain slickers. The puddles and wet pavement reflected the flashing neon pink of the sign that read: Girls All Nude and the red and blue lights of the police cruisers.

  The local FBI field agents brought out the entertainers one by one. Beside Ty stood his brother Colt and Colt’s wife, Kacey. The arrest of Victor Vitoli and his crew had led to the capture of Leonard Usov himself. Usov was the head of the western territory for the Kuznetsov crime organization. Kostya Kuznetsov himself was in custody and Ty trusted Beth’s assessment that the crime boss would not be wriggling out of the charges against him.

  Both Maggie Kesselman and Brenda Espinoza had been recovered in December from a surrogate house outside Tucson, both pregnant. They were two of many recovered just days after a raid spearheaded by Luke Forrest based on intel from the materials and files recovered during the Turquoise Canyon rez case.

  Forrest had given Beth a courtesy call so Kacey Doka Redhorse and Colt could be on hand for the recovery of Kacey’s best friend. With Usov and Vitoli behind bars, there was no need to continue their witness protection. The young couple had elected to come home immediately with their son, Charlie.

  Chief Wallace Tinnin had come with them along with their tribe’s psychologist and medicine man, Kenshaw Little Falcon. Tinnin wore a tribal police jacket and Kenshaw stood in a saturated sheepskin jacket, more appropriate for the mountains of Arizona. The wide brims of their cowboy hats kept the rain from their faces.

  The back door of the building banged open. A group of three more women emerged, their eyes wide and frightened. Some of the employees here were legitimate, but many were human slaves, sold to this establishment by the Kuznetsov organization. Here they worked as servers, dancers and prostitutes, never leaving the property. Ty wondered how Faras would feel at seeing them at the moment of their release, thin, hunched and defeated. The shame wafted from them like a living thing. Ty grieved at witnessing their suffering.

  Beside him, Kacey gave a shout. Then she called out, “Marta!”

  The last girl in the group turned. Her once lovely brown skin had taken on yellowish undertones and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. But Ty knew her. That was Marta Garcia, Kacey’s dearest friend and the last of their women to be recovered.

  Marta’s eyes widened and her hands came to her mouth. Tears sprang from her eyes. Kacey ran the distance to her friend. The two embraced, sobbing, as they dropped to their knees in the parking lot in the rain.

  Ty swallowed down the lump in his throat at witnessing their reunion. He hoped that the tribe would follow through with their decision to turn all members of the Wolf Posse over to state authorities for prosecution with the exception of Randy Tasa. He was glad that Detective Bear Den had agreed to foster Randy. With that sort of role model in his life, the boy would have a chance.

  Forrest stepped up beside Ty.

  “W
hat will happen to Marta’s baby?” asked Ty.

  He knew from Beth that they had found the names of all the birth parents who had donated sperm and paid exorbitant fees for the care of their surrogates without knowing that the photos and reports they received were all bogus. Their surrogates were not happy, smart college grad students funding their education through surrogacy. They were slaves.

  “Courts will have to decide. There will be repercussions.”

  “You mean fines?”

  “Definitely. Perhaps criminal charges. They’ve broken the law by not using the legitimate options available to them. I don’t know if the state will take away their children. They’re the genetic parents, but...” Forrest rubbed his neck. “I’m glad I don’t have to sort that all out.”

  Colt left them to go to his wife and her friend. He wrapped a blanket about Marta’s shoulders and Kacey helped her rise.

  “You’re going home with us, Marta. It’s over now,” said Kacey.

  Marta clung and nodded. Ty thought it would not be over for the victims for quite some time. Such abuse left damage. But he knew that Kenshaw had put together a mental health team to help the returned deal with their emotional trauma. Just as he had helped his mom in the aftermath of the shooting.

  Perhaps the women who had been taken would find some comfort in knowing that no other among them would suffer what they had gone through because of the work of the good people of their tribe.

  “You ready to go home, Ty?” Beth asked.

  Her transfer had been approved and she now worked out of the FBI field office in Phoenix, Arizona. He nodded and took her hand and they headed back toward the waiting vehicles, getting out of the way and letting the locals take care of business.

  * * *

  THE WOLF POSSE was crushed. Ty and Beth would be two of many who would make sure that it would not rise from the dust. But first they had a wedding to plan and a house to build.

  “I’ve been thinking of buying some horses,” she said.

  “Barrel racing?” he asked.

  “Yeah. For a start.”