Canyon Standoff

by Valerie Hansen

  Spirit Ranch Lodge had provided whatever camping equipment the strike force had not packed in and had prepared a simple meal to be eaten at the scene. Shifts changed while men and women took needed rests. All except Gabe, Holly noted.

  She approached him. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Sure. Why?”

  “Because you need to rest just like everybody else.”

  He was shaking his head as he said, “I’m not like everybody else.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed.” She plunked down on a camp stool. “What makes you tick, McClellan? I mean, besides a huge hero complex.”

  His brow knit as he turned to her. “Is that what you really think or is it supposed to be a joke?”

  “Um...” Holly raked her hair back with her fingers. “I’m not sure why I said that. Sorry if it offended you. I’m so tired I can hardly think straight.”

  “That I can understand.” Yawning and stretching with his arms over his head, Gabe turned his gaze on her and held it steady. The extra attention made her shiver.

  “You cold?”

  “Not really. I’d forgotten how much the temps drop at night in the desert, though. It’s probably really chilly up on the rim.”

  “Yeah.”

  Her hope that his thoughts had been diverted was quickly quashed when he asked, “So, what do you really think of me?”

  The honest answer came too easily. “I think you’re amazing.”

  “In what way?”

  How could she explain without sounding like a love-struck teenager? “Your devotion to duty, for starters. Not only do you make command decisions well, you stick to your mission.”

  “Better than you do, you mean?”

  That made her blush. “Okay. I admit it. But we both have the welfare of others in mind.”

  “True.” Gabe leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped between. “And in the case of the flash flooding, you made the right choices.”

  “Unlike what I did to my sister?” Holly’s heart clenched. Gabe was judging her, too, now, just like all others. She supposed it was inevitable but it still hurt. A lot.

  Reaching for her hand, he held it between both of his. “No, no. I wasn’t even considering the long-ago past. What I meant was the way you ran into the line of fire to grab those kids today. That could have turned ugly in a heartbeat.”

  “I know. But I couldn’t radio you to stand down and as soon as the guys barricaded in the station heard the kids laughing, they’d have been looking out the windows. They’d have spotted you for sure.”

  Gabe let go and rocked back. “Whoa. Don’t try to blame your choice on me. I was doing fine. I didn’t need any intervention.”

  “Yes, you did.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “You just didn’t know it yet.”

  Facing her, sighing, Gabe rose, too. “Go get some rest, Agent Forbes. And stay behind our lines.”

  “That’s an order?”

  “Unofficially. I’d really like to be able to trust you to keep yourself safe.”

  “Of course you can trust me.”

  “Then prove it.” He pointed to a small laptop. “I have work to do before this battery runs out of juice. I don’t want to have to go beg the lodge to let me plug it in.”

  Holly just stood there, staring at his back as he turned away from her. With no internet available in the bottom of the canyon, she assumed he was working on scheduling or reading files he’d downloaded from a portable drive. It didn’t really matter. Clearly, she had been dismissed.

  Considering the way he had phrased his commands, she had no choice but to make herself scarce. Could she unwind enough to sleep? She doubted it. What she wanted was...

  What did she want? The first thoughts that came to mind were not about work; they were about Gabe, which only served to prove his point. She needed to be more focused on the tasks at hand. On her job. On making sure her wounded FBI partner was avenged in a lawful way. Nothing else mattered. Nothing personal should ever be taken into account when she was on the trail of heinous criminals.

  So what was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if she had this problem of drifting concentration on a regular basis. Truth to tell, this was the first instance she could recall. The catalyst had to be her returning to the Grand Canyon and encountering that particular ranger again. Her unexpected reaction to him was very disconcerting. She was no kid. She was a responsible FBI agent with an exemplary record. No way was she going to let her emotions override logic.

  Determined to talk herself out of being so enamored, Holly began to list priorities. One, she was on a lifelong mission of atonement. Two, she’d worked hard to attain her current status in the FBI.

  And third? Her heart clenched as her mood plummeted. Marriage? Children? That wasn’t meant to be for her. Her job was to look after other people’s loved ones if they couldn’t. To turn away from that goal was the same as deserting her sister all over again.

  And she would never do that. Never.

  * * *

  Gabe walked the line of men keeping night watch behind the barricade, pausing when he came to the negotiator. “Did you take your break, Summers?”

  His reply was curt. “As much as I needed.”

  “What’s your assessment of the current status?”

  “Dismal,” the FBI man said with a grimace. “I’ve never run across such stubbornness. I can’t decide if they’re clueless or just idiots.”

  “According to Agent Forbes, they may be both.”

  “They’ve essentially stopped responding at all,” Summers said. “I imagine they’re even more worn-out than the rest of us are so I don’t intend to let them sleep.”

  “No word on the wounded inside?”

  He shook his head and polished his eyeglasses with the tail of his shirt. “None. We’re considering calling in SWAT or army troops to storm the place. The longer we delay, the greater the chance the wounded will die.”

  “I know. It’s too bad we didn’t know they were coming this way so we could have headed them off.”

  “You can thank Agent Forbes for that,” Summers said. “She totally mishandled this situation.”

  Gabe changed the subject, silently vowing to give her good marks when he wrote his own report. “So, are you planning to take adequate breaks tonight? I’ll be glad to assign rangers to cover for you.”

  “Nobody covers for me,” the agent said with rancor. “If I need your help, I’ll ask for it.”

  Giving a casual salute and forcing a smile, Gabe bade him good-night and walked away. Strong will alone was not enough to sustain constant vigilance, no matter who was involved. Pride and hubris had brought down more than one determined man, himself included. As a green ranger he’d thought he was invincible. Now he knew otherwise. Part of doing his job well was being able to pace himself, to delegate responsibility to capable comrades when the need arose. And to back off for the sake of the mission. That was the hardest thing to learn. It was also called for in this case.

  Thinking of Holly saddened him. She’d already done far more than was asked of her, yet her unorthodox methods were likely to sink her. Gabe sighed. With her sunny disposition and quick wit, she would have made a great public relations ranger. The way she related to children was amazing. All the campfire talks in the world couldn’t compare to the way she connected to people, made them listen to her and take her teaching to heart.

  Well, if the FBI didn’t appreciate her natural talents, he certainly did. If he’d been an agent instead of a ranger, he’d have made sure their superiors were informed on a regular basis what a rare treasure she was.

  His steps carried him past a group of sleeping rangers. And Holly. To his relief, she’d actually dozed off atop her sleeping bag. To his dismay, she looked so lovely, his heart hurt.

  Pausing, he drank in the sight of her. This ass
ignment was going to be one to remember, for sure. Would she recall him as fondly? Probably not. That didn’t matter. There had been few instances in his life when circumstances—or a person—had imprinted his memory so well.

  The camp was far from silent. Although nature had quieted down, the human element continued to stir. Beams from flashlights and camping lanterns shone among the sparse native trees and along the trails to and from the lodge. Moonlight came and went as clouds drifted across the sky, temporarily masking a celestial display unequaled in populated areas. Spirit Ranch was a special place. A sanctuary from the usual troubles of the world. Except right now. The overnight guests at the lodge were separated from his station’s woes but they were surely being affected by the tense atmosphere in the bottom of the canyon.

  Gabe sensed Holly stirring and looked down at her again. She was frowning. Her lips were moving in silent speech. Whatever dream was gripping her, it obviously wasn’t a pleasant experience.

  The longer he watched, the more agitated she became, tossing and turning as if fighting off invisible foes. He knew the nightmare would pass without his intervention and he’d intended to let it until she took a deep breath and opened her mouth wide, beginning to scream.

  Gabe dropped to his knees. Clasped her wrists. “Easy, Christmas. It’s okay. Just a bad dream.”

  That wasn’t enough to comfort or fully awaken her. Struggling, she lashed out at him with her knees and feet.

  He took the glancing blows and kept talking to her. “Holly! Wake up. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

  By this time most of the others nearby were awake and staring. “Bad dream,” Gabe announced, knowing how odd it looked. “She’s okay.”

  Her eyes wide, she seemed to finally focus on him. The struggling stopped and he released her. Tears glistened. Gabe was about to ask her to vouch for his innocence when she proved it without a doubt by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling herself to her knees in a clumsy hug.

  Gabe was forced to return the embrace to keep his balance, not that he didn’t want to provide all the comfort he could. Other people on the ground around them were lying back and relaxing. Someone gave a theatrical sigh. Someone else made exaggerated kissing sounds.

  Gabe’s brain told him to push her away and leave. His heart didn’t agree. He did, however, loosen her grip on his neck and keep hold of her hands. “You had a bad dream.”

  “I...remember.”

  “Want to tell me about it?”

  Judging by the way she was grasping his hands, the answer was yes. Then she glanced past his shoulder and gasped.

  “There! Look!”

  Gabe twisted to see. Nothing behind him was moving. He looked back to Holly and saw abject fear. “What? What do you think you saw?”

  “Him. Them. The guys that were by the raft.” She was choking back sobs, struggling to speak. “Right over there.”

  “There’s nobody there but my people. You must have dreamed it.”

  Rapidly shaking her head, Holly stared into his eyes as if begging him to believe her when she said, “No! They were real.”

  “All right. You rest. I’ll go check out that area.”

  Gabe stood and waited until she had eased back down. Then he nodded good-night and left her, pausing twice more to turn and make sure she had stayed where she was, safely surrounded by dozing rangers. There wasn’t a safer place for her at present and although he did intend to keep his vow and check in the direction she’d indicated, he didn’t expect to find interlopers.

  They had tightened up the crime scene’s perimeters and everyone inside the loop had been vetted. No loose thugs were lurking close by. The only real threats to Holly or anyone else were trapped inside the ranger station.

  Hair at the back of Gabe’s neck prickled. He rubbed it with his hand, assuming bothersome gnats had been drawn by his flashlight. What was it Holly had said? Trust your instincts? Fine. His were telling him that danger waited nearby. Logic, however, was also reminding him that a warm night brought out all sorts of tiny flying insects.

  Stepping closer to a tree he clicked off his light. Listened. Waited. The bugs began to look elsewhere.

  Gabe absorbed the surrounding atmosphere, assuming that would settle his mind. Instead, it brought a sense of dread that made his skin crawl. Either Holly was right about impending trouble, or he had been unduly influenced by her state of panic.

  He waited while his eyes adjusted to the darker surroundings. A few unidentified shadows moved, seemed to shift. A slight breeze was blowing through the canyon. He could smell cooking. Fuel from camp stoves. Fires burning and smoking in grills placed above mandatory protective tarps along the river.

  “What now, God?” Gabe whispered. “Which way?”

  He heard a disturbance, looked back at the area where he’d left Holly. Something was causing a stir. He didn’t have to actually see her to know the awful truth in his heart.

  She was in trouble!

  TWELVE

  Holly tried to scream despite the large hand clamped over her mouth. She kicked hard, but she’d been sleeping barefoot, so no heavy hiking boots supported the effort.

  Writhing and twisting was quickly tiring her so she purposely went limp, forcing her abductors to carry her and making her wish she weighed a lot more.

  Voices were raising the alarm. Lights began to snap on all around them. Somebody else grasped her ankle in passing but failed to hang on.

  And then she and her captors were in the clear. One was running, holding her head against his shoulder by covering her mouth and lifting her off the ground with an arm tight around her midsection. The other followed, ready to fend off rescuers. She could barely breathe.

  Unfamiliar with the passing terrain, particularly after dark, Holly could only guess where she was being taken or who had grabbed her, but she had a feeling this was connected to the ongoing hostage situation. That did not bode well for her survival, particularly if this crook knew who she was, where she’d come from and why.

  The shouting from behind them was getting louder. She tried to scream but it was muffled by the large hand over her mouth. When that didn’t work, she bared her teeth enough to nip his palm. Cursing, the man let go long enough for her to let out one mighty “Help!”

  They slid down a bank of red mud, landing on a sort of beach next to a natural cove off the main river course. Holly’s spirits fell as the clouds parted and the moon lit the scene. Others were already assembled around an inflatable raft. One was balding and slightly portly. Another sported cargo shorts and a polo shirt but spoiled his disguise with black socks and dress shoes. The third, apparently a surviving cartel bigwig, too, was cringing behind the others. She guessed he was the accountant they’d dragged into their organization.

  The river workers she’d originally reported as seeming out of place must be her captors. No wonder they were so strong. Whoever had decided the criminals could effectively escape by river, however, was delusional. If they somehow managed to negotiate the series of rapids without drowning or sinking, they’d still face officers of the law when they finally went ashore. They couldn’t win.

  The urge to announce that was strong. But her survival instinct was stronger. In order to have the slightest chance to get away, they’d need a hostage, and judging by the situation she found herself in, she was it. Therefore, they would want to keep her in good shape—at least for the present. And the longer she lived, the greater her chance of rescue.

  Irony made her huff. She’d done exactly as Gabe had instructed and had ended up abducted. So much for ignoring instinct in favor of keeping strict rules.

  Silent, breathless and trembling, Holly waited and listened. The more she learned about these men’s plans, the better. She briefly studied each face in the waning moonlight. The two suspicious characters she’d spotted working on the raft were well muscled, stoic, recent additions. The
re were also the three dressed like tourists plus one more man she hadn’t noticed at first. He looked and acted injured. Obviously her surviving drug cartel suspects had enlisted help to escape, and the injured man was their victim, a hostage like her, likely the ranger Gabe had told her about.

  One of the two rivermen tied her wrists together in front of her and started dragging her toward the raft. The injured ranger was already there and she desperately hoped he would place her close enough to speak to him, so she used reverse psychology and began to struggle. “No. Not in the raft. I can’t swim! Please, don’t do this.”

  Laughing, he gave her a push and it was all Holly could do to keep from feeling smug. She flopped down in the slippery bottom of the inflatable, ending up very near to the youngish man holding his stomach despite also being bound. Because he was doubled over in pain and she was on the floor of the raft, she was able to speak to him covertly.

  “I’m Holly Forbes, a friend of Gabe’s,” she whispered.

  Although he didn’t acknowledge her immediately, he did raise his head slightly. The anguish in his expression would have touched her even if he’d been a criminal.

  “Anson Crawford,” he breathed.

  “Ranger?”

  Anson nodded.

  She touched his damp brow. He was burning up. “I’ll try to get them to release you,” Holly vowed. “You’re in no condition to ride the river. You need medical care.”

  “Let them take me and save yourself,” he managed, teeth clenching as a wave of pain shot through him. “I’ll be okay.”

  “Nonsense.” Holly stood to get attention. “This man is in bad shape. You have me now. You don’t need him.”

  One of the thugs guffawed. “Two’s better than one. If he croaks, we’ll still have you.”