“You’re really going back to England?”
“That’s right. My dream was always to be an MI6 agent, to work for Her Majesty, not for a private company in the States.”
“I see.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Quint. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t be doing this at all.”
“Sure you would be,” he said, shaking his head.
“I need to go if I’m going to catch my flight,” she told him.
“I can take you to the airport.”
“Doc and Merrigan offered their rental.” She stepped forward and put her arms around him. “It’s better this way. Goodbye, Quint.”
“Goodbye, Darrow,” he kissed the top of her head, let her go, and watched as she walked out of his life—this time for good.
39
Darrow had only been on the road for ten minutes when she passed by two vehicles on the shoulder. It looked as though there was an argument between two men and a couple taking place. She slowed the 4x4 to get a better look and saw the young woman was obviously crying.
She hadn’t gotten much farther when she looked back and saw the two men grab the couple, forcing them toward another vehicle. She spun the 4x4 around. By the time she got back to the place, she saw the argument take place, the vehicle she’d seen the couple forced into had gone off the road and was barreling across a pasture. She followed.
They drove back to an isolated pasture, but she stayed on them, wishing she was in the Bummer rather than a regular 4x4.
When the truck stopped near an outbuilding, one of the men jumped out and started firing on Darrow, hitting one of the tires, causing the 4x4 to come to a stop on the rugged terrain. She jumped out, her gun at the ready and prepared to fire back, using the vehicle’s door as a shield.
She took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders, took aim even though she was under fire herself, slacked, and squeezed. Like with Pique, she hit the man right between the eyes, and he fell to the ground.
In those split seconds, she saw that the other man had dragged the two other people into the outbuilding. She ran toward the back, knowing she had little to no coverage if the man started firing at her from the inside.
She was almost to the back when she saw him come out the front at the same moment she smelled smoke.
“Bugger me,” she shouted, kicking in the back door of the building as flames engulfed the front. The couple were both bound and gagged, but she didn’t have time to untie them. If she tried, they’d all be overcome by smoke, if not flames. If she could get them out of the structure, it might buy her enough time to untie them before the fire spread to where they were.
She grabbed the back of the woman’s shirt and pulled her the short distance to the door and then went back inside to do the same with the man. She was just about to untie them when she saw the other man light the grass near the 4x4. When he saw her, he drew his gun, but she was quicker. She broke the shot and hit the man in the chest. He got off one shot before the truck exploded into a ball of flames.
“We need to get out of here quickly!” she yelled, untying the man first so he could help free the woman.
“You’ve been shot,” he said once the gag was out of his mouth. Darrow looked down and saw her blouse was soaked with blood. It was the last thing she remembered.
40
“There’s a wildfire on Palmyer!” Decker yelled as he came flying in the kitchen door.
Quint turned the heat off on the stove where he’d been cooking breakfast.
“What are you doing back?”
“That isn’t important right now. Did you not hear me? There’s a wildfire on Palmyer!”
“How bad?”
“Four-alarm. I’m heading there now.” Deck ran out of the kitchen while Quint wiped his hands and put on his boots.
“I’ve gotta go,” he said, turning to Doc.
Merrigan came running in. “I heard someone say there’s a fire.”
Quint nodded. “If it’s four-alarm, it’s bad.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Doc.
“You have a flight—”
“Fuck the flight, Quint. Let’s go!” Doc yelled, pushing him out of the kitchen.
“Wait!” yelled Merrigan. “I’m coming with you.”
“I need you to stay here and alert the crew,” Quint yelled back. “If it’s that bad, we need to start cutting fire lines. Tell anyone you can find to bring the backhoes and alert the other ranchers.”
“Where is Palmyer?” asked Doc.
“It isn’t one of ours,” he said, motioning for him to follow. “We’ll take the Bummer. It can get through almost anything.” Quint pulled one of the barn’s alley doors open, and he and Doc climbed in.
“How far away are we?” Doc asked.
“About ten miles as the crow flies, which is the way we’re gonna go. It’s owned by a young couple who inherited from her grandpa.”
Quint’s jaw was tight as his mind raced, wondering if Cassie’s uncles had anything to do with the fire starting. He prayed not, because if they had, there’d be a slew of ranchers ready to beat them into the ground. “Can you grab that and turn it up?” he said to Doc, motioning with his head to the hand-held radio.
When he did, they could hear Deck’s voice. “It’s bad. The cattle are surrounded.”
When the radio cut out, Quint scrubbed his face with his hand and pulled off the main road. When they reached a ridge, he stopped as he took in the scene in front of them. There was no question that the fire had engulfed the herd and was burning out of control.
“Pray for those kids,” Quint said quietly, turning the vehicle back toward the road. The way he’d originally been headed was directly in the fire’s path.
“Is King-Alexander in danger?” Doc asked.
“Not at the moment, but with the way the wind is kicking up, there isn’t a stretch of land that isn’t at risk.”
He drove up to the line of trucks where he thought he recognized the ones owned by his ranch along with several others. The smoke was too thick for him to know for certain. He and Doc jumped out and ran over to where Decker stood with several other men. As he approached, he saw their hats were off, many were wiping their faces and covering their mouths with bandannas like he was.
Before he could ask Decker what the status of the fire was, there was a loud roar above them as a tanker flew over and made a retardant drop on the flames. A moment later, two smaller planes flew over and dropped water. His eyes burned, and it was impossible to see anything through the thick smoke.
“What’s happening?” he yelled.
“The fire chief said to wait here. He’ll be right over to talk to us. We need to get the backhoes here.”
“Already on their way,” yelled Quint in response.
“I heard someone else say somethin’ about draftin’ from the water tanks,” Deck shouted.
Both things they could do to help.
“Any word on Cody and Cass?” asked Quint.
He was close enough to see Deck shake his head. Quint didn’t like the look he saw in his friend’s eyes.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I’ll kill those bastards with my bare hands if those kids are hurt and Cassie’s uncles had anything to do with this.”
As loud as it was, Quint didn’t think anyone had heard him, but he knew Deck had when he heard him say, “I’ll be right there with ya.”
“Quint!” yelled John “Mac” MacIver, the fire chief and a man Quint had known all his life, when he approached them. He motioned for them to follow back farther away from the line of trucks.
“What can we do to help, Mac?” Quint asked.
“I need you to set up a command center for the ranchers that want to help. I need them to get about a mile back.”
“Done,” Quint told him. “What else?”
“I need men to get in front of this thing and start cutting fire lines.” Mac looked at Deck. “You know this place as well as anybody else. You g
et with Brownie and figure out where the natural lines are.” Mac turned back to Quint. “Once he’s done that, you start sending guys out. Who’s that?” Mac asked, pointing to Doc.
“Doc Butler.”
“He’s a big sonuvabitch. Got any law enforcement experience?”
“Special forces good enough?”
“Hell, yeah,” said Mac, motioning for Doc to join them.
“You’re the new sheriff in town,” Mac said to him. “I need you to get these men out of our way. Quint is gonna set up a command center a mile that way.” Mac pointed behind them. “I don’t want to see a single civilian on this side of it unless they’re in a backhoe ready to cut lines.”
“How big do the lines need to be?” Quint asked.
“Big. Ten to twenty feet wide with a three- to four-foot scrape,” Mac answered.
“What about water tank draws?” asked Decker.
“Get someone from each ranch on it.”
“Wait,” said Decker when Mac started to walk away. “What about Cody and Cass?”
Mac shook his head. “We found two bodies, Deck. The wind must’ve shifted. They haven’t been identified, but chances are good it’s them.”
“Fuck!” Deck shouted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Jesus Fucking Christ,” he cried.
Mac put his hand on Decker’s shoulder. “I need you to get it together, son. I need your help. They need your help.”
“I’m together,” Deck told Mac and then looked at Quint. “If I find out this was set intentionally, you’ll be seein’ me in prison.”
“I’ll be right there with you.”
FORTY-EIGHT HOURS after the call had come in to Deck about the Palmyer fire, he and Quint were on their way back to King-Alexander Ranch. When Quint had insisted Deck take a break to get some rest, the man said the only way he’d leave was if Quint did too.
He pulled up to the house, climbed out of the Bummer, and walked over to the barn. He peeled the sooty, wet clothes from his body and threw them into the waste pile. He grabbed some other clothes from the tack room, pulled on his spare pair of work boots, not bothering to lace them up and walked over to the house.
It was daylight, but otherwise, Quint had no idea what time it was. As soon as he showered, he planned to fall into bed and sleep until his body woke on its own.
WHEN HE WOKE, it was dark. He got up, looked out the window, and then back at the empty bed. He knew it made him a selfish asshole, but more than anything, he wished Darrow was asleep in it.
Every hour he’d spent in the backhoe, cutting the lines, he thought about her. He also thought about Cody and Cassie. They were two kids, crazy in love, starting their life together. That they were gone was a tragedy too hard to bear.
Quint got back in bed, buried his head in a pillow, and let the tears he’d fought so hard against, flow.
He’d cried two other times in his life that he remembered. The first was when his mother died. The second was the night he’d come into the house alone after the blizzard, wishing so much he could’ve done something more to save his herd. He remembered wishing Darrow was there to comfort him that night, just like he wished she was now. Somehow, he fell back to sleep.
“QUINT, SORRY I WOKE YOU,” his father said when he found his phone and answered the incoming call.
“It’s okay,” he responded, his voice thick with sleep.
“It’s about Darrow.”
Quint sat up. “What about her?”
“She wasn’t on the flight, and I haven’t been able to reach her or anyone else. What’s going on?”
Quint told his father about the fire and how they’d all been working around the clock. “Darrow left before it started. She was on her way to the airport.”
“You’re certain?”
“Absolutely.”
“I don’t like this. I know Darrow has disappeared before, but when I talked to her about her desire to decline the offer from K19 and return to MI6, she seemed determined.”
“I’ll talk to Merrigan and see if she’s heard from her.”
Quint ended the call and got out of bed. He still had no idea what time it was, but at least it was daylight. He got dressed and went to the kitchen. He saw Merrigan on the front porch, on her phone. Maybe Z decided to check with her himself.
“Quint,” she said, coming back inside. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I came back sometime yesterday but went straight to bed.”
“As did Kade. Listen, I just got off the phone with—”
“Z? I already talked to him.”
“No, actually, with the rental car company. They said the 4x4 hasn’t been returned.”
Quint gripped the cabinet to steady himself. “Fuck,” he muttered.
“What?” gasped Merrigan.
“Z said that Darrow wasn’t on her flight.”
“Dear, God,” she muttered. “Where is she?”
41
Darrow opened her eyes and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. It appeared she was in the hospital. Several machines were humming around her, and she had an IV in her arm. She raised her head when someone came in.
“Look who’s awake,” the woman said, walking over to her. “How do you feel?”
“Feel? I’ve no idea. Why am I here?”
“You lost a great deal of blood. In fact, if they hadn’t gotten you here so quickly, you might not have made it. Fortunately, they did, and we were able to get you straight into surgery.”
“Who got me here?”
“Cody and Cassie James, but I have a more important question for you. Can you tell me your name? You came in with no identification whatsoever.”
“Darrow,” she said, bringing her hand to her throbbing temple. “Whittaker. I’m Darrow Whittaker.”
“What is the last thing you remember, Ms. Whittaker?”
“Fire. And an explosion. There were two people. A man and a woman.”
“Cody and Cassie, as I said. You saved their lives by pulling them away from the fire.”
She winced when she tried to sit up straighter.
“Let me raise the bed,” said the woman. “You’re still recovering from surgery.”
“Why did I have surgery?”
“You had a bullet lodged not far from your heart, Ms. Whittaker. Don’t you remember being shot?”
Darrow shook her head. “What day is it?”
“Friday.”
“I was supposed to leave two days ago.”
“Where were you going?” the woman asked while she checked the various machines and their attachments to Darrow’s body.
“Back to England.”
“My guess is there are people who are quite worried about you. The doctor is on his way here now. After he’s finished examining you, we’ll see if we can contact your family.”
Darrow closed her eyes and rested her head against the pillow.
“She’s awake,” she heard a woman’s voice say.
Darrow opened her eyes and saw the woman’s were filled with tears. “Hi,” she said. “Are you Cassie?”
“I am. Thank God you’re okay.”
“I understand you saved my life.”
When a man came around to stand behind Cassie, she asked if he was Cody.
“I am, ma’am, but we didn’t save your life. You saved ours.”
“What’s your name?” Cassie asked.
“Darrow Whittaker. I was a guest at King-Alexander Ranch. They’re probably quite concerned about me.”
Cody had his mobile out and was placing a call when the nurse came back in.
“No cell phones in the ICU,” she scolded and then looked at Cassie. “The doctor is here. You’ll need to step out for a few minutes.”
Cassie leaned over and kissed Darrow’s cheek. “I won’t be far,” she murmured.
“Those two kids have been here almost every minute,” said the nurse as the doctor walked in. “They were so worried about you.”
“I’m Dr. W
heeler,” the doctor said, holding out his hand to shake hers.
“You’re English,” said Darrow.
“That I am, as are you. Although we didn’t know that until now.”
42
Q uint was about to start calling area hospitals when his cell phone rang; he didn’t recognize the number.
“Quint Alexander,” he answered.
“Mr. Alexander, it’s Cody James.”
He felt the air leave his lungs, and he reached for the kitchen counter. “Is this a joke? Whoever this is, I don’t—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, sir. I guess you haven’t heard. The bodies they found weren’t Cassie’s and mine, but what I’m calling about is more important. Do you know someone by the name of Darrow Whittaker?”
“Darrow? Yes. Where is she?”
“She’s at St. Joseph’s in the ICU. We didn’t know who she was until now.”
Quint had a thousand questions, but they could wait. “I’m on my way,” he said and ended the call.
“Who was that?” asked Merrigan.
“Cody James. He said that Darrow is at St. Joseph’s hospital.”
“Cody James?” asked Doc, walking over to him.
“That’s right. I don’t understand what’s going on myself, but all that matters is getting to Darrow.”
“We’ll come with you,” said Merrigan.
The hospital was twenty minutes away, but the drive there had never felt longer. The entire time, Merrigan was on the phone trying to find out more about Darrow’s condition, but since she wasn’t next of kin, they wouldn’t tell her anything.
“Call Shiv,” Doc told her while she sat on hold.
“I wanted to know more before I called him, but I guess there’s no choice.”
Quint listened as Merrigan told Darrow’s older brother the limited amount of information they knew.
“He’s going to ring the duchess now and ask her to contact the hospital given she’s Darrow’s legal next of kin,” Merrigan said, ending the call just as Quint pulled into the hospital parking lot.
“Pull up to the front,” Doc told him. “I’ll park it.”
“Thanks,” Quint said, jumping out of the truck with Merrigan behind him.
Shadow (Military Intelligence Section 6 Book 4) Page 19