Two to Love

Chapter Fifteen

The stinging in her shoulder was really reaching epic proportions. Callie tried to blink away her tears. Her left shoulder felt like it was on fire. She’d hit the tree line at a sprint, but now she moved slowly. The instinct was there to just run as fast and far as she could. She forced herself to stop, to hide behind a huge tree and take stock.

She needed to be quiet. The moon was blocked by the forest here, and it was very dark. She could hear one of her attackers moving through the woods like an elephant clomping around. He gave away his position with every move. He’d been behind a desk for too long. He’d forgotten how to stalk his prey, if he’d ever known how.

Callie hoped he couldn’t hear the thundering beat of her heart. It was galloping. She forced herself to breathe slowly. It was cool and getting cold.

“You better come out now, bitch!” Leander’s voice bounced around the forest.

Callie listened very carefully. She was pretty sure he was behind her and to her left. It was just like when she was a kid, she tried to tell herself. She, Max, Rye, and Stef would play hide and seek in these woods. A much younger Mel had warned her even then that she might get taken away by aliens. He’d taken them all out here and shown them good places to hide. He’d taught them how to survive.

The caves. She had to get to the caves. How was she going to climb?

She would deal with that problem when she got to it. Mel had a stash in that cave. The moonshine still he kept there might not help her, but the guns he hid might. If she had to, she would shoot those men with her hands behind her back. She would just start firing and hope she hit something.

“Come on, sweetheart. You don’t want to be out here. The woods are scary.” A more soothing voice was trying to coax her out. Worthington sounded a bit closer. “You have no idea what’s out here. Just come out, and we’ll take care of you. Nate should be here any minute, and he’ll take you home.”

Not likely. She rolled her eyes. Did they think she was a complete idiot? Probably. She hadn’t used a whole lot of common sense around them, but that was about to change. There was no way she would willingly go back to them. And she knew what was in these woods a hell of a lot better than they did. Where was a bear when she needed one?

Callie eased from her hiding place when she heard them move away. She kept her step very light, moving slowly. She moved from one tree to the next, inching toward the clearing. She would have to run once she got there, but if they were still in the woods, she should be all right if she was careful.

She broke from the woods and made a beeline for the caves. The entrance was hidden, but she had no doubt where it was located. She’d snuck into it far too often. When she was a kid, she had played there with the boys. Just a year ago, she’d snuck in and sat and cried after her mother’s funeral.

The trouble was the entrance to the cave was about ten feet up a pretty steep incline, and she had to climb without the aid of her hands. She stumbled and fell, her knees hitting the hard ground. It was so hard to balance.

“Callie, this can go easy or it can go hard.” Worthington’s voice sounded closer now.

She swung her head around, praying he wasn’t actually walking toward her. Her breath came out in a harsh pant. She saw a flash of something moving and forced herself to get off her knees. Her entire body trembled violently. Fear threatened to take over her every cell. She decided to give the cave one last shot. She backed up slightly and took the hill at a run. She fell forward, her face hitting a rock. She groaned and tried to turn over.

Get up. Move. Don’t just lay there.

She felt something tug at her shirt. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand came down across it. She bucked and tried to get her teeth to sink into that hand because if they were going to kill her, she was going to make them feel it. She was going to fight.

“Callie, calm down.”

She knew that voice. She stilled and opened her eyes. Mel’s face loomed over hers in the gloom. She breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Come on,” he said. He hooked his hands under her armpits and hauled her up.

“There!”

Callie heard the masculine shout as Mel was pulling her up. Her shoulder screamed in protest.

“Someone’s up there with her!”

Mel whirled her around and was setting her on her feet at the mouth of the cave when Callie heard the loud crack of gun fire. Mel’s body jerked, and he pushed her roughly away from him. She hit the hard rock of the cave on her ass and immediately scrambled to get up.

“Mel!” Callie’s voice echoed through the cave. She got to her knees and started to make her way toward him.

Mel crawled through the entrance. She could barely see the outline of his body as he struggled to get through. He turned, and Callie could see he’d managed to hold on to his rifle. He turned and fired, the report shockingly loud.

“Sorry, Callie.” Mel practically shouted the words. He scooted backwards slightly. “That should make them think twice about coming up here. You in cuffs?”

“Yeah,” she replied breathlessly. “Where are you hit?”

She could hear the pain in Mel’s voice, but it remained steady and even. If the aliens ever did come to Bliss, Callie was going to run straight to Mel. For all his paranoia, he was damn cool in a crisis. “They hit my left thigh. It’s bleeding pretty bad, but I’ll live. I won’t be running anytime soon.” He fired off another shot. “Come over here and I’ll get those cuffs off you. I can pick that lock in no time at all.”

She walked to him on her knees, wincing at the pain lancing through her. Everything hurt, it seemed.

“How did you find me?” Callie turned to give Mel access to her hands. She heard the click of metal against metal and suddenly her hands were free.

“I saw them take you from the town hall. I was getting into my truck to come home, and I saw them put you in their car. You’re a good girl, Callie. I knew you wouldn’t leave with two strange men, not when you already have two strange men.” Mel’s eyes were already facing front again, watching for the agents.

Callie winced as she started to get circulation back in her hands. Her shoulder hurt, but she breathed through it. It was nothing compared to what these men had done to Zane, what they would do to Nate and Zane if she gave them a chance. She kneeled beside Mel. “Can you take them out?”

“If they’re stupid enough to come close,” Mel replied quietly. He sent out another warning shot. “They’re playing it smart for now. Don’t worry. Your men will be here.”

That was what she was afraid of. “They’re walking into an ambush.”

Mel shook his head and chuckled a little. “No, Cal, they’re walking into what we used to call a cluster fuck in the Marines. Excuse my language. You see, these boys didn’t think this out at all. There are far too many places here to come up on a man. Why do you think I chose this spot? You have to know it intimately to know its hidey holes. Otherwise, you’re a sitting duck. Those boys are sitting ducks. I don’t know what they’re thinking.”

“I screwed up their plans. They intended to steal twenty million dollars, and I overheard them talking. Do you see them?”

Mel was still for a moment. “No. They’re quiet, too.” His voice went down a notch. “I heard someone coming up the road though. They stopped a little way back. I think your men are here.”

Callie let her eyes close and sent a silent prayer to anyone who would listen. She’d done her part. They wouldn’t be able to use her to pull Zane and Nate in. Now it was up to them to save themselves. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Mel, I need a shotgun.”

“There’s a flashlight about ten feet to your right. When you find it, move back another ten feet, and you’ll find a stash of guns.”

Callie started crawling, feeling her way along the stone floor. If it came to it, she would do whatever it took. She wasn’t going to lose them.

Nate cut off the engine about a half a mile from where he needed to be. He had no intention of walking into an ambush. What Zane didn’t seem to understand was that he had no intention of losing either of the most important people in his life. He needed Callie, and he needed Zane, and he wasn’t willing to let either of them die.

His hand curled around the gun he carried. “Stef, you take the long way around. I want you coming up on their backs. If they’re where they say they are, Zane and I are going to come out of the forest in front of them.”

Nate was watching Stef through the rearview mirror. His jaw tightened. “I won’t let them hurt, Callie.”

Zane turned quickly. “They won’t get the chance.”

“They won’t.” Nate wouldn’t let it happen. He wouldn’t even allow himself to think about it happening. “We’re going to have them in a circle. If I can’t take them out, the Harpers will. If you get a decent shot, you take it.”

Stef slid out of the car and into the woods like a wraith. Zane held his rifle to his chest.

“Let’s go,” Nate said. “You stay close to me.”

Nate got out of the car. He let his mind roam and remembered everything about the day he and Callie had come here. The place where he was supposed to go was just inside the clearing. If he and Zane were quiet, they should be able to sneak up on them.

There was the loud report of a rifle, and Nate felt his heart speed up. Zane took off, and Nate ran to keep up. He pumped his legs, adrenaline flowing through his body. There was another shot, this one sounded like a handgun. Had Max and Rye already made it into position? Why would they have started shooting without the signal? Callie. They would have started shooting to save Callie. Nate forced himself to go cold, to push the panic and terror that threatened to engulf him down. A fleeting image of Callie’s body on the ground flashed across his mind, but he pushed that down, too. He couldn’t afford to panic, and he couldn’t let Zane panic, either. He pushed himself, trying to keep up with Zane, but the big bastard was fast and had longer legs.

“Damn it, Zane, stop.” He tried to keep his voice down, but Zane either didn’t hear him or ignored him. Desperate, Nate launched himself at Zane and tackled him, pulling him to the ground. “Calm down.”

“She could be dead right now.” Zane’s low whisper sounded tortured.

“You think I don’t know that?” God, he was right back where he’d been that day when the Barbarians had Zane. His heart hurt, but he was going to do the same thing he’d done that day. He would have done anything to spare Zane the pain, but he would rather have Zane hurt than dead. Whatever they had done to Callie, he and Zane would heal her. And if those bastards had killed her, then it didn’t matter. His badge would mean nothing. He would kill them, and slowly. “We follow the plan. Any deviation could mean her life. We have no idea what we’re going into. Please trust me, Zane.”

Zane got to his knees. In the gloom of the forest, Nate could see Zane’s nod. “All right, Nate. This is your show.”

Nate got to his feet. He leaned down and helped Zane up. “You go left and stay in the trees. I’m going out to the right. When we get sight of them, we’re going to surround them. Once we’re all in place, they won’t have anywhere to go. We’ll take ‘em out from the high positions if they won’t give up Callie.”

Zane’s eyes suddenly went wide, and his gun came up.

Something cold and hard pressed into the back of Nate’s skull.

“Or we could just have it out here and now, Wright. Drop the weapon.” There was a nasty lilt to Worthington’s voice as he put a hand on Nate’s shirt.

Nate ran through a hundred possibilities. None of them worked. They all ended in his head getting blown off his body. He let the rifle fall out of his hands.

“If you want to live, I would let him go.” Zane was much calmer now, to Nate’s everlasting gratitude. His training seemed to have come back on line. Zane had been a damn fine agent, despite the fact it didn’t come naturally to him.

Nate let his eyes search the woods in front of him. He glanced behind Zane’s back, praying he didn’t see Leander walking out from the trees. So far the woods were quiet, with the exception of the tense standoff they were in. Where had those shots come from? Rifles weren’t standard issue DEA weapons. Nate doubted either of the agents was using a rifle. That meant someone else was out there, or had been.

“Where’s Callie?” Nate asked.

“Leander has her.” There was the slightest tremble in his voice that scared the shit out of Nate. If Leander didn’t actually have her, what had happened? “If you want her to live, you’ll put down that fucking gun, Hollister.”

Zane shook his head. “I need proof of life, asshole. You’ll forgive me if I don’t take your word for it. You produce her, and I’ll think about not taking your head off.”

Nate kept his voice calm, even as his heart raced. “You better listen to him. He’ll let you kill me, you know. He’s still mad because I left him in El Paso. Now that he knows you’re the one who gave him up, I think he just might rather have his revenge on you. Producing Callie is the only thing that will keep you alive.”

Nate’s heart nearly stopped as Leander came out of the forest behind Zane. Then he got a look at the agent’s face. It was stark white, and his hands were empty and in the air. Stefan Talbot was behind him.

“I caught your friend,” Stef said. “You’re about to be surrounded. Give up your weapon, or I’ll blow his head off.”

Calmly, Worthington pulled Nate close, lifted his gun, and fired. The report nearly took Nate’s ear off. His head rang as Leander’s body slumped forward. He looked down at the hole in his chest, and then the light in his eyes died.

Worthington’s hold on his shirt became vicious. “I never meant to leave that idiot alive. He’s served his purpose. And I don’t buy the crap you’re selling, Sheriff. Hollister would never hurt his fuck buddy. He ‘loves’ you. Bunch of queers. Now here’s how it’s going to go down. Hollister, you’ll put the rifle down, and so will that other asshole. You’ll let your friend there cuff you and put you in the trunk of my car, then you and me and Wright will take a ride. Otherwise, I can just kill Wright now.”

“You kill him, and I kill you.” Zane held his position.

Worthington’s laughter was an ugly sound. “You won’t do anything to put him in danger. I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other in that pathetic excuse for a meeting. You would never hurt your partner. Now, put the gun down, Hollister, or I start taking your boy’s body parts off. I’ll start with his dick and see how you like that.”

Nate saw the instant Zane made up his mind. Zane’s hand tightened slightly on the trigger, and his eyes flared. Fuck, this was going to hurt. His body tensed.

“You don’t scare me at all, Worthington, and you never did.” Zane pulled the trigger. Nate felt his shoulder fly back as he and Worthington were pushed back and off balance. The bullet went straight through his left shoulder like a freaking arrow on fire. Nate hit the ground. It wasn’t more than a second or two before Zane was hauling him up. He turned to see that the bullet had struck Worthington in his shoulder. Nate groaned as his body started to shake. His left arm wouldn’t move.

Zane stood over Worthington. The agent panted and held his shoulder. Blood was squeezing out from between his fingers, but the asshole would live. Zane had his rifle pointed straight at Worthington’s head.

“Nate can handle a little pain.” Zane looked fierce in the dim light. Stef came to stand beside him. “Tell me where Callie is, or Stef and I will start filling you full of bullets. I am inclined to let you live now that I really think about it. I think Ellis might have a few things to say to you when you hit the prison system, and I am really looking forward to your execution for killing a federal agent, but if you don’t tell me where my wife is, I’ll make sure you go out real slow.”

“She’s alive,” Worthington replied quickly. “She got away.”

Zane’s sigh of relief mirrored Nate’s. He nodded shortly and turned to Stef. “Call it in. We need at least one ambulance. Tell Stella to call Del Norte for backup. Nate, you got some cuffs on you?”

Nate leaned back against a tree and then thought better of it when every nerve on his left side sparked to painful life. “On the right-hand side of my belt.” He gingerly moved aside his jacket to give Zane a chance to get the cuffs. He really hoped that ambulance got here soon and brought large amounts of pain killers with it. Getting shot fucking hurt.

“There they are.”

Nate turned his head quickly. The Harper twins were coming up from behind them and Callie, thank God, was with them. She had a shotgun in her hand and was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

“What happened? Is everyone all right?” Callie rushed toward them.

“Looks like we missed all the fun, Rye.” Max Harper slung his rifle over his shoulder. “Sheriff, we found Callie holed up with Mel in a sniper position. Nell’s not going to let Callie into her pacifist club anymore. Logan is helping Mel down. He took a bullet to the thigh. We’ll have to make sure the doc who works on him is fully human. Looks like you could use a doc, too, Sheriff.”

“Oh, Nate.” Callie stared at his shoulder.

“Yeah, maybe it’s time I found this town a doctor,” Stefan mused.

Nate turned just in time to see Worthington reach behind his back with his good hand. He started to shout a warning, but Zane was turning to cuff the agent. Nate tried to get between Zane and the bullet Worthington was about to put into him. He wasn’t thinking, just running on pure instinct. He saw a flash of metal and then there was a horrible blast.

Worthington’s gun fell uselessly to his side as he slumped down. Callie stood over the body. Her hands started to shake and the shotgun she’d just used to blow half of the DEA agent’s head to hell and back fell to the side. Zane managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

“She passed out.” Zane cradled her gently against his chest. “She killed him.”

Rye Harper looked at the mangled body of the man Callie had just killed. “She did a damn fine job, too.”

Stef joined him. “Nah, she still pulled to the left. I never could get her to shoot straight.”

“Yeah, well, it was effective,” Max interjected. “Hey, now Callie can join Marie and Rach in their ‘I killed a son of a bitch’ club.”

Nate heard what they were saying, but he was staring down at Callie. He winced but used his good hand to smooth back her hair. “Baby, are you okay?”

Her eyes fluttered open. “Nate?”

Zane’s arms tightened around her.

“I’m here, baby. I’m fine. Zane’s fine, although he did shoot me.”

Callie’s eyes came wide open now. “What!”

Zane stood with her in his arms. “He’ll forgive me, babe. Come on, Nate. Let’s get her to a place where the EMTs can find us easily. I want them to take a look at her. She’s got blood on her arm.”

“It’s okay. I got grazed when…oh, I killed him, and I’m not even sorry.” Callie’s eyes were wide with tears.

Nate kissed her gently. “It’s going to be okay, Callie. It was us or him. You made the right call.”

Her hand came up and pulled him close. She kissed first him and then Zane. His eyes met Zane’s. They held for a moment of perfect harmony, and then Zane turned and began to walk. Nate gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move. They were his family. He would follow them anywhere.