Taking Aim

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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