Christmas Rescue at Mustang Ridge

by Delores Fossen

  “If you can hear me,” he said to Royce, “we’re on our way back from the prison visit.”

  “Good, because I need you to get here fast.” That part came through loud and clear, but the next few words were garbled.

  “Sunny’s running a temperature,” he finally heard Royce say. “It’s not high, and the doctors say she’s not in immediate danger, but she’s asking for you.”

  God, no. The news hit Jake hard. A temp for most kids wasn’t a big deal, but it could be for Sunny since she had a hard time fighting off infections.

  Jake checked the time. “We can be there in about forty minutes.” The only way to the hospital was back through Mustang Ridge, and Jake hit the accelerator. There was some snow on the country road, hopefully no ice, though, and there was zero traffic. Maybe that would allow him to get there faster.

  Of course, faster wasn’t nearly fast enough. Not with his little girl asking for him.

  “I have good news, too,” Royce said. There was another hiss of static that cut off the rest of what Royce was saying.

  “What?” Jake practically yelled into the phone. Because heaven knew he could use some.

  The static popped in and out. “You did it, Jake. We have a bone marrow match for Sunny.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Royce?” Maggie heard Jake repeat. He tried several more times, and with a stunned look in his face, he glanced at her. “We have a match for Sunny.”

  With all the bad going on, Maggie hadn’t forgotten about the bone marrow tests, but the news still stunned her. Then, it filled her with an overwhelming sense of relief.

  This would save Sunny.

  The tears came, and she launched herself across the seat so she could give Jake a victory hug. He hooked his right arm around her, pulled her as close as she could get with the restraints of the seat belt, and Maggie could now hear the static on the phone.

  “The match might be David,” Jake said a heartbeat later. “Royce didn’t get a chance to tell me if it was David or you.”

  Since she was Sunny’s blood kin, Maggie had to believe it was her, but of course, there was the possibility it was David. If he’d actually taken the test, that is.

  She eased back so she could meet Jake’s gaze, and she saw the concern in the depths of his eyes.

  Oh, mercy.

  If the donor match was David, then he might use this in some sick way. Blackmail, maybe to get her to turn over the evidence against him that Maggie had already given to the marshals.

  “It’ll be you,” Jake mumbled like a prayer. “Not David.” He handed her the phone. “Try to get through to Royce.”

  Gladly. She found his number under Recent Calls and hit the Redial. Nothing. There wasn’t enough of a signal for the call to go through.

  “Try again in a mile or two when we’re closer to town,” he instructed.

  Maggie glanced out at the landscape and spotted the red claystone ridges that gave the town of Mustang Ridge its name. They weren’t far out at all, and that meant they wouldn’t have to wait long for an answer.

  Still, the seconds crawled by.

  She tried the call to Royce again and was so focused on it that it surprised her when she heard Jake curse under his breath. Hoping that he hadn’t thought of some other complication, she looked at him and saw that he had his attention on his rearview mirror. Maggie turned in the seat and saw the large pickup truck barreling up behind them.

  “You have on your seat belt?” Jake asked.

  That question got her heart pounding, and she glanced at the truck again. It was going way too fast for the road conditions.

  “It’s following us?” She checked to make sure her seat belt was secure. It was. Not only was the truck following them, it was getting closer—fast.

  “I hope that’s all it’s doing. Get out the guns.”

  That didn’t help her heartbeat or suddenly thin breath. Maggie threw open the glove compartment and took out the guns they’d put there before they’d gone into the prison to visit Tanner. She handed Jake his Colt and kept hold of the Smith & Wesson and the phone.

  “Hell,” Jake said. “Hold on.”

  Maggie glanced behind her again and saw how much closer the truck had gotten in the span of a few seconds. The driver had floored it, and it didn’t appear he or she was moving out into the other lane to pass.

  No.

  It was coming right at them.

  Maggie braced herself for the impact. And it came. Mercy, did it. The truck was much larger than their car, and when it slammed into them, the jolt snapped her forward.

  Jake, too.

  And she saw him fight to keep control of the car. He kept a firm grip on both the steering wheel and the Colt, but firm grips didn’t do much when the truck rammed into them again. And again. The other driver was using them like a battering ram.

  Jake tried to speed up, to stop another hit, but the truck sped up, as well.

  Who the heck was doing this?

  Tanner was no doubt behind it, but had he sent Dr. Grange, David or Wade after them? Or was this just another gun? If so, maybe Tanner had lured them to the meeting with this purpose in mind.

  To send one of his killers after them.

  Despite another jolt, Maggie looked behind them again, but this time she tried to see who was behind the wheel. The windshield was tinted, but she could make out two figures, and even though she could only see silhouettes, she thought the one in the passenger’s seat was holding a rifle.

  Oh, God.

  “I’m pretty sure they’re armed,” she relayed to Jake. Which wasn’t exactly a surprise since this was no doubt an attack. She didn’t think this was the prank of a pair of drunks. No. Someone had planned this.

  The truck plowed into them again, and there was the sound of metal scraping on the asphalt, and Maggie saw their bumper go flying. Without that minimal protection between them, the truck jolted forward, not just ramming into them, but forcing them off the road.

  Maggie said a quick prayer because there was no safe place for them to go. There was a mixture of huge boulders, mesquite trees and a ditch. And beyond that wasn’t much better because of the steep red claystone and gypsum cliffs. They created a barrier that would keep Jake and her from getting far away from the shooter.

  The tires on her side hit the ice and gravel mixture on the side of the road, and the car went into a skid. Jake gripped the steering wheel and tried to control the spin, but it was too late.

  They hit the ditch.

  It was like hitting a brick wall and was another fierce jolt that shook the entire car and them. They stopped with the vehicle’s front end buried into the ditch, and the impact deployed the airbags. They burst out from the dash and smashed right into Jake and her.

  Jake cursed and tried to bat away the bag so he could see. Maggie did the same, but she had no trouble seeing the truck because it was on her side of the car. It came to a stop on the road, and the driver jumped out.

  No rifle, but he had a handgun. And he was a stranger. A hired gun, no doubt, because he used the truck for cover, and he took aim at Jake and her.

  Maggie latched on to Jake to pull him down at the same moment he grabbed her. They pushed each other lower onto the seat. It wasn’t a second too soon.

  The bullet blasted through the passenger’s-side window and sent a spray of safety glass right at them. The second bullet went through the now gaping space and slammed into the steering wheel.

  Maggie’s heart was past the pounding stage now, and she figured the next bullet could kill Jake or her. She lifted her hand, unable to see where she was aiming, and she fired off a shot. From the sound of it, she didn’t hit anything, but maybe it would keep the shooter at bay while Jake or she could get into a better position to return fire.

  If that was possible.

  They were literally pinned down in a disabled car.

  “This way,” Jake said.

  Staying low, he shoved open his door and pulled her out to the o
ther side and onto the ground so that their car would give them some measure of protection. Good thing, too, because the next shot went into the seat where she’d just been.

  Maggie managed to keep hold of both her gun and the phone, and while the bullets continued to come at her, she dialed 911. She heard the static, followed by a dispatcher’s voice, and Maggie gave the person their location.

  Maybe, just maybe, they would get backup before this gunman managed to kill them. Of course, what they might get was an innocent bystander. A holiday traveler, driving through what was normally a safe place. God knew what the gunman would do in a situation like that, because Maggie was betting he wouldn’t leave any witnesses alive.

  “We need to move,” Jake told her the second she finished the call. “He’s coming closer.”

  Maggie couldn’t see the gunman, but the next shot he fired certainly seemed closer. They didn’t have the ammunition to go round-to-round with this guy so their best bet was to get into a better position so they could take him out.

  “He’s not alone,” Maggie reminded Jake. She slipped his phone into her coat pocket. “There’s someone in the passenger’s seat.”

  Maybe their suspect. She wanted to know the person’s identity, but at the moment she was glad he was staying put.

  One gunman at a time.

  “We’re moving over there.” Jake tipped his head to a huge boulder. It was wide enough to shield them both but only about two feet high, which meant they’d have to continue to lie low. But the advantage—it wasn’t that far away from the car.

  Maggie nodded, took a deep breath and they dove behind it. The shots didn’t stop, but thankfully they ricocheted right off the rock.

  Unfortunately, they were still pinned down.

  The shots stopped, and even though Maggie couldn’t hear what was going on, she thought the gunman might be reloading. Jake lifted his gun and peered out from the side of the boulder. He barely had time to peek around it before the shots came right at him.

  “Stay down,” Maggie insisted, but she knew they had to do something to put an end to this.

  “He reloaded faster than I thought he could,” Jake said. Which meant this guy was a pro or else had brought multiple loaded weapons with him. Even if it was the latter, that still meant it would take him a second or two to switch out.

  She looked behind them at the bluff and the clump of rocks and trees directly in front of it. The rocks were high enough so they wouldn’t be forced to stay on their bellies. If they could get to that clump, they might have enough room to maneuver and be in a better position to return fire.

  Of course, to get there, they’d have to risk being shot.

  The next bullet convinced Maggie that it was a risk they’d have to take because the shooter was on the move again. Coming closer, and he would probably end up using their own car for cover so he could shoot them like fish in a barrel.

  She glanced at Jake and saw that he, too, had his attention on the rock cluster. “Cover me. When I get there, I’ll stop this SOB before he can get to you,” he said.

  Her cop’s instincts kicked in. So did her feelings for Jake. Maggie didn’t want him taking the bulk of the risks, and she didn’t want him hurt. Plus, there was the other person in the truck. Whoever he was, he’d be armed and would no doubt come out shooting if Jake took out his comrade.

  “We should go together,” she whispered. “We could come out shooting and head for cover.”

  She saw the debate in his eyes, but it quickly ended when the shots came at them faster, practically nonstop.

  “When he pauses again, let’s go for it,” Jake insisted.

  Maggie waited, the sound of each shot slamming through her, and even though it seemed to take a lifetime or two, the bullets finally stopped. Jake and she didn’t waste a second. With their guns ready and with Jake behind Maggie pushing her, they raced away from the boulder.

  She fired a shot in the direction of the truck. Jake did, too, but she didn’t think either of them hit anything. Running at full speed, they jumped behind the trees.

  The ground was icy and slick, and Maggie’s feet landed not on the ground as she’d expected but on a flat-surfaced rock that was just visible in the snow and dirt. Even though Jake had hold of her shoulder, she slipped out of his grip and kept right on slipping. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t control where she was going.

  She fell hard onto the rocks, the side of her head striking a fallen tree limb. The pain was instant, blinding, and it knocked the breath out of her.

  Jake latched on to her, trying to pull her behind cover. But it was too late. Maggie looked up and saw something she didn’t want to see.

  The gunman had his weapon aimed right at her.

  * * *

  JAKE KNEW HE DIDN’T have more than a second or two to stop Maggie from being killed, but the slick ground didn’t give him a lot of control of his movements.

  Since he hadn’t had much luck pulling her behind one of the boulders, he dove at her, putting his body between the gunman and her. In the same motion, he pushed them back, away from the shooter, and Maggie and he went sliding down the embankment that separated the treed area from the claystone ridge.

  They smacked into more rocks. Not good. Because Maggie’s head was already bleeding, and he didn’t want his attempt to save her to end up hurting even more than the gunman’s bullet could have done.

  The moment he got his footing, Jake pivoted and looked up, his gun ready to defend them. The shooter wasn’t there. Too bad, because Jake would have had an easy shot to pick him off.

  Beside him, Maggie groaned softly, and she struggled to get to her feet. Jake wanted to check and make sure she was okay, but it was too big a risk to take. If the gunman came to the top of that embankment, Jake needed to fire.

  Using a boulder for support, Maggie got to an upright position, and she took aim. Her hand was shaky, but Jake didn’t know if that was from the cold or some injury. Mercy, he hoped she was okay. He’d dragged her out of WITSEC, and even though he hadn’t had a choice about that, he’d put her in direct danger not once but twice.

  The seconds crawled by, and he tried to pick through the sounds of the winter wind battering the ridge and trees. He didn’t hear footsteps, but that didn’t mean the gunman and his partner weren’t moving closer.

  Maybe this time Jake would be able to take one of them alive so he could learn the identity of the person Tanner had hired. Or if it was indeed Tanner behind this. It was possible David was working a different angle from his father and had orchestrated these attacks. Maybe to get that evidence from Maggie. Or maybe just revenge.

  There was a slight cracking sound on his left, and Jake pivoted in that direction. He saw the gunman dart behind one of the trees.

  Hell.

  Now the man had the high ground, and Maggie and he didn’t have any way to take cover. They were trapped.

  Without taking his attention off the tree, he used his left hand to motion for Maggie to watch the right side of the embankment. He didn’t want to take out one of the gunmen only for Maggie and him to be ambushed by the other.

  The waiting started again, and the adrenaline continued to slam through Jake. He was primed and ready for the fight, but he was afraid, too. If Maggie was indeed the bone marrow match for Sunny, then it was critical for him to keep Maggie alive.

  But it was more than that.

  He realized it was important for other reasons, too. She damn sure didn’t deserve to die.

  Finally, Jake saw the movement he’d been waiting for. It was just the edge of the gunman’s coat sleeve. Jake didn’t fire. He waited, knowing the guy would have to lean out from cover to get the shot.

  But the guy didn’t move.

  Since Maggie was literally side by side with him, he felt her arm tense. That was the only warning Jake got before he saw the blurred motion from the corner of his eye.

  Maggie fired.

  Her hand was no longer shaking, and she double tapped the tri
gger. Jake still didn’t take his focus off the man to his right, but he heard the sound of Maggie’s bullets and knew she’d hit someone. Probably the second guy she’d spotted in the cab of that truck.

  There was a groan of pain, and the sound of someone collapsing onto the ground.

  The guy still standing behind the tree said something that Jake didn’t catch, but Jake did recognize the next sound he heard.

  Sirens.

  They were still in the distance, but Maggie’s 911 call had worked. Thank God. Backup was on the way.

  The guy behind the tree turned and started running. No doubt to get back to the truck. Jake couldn’t let that happen. He needed at least one of these SOBs alive so he could get those answers they desperately needed. If not, the attacks would just continue.

  “Cover me,” Jake said to Maggie, and he latched on to the rocks to hoist himself to higher ground.

  It wasn’t easy, and he slipped a few times, but Jake finally made it to the top.

  And he cursed.

  He caught just a glimpse of the second gunman as the guy jumped into the truck. Before Jake could even take aim or get a good look at him, he sped away in the opposite direction of those sirens.

  Jake ran so he could try to get a look at the license plate, but it was coated with mud or something. Probably on purpose so the vehicle couldn’t be traced. Still, he had a description, and maybe the second gunman had some kind of identification on him that would lead him back to Tanner or one of their suspects.

  Jake’s gaze shifted to the downed gunman. The guy wasn’t moving, and he needed to check for any signs of life. First, though, he checked on Maggie. She was pale, and there was blood trickling down the left side of her face. She also had bruises and scrapes, but he hoped her injuries weren’t serious.

  He helped her up the embankment, and they reached the top just as a police cruiser pulled to a stop. Thankfully, Jake recognized the man—it was Shawn Marcus, the sheriff of Corral Junction, a town just ten miles or so from Mustang Ridge. They not only knew each other, they’d worked together.

  “You all right, Jake?” Shawn called out. He had his weapon drawn.