Taking Aim (5 page)

His gut tightened, and without realizing it, his hands slid lower, pulling her hips against his.

After a while, she looked up, her lips full and far too luscious for a tough hunting guide, her blue-gray eyes limpid pools of ink tinged with the reflection of the stars.

Zach fought the urge to bend closer and capture her lush mouth, his hands tightening around her waist.

Finally he gave in and cupped her cheek. “I’m going to hell for this...but I can’t resist.” He claimed her lips—gently at first.

When her hands slipped around his neck and drew him closer, he accepted her invitation and crushed her mouth, his tongue pushing past her teeth to slide the length of hers. He wove his fingers through her hair and down her back. Capturing the soft curve of her buttocks, he held her hard against his growing erection.

Her mouth moved over his like a woman starved and hungry for more.

When breathing became necessary, he dragged his lips away and sucked in a deep lungful of air. He dropped her arms and stepped back. “I don’t know what the hell just happened, but that was totally unprofessional on my part.”

Jacie raised a finger and pressed it to his lips. “Don’t. It takes two.” She backed a few steps, inching toward the cabin’s front door. “I’d better get to bed. Morning will come soon and I want to be awake and alert.” She touched a hand to her swollen lips. “Thanks for being here.”

Zach pushed his hand through his hair. “Right, I’d better go.” He turned, paused and faced Jacie again. “You gonna be all right?”

“Do I have a choice?” Jacie squared her shoulders. “Good night.” Then she entered the cabin and closed the door behind her with a soft click.

For a long moment, Zach stood on the porch, his lips tingling from the unexpected kiss and the desire urging him to repeat it.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

Chapter Five

The alarm clock blasted through the nightmare Jacie had been having, saving her from falling over a cliff in the canyon. She sat straight up and blinked. No sunlight shone through the windows, and a glance at the clock proved it was early.

After lying awake for hours, she must have fallen asleep...for what it was worth. Her dreams had been horrifying, leaving her drained and fatigued more than ever. Used to getting up and going before dawn, she hauled herself out of bed and, in less than five minutes, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, washed her face and ran a toothbrush over her teeth.

Pausing for a brief moment, she stared at her reflection, wondering why a guy as gorgeous as Zach would kiss a woman who didn’t wear makeup or fix her hair. She touched a finger to her lips, the memory of Zach’s kiss sending shivers across her skin.

“Get a grip,” she muttered, and dressed quickly in jeans, a T-shirt and her well-worn cowboy boots. Ready for the day, she grabbed her cowboy hat and stepped outside onto the porch. The eastern horizon showed signs of the predawn gray inching up the sky. It wouldn’t be long before the sun rose and they could take the helicopter over Wild Horse Canyon and hopefully find her sister.

“Sleep much?” A deep, warm voice spoke to her from the corner of her porch.

Jacie gasped and stepped backward, her face heating as the object of her musings chuckled nearby.

Zach’s amusement had the opposite effect of setting her heartbeat back to normal.

After their kiss, just being around him took her breath away and made her pulse hammer through her body. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t been this aware of a man...ever.

“Did you spend the night on my porch?” she asked, her voice a bit more snappy than she’d have preferred, but then he’d startled and...unnerved her.

He leaned against a thick cedar beam, his arms crossed over his chest, his boots crossed at the ankle, cowboy hat tipped down over his forehead, shadowing his eyes. He appeared relaxed, yet poised to move in a flash. “No. I slept.” He tipped his hat back and studied her. “You don’t look like you slept at all.”

“I take that to mean I look like hell. Gee, thanks.” She stepped down one step and stared out at the road leading into the ranch compound. A plume of dust rose in the distance, moving closer at a fast rate. Jacie stepped down one step. “Wonder if that’s the FBI or DEA. I thought they’d be basing out of Hank’s ranch headquarters since it’s closer to the canyon than here.”

Zach faced the oncoming vehicle. “I spoke to Hank a few minutes ago. He said both agencies called and are on their way from El Paso but not expected until around noon.”

As the vehicle neared, Jacie noted it was a dark pewter pickup with no noticeable markings, and it was coming fast. She dropped down the last two steps and made her way toward the lodge.

Zach followed, his boots crunching in the gravel.

As Jacie rounded the side of the lodge to the front, she noted Richard, Trey, the helicopter pilot, and Richard’s other full-time guide, Humberto, standing on the front porch. She and Zach joined them as the truck skidded to a halt in the gravel.

“Expecting someone?” Richard asked.

“No.” Jacie’s eyes narrowed as a tall man with short-cropped brown hair dropped down from the driver’s seat. “Wait, that might be Tracie’s boyfriend, Bruce Masterson. He said he’d get here as soon as possible.” She glanced at her watch. “He must have broken every speed record between here and San Antonio to make it so quickly. It’s okay, he’s another FBI agent. Can’t hurt having more help finding her.”

Zach stood beside Jacie, his bearing stiff, his face unreadable.

The man approached Jacie, frowning. “Jacie?”

“Yes, I’m Jacie.” She held out her hand. “And you are?”

“You look so much like your sister, it’s uncanny.” He climbed the steps and took her hand, staring down into her face. “Bruce Masterson. Tracie’s fiancé.”

Jacie’s eyes widened. “Fiancé? She failed to mention that part. I thought you two were just living together to save on rent.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Her words. I asked her to marry me before she moved in. She wanted to wait on the engagement, claiming she wasn’t ready to settle down. Something about proving herself in the bureau.” The smile faded. “Heard anything yet?”

Jacie shook her head. “Nothing.”

As if finally aware he and Jacie weren’t alone, Bruce glanced at the men gathered. “I assume you’re the posse.”

Jacie introduced Richard, Humberto and Trey, leaving Zach for last. “And this is my...boyfriend, Zach Adams.” For now, it was easier for Bruce to assume Zach was her boyfriend versus her bodyguard. She didn’t want any of the focus to shift to herself when her sister was the one who needed to be found.

Bruce tipped his head. “I don’t recall Tracie mentioning that you have a boyfriend.”

Her skin heated at Bruce’s intense stare. “Apparently Tracie needs to work on her communication skills.”

Zach shook Bruce’s hand. “Don’t worry, it’s almost as new to you as it is to us. I just showed up recently in the hope of rekindling our college romance.” Zach hooked an arm around Jacie’s body, pulling her against him. “Seems the feelings are mutual.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Tracie’s fiancé’s eyes narrowed. “Zach Adams. The name sounds familiar.”

Jacie’s heart clambered against her ribs. The FBI community was big, but agents ran into each other often. Would Bruce recognize Zach? Did it matter if he knew? Zach hadn’t mentioned it to Bruce, so Jacie kept her mouth shut.

“My name’s pretty common.” Zach’s arm dropped from around Jacie. “Our main concern right now is getting Tracie back, safe and sound.”

“Right.” Richard clapped his hands together. “The chopper has seating for four.”

“Chopper?” Bruce’s glance shifted to Richard. “The FBI requisitioned a helicopter for the search already?”

“I don’t know about that, but we’re not waiting.” Richard nodded toward Trey. “We have a helicopter we use for scouting out game. Trey is our pilot.”

“I’d like to get on board if possible.” Bruce glanced from Jacie to Richard.

Jacie shook her head. “Sorry. I’m going.”

“Which leaves one seat,” Bruce pointed out.

“No, it doesn’t.” Zach claimed Jacie again by draping an arm over her shoulder. “I go where she goes.”

Bruce frowned. “Wouldn’t you rather a trained operative help in the search?”

“I’ve explored canyons before,” Zach said. “I know my way around.”

“With a weapon?” Bruce argued.

Zach’s jaw tightened. “I know how to shoot.”

Richard turned to Humberto. “Humberto, you’ll take the truck and trailer loaded with two four-wheelers over to Hank’s and take off from there.” He faced Bruce. “If you’re set on going, you can ride with Humberto.” Richard pointed his finger at Trey, Zach and Jacie. “You three ready?”

Jacie nodded. “The sooner the better.” She pushed aside the horror she’d envisioned of what Tracie was enduring and focused on finding her. “Let’s go.”

Zach cupped her elbow and led her to the back of the house to the landing pad beside the barn.

“Do you recognize Bruce from your days at the FBI?” Jacie whispered.

“No. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t recognize me.”

“Will it be a problem if he does?”

“We don’t know until he comes forward.”

Jacie nodded. “In the meantime, you’re just my boyfriend from college. By the way, I went to Texas A and M.”

He grinned. “Good to know. Have to have our stories straight in case someone asks.”

“By the way, where did
you
go to school?”

His mouth twisted into a mischievous hint of a smile. “Now, that would blow my cover if I told you, wouldn’t it?”

Richard turned toward Jacie. “I’ll take the front with Trey. You two can look out the side windows. We’ll head for the ridge overlooking Wild Horse Canyon and go from there.”

Jacie nodded. Any effort toward finding her sister was a step in the right direction. She had to focus on that and not on the evasive answer Zach had given her.

She didn’t know much about him, other than that he was former FBI and now worked as a cowboy for hire with Hank.

Jacie bit her lip to keep from pressing for more answers and climbed into the helicopter.

Trey handed her a headset and one to Zach.

They tested the communication devices as Trey started the helicopter engine, the noise of the rotors drowning out any attempts at conversation without the headset.

With her seat restraints fastened securely around her, Jacie curled her fingers around the straps and closed her eyes. As she sent up a silent prayer for a safe takeoff and landing and finding her sister, a hand nudged hers.

She opened her eyes.

Zach pulled her fingers free of the belt and wrapped it in his big, warm hand. He didn’t say a word but squeezed gently as the helicopter left the ground.

The man didn’t even flinch or exhibit any measure of anxiety, as if he’d been up in helicopters on many occasions. Which Jacie wouldn’t know, given that he hadn’t shared much of his background with her. He was a stranger, yet their kiss made her feel closer to him than the other two men in the helicopter. Jacie had worked with Richard and Trey over the years; Richard was more of a father figure and Trey, an acquaintance with a wife and family waiting for his return in the little town of Wild Oak Canyon.

The helicopter skimmed past the barn and house, rising into a bright blue sky with big fluffy clouds dotting the heavens. It was like any other day, except two men were dead and Jacie’s twin was missing.

She concentrated on the ground below, practicing her ability to recognize features before they reached the canyon when it would count.

The truck with the trailer loaded with two four-wheelers flew down the highway below toward the Raging Bull Ranch, making good time.

As they passed to the southeast of Hank Derringer’s spread, Jacie made out a gathering of vehicles in the barnyard. True to his word, Hank was on it, organizing locals into a search party. The FBI and DEA would arrive soon and add to the number.

God, she hoped they found Tracie and that she was alive.

* * *

Z
ACH
HELD
J
ACIE
’
S
hand throughout the flight.

In less than fifteen minutes, he could make out the ragged edges of a canyon, spreading out below him.

“That’s Wild Horse Canyon ahead,” Richard’s voice crackled over the headset. “Where exactly did you enter the canyon?”

“Farther to the east.” Jacie’s hand tightened around Zach’s fingers as she leaned toward the window, staring at the ground. “There. Right below us. A trail leads down the side of that slope into the canyon. You can see the four-wheeler at the bottom, flipped upside down. The attackers came in from the southwest.”

Trey eased the controls to the right and down. The helicopter dipped to the side, swinging toward the narrower fissures in the canyon walls.

“There are so many places to look,” Jacie said, her voice staticky in Zach’s ear. He recognized the tone of despair the vastness of the canyon must be infusing in her.

“Just look out your window. I’ll look out mine. With four people in the air and more following on the ground, we’ll cover a lot of territory.”

Her fingers squeezed his and she shot him a grateful look.

Zach would rather continue to stare at the fresh-faced woman than at the ground, but he pulled his attention back to the task at hand. Getting involved with the client went against his training as an agent. He knew the risks. He’d learned his lesson when he’d fallen in love with Toni. Don’t get involved. It led to heartache. In his line of work, he was better off remaining aloof, impartial and alone.

He glanced at the hand he held and almost let go.

At that exact moment, Jacie’s fingers tightened. “What’s that?”

“Where?”

“Down there,” she said, her voice tight, strained. “In that J-shaped curve. I thought I saw a reflection of light off something metal.” Her gaze didn’t waver as Trey circled around and brought the chopper closer.

Zach peered out his side of the aircraft as the chopper banked back to the left. “I see it. We won’t get any closer in this. We’ll have to find a clearing to land.”

Trey rose again, his head turning back and forth. “I can’t land here. I’ll have to take it back the way we came a bit.”

Jacie rocked in her seat. “It might be her. Oh, dear Lord, let it be Tracie.”

In the middle of making a wide circle, a loud bang caused the helicopter to lurch to the side.

“Holy crap! Our rudder’s been hit.” Trey’s urgent announcement riffled through Zach’s headset. “I’m losing directional control. I have to land now, before I lose it all. Brace yourself.”

As the chopper started a slow spin, Jacie stared at Trey struggling with the controls. Then she looked at Zach.

He turned toward her and cupped her face. “Hold on. I gotcha.” He let his fingers slide down her arm and he clutched her hand again, bending forward, and urging her to do the same.

The helicopter rotors turned, easing the aircraft down between the tight walls of the canyon.

If they tipped even slightly to either side, the blades would hit the rocks and that would be the end of their search and possibly the end of their lives.

Zach wanted to pull Jacie into his arms and protect her from the rough landing, but they were better off trusting the seat belts. He’d save the embrace for when they landed safely.

The ground seemed to spin up to meet them faster than Zach liked. At the last moment before the skids hit the uneven surface, he prayed the first prayer he’d made since Toni’s death.

The chopper hit the ground, jolting Zach so hard his teeth rattled. The scent of aviation fuel filled the air. He waited several seconds for any shifting before he flung off his belt and reached for Jacie’s.

“I can’t get it to unbuckle.” Her hands shook as she fought with the release clamp.

Zach brushed aside her fingers and flicked it open, then dragged her across the seat and out into the open, away from the damaged craft.