Tracker’s Sin (29 page)

“You do.” Desi crossed her hands at the wrists and held her arms out in front of her—a memory lingering from childhood. Ari crossed her

own wrists and held on tightly to her sister’s hands. She didn’t know whether she started to move or if Desi did, but suddenly they were spinning the way

they had back in the old days, faster and faster, until the stars in the sky blended together into streaks of white.

For a brief moment, they were ten again and it was just her and Desi against the world, playing in a magical place where nothing could

touch them. Where they were immortal. Where their parents were stil alive.

She stumbled. “Mom and Dad…”

“Are dead.”

“I know.”

The sob came out of nowhere, wrenched from deep in her gut. Oh, God, would the tears never end? She’d never had the luxury of grief

before, but now, under the stars in a meadow created from hope, she couldn’t stop. She fel to her knees. Desi went with her, holding her close, crying with

her, sharing the pain that both of them had bottled up for so long.

“We didn’t even get to bury them. We just left them out on the plains.”

“I put a tombstone up for them,” Desi said quietly.

“Where?”

“The graveyard here. We can visit the site tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.” Ari wiped her eyes again. The tears were final y slowing. On the other side of the pool of lamplight she could see Tracker

watching. But he didn’t come near. She held out her hand, but for the first time, he didn’t come.

“I placed it beside the gravestones that represent the other Hel ’s Eight families. Caine’s parents, Tia’s husband and baby.”

“So much death.”

Desi nodded. “Yes, but there’s also so much life.” She smiled. “I have a son.”

“I’m an aunt.”

“Yes. His name is Jonah and he’s a hel ion, just like his father.”

“Don’t let Caine hear you say that,” Tracker cal ed over. “That’s one man who dotes on his boy.”

“He does.” Desi smiled and wiped at her cheeks.

“I have a son,” Ari stated.

“I know. He’s the sweetest child.”

Desi didn’t mention his beginnings and neither did Ari. She preferred not to think of it. Miguel’s life started with her.

“Thank you for taking care of him for me.”

“You needed time to heal.”

Ari shook her head. “Maybe. There were just so many memories coming at me so fast, so many bad things, I couldn’t find the good

anymore. In me or anything else.”

Desi took her hand. Ari couldn’t help but wish it was Tracker’s.

“No matter how he came to be, Miguel is good.”

Ari nodded, but bit her lip. “I worry because he looks so Indian.”

“That’l be a problem if you go back East.”

Ari looked over at Tracker. He didn’t say a word. Had he changed his mind about her staying?

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”

“You’re welcome to stay here.”

“Thank you.” Ari swatted at her leg at the same time Desi slapped at her cheek.

“Are you ready to go in?”

“Yes, I think I am.”

“Jonah’s probably hungry. He and Miguel are already best buddies. When one wakes up, so does the other.”

“Thank you for accepting him.”

“He’s my nephew.”

Another mosquito bit her arm. A third went for her ankle. She swung at both. Desi was swatting them, too.

“Time to go.” Desi picked up the lantern, hooked her arm with Ari’s, the way they had many times before, and walked back with her to the

house.

“The one thing that I found out here is that it’s easy to start over. No questions. No explanations. You just go forward.”

Ari looked back to where Tracker stood, watching but not fol owing. “One step at a time.”

“Yes,” Desi agreed. “One step at a time.”

15

“L
ooks like she’s home,” Shadow said, stepping out of the dark beside him.

Tracker watched the two women walk off, oblivious to anything else, anyone else. The sense of doom came crashing down.

“It took long enough,” he muttered.

“She was wel hidden.” From her sister, from herself.

“Yeah. But she’s back now.”

“Does this mean we’re final y going to get back to what we do best?”

The best thing he’d ever done was bring Ari and her son home. His methods might not have been the most highbrowed, but they’d got the

job done. Desi had her sister and they were going to be al right.

“Looks like Ari got over hating her?”

“Ari never hated Desi. She was just hurt.”

“You’l defend her to the grave, won’t you?”

He probably would. “Yes.”

“And Desi?”

“She got what she wanted.”

Shadow reached into his pocket, handed Tracker a flask. “Special occasion,” he said wryly. “Their finding each other is what everyone

wanted, but it doesn’t make it any easier for you.”

Tracker shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Hel , man, she’s not even looking back.”

No. She wasn’t. Tracker snatched the flask from Shadow, popped the cork and took a drink, welcoming the bitter burn as the alcohol

made its way to his gut. “I got what I wanted.”

Shadow took the flask back and took a swig. Tracker was surprised. Shadow wasn’t much of a drinker, either.

“Shit. What you got was a taste of a heaven you’l never have.”

“Since when do we need more than a taste?”

“Since you fel —”

Tracker cut him off. He didn’t need it put into words. “You going to hog the whole thing?”

“Nope.” Shadow handed the bottle over. “But you might want to hold off on drinking.”

Tracker paused with the flask halfway to his mouth. “Why?”

“We got word from Caden.”

Tracker put the cork back in the flask. “What did he have to say?”

“Harold Amboy came in with the army.”

“How many men?”

“Not an army.
The
army. He’s got the fucking U.S. Army guarding him.”

Shit.
“How did that happen?”

Shadow shrugged. “The man’s got friends in high places.”

“I don’t care if he’s the devil’s own. He’s not leaving San Antonio alive.”

“That’s what Caine said.”

Tracker wasn’t surprised. Desi had suffered as much as Ari, and Caine had a few scores of his own to settle. “He’s going to have to get

in line.”

“I’l let you two work out who kil s who, as long as in the end the bastard is dead. He’s got too many contacts here, and now the stakes are

too high. Now he’s got to remove the women and the children. The next time he makes an attempt, he’l likely succeed, for the simple reason he can’t

afford to lose. His plan is getting too complicated to pul off.”

“We won’t al ow it.”

“No, we won’t.” Shadow’s expression took on a calm that translated that “we” to an “I.”

Tracker eyed him warily. “You’re not planning anything stupid, are you?”

“Nope.”

Tracker knew stupid was a subjective term to Shadow. Others might think taking on seven
Comancheros
alone was stupid. But to

Shadow, who likely knew the families in their raiding path, it was stupid not to. The sad truth was that Shadow didn’t fear death. Tracker wasn’t even sure

he didn’t court it. He’d thought he’d accepted that part of his twin’s personality, but watching Desi and Ari’s reunion, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He didn’t

want to lose his brother. But he didn’t know how to stop it. Unlike Desi and Ari, they didn’t have a field of daisies to fal into. They only had each other. And

their demons.

“Just don’t do anything rash. I’d hate to have to drink alone.”

“No worries. Like a bad penny, I always turn up.”

“Wel , do us both a favor and don’t turn up dead.”

“I’l keep it in mind.”

“What does Amboy know?”

“He doesn’t know you have Ari. He’s coming for Desi.”

“Desi’s married.”

“Apparently he’s got papers to set the marriage aside, claiming she wasn’t in her right mind.”

“I’m surprised Caine hasn’t gone after them already.”

It had been a year since Caine’s marriage. The man stil hadn’t gotten over the miracle of Desi’s love. She and their son were his

greatest treasures. And woe to the man to tried to take them from him. The entire U.S. Army wouldn’t be enough.

“He’s working on it. The army complicates things. Plus, he needs to be sure Amboy is the one. He wants the threat to the twins removed

once and for al .”

“We need to keep Desi and Ari in the house.”

“I’l tel Ed and Tia.”

Tracker passed the flask back to Shadow.

“Are you al done?”

Yeah, he was. Ari was where she belonged, so half his promise was fulfil ed. The second half would be finished when Harold Amboy was

dead. The rest of Ari’s life would be up to her. He wasn’t worried whether she could handle it. She had her sister to help. If Ari stayed on Hel ’s Eight,

Miguel would be accepted. If she went East, he’d stil be accepted, because Ari would see to it. She might not see her strength yet, but Tracker could. She

was Hel ’s Eight in the way she loved.

There was a pause and then Shadow said, “I’m sorry, brother.”

“For what?”

“You lost the girl.”

“But I got the prize.”

“And was that enough?”

He’d been touched by love. “Yeah.” He’d make it be enough.

“Wel , I’ve got to tel you, if I can’t have the whole, I don’t even want to taste the part.”

“You’l fal in love someday.”

“If I do, feel free to bury me in that lot you’ve got reserved up at the cemetery.”

“You serious?”

“Yes.”

“Remind me when the time comes.”

Tracker looked back at the meadow, al but invisible as the moon faded and darkness took over. He remembered Ari’s trust, her tears,

the way she’d walked away complete, with her sister, the way she’d never been with him.

It was time to go. He started walking. Shadow fel into step beside him. “You just going to leave the picnic stuff?”

“Someone wil get it in the morning.”

“Al right.” Shadow paced him for a few more steps. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you’ve got the look of a man who’s planning on doing

something stupid.”

Tracker moved to pul his hat down over his brow. It wasn’t there. Shit, he’d left it at the house. He angled his steps to the right. “Just going

to get my hat.”

“Uh-huh. And then?”

He was going to hunt down Harold Amboy. “
Then
I’m going to do something stupid.”

“Then I guess I’m tagging along.”

The stage stop was one day outside San Antonio, but only four hours from Hel ’s Eight. A miscalculation on Amboy’s part. Tracker was

familiar with the station. It was the last in a long line of uncomfortable stops. And probably the worst. The wal boards had gaps between them, and the

water tended toward briny rather than fresh. Inside there were two beds, one chair and quite a few families of mice. Usual y the stage pressed on,

preferring an open camp at a clean water hole a couple of hours west. The change this time was more than likely due to the Easterner. He’d probably shot

off his mouth and Foul-Mouth Hank, the stage driver, had decided that was where he would sleep. The army might have wanted to change the location, but

they didn’t have any say over Hank, and he was an ornery cuss when pissed.

Tracker mental y reviewed the location. The hut was set at the bottom of a smal hil . The horses would be in a separate corral to the right.

Depending on how many men the army had sent with Amboy, they’d either be complacent because of numbers, and have minimal guard, or the guard

would be heavy. Either way, Amboy was going to need more than an army to keep him safe.

Tracker opened the tack-room door. The hinge squeaked. Shadow picked up the can of oil from the ledge and oiled it.

Tracker grabbed ammo and guns from the boxes lined up against the wal and started shoving them into his saddlebag.

Shadow looked at the amount and cocked an eyebrow. “We going to war?”

“With the U.S. Army, if they’re stupid enough to protect that son of a bitch.”

Shadow tossed some dynamite into the mix. “Never been real fond of the army. Too many people given too many orders from too far

away.”

“So maybe, while they’re sitting and waiting to figure out what they need to do, we’l slip in and invite Amboy over for a visit.”

“We’re not kil ing him?”

“No. Not until we know for sure he’s the one.”

“It’d be easier just to go in and kil him,” Shadow said, packing his own supplies. “Stealing an unwelcome guest from under the army’s

nose isn’t going to be easy.”

Tracker cocked an eyebrow at his brother. “Since when do you worry about it being easy?”

“Since you’ve got something to live for.”

“I thought we agreed that my time with Ari was just for a moment.”

“I lied.”

“We don’t lie to each other.”

“I slipped.” Shadow swung his saddlebags over his shoulder. “You’ve got a chance with Ari, Tracker. Why don’t you let us handle this, and

you stay here with Ed, Tucker and Luke and protect that?”

Tracker hoisted his own saddlebag to his shoulder and headed to the horses. “It’s my woman’s parents who were kil ed. It’s my woman

who was raped and beaten.” He met Shadow’s gaze. “It’s my woman’s honor that needs to be restored.”

“That’s our father’s way of talking.”

“Maybe the man wasn’t al bad.”

“He was rotten to the core.”

“Yeah, he was. But I’m thinking lately, it doesn’t mean we have to be.”

“Hel , Tracker, hating him keeps us going. No sense messing with it now.”

“You’ve got a point.” He cinched the saddle tight and lowered the stirrup. Buster snorted and tossed his head.

“You going to leave a note for Ari?”

Tracker shook his head. He would never forget that moment when she had walked away arm in arm with Desi, glancing back only that