Border Town: SLICE Agency, Book One

by Louisa Bacio

  “Now you wake? Seriously? Not when there’s a monster from folklore attacking us?”

  A serious look passed over Alec’s face and he checked out the remnants of the door with bullet holes. “Did you get it?” he asked.

  Shaw shook his head. “Shut up.”

  He should have hit the target. With the unknown specimen only twenty-five feet on the other side of the door, it should not have gotten away unscathed. As Shaw evaluated the surrounding area, though, he saw no trace of the unknown species. No wonder it had gone undetected for so long.

  After he secured the back door, he pulled out his tablet and made notes. If the creature had been standing, which it appeared to be, and peering in through the window, that meant it had to be at least the size of a human. Add in intelligence for knowing to look through the glass. A wild creature may not possess that added insight.

  What scared him most? The unknown assailant or spending the night with Lucia? Fear was relative. Now that they’d chased off the creature, he didn’t expect it to return. At least for tonight.

  12

  Despite all they’d gone through together, he continued to question her abilities. After they patched the door, Shaw basically patted her on the head, and sent her off to bed while he talked plans with Alec.

  Eventually, she’d gotten a few hours sleep, and now she had to tend to the animals. She hoped they were still asleep. Lucia was more invested in this issue than they were. It was her family’s ranch, and she knew it better than anyone else. Well, except Mack, but with him laid out in the hospital, she was the next best thing. Shaw may come in with some vast knowledge and experience working with the government, but he knew nothing about day-to-day life on a working farm.

  She couldn’t let the ranch fail. Lucia carried her shoes in order to minimize the amount of noise she made sneaking through the house. Her own damn house. It wasn’t like she was back in high school and trying to get in without her dad being the wiser. She might as well be hiding from the Men in Black.

  The third step from the bottom of the staircase squeaked if stepped on directly, so Lucia made sure to shift to the left.

  Eeeeeek.

  She froze. Was that the right? Hell, if she remembered. For a few brief moments, she held her breath, waiting to make sure no one else in the house woke, or was already out and about. Soon enough, the sun would be rising, and then it failed to matter.

  All hands on deck. Everyone and anyone would barrel through the lands, causing a ruckus and dragging in the muck.

  No, thank you. Instead, she focused on getting out and finishing chores before anyone lifted their heads from their pillows. This way, if anything looked out of the ordinary, she’d have a heads up.

  The cold tile of the kitchen floor shocked her senses. If she wasn’t awake beforehand, she was now. Just a few more minutes until she was in the free and clear.

  Boards covered the window and parts of the door where Shaw’s bullets ripped through the barrier. If whatever the hell it was had been hurt, it might be in hiding or attacking the stock for sustenance. Damn, if she was surrendering right when they were close to succeeding. It wasn’t the Chapa way.

  Hand poised on the door knob, she hesitated, cocking her head to the side as if that made it any easier to hear. If she ran into anyone at this point, she’d say she was feeding the animals. No one needed to know she really wanted to hunt the killer.

  Path seemingly clear, she opened the kitchen door and stepped outside.

  “What are you doing out here?” Shaw said, causing her to drop her shoes and about wet her knickers—and not in a good way. “I thought we had a date set for the future. Come looking for me already?”

  “I guess I could be asking you the same question.” She slid her bare feet into the tennis shoes and wrapped her arms around her body. She should have realized how cold it was going to be. No, she hadn’t thought things through. Instead, solely focused on the here and now, and what needed to be done.

  “I would have thought you’d be too tired to go sneaking outside by yourself.” Shaw stood and replaced her arms with his.

  The heat of his body seeped into hers, adding an instant comfort. The safety of his strength lulled her.

  “Why don’t you be a good girl and go back inside and go to sleep,” he whispered through her hair and into her ear. “I’ll stand guard tonight. Everyone and everything will be safe.”

  His words irked her, treating her like a helpless child once again. She pushed off his chest. “And what if I don’t? What are you going to do? Arrest me? Oh wait, can you even do that?” Lucia poked at his chest. “You aren’t even a legit police officer, are you?”

  Shaw took a step back, out of the porch light and into the shadows. A flicker of something crossed his face. “What is wrong with you? You’re the one who called me, us, out here to help. That’s all I’m trying to do.”

  “How exactly have you been helping? By fooling around in the bunkhouse while some creature slaughtered our livestock? Oh, a lot of help.”

  “Hey, that wasn’t all me. If I remember correctly, you were an active and willing participant.”

  “Of course, I was. Who can resist the undercover, sexy government agent? The one who’s here to save the day? Well, listen to me: we don’t need you.”

  Wildfire sparked in his eyes, and he narrowed his gaze at her. For a brief moment, Lucia contemplated backing off and going back to sleep, allowing him to stand guard, but that wasn’t what she wanted.

  She wanted to be treated as an equal, not a damsel in distress. She patted the gun holstered on her side. “If you’re going to sit up here and whittle away the time, by all means do so. I’m headed to the barn to check on the animals and then do a patrol of the north pasture.”

  He groaned in reply. “Lucia, give it a few hours. Get some rest. If I hear anything, then I’ll head over. Tomorrow, the rest of the team should be back and ready to assist. We’ll find this creature, and we’ll secure the area.”

  “When you hear something? Don’t you know by then it’ll be too late? There will be another death on both of our heads? We can’t sit around and wait for something to happen, again. We need to go out and find it. Be proactive.”

  “When the sun comes out it will be much easier,” he said, stepping back into the light.

  “Sure, easier, but not necessarily right. Listen, I haven’t ever seen this thing in the light. For whatever reason, it likes the cover of darkness. I’m not waiting. Before you came here, I did nightly patrols, and I’m gonna do it again. Nothing you do or say can stop me.”

  Oh, he was sure he could do something to stop her, but by the way she was acting, he wasn’t sure how long it would last. Damn, to find himself in this position—with a beautiful woman, who wouldn’t listen to common sense. She acted like he wanted to keep her barefoot and in the kitchen, pregnant. Hell, the fantasy may be appealing, but then she wouldn’t be the woman standing before him.

  After such a short amount of time, he knew that he loved her already. Hell no, it wasn’t professional or convenient, but love didn’t seem to come along at the best possible time. He’d gone his entire life without experiencing romantic love. Now that he’d found it, he wasn’t about to let it go.

  But to be honest, he didn’t love her despite these stubborn attributes, he loved her because of them. Now, the key would be to make her happy, and involved, and get both of them out alive.

  “Listen, let’s go inside and have some coffee,” he reached out to hold her hand. “We have half an hour before the sun rises. Then we track it.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him, eyes squinting, before finally relaxing her shoulders. “How about I make a pot, put it in a Thermos, and we head out?”

  “If you wrap a few biscuits, you may have yourself a deal.”

  Lucia squeezed his hand and glanced toward the barn. In the final minutes before dawn, everything on the ranch remained quiet. The day ahead of them may not be. They had to appreciate the lull before the prov
erbial storm—in this case, the hunt for the unknown.

  Twenty minutes later found them packed, wrapped, and ready to go. Alec was grudgingly awake and watching the camera monitors. Shaw stalled as long as possible. Before leaving, he called the hospital for a status update. Mack was stable, and the team would pick up the car at the shop on the way back to the ranch later that afternoon.

  Hitting the trail sans flashlight was his goal, and by the time they made it outside, the faintest light broke on the horizon.

  Clear skies for the first time since he’d arrived greeted them and he couldn’t help but think it foretold a good outcome. Side by side, he walked the trail toward the paddock with Lucia and her little dog. He had to admit, Foxy had grown on him, too. For being so small, she possessed a big dog’s personality and bravery. Without a leash, she trotted next to Lucia, stopping to smell only she knew what.

  At the crossroads that split between heading toward the barn or the path toward the river, Foxy stopped, hair standing straight up on the back of her neck, and growled.

  “What is it, girl?” Lucia asked. She crouched, her voice a soothing balm. “What do you smell.”

  The dog angled toward the river and bared her teeth, a low rumble from her chest continuing.

  “Well, I guess I know which way we’re going,” Shaw said. Without any specific direction, why not follow the herding dog? He’d gone by less instincts in the past. If anything happened to the pup, though, Lucia would never forgive herself or him, so they'd better be careful. The dog didn’t know she couldn’t take on a chupacabra or whatever it was that attacked them last night.

  As they walked the path, Shaw’s body reacted to thinking about his encounter with Lucia a few days before. He’d have to revisit that date in the future when this case was done and they were sure to have privacy. Too many distractions right now.

  Halfway there, and Foxy once again took a keen interest in the brush. Shaw caught a flash of red, and inspected the branches. A tuft of hair had caught on the foliage with a splash of what looked to be dried blood. From his pouch, he removed a collection bag and grabbed a sample.

  “I may have wounded the creature after all,” Shaw said. It must not have been a bad wound since it didn’t leave any blood at the porch.

  Lucia’s eyes grew round, and Shaw realized he saw her much better than a few minutes before. Even for a SLICE agent, daylight normally meant a return to reality. One day he’d have to investigate why the unknown or supernatural preferred the night.

  Foxy charged a grouping of bushes, and a few ducks flew out squawking. Lucia screamed, hand over her chest, before realizing the danger wasn’t all that real, and then she started laughing.

  “Surprise you?” Shaw asked.

  She leaned over, palms on her knees, catching her breath. “I-I-I thought for sure she’d found it,” she explained. “And I’m not sure I want to find the creature.”

  They neared the clearing and river bank. The sky brightened, showcasing a magnificent display of pinks blending into orange and yellow. Lucia slid her arm around Shaw’s waist, and he wrapped his arm over her shoulders. Her strength flowed into him and vice versa as the new day broke. A streak of blue broke through, and from the tree above, birds chirped the arrival. When wildlife came out that usually indicated the creatures of the night disappeared.

  “So now what?” Lucia asked.

  Shaw took a few steps toward the flowing water. It still amazed him that he could see another country, Mexico, right across the river. This time, he looked down, and noticed scratches in the mud—footprints that appeared very much not human.

  He turned, glancing back to where Lucia stood in the clearing. The prints started as soon as the grassy area ceased and the mud-sand combination began, and they led directly to the water’s edge.

  “Don’t move,” he instructed. “Do you see that?”

  “What?” Lucia widened her stance, focusing on the dirt between her feet. “Oooh, it looks like the prints near Mack’s attack.”

  “Exactly.” From his pocket, Shaw removed his cell phone and took a few shots. Too bad they didn’t have any plaster to make a mold. Maybe Alec could come down to do it. From his waistband, he grabbed the walkie-talkie.

  “Come in, Alec, are you there?”

  “Roger that. Where are you?”

  “Down by the water. Looks like the creature passed through here. Any chance you might have a visual on where it went?”

  A deafening silence greeted his question. “Do you copy, over?”

  “Ah, that’s a negative,” Alec finally said. “Last night I thought it was just dark—today, well, the only view I get is red.”

  “Red?” Shaw moved toward where he’d hung the camera in the tree, and as soon as he saw it, he remembered. “The bandana.” When he got busy with Lucia, he covered the lens and never removed the obstacle. How would this one look on a review? They didn’t get any footage of the supposed creature.

  “What bandana? Dude…”

  “Over and out,” Shaw said really fast. He stood beneath the tree and jumped, yanking down the cover. When clear, he waived his fingers, figuring why not. It’s not like they’d be able to go back and get the missed footage.

  Instead, he turned his attention to the bank. His gut told him that once hurt, the creature decided enough was enough. He dropped to his knees, inspecting the footprints near the water. A few splatters of blood dotted the one on the right, but not enough to be meaningful. If Shaw had actually hit the creature, and if it wasn’t shattering glass, then it wasn’t serious.

  “It’s gone, isn’t it?” Lucia stopped beside him, shielding her vision with her palm.

  Her voice sounded dejected, and it cut to Shaw’s heart. He wished he could have offered more closure, but he was afraid this was it.

  “It seems like it, but maybe this time will be different,” he offered.

  “I don’t think so. Give it another seven years and all will be forgotten, and it’ll be back. It always comes back.”

  Stretching, Shaw stood, raising his arms above his head, before twisting side to side. Lucia’s profile displayed her strength. It was her land, and she wasn’t going to give an inch. After spending the past few days there, Shaw already understood how she felt. He wouldn’t let any creature, known or unknown, run him off either. The family took roots in this land and claimed it.

  Lucia reached out, threading her fingers through is. “What do you think it was? Believe in the chupacabra yet?”

  The scientific part of his mind wasn’t willing to admit it, but it was impossible to ignore. “I’d say so. Do you really think it’ll all stop?”

  “I feel it. It’s over, for now.”

  The sun rose high in the sky, offering the dawning of a new day. Shaw wrapped his arms around Lucia, standing behind her, and breathed in her clean scent. He kissed the top of her head.

  “Do you mind if I stick around for a little bit, just to be sure?” he asked. Internally, he screamed. That creature may be willing to give up and go, but he didn’t want to retreat. He wanted to stay right here on this land and see what might happen between him and this woman in his arms.

  She turned to face him. “Do you mean that? Don’t you have to go back to headquarters or something?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “You wouldn’t believe how much time off I have saved,” he laughed. Who would have thought not having a life before this would pay off so much? “Plus, that’s the beauty of working in teams. I’ve got someone else to call in to cover me. We’ve got each other’s backs.”

  He cupped the side of her face, feeling the rightness of the connection. An impatient corgi wound her way between their legs, happily chasing her non-existent tail.

  “What do you say? Have some extra room on this ranch for another hand?”

  “For you? I may even have some room in my bed, cowboy.”

  The feel of her body against him, and the promise of a future bed shared, was enough to entice his length to grow. “Don�
�t look now, someone may be watching.”

  They both glanced at the camera, and Lucia waved. “Want to give him something to really watch?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  Shaw moved one hand around her waist and held her close. He dipped his mouth toward hers, anticipating that moment of touch, and then they were kissing, melding mouth against mouth. She’d branded her soul across his heart, and now Shaw couldn’t imagine living without her.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “Really? I mean, you do? When did this happen?”

  “You and this land won me over,” he said. “Think there might be room for one more?”

  “We’ve got plenty of acres,” she said, “but won’t you get bored?”

  “Naw. I’m sure the agency will have plenty of work for me. When we’re not on assignment, I can work from just about anywhere. I’d like to make it here.”

  A howl cut through the morning silence and they broke apart, looking across the river. A shadow hunched on the other side, snout facing the sky. It dropped to all fours, yowled again, and took off.

  Epilogue

  Dominique rushed into the house, the door slamming shut behind her. Eyes wide, she held up shaking hands.

  “You, you wouldn’t believe what I just saw.”

  Lucia had never seen her sister so upset. She was a scholar, a skeptic. If something had scared her, it had to have been very, very bad.

  “What was it?” Lucia crossed the room in order to hug the shaken woman.

  Dom pulled away. “I was out by the river, walking and thinking about everything that had happened, and I heard this this awful wailing noise, like a woman crying.”

  The hairs on Lucia’s arms stood, knowing what would be coming next.

  “I followed the sound and found her kneeling by the water. She was wearing this long flowing gown, its edges all covered in mud. Her hands dunked into the frozen water, and the crying. Oh, the crying. It wouldn’t stop. I can still hear it now.”