by KJ Dahlen
They said they could deal with him pissed but when he went into a rage, they ran and hid until he got over his snit. At the moment, his eyes were dark for a reason. When he went to the headquarters to turn over the Red Tide samples and antidote, his supervisor had called him into his office and had given him some unsettling news.
Darren Nixon was now claiming after fifteen years that he hadn’t gotten a fair trial. He was saying the Marshals had held back the evidence that would put him in another part of the state when Grizzly’s partner was killed. Grizzly didn’t know what the older man was up to, but the Marshals had held nothing back. Grizzly himself had testified at the old man’s trial he was a witness and saw him shoot his partner, Abe Marley.
In fact, it had been a hail of bullets from Grizzly’s own gun which had wrecked the old man’s arm that same night. Nixon had shot back before he lost consciousness and had hit Grizzly. Then before he passed out, Grizzly knew the other man was down. When he woke up in the hospital hours later, the other Marshals explained that his bullets tore Nixon’s arm all to hell and he’d lost the use of his limb altogether. They told him he was threatening a lawsuit for brutality and Grizzly told them to let him try. Then they informed him that Abe was gone. Nixon had shot him in the head and there was no way he could have survived.
When he’d been released from the hospital, Grizzly made it his mission to follow every lead and make sure Nixon went to prison for the rest of his natural life. He followed protocol and went by the book. So when the judge was done with Darren Nixon, he knew he would die in prison.
Now fifteen years later, he comes up with some bullshit evidence that wasn’t available back then? How did he explain the loss of his arm? How did he explain Grizzly identifying him as being there when Abe died?
Grizzly shook his head. He swung his leg over the engine of his bike and just as he went to stand, he froze for a second. The short hairs on the back of his neck were tingling and he learned a long time ago to listen to those tingles.
He closed his eyes and used his other senses to try and figure out where the threat might be coming from. But he couldn’t pinpoint it. He got to his feet and took a slow turn as his eyes searched the area carefully.
Still, he couldn’t find any danger out there but he knew all the same something was wrong. He slowly reached for his weapon and made another turn around.
Just then, the front door opened and he could see several men coming out. The men of Savaged Souls.
They saw his stance and went on alert pulling their guns and gazing all around. They spread out and covered every angle.
Gunner ducked behind his own bike as Boone crouched down beside the garbage cans. Gypsy ducked behind a car parked in the lot and Patriot sneaked around the corner to make his way behind the line of bikes, so he could come out on the other side.
No one knew what they were waiting on but if one of the brothers was in trouble, they all stood with him.
“What you got Griz?” Gunner called out softly.
“Not sure yet boss,” Grizzly replied. “But my gut tells me something is there.”
“Any idea where?”
“Nope and that’s weird because I can usually tell.”
Gunner grabbed his phone and sent a text to Rigger.
She laid along the branch and watched the front of the compound. She’d been here since before dawn and now, the sun was full strength. She could take the heat, she’d grown up in Texas after all. Born and raised in Laredo, she knew what heat was and how to protect herself from it.
Moving very slowly, she slipped another lozenge into her mouth to moisten it and continued to wait. She heard the one they called Grizzly was supposed to be on his way back today. She also knew she would only get one chance to do this.
Not that she wanted this particular privilege. If she lived through this, she was going to hunt down the man who put her here and make him sorry he was ever born. Then she would hunt his bitch down and make her pay for her part in this tragedy.
She glanced at the Winchester on the branch beside her. The .308 Winchester was an older version but it had a proud history. The ebony stock had been replaced by this new version, hand carved and polished by her grandfather. Her grandfather knew she loved wild horses and he had hand carved one onto the stock. He taught her how to shoot when she was only five. Granted, he taught her with a bb gun but it wasn’t long before she had a real weapon in her hands. Her grandfather always said she had a gift as she was a natural but he always taught her to respect the weapons as well. And this rifle was special to her. It was his last gift to her before he died on her fifteenth birthday...almost half her lifetime ago now. She had often admired his rifle and he was proud of her skills. He had done the carving himself and she had won award after award with this rifle.
Now she would have to spoil its honorable history by using it to kill a man. This thought went against everything she’d ever been taught and she didn’t know if she could even do such a thing. She grabbed her locket, the only piece of jewelry she wore and hung onto it. She was only here because she loved the man who had given her the locket. She had to try for his sake. She hated being in this position and she hated Levi Nixon.
Then she saw a lone rider pull into the compound. Bringing the rifle up to her shoulder, she gazed through the scope as the man himself came into view. Dayum, this guy is huge. He stood at least six and half feet tall and his shoulders would barely fit through a regular size doorway. His hair was dark with streaks of a lighter shade, his face was covered by a full beard, but she was too far away to see his eyes.
She wiped a bead of sweat away from her forehead and fretted about not being able to see his eyes. She remembered the old saying she’d heard for years... that a person’s eyes were a window into their soul and she always liked to believe she could tell what kind of person you were by looking into your eyes.
She adjusted the scope on her rifle and brought his face in closer. She needed to see his eyes. When he turned his head, she gasped. His eyes were dark brown. They seemed to be searching at the moment. She had a feeling deep in her heart that he was—searching for her.
But she saw something more in his eyes as well. His eyes were kind. She had no idea where that thought came from but it was there. There was no coldness to his eyes. Not like Levi’s eyes. Levi’s eyes were cold and had an almost vacant look to them, as if he didn’t care about anything. And she didn’t think he actually did.
She’d seen the four other men that joined her target. But she couldn’t worry about them. She was up high enough in the tree just outside the compound and the leaves would hide her position.
Yet, in the back of her mind, she figured she’d never come back from this. She already knew her dad was a dead man. If Levi hadn’t killed him yet, he would soon enough. She prayed these men would find the letter she left in case they killed her. The letter explained everything, including why she had done what she did.
She wiped the sweat away from her forehead again and pressed the rifle stock into her shoulder. She sent a small prayer to heaven to make her miss her shot and she prayed the men wouldn’t miss.
Pressing her eye to the scope, she took careful aim. Her trigger finger moved to curl around the trigger carefully. At the last minute, she closed her eyes as a single tear ran down her face then as smoothly and gently as she was taught— she pulled her finger gently back on the trigger.
A shot rang out....
Chapter Two
Grizzly dropped to the ground and didn’t move for a moment.
Gunner scanned the area as did Boone, Gypsy and Patriot.
Just then, Gunner’s phone pinged and he looked down. Reading the text from Rigger, he motioned at the tree on the other side of the gate.
Each man waited for another shot and when none came, Gunner took aim and ripped off three shots. They heard a scream and then watched as a figure fell from the lofty perch.
Grizzly slowly got to his feet and turned around to look at the tree.
/>
Gunner snapped his head around and gazed at the big guy. “You’re not dead?”
Grizzly snorted, “Hell no, I’m not dead. The bullet barely grazed my arm. Whoever the shooter is, they’re a lousy shot. I’m a little hard to miss.” He turned and started for the tree where the shooter was laying on the ground.
The rest of the men had their weapons ready but they followed him. The closer they got the deeper Grizzly’s frown became. The figure was dressed in camo fatigues but was a small person. If this was a guy, he must be just a kid. The closer he came the more he was able to determine the sex of the shooter. This guy wasn’t a guy at all. He paused at the base of the tree and stared down at the shooter.
His eyes widened when he saw the shooter was a woman. A very pissed off woman. She wasn’t very big, maybe a whole five foot nothing, slender but not skinny and very well formed as her assets were on display.
Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that draped over her shoulder and hung to her waist. But it was her face and most especially her eyes that drew his attention. They were almost a copper color at the moment and he’d never seen that particular color before.
She closed her eyes and whispered, “Oh thank god you’re alive!” Then she burst into tears. “Oh god, what have I done?” she wailed.
Grizzly held out his hand and she refused to take it.
Patriot reached down to haul her to her feet.
Grizzly turned on him. “Don’t you touch her.” He leaned over and came closer to her. He could see the pain in her eyes and as he looked her over, he noticed the blood on her shoulder. Again, he held out his hand to her and finally she took it.
He helped her to her feet gently.
Boone reached down and picked up her rifle from where it landed when she fell out of the tree.
She stared at the rifle in Boone’s hand and looked upset as she bit her lip and tears ran down her cheeks.
Grizzly watched her face for a moment then turned and looked at Boone. “Be careful with that.”
Boone and the girl stared at him with surprise.
Boone turned his eyes on the weapon in his hand and studied it carefully. The rifle seemed old, but it looked well cared for, as there wasn’t a speck of rust anywhere on it. Nor was the stock worn or chipped. Instead, the carving made it stand out.
Everyone turned to glare at the woman who stood there with her head hanging.
Grizzly was the closest one to her and he saw her sway and begin to crumble. He caught her in his arms and swung her up into his arms. Then he started toward the clubhouse. “Patriot, I believe she is going to need you,” he called over his shoulder.
Patriot looked over at Gunner who shrugged his shoulders and turned to follow them in. Patriot shook his head and muttered under his breath but he too, followed the group back into the clubhouse.
Grizzly had carried her all the way into the Infirmary and was just sitting her down on one of the beds when Gunner, Patriot, Boone and Gypsy filed into the room.
Patriot went to Grizzly first and ripped his sleeve up on his shoulder to look at the wound on his arm.
Grizzly shrugged the other man off. “I told you I’m okay. You need to look at her wound first.”
“Why man?” Patriot wanted to know. “She tried to kill you. Do I need to remind you of that?”
Grizzly stared at him then turned his head and looked at the others. “If she really wanted me dead, I’d be dead. But I’m not, so it’s a moot point, don’t you think?” Turning back to Patriot, he growled, “Now look at her wound.”
Patriot looked again at Gunner and at his prez’s shrug, he turned his attention to the girl.
She reached out and touched Grizzly’s arm. “I’m sorry but I had no choice.” Shaking her head, she repeated in a whisper, “I had no choice.” Fresh tears ran down her face as she stared off into the distance.
Patriot undid her shirt and tried to pull it off her shoulder, but the girl cried out. He exposed her chest and bra.
Grizzly growled.
She knew this needed to be done so she shook her head and grabbed his hand. She pulled him closer and at the same time, sat herself up and leaned against his belly as the shirt was being cut away from her wound rather than pulled off her.
Grizzly didn’t know why she clung to him but he didn’t mind it. She didn’t cry out as Patriot cleaned the wound and checked things out.
He looked up at Gunner and said, “It’s a through and though. The bullet isn’t inside her shoulder anymore. All I can do is clean it and bandage it.”
Gunner nodded. While Patriot did that Gunner looked the rifle over. He picked it up from the table Boone had placed it on and studied the weapon inch by inch. It really was a unique rifle. He turned it over and was surprised to find a name etched in the barrel. Theo Alexander
He snapped up his head up to study the girl. He found her looking back at him with resignation in her eyes.
She knew he recognized who she was. The game was over.
“Gentlemen, we are in the presence of almost royalty.” He snarled. “Meet Teddy Alexander, daughter of Ethan and granddaughter of our State commissioner of police, the late Theo Alexander.” He shook his head. “How the mighty have fallen. Does your dad have any idea what you just tried to do?” He glared at her. “Your grandfather would turn over in his grave if he could see you now.”
Grizzly’s eyes widened at Gunner's announcement. Teddy Alexander? She was almost a legend in the police community. She had followed her father and her grandfather into the field of police work, so nothing that happened today made any sense to him.
If she had taken aim at him he would, should now be dead. What the hell happened? Another good question would be why? Why had she taken a shot at him?
Gunner handed the .308 Winchester to Boone. “Put this somewhere safe. We’ll need it for evidence when she goes to trial.”
“Wait a moment,” Teddy called out softly. Patriot had finished his work and now she tried to stand up.
Grizzly helped her get to her feet then stood by in case she needed more help.
But Teddy didn’t need more help. She reached inside her holster on her hip and very carefully took out her Glock slowly. She handed it to Grizzly, then went to her ankle holster, took out a small handgun and handed it to Grizzly as well. Then she unbuckled her Bowie knife and handed it to him. Reaching into her pocket, she took out another slimmer blade and gave it to him.
She was about to sit back down then remembered her back holster. She very carefully reached back and took out her last weapon then extended it to a stunned Grizzly.
The men in the room all stared at her actions as the pile of weapons she had strapped grew, as their brows rose up.
“Damn girl, you were loaded for bear weren’t you?” Grizzly shook his head. The joke was lost in the tense moment, however.
She turned her head to stare at him a moment before she whispered, “I know you won’t believe me, but I didn’t want this. All my life, I’ve respected the law and now I just blew it.” Shaking her head she added, “I didn’t have a choice. It was life or death and now, he’s more than likely dead.” She laid down on the mattress and curled into a small ball. Her eyes closed and she cried soundlessly.
Gunner frowned as he stared at her, as did the others.
Grizzly grew worried about her and he turned to give her weapons to Gunner. When Gunner took them, Grizzly turned back to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. He studied her and was worried when he saw the expression in her eyes. “Teddy, what’s going on here? Why were you up a tree with a rifle in your hands?”
But Teddy didn’t answer him. She couldn’t. So much had changed in her world recently that nothing made any sense anymore.
When she didn’t answer him, Grizzly grew concerned about her and he reached out to touch her shoulder. Her skin was freezing cold and he thought she might be going into shock. He quickly covered her up with a blanket and was encouraged when he saw her gripping the
edges of the blanket on her own.
Her eyes remained closed as she whispered something.
Her voice was so faint he had to lean in to hear what she was saying.
“I’m so sorry daddy. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t save you.”
Grizzly frowned and glanced at Gunner then back at Teddy.
She was shaking badly now.
Even Patriot looked alarmed. He quickly grabbed his stethoscope, pushed the blanket down and listened to her heartbeat. He looked up at Gunner and shook his head. “Fucking hell, she’s going into shock.”
“Do something.” Grizzly growled impatiently.
Patriot moved away from the bed and grabbed some IV’s. One of them was saline and the other was blood plasma. He injected both of them into her veins and they watched and waited for some time to see if they would work. He kept his scope on her at all times and as soon as her heartbeat started slowing down, he looked up and nodded. “I think she’ll be okay now. She must have been dehydrated. I’m going to give her something to make her sleep for a while. She needs to rest.”
“We need some answers too,” Gunner reminded him.
Grizzly turned to the others and said, “She whispered something about her father. How she couldn’t do it, she couldn’t save him. What the fuck do you think she was talking about?”
“I don’t know,” Gunner admitted. “But I have a feeling there is more to her story than what we know.” Looking over at Patriot he asked, “How long will she be out?”
“Could be a couple of hours,” Patriot replied.
Gunner nodded. “Well, you watch over her until she comes to again, and then we’ll put a guard on her until we can talk to her. We need to know what’s going on here.” He turned to leave.
Patriot finally asked, “Can I look at your arm now Griz? Even if it's only a scratch, it needs to be cleaned or stitched up.”
Grizzly sounded just like the bear he was named for when he growled, “Fine but it won’t need stitches. Just clean it and slap a Band-Aid on it and we’ll call it good.” He turned to Gunner. “I need to talk to you guys. An old case is heating up and I might have to go back to Dallas for a few days to clear it up.”
