Gabe gestured with a flick of the gun barrel.
Holly nodded and started away, tugging the boys with her.
The rear door creaked open. A rifle poked out.
Gabe did the only thing he could. He shouted. “Drop the gun or I’ll shoot!”
The long barrel jerked upward as a shot went wild.
In the milliseconds afterward, before the sound had died away, Gabe realized no one could have been hit because of the angle.
Nevertheless, his heart was about to pound out of his chest and his legs felt useless. He leaned hard against the building to pull himself together while he replayed the scene in his mind, insisting his assumptions had to be correct.
Still ready to fire if necessary, he reached for his radio and transmitted, “FBI, are you okay?”
Confused answers from others overlapped. Finally, Gabe heard the voice he was waiting for.
“That’s affirmative,” Holly radioed. “I have two children in custody and we’re in the clear.”
Gabe could hardly breathe. His pulse pounded in his ears and temples. Perspiration trickled into his eyes. He wiped them with his forearm, then rechecked the rocks for more people and concluded there was no one else there.
All the way back to the command post he muttered to himself about what had just happened while sending up prayers of thanks to God at the same time.
It was hard to be both thankful and furious. He kept trying to settle himself and failed. He had just renewed acquaintances with Holly and was ready to admit how special she was, yet the same traits that made her stand out were the ones that were driving him crazy.
She had brains, courage and the best of training. She also schemed too much and acted as if she were a one-woman police force. Well, he couldn’t have that. Not on his turf. And certainly not at the risk of her own life. It was time that somebody, namely him, reminded her she wasn’t bulletproof.
One day, her bravado was going to get her into a situation she couldn’t reason her way out of and he didn’t want to see that happen.
The question was, how could he hope to exert enough influence to change her? To save her from herself? She was worth whatever it took to shake her up, even if it meant he had to cut loose and rant at her.
Right now, Gabe admitted, it was not going to be hard for him to abandon his usually calm persona and yell. Holly deserved it. And he didn’t care if she hated him for it.
Any repercussions were worth enduring if his actions resulted in keeping her safe.
TEN
Both youngsters were crying by the time Holly dragged them behind the barricade. The taller of the two seemed less hysterical but he, too, was weeping softly.
Several rangers joined her, demanding to know what had happened.
“I spotted these kids playing in the rocks behind the station. Ranger McClellan had gone to check the opposite side so I figured it would be faster if I just ran over and brought them in myself.”
One of the medics shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Boy, I’d hate to be you when Gabe gets back. What was the shooting about?”
“Somebody saw me but McClellan shouted and the shooter missed.”
He eyed her from head to toe. “You have something against wearing a vest?”
Still elated by the successful rescue, Holly smiled. “Too hot and not stylish.”
“I don’t supposed you have anything important to report regarding conditions inside the station.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t stick around long enough to make an assessment. Sorry.”
“Okay. I’ll tell the other FBI agent. Between him and McClellan, you should be in for it good.”
“Totally worth it,” Holly replied.
Left alone for the moment, she crouched in front of the children. “All right, guys. What are your names?”
Choked sobs and sniffling were her answer.
“Have it your way. I’m Agent Forbes from the FBI.” She was so relieved to have brought the children to safety, she wanted to smile again. Knowing better, she bit her lip and stayed solemn. “I’m going to call you Number One and Number Two.”
The tearstained faces turned to look at each other, then back at Holly. The taller said, “FBI?”
“That’s right.”
“Where’s your badge?” Two asked.
“That’s a long story,” Holly said. “The important thing is you were messing around where you didn’t belong and you could have gotten hurt. What were you doing back there?”
“Looking for lizards.”
“I see. Didn’t you notice all the tape and the rangers?”
“We weren’t hurtin’ nothin’.”
“Maybe not.” Holly used her sternest expression and glared at them as she added, “But you could have been hurt.” She concentrated on the younger boy. “What about you, Number One? Were you looking for lizards, too?”
He nodded rapidly. “Uh-huh.”
“What about the rattlesnakes?”
Two sets of blue eyes widened. “The what?”
“Rattlesnakes. They’re reptiles, too. If you can find lizards, you can find poisonous snakes in the same place.”
One turned on Two. “It’s Steve’s fault. He made me.”
“Shut up, Phillip. You’ll get us in trouble.”
Holly chuckled. “Okay. Steve and Phillip it is. So, guys, where are your parents?”
Phillip found the mud caked on the toes of his shoes fascinating. Steve answered for them both. “Taking naps in the shade.” He gestured with his free hand. “Over there. See?”
“Do they have water with them? I want both of you to drink plenty. It was hot out there by those rocks.”
Simultaneous nods pleased her. “Do I need to have a ranger walk you over there or can I trust you to go straight back to your mom and dad and stay with them?”
Steve took his younger brother’s hand. “I’ll watch him. It’s my job.”
“Then see that you do it better from now on,” Holly warned. “Before you go, did you hear anything from inside the ranger station while you were there? Talking? Anything?”
“Nope.”
“Okay.” She spotted Gabe returning and decided to trust the children since she’d be able to watch them all the way. “Get going, guys. And no more messing around. You stay with your parents and do as they say. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She remembered correcting the young ranger, Bodie, for addressing her that way and smiled. Kids were different. Especially adorable ones like these boys. They’d clearly been raised to respect authority because neither of them had smart-mouthed her or argued. Good kids could still get into trouble. It was the nature of growing up. Of learning.
And speaking of learning, Holly took another look at Gabe and knew without a doubt that she was about to get a lecture from him. Judging by his expression and the fire in his eyes, it was not going to be an easy lesson, either.
* * *
If he’d dared grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake, he might have. That was how upset he was. How scared he’d been when he’d seen the rifle barrel pointing in her direction.
Five more strides. Four. Three. He took a deep breath, fully intending to begin berating her, then opened his arms and embraced her instead. The hug wasn’t planned; it just happened. And instead of pushing him away, she was returning the comforting gesture. Gabe took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A couple of tears trickled down his cheeks. Astonished, he just stood there, battling for self-control and feeling absolute relief from his toes to the top of his head.
The full breath released as a sigh. He felt her arms around his waist, her cheek laid on his chest, and it seemed like forever before he could make himself set her away.
Cupping her shoulders, he found his voice. “Why?”
“B
ecause you were on the wrong side and it made sense for me to grab the kids.” Holly met his gaze boldly.
Gabe eyed his men. “I can’t believe they let you go.”
“They didn’t. I figured they’d try to keep me here if I told them what I was up to so I just went and did it.”
A slow shake of his head gave him time to decide what else to say. Many of the thoughts whirling through his brain were unacceptable. Impossible to express without crossing a line. He finally settled on dark humor instead. “So, you’re what they call TSTL.”
“Is that a park ranger term?”
He huffed. “No. I think it started because of women in books and movies who walked into dark rooms unarmed when they already knew there were monsters hiding in the shadows.”
“Ah.”
Gabe watched light dawn in her eyes, saw her lips twitch in a lopsided grin as she said, “Too Stupid to Live?”
“That’s the one.”
“What I did wasn’t stupid.”
“It wasn’t smart, either. You could have been killed.”
“So could Steve and Phillip.”
“You’re on a first-name basis?”
“We are now.” Holly pointed toward the family. “I think you should have a talk with the parents if you have time. Or send one of your rangers. They don’t seem to realize how dangerous the canyon can be for children who aren’t properly supervised.”
“Now you’re telling me how to do my job?” The relief he’d felt at being reunited with her was beginning to morph back into righteous anger. He’d lost friends, good men, because they hadn’t followed protocol. Accidents were bad enough. Dying due to taking unnecessary chances was a total waste.
“No,” Holly drawled. “I’m recommending that some lax parents be reminded of their responsibility to their innocent children.” She pointed to one of the other rangers. “A warning would probably hold more weight coming from somebody in uniform, though. How about him? Or her?”
What galled Gabe the most was the fact that Holly was right on both counts. The visitors needed a lecture and a ranger in full uniform should be the one to deliver it. That was the trouble with that impossible FBI agent. She was right more often than she was wrong and he didn’t like being on the receiving end of her so-called wisdom.
However, he also recognized how childish it would be for him to ignore her advice simply because of his ego. “Okay,” Gabe said. “Wait here. I’ll go get somebody to talk to them and you can go along to make the necessary introductions.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up a hand like a cop stopping traffic. “No arguments. You chose to leave the post I’d assigned to you and go off on your own after promising to stay and keep watch. The way I see it, you owe me. And since you already know those kids, you’re the perfect liaison.”
Holly snapped a salute accompanied by a grin. “Yes, sir, Mr. Ranger. It will be a pleasure.”
“That’s not the last straw but you’re close,” he warned. “Being a ranger makes me proud. I’d rather you didn’t make fun of it.”
The way her face changed so rapidly told him all he needed to know even before she said, “I am sorry, Gabe. I didn’t mean to belittle you. Not in the least. As a matter of fact, I look up to you.”
Her earnestness softened his heart. “Apology accepted.”
That brought back her smile. “Good. For a second there, I was afraid you were going to tease me about having to literally look up at you because I’m so short.”
“I did think of it.” He twitched at the corners of his mouth, wanting to mirror her silly grin. “But I was afraid you’d take offense.”
“Not me, McClellan. I’m used to being the brunt of jokes.”
“Maybe that’s why you keep trying to prove you’re better than everybody else.”
Holly’s hands fisted on her hips. “I do not.”
“Do so.” Gabe chuckled. “Every chance you get.”
“Hmm...” She seemed to be pondering the possibility he was right. “Let’s just say I have a lot to make up for.”
“Might that have anything to do with the loss of your sister?” he asked wisely.
“Maybe. Probably. I told you that’s why I joined the FBI in the first place but I didn’t give you the details. It was my fault Ivy died.”
“I doubt that.”
“Well, don’t,” she insisted. “If I hadn’t been so impatient, if I had waited for her, she’d have ridden home with me and she’d be alive.” Holly’s voice quavered, then grew strong again. “I was supposed to pick her up but she was late. I just assumed she’d gone off with friends again and left me sitting there because she was being inconsiderate.”
“That wasn’t the case?”
Holly shook her head and blinked back tears. “No. She’d been delayed after class. When she got to the parking lot late and I wasn’t there, she tried to phone me. My ego kept me from answering right away and by the time I did, it was too late. I will never forgive myself for behaving that way.”
“You were pretty young, too, weren’t you?”
“Yes, but I was her big sister. I should have looked after her better.” Holly glanced at the family she had reunited. “I hope little Steve took my warnings to heart.”
Wanting to comfort her by refocusing her goals, Gabe took advantage of the situation. “Why don’t you go make sure those people don’t pack up and move? I’ll send one of my rangers over ASAP to back you up. Every tourist we educate is hopefully one less who’ll slip over the edge or fry their brains in the summer heat.”
“Okay. I told the kids to drink lots of water but it would be wise to check.” She started to turn away, then paused. “Gabe?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For not looking at me the way my parents and friends did when I told them about driving away and leaving Ivy to fend for herself. That was the worst night of my life.”
“It was a mistake,” he countered. “You may have been upset with her but you weren’t being malicious. If you had any inkling she’d be harmed, you’d have stayed. I know you would have.”
“How can you be sure?”
Stepping closer he gently touched her shoulder for emphasis. “Because I know you. I see who you are, who you’ve become. Your character may not have been as polished back then but the basis for it existed. You’ve grown stronger because of what happened.”
Holly blinked back tears and smiled. “And more opinionated?”
Nodding, he gazed at her, sensing a new connection. “Yes, that, too,” Gabe said. “Nobody’s perfect.”
“In that case, here’s another error you can add to my record. When I went to get our water and snacks, there were a couple of shady-looking characters down by the river and I forgot to tell you about them right away.”
“Shady, how?”
“I don’t know, exactly. It was just a feeling I got. Bad vibes. They stared at me. Gave me the creeps.”
“It’s probably nothing but I’ll have that area checked out. Can you describe them?”
“Not well. They were cleaning out a raft and dressed as if they were tourists. When I noticed them, they were both bent over so I can’t tell you how tall they were. Their hair was hidden under hats. One seemed a lot younger than the other. Sunburned, Caucasian. There was a disturbing aura about both of them.”
“Like what? Sneaky? Guilty? Menacing?”
“Let me put it this way. If I saw either of them loitering on a dark street, I’d turn around and go the other way.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Experience told him that the men were probably just moody because their river trip had been interrupted. Nevertheless, he did intend to have someone check IDs on all the young men waiting on the banks. There was an outside chance that the present situation was becoming more compli
cated than anyone realized. They’d already been surprised by the flood victim.
“You’re not mad at me?” Holly asked.
“Furious,” he joked, making sure she knew he wasn’t serious by breaking into a grin. “Remember, intuition can be seriously overrated.”
Expecting her to smile back at him, he was surprised when she raised an eyebrow instead. “We’ll discuss that erroneous opinion after you’ve checked out the riverbank. I’m serious. I don’t get this nervous for nothing.”
“Wait a minute. Those guys bothered you that much and you didn’t think it was necessary to share that information until now?”
Her brows arched. “That’s the mistake. That’s what I’ve been trying to explain.”
“Not well.” Sobering, he scanned the lengthening shadows as the sun dropped lower in the west. “Next time, don’t beat around the bush, spit out the important parts first.”
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t,” Gabe said with a frown. “You tried to lead up to the main element by preparing me to accept it without blowing my stack. You did the same kind of thing when you were telling me about bringing in those kids. I don’t need to hear reasons or excuses unless I ask for them. Just get to the point and let me decide how important your information is.”
Although he was tempted to back off a little, he stuck to his declaration despite the dejection in Holly’s expression. True, her need to please, to do things perfectly, had gotten her into the FBI and had earned her promotions. And as long as she stuck to analysis and figuring out puzzles by studying files, she’d be fine. What worried Gabe wasn’t her intellect, it was her approach to danger. When a decision was hers alone, she acted quickly and decisively. However, if a problem required assistance or teamwork, she tended to skirt around it, waiting for clues from others to affirm her conclusions.
That often took long enough to place her in danger. If she learned one thing from him during this assignment, he was going to teach her to be straightforward. Someday, it could save her life.
ELEVEN
The long day had taken its toll on Holly. By nightfall, she, Agent Summers and the company of rangers were satisfied they had totally sealed off the station area and could permit park visitors to come and go on the corridor trails, South Kaibab, North Kaibab and Bright Angel. Although access to the two footbridges across the Colorado River was closely checked, tourists had been given permission to exit that way.
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