Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys [Hellfire Ranch 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (35 page)

He saved the file and sent a quick email to Tag and Boone with the attachment. He stretched his arms over his head and cracked his back. He was dog tired from sitting at the table all day long. He also wondered why neither Tag nor Rebecca had called him. He checked his watch. It was nearly 11:00. The wedding would be over by now.

He picked up his phone and cursed. It was dead.

Wade scraped back his chair and plugged the phone into the charger then grabbed a soda from the fridge. He just finished the last swallow when he heard the calves low. He peered out the kitchen window and saw they were shifting restlessly in the pen.

Wade frowned as he set his can down. He reached for the door when movement caught his peripheral vision. He looked past the calf pen and saw someone skulking along the fence line.

The man was short and muscular. He was also carrying a gun.

“What the hell?”

Wade grabbed his phone but it was still too dead to turn on.

“Fuck,” he whispered. He bolted through the kitchen and out the living room toward the back door. He had only a few seconds to get to the barn without being seen by whoever was creeping up on the house. The wide bay doors at the rear of the barn were still open. He’d left them like that when he’d come back to Tag’s in anticipation of getting out on Sally and doing some roping with Bo and Pep.

Wade drew a deep breath and sprinted across the lawn, keeping as low to the ground as he possibly could. He reached the side barn door and eased it open then dove inside. He closed the door softly and bolted it then grabbed a saddle and bridle from the tack room. The horses nickered as he sped past the stalls. Sally stood placidly with her face buried in her hay trough. She looked up as he opened the door. He led her into the wide center of the barn and faced her toward the partially open back door.

“Sorry, girl, no time for niceties today.” He threw the blanket over her back then the saddle. Sally was a sweetheart of a horse but a demon in the calf-roping arena. She could cut off a zigzagging calf with the precision of a heart surgeon. He needed her skills today.

He slipped the bridle over her head and made sure the bit didn’t cut her lips. He patted her nose. “We gotta get out of here and fast.”

Wade mounted her and clucked softly. As she reached the back door he spotted a curled up lariat hanging on the wall. He rose up in the saddle and snagged the rope then settled back down.

Wade pulled the horse to a standstill at the edge of the barn and listened. He didn’t hear anything but that didn’t mean the shooter wasn’t out there, waiting for him to appear.

He twisted the black ring on his finger and tried not to think about Riley or what kind of life he would have without a dad. He closed his eyes and said a prayer for protection then eased Sally along the barn. When they reached the side closest to the house—and his only means of escape—he leaned low. “Let’s ride, Sally.” He kicked her lightly and she took off like a bolt.

He heard an exclamation then the sharp retort of a gun. Sally whinnied and started to pull up but Wade urged her onward.

The man leaped from the porch and directly in the path of the horse. He got off one shots. Wade and Sally managed to evade them both. He pulled the horse to the left then right as another shot echoed in the daytime.

“Son of a bitch,” Wade muttered.

He pulled around again and headed back for the barn even though he knew he’d be trapped. He couldn’t risk Sally getting shot.

Sally screamed and pulled up as another shot split the air.

Wade looked back and saw blood running down her left flank. A red groove cut through her side but it didn’t look like the bullet penetrated the skin.

“Oh damn,” he said. “I’m sorry, girl.” The horse jerked to a stop. Her sides heaved and she pranced.

“Get off the horse, Mr. Merritt,” the man called.

Wade turned in the saddle.

He shaded his eyes and squinted. “Reynolds?”

The man grinned but it held no amusement. He flicked the gun at him. “Off. Now. You have something I need.”

Wade’s mind tumbled. Charles Reynolds was obviously not a researcher. He was also very familiar with weapons. How many rounds had he shot? Four? Wade checked out the gun again. It looked like Reynolds held a .38 Special. That meant six bullets.

If he’d counted right, he had to dodge two more bullets and get past the man.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said and slowly turned Sally around.

Charles Reynolds moved toward the house. The door hung drunkenly on the jamb. Two of Tag’s Hypericum pots were shattered into piles of dirt and broken flowers.

Wade fisted the reins.

“I want that computer drive, Mr. Merritt. And the information you pulled from it.” Reynolds smiled. “It wouldn’t do to have that information fall into the wrong hands. Like the FBI.”

“I already sent it to them,” Wade said. He immediately wished he could recall the words.

Did I just give away my only bargaining chip?

“What?” Reynolds screeched. He moved to the edge of the porch and jumped down. He lifted the gun and aimed right at Wade’s head. “That was very stupid of you.”

Wade figured as much. He also realized this was his only chance to escape. He prayed neither he nor Sally got hit as he dug his heels in and jerked to the right.

Reynolds fired and the bullet hit Wade in the upper left arm. He groaned but didn’t stop. Sally started dodging left and right like she was chasing down a calf.

Please God. Please let him only have one more bullet.

He was crazy to even hope for such a thing. A man bent on killing wasn’t going to waste bullets. He wasn’t going to survive.

Wade swallowed hard and watched as Reynolds got closer and closer. There was no way the man could miss from this distance.

“You can’t get the information you need if you kill me,” Wade shouted.

“You can’t run if I kill your horse.”

A red wave of anger suffused Wade. He pulled out his cell phone and flung it at Reynolds just as the man fired. The bullet whizzed past Wade and Reynolds cursed.

Wade couldn’t believe it when Reynolds started to reload. With no time to spare, Wade spun out his rope, whirled Sally around, and bore down on Reynolds.

The man looked up with surprise just as he jammed a bullet into place.

Wade circled the rope and brought it down over Reynolds shoulders and pulled hard. Sally dug all four hooves into the ground and lurched backward. Reynolds sprawled face-first into the dirt.

His gun flew to the right and well out of reach.

Wade jumped from the saddle and ran forward. He grabbed Reynolds’s legs and bent them backward, pulling the rope up and around like he was roping a calf.

Within seconds, Charles Reynolds was immobile and cursing up a storm.

“Shut up,” Wade yelled as he pulled the rope tighter. His left arm screamed with the pain but he did his best to ignore it.

“You’re a dead man,” Reynolds said. He squirmed and flailed on the ground. The dust he kicked up with his efforts made him cough.

Though he would rather the man choke to death on the red dirt, Wade grabbed the knot of ropes at Reynolds’s back and pulled him to his knees.

“Who sent you here?” he demanded. “Were you in league with Fischer? Did you kill him?”

Reynolds glared at him. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, Merritt. When I don’t report as planned…” He trailed off.

“What? Your criminal buddies are going to descend on Freedom and break you out of jail?” He shook his head. “I don’t think so, Reynolds.” A sudden thought hit him and his eyes widened. “Holy shit! Fischer screwed up and you were sent to clean up the mess. Damn, man. You know what that means, right? You’re next.”

Reynolds flinched and reared back. “Get me out of these fucking ropes.”

Sirens sounded in the distance. Wade breathed a sigh of relief.
Tag
.

A few seconds later, Tag’s sheriff’s car screamed up the gravel drive. Two more marked units followed close behind.

Tag slammed the car to a stop and jumped out before it even stopped rocking. He ran forward with his hand on his weapon. “Wade? You okay?”

Tag’s green eyes flicked from him to Reynolds and back. His lips twitched.

“Yeah,” Wade said. He saw Boone and four Kimble County uniformed deputies pour from the vehicles. “Glad you’re here.” A sudden wave of nausea hit him, followed by dancing white and black dots.

“Hey, you okay?” Tag’s voice sounded tinny and far away.

Wade shook his head to clear the obstruction.

“Wade?” Boone’s voice was just as muted. The agent reached for him, and when he clamped his hands around his arms, the entire world went black.

* * * *

Rebecca paced every available bit of floor space and checked the picture window every rotation.

“Where are they?” she demanded.

“Sheriff Cain said everything was okay, ma’am,” Deputy Stewart assured her.

She bit back a sharp retort. The deputy had been patient and kind with her during her near-breakdown. When they’d learned Reynolds was apprehended and all was well, they’d cheered together.

Now, nearly an hour later, Rebecca was getting more and more worried. No one would answer their phone.

She was about ready to jump in Tag’s truck and go find them herself. If she knew how to hotwire a car, she damn sure would.

“Here they come,” Stewart said. The relief in his voice was strong.

She wondered if it was because they were safe or because he was about to get rid of her.

A car marked Kimble County Sheriff pulled up in front of the office. Rebecca peered through the window to see who was in the back. The driver got out and opened the rear door. Her heart soared when Wade appeared. She clapped her hands over her mouth and tried to stem her cry of relief. The deputy shook his hand then got back into the car and took off.

Seconds later, Tag and Boone climbed from the sheriff’s car. Together they pulled a handcuffed and very dirty Reynolds from the back and marched him into the office. Wade trailed behind them. He looked just as dusty as Reynolds. The black Make My Day T-shirt she’d bought for him—which he confirmed said Kiss Me in binary—was covered in streaks of dirt. She narrowed her gaze on his left arm, where a white bandage stood out starkly against his T-shirt.

What happened to him?
Fear pooled in her stomach but she reminded herself he was well and fine and standing right in front of her.

Wade didn’t follow them past Samantha’s desk. He settled his butt against the wood and gave her a wan smile.

She smiled in return. Tag and Boone came closer with their prisoner.

Reynolds—Van Sisk, she corrected herself—bore the look of a rabid dog. A deep scowl creased his forehead and his lips were twisted in a sneer so vile she took a step back. His eyes burned with hatred and…fear?

As soon as they passed her, Rebecca bolted to Wade’s side. “Are you okay?” she demanded. She touched the bandage lightly. “What happened?”

“He shot me,” Wade said.

The room swam as panic assailed her. She reached blindly for him. Wade pulled her into a one-armed hug. He smelled of leather and horse and sweat. She inhaled deeply. He smelled of life.

“It stung like hell, too.”

She nodded as her equilibrium returned. Wade was fine. He was standing right in front of her. The knowledge didn’t help ease her nerves very much. She wanted to hold on tight and never let him go. “I bet it did.” Rebecca cupped his jaw and kissed him lightly. “But you’re okay? Really?”

He smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. And before Tag runs his big mouth, I also might have maybe passed out.”

“What?” She reached for the bandage again. “Did you lose that much blood? Why aren’t you at the hospital?”

Wade shook his head. “It’s fine. Tag said it was probably the shock of the whole situation.”

She pulled back and eyed him intently. “You’re not bullshitting me are you, cowboy?”

Wade chuckled and hugged her again. “No, darlin’, I most definitely am
not
shitting you.”

“We’re going to talk about this later,” she said.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said. “Reynolds—”

“Van Sisk,” she corrected.

Wade paused then shrugged then winced. “Whatever. Van Sisk shot me
and
my horse. Luckily we were both just grazed. Tag was able to dress it at the house.” He laughed again. “Actually, he left Rey—uh, Van Sisk hogtied and on his knees hollering as he tended both me and the horse. It was pretty awesome, actually.”

“Hogtied?” She didn’t know what he was talking about.

“I roped the bastard just as he fired at me. Caught him like a calf on the run.”

Rebecca snorted and turned to look at the prisoner. “Oh, come on. Now I know you’re telling tall tales.”

“Nope,” Boone said from across the room. “He had him down and roped before we even got there.”

She stifled a laugh. “Incredible.”

“Yeah,” Boone said. “Too bad Alcott wasn’t there to get a picture. You can bet that would have been picked up by the wire service.”

Van Sisk snarled. “I don’t have to sit around and listen to this shit. Get me to a damn cell. I have rights, you know.”

Boone’s grin was tight and dangerous. “Hey, Tag?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember what happened to the last guy you stuck in that cell?”

Tag smiled. “Yep. Heading that way now. Let’s go.”

“You okay here?” Rebecca asked Wade.

“Yep. Just going to sit and relax until we go home.”

“Mr. Merritt, you want a soda or something?” Deputy Stewart asked.

“That would be great, thanks,” Wade replied.

Rebecca kissed him on the cheek then headed for the back of the office.

She followed the trio as they moved into the holding cells. Boone tugged open the iron jail door and Tag shoved Van Sisk inside.

“Sit down, Van Sisk,” Tag said. He propped his hands on his hips. “Now, you just rest assured that nothing is gonna happen to you in here.”

Rebecca groaned at the sarcasm in his voice and prayed she wasn’t about to start this mess all over again.