“What if you get in trouble?” She stared into his face, wishing he’d reconsider and take her along. “What if you’re hurt?”

He smiled, his hand cupping her cheek. “Worried about me?”

Jacie stiffened and had a retort ready on her lips, but stopped short of delivering it when she realized she was worried about him. “I haven’t known you long, but damn it, I am worried about you. I kinda got used to having you around.” Her hand covered the one he’d used to cup her cheek and she pulled it lower, pressing a kiss into his palm.

“Stay safe for me, will you?” His eyes dark in the dim lighting from the overhead bulbs, he leaned close and captured her lips in a soul-stealing kiss.

About the Author

A Golden Heart Award winner for Best Paranormal Romance in 2004, ELLE JAMES started writing when her sister issued a Y2K challenge to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried their hands at ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas) in the Texas Hill Country. Ask her, and she’ll tell you what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and-fifty-pound bird! After leaving her successful career in information technology management, Elle is now pursuing her writing full-time. Elle loves to hear from fans. You can contact her at ellejames@earth-link.net or visit her website at www.ellejames.com.

Taking Aim
Elle James

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This book is dedicated to the brave men and women

who risk their lives daily fighting

for truth and justice.

Chapter One

Zachary Adams sat with his boots tapping the floor, his attention barely focused on the man at the center of the group of cowboys. This meeting had gone past his fifteen-minute limit, pushing twenty now.

The wiry, muscular man before them stood tall, his shoulders held back and proud. He was probably a little older than most of the men in the room, his dark hair combed back, graying slightly at the temples.

“I’m here to offer you a position in a start-up corporation.” Hank Derringer smiled at the men gathered in the spacious living room of his home on the Raging Bull Ranch in south Texas.

“Doing what? Sweeping floors? Who wants a bunch of rejects?” Zach continued tapping his foot, itching for a fight, his hands shaking. Not that there had been any provocation. He didn’t need any. Ever since the catastrophe of the Diego Operation, he hadn’t been able to sit still for long, unless he was nursing a really strong bottle of tequila.

“I need you. Because you aren’t rejects, you’re just the type of men I’m looking for. Men who will fight for what you believe in, who were born or raised on a ranch, with the ethics and strength of character of a good cowboy. I’m inviting you to become a part of CCI, known only to those on the inside as Covert Cowboys Incorporated, a specialized team of citizen soldiers, bodyguards, agents and ranch hands who will do whatever it takes for justice.”

Zach almost laughed out loud. Hank had flipped if he thought this crew of washed-up cowboys could help him start up a league of justice or whatever it was he had in mind.

“Whoa, back up a step there. Covert Cowboys Incorporated?” The man Hank had introduced as Chuck Bolton slapped his hat against his thigh. “Sounds kind of corny to me. What’s the punch line?”

“No punch line.” Hank squared his shoulders, his mouth firming into a straight line. “Let’s just say that I’m tired of justice being swept under the rug.”

Ex-cop Ben Harding shook his head. “I’m not into circumventing the law.”

“I’m not asking you to. The purpose of Covert Cowboys Incorporated is to provide covert protection and investigation services where hired guns and the law aren’t enough.” Hank’s gaze swept over the men in the room. “I handpicked each of you because you are all highly skilled soldiers, cops and agents who know how to work hard and fire a gun and are familiar with living on the edge of danger. My plan is to inject you into situations where your own lives could be on the line to protect, rescue or ferret out the truth.”

One by one, the cowboys agreed to sign on with CCI until Hank came to Zach.

“I’m not much into joining,” Zach said.

Hank nodded. “To be understood. You might not want to get back into a job that puts you in the line of fire after what you went through.”

Zach’s chest tightened. “I’m not afraid of bullets.”

“I understand you lost your female partner on your last mission with the FBI. That had to be tough.” Hank laid a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to stay the night and think about it. You don’t have to give me an answer until morning.”

Zach could have given his answer now. He didn’t want the job. He didn’t want any job. What he wanted was revenge, served cold and painful.

With the other cowboys falling in line, Zach just nodded, grabbed his duffel bag and found the room he had been assigned for the night. The other men left, one of them already on assignment, and the other two had places to stay in Wild Oak Canyon, the small town closest to the Raging Bull Ranch.

Zach hadn’t been in the bedroom more than three minutes when the walls started closing in around him. He had to get outside or go crazy.

The room had French doors opening out onto the wide veranda that wrapped around the entire house.

He sat on the steps leading down off the porch at the side of the rambling homestead and stared up at a sky full of the kind of stars you only got out in the wide-open spaces far away from city lights.

Zach wondered if the stars had been out that night Toni had died. No matter how often he replayed that nightmare, he couldn’t recall whether or not the stars had been shining. Everything seemed to play out in black, white and red. From the moment they’d been surrounded by the cartel sentinels to the moment Toni had died.

Zach’s eyes squeezed shut, but no matter how hard he tried to erase the vision from his mind, he couldn’t shake it. He opened his eyes again and looked up at the stars in an attempt to superimpose their beauty and brilliance over the ugly images indelibly etched in his memory.

Boots tapped against the planks of the decking and Hank Derringer leaned against a wooden column. “Wanna talk about it?”

“No.” Zach had suffered through days of talking about it with the FBI psychologist following his escape and return to civilization. Talking hadn’t brought his partner back, and it had done nothing to bring justice to those responsible for her senseless rape, torture and murder.

“Do you have work lined up when you leave here?” Hank asked.

“No.” Oh, he had work, all right. He had spent the last year following his recovery searching for the cartel gang who’d captured him and Toni Gutierrez on the wrong side of the border during the cartel eradication push, Operation Diego.

The operation had been a failure from the get-go, leading Zach to believe they had a mole inside the FBI. No matter who he asked or where he dug, he couldn’t get to the answer. His obsession with the truth had ultimately cost him his job. When his supervisor had given him an ultimatum to pull his head out of his search and get on with his duties as a special agent or look for alternative employment, Zach had walked.

Out of leads, his bank account dwindling and at the mercy of this crackpot vigilante, Hank Derringer, Zach was running out of options.

Zach sighed and stared down the shadowy road leading through a stand of scrub trees toward the highway a mile away. What choice did he have? Crawl into a bottle and forget everything? Even that required money.

“If I take this job—not saying that I’ve agreed—what did you have in mind for my first assignment?”

JACIE KOSART AND her twin, Tracie, rode toward the ridgeline overlooking Wild Horse Canyon. The landmark delineated the southern edge of the three-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-acre Big Elk Ranch, where Jacie worked as a trail guide for big-game hunting expeditions.

Tracie, on leave from her job with the FBI, had insisted on coming along as one of the guides, even though she wasn’t officially working for Big Elk Ranch. “Don’t let on that I’m an agent. I just want to blend in and be like you, one of the guides, for today.”

Jacie had cleared it with Richard Giddings, her boss. Then Tracie had insisted on taking on these two guys with short haircuts and poker faces instead of the rednecks from Houston.

Happy to have her sister with her for the day, Jacie didn’t argue, just went with the flow. Her job was to lead the hunting party to the best hunting location where they stood a chance of bagging trophy elk.

Instead of following behind, the two men rode ahead with Jacie and Tracie trailing a couple of horse lengths to their rear.

“I was surprised to see you,” Jacie stated. Her sister rarely visited, and her sudden appearance had Jacie wondering if something was wrong.

“I needed some downtime from stress,” Tracie responded, her words clipped. She flicked the strands of her long, straight brown hair that had come loose from her ponytail back behind her ears.

Not to be deterred by Tracie’s cryptic reply, Jacie dug deeper. “What did Bruce have to say about you coming out here without him?” Jacie had to admit to a little envy that Tracie had a boyfriend and she did not. Living on the Big Elk, surrounded by men, she’d have thought she’d have a bit of a love life. But she didn’t.

“I told him I needed time with my only sibling.” Tracie gave her a tight smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Jacie gave an unladylike snort. “As thick as you two have become, I’m surprised he didn’t come with you.”

Tracie glanced ahead to the two men. “I wanted to come alone.”

Tracie might be telling the truth about wanting to come alone, but her answer wasn’t satisfying Jacie. Her twin connection refused to believe it was just a case of missing family. “Everything okay?”

“Sure.” She glanced at Jacie. “So, how many guides are there on the Big Elk Ranch?”

The change in direction of the conversation wasn’t lost on Jacie, but she let it slide. “There are six, plus Richard. Some of them are part-time. Richard, Humberto and I are the full-timers. Why?”

“Just wondered. What kind of process does Richard use to screen his guides?”

Jacie shot a look at her sister. “What do you mean?”

Tracie looked away. “I was just curious if you and the other guides had to go through a background check.”

“I don’t know about any background check. Richard offered me the job during my one and only interview. I can’t vouch for the rest.” Jacie frowned at Tracie. “Thinking about giving up the FBI to come guide on the Big Elk?” She laughed, the sound trailing off.

Her sister shrugged. “Maybe.”

“No way. You love the FBI. You’ve wanted to join since you were eight.”

“Sometimes you get tired of all the games.” Tracie’s lips tightened. “We should catch up with them.” She nudged her horse, ending the conversation and leaving Jacie even more convinced her sister wasn’t telling her everything.

Tracie rode up alongside the men.

Jacie caught up and put on her trail-guide smile as they pulled to a halt at the rim of the canyon. “This is the southern edge of the ranch. The other hunting party is to the west, the Big Elk Ranch house and barn is to the north where we came from, and to the east is the Raging Bull Ranch.” Jacie smiled at the two men who’d paid a hefty sum to go hunting that day on the ranch. Richard, her boss, had taken the guys from Houston west; these two had insisted on going south, stating they preferred a lot of distance between them and the other hunting parties.

Jacie and Tracie knew the trophy bucks preferred the western and northern edge of the spread, but the two men would not be deterred.

Supposedly they’d come to hunt, based on the hardware they’d packed in their scabbards. Each carried a rifle equipped with a high-powered scope and a handgun in case they were surprised by javelinas, the vicious wild hogs running wild in the bush.

Jacie cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “Now that you’ve seen quite a bit of the layout, where would you like to set up? It’s getting late and we won’t have much time to hunt before sunset.”

Jim Smith glanced across at his buddy Mike Jones.

Mr. Jones slipped a GPS device from his pocket and studied the map on it for a long moment. Then he glanced at Jacie. “Where does that canyon lead?”

“Off the Big Elk Ranch into the Big Bend National Park. There’s no hunting allowed in the park. The rangers are pretty strict about it. Not to mention, the border patrol has reported recent drug trafficking activity in this canyon. It’s not safe to go in there.” And Jacie discouraged their clientele from crossing over the boundaries with firearms, even if their clients were licensed to carry firearms as these two were. All the hunters had been briefed on the rules should they stray into the park.

Jacie’s gelding, D’Artagnan, shifted to the left, pawing at the dirt, ready to move on.

“We’ll ride farther into the canyon.” Mr. Jones nudged his horse’s flanks, sending him over the edge of the ridge and down the steep slope toward the canyon.

“Mr. Jones,” Tracie called after him. “The horses are property of the Big Elk Ranch. We aren’t allowed to take them off the ranch without permission from the boss. Given the dangers that could be encountered, I can’t allow you—”

Mr. Smith’s horse brushed past Jacie’s, following Mr. Jones down the slope. Not a word from either gentleman.

Jacie glanced across at her twin. “What the heck?” She pulled the two-way radio from her belt and hit the talk switch. “Richard, do you copy?”

The crackle of static had D’Artagnan dancing in place, his head tossing in the air. He liked being in the lead. The two horses descending the slope in front of him made him anxious. He whinnied, calling out to the other horses as the distance between them increased.

The answering whinny from one of the mares below sent the gelding over the edge.

Tracie’s mare pranced along the ridge above, her nostrils flared, also disturbed by the departure of the other two horses.

“I’ll follow and keep an eye on the two,” Tracie suggested.

“Richard, do you copy?” Jacie called into the radio. Apparently they’d moved out of range of radio reception with the other hunting party. Jacie switched frequencies for the base station at the ranch. “Base, this is Jacie, can you read me?”

Again static.

They were on their own and responsible for the two horses and clients headed down into the canyon.

“You feeling weird about this?” Tracie asked.

“You bet.”

“Why don’t you head back and let Giddings know the clients have left the property? I’ll follow along and make sure they don’t get lost.”

“Not a good idea. You aren’t as familiar with the land as I am.” Jacie glanced down the trail at the two men on Big Elk Ranch horses. “If they want to get themselves lost or shot, I don’t care, but those are Big Elk Ranch horses.”

Tracie nodded. “Ginger and Rocky. And you know they like being part of a group, not off on their own.” She shook her head. “What are those guys thinking?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to abandon the horses.” Jacie sighed. “I guess there’s nothing to it but for us to follow and see if we can talk some sense into those dirtbags.”

“I’m not liking it,” Tracie said. “You should head back and notify Giddings.”

“I don’t feel right abandoning the horses and I sure as hell won’t let you go after them by yourself. We don’t know what kind of kooks these guys are.” Jacie nodded toward the saddlebags they carried on their horses, filled with first aid supplies, emergency rations and a can of mace. “Look, we’re prepared for anything on two or four legs. As long as we keep our heads, we should be okay.”

Each woman carried a rifle in her scabbard, for hunting or warding off dangerous animals. They also carried enough ammo for a decent round of target practice in case they didn’t actually see any game on the trail, which they hadn’t up to this point. Tracie had the added protection of a nine-millimeter Glock she’d carried with her since she left training at Quantico.

“Whatever you say.” Tracie grimaced at her. “My rifle’s loaded and on safe.” She patted the Glock in the holster she’d worn on her hip. “Ready?”

“I don’t like it, but let’s follow. Maybe we can talk them into returning with us.” Jacie squeezed her horse’s sides. That’s all it took for D’Artagnan to leap forward and start down the winding trail to the base of the canyon.

“Hey, guys! To make it back to camp for supper, we need to head back in the next hour,” Jacie called out to the men ahead.

Either they didn’t hear her or they chose to ignore her words. The men didn’t even look back, just kept going.

D’Artagnan set his own pace on the slippery slope. Jacie didn’t urge him to go faster. He wanted to catch up, but he knew his own limits on the descent.

The two men riding ahead worked their way downward at a pace a little faster than Jacie’s and Tracie’s mounts. At the rate they were moving, they’d have a substantial lead.

Jacie wasn’t worried so much about catching up. She knew D’Artagnan and Tracie’s gelding, Aramis, were faster than the mare and gelding ahead. But there were many twists and turns in the canyon below. If they didn’t catch them soon, they stood a chance of falling even farther behind. It would take them longer to track the two men, and dusk would settle in. Not to mention, it would get dark sooner at the base of the canyon where sunlight disappeared thirty minutes earlier than up top.

As Jacie neared the bottom of the canyon, the two men disappeared past a large outcropping of rock.

D’Artagnan stepped up the pace, stretching into a gallop, eager to catch the two horses ahead. The pounding of hooves reverberated off the walls of the canyons. Tracie and Aramis kept pace behind her. If the two clients had continued at a sedate rate, they would have caught them by now.

The deeper the women traveled into the canyon, the angrier Jacie became at the men. They’d disregarded her warning about drug traffickers and about entering the national park with firearms, and they’d disrespected the fact that the horses didn’t belong to them. They were Big Elk Ranch property and belonged on the ranch.

At the first junction, the ground was rocky and disturbed in both directions as if the men had started up one route, turned back and taken the other. In order to determine which route they ended up on, Jacie, the better tracker of the twins, had to dismount and follow their tracks up the dead end and back before she realized it was the other corridor they’d taken.

Tracie stood guard at the fork in case the men returned.

Jacie climbed into the saddle muttering, “We really need to perform a more thorough background check on our clients before we let them onto the ranch.”

Her sister smiled. “Not all of them are as disagreeable as these two.”

“Yeah, but not only are they putting themselves and the horses in danger, they’re putting the two of us at risk, as well.” Jacie hesitated. “Come to think of it, maybe we should head back while there’s still enough light to climb the trail out of the canyon.”

Tracie sighed. “I was hoping you’d say that. I don’t want you to get hurt out here.”

“Me? I was more concerned about you. You haven’t been in the saddle much since you joined the FBI.”

“You’re right, of course.” She smiled at Jacie. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Agreed. Let them be stupid. We don’t have to be.” Jacie turned her horse back the way they’d come and had taken the lead when the sharp report of gunfire echoed off the canyon walls.

“What the hell?” Jacie’s horse spun beneath her and it was all she could do to keep her balance.

Aramis reared. Tracie planted her feet hard in the stirrups and leaned forward, holding on until the gelding dropped to all four hooves.

More gunfire ensued, followed by the pounding of hooves, the sound growing louder as it neared them.

Tracie yelled, “Go, Jacie. Get out of the canyon!”

Jacie didn’t hesitate, nor did her horse. She dug her heals into D’Artagnan’s flanks, sending him flying along the trail. She headed back the way they’d come, her horse skimming over the rocky ground, his head stretched forward, nostrils flared.

Before they’d gone a hundred yards, Rocky, the gelding Mr. Jones had been riding, raced past them, eyes wide, sweat lathered on both sides, sporting an empty saddle, no Mr. Jones. Rocky hit the trailhead leading out of the canyon, scrambling up the slope.

Jacie dared to glance over her shoulder.

Mr. Smith emerged from the fork in the canyon trail, yelling at Ginger, kicking her hard. Both leaned forward, racing for their lives.

The distinct sound of revving motors chased the horse and rider through the narrow passage. An ATV roared into the open, followed by another, then another until four ATVs spread out, chasing Mr. Smith, Tracie and Jacie.

Jacie reached the trail climbing out of the canyon first, urging D’Artagnan faster. He stumbled, regained his footing and charged on.

Tracie wasn’t far behind, her horse equally determined to make it out of the canyon alive and ahead of the ATVs.

Mr. Smith brought up the rear on Ginger.

As Jacie reached the top of the slope, she turned back, praying for Tracie to hurry.

Her sister had dropped behind, Aramis slipping in the loose rocks and gravel, distressed by the noise behind him. Just when Jacie thought the two were going to make it, shots rang out from the base of the canyon.

One of the ATVs had stopped, its rider aiming what appeared to be a high-powered rifle with a scope up at the riders on the trail.

Another shot rang out and Mr. Smith jerked in his saddle and fell off backward, sliding down the hill on his back.

His mount screamed and surged up the narrow trail past Tracie and Aramis.

Three of the ATVs raced up the path, bumping and slipping over the loose rocks.

From her vantage point at the top of the ridge, Jacie stood helpless as the horror unfolded.

Aramis reared, dumping Tracie off his back. She hit the ground and rolled, sliding down the slope back toward the base of the canyon.

Jacie yanked her rifle from its scabbard, slid out of her saddle and dropped to a kneeling position, aiming at the man at the base of the canyon.

The man was aiming at her.

Jacie held her breath, lined up the sights and pulled the trigger a second before he fired his gun.

His bullet hit the ground at her feet, kicking up dirt into her eyes.

For a second she couldn’t see, but when her vision cleared, she saw the man she’d aimed for lay on the ground beside his ATV, struggling to get up.

One down, three to go.

Ginger topped the rise, followed by Aramis, spooking D’Artagnan. He pulled against the reins Jacie held on to tightly. She didn’t let go, but she couldn’t get another round off while he jerked her around.

When he settled, she aimed at the closest rider to her. He was halfway up the hill, headed straight for her.

She popped off a round, nicked him in the shoulder, sending him flying off the vehicle. The ATV slipped over the edge of the trail and tumbled to the bottom.

The other two riders were on their way up the hill. One split off and headed back down the side, straight for where Tracie lay sprawled against the slope, low crawling for her Glock that had slipped loose of its holster. The other rider raced toward Jacie.

Jacie aimed at the man headed for Tracie.

D’Artagnan pulled against the reins, sending Jacie’s bullet flying wide of its target.

She didn’t have time to adjust her aim for the rider nearing the top of the hill. He was too close and coming too fast.

Jacie let go of D’Artagnan’s reins, flipped her rifle around and swung just as the rider topped the hill. She caught him in the chest with all the force of her swing and his upward movement. Jacie reeled backward landing hard on her butt, the wind knocked out of her.

The rider flew off the back of the vehicle and tumbled over the ridge.

Jacie scrambled to the edge and watched as the rider cartwheeled down the steep slope, over and over until he came to a crumpled stop, midway down.

The last rider standing had reached Tracie before she could get to her gun. He gathered her in his arms and stuck a pistol to her head. “Pare o dispararé a mujer!”

Even if she couldn’t understand his demand, Jacie got the message. If she didn’t stop, he’d shoot her sister.

Two more ATVs arrived on the canyon floor.

Jacie had no choice. She didn’t want to leave her sister in the hands of the thugs below, but she couldn’t fight them when they held the trump card—her sister.

She eased away from the edge of the ridge and scoped her options.

D’Artagnan and the other horses were long gone, headed back to the safety of the Big Elk Ranch barn.

The ATV she’d knocked the rider off stood near the edge of the ridge. If she hoped to escape, she had to make a run for it.

Jacie ducked low and ran for the ATV, jumped onto the seat, pulled the crank cord and held her breath.

The two new ATV riders were on their way up the hill. The man holding Tracie fired off a shot, but his pistol’s range wasn’t good enough to be accurate at that distance.

The ATV engine turned over and died.

Jacie pulled the cord again and the engine roared to life. She gave the vehicle gas and leaped forward, speeding toward the closest help she could find. The Raging Bull Ranch.

She had a good head start on the other two, but they didn’t have to know where they were going; they only had to follow.

Jacie ripped the throttle wide open, bouncing hard over obstacles she could barely see in the failing light.

The sun had completely dipped below the horizon, the gray of dusk slipping over the land like a shroud. Until all the stars twinkled to life, Jacie could only hope she was headed in the right direction.

After thirty minutes of full-out racing across cactus, dodging clumps of saw palmetto, lights appeared ahead. Her heartbeat fluttered and tears threatened to blind her as she skidded up to a gate. She flung herself off the bike and fell to the ground, her legs shaking too badly to hold her up.

Dragging herself to her feet, she unlatched the gate and ran toward the house. “Help! Help! Please, dear God, help!”

As she neared the huge house, a shadow detached itself from the porch and ran toward her.

On her last leg, her strength giving out, Jacie flung herself into the man’s arms. “Please help me.”

Chapter Two

Zach staggered back, the force with which the woman with the long brown ponytail hit him knocking him back several steps before he could get his balance. He wrapped his arm around her automatically, steadying her as her knees buckled and she slipped toward the floor.

“Please help me,” she sobbed.

“What’s wrong?” He scooped her into his arms and carried her through the open French doors into his bedroom and laid her on the bed.

Boots clattered on the wooden slats of the porch and more came running down the hallway. Two of Hank’s security guards burst into Zach’s room through the French doors at the same time Hank entered from the hallway.

The security guards stood with guns drawn, their black-clad bodies looking more like ninjas than billionaire bodyguards.

“It’s okay, I have everything under control,” Zach said. Though he doubted seriously he had anything under control. He had no idea who this woman was or what she’d meant by help me.

Hank burst through the bedroom door, his face drawn in tense lines. “What’s going on? I heard the sound of an engine outside and shouting coming from this side of the house.” He glanced at Zach’s bed and the woman stirring against the comforter. “What do we have here?”

She pushed to a sitting position and blinked up at Zach. “Where am I?”

“You’re on the Raging Bull Ranch.”

“Oh, dear God.” She pushed to the edge of the bed and tried to stand. “I have to get back. They have her. Oh, sweet Jesus, they have Tracie.”

Zach slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him to keep her from falling flat on her face again. “Where do you have to get back to? And who’s Tracie?”

“Tracie’s my twin. We were leading a hunting party on the Big Elk. They shot, she fell, now they have her.” The woman grabbed Zach’s shirt with both fists. “You have to help her.”

“You’re not making sense. Slow down, take a deep breath and start over.”

“We don’t have time!” The woman pushed away from Zach and raced for the French doors. “We have to get back before they kill her.” She stumbled over a throw rug and hit the hardwood floor on her knees. “I shouldn’t have left her.” She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Zach stared at the woman, a flash of memory anchoring his feet to the floor. He remembered his partner, Antoinette Gutierrez—Toni—in a similar position, her face battered, her hair matted with her own blood, begging for her life.

The room spun around him, the air growing thick, hard to breathe.

Not until Hank ran forward and helped the woman to her feet did Zach snap out of it.

“We’ll help,” Hank promised. “Where is your sister?”

The woman looked up and blinked the tears from her eyes, her shoulders straightening. “Wild Horse Canyon.”

“Joe.” Hank addressed one of his bodyguards. “Wake the foreman and tell him we need all the four-wheelers gassed up and ready to go immediately.”

Joe jammed his weapon into his shoulder holster and ran out the open French doors.

Hank turned to the other bodyguard. “Max, grab the first aid supplies from the pantry, along with one of the blankets kept in the hall closet. Meet us at the barn in two minutes.”

“A woman needs our help.” Hank turned to Zach. “Are you coming or not?”

The woman in question’s eyes narrowed as she stared from Hank to Zach. “I don’t care who comes, but we need to get there fast. If they take her hostage, the longer we wait, the harder it will be to find them.”

“Understood.”

Zach stared at the woman, his pulse pounding against his eardrums, his palms damp and clammy. “I’ll come.” The words echoed in the room, bouncing off the walls to hit him square in the gut. He’d committed to helping an unknown woman when he’d failed to help the partner he’d been with for three years.

Hank steered the woman toward Zach. “Find out what you can while I call the sheriff and let him know what’s going on.”

When Hank left the room, the woman glanced at Zach. “Are you coming or not?”

Having committed to the task at hand, Zach hooked the woman’s arm, ready to get the job over with as quickly as possible. “It would help if we knew who you are.”

“Jacie Kosart. I work on the Big Elk Ranch. It’s a three-hundred-fifty-thousand-acre spread bordering the Raging Bull and the Big Bend National Park.”

“Jacie.” He rolled the name on his tongue for a second, then dove in. “What were you doing out this late?”

“My sister and I were leading a big-game hunting party for my boss, Richard Giddings. The two men who’d commissioned us didn’t want to hunt on the normal trails the deer like to travel.” Jacie explained how they’d come to the canyon, the subsequent shootings and her escape. “We have to get back. I think they killed the two hunters. If not, they need medical help.” She gulped, tears welling again. “Tracie has to be all right. She just has to.”

“We’ll do the best we can to find her and bring her home.” Zach tried to sound confident when he felt nothing like it. If the men in the canyon had anything to do with the drug cartels, Jacie’s sister was as good as dead.

The sound of engines revving outside signaled the end of their conversation and the need to move.

Zach cupped Jacie’s elbow and led her through the French doors and out to the barn where five ATVs idled in neutral. The man Zach assumed was Hank’s foreman sat astride one of them giving the engine gas.

Hank, dressed in jeans, a denim jacket and cowboy boots, jogged down from the house flanked by his two bodyguards, each carrying an automatic assault weapon. Hank carried two, one of which he tossed to Zach. “In case we run into some trouble.”

Zach dropped his hold on the woman’s arm and caught the high-powered weapon, slipping it into the scabbard on one of the four-wheelers.

“You all right?” he asked Jacie.

She nodded. “Yeah. I just want to find my sister.”

The two bodyguards mounted a four-wheeler each and Hank took another, leaving only one left.

“The girl can ride with you. I don’t want her falling off and injuring herself. This way you can keep an eye on her and lead the way.”

Zach frowned but mounted the ATV and scooted forward for Jacie to climb on the back.

She balked, staring at Zach and the space allotted to her. “I can take the one I rode in on.”

“We don’t know how much gas it has in it, and given that you’ve passed out once, you’re better off riding with one of us.”

Zach sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Get on.”

Jacie flung her leg over the back and slid in behind Zach, her thighs resting against his, her chest pressing into his back.

He revved the engine and shot out of the barnyard headed south.

With Jacie looking over his shoulder, directing him, he raced across the dark earth, dodging clumps of prickly pear cactus and saw palmettos.

The woman held on lightly at first, her grip tightening as Zach swerved in and out of the vegetation with nothing but the stars shining down on him from a moonless sky.

As they neared the edge of the canyon, Jacie pointed and yelled over the roar of the engine. “There!”

Zach pulled up short of the edge of the canyon. On the slim chance the assailants were hanging around at the bottom of the canyon, he didn’t want to provide them with a target at the top. He cut the engine.

Before he could dismount, Jacie was off the back and scrambling toward the edge.

He caught her as she lunged for the trail, yanking her back from the edge and out of line of sight from the bottom. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“My sister was down there. We have to save her.” She struggled against his hold.

“For all we know they could still be down there.”

She fought to free her arm. “Then let’s go.”

The other riders had pulled to a halt and dismounted.

Zach dragged Jacie over to Hank. “Hold on to her while I check it out.”

“Take Joe with you in case you run into trouble.”

“I do better on my own.” Zach crouched low and dropped over the rim of the canyon, slipping down the trail as quietly as possible. In the light from the night sky, he could make out where the trail was disturbed, one edge knocked free. Probably where a horse, a motorcycle or a four-wheeler had run off the side.

The bottom of the trail was bathed in shadows, making it hard to distinguish the boulders from crouching thugs waiting to pounce.

Careful not to fall off the edge himself, Zach moved swiftly down the trail, reaching the bottom. The shadows proved to be boulders and one wrecked ATV, crumpled among them. Nothing moved. Zach explored among the boulders to the other side of the ATV and found the body of a man laying at an awkward angle, facedown, his leg bent, probably shattered in the fall. The ground beside him sported an inky-black stain.

Zach didn’t have to guess that the stain was a drying pool of this man’s blood. This guy hadn’t died from the fall, based on the dark bullet-sized circle in the middle of his back. If Zach turned him over, he’d likely be a mess on the other side where the bullet exited his body.

Zach searched the area around the base of the cliff and shouted up, “Clear!”

Five four-wheelers inched down the narrow trail, lights picking out the way.

Joe led the pack followed by Hank, Max, the foreman and Jacie.

Zach frowned and met her as she cleared the trail. “You should have stayed at the top.”

“Did you find her?” Jacie glanced around, her eyes wide, hopeful. Then her shoulders sagged and she slumped on the seat of the ATV. “That’s Mr. Smith, one of the two hunters we were escorting.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Tracie’s not here, is she?”

“Believe it or not, that’s a good thing.” Hank left his four-wheeler and crossed to Jacie. “If she’s not here, it’s a good chance that she’s still alive.”

Jacie’s jaw tightened. “Then come on, let’s find her.”

Zach shook his head. “It would be suicide to continue searching in the dark. If the attackers are in the canyon still, they would have the advantage and pick us off from above.”

“We can’t leave her out there.”

“Zach’s right. We have to wait until daylight.” Hank stood beside Zach. “Going in at night wouldn’t be doing your sister any favors.”

“Then I’ll go on alone.” As she pressed the gas lever, Zach grabbed her around the waist and yanked her off the bike.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Zach slammed her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist. “One captive is enough. We don’t want to risk another. Besides, your sister most likely wouldn’t want you to risk it.”

Jacie struggled against him. “Let go of me. My sister is my responsibility.”

“Then take your responsibility seriously and do what’s smart. We need to wait until daylight before we risk going into that canyon.”

The woman stopped. “I guess you’re right.”

When she quit struggling and seemed to settle down, Zach released her. In the next second, she shot across to the four-wheeler she’d left running, hopped on and took off on the trail leading into the canyon.

“Damn, woman.” Zach ran after her, catching up as she entered the narrow trail flanked by high cliffs.

As she slowed to negotiate around a boulder, Zach jogged alongside her and jumped on the back. “Stop, damn it!”

“Not until I find my sister.” She goosed the accelerator lever on the handle and nearly unseated him.

Zach grabbed around her middle and held on.

They slid around a corner, the starlight barely reaching them at this point.

About the time Zach steadied himself, Jacie hit the brakes and jerked the handles, sending the machine sliding sideways, and the tail end with Zach slipping around to the right.

JACIE COULDN’T LET the search end. Not when her sister’s life hung in the balance.

When she saw the cowboy boot, she slammed on her brakes. In a random patch of starlight, a jean-clad leg peeked out from behind a large boulder.

Her heart skipped several beats and then hammered against the wall of her chest. Jacie threw herself off the four-wheeler and scrambled up from her hands and knees to run toward the leg, sobs rising from her throat, echoing off the canyon walls.

Footsteps crunched behind her. Probably Zach, but she didn’t care. If this was Tracie … Oh, dear God, please be okay.

The other four-wheelers entered the canyon at a more moderate pace, coming to a halt behind Jacie’s.

She dropped to her knees beside a body, relief washing over her as soon as she saw it was a man.

“It’s Mr. Jones.” She felt for a pulse, her hand still for a long time before she glanced back at Zach, a glimmer of hope daring to make an appearance. “I have a pulse. It’s weak, but I have a pulse.” She leaned into the man’s face. “Mr. Jones, can you hear me?”

Nothing. Her hopes dying, she tried again, patting the man’s cheek gently. “Mr. Jones, please. Can you hear me?”

A muscle twitched in the man’s leg.

Encouraged, Jacie spoke louder. “Mr. Jones, we’re going to get you some help, but can you help us?”

The man’s eyes fluttered open. “Set … up.” He closed his eyes again.

“Mr. Jones!” Jacie wanted to shake the man but was afraid to add to his injuries. “Please, did you see where they went? Where did they take my sister?”

His eyes never opened, but his lips moved.

Jacie leaned in closer, tilting her head to hear what he whispered.

“Not Jones.”

Jacie leaned back. “What do you mean?”

The man whispered again.

Leaning close, Jacie caught what sounded like letters.

“D … E … A.” As if it had taken everything he had left, the last letter ended on a raspy exhale.

Mr. Jones, or whoever he was, didn’t draw another breath.

Jacie felt for a pulse. Not even a weak one thumped against her fingertips. “No pulse. He’s not breathing.” She clamped his nose with her fingers and breathed for him.

Zach dropped to his knees on the other side of him and leaned the heel of his palms into the man’s chest five times. “Now breathe,” he instructed.

Jacie blew into the man’s mouth. His lungs expanded, pushing his chest up.

Zach resumed his compressions. For every five, Jacie breathed one breath.

Hank and the bodyguards scoured the vicinity while Zach and Jacie worked over Mr. Jones.

When they returned, Jacie glanced up at Hank. “Any sign of my sister?” She knew the answer, but she had to ask.

“None.”

Rather than let the news cripple her, Jacie renewed her efforts to save Mr. Jones.

After fifteen minutes, Zach quit pumping the man’s chest and he touched Jacie’s arm before she could breathe into the man’s mouth.

“He’s gone.”

“No.” Jacie sat back on her haunches. “He might have told us where they went.”

“I doubt it. From what you said, he was hit before they grabbed Tracie.” Zach rose to his feet and held out a hand to Jacie. “Come on, let’s get you back to the ranch. We’ll start the search in the morning.”

“She has to be okay.” Jacie let him pull her to her feet, where she leaned against him, pressing her forehead against the solid wall of his chest. “She’s all I have.”

Hank patted her back. “We’ll find her. Don’t you worry.”

Zach stood beside her. “I saw his lips moving, but I couldn’t hear him. What did Jones say to you before he died?”

“I’m not sure.” Jacie shook her head. She’d never had someone die on her. Hell, she’d never seen someone get shot in all the years she’d been working on the Big Elk Ranch. She’d never seen someone die of a gunshot wound. She pushed the image of the dead men from her mind and concentrated on the only clue she might have to find her sister. “At first he said what sounded like ‘set … up.’ Then he said ‘Not Jones … D … E … A.’”

Zach stiffened against her, his hands gripping her arm. “Are you sure?”

She glanced up into his face. “As sure as I can be. The man was barely able to whisper. I could have gotten it wrong. Why?”

“Damn. These men most likely were agents with the DEA.”

Hank ran a hand through his shocking-white hair and looked around the canyon walls. “Think they were set up?”

“Sounds like it.”

Jacie froze. “Oh, dear God.” She didn’t, she couldn’t have … “My sister is an FBI agent here on vacation to visit me.”

Zach still held her.

Jacie was sure, if he weren’t still gripping her arms, she’d have fallen to her knees. “Do you think she was working undercover, as well?”

“If so, and it was a setup …” Zach’s jaw tightened. “Apparently, there’s some bad blood in both agencies.”

Hank sighed. “Holy hell. I was too late, then.”

Zach dropped his hold on Jacie. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry, Jacie. I’ve failed your sister.” Hank reached out for one of Jacie’s hands. “You see, Tracie came to me yesterday asking for my help.”

“I don’t understand.” Jacie’s head spun. Had she been walking around in the clouds since her sister arrived? “My sister only got here two days ago. Why would she come to you?”

“She wanted help finding out who was the leak in her agency and she didn’t want to go through official channels.” Hank’s gaze shifted back to Zach. “Since you are former FBI, this was to be your first assignment.”

Chapter Three

Zach rode back to the Raging Bull Ranch, a knot the size of Texas twisting his gut.

Hank couldn’t be serious. To ask him to take on the FBI as his first assignment? The organization that had left him and Toni to die in the godforsaken hell of the Los Lobos cartel in the Mexican state of Chihuahua?

Captured in Juarez on assignment, drugged and transported to a squalid compound in Mexico, Zach and Toni had been tortured and starved in the cartel’s attempt to attain information from them about who in the FBI was supplying military weapons to their archrivals, La Familia Diablos.

He’d been forced to watch as they raped, mutilated and finally killed Toni. Bound and gagged, he’d been helpless, unable to do anything to save her.

When another gang stormed the compound, they’d crashed into the concrete building where Zach had been held, giving him the opportunity to escape under cover of the night. But it had been too late for Toni.

Wounded, dehydrated and barely able to see through swollen eyes, he dragged himself out of the compound and hid in the mountains, stealing food from a farmer until he could make his way back to the States.

Two years, surgery, rehab and psychiatric treatment had healed the external scars, but the internal ones festered like a disease.

Jacie rode on the back of the four-wheeler, her arms circled around Zach’s waist.

Hank wanted him to help her and her sister, who was certain to be experiencing exactly what Toni had been subjected to, if not worse. If she wasn’t dead, likely she would be wishing she was soon.

No. Zach couldn’t do this. He couldn’t commit to finding Tracie, not when he knew the outcome wouldn’t be good. Her twin would expect him to come back with a woman intact, healthy and cared for.

The arms around him tightened, reminding him that the woman on the back of the vehicle was already counting on him to help her.

As he pulled into the barnyard of the Raging Bull Ranch, he mentally prepared his exit speech. “Hank, I’d like to talk with you privately.”

No use bringing the woman in on his cowardly departure. She wouldn’t understand, and seeing the desperation in her eyes would only drive another stake through his heart.

Red and blue flashing lights shone from the road leading into the Raging Bull Ranch.

“Zach, we’ll talk as soon as I’ve had a chance to bring the local law enforcement up to date on the situation. Meet me in my office in five minutes.” Hank and his two bodyguards left. The foreman rode one of the four-wheelers to the back of the barn, leaving Zach alone with Jacie.

He glanced away from her, the look of worry and sadness in her eyes more than he could handle.

A hand on his arm precluded ignoring the woman. “Zach, what are we going to do now? How are we going to find my sister?”

“There is no we.” His words came out sharper than he’d intended.

Jacie snatched her hand away from his arm as if she’d been bitten. “What do you mean? I thought Hank said you were the one assigned to help Tracie.”

“If I chose to accept the assignment and go to work for Hank in his insane business.” Zach snorted. “Truth and justice. There is no truth and justice when a gun’s held to your head or a whip’s lashed across your naked skin. I won’t be a part of Hank’s fantasy.”

“You mean you’re going to turn your back on my sister and leave her to die?”

Her words struck him where it hurt most. Square in his gut where guilt ate away at his insides. “I can’t do anything for your sister.” He turned his back to her. “She’s as good as dead.”

“No! She’s alive. She’s my twin. I can feel her presence.” Jacie grabbed his arm and jerked him around. “You can’t just walk away. My sister needs you. I need you. I can’t do this on my own. I will if I have to. But I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Don’t worry, Hank will find some other cowboy to ride to your rescue. It just won’t be me. I’m not the right man for this job.”

“You’re not a man at all,” Jacie spat out. “What kind of man would run away rather than help save a woman’s life?”

Zach rounded on her and grabbed her arms in a vicious grip. His heart slammed against his ribs, and rage rose up his neck to explode in his head. “That’s right! I can’t help your sister. I can’t save a woman from the cartel. I couldn’t save Toni and I refuse to watch it happen all over again. I. Can’t. Help. Got that?” He shook her hard.

Tears welled in Jacie’s gray-blue eyes, her long, rich brown hair falling down over her face. “I get it. You have your own issues. Fine. I’ll do this without you.” She struggled against his hold. “Let go of me. I don’t want or need you or any of Hank’s hired guns. I’ll get my sister back. Alive! Mark my words.” She shook free of him. “In the meantime go find a bottle to crawl into or see a shrink. Whatever. I don’t give a damn.” She spun on her booted heels and marched away from him.

The farther away she moved, the more Zach’s chest tightened. If Jacie went tearing off after her sister, she’d end up captured and tortured, as well. What kind of fool would throw herself at the cartel and expect to survive?

The rage subsided, leaving Zach cold and empty.

Jacie was a fool. But she was a fool who loved her sister enough to sacrifice her life to save her twin.

Zach had begged his captors to torture him and leave his partner alone. Instead they’d tortured her in their efforts to drag information out of him. Sadly he didn’t have the information they’d wanted and Toni had paid the price for his ignorance. His captors had wanted the name of the agent feeding their rivals information about upcoming sting operations. While the Los Lobos cartel took hits, losing some of their best contacts, La Familia Diablos got away with all their people and goods intact.

Heartsick by his own agency’s betrayal, Zach had returned to the States, healed his wounds and quit the FBI. Tired of the politics, the graft and corruption.

If Tracie had been after the same person … the one disloyal to his country and fellow agents … she was crazy. The traitor kept his hand so close to his chest. No one knew who he was.

As Jacie disappeared around the corner of the ranch house, Zach started after her. Jacie, unskilled in the art of spying and tactics, wouldn’t last two minutes going up against a drug cartel.

His footsteps sped up until he was jogging. Since he was on the outside looking in, he might discover who the mole was in the FBI, the man who’d sacrificed his own people to line his pockets with blood money.

Jacie had almost reached Hank when Zach caught up with her. “Wait.”

The woman kept walking. “Why should I? I told you, I don’t need you or anyone else to help me find my sister.”

He snagged her arm and spun her toward him. “Look. Despite what you’re saying, you won’t last two minutes out there. The cartel employs trained killers. What kind of training have you had in shooting and dodging bullets?”

Her shoulders were thrown back, her chin held high. “I’m a damned good shot.”

“At game. Ever shot a person?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Not before tonight.”

“You have to be willing to shoot before you’re shot.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to find my sister and bring her back alive.” She swallowed hard, her chin rising even higher. “Even if it means killing a man to do it. And I might just start with you if you don’t let go of me.”

He dropped his hold. “You were also right that I have issues. I won’t go into it, but they involved the cartel. I’ve been on both sides of the border. I know what to expect.”

“So? You just said you wouldn’t help me.”

He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly before capturing her gaze with a steady one of his own. “Though I think the effort is futile, I’ll help you find your sister.”

Jacie snorted. “No, thanks.” She turned away and would have walked off.

Zach grabbed her hand and steeled himself to reveal a piece of his soul he hadn’t revealed to anyone. “I watched someone I cared for tortured and killed by the Los Lobos Cartel. It’s not something I want to do again. I promise to do my best to find your sister before she meets the same fate.”

Jacie’s eyes flared wide, then narrowed again. “How do I know you won’t flip out on me again?”

“I’m a good agent.” He paused. “I was a good agent. I know when to focus and I’m driven to get the job done.”

“Then why did you quit the FBI?”

“For the same reason your sister asked for help from Hank. I was betrayed by someone on the inside. My partner paid with blood. If I can find your sister and, in the process, find the mole, my partner will not have died in vain.”

Jacie’s eyes narrowed even more and she chewed on her bottom lip. Finally she stuck out her hand. “Okay, then. Let’s go find my sister.”

JACIE SHOOK ZACH’S hand, her fingers tingling where they touched his. She wasn’t completely convinced Zach was her man, and she didn’t like the way her pulse quickened when he was near, but she didn’t have a whole lot of choices. Going searching for the people responsible for her sister’s abduction would be hard enough on her own…. Hell, it would be impossible. Having a former FBI agent on her side would be a step in the right direction. He might still have connections and contacts.

Hank led the county sheriff over to join them. “Zach, this is Sheriff Fulmer from Wild Oak Canyon. He’ll be working with the FBI and DEA on this case.”

Zach shook the sheriff’s hand.

Jacie refused to, knowing the man’s track record since he’d taken office a year ago. He tended to look the other way rather than stop the flow of drugs through his county. “When will the DEA and FBI be sending someone out to assist?” And hopefully take over the operation.

“I spoke to the regional director of the FBI a few minutes ago. They’re as concerned as you are to get your sister back. As for the DEA agents, the county coroner and the state crime lab are on their way out as we speak. If you could show me where the bodies are, I’ll cordon off the crime scene until they arrive.”

“My foreman will take you out there,” Hank said. “If I need to sign any statements, let me know.”

“From what Mr. Derringer says, I’ll need a full statement from you, Ms. Kosart, as you’re the only eyewitness.”

“I’ll provide one in the morning. Right now I need to get back to the Big Elk Ranch and notify my employer of the situation and check on the horses.” She hadn’t even thought once about the horses since Tracie had been taken. Now she focused on them to keep from going crazy with inaction.

“I’m going with you.” Zach glanced at Hank. “I’m in.”

Hank nodded, ignoring the raised eyebrows of the sheriff. “Keep me informed, will ya?” was all he said; then he turned his attention to the sheriff. “Scott, my foreman, and I will show you where we found the two agents.” He led the officer away.

“Give me a minute while I get my keys.” Zach pointed toward a black four-wheel-drive pickup standing in the circular drive. “You can wait by my truck.”

“Okay, but hurry. I’m worried about the horses.” Jacie was worried about a lot more than just the horses, but she trudged toward the vehicle, taking her time, while Zach ducked into the ranch house.

Jacie recognized the truck as a model produced a couple of years before. It wasn’t new, but it shone like a new truck with only a thin layer of dust coating the shiny wax finish. The man had some issues, but taking care of what was his wasn’t one of them.

He returned in two minutes, carrying a small duffel bag in one hand, wearing a black cowboy hat and a light leather jacket. When it flapped open, the black leather of a shoulder holster was revealed with a pistol nestled inside.

Jacie had spent her life around men and guns, working for the Big Elk Ranch. Leading hunting parties required a thorough knowledge of how to shoot, clean and unjam weapons of all shapes and sizes. Knowing Zach carried a pistol and was former FBI gave her a small sense of comfort that she wasn’t the only one who could handle a gun going forward in the search for her sister.

Before he reached her he clicked the door lock release.

Jacie climbed into the truck and buckled herself into the passenger seat.

Zach stashed the bag in the backseat and settled behind the steering wheel. “You’ll have to tell me where to go. I’m new around here.”

She gave him the directions and sat back, staring ahead where the headlights illuminated the road, keeping an eye out for the wildlife that skirted the shoulders looking for something to eat. Too many times she’d had near misses with the local deer.

In her peripheral vision, she watched the way Zach handled the truck with ease, his fingers gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary, his face set in grim lines. She wanted to know more about him; what made his eyes so dark and caused the shadows beneath? Had his experience with the cartel left such an indelible mark he couldn’t separate that chapter of his life with a possible future?

“Toni was your partner?” she asked.

The fingers on the steering wheel tightened until the knuckles turned white. For a long moment Zach didn’t answer.

About the time Jacie gave up on getting a response, he spoke.

“Yes, Toni was my partner.”

“I’m sorry. You two must have been close.” Jacie dragged her gaze from the pain reflected from his eyes. “Did he leave behind a family?”

“She wasn’t married. Her father was her only relative.”

Interesting. So his partner had been female. Which would explain his reluctance to go after another female when he’d failed the first. Jacie chewed on that bit of information. “Were you in love with her?”

As soon as the question left her lips, Jacie could have smacked herself. The man was torn up enough about losing his partner. Bringing it up had to be killing him. Her curiosity didn’t warrant grilling him about his past. “I’m sorry, this must be painful. I’ll shut up.”

“Yes.”

“Yes that you want me to shut up or yes that you loved her?”

His lips twitched, the movement softening his features to almost human. “Both.”

Jacie sat back, her gaze back on the road, her chest tightening. “Turn left at the next road.”

Zach nodded.

“Did she know you loved her?” Jacie closed her eyes. “That was too personal. You don’t have to answer. I’m sorry. While Tracie went into the FBI, I knew I couldn’t because I can’t keep my mouth shut unless I’m out hunting.”

“Pretend you’re hunting.” Zach turned where she’d indicated. “And no. She didn’t know.” He pulled up to a closed gate attached to six-foot-high fencing. “Game ranch?”

“That’s what I do. I didn’t go to Quantico or study to be a doctor. I got my marketing degree from the University of Texas and came back here to work as a hunting party coordinator, a fancy title for trail guide. It allows me to be where I love to be, outside, and working with horses and people.” She couldn’t help the defensive tone in her voice.

“I’m not judging.”

“I love my sister and I’m so proud of her, but part of me feels as though I didn’t push hard enough, that I’m not living up to my potential. I went on trail rides while my sister ran off to be an FBI agent working for the good of her country.”

“And look what it got her.” Zach’s lips thinned. “Betrayal by that country she’s fighting for.”

“I don’t believe that. One bad apple, and all that, doesn’t mean everyone will turn traitor. I still believe in the FBI and the other branches of service dedicated to protecting our freedom. And I’m sure Tracie feels the same. If she knew there was a mole in the organization, she didn’t run from it, she went looking for it. Especially since she asked Hank for help.”

Zach nodded toward the gate. “I take it the gate doesn’t open without a remote.”

Jacie’s face heated. She slipped from the truck and ran to the gate, punching in a code, triggering the automatic gate opener arm to swing out.

Jacie climbed back into the truck and sat quietly as Zach drove the winding road that led to the lodge at the Big Elk Ranch.

The lights shone bright, unusual for the earliest hours of the morning.

Before the vehicle came to a halt, Richard Giddings leaped off the porch and opened the passenger door to the pickup. “Oh, thank God.” The tall man with the slightly graying temples reached out. His hands circled her waist and he lifted Jacie to the ground. “I’d been so worried about you. When your hunting party never returned, I had everyone out looking until midnight. When Derringer called to say you were on your way, I was relieved and sick all at once.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her toward the house. He’d taken a couple of steps before he stopped and stared down into her eyes. “I’m so sorry about your sister.”

Despite the exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her, Jacie planted her feet in the ground and threw back her shoulders. “Tracie will be all right. We’ll get her back.”

Richard smiled down at her with his warm green eyes. “She’s a fighter, just like her sister.”

“Damn right.” Jacie backed away from her boss. “Richard, I’d like you to meet Zach.” She stopped, realizing for the first time she didn’t know Zach’s full name. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, hoping he’d take the hint.

Zach stepped forward and held out his hand. “Zach Adams.”

Richard’s eyebrows V’d over his nose. “Should I know you?”

“Not at all.” He glanced at Jacie and smiled. “Jacie and I go way back to college, don’t we?”

“Y-yes. We do.”

“We dated for a while, lost touch, but I just couldn’t forget her. And since I was in the neighborhood, I planned on reconnecting in the morning, once I got my bearings.” He shook his head. “Imagine my surprise when she found me first at Hank’s place.”

Richard held out a hand and shook Zach’s. “You picked a really bad time.”

“No, actually.” Jacie crossed to Zach’s side. “I’m glad he’s here. With Tracie being gone and all, it’s nice to have the support of … friends.” She hooked her arm through his. “Do you mind if he stays in the Javelina Cabin? I know it’s empty.” And it was the closest one to the tiny cabin she’d called home since she came to work full-time at the Big Elk Ranch.

“Sure.” Richard nodded. “You can show him the way. I’ll have Tia Fuentez make up a plate of food since you missed dinner. How about you, Mr. Adams? Hungry?”

“Call me Zach. And no, thank you. I had my supper.” He pulled Jacie close. “But I’ll use that time to get a shower and hit the rack.”

“Make yourself at home. The ranch is big, but the people are friendly.”

“I’ve noticed that.” He smiled again at Jacie. “I’m looking forward to catching up with Jacie, and maybe we’ll hear something about her sister soon.”

Jacie steered Zach toward the line of cabins leading away from the lodge. As soon as they were out of listening range, she whispered, “Why did you lie to my boss?”

“I’d just as soon everyone in this part of Texas think that I’m here as an old college buddy or boyfriend, rather than an agent searching for your sister. In this case, we don’t know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. So we play it neutral and I blend in. The best undercover agents are those who blend in.”

“Okay, then. When do we start looking for my sister?”

“Was that a helicopter I saw out by the barn?”

Jacie frowned, taken off guard by the change in subject. “Yes, Richard has a helicopter he uses occasionally for the big game hunts or flight-seeing tours over Big Bend.”

“Think he’ll take us up so that we can fly over the canyon?”

Her heart fluttered with excitement. “I’m sure he will. I’ll ask.” Maybe they’d spot the people holding Tracie.

“Good. It would be better coming from you, since it’s your sister and you work here. Remember, I’m just a boyfriend.”

Her cheeks warmed at the thought of Zach as her boyfriend, even if it was pretend. “I’ll get right on it.”

“I’m gonna hit the sack for a few hours of sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us. I suggest you do the same.”

She nodded, staring out at the night sky, wondering what her sister was going through and if she was okay. “We’re going to find her.”

When he didn’t respond, Jacie’s fists tightened. “We will find my sister.”

“I promise you this.” He faced her, capturing her cheeks in his hands, his gaze severe, his lips pressed into a firm line. “I’ll do the best I can.”

A shiver rippled across Jacie’s skin as she gazed into his brown-black eyes. The intensity of his stare and the tightness of his grip on her face gave her a sense of comfort and commitment. This man had lost someone he loved to terrorist cartel members. He wouldn’t let it happen again if he could help it. They would get her sister back or die trying.

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