Brody (26 page)

“Why?” Her voice was raw and shaking. “My family never did anything to hurt you.”

He cocked his head. “Business,
querida
. I want the merchandise at your ranch, and a place to do business in Texas. I need to get rid of those who would stop me. This will be an easy way.”

Oh, God. Oh, God. She had to stop him. Rodrigo would murder half her family, and decimate the rest, scattering them to the winds like dandelion puffs. Her stomach roiled and for a moment, she thought she would vomit on his
vaquero
boots. He must have sensed what she was close to doing because he stood up and backed away.

“I will kill you if you make a sound. Don’t doubt that,
querida
.” He put his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

The sound of cracking branches and shuffling carried on the wind from the opposite bank of the creek. Olivia clenched her hands into fists, knowing she was about to witness the massacre of her family.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Brody kept his face calm and his hands steady, but his guts churned like a twister. He was the ex-soldier and Texas Ranger; he shouldn’t be such a mess. Olivia had turned him inside out and he didn’t know how to change himself back. Deep down, he didn’t want to.

Caleb led them back through the woods and around in a large half-circle. It took a lot longer than Brody wanted but he couldn’t fault the boy. Caleb was sure in his steps and kept a brisk pace they could all follow.

When they reached a creek, Caleb stopped and dismounted. The other three did the same, securing their horses to the trees and out of sight. Brody waited by the edge of the water, a knot in his stomach. Caleb appeared beside him.

Brody glanced down the creek. “How far upstream are we?”

“About two miles. It’s marshy most of the way, so they won’t hear us coming.” Caleb turned to look at Brody, his eyes too much like Olivia’s. For a young man, his lashes were ridiculously long. “Do you think we’ll find her?”

Brody grimaced. “We’ll find her, but I don’t plan on leaving anything of him to find.” He would kill Rodrigo and bury the son of a bitch in a hole deep enough to reach hell.

“How deep are the woods we’re walking through? Is the creek straight or does it twist and turn?” He noted the water was two feet deep where they stood. “And does the water depth change?”

“The woods are thicker in places, but it’s mostly like this. The creek is shallow, never more than three feet.” Caleb pointed at the water. “It’s straight for another mile and a half, then it winds west like a snake. That’s a good spot for an ambush.”

Brody grimaced. “Then that’s where they’ll be.” He turned back to Matt and young Nicholas. “Last chance to turn back. It’s going to be vicious and bloody.” He didn’t want Olivia’s brothers to die because he’d let her down.

“We’re in this together, Ranger. Not a one of us is backing out now.” Matt put his hands on his hips. “A Graham stands with his family, no matter what.”

“Just wanted to give you the chance to change your mind. I wouldn’t think any less of you for it. Hell, I’ve been in battles that made me shit my drawers, but I’ve never been more scared of not beating the enemy than now.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. The last thing he needed was them thinking he was a coward.

Sweat crept down his back as Matt stared at him for a full minute before he spoke. “It’s different when you’re fighting for someone you love.”

Brody took a deep breath. “I do plan on asking her to marry me.”

Matt nodded. “Good thing. I wouldn’t want to have to shoot you. Hannah would be mad at me if I did.”

Brody felt the urge to grin, but it passed quickly. After he had Olivia back in his arms, he would celebrate with her and her family. Now he had to kill the man who’d taken her.

“Same rules. Hand on your gun, keep low and keep quiet. Walk the same steps as the man in front of you.” He looked at each of them in turn. “I’m glad to be fighting alongside brothers again.”

He could see Matt wanted to ask questions, but now wasn’t the time. They waded across the creek single file, then walked into the marshy area. There was no conversation and very little noise. The tall grass and saturated ground masked their steps.

Brody focused on the woods around him and on the other side of the creek. The two miles should have taken thirty minutes at most, but it felt more like twenty hours. The drone of insects, the song of birds and the chatter of squirrels went on around them as though they didn’t exist. That was fine by him; they needed to be as invisible as possible.

Once they arrived at the bend in the creek, he changed the pace to a slow walk. Within moments, the sound of a horse’s bridle made him freeze in his tracks. He held up his hand and everyone else stopped. Brody drew his pistol and crouched down. His heart thumped, pushing the blood through his body in a steady tattoo. He strained to listen while he peered through the trees.

There, in the distance, was the flash of a horse’s tail in a patch of sunlight.

Yes
.

The battle wasn’t won yet, but the fact they’d tracked Rodrigo down tasted sweet. He crept forward slower than a turtle, keeping his gaze locked on the spot he’d seen the horse. When they were fifty yards away, he could distinguish more than one horse between the trees.

It didn’t surprise him Rodrigo had men with him. He’d expected it, but he didn’t like it, especially with a sixteen-year-old along. He didn’t want anyone he fought with killed, especially since they were all Olivia’s brothers.

He crawled through the grass, the mud squishing through his fingers and soaking his trousers. Before he could use his gun, he’d need to dry off his hands. He couldn’t risk losing his grip because his hands were slippery.

The low murmur of voices carried in the air. Brody stopped again, unsure if the Grahams were behind him until he turned around. They were all on their knees, even quieter than he was. He nodded and turned his attention back to the horses ahead.

From what he could see, there were seven of them. Jesus Christmas. Seven? That meant he and the Grahams were definitely outnumbered, but if they had the element of surprise, they could overpower Rodrigo. The most important thing was to protect Olivia from harm.

Conchos winked in the sunlight, so Rodrigo’s men were likely Mexican
vaqueros
or
banditos
. The saddles themselves looked well cared for, with the exception of two of them that were practically falling apart. A man appeared in his line of vision and Brody hoped like hell the tall grass hid him from view. It was the first time in his life he wished he hadn’t worn black.

He’d never told Olivia why he always wore black and only black. Another confession he’d need to make to her when he had her by his side again.

The Graham boys were in browns and blues, disguising them much better than Brody. Too late to change his clothes, or his habits, now. He just remained as still as possible, ignoring the mosquito whining near his ear and the ants crawling on his boot.

The man moved away without raising an alarm or even looking in their direction. Brody let out his breath slowly while his pulse pounded in his head. He turned to look back at the Grahams, gesturing them to move closer.

The four of them huddled together, nearly nose to nose. It wasn’t awkward being so close. The thirst for revenge and the common goal of rescuing Olivia created an instant camaraderie. It was always that way in battle, and he was pleased to see it was the case with this little band of soldiers.

Brody spoke so softly, he could barely hear himself but he dared not make too much noise.

“We’ve got to flank them. Nicholas, you stay with Matt on the left, come in from the woods. Caleb, stay near the edge of the creek and come from the right.”

“What about you?” Matt scowled.

“I’m going straight toward them to scatter the horses and cause confusion.” Brody picked a handful of grass. “And dry your hands before you handle your weapon.”

Each of them used the tall grass to get rid of as much mud as possible. Brody wiped his hands on his shirt to make sure he was ready. Dropping his gun would be suicide.

“Wait for my signal and then start shooting every
vaquero
you can see except Rodrigo. He’s about my size and he’ll be the one holding Olivia. Everyone else is fair game.” Brody gazed at his new family, his new battalion. They were ready. “Good luck.”

They formed a line side by side, each facing the direction assigned. Brody checked the rifle slung on his back, the knife in the scabbard tucked into his trousers, then the pistol. He took a deep breath and nodded to the others that it was time.

As they silently moved away, Brody focused on getting to the horses without being seen. If Rodrigo’s men spotted him, he would lose the element of surprise. Rodrigo might decide to kill all of them, starting with Olivia. No, he had to be stealthy and smart to outwit the outlaw.

He snatched up a handful of sweet grass and stuck it in his teeth, baring them as though he was an animal on the hunt. Inch by inch he made his way to the first horse he found, a paint with an intelligent gaze. The mare watched him as he crept up to her. She had obviously been trained to stay put no matter what.

Brody held out some of the sweet grass to her and she sniffed delicately before taking it off his palm. The gelding to her right was either nosy or hungry because he pushed her aside and went straight for the sweet grass in Brody’s mouth.

He didn’t want to hurt the animals so he had to do this right. After feeding the gelding, another horse bumped his back, sending him toward the ground. He stopped himself before he had a nasty accident with a rather large rock. When he turned around to look at the anxious horse, a large black stallion eyed him. This had to be Rodrigo’s horse.

With a triumphant grin, Brody untied the reins of the three horses, then held out the sweet grass to the stallion as he backed away slowly. The horse now bared his teeth, but he followed, as did the mare and the gelding, anxious for the delicious treat that wasn’t growing close enough for them to reach.

He led them to the patch of sweet grass, then left them happily gorging and returned to the other four horses. They were much closer to the voices and he couldn’t lure them away without being noticed.

Brody needed to see the men to know what he was up against. He crept up behind two horses that stood close together. The murmuring was in Spanish and he wished he had Olivia’s fluency with the language so he could understand everything. He understood enough to know they were talking about women.

He had to act fast or they would notice the horses missing. First, he made quick work of loosening the other horses’ reins from the tree branches. Then Brody peered through the scrubby brush until he could count five men and two women.

Shit. He sure as hell didn’t expect to see Elena there, but that liquid black hair was unmistakable.

Olivia’s hands were tied to a tree branch over her head, while she kneeled on the ground. Her face was a mass of welts, bruises and dried blood, her hair a matted snarl. The pretty dress she’d been wearing was torn and covered in dirt and blood, as though she’d been dragged.

Red fury slammed into him and he clenched his teeth. In the short time they’d had her, she’d already been beaten and treated worse than a mongrel dog.

He would kill every fucking one of them and leave Rodrigo for last. Only a coward beat a woman and he was one who deserved a bullet in his head.

This time Brody would not fail. He would not be responsible for his new brothers’ deaths as he had been for his actual brothers. This battle was personal and he intended to be the victor come hell or high water.

Brody got to his feet and positioned himself behind a tree. His heart pounded in a steady rhythm and he got his breath under control before he counted to three. Pistol in one hand and knife in the other, Brody stepped into view and let loose a Texas roar of rage they probably heard in Austin.

Then he started firing.

Olivia’s arms ached so badly she kept trying to stand up to relieve the pressure on them. Elena would kick her each time, forcing her back to her knees. It was a slow and insidious way to torture someone. The beautiful woman had obviously had practice at hurting people.

Olivia was about to ask for a drink of water when the most god-awful roar split the air, then gunshots rang out. Two
vaqueros
jumped to their feet only to be cut down, blood and brains splattering on the ground behind them.

Through the trees, she spotted Brody coming toward them, his face a mask of rage. He looked like an animal, snarling and gnashing his teeth as he fought with another
vaquero
. To her surprise, Matt appeared from another direction with Nicholas to take on two more of Rodrigo’s men.

That left Rodrigo and Elena. Caleb popped up behind Elena and when he grabbed her arm, she slashed him with the knife that appeared in her hand.

Death and gore was all around Olivia. She watched in horror as Elena stabbed Caleb in the shoulder, but he managed to knock the knife from her hand and it fell to the ground only a foot from Olivia. With a feral grin, he aimed his gun at Elena, but she kicked him in the balls, sending him into a crouch.

Olivia couldn’t stand by and let her family, and her man, die. Using her foot, she pulled the knife close enough that she could grab it with her knees. With every bit of strength she had, she got to her feet, the agony of pins and needles cutting into her useless arms and shoulders. The knife was still between her knees.

Shaking with effort, she grabbed the branch above her and slowly brought her knees up, the bloody knife getting closer and closer. Olivia caught a glimpse of Rodrigo and Brody rolling on the ground fighting and it gave her a final burst of strength. She reached the hilt with her fingers and pulled it from her knees.

Although she cut herself half a dozen times, it was nothing compared to Caleb’s knife wound. She cut the ropes and freed one hand. The second was free moments later.