by KJ Dahlen
“He seems to think I’m a helpless little girl.” She growled. “Or that I can’t take care of myself.”
“Are you going to let him continue to think that or are you going to show him the kind of stuff you’re made of?” Weston asked her.
She met his eyes above the rim of her cup. “Oh, I plan to show him and all the others, the kind of stuff I’m made of. I’m going to show them all what grandpa taught me. I will not be ignored.”
“Good girl.” Weston grinned. “I got the truck already packed. All you need is that fancy rifle Theo gave you.”
She got to her feet and nodded, “I have to tell my dad where I’m going and then I’ll be back.”
Weston raised an eyebrow at her. “Are these guys going to try and stop you?”
Teddy smiled but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “They better not, or I’ll show them another little trick grandpa taught me.” She turned on her heel and went back down the hall. She walked into the Infirmary and saw that her dad was wide awake. “Daddy, I don’t have much time but I wanted to tell you the guys left early this morning. They went after Logan.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “And they left you behind?”
“Yes Daddy, I know it doesn’t make sense does it?” She shrugged.
“But you’re following them right?”
“Of course, I am. This is my fight too. Besides, why should they get to have all the fun?”
“Well honey, you better get going then huh?” Ethan knew his daughter very well indeed.
She bent down to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be back daddy.”
“You’d better be. Take care baby girl. Do your grandpa and me proud.”
“I will.” She smiled then turned to leave.
She got almost to the door when Ethan called out, “Defend honey, not revenge. Logan is still your grandfather as well.”
Teddy turned her head to look at him. “Oh, I won’t kill him. I think he deserves everything that he’s got coming to him. The same with Reva. No one is above the law.” She disappeared out the door.
Ethan had to shake his head. Her young man Grizzly had a lot to learn about his woman and he just hoped Grizzly was man enough to realize that.
Patriot walked in and looked at Ethan. “Where does your daughter think she’s going?”
Ethan shrugged.
“Gunner locked up her rifle, you know that don’t you?”
“Never crossed my mind that he wouldn’t,” Ethan told him.
Patriot just stared at him.
Teddy growled when she reached the bedroom and couldn’t find her rifle. Then it dawned on her, she knew Gunner didn’t trust her not to follow them. She just shook her head. “Oh ye of such little faith,” she whispered. She grabbed her bag and marched out to the main room.
Then she joined Weston again. “They took my rifle.”
Weston snorted. “And they thought that would stop you? The damn fools.” He shook his head. “Come on, I said I had the truck loaded and there’s something waiting for you in there.”
Teddy got to her feet and frowned. “What did you do?”
“Fifteen years ago, after your grandfather died, the Sheriff took all your grandpa’s guns into custody. Only problem was they didn’t find them all. He had three in a hidden gun safe.” He shrugged. “I was under no obligation to tell them anything at the time, so I didn’t.”
Did she dare to hope? “Was one of the rifles they missed grandpa’s ole Blue?”
Weston smiled but didn’t say anything. Instead, he said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Come on girl, let’s go to town, and get you some clothes. Levi didn’t leave you much time to pack for this trip. The lousy bastard that he was.”
Teddy nodded. “Yeah, I do need something other than Grizzly’s shirts.”
The men sitting there didn’t seem to care.
Weston got to his feet and motioned for her to leave the room. Walking to the front door, he ushered her out of the building and over to his truck. When he got behind the wheel, he told her, “Let’s get out of town, and I’ll stop and get ole Blue out for you. You’ll have to clean it in the truck as we need to get some miles behind us but I know that won’t be a problem for you.”
She snorted. “I can’t believe you saved ole Blue.” She looked over at him. “Do you know what they did with the rest of his guns?”
Then it was Weston who snorted. “They put them on display at the Capitol building in Dallas. They said it was to honor Theo but your dad asked them to release his weapons and the chief there wouldn’t do it.” He shrugged and said, “There will never be another man like your grandpa for sure. But they should have let Ethan have his weapons. That was just wrong.”
She shrugged. “He’ll be happy to know what happened to ole Blue though. That was one gun, grandpa would never let me touch. He always said ole Blue was fitted to serve him and him alone.”
“Well girl, you better get used to it if you plan on having your man’s back in this fight. There’s no room for error here.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I have a feeling ole Blue will cooperate with me. He’s been waiting for justice for too many years and it's finally time.”
Weston shook his head. “You actually talk like ole Blue has feelings. Honey, it’s a gun, nothing more, nothing less.”
“I know that. But Theo Alexander was one hell of a man and he deserved more than a bullet in the back, a hell of a lot more. Only a coward shoots a man in the back. He should have at least faced grandpa when he shot him. Now is the time for justice to be served.”
Weston got well out of town before he pulled into a rest stop. He went to the silver tool holder just in the back of the cab and using a key he opened it and took out a buckskin rifle sleeve. He grabbed Theo’s ammo bag and cleaning kit as well. Shutting down the lid again, he passed the weapons and other stuff through the open door.
Teddy took the buckskin sleeve and put it between her legs. She waited until Weston got behind the wheel again, and back on the road before she asked, “Did you hear anything about their plans?”
Weston had to chuckle. “Oh yeah, in fact I drew them a map of Logan’s property and I pointed out where everything is located. I also showed them where the tunnel openings were located and suggested they blow them up, so the cartel can’t keep coming back and forth. That should stop them for a while anyway.”
Teddy nodded. “Do you know when this will take place?”
“I suggested around dinner time. That would give them time to get there and get set up and time for all the ranch hands to leave the ranch. Logan doesn’t like a lot of people around when he’s done for the day. He likes his privacy at night. The hands usually go home around four.”
She peeked over at the other man. “And you got all this information how?”
“I’m a patient man, sweetheart. When Theo was still alive, we used to watch that old bastard all the time. I think your grandpa knew Logan was up to something and he just needed to verify things. Then he found out about the cartel and he knew.” He paused then added, “But Theo being the sort of man he was, made his one big mistake. He talked about his plan to your dad about his taking Logan down, and we are thinking your mother must have been in the house. She must have warned her dad what was coming. That’s when Logan hired Darren to ambush Theo.”
She turned her head to look out the window. “She told me days ago that she’s always been in love with Darren. That Levi was my true and full brother. She told me that when I told her he was dead, that I took that shot when I couldn’t shoot Grizzly. She finally showed her true colors.”
“Reva never loved anyone but Reva.” Weston shook his head. “Logan never had a clue how to handle her and by the time she and your dad got together, it was too late to change her. Ethan stuck by her though, for your sake, even if it didn’t do any good in the long run.”
“I’ve known that all my life,” Teddy said. “I wouldn’t cross the street for her but I took that shot for my dad.”
Weston nodded but didn’t say anything.
They’d traveled in silence for some time, when Weston finally spoke, “So what are your plans when we do get there?”
“I need to find a spot high enough to where I can see what’s going on, so I can watch their backs but close enough not to miss when I take my shots.” She shook her head. “And I don’t want them to know I’m there until after the shooting is over. They need to concentrate on what they’re doing.”
Weston agreed. He’d been thinking for the longest time, trying to remember the outline of the ranch. Then he grinned. “I got just the spot for you, little one.”
“Ok,” Teddy said. “How much longer before we get there?”
Weston looked at his watch. “About three hours.”
“That’s enough time,” she mentioned then she loosened the ties of the buckskin sleeve and drew out her grandpa’s rifle ole Blue. Pushing her seat all the way back, she laid out her supplies and then she began cleaning the weapon. She took her time, just the way both her grandfather and her father taught her to do. When she was done with the inside, she began polishing the outside. Rubbing down the long barrel, she noted the dark blue gleam of the metal. This color was how the rifle got its name. The gunsmith had crafted this weapon from specs her grandfather had given him. He was very particular about his weapons and demanded only the best.
When she finished, she put the rifle back in its sleeve and looked over at Weston. “How close are we now?”
“Maybe twenty minutes away yet.”
“Where are we going to set up?” Teddy asked.
“Right in the middle of the action but high enough that they won’t know you’re there.”
Teddy frowned. “What are you talking about?’
“You’ll see,” was all he said.
They drove around Logan’s ranch and came in from the back door, so to speak. This way brought them to a mesa, overlooking the front of the ranch house.
Teddy got ole Blue out of the sleeve again, and went toward the edge of the rocky terrain. As she got close to the edge, she dropped down and crawled closer. Using the rocks as a shield, she lifted the rifle to her face, and peered down the scope. She just wanted to find where the men were before any trouble began.
She took her time and found most of them before she sat back. She looked up at Weston and smiled. “Now, we wait until the battle starts.”
Every few minutes, she would look through the scope again and locate where everyone was. The last time she looked over at Weston, she gave him a thumbs up. Excitement was growing in her belly and she never looked away.
She tracked them as they moved closer. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw movement from the right. She swung her scope over to see three men appear from nowhere.
“Fucking hell,” she swore softly. “Where did they come from?”
Weston grabbed up a small pair of binoculars and followed her direction. “Shit. That’s Francisco Brago. The men with him are some of his cartel.”
Teddy swung the scoped rifle back to where her men were. They didn’t seem to know the cartel were at their backs. Swinging the scope back to Brago, she got a feeling he didn’t know the men were there either.
She had to wait and see what would happen. Tension was building as she could see Brago moving closer.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked around. He must have spotted someone as he shouted a warning and drew his weapon.
Then Teddy found her target and wrapped her finger around the trigger. A calm settled the butterflies in her belly and she took aim carefully. Her finger squeezed the trigger and the shot echoed across the valley....
Chapter Thirteen
Teddy watched through her scope as Francisco Brago dropped like a stone. Two more quick rapid shots and his men were down. They were writhing and screaming in pain, so she knew they were still alive. Then she swung her rifle toward the house just as Logan Riggs came running out with a shotgun in his hands. She fired off a warning shot and he stopped quickly. Several hands came running from the barn and each of them were carrying a gun.
The MC and the Marshals joined the battle but when one of the Grizzly’s men was about to be shot in the back by one of Logan’s men, Teddy took him down.
The Marshall officer turned around and saw the man on the ground then he looked up to where the shot came from and held up his hand in thanks. This guy was huge and his back had made a perfect target for a coward’s bullet.
Teddy grinned as she watched the battle below her go on.
“Show off,” Weston grumbled as he grinned at the accuracy of her shots.
Teddy didn’t say anything but instead, she watched over the men below. The bikers and the Marshals seemed to be winning and that’s the way it should have been all along.
Logan was wounded before he gave up his gun and she was happy to see him surrender. The fight was pretty much over by that point but Teddy kept her eyes on the scene below. She didn’t trust Logan and as she scanned the area one more time through her scope, she saw a man with a rifle in the big barn door on the second level.
She didn’t care who he had in his sights but she wasn’t going to let him win. She squeezed off a shot and the man screamed as he fell out the door. He hit the ground in a cloud of dust and hay.
A couple of men ran toward him but the man hadn’t moved since he fell.
She looked down at the group of men and found Grizzly. She caught her breath, when she saw he did not look happy. She lowered her weapon and glanced over at Weston. “Grizzly doesn’t look to happy.”
Weston shrugged. “If he expected anything less than what happened, he doesn’t know you very well does he?”
Teddy sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I just couldn’t stay back at the compound and let them face this on their own. I had to do something.”
“You protected their backs. That’s what they needed. Now...” He leaned closer. “When I was here earlier, I left the cartel a little surprise. It's just inside the tunnel. Can you see it?”
Teddy lifted her scope to her shoulder again and focused on the tunnel. “I can see a red box.”
“That’s it baby girl. Can you hit it?”
“What is it?” She looked over at him.
Weston smiled but the glee never met his eyes. “It’s enough C4 to blow that fucking tunnel to hell and back.”
“Did you tell the club about this?” she wanted to know.
“I told them to find a way to shut it down but they said they didn’t have the time to get any explosives. They agreed it needed to be done but they couldn’t take the time to get the C4.” He shrugged. “I didn’t tell them I already planted it.” He looked over at the hidden tunnel. “All you have to do is hit that box and it’s bye-bye tunnel.”
“What if they wanted to follow it back to where it started?” Teddy asked.
“There is another tunnel no one here except Logan is aware of. Well, no one alive anymore anyway,” Weston assured her. “It was actually the first tunnel the cartel used to bring their shit over here, but then they needed a bigger tunnel to bring more and more of their shit over the border, so the first one isn’t used very often because the cartel has gotten so brazen, they figured they no longer had anything to hide.” He shrugged. “Actually, the two tunnels do connect at one point, so they won’t be out of anything.”
Teddy checked to make sure no one was close enough to get hurt by the blast and when she was sure no one was, she lined up her shot. Carefully squeezing the trigger, she hit her mark.
The next few moments were deafening as the blast rocked the ranch. Dirt, fire and debris flew up into the air and rained down on everyone. When she gazed down at the valley below her, she found everyone down on the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief when after a few minutes—they all began getting to their feet.
Grizzly turned his head and roared his anger at her.
She could hear the pure rage in his voice and it shook her deeply when he shouted o
ut her name.
Teddy felt badly about his frustration. She glanced over at Logan and found him down as well but the huge piece of wood sticking out of his belly that hadn’t been there before worried her a bit. He had caught some of the bracing from the tunnel blowing up and she knew he probably wouldn’t survive. She watched his face as he writhed on the ground and all she saw was pity, pity for himself.
She lifted her gun and turned to look at Weston. “I suppose we have to go down and face the music now, huh?”
He shrugged as he smiled. “We? No, I think I’d rather just head back to Jasper. You might want to consider facing him there too. Giving him a little time to cool off might be the best plan.”
Teddy chuckled. “You might be right about that, but my grandpa and daddy didn’t raise me to be a coward. Come on old man, time to face the music.” She got to her feet and went over to his truck.
Weston followed and got behind the wheel.
While they drove down to the house, Teddy wiped down the rifle and put it back in the buckskin sleeve she’d found it in. By the time she got finished, they were driving into the dooryard of Logan’s ranch.
Grizzly stomped his way over to the truck and threw the door open. “What the fucking hell were you thinking woman?” He roared.
Teddy looked up at him and said calmly. “I was thinking you needed someone to watch your back. You guys didn’t even see the threat coming up from behind you. I love you... you stupid man. I wasn’t gonna lose you to the bullet of a coward.”
“Well, hell Grizz, I for one am glad your woman had our backs, and was here for us,” Moose argued as he joined them. “I’m the one that almost caught that bullet to the back.”
Teddy nodded. “Yeah big guy, you’d be hard to miss, that’s for sure.” She turned to Grizzly. “I had to be here, I’m sorry you didn’t trust that. I guess you didn’t trust me either and you know what? That hurts. You just dismissed me altogether.”
“I didn’t want you caught in the crossfire, don’t you get that?” Grizzly growled.
