Protecting Their Child (4 page)

Determined to do what was needed and not what he wanted, he grabbed a pillow off the bed, switched off his flashlight and waited for his body’s need to defuse.

“Promise me it’ll work out,” she said softly from the couch.

“I promise.”
No matter what needs to be done. I promise.
“Move over.”

“What? Why?”

“You know why. It’s in the teens outside, not too much higher in here. It’s a lot warmer on the couch than on the floor. I gotta be able to move tomorrow.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“It’s the only option. Now move over.”

She crowded to the cushions, tucking a blanket around her back. If he’d wanted something to happen, that thin layer wouldn’t stop him. He was more concerned with keeping her warm, relaxing his back and listening for signs of Serna’s men.

“Good night, Cord.”

He may have grunted a bit when she shifted once or twice. Her breathing steadied and she was out within a couple of minutes. Something she’d always been able to accomplish. She told him it was her clean conscience. If that were the case, no wonder it took such a long time for him to fall asleep.

* * *

T
HE
FIRE
HAD
DIED
DOWN
.

4:00 a.m. He’d dozed. Last time he’d looked at his watch it had been just after two.

He shifted away from his hold on Kate, reluctantly removing his arm wrapped around the baby. Good Lord, she was pregnant again. He pushed the thoughts of three years ago away, burying them deep so he could think how to get them to safety and keep them that way.

Sitting on the hearth, he dropped a couple of logs on the fire, building the heat back up, casting a glow across the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Her pale yellow hair seemed to sparkle as much as her eyes when she was ticked off at him. He could think of a couple of times her anger and frustration had actually turned into a nice romp on a bed, or whatever else was handy.

The thought made him laugh out loud but didn’t wake her.

The cold, flat floor called to his cramping back.

He checked the horses through the window, examined the open terrain as much as possible in the starlit night. Nothing.

Why not come after them? What did Serna know that he didn’t?

Cramp. Floor. Stretch. Relax.

When the pain had subsided to a dull throbbing, the fire popped, drawing his attention. Cord looked at the back of the old couch—or under it. The boards where the heavy log frame had been sitting were uneven.

“Right under us the entire time.” He pulled the bench seat open and grabbed the ax. Using the blade he pried the wooden floor panels loose.

“What did you find?” Kate aimed the flashlight where he worked.

“I’m not sure, but I think...”

Sticking his hand under the boards, he didn’t have to search long before his hand snagged a large bag. He knew without looking it was drugs.

He popped up more and more of the loose floor.

“Oh, my God, Cord.”

“There are at least twenty bags here. Serna’s men made use of your family’s absence. This is the perfect place to hand off drugs to suppliers without authorities close by watching.”

“How long do you think they’ve been using it?”

“How long has Juan been an employee?”

“At least five years.”

“I bet Serna’s been laughing at how close I was to everything and could never gather enough evidence for a conviction. Dammit, we stumbled right on top of his operation.” He could beat himself up later. He opened a large bag, shoved a smaller one into his pants pockets and began replacing the boards.

“You don’t know how long this has been here.”

His gut knew. Serna had taunted their investigation by keeping the drugs under their nose. Then ambushed their families to get them out of the way. “We need to get everything back to exactly where it was.”

Kate laughed. “Sorry, what do you think they’ll do if they discover we know? Try to kill us?”

She had a point, but it might buy them some time. Either way, she folded the blankets and put things in their place. He finished the floor and moved the heavy furniture back, even moving the dust around so they couldn’t see the drag marks.

“If they assumed we were coming here...” Kate hesitated while dousing the fire. “Do you think they’ve created another trail this direction that we didn’t see in the dark?”

“Worse.”

Cord held her jacket and she slipped her arms inside. “I don’t understand.”

“We had suspicions that Serna’s operation was using planes to get drugs farther north. Flying under the radar so they couldn’t be tracked.”

They left the cabin, not trying to hide their presence, but at least it didn’t look like they’d found anything of importance. The horses were rested enough for a trek to Nick Burke’s place. If they pushed hard, they could get there late tonight, but it would be a difficult ride, no stops, out in the open. Plenty of places a chopper could fly in low and pursue them.

“There’s no way Serna could have built a landing strip without us knowing,” she said, once they had their saddles and gear packed.

“It’s wide open for choppers, babe.” They both swung onto their horses’ backs in time to see the first edge of pink on the horizon. “Five will get you ten, they have ATVs hidden somewhere nearby to get them in and out fast.”

“If they do, there’s only one place they’d be able to hide something that large.” She clicked to her horse and took off away from the trail, toward the ridge. “We’ll get to Nick’s a lot faster on ATVs and they’ll be on foot.”

“Kate, no!” He clicked his heels into the horse and caught up quickly. “We can’t look for a drop zone or four-wheelers. That canyon is a three-sided death trap for us.”

“We’re sitting ducks on horseback. You know that. It would be safer doubling back across our land than getting caught in the open. Those ATVs would catch up with us no matter which way we choose. This is the only logical thing, Cord.”

Smart woman. Too smart for her own dang good.

“Logical doesn’t mean the safest.” Like that would deter her once she’d thought it through.

“I’m not changing my mind. We can find those ATVs or whatever they use.” She didn’t slow her horse, either.

“I can’t allow—”

She turned in her saddle to face him. Old jacket, beat-up scarf wrapped around her neck, determined look in her eyes piercing his heart.

“Don’t say that, Cord. This is my fight, too. It always has been.”

Chapter Four

Galloping with the father of her child. It should have been a pleasant experience, not a petrifying one. He shouted again and she pulled on the reins to slow a bit. The terrain demanded a slower pace. Cord wanted her to stop, talk about what they’d do, think about their options. They didn’t have any options. They needed to beat a chopper to the nearest landing site.

Thinking that idea was possible seemed completely ridiculous. They’d be outmanned and outgunned. But if the two of them could get there, they’d have surprise on their side. She was certain it was the only way. And certain that Cord would find a way to deter the men wanting them dead.

One thing about riding at this speed and direction, it didn’t lend to much chatting. It took a lot of concentration. Cord was more of a doer anyway. She’d always liked that about him until the shooting. A piece of him had shut down and never come back to her.

With each hint of sunshine peeking over the hill, she heeled Candy just a little faster. It was a risky gambit. One she needed to play if her family was going to survive. She couldn’t live fearing someone waited around every corner. She didn’t want to live constantly wondering if Serna or his gang members would make that day her last.

“Come on, Kate! It’s too dark to be taking the trail like this,” Cord shouted from behind her.

Thank goodness the path wasn’t wide enough for the horses side by side. If she looked at him...well, she just wouldn’t look at him until it was too late to back out.

“Kate! Think what you’re doing!”

“I’ll wait for you at the vista,” she shouted over her shoulder. The wind was so strong she’d be lucky if Cord understood anything. She reined Candy off the trail leading down the mountain and headed for the closest place this high a helicopter could land. Slowing over the rocks for the horse’s benefit, she was still way ahead of Cord.

To her knowledge, her ex-husband hadn’t been on a horse since the shooting. And he’d never been on Ginger’s back, so he couldn’t be certain of her abilities.

Cord kept within shouting distance. Probably mad, but he followed. He didn’t have an option, since Kate knew he’d never leave her unprotected. They may be divorced, but he was an honorable man. Sometimes too honorable.

It would be so easy for Kate to push Candy just a little harder and leave Cord in the dust. This ride in the dark was dangerous as it was without her ex-husband getting more worked up. Candy broke through the scrub and they were in the open at the edge of the incline. Down into the box canyon or around the top of the ridge.

“Are you crazy? What if you’d fallen? Or your horse had stumbled, sending you into the rocks?” Cord’s deep voice stated on an offended breath as he pulled Ginger to a stop.

Her heart still raced as fast as the horse’s. She dismounted, looping the reins around some juniper. Cord was one step behind her, fisting Ginger’s bridle in his hand.

She turned to face him, completely uncertain about the next step and totally unwilling to acknowledge his worry. “What do we do now? How can we stop these guys? You’re trained for this, right?”

“All of my training told me to head to Nick’s, not into a gunfight or barreling down a dark trail with a pregnant woman.”

Uh-oh. That’s why he’d been shouting. Sometimes she forgot she was pregnant. The doctor said to go through her normal routine, normal exercise, and that riding—within reason—was good for her. “I got it. Sorry.”

“Can you see anything?”

Cord wasn’t looking along the horizon. His search was below them, in the small canyon—if it actually qualified as one. Kate followed him to the edge of the rock face and searched. “I can only see two possibilities. If they’ve hidden ATVs or a vehicle, they’d be closer to the rocks. But there aren’t any caves in this area to hide anything.”

“There.” He pointed to an unnatural outcropping of rock. “At first glance it looks like part of the sloping wall, but it’s not. It’s been camouflaged.”

“You’re right.”

“Gotta be a vehicle of some sort under there since I don’t see any fence or hay for horses. Will you let me handle this alone?” he asked with a quick look at her belly.

“No.”

“I didn’t think you would.” Cord looked away, seemingly focused on the fake rock lean-to.

“Someone needs to have your back.” She watched him stiffen as he stood taller. “I mean, I should help. You shouldn’t do this alone.”

“You’re right. I’m heading down the rocks and you stay here to cover my back. I’ll need eyes up top.”

He faced her, one straight brow slightly arched. She could see the triumph in his eyes. He’d tricked her. She’d demanded to help and he’d agreed and kept her up here out of the way.

“Just because I’m pregnant, doesn’t mean—” Her first instinct was to argue, but he was right, she did need to think of the baby. “Okay, I’ll be your eyes. What’s your plan?”

“Shh. Do you hear that?” His hand cupped her shoulder as he froze.

The distant whomp-whomp-whomp of a helicopter bounced around the hills and she couldn’t discern which direction it came from.

“No time for discussion.” He shoved the reins in her hand and handed over his hat before skidding down the hill in his boots. “Just stay here. No matter what!”

Five minutes. They needed just five lousy minutes to beat those murderers.

“And just how am I supposed to warn you if anything goes wrong?” She raised her voice, confident no one else was there yet. “Wait, Cord! Maybe we should go straight to Nick’s?”

“Keep those horses out of sight.”

Where? The juniper trees were a bit thicker behind them where they’d ridden, so she backed them up and tied Candy in place. She wouldn’t go anywhere, not with a saddle on her back—she was too well trained. Ginger was her exact opposite and would bolt at the first distraction, so she took her scarf and covered the horse’s eyes. She headed back to the ridge with her rifle and extra shells in tow.

While moving the horses, she’d lost sight of Cord. She’d seen the evidence that his back was hurting him with every movement, but he hadn’t let it slow him down. Neither had his shoulder. She lay on the rock path perfectly still and watched the lean-to. She pinpointed Cord by seeing his arm a couple of times outside the camouflage. If she hadn’t known he was there, he would have been invisible.

Hopefully, someone else would have to look twice to see either of them—her dirty work coat was the same color as the red-and-brown stone but her hair... She pulled her neon-colored knit hat off and stuffed it in her pocket. She’d been hunting enough to know how to blend into the scenery. She pulled her pocketknife and whacked the bottom of some brush, shook off any attached critters and set it over her head to hide the blond.

What is he doing?

Helicopter sounds grew louder. It must be flying close to the ground. She couldn’t see it, but that was the logical assumption. It shouldn’t be there and no one had reported seeing or hearing one to her. Then again, if Cord’s insinuations were correct, Juan might have been coordinating arrivals with the dates he was at the line shack.

The helicopter topped the vista and swooped over the edge with a practiced flair. It swirled around, sending dust and small rocks in every direction. Tiny whirlwinds of dust shot into the air near Cord’s location.

I need you alive, Cord.

* * *

T
HE
CAMO
HID
more than just the gang’s transportation. Cord discovered a small man-made cave where supplies and gas cans were stashed. Sheeze, there was even a table and chairs. For what?

If they used the cabin, like he suspected, then why a second unloading area? One look at the box contents and the pieces of a five-year investigation were beginning to fit together. He heard the chopper landing and squeezed his sore body uncomfortably between the rough rocks and a couple of crates marked Hazardous.

Cord had suspected that Serna’s gang must have used the cabin for years. It was Serna’s style. Break the law in plain sight. It’s exactly why he’d shot Kate himself instead of sending minions. And why he’d gone to jail. But he and Kate had stayed alive for three years. Cord half expected, half hoped for the gang leader to be on that chopper.

This could end real fast if he was.

Stuffed like a sausage behind the crates, he couldn’t see a dang thing outside. He could hear a guy complaining about unloading the chopper by himself. Heard the whine of the chopper blades slow to a halt. Several Spanish curse words mumbled loud enough for others to respond and tell him to stop his whining. At least three men, two most likely ready for an attack, covered the one unloading.

Four to one.

And him in a cave. All they had to do was wait for them to leave. Kate would never wait. She’d fire and take at least one out, one would keep him pinned down, and another would go after her.

You should have just slashed the tires.

Then there would be no doubt he and Kate were close by. What could he do?

Gas cans.

Lots of gas cans!

It was risky. A logical assumption that they’d fill up the ATVs before heading out. He inched the crate toward the cave entrance, just enough to give him room to dive for protection. Waiting for unloader man’s return to the chopper, he quickly moved, unscrewed the lids of the front two gas cans and scooped handfuls of sand inside. One good shake and he was set.

Back behind the crates, he waited for the next trip and repeated the procedure with the next two cans in line. Then he moved farther away to wait.

Please wait, Kate. Be patient.

* * *

C
ORDELL
M
C
C
REA
,
WHAT
are you waiting on?

He couldn’t get out without being seen. How was she supposed to warn him after they’d already landed? She couldn’t. He’d known that.

Rifle ready, she slid along the path until she lined up a better shot. She’d have his back...and his front. Her daddy had shared his gift of being a marksman.

“Ouch. Shoot.” A piece of dried cactus had lodged itself in her jacket, and one of the thorns had stuck through the material and scraped the skin of her arm. She hurriedly knocked it away with her hand, catching another thorn in her thumb. She’d known better but just wasn’t slowing down to think. She wiggled her fingers, attempting to keep the tense nervousness in check.

The pilot stayed put while three men jumped from the chopper, ducking low with the blades still rotating above their heads. One had a rifle leaning on his chest. The other two headed straight for Cord.

Any second.

Nothing.

Where had Cord gone? The man with the rifle stood at the helicopter like nothing was wrong. Voices, strong, angry words in Spanish. The pilot was still inside, but the blades were slowing—he’d cut the engine.

Four to two. Not such bad odds.

Could she do it? Could she shoot a human being?

The picture of Cord’s bleeding body rushed before her eyes. He had bled from multiple bullet wounds these men—or men just like them—had put there three years ago. It was hard to forget him attempting to say goodbye to her while rushing him to the hospital. Instead, he’d coughed up blood. He’d come so close to being killed by those monsters.

Yeah, she could defend Cord and their child. She funneled her anger into concentration. She took aim, keeping the barrel trained on the man with the gun who seemed to be searching the rim. One man unloaded boxes from the rear seat, disappearing under the camouflage.

If she could take out the one with his finger on the trigger of a machine pistol first, the odds might be better for keeping Cord alive.

Still nothing.

Kate only had a clean shot for the guard. She couldn’t act with Cord trapped wherever he was hidden. So she had no choice but to wait, hoping and praying that the men in the helicopter were the only ones around. She was a sitting duck for anyone approaching behind her.

A clear day with lots of sunshine. She’d soon be a little warmer lying on the cold, rocky earth. If they could time this correctly, the men would be completely blinded by the sun rising over the rocks.

Maybe I should have talked things through with you, Cordell.

The men unloading and seeming to gripe about every trip back to the helicopter finished and chugged bottles of water. It wasn’t hot, but in the high desert most kept themselves hydrated. As thirsty as she was, she would not move until Cord was out of that canyon.

The pilot finished whatever he’d been doing on the opposite side of the helicopter. The echo of him slamming something back in place bounced around while he wiped his hands and wandered to stand by the guard. He shoved the red work rag in his pocket, elbowing the assault weapon slung across his back, out of the way.

Still no sign of Cord or that he’d been discovered. There must be a cave entrance hidden by all that camouflage.

What were all the supplies for, and if they had this place, why use the cabin to hide the drugs? These men were packing weapons ready for a battle. They didn’t need to be good shots with machine guns. Just point and shoot. Both she and Cord had limited ammo but were excellent marksmen. And they still had surprise on their side. That had to be in their favor.

Outgunned and outmanned. Yeah, I should have talked through some plans with Cord. What did I get us into, baby?