Last Stand Ranch

by Jenna Night

  Olivia glanced at Elijah. Bedford had told them to keep that information to themselves.

  “Do you have any other suspects?” Elijah asked.

  “I’m still trying to get hold of a couple of parole officers I know so I can put together a list. Whether we’re looking for Kurtz or someone else as our attacker, this looks like revenge violence to me. I see a fair amount of it in my work at the law firm. Trying to drive you off the road. Shooting you—but only hitting you in the shoulder. And now setting a fire. Bold, but not very efficient. Not very...well, professional.”

  “I’m glad he’s not efficient. This is my life we’re talking about,” Olivia said.

  “I know.” Vanessa smiled sadly. “You remember Dan Vickers?”

  Olivia nodded. “He came to the safe house looking for his wife and I called the police.”

  “And he threatened you.”

  “That man was full of hot air.”

  “He got paroled about a month ago.”

  “Considering everything else going on in his train wreck of a life, I have a hard time believing he’d even remember me.”

  “We’re not talking about normal people who are just angry,” Vanessa said. “We’re talking about men who have crossed an important line. They’ve used violence before—all of the men whose wives or girlfriends you met at the shelter. Or maybe these attacks have nothing to do with that at all.”

  Olivia felt her hopes for a quick solution begin to crumble. “You’re a real buzzkill.”

  “Nature of the beast, kiddo. You’re talking to a lawyer.”

  * * *

  Elijah knew there was no point trying to see anything in the darkness of the night from the veranda behind his house later that evening, but he did it, anyway. Whoever was after Olivia might be out there right now, on the Morales property, watching.

  That was why he had Olivia sit across from him, tucked into a corner formed by a trellis woven with night-blooming jasmine. No one lurking on the property would be able to see her. But they would see him. They would know he was watching out for her.

  Elijah, Olivia, Mark and Linda, Bobby, and Jonathan were gathered at the back of the Morales house, seated on cushioned patio chairs, watching the flames die down in a fire pit on the veranda. The oncoming autumn night had a sharp bite to it.

  Elijah watched Olivia in the fading firelight. Her face was fascinating, and he couldn’t help staring. He liked the open, guileless expression he usually saw when he looked into her eyes. What you saw was what you got with Olivia Dillon. She wore her feelings on her sleeve and shared her thoughts whether you wanted her to or not. Her decision to lie to put Kurtz in jail must have weighed heavily on her.

  Olivia had been quiet and pensive after Vanessa gave her report. And who could blame her? But shortly after dinner her demeanor had changed. She’d started smiling again.

  She suddenly looked up and caught him staring. He looked away. He was supposed to protect her, not be fascinated by her.

  After listening to Vanessa, he’d had Mark call his wife and ask her to drop by the Morales ranch after work. Franklin, who owned the Buckskin Bistro Grille in town, had also been available. Elijah wanted at least a few people from Vanquish the Darkness to be up to speed and ready to help in case anything new happened.

  Because something would happen.

  The guy tormenting Olivia wasn’t going to stop. Elijah knew the type only too well. He would be fueled by Olivia’s fear. Energized by hurting her. Eventually, he would kill her unless someone stopped him.

  With extra people in the house, Julie had been unable to resist cooking for everybody. She’d barbecued beef ribs and they’d eaten outside on the veranda. After dinner, Elijah had gathered his troops and gone over what they knew. Vanessa stayed long enough to repeat what she’d told Olivia earlier, and then she’d gone inside the house to check her work email. She’d been there ever since. Franklin had gone into the house with Joe and Julie, offering to help package the leftovers from dinner.

  Now those who’d stayed outside relaxed by the fire pit. Or tried to.

  “What would Vanquish the Darkness be doing if you weren’t watching me?” Olivia asked. She directed her question to Linda, but her tone set off alarms inside Elijah.

  Linda sat beside her husband. Mark was the best, most natural cowboy on the ranch and more like a member of the Morales family than an employee.

  “We have enough members that we can still do our normal activities and keep an eye out for you,” Linda answered. “Next week we’re holding a fund-raiser carnival at the high school in town. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so we’ve got a ride scheduled. We’re heading over to Quartz Creek. A nice man who’s been through some rough times is finally getting back on his feet.” She looked at Elijah. “You remember Dean.”

  Elijah nodded.

  “He’s reopening a small hobby and craft business he had to shutter for a while,” she explained to Olivia. “It’s his grand reopening so we’re going to show up to support him and hopefully help attract some new patrons.”

  “I’d like to go with you,” Olivia said.

  “Maybe another trip,” Elijah immediately countered. He knew where this was going. She was getting claustrophobic with all the protection. Unfortunately for her, it was going to get worse. He was not letting her out of his sight. He glanced into the darkness again. He was tempted to put on his night-vision goggles, but it would probably freak her out.

  “No, not another trip,” Olivia said calmly. “I want to go on this trip. Tomorrow. I can ride with Linda. If you don’t mind,” she said to Linda.

  “I don’t mind.”

  “You can ride behind us,” Olivia quickly said to Elijah before he could object. “You can watch for anyone following us when we leave town. But I doubt that will happen. Whoever’s after me wants to catch me alone. But I won’t be alone.”

  “No way.” Elijah needed to put a stop to this. “You’d be too easy a target on a bike. And you haven’t been on a motorcycle before other than when I brought you to Aunt Claudia’s after you got shot. It’s a long way for a first real ride.”

  She turned back to Linda. “Do you have another vehicle going along? Like a car or a truck?”

  Elijah felt his jaw muscles tighten and he shifted in his chair. It wasn’t just the fact that Olivia was ignoring his advice that bothered him. That happened all the time when you were protecting someone. And it was fine with him that she was directing her questions to Linda. Linda was one of the most levelheaded people he knew. What concerned him was that Olivia was pointedly pushing him away. Why?

  “We’ll have a van going, carrying some coolers with food and sodas plus some gifts for Dean and his children. Franklin’s wife, Darlene, will be driving it, and I’m sure she’d love the company.”

  “Perfect. Count me in.”

  “And that’s our cue to get on home and get to bed early so we can get up and ride in the morning.” Mark held out a hand and pulled his wife to her feet. She gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose.

  Elijah felt a hint of longing for a relationship like theirs and immediately quashed it. He should be satisfied with the life he had. He’d returned from multiple tours overseas physically sound. Thanks to prayer and therapy, he was doing well spiritually and emotionally, too. Most of the time. His family loved and supported him. He had no right to ask for anything more. In fact, he still had a lot to do to earn the blessings he’d already been given.

  After ruthlessly killing that selfish twinge of longing for a family of his own, he took one more glance into the darkness as everyone filed into the house.

  They all wandered toward the kitchen, looking for Joe and Julie to say their good-byes. In the midst of the hubbub, Elijah pulled Jonathan aside and asked him to find Vanessa, have her pack up her tablet and drive her to Claudia’s house. H
e wanted a few minutes to talk to Olivia alone.

  Olivia insisted on spending the night at Claudia’s house. She said she’d made her aunt a promise and she wanted to stay with her as much as possible. So, a short time later, they were heading down the road in his truck, the seat between them filled with plates of food his mom wanted him to bring to Claudia.

  “Tell me what’s up,” he said.

  She turned to face him. “You have things to do besides shadow me. Your family has a ranch to run. They need you. Without your help, your dad and Jonathan and Mark and the other guys have to work twice as hard.”

  “It’s good for them.”

  She made a scoffing noise. “After listening to Vanessa, I realized this could go on for a while. I need to get to know some of the other members in Vanquish the Darkness. Maybe some of them could help me out sometimes.” She was quiet for a moment, and then added, “Great, now I sound like a real user.”

  “No. Not a user. You sound smart. And they want to help you.”

  “So I’m not going to have to fight you on this?” she asked as they pulled up to Claudia’s house. “You’re not going to try to keep me from going tomorrow?” She blew a strand of hair from the front of her face. “That’s a relief.”

  “No, we don’t have to fight about it. But anytime you leave Claudia’s house or my house, I will be by your side.”

  “Why? Why does it have to be you?”

  “Because I’m better at the job than anybody else around here.”

  Obnoxious of him to say it, maybe, but he believed it was true.

  Her face shuttered. She looked away.

  “It’s a good reason,” he added lamely. But maybe not the entire reason. There was a small stubborn part of him that wanted to be the one with her because she added zest to his life. He fought the attraction, but it kept coming back. Since he’d met Olivia, he’d been painfully aware of how monotonous his life had become. He’d thought he liked it that way and had assumed he could live that way forever. Now the clear path to his future was starting to get a little foggy. He hated fog.

  Claudia was already in the kitchen chatting with Jonathan and Vanessa when they walked in. Claudia had spent the day with friends and reported that she’d had a wonderful time.

  “How are you holding up?” she asked Olivia.

  “I’m fine. And I’ve got some great news.”

  A grin spread across her face and she held up her phone. “I got a text from Larry just after dinner. I got the job!”

  What? Elijah turned to stare at her. So that was what was behind all this? She didn’t want Elijah to go to work with her every day? She thought she’d replace him with other members of Vanquish? That’s why she wanted to go on the ride tomorrow and get to know them?

  Well, it was a nice try and a well-executed plan.

  But it wasn’t going to work.

  He was going to accompany her every day for as long as it took to eliminate the person who was a threat to her. After that, she could do whatever she wanted to. Maybe she would move back to Las Vegas. That would make his life a whole lot easier.

  TWELVE

  “It feels good to be doing something useful for someone,” Olivia said to Denise while peeling open a garbage bag and using it to line a plastic trash can.

  Denise raised her eyebrows. “Whatever floats your boat.”

  Olivia paused on the cracked asphalt parking lot in front of Tinker Time Crafts and Hobbies and looked around. Quartz Creek was a hardscrabble little town without much in it. That was probably why the store’s grand reopening had attracted such a good crowd.

  Stay aware of your surroundings. Elijah’s warning came back to her. It was part of the deal she’d agreed to so she could come on this road trip with Vanquish.

  Colorful flag pennants tied to signs and light posts fluttered in the steady breeze. The riders from Vanquish the Darkness had lined up their bikes with perfect precision in front of the tinted glass windows with the store’s name painted in metallic gold letters. Hamburgers and hot dogs sizzled on a barbecue. Popcorn popped in a small booth. Cool water and cans of iced soda were being passed around. And the man who had been introduced to Olivia as the proud owner of the shop was walking around profusely thanking everyone for being there.

  Olivia was tempted to let go of fear and see only the happiness of the occasion. But she couldn’t afford to do that. Not yet. Maybe someday.

  Denise tucked a chunk of dark hair behind one ear.

  “I can’t think of the last time I saw someone so happy to change garbage bags,” Denise said. “But good for you.”

  After hearing Olivia talk about the outing, Denise had offered to bake some goodies and donate them. At the last minute, she’d decided she wanted to go along and ride in the van with Olivia. Vanessa had stayed at Claudia’s house to participate in a couple of conference calls for work. She still had a few more vacation days to use, but in typical workaholic fashion she couldn’t stand to be out of touch with the latest developments in her cases back at the office.

  Elijah and Mark had ridden their motorcycles behind the van, making sure no stranger followed them from Painted Rock. Everyone in Vanquish knew about Olivia’s situation, and they were all keeping an eye out for her. Especially Elijah, who never wandered far away and oftentimes was already looking at her when she looked at him. Each time her gaze met his, she felt her face turn warm.

  The sound of a child’s squealing laughter caught her attention, and she looked toward a play area set up in the strip of grass beside the craft store. Kids chased each other through an inflatable castle, took turns at lawn bowling or fished for plastic goldfish in a wading pool. Members of Vanquish, decked out in their jeans, leather vests and heavy biker boots, wandered around and helped.

  Olivia’s gaze snagged on Elijah standing in a shaded, out-of-the-way spot at the end of the building. He was praying with a man and woman. The three of them stood holding hands, heads bowed. The woman’s shoulders shook, as if she might be crying. The man’s shoulders rose and fell as though he sighed deeply.

  Olivia turned away, feeling like an intruder in an intimate moment. It was a stark reminder she wasn’t the only person in the world facing trouble and fear.

  “It’s really great that you came to visit your aunt,” Denise said as they walked to the next trash can overflowing with popcorn bags and hot dog wrappers.

  “I shouldn’t have taken so long.” Olivia picked up some cups and papers from the ground, tossed them into the bag and pulled the drawstring tight.

  “Claudia is getting up there in years,” Denise said. “She takes some vitamin supplements to help with her memory, but I’m not sure they’re working.”

  “Her memory?” Olivia stopped and turned her full attention to Denise. “Something’s wrong with her memory?”

  Denise shrugged. “If you’re around her very much, you’ll notice.”

  “Has she been to a doctor?”

  “She doesn’t go to the doctor. And if I mention it to anyone, they act like I’m insulting her. Maybe I am overstepping my boundaries.” Denise crossed her arms and looked at the ground. “Her medical situation isn’t really my business. But all these changes in her routine have made things harder for her.”

  “I’m disrupting her whole life, aren’t I,” Olivia asked with a sinking feeling as they started to walk back to the front of the store.

  “I know you don’t mean to,” Denise said. “Your visit has brought her joy, too.”

  They reached the section of the parking lot where Vanquish motorcycles were lined up in a row, chrome winking in the bright sunlight. Linda stood nearby.

  “I should probably get back to the bake-sale table.” Denise nodded a greeting at Linda and left.

  A girl maybe nine years old walked up and stared at Linda’s motorcycle. A
long with lots of shiny chrome and an edgy, customized design, the bike also had a fascinating paint job. Among the airbrushed tree branches and leafy designs, were the hidden faces of Mark and Linda’s four house cats.

  “Do you see the cats?” Linda asked.

  The girl nodded excitedly.

  “This one’s Loretta.” Linda pointed to a tortoiseshell. “And this fluffy white one is Bubba.”

  “They’re cute,” the girl said shyly.

  “Do you want to sit on the bike?” Linda glanced up. “If it’s okay with your parents.”

  A man and woman had walked up behind the girl. The woman nodded. “Sure.”

  “I want to get on it, too.” A rambunctious boy shoved past his parents and sister to get a better look at the bike.

  “Hey, little man, I’ve got a ride you might want to have a look at.” The voice belonged to Elijah, who’d walked over and stood grinning at the little guy.

  The boy jumped up and down, landing on his mom’s foot. “Cool!”

  Elijah gestured toward his gleaming black chopper at the very end of the row of bikes. “I’d kinda like to see that one, myself,” the dad said.

  His wife kissed him on the cheek. “Go.”

  After the guys left, Linda held on to her motorcycle while the mom helped her daughter climb on.

  “I want one of these,” the girl declared almost immediately.

  Her mother smiled broadly. “We’ll see.”

  Olivia glanced over at Elijah. It looked as if he had his hands full with the rambunctious boy climbing all over him and his motorcycle, but Elijah was a natural—roughhousing with the boy just enough to help him burn some energy and give his exhausted-looking parents a break.

  He would make a good dad. Olivia’s heart ached sweetly at the thought. Underneath that lone-wolf biker image he liked to project was a man who loved family. She’d seen it for herself at the Morales household. And yet he was so determined to keep his distance.

  It made no sense, but who was she to tell him how to live his life? Maybe he was just waiting for the right woman. One who wasn’t a liar. He probably thought she was even more deceitful after the way she sprang the news that Larry had texted her a job offer. Maybe she shouldn’t have surprised him that way, but she’d really wanted Claudia to know about it first.