My wounded ribs ached, and not just due to bad breathing.
I kicked, snapping the metal marker in one blow. Cursing, I raised my knee, fanning dust again and again as my foot landed on that stupid, laughing face.
I wanted to obliterate it. Turn it into nothing, ghostly as the dust swirling around my knees.
A policeman would've seized it as evidence. But just encountering it was all the evidence I needed. Dormant senses flared, fight-or-flight ticked on, and I pummeled it with my boot.
Eventually, I got tired. I slowed my kicks to a slow, grinding motion, kneading it deep into the dry earth.
I wanted to bury this thing once and for all. But really, what I wanted most was to bury Anderson himself, right after I hauled his carcass to the nearest sheriff to collect my reward.
“Declan! Tell me what's going on?”
I spun, ready to punch whoever the hell was crazy enough to grab my shoulder at a moment like this. I felt stupid when I saw Misty standing there, scared and confused.
“Jesus. I didn't know you were out here,” I snapped, a little more harshly than intended.
“I...saw you kicking up a lot of dust while I was out for my evening walk. Figured you'd be back right about now.”
She took a step away from me and crossed her arms. I tensed, wishing I'd kept my cool from the start. If only I hadn't seen this damned marker.
It wasn't easy to control myself. And looking at the sweet, round fruits tucked behind her tank top sure didn't help...
“Are you going to tell me what's gotten you so worked up?” She raised an eyebrow.
“This,” I said simply. I moved my boot off the badly beaten, half buried marker.
There was no use in hiding it. I braced for questions, knowing that a single one might open all the dirty secrets about Anderson I didn't want anyone else to know – especially her.
Misty put her slim hands on her knees for support and bent over. She stared straight at the ground for a few seconds, before rising to face me with a blank, puzzled stare.
“All that fuss over a little scrap of metal like this?”
“That's no ordinary steel,” I said coldly. I turned toward the horizon, seeking the fading warmth from the prairie at sunset. “It's from Anderson's men.”
“Really? Way out here?” Her voice split a little on the last word.
“Yes,” I said finally, turning to her. “Your ranch is a little too close for comfort to the badlands. And these scum love to do their business in the shadows of the hills. Dry, lonely land where nobody's gonna find them.”
She looked up, eyes wide with dark wonder, preparing to pop a question she was afraid to ask. I took a step closer.
“And what business is that? I thought you said this was a guy on the run from tax evasion. There's more to it, isn't there?”
“I didn't want to scare you. You want the truth?” I swallowed hard. She nodded.
“Anderson Dugan is one of the biggest sex traffickers in the ten state region. Him and his guys have drop points here for cash and exchanges, but mostly it's a stopping point before he brings his...slaves up to Canada.”
I hesitated. Misty hissed with horror.
I didn't blame her one bit. I'd been on his trail for months, and I still didn't know what to call his poor products. Victims and prisoners didn't accurately describe the hell awaiting the poor women who fell into his hands.
“Why didn't I know about this? Why'd you leave it out when you told me about being a bounty hunter?” I eyed the redness on her cheeks, so much deeper than the sweet flush that normally blossomed on her skin.
“I didn't know if you'd handle it at the time. For all I knew, you'd panic and call the police.”
“And that's exactly what I'm going to do,” she said firmly.
She took a step away from me. I reached out, gently grabbing for her wrist.
She stopped, and another tug brought her back to me, into my arms.
I held her, listening to the deep tremors inside her body, hidden behind unsettled breaths. Did emotions storming like thunder in another human being have a sound?
“The police in this area won't do any good taking him down. This man once bombed a whole SWAT team that came sniffing around his headquarters. He adapted, went mobile, and the thugs who smashed up my chest are always armed with a lot more than crowbars.”
“I can't believe this!” She whimpered, staring up at me. “Why? Why aren't they doing more to catch this kind of monster?”
“Home grown terrorists took a backseat to going after dangerous foreigners years ago. And the FBI doesn't have all the resources to pursue every thug, everywhere, every time. That's why they put out bounties and rely on guys like me.” My hands went lower, smoothing their way toward the small of her back.
“Is he dangerous? Is this place even safe anymore?” Ouch. That one actually hurt.
Do you really think I'd put you in danger?
“Yes. Very. You're safe, as long as I'm here. Sooner or later, I'll catch that rat bastard. Dead or alive, just like the poster says.”
She gazed up at me, her eyes watery and bright. If she didn't ask, I wasn't going to indulge her about whether or not the infamous phrase was true.
“Promise me you won't go,” she said. Behind me, her fingers raised up on my back, sharp and pointy like little spears raking my skin.
“Not before I'm done with him. And just to show you I mean business...”
I picked up the dark cowboy hat at my side and placed it on top of my head. She smiled.
Faint, crooked, and beautiful, but it was a smile. Mission accomplished.
“Looks a little big on you,” she teased, reaching up to run a forefinger across the rim.
“Maybe it's something I'll grow into. Now, why don't you climb in next to me and I'll get these parts into storage, wherever you'd like. Anderson's a bastard, alright, but not such a big bastard that he's going to ruin our evening.”
I moved away, but my fingers wouldn't let go of her arm. I embraced it.
I tightened my grip, lacing my large fingers through hers. We held hands all the way to the truck, until I finally had to let her go as she climbed into the passenger seat.
It took days, waiting in the hot sun, just on the edge of the badlands beyond her little fence. The first few passed with nothing to show for my efforts, and I wanted to kick myself for wasting time.
And not just my own. I could've been driving the truck, helping her, but Misty wouldn't have it.
She took me off Tom's driving duties and made me do what I was really there to do.
I pulled my hunting gear out of my old LTD and crouched in the hot brush, waiting for my prey. My car had been towed and stored in the ranch's spare garage while I was stuck in bed.
I didn't dare drive it anywhere near the smugglers' rallying site again. I needed surprise on my side.
Anderson had ambushed me after I stupidly went after him in the open. For now, I needed them to forget I existed.
And if they thought I was dead or sucking meals through a straw in a distant hospital, all the better.
Ever since my short stint in the police force, I hadn't watched cop movies. They just weren't close to my experience.
Not out here, in the wild, wild West, where soulless crooks did deals in broad daylight.
It was noon when I saw the black sedans pull up. I lowered my binoculars for a second. Maybe my luck was starting to turn around.
I blinked, ignoring the sickly headache starting behind my eyes.
My head throbbed as Anderson's dark SUV came to a stop. I held my binoculars close, zooming across the arid land.
The brutal head honcho himself crossed the short distance to a man waiting next to a wide luxury Chrysler. Buyer and seller were meeting. I knew it before he reached into his open backdoor for the suitcase full of cash his henchmen had waiting.
They exchanged few words. Anderson's jaw moved, even when they weren't talking.
The strong memory
of that foul gum burned my nose. I could smell it on his breath, even half a mile away, acrid and venomous.
Several other toughs got out and stood behind him, keeping their distance as the deal went down. The same thing happened with the unknown figure – probably a middle man buying the girl to flip her to a higher bidder.
He didn't look like a degenerate in his slim suit and neatly trimmed mustache. Then again, sometimes monsters lurked behind model citizens.
My heart sank as I watched the woman struggle out of the SUV. The bald headed man – the same one who'd whacked me in the chest – held her bound hands tight behind her as he marched her forward.
She didn't have a chance.
The man with the thin mustache smiled wickedly. He shook hands with Anderson, and then gave the signal to one of his minions to pass the suitcase into his dark merchant's waiting grip.
For a second, the girl looked right in my direction. She was young, a skinny girl with caramel colored skin. Too young to experience their cruelty.
This world ain't fair. That's why it's up to me to even the odds.
I clenched my jaw, staring at her.
Probably another immigrant woman they'd kidnapped further south. They were easy pickings for monsters, and the Feds moved like molasses on the missing persons reports, if they were ever filed at all in these cases.
She couldn't see me, but her thousand yard stare fell right in my direction. I knew then I'd never forget her eyes.
They shone like tarnished jewels; huge, terrorized, and burning bright. Crying. Pleading.
Begging for someone to save her from the awful fate that waited. I could've been that man.
Or least the man to try – but I would've ended up full of holes. Dead on the South Dakota soil, while Anderson went on to do another deal, perhaps in another area a little further from prying eyes.
I simply couldn't charge out into the open, rabid and outgunned. It took every ounce of discipline I had to resist the urge too.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered.
The buyer's Chrysler pulled away first, and so did the other car with him. I gritted my teeth, waiting for Anderson to do the same.
But he hadn't gotten into his SUV yet. He turned toward me, one hand on the door's handle, focusing in the distance.
The bald man rounded the rear of the vehicle. They exchanged few words, and I imagined the conversation.
“What is it, sir?”
“Something ain't right. Do you ever get the feeling like you're being watched?” Anderson turned to his man, face crunched up and eyes narrowed as he chewed that infernal gum.
“It can't be the Feds. We combed the whole area before the deal went down. So did Corkscrew's guys. We don't skimp on this kind of shit, boss. Not one bit!” Eyes wide, his lips kept moving.
If there was anything these brutes feared, it was disappointing their master.
“No, it isn't that,” Anderson said. “Someone else is watching. Come on. Before we go, there's something I'd like to check out.”
They slammed the doors behind them and the SUV started to move. I watched it, my eyes moving to the main road.
It didn't go there. Not at first.
Anderson had another destination in mind. The sun was high in the sky since early morning, but it was the first time I began to sweat. I mean, really sweat.
They drove, right over the spot where I'd been knocked cold and left for dead. The dark vehicle kept going, all the way to the cloudy brown rocks near the brush where they'd found my car.
The fat man had smashed out my window – probably looking for any sign of police radios or tracking equipment – anything that meant they should've made me dead on the spot.
Misty's guys hadn't cleaned up the glass when they came for my car. It wouldn't have mattered, not by much, but at least it wouldn't have given Anderson anything to latch onto.
The SUV stopped, blinked its red brake lights a couple times, a devil winking at me with too many eyes.
Anderson's door opened. His polished black shoes touched the ground, and he leaned down, never moving his car seat.
He picked up a big glass shard and studied it. He turned it in his hands, careful and curious, as though it were an ancient artifact. At last, he held it up, letting it catch the bright sunlight.
Then, he let it drop to the ground, his raised hand closing into a fist. One finger jutted out. He pointed in my direction, but past me.
His finger cut further than my spot. He pointed at the ranch.
“Shit! Shit, shit, shit.” With one fist, I slapped the ground.
My curses became a mantra, the only thing that allowed me to stay low, until the SUV started moving and finally got on the main road. When it passed out of sight, I ran, pumping my legs frantically all the way to Misty's porch.
“I was wrong.” The words spilled out, hard and jagged, rough as coughing up a fist-sized paperweight. “Misty, you aren't safe here.”
Her eyes were wide. But she didn't freak out like I expected, even when I waited several seconds for the bad news to sink in.
“You think I don't know that?” She ran her eyes up and down my body, staring at the dirty imprints on my shirt and jeans left by the dry earth.
I opened my mouth and closed it. No woman ever rendered me speechless before, but apparently there was a first time for everything. But not for long.
“You should get out of here. Shut things down for a little while. Call up some friends and family and stay with them 'til I give the okay. I'll lay a trap here. If Anderson and company come sniffing around for me or anything else, I'll nail them.”
She tilted her head. The sunlight coming through the kitchen window hit her long hair, leaving me drunk on the gorgeous layers sparkling in her curls.
“You can't really mean that. You're not the only one with business on this land, Declan.” She stepped toward me, her shoes thudding on the floor almost as loud as my boots.
“This is my father's ranch. Everything in the world he left me. If we're out of business for – what? – days? Weeks? We'll be out for good.”
I lowered my head. She'd given me a complication I hadn't considered, though I should've expected it by now. Nothing about hauling in Anderson Dugan was easy.
“I get it. I really do. But if anything were to happen to you while you're here, I'd never forgive myself.”
“Then don't let it. Just like you promised.”
When I looked up, we were only separated by an inch. She stared up at me, face like an angel's, carrying a message I'd nearly forgotten.
The girl's right. I made a promise, and I'm a man of my word. There's no other way...
“You're right. We'll find a way through this. Anderson's the worst viper I've chased, but I've never failed in five years as a bounty hunter. And nobody's ever gotten hurt on my watch either.”
Well, almost nobody.
I hadn't been directly responsible for the slave girl's fate. But I felt it then, recalling the terror and confusion in her eyes.
I stared at Misty, imagining that look on her. Rage brooded deep inside me, flowing like molten steel in a churning foundry.
“Do it, cowboy. Get this fucking creep. And everything – everything – here is at your disposal to help you do it. But we're going to keep running. Just as close to business as usual as we can manage.”
She grinned, slowly pinching her hands around my back.
Fear, determination, and a hint of regret make a powerful cocktail.
I grabbed her, molding my hands along her curvy sides, not stopping until they covered her hips. She sucked in a breath and held it, whistling softly as my fingers spread, cupping her plump buttocks through her jeans.
I lifted her up, just a couple inches off the floor. Her smile broadened, crazy and bright. I pushed her onto the counter, hugging her like sorely needed nourishment, focusing all my energy on her lips.
“Business as usual? I don't think so, little lady. If we're going to make this work so I can do my jo
b, then we're going to have some changes around here. Big, beautiful, wild changes.”
V: Twin Stars, Lit and Loving (Misty)
Declan kissed me.
Before, I'd only imagined his lips, the spicy, sweet, strength concealed in his mouth. And fantasy is never, ever as good as reality.
I melted beneath him, spreading myself out on the counter. His kiss sent bolts racing through me, straight to my center, where they coalesced and exploded.
Bright. Sharp. Alive!
I moaned. I gasped. I twitched beneath him as he dove in for another sultry sample of my flesh.
My arms and legs spread wide for him. His tongue licked across my lips once, and then split down the center, charging into my mouth and searching for my awestruck tongue.
I let it mingle, searching for the strength to hold his heat. I touched his tongue with mine, savoring the wetness, the rough and addicting flavor of his masculinity.
Oh, God. Finally. Finally!
I've been a good girl. I've waited long enough. And now, with all this danger around us, I want to collect my just reward. My bounty.
I want this cowboy hunter to ravage me from head to toe.
I kissed him back, this time a little harder. My lungs swelled, sandwiching my breasts against his strong chest.
The delicious pressure shot new pleasure through my system. It crackled outward, into his lips, only to return twice as strong.
And his kisses, rising in fierceness, were just the tip of the spear, the pinnacle of the fire we shared.
I drank deep, as much as I could handle, wrapping his tongue in mine. He pressed my lips smooth, swirling his way through them.
His hips lashed forward. Behind his jeans, I felt the huge bulge greeting me.
Inside, I screamed. My arms unraveled, gripped him tight, lost in his shirt for support.
My elbows bent, moving with the tempest. My right arm crashed against my old coffeemaker. The sound jarred us out of our lust, but only for a second.
Declan chuckled softly, lifting me into his arms. “This isn't the place, little lady. As much as I'm enjoying it.”
The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle) Page 80