Books by Linda Conrad

by Conrad, Linda

  “What the hell are you babbling about? What woman?”

  “That kid’s mama we took off the bus. She was going to be mine when we got ’em both back to the cabin. Before she took off into the desert, that is.”

  The director was confused, but not much more than the guy whose ear was bleeding. “The woman you accidently took with the baby? She died days ago in that fire we set in the pipe cleft, remember? You’ve been dreaming. Maybe I ought to put you out of your misery.”

  He marched toward the hired hand, intending to retrieve his knife. Not much point in killing these two with a knife, though. It would take too much effort. He’d just shoot them both before he left for his appointment with the Wolf.

  The man with the bloody ear saw the director coming his way and fell to his knees. “No lie. I wasn’t dreamin’ last night. She was there. In that first hogan. With the man. And I didn’t touch her. Swear to God.”

  Stopping with his hand raised toward the knife, the director decided he had better hear more of this story. He turned to the other man as he ripped his blade out of the wood.

  “What’s he talking about?” he growled. “Your buddy is sniveling. What woman? And what man?”

  “I told you,” the other man whined. “There was a young couple in that sheep herder’s hogan.”

  The director looked from one man to the other. His brain was swirling with images, none of them good.

  He grabbed the shirtfront of the smelly guy with the bloodied ear. “You swear it was the same woman? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You said to keep quiet unless we found the old lady and the kid. They wasn’t in there, so I shut up and went on looking for them like you said.”

  The bad feelings were getting worse. “So who was the guy? Not the one that supposedly died with her in the fire. That guy was a cop and one of the Brotherhood.”

  Both men shrugged.

  This was beyond bad.

  “Did he see me?” Panic was surging up the director’s throat and about to strangle him. “He didn’t get a good look at me, did he?”

  “Maybe,” the stinking one whispered. “Maybe he stepped out of the hogan when you was in the light.”

  Hell. Hell. Hell.

  He was a doomed man. If the Navajo Wolf didn’t kill him, the Brotherhood would. And if somehow he scraped out of this mess alive, his political career would be over.

  The baby and his appointment with the Wolf forgotten for the moment, the director changed his plans. “Get your gear,” he shouted at the two goons. “We’ve gotta find those two before they leave the desert.”

  If he got lucky and reached them before they could tell anyone what they’d seen, he would be sure to kill that Brotherhood warrior and his rich woman. He would let his rifle correct the many errors these stupid hired hands had made.

  Then he would fix the hired hands. For good.

  13

  The morning had turned from pleasant to spectacular. Hunter took a moment and looked toward the deep blue skies and cotton candy clouds. A twinge of guilt over not having stopped to say his morning blessing still lingered in the back of his mind. But the beauty of his beloved homeland went a long way toward soothing the unease.

  They were almost home free.

  Having left behind the true desert, with its magnificent arches, spires and buttes, they were now moving through a canyon vibrant with rich red earth. A favorite place of Hunter’s since he’d been a boy, the canyon held a wash with a trickle of water, even at this time of the year. Along the wash, next to the cattails and prickly pear cactus, grew tall cottonwoods whose leaves were just beginning to change to their familiar neon-yellow color for fall.

  “Let’s take one last break here, slick. You need another drink of water.” He stopped in the cool shade of the cottonwoods and pulled out a canteen.

  Bailey hesitated, glanced over at him and then frantically looked around. “You sure it’s okay? Where are we? I don’t remember anyplace like this when those goons dragged Tara and me up and down cliffs.” She was running off at the mouth, spilling out words faster than Hunter could keep up.

  “Easy,” he told her with a wide grin. “We’re fine. We took a shortcut. And now we’re only about a half hour from where I left my SUV. The cell phone is there and we’ll be able to call for help.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but she sat on a flat-topped boulder and accepted the canteen. “I don’t know how you can be so calm. Skinwalkers…dark, evil witches that are real, could be following us. Probably are following us. In order to kill us. We could actually die!”

  He sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. “Take that drink, slick. We’re alive now, and we’re going to stay that way. I’ve given our situation some thought—”

  Frowning at him, Bailey lowered the canteen and interrupted him. “Thinking can’t help us. These are Skinwalkers!”

  “Shush,” he whispered with a smile. “Shouting won’t help, for sure. I’ve come to the conclusion the bad guys must still think we’re dead. That they killed us in that cleft fire. We haven’t seen any signs of them except for those two goons last night. And nothing on our trek this morning.”

  Hunter tilted his head to see her better. “We’re golden, slick. It’s all good. Baby Tara should already be back with her mom. And in another hour or so, you’ll be on the phone to your father. We’ve made it.”

  Bailey smiled, but so halfheartedly it made him chuckle. “Really,” he assured her softly.

  Shaking her head in denial, she began to tremble. “Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep. It’s not your style, Hunter Long.”

  She’d been so strong for so long. Hunter had to give her the respect she deserved. Her courage had infuriated him at the beginning. Now he knew why it’d thrown him so far out of balance—because hers was so like his own.

  That she was just now beginning to crumble, right when they were within sight of the end, made her seem much more human. Softer and decidedly feminine.

  There were so many facets to the woman. Thousands. Millions, maybe. It would take a lifetime to learn them all.

  But not his lifetime. It was a gut-wrenching thought, one he refused to dwell on.

  They’d made it out of hell alive. They should be celebrating, not sitting here being either too scared to breathe, or else letting their brains fill with useless regrets over impossible futures.

  He used his forefinger to gently lift her chin. “It’s a promise I intend to keep. You will make it home alive.”

  As she searched his eyes for the truth, he lost control to a bigger truth that he’d hungered for but knew was a bad idea. Bending his head, he brushed her lips with his own.

  Bailey was losing her mind. With her body awash in adrenaline and her heart stuck in her throat at Hunter’s tender touch, she fell under the spell his lips were weaving.

  This kiss was different. Slower, more intense. Was it a message from his heart about a love unacknowledged? A wordless assurance that he would keep her safe? Or maybe this was a world-class goodbye.

  When he tunneled his fingers in her hair, she gave up trying to outguess him. She slid her arms around his neck, closed her eyes and kissed him back with everything she had.

  She opened her heart and allowed herself to feel the hidden places he’d locked inside himself. Places that had long been hurt and unloved. Breathing deeply, she filled with love. She so desperately wanted to soothe his old pains, to replenish and heal his hurting heart.

  Love me back, Hunter Long. I beg you.

  Too soon, he broke the kiss and leaned away. For just a second he looked stunned and lost, then he took a breath and crashed right back into their reality. His gaze flitted in every direction but hers as he checked the surrounding area.

  “We have to get going,” he said in a raspy voice. “It’s time you went home.” He stood and helped her get up.

  The expression on his face was impossible to read. What had he thought of their kiss? Would it reall
y be their last?

  In silence, the two of them climbed the final mesa that Hunter claimed would lead to where he’d left the SUV. He was quiet, but appeared confident. She was still not so sure.

  Something didn’t seem right. It felt like someone’s gaze was boring into the back of her neck. Were they being watched?

  Shivering, Bailey tried to ignore how tired she was, how much she wanted to be back in civilization, and how badly her heart was aching. The very least she could do for Hunter’s sake was to be strong.

  “Hold it a sec,” he said, suddenly going down on one knee when they came to a rise. “I can get a good view of my SUV from here. Let me check it out.” He pulled the binoculars from his pack and focused on a spot down the hill.

  Bailey stared over his head, trying to see what he saw. But it was too far off and there seemed to be huge boulders in the way.

  “My SUV looks the same as when I left it,” he told her. “But the goons’ Jeep is gone. Someone must’ve come for it. That isn’t great news. Whoever took it away had to have seen my SUV parked behind it.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  Hunter shook his head and stood. “Well, we’re not going to walk into a trap. At least, you’re not going to.” He turned to her. “I’ve got to get to that cell phone.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Under the passenger seat. Plugged into a battery pack. But I can’t take any chances with you out in the open. You stay here. I’ll get it.”

  “No.” She was shaking again. “Don’t leave me.”

  “You’ll be safer here. If something happens to me, wait until dark and then go get that phone. The SUV isn’t locked. If I’m not mistaken…” He looked up at the clear blue skies. “Yeah. The Bird People are here, watching out for us. If I run into big trouble, they’ll get help and keep you safe. Don’t worry.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about, Hunter Long. I can’t let you get killed because of me. I can’t. I want to go with you,” she added with a small sob that verged on hysteria. “Maybe together we can work as a team. I’ll cover for you.”

  The damn man grinned at her. “Sounds nice, slick. But I don’t think so.”

  “I don’t care what you think,” she said with gritted teeth. “I’m pretty strong willed, if you hadn’t noticed.”

  He chuckled, then gave her a wide-eyed look.

  “Don’t be cute,” she argued. “This is serious. If you leave me here, I’ll just follow you. Where you go, I go. You are not dying without me.”

  Heaving a heavy sigh, Hunter rolled his eyes. “All right, fine. You can go a little closer. There’s a boulder fairly near my SUV. You can hide behind that while I get the phone. But you’ll have to carry my rifle. And agree to use it to protect yourself if necessary. Think you can do it?”

  Bailey took a deep breath. “Of course,” she managed to say, past the lump in her throat.

  That brought yet another grin from Hunter. What kind of person smiled when his life was in danger?

  “Okay, slick.” He handed her the rifle, then put away the binoculars and turned to leave. “Let’s get you home.”

  With one hand, Bailey hiked up the long, traditional skirt she was wearing, clutched the rifle with the other and began to creep over the edge of the ridge behind him. She was determined to find a way of keeping them both alive.

  After all, the man up ahead was the one person she was destined to love forever. In sickness and in health. Until death do them part—and if it came to it, far beyond that.

  Hunter twisted his head to check behind him. With her jaw set and her eyes blazing, Bailey was having no trouble keeping up.

  Damn it. The adrenaline was obviously rushing through her veins and giving her a high, one better than any of her designer drugs.

  She had no business heading off to potentially face her own death. He’d always thought of her as perfectly suited to the world of high fashion and global travel. But she was turning out to be more determined to survive and win than he had ever imagined she could be. Just like her father. Not letting anyone or anything stand in her way.

  Why hadn’t he seen that in her before now? Her flushed cheeks and the shimmer of expectancy in her eyes were turning him on.

  Hell, he didn’t want to feel any of it. Not now. Not ever.

  The two of them silently crept into the narrow clearing between two boulders. A little while ago he’d given her last-minute instructions. Now he held up his hand to tell her to stop where she was. This was it. His SUV was parked on the other side of this rock.

  He pulled her closer, into the shadow of the rough-sided boulder, and whispered in her ear. “Stay put and be ready to run.”

  “Run where? What’s your hurry, Inspector Long?” The deep voice coming from over his shoulder had Hunter spinning toward the danger.

  As he turned, he saw Navajo Tribal Police Director Levi George. The director was standing no more than ten feet away, with a rifle pointed straight at Bailey’s head.

  Hunter reached back and shoved her closer to the giant rock behind them, blocking her from the big man’s view with his body.

  Then he tried to dig from his stunned brain the sacred chants that he knew would protect them. But he couldn’t think fast enough, so he went for his knife.

  “Nuh-uh.” Another male voice came from the opposite direction, right behind Bailey. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Drop the knife, you Brotherhood devil. Drop it or I’ll kill your girlfriend where she stands.”

  Glancing over his shoulder, Hunter saw one of the men from the hogan last night. The guy was standing close to Bailey, with a hunting knife aimed at her back. He wasn’t the smelly one, but the one with a little more sense. It made Hunter wonder where Bailey’s other suitor might be.

  “If you want to give the woman a few more minutes of life, do what he says, Long. Drop the knife.” Director George raised his eyebrows in rhetorical question as he swung the rifle away from Bailey and straight at Hunter’s heart.

  It was just far enough away from her to jump-start Hunter’s brain. He began one of the sacred chants under his breath as he eased his knife to the ground.

  “Stop that!” the director squealed. “Stop it now or I won’t wait to get rid of you both.”

  “I’m just putting the knife down like you said.” Hunter stopped saying the chants aloud and bent to place the knife on the ground. But his brain had cleared and he now stood ready to do battle with the evil.

  The director grimaced. “You know what I mean. Don’t try it again, I’m warning you.”

  “What difference does it make whether you kill us now or later?” Hunter asked. He faced him with a sneer and wondered if he could provoke the man. “What do you want, anyway?”

  The safety on the director’s rifle clicked off. Hunter realized Levi George was right on the edge. If he didn’t kill them this instant, then he must want something…badly enough to make him hesitate. It was a crack in the armor that Hunter could use.

  “I want respect,” the director told him with a sniff. “From you. From everyone.”

  Hunter knew he had him.

  “I’m sick to death of being everyone’s whipping boy. The Tribal Council treats me like a hired hand. And the damn Navajo Wolf thinks I’m his slave or something. To hell with that,” he spat out. “I’m smarter than all of them combined. I’m going to be wealthy, far beyond your puny ideas of riches. I’m this close.” He held up his thumb and forefinger, less than an inch apart.

  The director lost focus for a second as he looked at his raised hand, and it gave Hunter a moment to study his face. His cheeks were pockmarked, his lips cracked and split. The guy was physically falling apart, exactly like the other Skinwalkers the Brotherhood had encountered.

  It made Hunter wonder how sound the man’s mind might be. But he kept his mouth firmly closed and let the director ramble on.

  Levi George glared at him. “You doubt me? I’ve got the map hidden where no one but me will ever find it. Wh
at do you think of that?”

  At the mention of the map, Bailey drew a soft breath behind Hunter. The sound made the director laugh.

  “So that might make a difference in what you think of me, huh? Well, it should. Having control of the map is going to make me more powerful than the great Navajo Wolf himself.”

  Levi George had definitely gone over the edge of madness. Hunter had to find a way to save Bailey.

  “What do you want from us?” he growled. The power he put into his voice took the big man back for a second.

  “I don’t want anything,” the director replied. “But one of my hired hands let your woman get under his skin. He doesn’t want his paycheck, he doesn’t want to eat—nothing but her. So I made him a deal.”

  A chill went up Hunter’s spine, but he straightened and lifted his chin, looking down his nose at the other man. “She’s not my woman. Why tell me? Just let me go on about my business.”

  Hunter could almost feel the anger sparking off Bailey behind his back. But he knew she wouldn’t open her mouth. She was too determined to survive.

  “Oh, come now, Long. I’m not dumb. I’m the one with the map, remember?” The big man shifted the rifle to his other hand, and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’m offering you a deal for her, too. If you’ll answer a couple of simple questions, I’ll let you and Jacquez fight over her.”

  “What happens if I lose the fight?”

  “Then Jacquez gets to keep her.” The director scrunched up his nose in distaste. “Nasty fellow. I wouldn’t want that fate for any woman I cared about.”

  “What happens if I win?”

  Levi George smiled. “Then you get to say how she dies. A quick bullet to the head, maybe? Something easy and as painless as possible.”

  Where was Jacquez? Hunter would feel a lot better if he knew. “Yeah, okay,” he told the director with a shrug. “I guess I’m in the mood for a good wrestle. I’ve got a whole lot of built-up stress that I’d just love to work off over that idiot’s skull. Ask me your questions.”