by Elle James
“Good to know you’ve got my six,” Jake said.
“Ah.” Kujo looked up from the computer. “I’m on, and the security cameras did their magic. Come help me review.”
Jake and RJ rounded the desk and stood looking over Kujo’s shoulder at the monitor, watching the video footage from the camera that overlooked the side of the house where the basement window had been broken.
Starting at a point after midnight, they reviewed footage. For the first hour they sped through the feed. Nothing moved at the rear of the building, not even a barn cat or rabbit. They were able to speed through most of it, going through two hours of video in under thirty minutes.
Jake blinked, his eyes sore and tired from lack of sleep and being bombarded with smoke. He rubbed his hands across his face and almost missed the shadowy figure that emerged at the edge of the monitor and quickly disappear.
“Wait,” Jake said. “Back it up.”
Kujo reversed the video slowly.
“There.” Jake pointed to the screen.
Kujo stopped the reverse and played the video forward slowly.
A man wearing a Denver Broncos ball cap ran past the camera, tossed something at the side of the building and kept going.
“Back it up again and zoom in,” Jake said.
Kujo reversed the video and adjusted the zoom.
RJ pointed. “He’s looking up…right…there.” She jabbed her finger at the screen and frowned. “I know him.”
“You know him?”
“Yes. That’s Larry Sarley. He comes to the Watering Hole sometimes. The man’s a mean drunk. Once, we had to call the sheriff out when he picked a fight with one of our other customers.” She glanced up, her lips forming a tight line. “Call the sheriff. We need to bring that bastard in.”
Kujo dialed the sheriff and reported what they’d found. He compressed a copy of that portion of the video and sent it to the sheriff’s email address, grumbling as he did. “Swede’s our computer guru. He’d have this all sewn up in seconds.”
Jake grunted. “I’d like to meet Swede and reconnect with Hank, someday.”
“I’m sure they’ll be down to help get this place set up once the wiring guys do their thing,” Kujo said. When he was done, he sat back and glanced at Jake and RJ seated together on a small couch in a corner of the study. “It’s going to be daylight soon. Why don’t you two catch some shut-eye?”
Jake tightened his arm around RJ’s shoulders. “We could, you know. I don’t think there was that much smoke in the bedrooms.”
RJ reached out to pat Striker’s head where he lay next to them on the couch. “Too much to do.” She yawned and closed her eyes for a moment. “I wish this was all over. What if they can’t find Sarley? What if he gets away?”
“Other than you calling the sheriff on him, why would he want to hurt you and Gunny?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know.” RJ rolled her head back on Jake’s shoulder. “That incident was months ago. If he was going to get his revenge, why didn’t he do it then?”
“It can’t be just what you and Gunny did to him,” Kujo pointed out. “Why would he have targeted and killed Robert Henderson, if he was indeed the one who did that?”
“And why attack Marty?” Jake shook his head. “Is there more than one person involved in these attacks? And is there more than one motivation?”
“We might know more when they apprehend Sarley and bring him in for questioning.” Kujo pushed to his feet and glanced down at RJ. “In the meantime, what do you want to accomplish before Gunny’s released from the hospital?”
“I’d like to scrub the kitchen of all the smoke we can remove and start the laundry with everything we can wash that way. Although, it won’t do any good to clean sheets until we get the smell out of the walls, furniture and rugs.” She looked around the room. “It’s overwhelming at this point.”
“Why don’t we start by feeding the animals in the barn?” Jake said. “The sun’s just starting to come up. Everything will look better in the sunshine.”
“It’s supposed to be cloudy today,” RJ contradicted.
“Cloudy or sunshine, the horses won’t care as long as they’re getting fed.” Jake extended his hand and pulled her to her feet. “We owe Striker a steak for waking us.” He bent and scratched the dog behind the ears. “Just proves you don’t need four good legs to be a hero.”
Striker jumped down from the couch and leaned his body against Jake’s leg.
“I think he’d like a steak,” RJ said. “Since we won’t have guests for a while, I’m sure we could spare a steak for our hero.” She straightened and stretched her arms toward the ceiling. “Let me change into my jeans and boots, and I’ll be ready to start the day.”
“I’ll meet you on the porch when you’re ready,” Jake said.
RJ and Striker left the study, heading to the second level and her room.
Kujo stared across the office at Jake. “I get the feeling this isn’t just about revenge on the Tates.”
“I got the same feeling,” Jake said. “It has to have something to do with the mine. Someone didn’t want Robert Henderson to secure a land purchase for the Omega Mining Company. And after our meeting with the mining company’s CEO, I don’t think it was them.”
“Then who?” Kujo asked.
“Could Larry Sarley be working for someone else? Someone who knew Larry was primed to vent his anger on the Tates?”
Kujo picked up the phone on Gunny’s desk. “We have to call Hank and fill him in. He’ll probably have Swede do a background check on Larry Sarley. When you get a chance, ask RJ if she knows who Larry works for?”
Jake nodded. “Will do.” He left Kujo talking to Hank and hurried up to his room, where he pulled on a T-shirt and a light jacket. The morning mountain air had a bite to it.
He’d just stepped out of his room when RJ came out of hers with Striker.
She’d pulled on a pair of jeans, her boots, a blue chambray shirt and a denim jacket. Jake would also bet she had her handgun tucked into the shoulder holster beneath the jacket. Her hair was secured at the nape of her neck in a ponytail, making her look young and innocent.
With no makeup and her hair pulled back from her face, she was still the most beautiful woman Jake had ever known. Her beauty was more than her outer appearance. She was gorgeous all the way through.
Jake opened his arms.
RJ stepped into them. “I think I died a thousand deaths when you didn’t come out of the house right away.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like you’re getting used to having me around.”
“I am,” she admitted.
“And you might even like me a little.” He brushed a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said, her brow wrinkling. “But yeah, I guess I do like you.”
“Good, because I kind of like you, too.” He tipped her chin upward and stared down into her eyes. “Is there room in your heart for a broken-down SEAL?”
She shook her head. “No.”
His heart sank to his knees.
RJ cupped her hand against his cheek and leaned up to press a kiss to his lips. “There’s room in my heart for a strong man whose life has great meaning and who is here today with so much more to give.” She leaned back and frowned at him. “You realize you’re my hero.”
His chest tightened, and warmth spread throughout his body. “I don’t know about that.”
“Well, you are.” She stepped back. “Come on, I know some horses who couldn’t care less about our conversation. They just want to be fed.”
Jake chuckled and followed RJ out of the house, Striker trotting alongside them.
They were halfway to the barn when a thunderous boom echoed off the ridges.
Jake grabbed RJ and pushed her to the ground, throwing his body over hers.
Striker dropped to his belly and inched closer to RJ.
For a moment, Jake remained frozen, his mind and body
reliving the explosion that took his leg.
Then he remembered where he was and that RJ was his responsibility to keep alive.
RJ was right. There was a reason he hadn’t died that day. That reason was to make sure RJ didn’t die today.
Chapter 14
“That was close,” RJ said. “Too close. Like I think it was on Lost Valley Ranch.” She wiggled beneath Jake.
He rolled to the side, lurched to his feet and held out his hand to RJ. “How close?”
“By the sound, it could be around the Stephensville ghost town.” She met his gaze. “Or the mine just above there. It takes some nerve to blast into a mine on private property.” Her jaw tightened. “Come on. We’re going to check it out.”
“Let me tell Kujo where we’re going. We might need backup.”
“You do that. I’ll saddle horses.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to take the ATVs?” he asked.
“Yes, but noisier. We can get closer without being detected on horseback.”
“Right.” Jake spun. “Stay inside the barn until I get back.”
“Okay.” RJ entered the barn, her gun drawn, and closed the door behind her. After ascertaining the barn was empty but for her and the horses, she holstered her gun and brought out Reggie and Doc.
By the time Jake entered the barn, she had the saddles on both horses and was in the process of slipping a bridle over Doc’s nose.
“Kujo got word that Gunny and Thorn are on their way home from the hospital. Gunny’s doctors couldn’t hold him down a moment longer. I told Kujo where we were headed. He said he’d join us as soon as Gunny and Thorn get here.”
“Good. Gunny will know where we’re headed and can lead them up here.”
“Kujo brought up a good point after you left.”
“Yeah?” She handed Reggie’s bridle to Jake.
He took it and fit it on his horse’s nose. “Larry Sarley could be working for someone else. He has reason enough to want revenge on the Tate’s, but not necessarily Marty Lange, and no reason to kill Robert Henderson. If he’s responsible for all of this, what would he get out of it?”
RJ shrugged. “It’s not like he owns land or has the funds to buy property. He can barely keep a job. He was fired from the feed store for being lazy. The casino let him go for stealing. The last I heard, he was working as a ranch hand.”
“For whom?” Jake asked.
RJ closed her eyes tightly. A moment later, they opened wide. “The Broken Wheel Ranch.”
Jake swore. “Isn’t that the one with Finian’s Folly Mine?”
She nodded. “Mike Orlacek owns that property.”
“And it’s tied up in a conservation district, which means he can’t mine on his land.”
RJ frowned. “We know Mike. He’s been a friend since we bought Lost Valley Ranch.”
“Has he ever expressed an interest in purchasing Lost Valley?”
Her frown deepened. “Seems like maybe he has. But that’s been a while. At least a year ago.”
“Wouldn’t hurt to have the sheriff question him after he apprehends Sarley.” Jake checked the tightness of the girth and led the horse out of the barn.
RJ was right behind him, Striker on her heels. “Mike doesn’t have the funds to set up a mining operation. Why would he stop the sale to a company that does?”
“We won’t know until we question Orlacek.” Jake paused outside the barn. “If you wait a minute, I’ll let Kujo know to check into the owner of the Broken Wheel Ranch.”
RJ shook her head. “If someone is up there blowing up the shaft on Lost Valley Ranch, I want to catch them in the act.”
“It would we better to have backup,” Jake said.
“The longer we wait, the more chance they have of getting away.”
“Promise me you won’t go in guns-ablazin’,” he said. “We’re going to look, not make a citizen’s arrest.” He pulled his cellphone from his pocket. “We can snap pictures to use as evidence.”
“Fine. I promise not to go in shooting. Now, can we get up there before they get away?”
With a frown, Jake nodded. “It’s against my better judgement, but I’m sure you’d go without me if I insist we stay here.”
“I’ll get the gate,” RJ said and led her horse out of the barn.
Jake stuck his fake foot in the stirrup and swung up in the saddle, amazed at how natural it was getting. He rode Reggie through the gate and waited for RJ to close and latch it.
She mounted and took off across the pasture.
Jake rode alongside her until they entered the trail between the trees and had to proceed single-file. Striker raced ahead. The dog got along just fine with three good legs. Though he was missing his back foot, it didn’t slow him down.
RJ hoped that Jake would take a page out of Striker’s book and learn that he was every bit as good a man as any, even with one missing leg. Hell, he was a better man than many.
When they reached the tiny ghost town, RJ didn’t slow. She kept going, climbing up the hillside that led to the abandoned shaft that had been boarded up since she could remember.
As they neared the top of the hill, she slowed her mount and raised her fist to silently bring Jake to a halt behind her.
She dismounted and tied her horse to a tree.
Just over the top of the ridge was a level area and the entrance to the mine shaft. She couldn’t see it from where she was standing, but then if someone was up there, they wouldn’t see her or Jake.
On foot, they climbed the rest of the way, pausing just short of the top to peek over the edge.
RJ swore softly beneath her breath. “The boards and the metal grate have been moved. Someone’s been in that shaft.”
Jake looked to where the boards had been thrown to the side and a big metal grate had been tossed on top of them.
Striker leaped over the top of the hill.
“Striker, heel,” RJ called out.
Too late.
Striker ran out into the open and into the mine shaft.
“No. No. No.” RJ started over the top of the hill.
Jake grabbed her arm and held her back. “You can’t go in there after him,” he whispered. “Even if the people with the dynamite have cleared out, the shaft isn’t stable.”
“I know that. Striker will be killed if I leave him in there. Some shafts have vertical drops of hundreds of feet. If he slips into one of those, he could die from the fall. I won’t leave him to die.” She shook loose of Jake’s hand and ran after Striker.
Jake had no choice but to go after the woman and the dog. He pulled his handgun from beneath his jacket and half-ran, limping toward the shaft entrance over the rocky terrain.
Once inside, he used the flashlight on his cellphone to light his way over rocks, old iron rail tracks and debris.
RJ wasn’t far ahead, having reached the limit of the light coming into the tunnel from outside.
“Let me go first,” he said.
“No,” RJ said. “Striker only comes to me.”
“Stubborn woman. Then hold this.” Jake handed her the cellphone.
RJ took the phone and shined the beam in front of her. “Striker,” she called out softly.
Dust still stirred in the shaft, though most had already settled.
Jake stayed close to RJ, ready to pull her back if they came across a vertical shaft, and ready to knock her aside if someone loomed in front of her holding a weapon. He didn’t like that she was in the lead. Entering the shaft was insane, but he couldn’t let her go in alone.
Twenty yards into the shaft, the tunnel split in two directions in a Y.
“Which way did he go?” RJ worried.
“Listen. Maybe you’ll hear him.” Jake stood perfectly still.
RJ cocked her head and listened.
A faint tapping sound came from the tunnel on the left, like that of a dog’s toenails clicking against rock.
RJ hurried to the left, holding the light high enough she could see ah
ead.
Jake stumbled along behind her, trying not to trip over the rocks that had fallen from the ceiling, possibly in the last explosion. The roof of the tunnel wasn’t reinforced with beams to keep the weight of the mountain from crashing down on top of them.
A chill slithered down his spine as they moved deeper into the mine.
Ahead, the sound of a dog’s whine echoed against the walls.
“Striker,” RJ said and moved faster.
Jake struggled to keep up with her, tripping over rocks and the old rails.
Soon, the light bounced off an obstruction in the tunnel.
RJ came to a halt. “Striker?”
Jake caught up with her about the time she spotted the dog.
Striker sat near the obstruction, looking toward RJ.
“Striker, come,” she said.
The dog remained where he was. Sitting. Looking toward her as if proud of an accomplishment.
Then it hit Jake. “Where did you get Striker?”
“I adopted him from the Air Force Academy kennels.”
“He’s a Military Working Dog?”
“He was. Until he lost his back foot in an explosion.”
“What did he do for the military?”
“He was a bomb-sniffing…dog.” RJ’s eyes rounded. “Shit.”
Jake nodded. “Shit is right. Get behind me. I’m going to grab Striker, then we’re going to get the hell out of here.”
“He’s not used to you. He might bite.”
“It’s a chance we have to take.” He moved RJ behind him and inched toward Striker, looking for the explosive materials he’d sniffed out.
When he was within grabbing distance, he reached out to the dog with his fist. “Good boy. Heel.”
Striker looked from Jake to RJ and remained seated.
Jake murmured, “He probably expects to be rewarded with his toy.”
“I don’t have it. It’s back at the lodge.” RJ’s voice shook, causing the light to dance. “Let me grab him by the collar.”
“No. Stay where you are. If all hell breaks loose, get out. Don’t wait for me or Striker. Just get out.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you and Striker.”
“Why did I expect you to say that?” He shook his head and bent to scoop his hands under the animal.
