Ranch Hideout

by Sandra Robbins

  “It was a Friday, and I had taken the day off from work because I was leaving at lunchtime for a long weekend with my friend Kathy. We were going to a spa near Little Rock and were excited about getting away and spending a few days just being pampered. Kathy picked me up and said that she needed to stop at the mall before we left town and pick up a watch that she’d had repaired. When we got there, she pulled into the parking garage.”

  A sob choked her throat, and she swallowed. Gwen squeezed her hand tighter. “Are you sure you want to share this with me?”

  She looked at Gwen through the tears that blurred her vision. “I need to talk about it. I told the police, but I haven’t been able to tell anyone else. It brings back the terror that I felt that day.”

  Gwen nodded. “Okay.”

  Liz took a deep breath. “I told her I’d wait in the car since she would only be gone a few minutes. I wanted to check my email and texts. She laughed and said, ‘You need to put everything out of your mind but the fun we’re going to have, so I’m going to hide your phone this weekend.’ Then she jumped out of the car and ran to the elevator.”

  She stopped for a moment, and Gwen said, “Go on.”

  “I don’t know how long I sat there before I noticed a car pull in and stop two parking spaces down from me. A man got out. He was dressed casually and there wasn’t anything special about him, but something about him drew my attention. Maybe it was the way he glanced around like he was looking for someone. Before he could move, a car drove up behind his and blocked it. Another man, this one well-dressed and looking like some kind of businessman, got out. They began to talk, and the first man I’d seen held out his hands like he was trying to explain something. Then he began to cry like he was begging. The man who’d blocked his car pulled out a gun and motioned for him to get down on his knees. I could hear the man pleading and crying as he dropped down. Then I heard shots.”

  “How horrible,” Gwen said.

  Liz bit her lip. “He turned around and started to leave, so I sank down in my seat hoping he wouldn’t see me. That’s when I heard the elevator door open.”

  Tears rolled down her face. “There were more gunshots, and I dropped down even lower in the seat. It seemed like an eternity before his car drove away. I sat up and looked around. That’s when I saw Kathy lying close to the elevator. I ran to her, but she was already dead. I called 911, but I was screaming, so the dispatcher had a hard time understanding me.”

  Liz paused and closed her eyes. “There was blood everywhere. All over Kathy, all over me and on the floor.”

  “And then the police came.” Gwen’s tone told Liz she knew how the rest of the story went.

  Liz sighed. “Yes, and they took me to the police station. They told me that the man who was murdered was a member of a drug ring that had been operating in the city and he’d been on the verge of agreeing to turn over evidence about his boss, who was the head of the organization. They wanted me to look at mug shots, and I must have gone through a hundred before I saw him—the shooter.”

  She shuddered remembering what it had been like when she saw the picture of the well-dressed man who’d pulled the trigger. “His name is Daniel Shaw, and he’s the head of a crime family that the FBI has been after for years. They’d never been able to pin anything on him before. Now they had an eyewitness to murder, and they wanted me to testify.”

  “Which you agreed to do,” Gwen said.

  Liz nodded. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to do it for Kathy. At the time, though, I didn’t realize the danger I’d be in. They kept me at a safe house in the city at first, but when they noticed some suspicious men hanging around, they decided I’d be safer out of town. That’s when the head of the Memphis office told me about Dean and how I’d be safe here until the trial. I’ve just been afraid that I was putting you and your family in danger.”

  Gwen shook her head. “Don’t worry about that. Only Dean, Ben Whitman, Luke Conrad and I know your true identity. We’ll do everything we can to keep you safe.”

  “Thank you, Gwen. I’ve tried to keep to myself a lot. I’m afraid I might let something slip, but it gets lonely. I miss my friends and my job in Memphis.” Tears pooled in her eyes again. “Most of all I miss Kathy.”

  “Liz,” Gwen began, her voice hesitant. “Maybe you need to make some friends. I know a young woman who is a trick rider at the Wild West show. She stayed with us when she first came here. She’s married now to Ben’s deputy Luke, and she’s raising horses at their ranch. I think you’d like her a lot.”

  “A trick rider, huh? She sounds like an interesting person. Maybe you can introduce us.”

  “I’d be glad to.”

  Liz chewed on her lower lip for a second. “Actually, Gabriel Decker seems like he’d like to be friends. He asked me to go riding with him this afternoon.”

  The shadow of a frown flitted across Gwen’s face before she straightened and cleared her throat. “I didn’t think you were interested in getting to know him.”

  Liz shrugged. “I’m not, but I like to ride. It’s more fun if you have someone else along.”

  Gwen studied her a moment. “So you’re going to accept his invitation?”

  Liz started to say no, but then she thought better of it. Maybe all he wanted was a bit of companionship, and she wanted to find out more about him. She knew it was risky to trust a stranger, but she couldn’t make herself believe he wanted to hurt her. Not after the way he’d saved her the previous day or the way he’d spent all morning helping her. She’d stay on her guard, of course, but maybe it was all right to offer him this little bit of trust. Her decision made, she smiled.

  “I am. I’ll go find him now and tell him I’ve decided to go.”

  She pushed back from the table and strode to the door. Before she walked through it, she glanced back over her shoulder. Gwen still sat at the table, her brow furrowed and her eyes dark. For some reason Gwen didn’t look too pleased with her decision. A flicker of apprehension stabbed at her stomach, and she swallowed. No. I will not let fear rule my life, she decided. Then she squared her shoulders and headed out the back door.

  * * *

  Gabriel glanced at his watch as he ambled up to the barn. It was still thirty minutes until the time he’d told Liz he’d meet her there, and he wondered if she’d come. Even though he’d made some progress in gaining her friendship this morning, she hadn’t exactly jumped at the chance to go riding with him. He usually didn’t have trouble relating to people, but then, witnessing a grisly murder could cause anyone to be wary of the people around her.

  They’d had a good time this morning even if they were cleaning out stalls. He’d found he really missed the physical labor that it took to do a job like that, and he’d felt a sense of accomplishment when they’d finished. Now the horses had clean stalls and fresh shavings on the floor...until tomorrow. Then the job would have to be done again.

  He walked into the barn and looked around in hopes that Liz had already gotten there, but he didn’t see her. A noise in the far end of the alleyway attracted his attention, and he moved toward it. Dean stood inside the tack room cleaning a saddle. Gabriel stopped at the door and studied him briefly before he spoke.

  “Hi, Dean. Need any help?”

  “No, I’m fine. Are you going for that ride you asked me about this morning?”

  Gabriel glanced at his watch. “Yeah. I’m hoping that Liz will go with me, but she hasn’t shown up yet.”

  Dean came toward him, and Gabriel moved back so that Dean could step into the alleyway. “Where did you say you wanted to ride to?” Dean asked.

  “Rattlesnake Creek. From what I saw on your brochure, it looks like a beautiful place.”

  “It is, and it’s a nice ride up there.”

  A voice from behind startled Gabriel. “Do you need help saddling Buttermilk?”

/>   He peered over his shoulder at the young man, perhaps nineteen or twenty years old, standing there. In his worn jeans, a Western shirt unbuttoned at the neck and boots, he looked like any other ranch hand Gabriel had seen since arriving. Dean turned and stared at him. “Bart, I thought you had the day off.”

  “That’s right,” Bart said, his eyes never leaving Gabriel’s face. “Didn’t have nothing to do. Thought I’d hang around here.”

  Dean looked back to Gabriel. “This is Bart Foster, one of our hands.”

  Gabriel stuck out his hand. “Gabriel Decker, Bart. Good to meet you.

  Bart gave a curt nod as he shook Gabriel’s hand, his steely gaze giving no sign of friendliness.

  A strong vibe of suppressed anger radiated from the young man. His eyes held no sparkle, and the closed-off expression on his face indicated that he trusted no one. Gabriel had seen it on so many other faces of nameless prison inmates before. It was as if all hope had been sucked from their lives, to be replaced by despair. He wondered what this boy’s story was.

  “So should I get Buttermilk?” the ranch hand asked.

  Gabriel shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t want to impose on you on your day off.”

  The boy shrugged. “No problem. She’s in the corral. I’ll round her up and throw a saddle on her.”

  As Bart turned to leave, the collar of his shirt opened farther to reveal the tattoo of a small fish on the side of his neck. Gabriel recognized it right away as a piranha, the symbol of a well-known gang that populated juvenile facilities. In places where the gang had a foothold, they thrived on putting fear in the inmates with the same fierceness that the tiny fish with razor-sharp teeth did in its victims. Even guards were afraid to stand against them.

  Bart caught sight of Gabriel’s eyes on his tattoo, and he lifted his chin challengingly. When Gabriel said nothing, Bart headed out the door. Gabriel frowned as he watched him go. When Bart stepped out of the barn, Gabriel glanced at Dean. “How long has Bart been working here?”

  “A few weeks,” Dean answered.

  “What do you know about him?”

  “Nothing really. He showed up here, a hungry kid who’d been drifting around the country. We get a lot of those through here, and I always try to help them out when I can. He’s a hard worker. Keeps to himself. I can’t help but believe he’s carrying a lot of baggage. I don’t think I’ve seen him smile since he’s been here. Reminds me of how my life was at one time.”

  Gabriel hesitated for a moment before he said anything. Then he decided Dean had a right to know what he’d just discovered. “Dean, you need to keep a watch on him and make sure your family keeps their distance. That tattoo on his neck is the insignia of the Piranha Gang, who thrive in juvenile facilities. They’re vicious and ruthless. Only trusted members are allowed to have the tattoo. So that means that at the very least, Bart was heavy into the gang at one time. It’s possible he still is.”

  Dean’s eyebrows arched. “Thanks for telling me, Gabriel. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  They stood there silently staring in the direction that Bart had gone. One thing Gabriel knew was that once a Piranha member was out of juvie, it didn’t take long for the larger gangs in town to approach him. That could mean that Bart had already graduated to the next level and become a member of another gang. He wondered if Bart could now be tied to Shaw’s organization. It seemed suspicious that he’d shown up right around the time of Liz’s arrival. Yet on the other hand, if he was intent on attacking Liz, he wasn’t acting very quickly. It was a puzzle.

  Bart Foster could bear watching in the future, and he intended to do just that.

  FOUR

  Liz spotted Buttermilk saddled and ready to go as she approached the barn. She stopped and debated whether or not she really wanted to do this. She hadn’t gone riding with another guest since she’d been here. Maybe she needed to turn around and go back to the house before Gabriel saw her. Then she could apologize later and blame the fact that she was exhausted after working so hard all morning.

  She shook her head and frowned. There was no need to make excuses. If she didn’t want to go, she didn’t owe Gabriel Decker any explanation.

  She turned to leave but faltered and worried her lip. The truth was that she wanted to go. She wanted to spend a few hours riding the trails that led into the mountains that ringed this valley, and she wanted to share the experience with another person who seemed friendly.

  Before she could make a decision, Gabriel’s voice called out to her. “Liz, I was about to give up on you.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw Gabriel leading Dandelion, the horse she’d been riding since coming here, from the barn. She was already saddled up, too. Liz hesitated only a moment before she took a deep breath and walked toward Gabriel.

  “You didn’t have to saddle Dandelion for me.”

  He smiled. “I didn’t mind. I thought we could hit the trail as soon as you got here.”

  Dean walked out of the barn at that moment and raised a hand in greeting. “Liz, thanks for cleaning the stalls this morning. They look good.”

  “No need to thank me, Dean,” she called out. “Mr. Decker did most of the work.”

  Dean’s eyebrows rose, and he looked at Gabriel. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  Gabriel waved his hand in dismissal. “She’s too modest—she did more than her fair share. As for my part, it was no big deal. I was glad to do it.” He smiled at Liz. “Besides, I enjoyed the company.”

  Liz’s face flushed at his words. She knew it was just his way of being courteous but somehow it lifted her spirits. For the past few weeks she’d felt like she was in a vacuum. Although Dean and Gwen had been wonderful, she’d been away from her friends, her job and everything that was familiar to her. And on top of the fear and the worry, there was also the aching sadness she felt as she mourned her friend. All because she and Kathy had decided to stop at the mall on that horrible day. She doubted if her life would ever return to normal.

  Without responding to Gabriel’s comment, she took the reins from his hand and swung up onto Dandelion’s back. When she was settled in the saddle, she looked down at Dean. “We should only be gone a few hours. I’ll be back in time to help Gwen with dinner.”

  “Don’t rush back for that. We can handle things. Just relax and have a good time. You’ve earned it.”

  She nodded and glanced around to see Gabriel mounted on Buttermilk. He grinned and swept his hand out in front of him. “Lead the way, Liz. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She gave the horse a nudge, and they headed out onto the trail that led to Rattlesnake Creek. She’d ridden there once with Dean and knew that the ride would take them through some beautiful country. Familiar with the territory, Dandelion plodded along the trail.

  The path grew wider, and Gabriel rode up beside her. She eyed him and noticed how relaxed in the saddle he looked. She’d seen some of the guests riding since she’d been here, and sometimes it was quite comical the way they seemed to be clinging to the saddle. Not Gabriel, though. He rode as if he’d been doing it all his life. Then she remembered he’d said he grew up on a ranch.”

  “I can tell you’ve ridden before. Where did you say you grew up?” she asked.

  “Texas,” he answered. “We had a ranch there. My parents left it to me, but I sold it about five years ago and left the area.”

  The way he clamped his lips together and grimaced told her that he wasn’t about to say more about his early life. “So what do you do now?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer right away but then said, “I’m a consultant with a large organization that works with different agencies and businesses around the country to advise them on their operating practices. I’m taking a bit of a vacation for a while before I decide what I want to do next. What about you?”


  “I’m a loan officer in a bank,” she replied. “Not a very glamorous occupation, but I enjoy it.”

  “I’d think that would be difficult when you have to refuse to loan someone money.”

  She nodded. “It is, but it works the other way, too. Right before I came to Little Pigeon, I helped a young couple buy their first home. Their happiness and gratitude made me forget about those I’d seen disappointed.”

  He turned his head and stared at her. “I know the feeling when life hands you a disappointment but when you do something that helps someone out, it gives you a feeling that you’ve made a difference in another person’s life.”

  A trace of bitterness laced his words, and she darted a glance at him. He stared straight ahead with his lips pursed as if he was lost in thought. Since she didn’t understand what might have triggered his reaction, she cast around for a distraction.

  Her gaze fell on some plants ahead. They hadn’t been in bloom when she’d ridden here with Dean a few weeks earlier. She pointed to the brilliant display. “Look at that!”

  A large group of Joe-Pye Weed plants stretched upward perhaps ten feet, and each of the stalks was covered with delicate lilac blooms. The sight took her breath away.

  She pulled Dandelion to a stop and sat there drinking in the beauty. Gabriel halted Buttermilk beside her and rested his arm on the saddle horn as he gazed at the flowers. “What are they?”

  “Joe-Pye Weed,” she answered. “They blossom in the fall in the Smokies. Dean and Gwen had told me how beautiful they are, but they weren’t in bloom the last time I rode this way.”

  He shifted his gaze to her. “You sound like you really enjoy looking at flowers.”

  “Oh, I do. When I was growing up, my mother always had flowers, and I would help with her garden.” She sighed. “Now that I live in an apartment, I miss being able to have my own little spot to putter in. Maybe when I can go back home...”