by Terry Spear
“So did anything happen?” Leyton served up the eggs and ham onto two green ceramic plates.
Jack told him about Gigi and the other man.
“Hell. So you know her better than any of us. Is she involved in their criminal activities?”
They sat down at the kitchen table and Jack salted his eggs. “I don’t know. In the past when I was engaged to her, I would never have suspected it. Now? Maybe. What exactly did Chet say Hellion and Bishop were doing?”
“Just hanging out here. Chet wanted to stay. But the boss had another mission for him and in no way did he want one man out here on his own trying to take the two men down. Now, does it mean that the man with Gigi is also one of their partners in crime?”
“Maybe. She didn’t have any qualms about her brother trying to kill me. Some of it was probably because she was angry I had ended the engagement, but still, it made me reconsider the kind of person she is. Tell me exactly what happened with Jeffrey, Bishop, the other guy, Curly Joe.” Jack forked up some of his eggs.
“We told you about the mine and the stash of weapons we found,” Leyton said.
“Right, so that’s why they were in the area. But why did Jeffrey return to Yuma Town? He’d left when the kids were one and didn’t return for all that time. Why plan to take Dottie and the kids hostage?”
Leyton finished up his eggs and ham, then served a couple of fresh cups of coffee. “We don’t know. When he took Kate hostage, I came to her rescue. Supposedly, Jeff wanted to take Dottie and the twins from there. Move to a new location. As if he really wanted to be with them.”
“I don’t believe that, do you? Or did he think to use them as cover again? It doesn’t make sense. He really didn’t want the kids, did he? Knowing that they weren’t even his, and that he hadn’t supported them all those years.”
“From what Dan told me, Jeffrey had never helped with them, even when he was living with them. He’d never acted like a father to them. So no, I can’t see that he’d return for them because of some sense of pride in his kids, or wanting to be part of their lives all of a sudden. Not with the business he was in. He hadn’t told Dottie where he’d gone or if he’d ever return. She was well rid of him when she divorced him.”
“Okay, so if he thought to use her as a cover in Yuma Town before everyone knew what he was up to, that’s easy to see. But dragging around an unwilling ex-wife and her kids somewhere else?”
“We considered he was desperate. I don’t know. We need to find Bishop, make him talk and determine what was up with Jeffrey concerning Dottie and the kids.”
“Sounds good. So then what’s the deal between Dan and Dottie?” Jack buttered his toast and coated it with blackberry jam.
“Nothing that you need to be concerned about. Once she returned home from seeing her aunt, the kids were excited about their daddy coming home in three months, and Dottie explained how she’d kept the secret from you.” Leyton shrugged. “Unless you didn’t show up like you said you would, we knew this was where the relationship was headed. All the kids could talk about was you being a knight and taking them to the Renaissance fair, taking them on all the rides at the theme park, and taking them to see the animals at the zoo. We thought you had to be the real deal.”
“Dan wasn’t happy about us getting married.”
“He’s been protecting her and the kids from rotten asses like her ex-husband. We’ve all had our own issues. Chase lost his wife and child some years ago; Stryker and I learned we’re twins, but different families raised us. Kate learned never to take a nap at her clinic. No telling who might break in. Tracey was always in the middle of a shoot-out, and Hal was always trying to keep her out of them.”
“Tracey, the one who’s pregnant with twins?”
“Yep. And Chase’s mate, Shannon, was on the run and they all took her in. I wasn’t here yet.”
“And Dan?”
“He was trying to make sure Dottie didn’t lose her house when her husband left.”
“He likes the kids, right?”
“Sure.”
“And Dottie?” Jack couldn’t help feeling like the sheriff was more interested in Dottie than as just a friend and boss.
“We all like Dottie.”
“So why didn’t he marry her?” After Dan had pulled Jack over when he and Dottie were on their way to Loveland to get their marriage license, Jack felt like something more was going on between them. That and the fact that Dan had wanted her to delay marrying Jack. Leyton didn’t answer him. “She wouldn’t have objected to marrying her boss, would she have?”
Leyton took the dishes into the kitchen.
Jack studied him, knowing Leyton knew something about the situation, even if he was new to the area. Just off the top of his head, Jack came up with the most unbelievable scenario he could think of, given how Dan had acted toward Dottie, but it would be a good reason not to propose marriage to her.
“He’s gay.”
Leyton chuckled.
Jack really hadn’t believed that was the case. Then he thought of another unreal notion that would stop someone from marrying a person he really cared about. “He’s already married.”
Leyton glanced at him, no smile, no laugh, and in that instant, Jack knew the truth. “It’s a secret. Who all knows about it?”
“No one. I suggest you keep it to yourself.”
“But you know.”
“I was pushing him to tell me why he didn’t—“ Leyton quit talking abruptly as if he decided he’d said too much.
“Ask her to marry him? So they were dating?”
“Not really dating. It was really low key. He’d go over to have dinner with her sometimes. Nothing that would have gotten him in trouble with a wife.”
“So where is his wife? And why keep her a secret from everyone?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. He has his reasons for not telling anyone about his wife. Hell, she may be in prison. Or in a mental institution. How do I know? I just know that when he feels the time is right, he’ll share the truth with us. Just like Dottie finally did by telling us about you and that you are the father of her children. I wouldn’t worry about Dan. He can take care of himself. The kids and Dottie absolutely love you, which is obvious. When they came home from Missouri, all the kids could do was talk about you. Daily, for three whole months, they’ve been excited about seeing you.”
“I missed seeing them.”
“Which is all good. A few more days won’t hurt. Dottie will be busy with all the women getting ready to celebrate the marriage and she’ll still be working. We’re all glad for them and for you. Hell, I don’t know what I would have done if I had been separated from Kate as long as you were apart from Dottie, feeling as you do and just finding out I had a couple of twins. I would have been here in a heartbeat, if I could have been.”
“We’re very happy. I just didn’t want to create hard feelings with Dan or anyone else.”
“I’m sure that knowing you’re good for Dottie and the kids, and sticking around long-term, that’s all that matters to anyone.”
They heard a growl outside the door. Jack and Leyton pulled their guns as Jack went to get the door. He should have waited for Leyton to give him guidance, since the agent was supposed to be the one training him. Jack was so used to being in charge as a captain in the army, his reactions were based on instinct.
He pulled the door open, stepping back out of the line of fire in case the cat lunged at him. It was Travis. The agent quickly shifted in the entryway and said, “They’re all there.”
They’d expected to be outnumbering them by one—two bad guys, three good guys. So this changed the dynamics a bit.
Still, Jack was confident they could take them down.
“Gigi, the woman who’s there, is Jack’s ex-fiancée,” Leyton informed him.
“Yeah, he told me. Hope it won’t cause a problem,” Travis said, turning his attention to Jack, his expression telling him that he wasn’t sure Jack could deal with this
since one of the perps might be an old girlfriend.
“No problem. Everyone’s armed and human, right?” Jack asked.
“Yeah. No telling how long they’ll be there.” Travis headed for his room and called out, “I got the license plate number. Easy. It’s Hel1. He most likely figured he couldn’t use Hell because it might be considered profane.”
“The newcomer’s vehicle was V9R319, Missouri plates, Ford truck,” Jack said.
Leyton wrote down the tags and got on his phone. “Okay, I want Jack to be a cougar, you and I will go armed to the teeth, and bring along his pack with his clothes and gun.”
“You want me to go now?” Jack asked, wanting to make sure they didn’t lose sight of these people while they were talking.
“Yeah. Stay out of sight until we arrive.”
“Gotcha.” Jack stripped and shifted.
“No heroics,” Leyton said. “If they leave before we get there, let them. Dottie would never forgive me if you got yourself killed on your first training mission.” Leyton paused and spoke into the phone, “Hey, boss, here are the license plates of Hellion’s vehicle and some newcomer. We’re off to try and take them down.” He paused. “Four, one of them is Jack’s ex-fiancée.” Leyton glanced at Jack. “He’s good.”
Jack nodded, then headed out. He never knew what would happen on an army mission—even when they were just conducting training. But he knew to be careful. He wasn’t a Lone Ranger. In a case like this, he waited for backup. Unless the bad guys had taken someone hostage and were threatening to kill the person. That was different. Then he would take risks. He thought he could do whatever he needed to concerning Gigi if the time came. Did he want to kill her? No. If she tried to kill him or his fellow agents, and he didn’t have a choice, he’d do what he had to do.
He was out the door in a flash, racing to reach the cabin so that he could observe what was going on. He hoped this went down well for the team, that he could return home to see Dottie and the kids, and that they could begin to be a real family before he had to go on a mission again.
8
As soon as Jack drew closer to the location of the cabin, he moved slower, listening for any voices or other sounds, indicating any of the perps were about. Wary, he watched for any sign of movement, in case any of them had shifted into cougar form. Though he suspected they wouldn’t be running as cougars right now.
Not hearing anything except for the breeze stirring the pine needles, a hawk screeching way above the tall pines, and the flow of the river nearby, he moved in even closer. When he reached sight of the cabin, he stared at the parking area where the vehicles would have been. They were gone. Hell.
Still, he had to be sure that they hadn’t left anyone behind. He crept closer to the cabin, listening for any sound that might indicate someone was still inside. He heard a light moaning. Now what?
Someone was dying? Or having sex?
Jack listened for any sign of his partners. Nothing. If someone was dying inside, he had to save him…or her. If for nothing more than to learn where the others had gone and what they were up to.
He reached the window on silent padded paws and put them against the window frame, looking in. He couldn’t see anyone in the living room. Wait, he thought he saw a boot by the end of the couch. No movement. No more moans.
Jack waited a moment more, listening, smelling the scents—Hellion’s, Gigi’s, and two more men’s scents. And blood.
Jack looked at the top of the window sash. Locked. He had to chance checking on the man inside so he raced around to the cabin door in front. He leapt onto the deck and shifted in front of it. He twisted the knob and slowly opened it. The hinges creaked, warning anyone inside that someone was coming.
He immediately shifted again, having more protection in his cougar coat than if he was unarmed and naked. He ran around the brown tweed sofa and saw the man who was supposed to be Hellion’s partner in crime. Bishop, shot in the forehead, blood all over the wood floor. Jack drew close and listened for the man’s heartbeat and tried to detect his breath. He was no longer breathing, his heart no longer beating. Bishop was dead.
One of their perps was down. Except now they didn’t have any idea what the rest were up to or where they had gone. Jack checked out the two bedrooms and bathroom in the cabin, no sign of bags or anything else, so it looked like the others had left for good. At least Jack and his team had their license tags so they could try and run them down that way.
He heard footfalls, light. He still could detect them as they moved toward the cabin. He peeked out the window and saw Leyton in the shrubs off a ways, Travis coming in from a different direction so if they took fire, they wouldn’t both be hit. Catching their attention, he got down and went to the door, and hurried out of the cabin to let them know it was safe.
Leyton was carrying a backpack, so he’d have Jack’s clothes. They still needed to do a thorough search of the cabin to ensure nothing had been left behind. Any clue as to where Hellion and the others had gone. Or what they intended to do. He suspected they would be up to no good.
They all joined Jack in the cabin, and Leyton set the backpack down on the couch while Jack shifted, dumped his clothes out, and pulled on his boxer briefs.
“Hell, that’s Bishop,” Travis said. “Who the hell killed him?” Travis leaned over to make sure he was dead.
“Well, we have the new guy whose identity we don’t know, Hellion, and possibly Gigi. I don’t know if she can shoot a weapon.” Jack pulled on his camo pants. He really liked the “uniform” they wore. Casual, no suits, just their own clothes, and it was up to them. For an assignment like this, his camo clothes were best.
“Did you see anything, hear anything?” Leyton asked, returning from a search of the bedrooms.
“Just this guy moaning. And then I came in to check out the situation. If he was injured, I wanted us to be able to question whoever it was. He’d died by the time I entered the cabin. I’d say they left within the last forty minutes or so. Probably already packed up and ready to go before they decided to get rid of Bishop. Another thing—when Gigi had issues with my mom at the theme park in Branson my last trip there three months ago, we learned she had a boyfriend, Al. She sent him into a restaurant we were eating at to threaten me, but once I straightened him out, he left the park and her behind. So I don’t think he’s involved.” Jack gave them a description of him anyway.
“Okay, good. I’ll call Dan and let the sheriff’s department take care of Bishop’s body.” Leyton got on his phone at once.
Jack made another sweep through the place, looking under the beds, unable to keep from smelling the sex Gigi had with the other man in one of the bedrooms. Jack was sure glad he had dumped her when he had. The woman was a real menace and he wondered again how he’d ever thought she was the one for him when he’d asked her to marry him. Maybe it was because she was excited about marrying a military man, and she’d been so enthusiastic about where he was going with the army. So different from Dottie, yet Dottie had been the one who really made him think of nothing else but being with her, and being her mate.
“I think he’s gathering wool again,” Travis said.
“Hell, you know what it’s like to be newly mated,” Leyton said, smirking at Jack as he rejoined them in the living room.
“What?” Yeah, Jack had heard them talking. He hadn’t heard them ask him any questions.
“Okay, is the guy she was with one of the guys she’d been seeing while you were engaged to her, before you broke off the engagement because of it?” Travis asked.
Jack glanced back at the bedroom. “Ah, hell.”
“Okay, so have you got a name?” Travis asked.
“No. I would know him by scent. I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me before.” Probably because Jack was smelling Gigi’s scent and it was bringing back memories of being with her. But he hadn’t known any of the names of the three guys she’d been with. He just knew all three of them by scent. He’d been suspicious when
she didn’t want to see him at her place, so he’d finally forced the issue. The thing that really annoyed him was she didn’t believe she’d done anything wrong. Which, if she’d really felt that way, she wouldn’t have hidden the fact she’d had three other men in her bed.
“Dan, Bishop was hit by a single bullet to the head and left to die. He expired right before Jack entered the cabin. Bishop wasn’t bitten by a cougar, and there was no evidence of anything left behind. Just him in the cabin. So it’s okay to call the county coroner on this one. No one will know he’s one of us.” Leyton paused on the phone, glanced at Jack, and raised his brows. “Yeah, Jack’s still with us, no gunshot wounds or cougar bites or anything. Same with the rest of us, if you’re interested.” He smiled. “An hour? No lead on where Hellion and the others took off to. But Jack and Trevor both got a license plate number from the two vehicles. Chuck has Chet running them down for us. We’ll sit tight for now. See you soon.”
Jack checked the man’s pockets for anything. He found car and house keys. He held them up and jiggled them.
“Once we have an address, we could check it out. Though no telling where he lives. Dan and Stryker are on their way.” Leyton got a call while Jack went outside to search around the parking area just in case anyone dropped anything.
“Okay, thanks, Chet. I’ll let the team know. Jack? Well, he’s a go-getter.”
Jack smiled.
“All right, we have one dead Bishop here. It looks like Hellion’s hooked up with this new guy. Ralph Solo? Real name or some kind of joke? Okay, thanks.”
“Nothing that I could find out there,” Jack said.
“The new guy is Ralph Solo, and he’s had some traffic violations, nothing major, no jail time. His place is located in Loveland. So I figure we’ll head out there and see if we can find any information on what he was up to.”