“Ya know.” Z stared at Leezel’s twitching backside while she climbed the steps. “She might be a purdy woman if she weren’t so dad-gummed mean.”
X still scratched his head. “Them two gonna kill each other someday.”
“Sure hope so.” Z sniffed as the porch door slammed shut behind her. “Hope I’m here when they do.”
The shouting match continued indoors the instant Leezel slammed the heavy wooden door. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that. You don’t own this place yet, Mr. Reardon.”
“Don’t look like you do neither, you dumb bitch.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, it’s half mine already, and don’t you forget it.”
“Not if she got away. It’s still half hers, and she’s gonna ruin your ass be running to her buddy, Hammer.”
Windows slammed. Doors, too. It got harder to hear the verbal fight when the real battle commenced. Someone inside that house was throwing things. A lamp flew out the front window.
“Who got away?” X asked. “Is they talking about Miss Kyrie or Miss China?”
The racket from inside the house stopped and the front door flew open. Miss Leezel marched down the stairs and tramped across the yard in her bare feet all the way to the corral.
Maverick smirked and let her go. All dressed up and nowhere to go.
He’d already released what was left of China’s kids into the upper pasture. They were halfway up the hill and safely out of sight. Reardon would have to wait until dinnertime to see if any were missing. She had made the trip for nothing.
Leezel stamped her feet at the corral fence. She turned back to Reardon and yelled. “Shit! They’re not—” Her gaze settled on X and Z. She snapped her lips shut. Her countenance changed, “I mean, darn it. I mean...” She dropped the act. “Oh, hell. I mean, shit! The damn horses ain’t here, and I’m sick of this stupid game.”
Reardon launched himself down the steps at her. “This is all your fault, woman. What’d I tell—”
“Shut up.” She yanked his arm and hurried him back up the stairs and into the house. When the front door slammed, everything became deadly quiet.
X scratched his head as he stared at China’s ranch house. “What in tarnation that was all about?”
“I ain’t never seen two folks so mad at each other, have you?” Z asked.
“Did ya hear him?” X was still puzzled. “It kinda sounded like he’s looking for two little gals, don’t it? I don’t get it. Is they looking for Miss Kyrie or not?”
“Sounds like Reardon’s been drinking if he thinks Miss Kyrie is twins all a sudden.” Z studied the ranch house, his hands on his hips. “They coulda got hold of some bad shine.”
Maverick’s stomach clenched. He hadn’t anticipated how much Kyrie’s disappearance would impact these guys. They might not be geniuses, but their hearts were made of pure gold.
“I’m gonna see if poor little Kyrie’s hiding around back.” X wiped his face with one rough hand. “Gotta find that poor thing. Tarnation. She’s jes’ a baby.”
“I wonder why ain’t Leezel out here searching for her?” Z glanced around the yard, his brows furrowed. “You’d think her mama’d be crazy with worry, wouldn’t ya? Ya think she would’ve called Sheriff Hammer and every neighbor within a hundred miles. I don’t get it. We need us some help finding that baby.”
Maverick followed Z’s tender gaze, hating that he contributed to their distress.
“There’s wolves in these parts. You might not a known that, but there’s bears ’round here, too. Poor little tyke won’t last a minute if we don’t find her ’fore dark.” Z blinked faster as his worry escalated. “I’m taking one of the horses. I’ve got to find her.”
Maverick caved. He couldn’t let X and Z conduct a useless search. He clapped a hand on Z’s bony shoulder and waved X back to his side. “Guys. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
China blinked and opened her eyes. With one deep breath, she sucked in the sweetest, freshest air. Her lungs filled, but her heart stalled. She had opened her eyes to darkness and the sound of hushed voices, but needed one thing and one thing only. Kyrie.
Thank God. Her niece lay snuggled at her side, a baby blanket under her chin, sound asleep. China tipped her her face into the child’s hair.
She stilled to get her bearings. Traffic noises sounded outside of her room. A TV chattered quietly from somewhere nearby while the sheer curtain panel floated on a light breeze coming through the open window. Glints of sunshine cleared the curtain. It had to be daytime, maybe early afternoon.
“Where am I?” she wondered out loud, surprised her voice sounded hoarse and her throat felt so dry.
The TV stopped chatting. Footsteps approached. A guy pushed open the bedroom door opposite her bed. She blinked to clear her vision. American Indian. Dark, long hair tied behind his head. Gentle features. Black eyes that twinkled. He walked to the end of her bed. “Hello, Miss Wolf. It’s good to see you’re finally awake.”
She nodded, her apprehension increasing the more alert she became. Where the hell am I?
“You’re safe now.”
When was I not safe? She couldn’t remember. The last years and months were missing. “Where am I?” she croaked.
“You’re in Virginia, ma’am.” His voice remained calm and steady.
She blinked at that very surprising news. “Virginia? What? How?”
“You are in a safe house in Old Town Alexandria. Do you remember how you got here?”
“Umm, no.” A cold finger of fear spiraled up her spine. How could she not know so much?
More details emerged. An IV line had been taped to the back of her hand. A faint antiseptic lingered scent in the air.
“Sorry. I’m afraid I’m just confusing you. Do you know Maverick Carson?” Despite her escalating unease, the stranger pulled a chair to the side of her bed as if he meant to stay.
She nodded, her heart pounding out a scary beat. “Yes. I know Maverick. Is he... here?”
“No, ma’am. He’s still on duty in Wyoming.”
“Duty?” She ran a hand through her hair. “Wyoming? But that’s where I live.”
“Yes. After he removed you and your niece from a dangerous situation, he stayed behind at your ranch to tie up some loose ends. Don’t worry. It will all come back to you once the toxin gets out of your system. It just takes time.”
“Toxin? What are you talking about?” She snapped her lips shut. Details began filtering back into her mind. Reardon leaning over her. Swearing. His stinking breath. Leezel sticking a needle in her neck. Kyrie crying. Being cold.
“A muscle relaxant. Your sister and her accomplice—”
“Troy Reardon!” China supplied the name with vehemence. She might not know much, but she knew Reardon. Kyrie stirred in her arms, but didn’t wake.
“Yes. Mr. Troy Reardon.” The kind man lowered his voice.
She was weak, but plenty angry. “What have they done to me?”
“Your sister and her friend kept you sedated with a powerful muscle relaxant called—”
“I’ll kill ’em! If he hurt Kyrie, I’ll kill him.” China came up off the pillow so fast she saw stars. Kyrie’s murmur brought her back to her senses. The fact that she nearly blacked out when she lifted her head calmed her down a lot, too.
The young man grinned. “Good. You are feeling better. You’ll be on your feet in no time.”
“Unca Taylor!” Kyrie stretched awake with a big yawn. She had no more than opened her eyes when she scampered off the bed and climbed onto this strange man’s lap. She gave him a big hug, and by the looks of it, he was pleased to see her, too.
China couldn’t believe her eyes. Kyrie smiled, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“Junior Agent Taylor Armstrong at your service. Sorry. I should’ve introduced myself earlier.”
A lanky man with mahogany hair peered inside the open bedroom door. His f
ace lit up with a genuine smile. “Hey, there. Thought I heard voices back here. Good afternoon.” He tipped his head where a ball cap was perched backwards. He doffed it politely. “Nice to see you’re awake. Are you hungry yet?”
No, I’m not hungry. I’m out of my mind. What’s going on?
China looked up at the ceiling and bit her lip. Tears filled her eyes, but darned if she was going to cry in front of these strangers. They might be handsome and they were kind enough, but she had lost too many days and maybe part of her mind. Her anxiety boiled over. She counted to ten. Then twenty.
“She okay?” the second guy asked quietly. “Did I scare her?”
“I think she’s still a little confused. She’s only been awake a couple of—”
“Stop talking like I’m not here,” she tried to yell, but ended up whining.
China swung both feet to the floor with the best of intentions, if only her brain could’ve kept up. The minute she was upright, she noticed the hospital gown. Another very intimate thing called a damned catheter. She dashed the tears off her face and came up fighting. “How dare you? Who do you guys think you are?”
Hollering didn’t help. It took oxygen she didn’t have. Shadows threatened at her peripheral. Gripping the mattress, she drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves. It didn’t work, either. She slumped, gasping for air, her legs still hanging off the bed. Tears leaked out of her eyes and ran down the sides of her head. She dashed them away.
Kyrie scrambled back to her side. “Why is you cryin’?” When China didn’t answer fast enough, Kyrie burst into one long drawn-out, “Aw-w-w!”
China shut up, because she’d made her niece cry. She tucked Kyrie into her side, needing to hold onto her one and only familiar lifeline.
The second guy stepped out of her room. Taylor tried to help her back to her pillow, but all she could do was hold on tight to her niece and bawl like a damned baby. Poor Taylor looked as bewildered as she felt. He was so careful handling her, but that only embarrassed her more.
Finally, she calmed. She had overreacted, which wasn’t her usual forte. She was not an emotional, helpless female. She didn’t need help—well, not usually. By the time he got her back against the pillows, she was exhausted, and he looked downright stricken.
“I’m sorry,” China said, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I’m not usually like this.”
Kyrie scrambled back to sit with him, probably because he was a lot calmer than her hysterical aunt. China bit her lip and wiped her face. That hurt her feelings, too. It was a pretty sad day when Kyrie was scared of her.
The other man returned and talked quietly with Taylor. “Alex is on his way. He’s bringing Kelsey.”
“Good. I think she needs a woman instead of us.”
“Who are you guys?” China asked weakly. “Tell me again. I’m sorry, but damn it. Nothing makes sense.”
“Right now we’re just two dumb jocks,” the friendly guy with mahogany hair said.
His smile seemed so genuine it was hard to stay mad. She swallowed her pride and determined to not cry again.
“I’m sorry if we scared you. I think you’ve already met Taylor. I’m Junior Agent Cartwright. Call me Gabe. We’re Maverick’s buddies. He asked us to keep you safe, so that’s why you’re in Virginia. We’ve been waiting a couple days for you to wake up.”
“A couple days?” The nightmare just kept getting worse, and she hated the tremor in her voice.
He nodded. The man had the kindest green eyes.
“What... happened to me?”
Gabe sat on the bottom corner of the bed. “Maverick suspected you were in serious danger, so he asked us to come get you and your niece. It’s no big deal. We do stuff like this all the time. We dropped in by helicopter and airlifted you and your niece out. You spent one night at the hospital in Wyoming, but our boss wanted you here so he could keep an eye on you.”
“Where’s here?” She peered around the room. It didn’t look like any hospital room she had ever seen, not with the comfortable queen-sized bed she was in and the high ceiling overhead.
“Like I said, you’re in Virginia. I apologize for the IV and other stuff, but your doctor put you on the detox drip while you were unconscious. Now that you’re awake, I’ll call her so she can get you unhooked.”
China raised her hand to look at the IV line a little closer. “I have a doctor?”
“I’m sorry.” Gabe had such kind eyes. “This is probably real confusing, but the important thing is you’re safe. Kyrie, too.”
Kyrie waved sweetly from Taylor’s lap. “Is you feewin’ bedder now, Andy China?”
China nodded, glad her niece wasn’t upset anymore. “Yes, I’m okay. How are you?”
“I bedder, too. Unca Taywer is nice to me.”
Taylor smiled. “And Kyrie is a happy little girl now that her Auntie China is awake, huh?”
“I is!” The way her eyes sparkled when she crowed calmed China. “And I gonna marry Unca Gabe. You too!”
Gabe’s face flushed at Kyrie’s cheerful news. “We’ve been, umm, bonding while you’ve been asleep. My wife’s expecting a little girl in a couple months. I hope she turns out like Kyrie. She’s a cutie.”
“And Unca Awex buyed me a fwing.” Kyrie scrambled off Taylor’s lap and back to China’s bedside, her eyes wide with wonder. “You wanna see it? Come on! We kin pway.”
Gabe tussled the top of Kyrie’s head. “She means a swing. How about we let Auntie China rest a little longer, young lady? She needs her nap just like you.”
“Aw, I guess.” Kyrie looked up at him with a cute pout before she scrambled back to her Uncle Taylor’s lap. “But I don’t gotta take a nap, do I?”
“Nope. You’re a good girl. You already took your nap today, remember?”
Kyrie’s chatter with Gabe seemed natural. China calmed even more. “Sounds like my niece has a lot of uncles.”
“The bottom line is your sister wants the Wild Wolf Ranch, ma’am. She’s been drugging you since you were shot last week,” Taylor said somberly.
“Drugging me? Last week? But she told me... I thought...” She shook her head to clear the mental fog. What day is it anyway?
“She probably told you a lot of things.” Gabe reached for her hand, and China let him hold it. “But I do have to ask one question. Did you sell your horses to your sister?”
China searched those green eyes, wondering why on earth he would ask such a ridiculous question. “No. Leezel doesn’t like animals. I’d never... Where are my horses?”
Gabe waffled. “Listen, you haven’t eaten for at least six days and you’re weak. Wouldn’t you like a decent meal before we overload you with more information?”
“No. I want to know where my horses are.” China sat up straight. “You know, don’t you?”
Taylor sighed. “Your sister sold them.”
“She sold them? All of them? God. Why?”
“She’s clearing inventory. Good horses bring fast cash.”
China’s hand sprang to her mouth. God, no. “She’s not selling them to the butcher, is she?”
“No, nothing like that. I really think you should eat first, ma’am,” Gabe intervened again. “We can talk more about this when you’re stronger.”
“No, I can’t. I need to know now. ” China shook her head, her eyes fixed on Taylor. “What else?”
He looked uncomfortable, but he continued. “She’s listed the ranch with a real estate agent.”
Her resolve flagged. Leezel meant to kill the Wild Wolf, too.
Gabe kept trying. “Listen. I made chicken and wild rice soup just this morning. It’s not bad. It will go real easy on your stomach.”
At last, Taylor followed Gabe’s lead. “You really should eat before you make yourself sick again. I made yeast rolls. They’re not as good as my wife’s, but they’ll do.” He looked so sad. “I’m sorry.”
“We never got along, but... Holy smokes. She must really hate me,” China whispe
red, more to herself than anyone else. Her world had just dropped out from under her.
Gabe squeezed her hand. “We’ll talk more after you’ve eaten. It’s not all bad news. I promise.”
China couldn’t reply. Leezel had not only been drugging her, she had starved her. The enormity of what her sister had intentionally done was more than China could bear. She lifted her arm to cover her eyes. Everything was gone, and her heart with it. Her horses. Her father’s ranch. How could Leezel be so cruel? It took a minute before she could face these men again.
Taylor whispered, “Come on, Kyrie. Let’s bring your aunt some of that fudge we made.”
“Yeah.” Again, Kyrie sounded so genuinely happy as she traipsed out the door with her new friend. Gabe took advantage of the quiet moment to bring China some tissues and a damp washcloth.
She blew her nose and wiped her face. “You guys are too kind. Thank you.”
“We’re just brothers, that’s all.” He straightened her blanket and pulled a chair close to the bedside. “Nothing to worry about—just let us know what you need. We’re here to protect and serve.”
“You’re... his brother?” He didn’t look anything like Maverick.
“In a lot of ways, he’s closer to me than my real brothers. We served together overseas.”
“So, you guys are Taylor and Gabe, and I’ve been drugged for a week?”
“Actually three days, ma’am.” He smiled when he answered. “Maverick said he was pretty sure they drugged you the same day they got you from the hospital.”
It seemed a lot longer. Leezel had told her years, and she had believed her. Leezel had told her she was old and dying. China shook her head. She’d believed everything. Lies. All lies.
“Do you remember being in the emergency room?”
China shoved her hand into her hair and tried to think. She had no recollection of being in a hospital, nor anything since the shooting.
Gabe gently persisted. “Tell me the last thing you remember.”
“I was... I mean Maverick and I were riding horses.” Which horses? Why couldn’t she remember which horses?
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