by Cindi Myers
Hannah crouched over the infant, whose wails rose over even the sound of the inferno, a siren song that seemed to intensify his own fear and anxiety. He wrapped his arms around Hannah and buried his face against her neck, breathing in deeply of her sweet scent, trying to block the acrid stench of smoke. She gripped his arm, fingers digging into his flesh. The roar of the flames was even louder now—he winced as the heat intensified, searing his back. It was growing harder to breathe, and the baby’s wails silenced. He slid one hand beneath Hannah’s to touch the child, reassured that she was still breathing.
Hannah coughed, and he held her, then gave in to spasms of his own. But as the pain in his chest eased, he opened his eyes and realized the roaring of the blaze had faded, and light was once more seeping into their shelter. The heat had lessened, as well. Hannah turned her head and her eyes met his. “Is it over?” she asked.
He eased back a little, and then a little more, until he was able to stick his head out to survey the ravine. Smoke curled from a smoldering tree branch and white ash scarred the rocks around it, but the fire hadn’t descended to the bottom of the ravine. He retreated into the undercut once more. “Let’s wait a few minutes for things to cool off a bit, but I think we’re okay,” he said. “How’s Joy?”
“She’s fine.” She cradled the infant to her, tears streaming down her face. “I was so scared, but thanks to you, we’re all okay.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “And for what it’s worth, I was terrified, too.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I might have made it without you, but I’m glad I didn’t have to try,” she said.
They waited half an hour, then climbed out of the ravine, emerging streaked with soot and ash to a landscape filled with the blackened skeletons of trees and exploded rock. Smoke curled from the ground, and they walked carefully, trying to avoid hot spots. Walt moved in front of Hannah to break the trail, and she gasped.
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Your back!” She pointed, then covered her mouth with her hand. “It’s burned.”
He hadn’t noticed anything until that moment, but when he reached around and felt along his ribs he winced at the sudden, searing pain. “Your shirt is almost burned away,” she said. “You let that happen and you never said a thing.”
“I had other things on my mind.” He faced forward again. “It doesn’t matter. We have to get out of here.”
“But where are we going?” she asked.
“Away from the fire.”
A droning sound overhead made them both look up. When Walt recognized the helicopter, he raised both hands to wave, ignoring the pain in his shoulders as he did so. Hannah took the blanket from around the baby and waved it also. The chopper dipped lower, and they could clearly see the pilot. He circled them, and then slowly descended to a spot about two hundred yards away.
By the time Walt and Hannah reached the helicopter, the pilot had shut down the engine and climbed out to meet them. “What are you two doing out here?” he asked.
“It’s a long story,” Walt said. “I’m Agent Walt Riley with the Ranger Brigade. Can you take us to Ranger headquarters?”
“Whoever you are, you need to get out of here. Climb in.” The pilot walked around to the door of the chopper. “I’ll radio this in once we’re airborne. Headquarters is never going to believe this.”
* * *
“I DON’T BELIEVE THIS.” Commander Graham Ellison frowned as an EMT bandaged Walt’s blistered back. “When Metwater’s people told us you and Hannah had left, we suspected something was up, but not that you’d been trapped in that wildfire.”
“Which the fire investigators now say was deliberately set.” Carmen joined the group clustered around Walt, Hannah and the baby.
“When Metwater’s goons didn’t succeed in tracking us down yesterday, he probably thought the fire would be a good way to finish us off.” Walt winced as the EMT tightened the bandage.
“That’s crazy.” Hannah looked up from feeding the baby. “They could have burned down their own camp.”
“They were probably counting on the road and the creek to serve as a firebreak,” Marco said. “And the prevailing winds were in their favor.”
“Metwater is already claiming he knows nothing about anything,” Graham said. “And he’s telling anyone who will listen that you murdered Alan Saddler—aka Kiram—in cold blood.”
“He was trying to kill us!” Hannah stood, unable to rein in her outrage.
“I’m sure the investigation will prove that,” Graham said. He turned to Walt. “Until that plays out, you’re probably going to take a beating in the press. Metwater has his lawyers working overtime, filing charges.”
“But he’ll have to submit to the paternity test the court ordered, right?” Hannah asked. Soon after they had arrived at Ranger headquarters, she had learned the court order for the DNA test to determine the baby’s identity had come through.
“He will,” Graham said. “We won’t let him off the hook on that.”
The EMT pressed the final bandage in place, then stepped back. “You need to have a doctor check that out ASAP, but I’m guessing you’re going to need a couple of weeks off to heal,” he said.
“Good idea,” Graham said. “You lie low and let us handle Metwater.”
“He assaulted me, kidnapped Hannah and he stole my bike,” Walt said.
“I’ve got your bike in my garage,” Michael Dance said.
Walt scowled at him. “What are you doing with my Harley?”
“When we showed up at Metwater’s camp, looking for you, I spotted it tucked behind one of the shacks,” Michael said. “I decided I’d better take it in for safekeeping before it disappeared altogether.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Marco said. “He just wanted to ride it.”
“It’s a sweet ride,” Michael said, grinning.
“Metwater didn’t try to stop you?” Walt asked.
“He told us you had just left it there when you decided to take off,” Marco said. “That’s when we knew he was lying about what happened to you. You wouldn’t abandon the Harley.”
“What about Lucia Raton?” Hannah asked. “Have you found her?”
“Not yet,” Carmen said. “But we found a witness who saw her after she supposedly left Metwater’s camp, so that seems to let him off the hook.”
“For now,” Graham said. “As for the rest, the assault charges are going to be tough to make stick, especially with Metwater making a stink about Kiram’s death. And the kidnapping—” He looked at Hannah.
“He held me against my will,” Hannah said. “But we’ll probably have a hard time finding anyone except Walt who will testify to that.”
“We’ll see what we can do.” Graham touched Walt’s arm. “As of now, you’re on medical leave. Get your back seen to, then go away somewhere and try to relax. Avoid the press.”
“But I don’t—” he started to protest, but Hannah took his other arm and he fell silent.
“Why don’t you come to Texas?” she asked. “I could use some help settling in with Joy.”
She didn’t blame him for the doubt in his eyes. After all, she had wasted a lot of time protesting that things would never work out between them. But those moments in the fire, when they had been so close to death and he had been willing to risk everything to save her and Joy, had made her see how foolish her fears had been.
Aware of the others watching, she leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. “Please? I’ve decided I was right that first day I came in here—you really are the one I want to help me.”
Her cheeks burned as he kissed her on the lips. His coworkers broke into applause and she pulled away, laughing. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes,” he said. “Pla
y your cards right and I might even stick around longer than two weeks.”
“I always was a good card player,” she said, a thrill running through her. She’d never been a big gambler, but right now she was willing to risk a lot to be with the man she loved.
Epilogue
Carmen Redhorse looked up from her computer terminal and smiled at the little family that had just walked into Ranger headquarters. Out of uniform and toting a baby carrier, Walt Riley was the picture of a suburban dad. The woman beside him, Hannah, had lost the pinched look that had haunted her before and now glowed with the happiness of a woman in love.
“I just stopped by to clean out my locker and my desk,” Walt said, setting the carrier on a chair by the door.
“How’s the back?” Carmen asked. She came over to admire the infant, who babbled and flailed her arms, chubby cheeks framing an adorable baby smile.
“It’s fine,” he said.
“He’s got some scars,” Hannah said. “But I think he’s almost proud of them.”
“Good for his macho cred,” Carmen said.
“Where is everybody?” Walt asked.
“Marco and Ethan are at training, Michael and Lance are trying to track down a guy who’s been stealing rare plants from the park, Simon is in court, the commander and Randall are at a meeting in Montrose, and I’m holding down the fort here.”
“What’s the latest on Metwater?” Walt asked.
“Not good,” Carmen said. “The DA says we don’t have enough evidence to prosecute him for anything. Lucia Raton is still missing, so the fact that her locket was found sort of near his compound doesn’t mean much. Anything we have any proof for, like the assault on you, Metwater blames on Kiram, whom he says was acting without his authority or knowledge.”
“Right.” Walt looked like he wanted to punch someone.
“At least we proved he isn’t Joy’s father,” Hannah said. “He has no claim on her.”
“He probably contributed to your sister’s death, though we’ll never prove it,” Walt said.
“Let it go,” Hannah said. “I am.”
“We’re still watching him,” Carmen said. “He’s going to make a wrong move one day and when he does, we’ll catch him.”
Walt nodded. “You’re right.” He looked at Hannah. “And so are you. I’m going to move on.”
“So you’re really abandoning us for Texas,” Carmen said.
“The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department has an opening, so I’m going to give it a try.”
Carmen turned to Hannah. “Are you sure you’re ready for life with a Harley-riding cop?”
Hannah shook her head. “No more Harley,” she said. “He sold it.”
Carmen put a hand to her chest in a pantomime of shock. “You sold the Harley?”
Walt’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah, well, you can’t strap a car seat on the back of a motorcycle.”
“This must be serious,” Carmen said.
Hannah slipped her arm through Walt’s, smiling at him with the indulgent look women in love shared. “Yes, it is.”
Carmen caught the flash of the diamond on the third finger of Hannah’s left hand. “How did I miss this?” She grabbed the hand for a closer look. “Nicely done, Agent Riley,” she said. “Have you set a date?”
“We’re thinking in the spring.” He grinned.
“Congratulations,” Carmen said. “You almost make me believe in true love.”
“Hey, I was a skeptic, too,” Hannah said.
“She just had to meet someone tough enough to call her bluff,” Walt said.
“Someone who showed me I could trust myself.” She squeezed his hand and Carmen felt the pressure around her heart. Why was it some people found love easily and some—like Hannah and Walt—had to fight for it?
The answer didn’t really matter, she decided. In the end the prize was all that mattered, not how you came to win it.
* * * * *
Can’t get enough of
THE RANGER BRIGADE: FAMILY SECRETS?
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MURDER IN BLACK CANYON,
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THE MEN OF SEARCH TEAM SEVEN:
COLORADO CRIME SCENE
LAWMAN ON THE HUNT
CHRISTMAS KIDNAPPING
PHD PROTECTOR
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As Sarah Taylor-Cox stares at the anonymous letter, her body starts to shake with dread. She has everything to lose—a gorgeous husband, a beautiful baby, and a picture-perfect house in the Hamptons. And now, the lies she’s built her life on are starting to crumble, one by deadly one...
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Don’t miss TAKE IT TO THE GRAVE!
A 6-part psychological thriller that will have you guessing till the very end!
“I know your secret. I’m going to tell.”
As Sarah Taylor-Cox stares at the anonymous letter, her body starts to shake with dread. She has everything to lose—a gorgeous husband, a beautiful baby, and a picture-perfect house in the Hamptons. And now, the lies she’s built her life on are starting to crumble, one by deadly one...
Collect all 6!
Take It to the Grave (Part 1 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Take It to the Grave (Part 2 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Take It to the Grave (Part 3 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Take It to the Grave (Part 4 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Take It to the Grave (Part 5 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Take It to the Grave (Part 6 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Take It to the Grave (Part 1 of 6)
by Zoe Carter
Prologue
The clouds gather thick and furious, shutting out the sun.
The smell of ozone is intense, warning me more effectively than the grumbling thunder. A storm is coming—a big one, perhaps the worst we’ve had in years.
The thought of Elliot gets me moving.
Elliot, with his soft skin and plump cheeks, the
darling dimples at his elbows. Just four months old.
An image of another baby, another time, creeps into my mind, but I push it away, stumbling on the damp sand. The nightgown my husband is enamored with twists and turns in the growing wind, tangling between my thighs. I long to tear off the slick fabric, but I don’t dare take the time. I have to find my child.
“Elliot!” I scream his name even though he is too young to answer.
The thunder makes a mockery of my cries, stealing my breath before I can try again.
It’s no use, anyway.
The beach is empty.
Waves throw themselves at the shore again and again, churning themselves into foam.
The ocean fizzes around my ankles and I climb farther up the shore to keep from getting dragged into the angry water. My foot comes down on a broken shell, but I ignore the pain as it cuts through the skin. The agony that swells in my chest at the thought of losing my son is far worse than the throb of my wounded heel.
I can’t lose him—he’s everything.
Please don’t hurt him. Not Elliot. He’s so innocent...
But all babies are innocent, aren’t they?
The rain, when it comes, is as enraged as the ocean, and I’m soaked through in an instant. I can’t bear the thought of my sweet little boy in this downpour. He doesn’t have his jacket. The image of Elliot, shivering and turning blue in his little sleeper, drives me forward. My eyes strain to see in the dim light, every breath I take ending in a cry for my missing child.
I can’t leave him out here; I can’t.
Then I realize the beach isn’t empty.
There is someone standing by the rocks, watching me.
Waiting for me...
“Elliot!”
My scream travels farther this time, echoing through the storm. Strength I didn’t know I had floods my legs, and I run faster.