by Sara York
“Gives me a little bit of my faith back in the government,” Suz said.
“Well, you were still burned, so I wouldn’t get too excited,” Marshal added as he shook his head.
“That leads me to my next point. I’m not sure what to do with you, Suz.” Grant’s lips twisted and he looked like he was going to say something else then Marshal spoke.
“I’m all for you going to training, but maybe we’re opening ourselves up if we send you. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but you’ll be in training with other people. If one of those people knew you in your past life, they would know you were still alive. It would not only put you at risk, but us too.”
Suz’s lips twisted and her eyes narrowed. “The last thing I’d want is to put you all at risk.”
Tanner knew his sister meant it. If she said she wouldn’t put them at risk, then even if her life was on the line, she wouldn’t say anything about the ranch.
“Do you want to stay?” Marshal asked.
Suz stood and moved close to Marshal and Grant. She glanced at Duff and then back to Grant. “Honestly, when I first came here, I wasn’t sure if you all weren’t just a bunch of cowboys hell bent on anarchy. After what you did with the president, I’m convinced you guys are the best chance of enforcing the law. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but even with my FBI background, I think you and your secret organization are better than law enforcement in the current environment.”
“It was hard for me too,” Ryan said. “This place is different.”
“It is,” Matthew said.
“We’ve thought of leaving,” Tucker said. “But we can’t, not yet. Not when the ranch does so much good.”
“Why would you leave?” Tanner asked.
“It’s intense. The mission I went on in Florida, it was tough. Then in Turkey…” His gaze slid to Zander before he shivered. “I love these guys, and I love this place, but it is a kick in the seat of the pants that will twist you up and leave you gasping for breath. The only thing that has kept me here is these guys.”
“This place is stressful,” Grant said. “We’ve been operating for a while as a cohesive unit. Wild Bluff is important, it’s mission critical. But we’re all getting older. People like you, Tanner, and your sister, are our hope for doing physically taxing operations. I’m not going to lie to you, this does take its toll. Doing a mission now isn’t like it was when I first started.”
“Tell me about it,” Roger said. “I was fine on the last mission, but I’m exhausted. A few years ago, I bounced back so fast it made Duff’s head spin.”
“True story,” Duff said.
“Now, I’m thinking it will take days to get back to feeling fine.” Roger stretched one arm across his body and groaned. “We need someone Suz’s age.”
“Me too. I’m exhausted,” Mike said.
Matthew chuckled. “It wasn’t too bad for me. I feel fine.”
Everyone threw wadded-up napkins or paper at Matthew. They laughed and Grant rolled his eyes.
“That’s because you’re what, eighteen?” Billy said.
“Hey, I’m twenty-five.”
“Oh God,” Marshal said. “He’s twenty-five.”
“God, Tex, you’re a baby,” Zander added.
“And I’m good-looking too. You’re just jealous I have Jazz in my bed each night.”
“Jesus, don’t get started on that.” Roger rolled his eyes and stood, moving to the kitchen. He poured himself more coffee while a couple of the guys got up to get snacks or drinks as they joked about Matthew. The jokes died down as they took their seats. Roger came back in and stood next to Grant.
“This place is magical. I know you haven’t been here long, Tanner, but I wouldn’t live anywhere else. We need to take breaks, and we’re aging, hopefully not aging out of the place, but, Suz, Tanner, Tex, and even you, Jazz, you four are the future. You’re all very young. Matthew, you and Jazz are the two youngest we’ve had at the ranch. Grant and I are still up for missions, me maybe more than him since he’s taking a stab at running the whole shebang, but we’re still in there, ready to take down the sinners and false saints who threaten our world. But at thirty-eight, I know my time is limited. I’m not saying I’ll be done here in the next ten years, but thirty years from now, I won’t be mission ready.”
Zander shook his head. “I’m too injured. I guess I could do some things, but I’d be noticeable on a mission, which is the last thing you need.”
“I was okay on the last mission, but if I had to do more, it would have not ended well. I still don’t have enough control in my shooting arm. I wish I had that back, but I don’t,” Marshal said.
“I’m in good shape,” Davis said. “But I’ve got to tell you, running down those stairs after Matthew took the shot, it was hard. I love this place, and, Dad, what you did here is amazing, but my time is limited. Not too limited, but I think if I stay in shape, work hard, eat right, I’ve got maybe ten good years.”
“This is making me sad,” Ryan said. “We’re not old. None of you are old.”
Grant stepped into the center of the room. “No, none of us are old, but we’ve taken some hits. I’m trying to be realistic. We’ve been shot at, held hostage, almost blown up, and in an all-around sense, we’ve been injured. It’s slowing us down and the last thing we can be is slow when it comes to life and death situations. We need people like Tex, Jazz, Tanner, and Suz. I need you four to create the foundation for the future. In ten years, all of us old timers will be gone. It will be up to you to carry this torch.”
No one said anything. Tanner took in the seriousness of what Grant had said. He looked at his sister and saw the determination burning hot in her eyes. Before she’d been betrayed by the government, he would have tagged her as someone who would progress through the ranks of the FBI, maybe even becoming a deputy director one day. That path was closed to her. Now, he had no doubt she would take Grant’s challenge seriously and become the leader of this group in time.
Suz cleared her throat and stood again. “I promise you this. I’ll take this job seriously and do everything I can to make sure the ideals which founded this organization stay with this organization. As long as I’m here, we will operate with the idea and the full appreciation of making the world a better place.”
Matthew and Jazz both stood. “We’re both in,” Matthew said.
“I may not have my leg, but you can count on me,” Jazz added.
Tanner moved closer to Grant and the center of the room. “There’s one thing I know about Suz, she’s determined. I’m proud of all she’s accomplished, and I know she’ll do everything here with honor. I’m bought in to your mission. Heck, you saved my sister when you didn’t have to. I haven’t been here long, but I’ve been here long enough to know you guys are the real deal. This is exactly what I thought being in the military would be like. I’m in for staying here and making sure this ranch stays true to the principles it was founded on.”
He finished speaking and looked around, catching Mike’s gaze. When their eyes met, he felt the strong pulse of energy exchanged. There was something different about Mike. He wasn’t sure what was brewing, but there was a little spark that seemed to flare each time he made eye contact.
Reluctantly, he dragged his gaze away from Mike’s. He was probably making too much of the way Mike had looked at him. Plus, they were working together, which meant it could get messy if they ended up in bed.
After he was free to head into town, he would drive up to Colorado Springs or Denver and find someone. He needed a release, and maybe if he got someone else in his bed, it would cure his ache. Or maybe it wouldn’t and he would still want Mike.
Grant cleared his throat. “Well, I wasn’t really expecting the meeting to turn this way, but I’m glad we have the four of you committed to keeping Wild Bluff alive. Now, back to our latest mission, it looks like someone in the FBI is looking at Suz’s past and her family.”
Tanner took a seat on the opposite side of the ro
om from Mike, hoping the distance allowed him to gain some perspective on whatever was brewing and to help him focus on Grant’s words.
“Well I guess that means they know I’m out there somewhere,” Tanner said.
“Exactly. They know where your dad is,” Grant said.
“They can do whatever they want to him. Makes no difference to me.” Tanner had gone through too much to care about the old man.
“What are they going to do to him?” Suz asked.
“Nothing so far. They did go question him under the guise of an interview about his crime. Some behavioral analyst went. I’m sure there were plenty of questions about the two of you.”
“We can’t contact him, ever,” Suz said.
“I never would want to.” Anger grew hot and Tanner squeezed his hands into a fist, his nails biting his flesh, to stay calm. The man had done some despicable things and didn’t deserve any breaks.
Suz was quiet but she met his gaze and he knew they would have to talk later. But they were here now, and maybe it would be better if they had this conversation in public.”
“Just say it here, Suz. These men are our family now. They have your back.”
Suz shook her head and Tanner got up, moving to her and sitting on the edge of her chair. He took her hand and she met his gaze.
“How can you abandon Dad so quickly?”
“I’m not. This has taken years to build. He wasn’t a nice man.”
She shook her head. “No, he wasn’t, but you’ve seen what these people at the FBI have done.”
“Yes, and our father killed two young men who weren’t even twenty years old. They didn’t have any more birthdays, no Christmas or Hanukkah, or whatever they celebrated. They had nothing at all just because they were gay.”
Their gazes held and he felt her pain, but he wouldn’t feel bad about a man who didn’t care about him. He’d gotten past the pain, maturing as time healed his wounds. Their father had never been kind to them, and he couldn’t allow misplaced sentiment to factor into the equation.
“Just give me a few days to get over him. I don’t want them killing him. If he rots in prison, I’m fine with that, but if they murder him, I want them to pay for it.”
“Suz, Tanner, we’ll do what we can to make sure he’s not murdered by anyone in the FBI. He doesn’t have much to give them, so it’s doubtful they’ll come back to him. He’s a pawn, not a player,” Marshal said.
His sister lips thinned. “If you don’t think they’re targeting him, I’m okay with sitting on our hands.”
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation. Their biggest issue is you disappeared. They need to find you. We don’t know how we’re going to deal with the issue long-term.” Grant pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.
“Suz, we will keep you safe,” Duff said.
“I have no doubt you will.”
Grant lifted his gaze from his phone. “I think that’s everything for now. I’ll send updates about the mess in DC with the senators and the FBI. We accomplished our goal and the money is coming to your bank accounts today or tomorrow. We were expecting ten million, but took eighteen. So not a bad take. As usual, you all performed amazingly wonderful.”
Tucker stood and lifted his hand. “Hey, Grant, Marshal, just a second.” Tucker moved to stand in front of the TV, gathering their attention. “The house Marshal and Zander are moving into is almost finished. We’re growing. We now have Suz here, and we’re going to need to recruit more men and women to live at the ranch. Our operations won’t be sustained by fifty-year-old men. I know we’re not there yet, and Billy and I are fairly young, but the years are speeding by. I can’t believe it’s been as many years as it has. I mean, really, Roger, can you believe you’ve been here as long as you have?”
Roger shook his head. “No, it’s moving at light speed.”
“What I’m saying is, we need to think about building more than just a little house for the guys who need to live separately. We need to think about what this ranch will look like in five years.”
Everyone was silent and Tanner pulled out his phone and looked at the satellite view of their position.
“Guys,” Tanner said. Everyone looked at him and he wondered if speaking out this early in his career would be wise.
“Go ahead,” Grant encouraged.
“If we build too many more houses we’ll run the risk of attracting attention. I mean, we can get away with adding one house, maybe a couple of barns, but we want to look like our neighbors, right?”
“Good point,” Grant said. “While you have your phone out—I’m assuming you have your maps up and that’s what you’re looking at?”
“Yes.” Tanner glanced around, trying to gauge everyone’s reaction to him talking.
“Let’s put it on the TV, and all look at it.”
Tanner connected to the device hooked up to the TV and his map showed on the screen. “If you look at this area where we are, we’re the biggest house in the region. We look different.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Duff asked.
“I don’t know. We camouflaged the obstacle course and it looks good. But if we build another house, we’ll look totally wrong.”
Grant moved to stand in front of the TV and stared at the map. Their place did look different. It was obvious to Tanner they had an issue. Grant turned to Marshal and shook his head.
“We have to address this,” Grant said.
Marshal stood. “Guys, let’s give it a week. This isn’t something we have to make a decision on today. If you have any ideas, make a presentation and we’ll talk about it next week. For now, we don’t have anything hot in the box. We’ll take care of ranch tasks, make sure we’re set for the next three to six months on supplies and do any repairs so when the next situation comes to us, we’re ready. After we finish with our ranch tasks for the day, study. You all have areas you’re looking to improve. I believe Jazz is teaching a class on Friday. Is that right, Jazz?”
“Yes, sir,” Jazz said. “Friday at ten. We’ll go all day.”
“Awesome. Finish your ranch assignments before Friday, because Jazz has your day.”
“We’ll plan on grilling on Friday and spending the evening at the fire pit,” Duff said.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll send operational reports each morning,” Grant said.
The guys stood and Tanner disconnected his phone from displaying on the TV. He was headed out with Billy to check the fences, a task he was looking forward to.
Duff was still scheduling ranch duties, making sure the place ran smoothly. Most days, they were able to pick and choose which tasks they wanted. He’d chosen to drive around the ranch so he could get a good look at how the place was laid out. Suz was working in the barn, and Mike was cleaning the obstacle course.
Obsessing about Mike wasn’t doing him any favors, but he couldn’t keep his mind off the guy. It was getting difficult to be in the same room with him.
He couldn’t wait to head into town and find someone to have sex with. He didn’t want to be so callous, but, obviously, he needed to let off some steam. Maybe he would pick a guy who looked like Mike, or maybe not. Hell, anything just to get him over his fixation with the man which was driving him crazy.
Chapter Two
Three days had passed since he’d run into Tanner outside of his room. He’d been avoiding the man, trying to keep his mind on work and tire out his body by doing extra chores. Of course, it had backfired on him. He’d worked so hard, he’d gotten them ahead of schedule on ranch duties. On Wednesday night at dinner, they were talking about how they were done for the week. Roger spoke up, challenging the group to an obstacle course race.
Over the months, they’d changed a few things, updating the course, and adding a net below the slide for life, so Jazz would feel more secure. There was hope Zander would eventually feel comfortable on the course again. Their physical injuries were mounting and it made Mike sad. He wasn’t young anymore, and guys like Tanner
further emphasized how old he was. He wasn’t done yet, but seeing the young guys working out was nearly painful.
The weather was perfect for the outside competition. He, Roger, Grant, Zander, Marshal, Billy, and Tucker finished their breakfast and headed out, finding Tanner and Suz running the course together as a team.
Ryan was standing at the start, stopwatch in hand.
“What are they doing?” Roger asked Ryan.
“Working it as a team.”
“Interesting,” Mike said.
Ryan glanced at his stop watch. “They’re killing it working together.”
Mike watched as Tanner and Suz hit the slide for life, helping each other up the platforms to the top. They mounted the rope, going down with Suz in front of Tanner. Because Suz was shorter, Tanner helped her over a couple of the walls. They worked together, running the course in just under seven minutes.
As they crossed the finish line, Suz gave Tanner a high five and then bent, sucking in air.
“That was amazing,” Grant said.
“It was.” Mike walked over and shook Suz’s hand then Tanner’s. “I’m impressed.”
“Thanks,” Suz said.
“Why did you two run it together?” Mike asked.
“We go out as teams, right?” Suz asked.
“Yeah, I just…dang it, why aren’t we running this in teams?” Mike shook his head and stared at the rest of the crew. By then all the guys were outside, including Duff.
“We should have been doing team runs all along,” Marshal said.
“True,” Grant added. “But we need to do both, team and individual. Okay, who wants to team up?”
“I’ll go with Tucker,” Billy said.
“No, no couples. Not yet. Maybe next time,” Duff said.
“Okay, let’s set up our teams.” Grant slapped his hands together and smiled.
They made up a chart and Mike was paired with Billy on their first run through. It was weird working with Billy on the course, but they made good time. When he made it back to the finish line he noticed Zander was getting suited up and fitted with a harness.