The man stumbled out, yelling and clawing at the rope draped in a tangle around his shoulders and arms. Then August realized it wasn’t just rope. A large snake dangled from his neck where its fangs were imbedded deep into his flesh. A second hung from his forearm, flopping back and forth as he tried to pry the first snake from his neck. The one on his arm went flying, and he tore the other from his neck, then fell to his knees, his eyes wide as he stared at August. “Help me.”
August pointed the Glock at his head. “That’s my gun clipped to your belt. Hand it over.”
“You’ve got to help me. My neck is on fire.” His voice was a tight, hoarse whisper—possibly from swelling or maybe just fear.
“The gun.”
He fumbled the holstered gun from his belt without taking his eyes from August.
Teal finally spoke. “There’s a second man, August. They apparently split up. This guy got the shortcut, but the other’s coming this way.”
August glanced down the trail. No sign yet. She was sure he didn’t run like Teal, and hopefully had been delayed by her false trail. Still, they were running out of time. “Hold this gun on him and shoot if he moves a muscle.”
She tied the man’s feet, then looped the rope around his torso to pin his arms by his side. She probably should have made it tighter, but she didn’t have the heart to constrict his chest too much or tie his hands behind his back. He would find breathing difficult enough as his neck continued to swell. The snake’s venom wouldn’t kill him, but the swelling of his trachea would. When her conscience hesitated over that thought, she reminded herself that he was about to shoot Rio when she distracted him by throwing the rock.
“We’ll leave you for your friend to find. Maybe he’ll help you,” she said. She dragged him away from the snakes and propped him against a boulder. Maybe his airway wouldn’t close completely if she left him sitting up.
Realizing they were going to leave him to his fate, the man turned angry. “The Cobra is Senor Reyes’s exterminator. He will not stop until you are dead.”
August ignored him and lifted Rio’s sling onto Teal’s shoulders and clipped her holstered gun onto the waistband of Teal’s jeans again. “This is not an ornament. Use it next time.” She softened her admonishment with a quick kiss and tucked the man’s Glock into her own belt. Now they were both armed.
When they reached the shortcut, August kissed Rio’s head. Her paw was twice its normal size, and Rio whined when August started to touch it. She stopped. “Hang in there, girl.”
“August, come with me. I don’t want to split up again.”
“No. I need to lead this other guy away to give you time.”
“But—” Teal’s eyes filled with tears.
August grasped Teal’s shoulders. “You know the note that Pops tied around Rio’s neck?”
Teal nodded, her breath hitching.
“He gave the evidence to Rio to hide. She’s the only one who knows where the thumb drives are. If you won’t go for Rio, then go for me. Because if you don’t, everything I’ve given up—” Her throat tightened around the next words. “The note said they shot BJ, but Pops didn’t say how bad he was wounded. We don’t even know what else those goons might have done to the guys at the ranch. BJ, Rio, my career—it will all be for nothing if Rio doesn’t survive.”
Teal nodded, tears streaming down her face.
August cupped Teal’s face in her hands, took a deep breath to center her thoughts on something more positive, and held her gaze. “And for the record, I’m crazy about you, too.” She kissed Teal. “Now go. Get my dog to a vet.”
They simultaneously turned and hurried down different paths, August soaring on the wings of Teal’s blazing smile her confession had ignited.
Chapter Eighteen
Cobra jogged easily along the belly of the winding gorge, his bare feet a whisper on the path of rock and sand. It wasn’t the lush forests of his South American home, but he relished shedding the urban jungle for the chance to hunt where it was just him, nature, and his prey. He had stripped down to his black tank-style undershirt and loose chinos, carrying only a high-powered rifle strapped to his back, his Glock snugged in his shoulder holster, and a hunting knife and bota of water lashed to his belt. He didn’t need food. He hungered only for the kill.
He slowed and drew his Glock at the sight of the figure propped against a boulder just ahead. Tito, his face pale, wheezed as he struggled to suck in air past the grotesque swelling in his neck and cheek. His eyes were wide and wild when Cobra stopped in front of him and lowered the Glock to his side.
“Help…can’t…breathe.” Tito’s strangled words were hardly recognizable. He lifted one hand in an imploring gesture, and Cobra saw that the other was as grossly swollen as his neck. “Snakes—”
Cobra cursed this turn of bad luck. Tito was one of the few men he truly trusted. They had begun together as guards in the coca fields before Cobra earned his reputation as a ruthless enforcer and had taken Tito up through the cartel ranks with him. He stepped closer. “Don’t worry. I have a serum to fix your problem, but give me some quick information while I prepare it.” He took a wallet-sized case from his pocket and knelt next to Tito. “Did you see the women?”
Tito pointed in the direction Cobra was headed.
Cobra opened the case to reveal a compact injector and three small vials of dark liquid. “August Reese. She has the dog with her?”
Tito shook his head as much as the swelling would allow and tried to suck in a deeper breath. “Snake…bit…dog. Other…take…back.” Sweat ran down Tito’s face. He tried to speak again but shook his head, his breath coming in short, desperate pants.
Cobra snapped one of the vials into the injector and patted Tito’s leg. “They split up then?”
Tito lifted his thumb in an affirmative confirmation.
“August is still in the canyon?” He held up the injector.
Tito lifted his thumb again, then clutched at Cobra’s sleeve, his throat convulsing in a desperate effort to suck in air. His mouth worked and his face reddened with the effort.
“That’s good. The hunt is still on.” Cobra gently pulled free of Tito’s grasp and stood.
Tito grabbed Cobra’s pant leg and mouthed a renewed plea for help.
“I will, my friend.” He jabbed the injector into his own vein, his nostrils flaring as the military-grade stimulant flowed into his bloodstream. “That should keep me going for a few more hours. Now, time for your anti-venom.” He lifted the Glock, his hand steady and aim true as the bullet drilled a neat hole between Tito’s eyebrows. “Breathe easy now, my friend.”
*
Teal was concentrating intently on the trail when the gunshot, faint but distinct in the quiet of the canyons, stopped her. She closed her eyes. Should she go back? What if August was hurt and needed help? What if the bad guy was shooting at snakes and she returned only to be captured again? What if the gunshot was August shooting the Cobra guy and going back would cost valuable time Rio might not have? She had no choice but to continue.
Her back ached from the weight of Rio’s sling, but she concentrated on planting one foot in front of the other without stumbling over another rock. Blood had dried on her left knee from where she’d fallen, but it throbbed with each step. Rio had been quiet for some time now, her head hanging low next to her very swollen paw. Teal wished again there was some way she could carry her and keep the paw elevated at the same time. Teal needed Rio to be okay. She couldn’t let August down. And for the record, I’m crazy about you, too. The words, the affection in August’s eyes were all the incentive she needed. She’d crawl out of these canyons with Rio on her back if that’s what it took.
The side trail’s north-south direction thankfully shaded the narrow gorge from the sun, so the sudden blaze of light startled Teal. She stopped, blinking at the wall of red rock blocking her path. For a few seconds, her exhausted brain registered only the rivulets of perspiration trickling along her jaw and down her neck
and the pounding of her heart that beat counterpoint to the wheeze of her open-mouth panting. Then she realized she was looking at the other side of the main gorge. She turned right and continued, so tired that urgency was the only fuel keeping her upright and moving.
She nearly cried when she stepped out onto the prairie and the noon sun glinted off the pool where they’d last filled their canteens. Had that been less than twenty-four hours ago? It felt like a lifetime. Teal shrugged out of the sling to gently lower Rio to her feet. The dog hobbled on three legs to the water’s edge and drank greedily. Although spring-fed, the surface of the pool was lukewarm, thanks to the relentless sun. Teal peeled down to her underwear and waded in up to her shoulders. She didn’t have time to luxuriate but took a few moments to let her body cool and soak up the moisture. Then she drank the rest of the water in her canteen and refilled it. She hadn’t thought to get any of the purification tablets from the backpack, but she’d just have to chance it.
Teal dressed quickly and stood, then shook her head in disgust as she surveyed the area. She would never make a good soldier. Again, her single focus had been on the pool with complete disregard for what could be waiting for her. Movement in her peripheral vision caught her eye. A horse’s rump and swishing tail were barely visible from behind an outcrop of rocks to her left. “Stay here, girl,” she said to Rio.
She wouldn’t be caught again. She drew the gun from her jeans and flicked off the safety as she cautiously approached. She felt a lot scared as she crept to the edge of the rocky outcrop and a little silly when she jumped around it with the gun extended in both hands like a television cop. The horses startled and backed away.
“Whoa, whoa.” The muffled cry came from the man, bound and gagged, whose feet were tied to the reins of the horses dragging him as they backed away.
Teal flicked the safety and tucked the gun back in her pants in one swift movement, then added her voice to his. “Whoa, there.” She kept her voice calm. “Whoa.” She walked slowly to the horses when they stopped. “It’s okay. Nobody’s going to hurt you.” She looked down at the man. “Manny? Oh, God.”
Manny tried to speak when she knelt and pulled the gag from his mouth, but his voice was only a hoarse croak.
“Let me untie you and get some water.” It took a long minute to work loose the rope tightly knotted around his wrists, and then she went to work on the rope binding his feet. Manny groaned when he at last was able to move his arms from behind his back, but his hands weren’t working well enough yet to help her with the second rope. She finally untied the last knot.
He held out his hands for her to help him up, then leaned heavily on her, gesturing at the horses. She grabbed their reins, and he took them from her in one hand before flinging his free arm over her shoulder. “Water.” His whisper was faint, but clear. “They need water. Help me.”
She wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him hobble to the pool, the horses in tow behind them. When they got near, he dropped the reins, and the horses went ahead to plunge their noses into the water. Teal lowered him to sit beside the pool and offered him the canteen.
“It’s straight out of the pool. I don’t have any purification tablets.”
Manny snorted and turned the canteen up. Water ran down his cheeks, and his throat worked with every gulp. After he’d drunk his fill, he poured the rest over his head. He handed the canteen to her and cleared his throat. “I’ve drunk out of muddy puddles before. There’s nothing in that mountain spring I’m afraid of.”
She refilled the canteen, but he shook his head when she offered it to him again. Rio limped over to lie next to him, panting.
“Where’s August?” He looked at Rio’s swollen paw. “Shit. What happened to Rio?”
“She was protecting me from a snake and it bit her.” Teal closed her eyes to block out the gunshot that still echoed in the edges of her thoughts. “August is still in the canyons but wanted me to get Rio to a vet.” She opened them and looked at the horses, realizing there were three. “So it was two guys and you?”
Manny nodded. “When I heard you in the water, I was praying it wasn’t those two devils returning. Even though they tied all three horses to me, I thought it was more likely they’d tie a rock to my feet and throw me in that pool. I don’t know why they didn’t before, when that Cobra guy figured out he could track you in the canyons well enough without me.”
Teal shuddered, then sucked in a breath. “Well, lucky for all of us that it was me and Rio, but we need to get going. Do you think you can ride?”
“Yes.” He stood carefully. “I just needed the circulation to return to my arms and legs.”
“Good. Which is yours?”
Manny pointed to the red roan mare. “She’s mine. You should take the sorrel if Rio is riding with you. I’ll unsaddle the other. He’ll follow us.”
“I’m going to get Rio back in her sling.” She handed the gun over to Manny. “You ride shotgun.”
He freed the unneeded horse, then helped lift Rio’s sling onto Teal’s shoulders, backward this time so Rio was cuddled against her chest. Manny took off his belt and used it to secure the sling’s straps together so they wouldn’t slip off Teal’s slender shoulders. Then he helped her mount and climbed onto his horse. “I’ll let you set the pace,” he said.
*
Tommy paced between the bunkhouse and where Hawk was pointing to BJ’s blood staining the ground and recounting their night once again to two “grown-up bears,” aka Texas Rangers. The sun had been rising when a medical helicopter evacuated BJ and Pops to an Amarillo hospital but was high overhead now, and he wanted to scream. The rangers had been ready to drive their Jeeps in an immediate off-road rescue, but they’d requested a helicopter when they learned August and Teal were likely already in Caprock Canyon. That was hours ago. Apparently some argument between state and federal agencies was stalling the operation.
“Damn it.” Tommy threw his hat in the dirt where Hawk and a husky ranger stood and yelled at them. “We’re wasting time.” For Christ’s sake.
Even Hawk, who was normally the calm in every storm, shook his head in disgust. “Go saddle two horses,” he said to Tommy. “I’ll get some supplies together.”
“We can’t have you boys meddling in an investigation,” the ranger said. “I’ll arrest you if needed to keep you from interfering.”
Hawk narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ranger. Tommy and I are just saddling up to go check the herd. You can’t arrest us for that.”
The ranger wasn’t backing down. “Then you won’t mind if I send one of my men with you. We wouldn’t want you to stumble into trouble or violate the law by accidentally carrying weapons onto state-park property.”
“You son of a bitch.” Tommy had stepped up and poked the ranger in the chest, ready to give him a piece of his mind, when the whup-whup made them all turn to the field just behind the house. The black helicopter had barely touched down when a man with blond hair cropped military short on the sides and wearing a dark suit jumped out and ran toward them in a crouch to avoid the chopper’s churning blades.
“Where’s August Reese?” Shouting to be heard above the noise of the helicopter because its pilot wasn’t shutting down the engine, Pierce Walker held up the leather wallet that displayed his DEA identification.
The Texas Ranger started to speak, but Tommy refused to miss this chance.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell this idiot. They took off on horseback toward the canyons, but some guy who calls himself The Snake shot up things here, then took off after her. We need to go help her, but he’s too concerned about stepping on some park ranger’s toes.”
“Cobra was here?” Walker frowned. “Are you talking about Caprock?”
“Cobra, yes. He shot BJ, and his men tried to kill the rest of us, but it’s a long story,” Hawk said. “He went after August with only one of his men and Manny as a hostage.” He pointed past the barn. “They all left on horseback
across the prairie. August and Teal had at least an hour head start.”
“One of you come with me to show us where she would have entered the canyons.”
Tommy wanted to go in the worst way. He was embarrassed that August and BJ had had to save his drunken hide at the Lock & Load, and he needed to prove he could be a better man. It wasn’t that he had romantic delusions about August. She was beautiful, but he clearly didn’t have what it took to attract her that way. He just wanted her respect. Still, this wasn’t about him.
“Take Hawk. He knows the canyons.” Well, that and the fact that Pops swore Hawk had an ability most people believed was only legend.
*
August hadn’t actually managed to say the magic “L” word, but as soon as she’d given voice to a small part of her feelings, she knew it was true. As hard as she’d tried to guard her heart, Teal had easily captured it. August hadn’t realized how much energy she’d been expending to hold back, but Teal’s answering smile lifted a huge weight from her soul and ignited a burst of adrenaline that kept her going for the next three hours as she alternately jogged and walked. She kicked over stones and left a tiny bit of a power-bar wrapper as a clear clue for her pursuer. About thirty minutes after she and Teal had parted, her heart had nearly seized at the sound of a single gunshot. She told herself it was too loud to have come from the side trail. This Cobra guy was close. At least she prayed he was following her, not Teal.
The narrow gorge at last widened, and she knelt in the rough, wiry grass of the canyon that stretched out before her. Relief, along with exhaustion, washed through her. The cliff she would scale to the state park’s upper trail and possible safety was a hundred yards to her right. But the few hours of sleep, lack of real food, and dehydration had drained her. She lurched forward onto her hands and knees, and sweat dripped from her nose and chin as she sucked in deep breaths of the hot, heavy air. After a moment, she shed her backpack and extracted her last protein bar. Her sweat-soaked T-shirt clung to her body, and her hands shook slightly as she tore open the wrapper and chewed the bar thoroughly. She drank all of the water remaining in her canteen. This canyon led to another gorge and other canyons, but this was the only one she knew that came so close to the park trail. If she couldn’t scale this cliff, then her only hope would be to ambush a professional killer, and she wasn’t stupid enough to think her barroom fighting experience could match his skills and whatever weapons he might be carrying.
Swelter Page 24