by Mayer, Dale
He watched the indecisions on her face as her gaze went from the horses and trailer and impatient driver then back to him. “I hate to leave her,” she cried out softly. “I feel like I’m abandoning her.”
“Go,” he urged. “I’ll keep you in the loop.”
She brought out her cell phone and gave him her number. “Call me. And if it’s bad news…”
“Then there’d be nothing you could do anyway.”
He watched as she, torn but seeing commonsense, walked to the front of the truck. “Make sure you let me know as soon as you find something out.” And with a final glance at the hacienda, she shook her head and hopped in the truck. It fired up and slowly drove away.
“No sign of her,” Dane said from behind him. “How long has she been gone?”
“Maybe thirty minutes,” Swede said, swearing. “I’m going to track how she was taken out of here.”
“I was in the barn sending fingerprints to base,” Dane said. “See if any of the men here are some of the ones we are looking for.” He shook his head. “She didn’t go through there.”
Swede nodded. “Well, they are dead and we need to make sure that Eva doesn’t end up the same way.”
“She’d have been taken out by horseback. I doubt we’d have missed a vehicle.”
Swede agreed. “Except there aren’t any spare horses here. The last four just left.”
In fact, the place had a desolated look to it.
“Everyone is gone now,” Dane said. “At least it will be easier to focus on finding her.”
Swede turned to stare at him. “Not everyone is gone. Lena the servant girl should be here.”
Dane shook his head slowly. “I haven’t seen any sign of her.”
Shit. Swede bolted inside. “She’s either taken Eva or she’s been taken with Eva.”
“How big and strong is she?”
Swede shook his head. “She’s small and slight in stature. She couldn’t have lifted Eva and certainly not over the back of a horse.”
“Then she met someone or has been taken as well.”
“Either way, we need to find her.”
A few minutes later, along the back of the pasture, he found fresh horse tracks. One horse. Lighter when it arrived than when it left. “God damn it.”
“Shadow is tracking the horse already,” Dane said, coming up behind him and pointing in the distance.
“Do you think the horse has both women?”
“No idea, but as the rest of the house appears empty and there’s only one set of tracks, it looks likely.”
Damn. His phone buzzed. A text from Eva.
He read it quickly. Jesus.
Chapter 19
Eva knew the heat was going to get her soon. That and lack of water. She should be able to survive for at least two days without water, but given that she’d bolted out of the hiding place in the dead of heat, she was burning through her energy almost immediately.
She needed to find shade and stay in one spot. Let the men find her.
The right men.
She couldn’t see anything for miles. But someone had to be out looking for her. She stopped and leaned against a small bush to catch her breath, to cool down. She called out in her hawk cry yet again. She hoped someone who could recognize it for the call of help it was would find her.
Added to everything else, she was afraid she was starting to hear things. She peered around the far side of the tree. Was someone coming? This was a shitty hiding spot if there ever was one. Frantic now, she swiveled, looking for something bigger. But there was nothing close. Shit. Shit.
She bolted toward a clump of brush a hundred yards away. Believing her life was on the line, she bolted as fast as she could and dove into the center. She landed and knocked the wind out of herself. She lay there shuddering, waiting for someone to jump her. Frozen in place and petrified, she couldn’t breathe as she waited.
Only no one came. Taking a risk she pulled into a tight ball and peered out between the greenery.
There was no one there.
God. She hung her head feeling like an idiot. It had to be the heat. Or the fear.
She leaned her head back. Her brother would come.
If he knew.
Swede would come.
If he could.
Tears filled her eyes at the thought of something happening to the big oaf. She shook her head and closed her eyes, willing her body to rest, her mind to calm down. She had to stay strong. She had to stay alive.
Then when she was rescued, she’d give them all hell. Especially Swede.
*
The hunt was on. The house and property were empty. No sign of the authorities that should have arrived hours ago and the bodies in the barn were getting a whole lot riper.
Hawk and Mason were looking for Eva from the rebel side. They’d meet into the middle.
Shadow was hunting as Shadow did best. He’d found the tracks leading away from the hacienda. He was still moving in the direction of the rebel camp, but there was no sign of her or the kidnapper yet.
Shadow was the best tracker. He’d find her.
Swede’s fist balled up. “God damn it.” He looked up at Dane. “Where the fuck is she?”
“Easy man. We’ll find her.” Dane motioned to the trucks parked in front. “Take yours or Isabella’s?”
“Isabella’s,” Swede said, leaping toward it. “Mine’s a rental and might not stand up to what’s coming.”
“Got keys?” Dane asked, following behind Swede as he dashed to the front of the house.
“No, and I don’t need any.”
“I hear you there.” By the time Dane had reached the passenger door, Swede had the truck hotwired and running. “There’s still a half a tank of gas, we’re good to go.”
“I’ll let the others know we’re driving.”
“Good,” Swede said. “You keep the others in the loop while I find Eva.” He drove the truck down the fence line just outside the property.
“So is there something you want to say?” Dane asked quietly. “About Eva?”
“Hell no.”
“And what about saying something to Hawk?”
“No need.” Swede shot him a hard lance. “He already knows.”
At least he assumed he did.
“Even if he doesn’t for sure, not much passes by him so if he didn’t – then he does now,” Dane said.
Swede nodded but he didn’t say anything.
“Hawk has a different perspective on relationships now. It might be okay.”
“And so do you,” Swede snorted. “So are we done with all this heart to heart?”
Dane laughed, his guffaws rolling across the land.
Swede growled. “Really?”
“Oh, it’s priceless.”
Swede’s growl started in the back of his throat.
“Like I’m worried.” Dane sniggered. “Of course it’s more fun watching it happen to someone else.”
Swede shook his head. “Yeah but when does this horrible feeling ever calm down?”
“If you’re lucky – never.” Dane gave him a commiserating look. “It will get better, though.”
“Yeah, when?”
They approached the first set of tracks. Swede shut off the truck and they hopped out to take a closer look.
“Same horse.”
Swede concurred. They got back into the truck and kept driving in the same direction. The dry loose surface made the tracks visible and easy to follow. They drove another few miles following the line into the emptiness.
“We can’t be too far from the rebel headquarters,” Dane said.
“I was just thinking that,” Swede agreed and hit the brakes suddenly.
“What–”
Swede pointed at tracks that headed toward a clump of stick pines. More brush than trees. The lack of water had stunted their growth, but it was big enough to hide someone and showed signs of mistreatment. Several branches had been snapped the wild grasses sparse along
the dry ground were crushed. He parked and hopped out. They both walked the area, looking to read the story of what had happened.
And it wasn’t hard to sort out. Dane walked through in the middle of the brush. “Rope fibers over here,” Dane called out.
“She’s walked out of here then…” Swede followed the tracks. “She’s taken off running from this point.” He gazed in the distance, following the tracks.
They climbed back into the truck, Swede driving and Dane updating the team. Swede drove along the side of the tracks. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
“She’ll be here. We’ll find her.”
Swede knew they would. But would it be in time?
He slowed the truck to a stop to read the change in direction.
And saw something in the distance. He reached out and grabbed Dane’s arm.
“Look…”
“It’s Shadow.”
They pulled up beside him.
He waved them on, calling out, “She’s got to be close. Her footsteps are getting more tired. She’s ready to lie down.”
They surveyed the vast countryside. Up ahead were several stands of trees.
“Let’s go.”
With Shadow riding on the back of the box, they quickly closed the distance.
Swede was parked and out before Shadow had jumped out of the back.
Swede raced to the trees.
And found her.
Chapter 20
Eva could feel her body shifting. She struggled to hit the person holding her. And found her arms floppy, uncoordinated.
“Shh, easy.”
That voice…She opened her eyes. “Swede?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.”
She stared in a daze. “Really? I figured you’d never find me.”
“Of course I did. You know I’d never stop until I did.”
“Thank God,” she whispered. A water bottle was held to her mouth and cool refreshing water dropped in. She drank greedily. “Thanks,” she whispered when she could, her voice raspy still.
“Have a little more.”
She took a second drink and sighed happily. She smiled up at Swede. “Took you long enough.”
Shadow’s head popped up behind Swede. “Yeah, he’s been mooning over you like a lost puppy.”
Swede snorted and stood up. “Like hell,” he said good-naturedly.
Dane picked it up. “Yep, he didn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. “My brother would kill him if that happened.”
“Actually your brother might kill him anyway,” Shadow said, a huge grin on his face.
Eva glanced up at Swede in shock. “Why?”
Silence. But the huge grins on the other two men had her suspicions rising. She studied the strong blank face in front of her. “Swede?”
“It’s nothing.”
She didn’t understand what was going on but suspected it had to do with the attraction between them. She shook her head. “It will be okay.”
“What will be okay?” Hawk’s voice called out. “Glad to see you found her.”
Her brother’s warm caring voice washed over her as she was transferred to his arms and hugged gently. “Ah, Eva, you do get yourself into trouble.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “I didn’t get kidnapped on purpose.” She was tired now. The heat and panic, the fear taking its toll. “Besides, I’d be happy to go home and live a calm boring life.”
“Somehow I doubt that’s going to happen.” He hugged her tight. “Let’s get you back.”
“Back where?” She tried to lean back and stare up at him. “I doubt anything is left to go back to, is there?”
“Sure, the building is still standing.” He glanced at the others. “But all the others are gone.”
She blinked several times, trying to figure out what he meant. “April?”
“She left with the horses.” Swede reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “We couldn’t find you and the flight was leaving…so I sent her on alone. She didn’t want to go.”
“It’s fine…” She yawned. “The horses needed to go. There’s been enough death and destruction already. Let’s save who we can.”
“Trust you to make the horses a who and not a what,” Hawk said. “But we have to get you to a doctor and get you home somehow.”
“I’m fine. Hot and tired and well…” She smiled. “A little on the hungry side.”
“Always.”
She struggled to stand up on her own two feet. She understood her brother’s need to hold her, she felt the same, but she didn’t want to be a burden to the men. She needed them now. She had no way to get home. Her flight had left, and she had to make other arrangements. Somehow. And that was shitty as the flights hadn’t been cheap. Being a rescue there’d not been any money to help the volunteers out so they’d come on their own nickel. The airline might give her another flight, but until she could contact them, there was no way to know what they’d say.
“We don’t have anything here, but if we get you back to the hacienda there is food.”
She made a face. “I have to go back as the rest of my stuff is there I presume, but damn it’s not a place I want to stay.” Her gaze went from one of the men to the other. “Please tell me that those poor people have been collected and taken to the morgue.”
“The authorities hadn’t arrived when we left.”
“I was afraid of that.” She winced. “You did call them, right?”
“Sure. But it’s still hours away and if they need to pull a team together…” Hawk let his voice drift off.
“Or if the messages or team were intercepted, no one is coming at all.”
“Oh someone will come,” Mason said. “We’ve got our country involved now. The place will likely be crowded with people when we get back.”
With her brother’s assistance, she was helped to the truck. “Where did you get this?” she asked as she struggled to get up into the cab. Her head spun and she was forced to grab onto the side.
Swede snagged her up and carefully deposited her on the front bench seat. “It’s Isabella’s.”
“Oh,” she said in a small voice. “So many dead and for what?”
“I’m not sure we know yet,” Hawk said in a hard voice.
She looked around, realizing that the other men were gone. “Where are they?”
“They’re heading back to see if there have been any changes at the rebel camp. Shadow is checking our tracks back to the hacienda to make sure we weren’t followed on our way here.”
“I’m sorry to take you away. I’m fine with Swede if you want to go with the others.”
“I’ll be sticking around.” Hawk jumped into the driver’s seat and started up the vehicle. He tapped the gas gauge. “Looks like we have enough.”
“If we’re going straight back we do.” Swede sat on the passenger’s door side effectively bookending Eva in the middle.
A place she was happy to stay. She was sad she was missing out on flying home with the horses but given where she’d been a few hours ago, she was just happy to be with the men.
She closed her eyes and instinctively snuggled closer to Swede, letting her head drop to his shoulder. She closed her eyes.
The rough ground they traveled on stopped her from being able to sleep. Yet knowing she was safe was such a relief she just wanted to savor the feeling. A particularly rough bump had her body lurching forward. Swede instinctively reached out and wrapped his arm round her shoulder tucking her close.
Like he’d done from the start.
“Thanks, Hawk.”
“Thanks for what?” he asked, his voice casual, distracted. Likely from the rough ground.
“For sending Swede to look after me.”
Swede stiffened under her head. She could feel the tension vibrating through him. “Now if I’d only managed to do that,” he snapped.
“You did, several times,” she murmured. “Just because they got to me eventu
ally doesn’t matter. Besides you found me.”
“Yeah, big deal,” the big man muttered.
She opened her eyes to see him staring out the window, a muscle on his jaw rippling in an aggravated motion.
“Hey, it is to me – so thank you.”
He slanted that hard gaze her way and snorted. With a very precise, “You’re welcome,” he returned to glaring out the window.
She wasn’t sure what was bugging him and turned to look at her brother, catching the amusement on his face.
“What is so funny?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
She sighed. “Right.”
“Hey, I’ve been there myself. Glad I’m not anymore.”
She studied his words and didn’t get it. She opened her mouth to ask when Swede gripped her shoulder in warning.
Disgruntled she subsided. “Fine,” she muttered to him in a low voice. “You’ll have to explain later.”
His fingers squeezed then released.
She’d take that as a yes.
*
Swede wasn’t sure what to say around Hawk. Somehow the relationship between his sister and him had changed. He didn’t know to what, and she didn’t appear to understand the problems this was going to create. Hell, it was already creating trouble.
Not that he was going to back down.
Not until he figured out if this was serious.
Eva had always been in the background. Always a nudging reminder that she was waiting for him.
“So, Swede, ready for days off?” Hawk asked, a thread of humor in his voice.
“It won’t be for a while, surely?” Although that would be nice.
“Not until we get to the bottom of the rebel camp, no, but it’s always nice to look ahead and plan our days, isn’t it?”
What the hell was he getting at? And why? His sister? Hawk would be spending the days he had free with Mia. No way in hell he wasn’t.
So how was Swede going to spend it with Eva and have Hawk’s blessing.
He needed to have a private talk with Hawk. Somehow. But he wasn’t looking forward to it. He wasn’t even sure what to say. He didn’t have answers.