Winter Hawk's Legend

As he stepped forward to hang his headset on a hook, she stood and their chests touched. Her skin prickled, but she stopped short of sucking in her breath.

“Sorry. It’s a tight fit,” he said, stepping back but bumping into the desk.

“Which is why I’m leaving,” she said, turning just as a dark-haired Anglo man wearing a desert camouflage suit, boonie hat and leaf-green camo-creme face paint appeared at the door.

“Larrabee,” Daniel said, nodding.

“You’ve got observers?” Larrabee said, standing in the doorway.

“I’m Holly Gates for TTI. The tribe’s corporate partners wanted some additional information on security measures here,” she said. “I’ve got what I need now, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Don’t rush off, pretty lady,” Larrabee said, giving her a wink.

“We’ve got a debrief to take care of right now, Art,” Daniel said. “Let’s not get distracted.”

Roanhorse came up behind Larrabee just then. “Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but I need to see both of you in my office.”

Daniel motioned Larrabee to the door, then followed him out.

Holly was the last to leave the room. She closed the door behind her, then stopped by the water cooler as the others continued down the hall. If she’d read Martin’s expression right, there was a new problem brewing. She had a feeling she’d find out what it was before she left this morning.

In the interim, there was another person she wanted to see. She walked down the hall in the opposite direction.

As she entered the last doorway to her left, Jane Begay looked up and smiled. Jane was a beautiful Navajo woman with long black hair, normally fastened at the nape of her neck while at work. Today, she wore a nondescript brown wool pantsuit with a plain white turtleneck sweater beneath, but what set it off was the beautiful turquoise-and-silver squash blossom necklace around her neck.

“It’s good to see you, safe and sound. I heard that you’ve been having all kinds of trouble lately,” Jane said, offering Holly a seat.

She and Jane were good friends. She’d been the one who’d recommended Holly for the job here at the new natural gas processing plant. Jane served as the local IT person, maintaining the computer network and training employees to use their specialized software and electronic systems.

Briefly, Holly explained what had happened the night before. “Years ago, this kind of attack would have been unheard of in the Four Corners, but now….”

“Yeah, progress,” Jane said in a hushed tone. “Are you being extra careful?”

“I’ll be looking over my shoulder a lot more, sure,” Holly admitted, “but I refuse to hide in my closet and cower.”

“I hear you,” Jane said, “but don’t let pride or bluster get in the way of common sense. I know you like your independence, but you might need a little extra help right now.”

She had a feeling Jane already knew about Martin’s offer of protection. “Maybe the guy isn’t after me specifically. It could be that he was out looking for a victim, and there I was.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” Jane said, then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “I just came out of a top-level meeting. The tribe is considering requiring you to accept protection, at least for a while.”

“If anything else happens, I’ll accept, but I think it’s too early to make that decision.” Holly paused then added, “Do you know if they have anyone in particular in mind as my bodyguard?”

“At first they considered Arthur Larrabee—the ex-policeman. He works for us on a contract basis, and could have fit it into his schedule. He also has the skills to keep you safe, but he’s been taken off the list.”

“Why?” Holly was curious, but not unhappy.

“This is all off the record. You’ll keep it confidential?”

Holly nodded. “Sure.”

“Arthur’s former girlfriend, Megan Olson, has disappeared, at least according to her relatives. Arthur and Megan dated for a while, then recently split up. There’s nothing to indicate that Arthur’s got anything to do with her disappearance, but Arthur’s a person of interest because he was supposedly one of the last people to see her,” she said. “Her family’s influential and they’re demanding answers. It’s just politics, but Martin has decided not to renew Arthur’s contract with us. He doesn’t want any negative publicity spilling over onto us, not right now.”

“That explains why Martin didn’t press me harder to accept the offer of protection this morning. He normally doesn’t give up so easily.”

“Your real problem is that you’re too independent. You don’t want anyone telling you what to do and when.”

“Am I that transparent?” Holly asked with a rueful smile. “No, don’t answer that.”

“Regardless of what you want, if there’s another incident, the tribe will insist that you accept their offer of protection. We need you right now. My advice is don’t fight it.”

“Nothing else is going to happen,” Holly said, hoping that was true, and stood. “Right now, I need to get some materials ready for the upcoming job fair in Hartley. The plant is ready to hire additional staff to work here and out in the field. I’ve also got to study my notes and get another presentation ready for a new group of investors.” Holly checked her watch. “Time for me to head over to my office in Hartley.”

Chapter Five

Holly was soon on her way, driving down the long graveled road toward the main highway. As the road stretched out her thoughts drifted to Daniel. He seemed like a force of nature, always active, even in stillness. He clearly didn’t take challenges lightly, either.

She’d seen the spark of competitiveness in his eyes when Larrabee had entered the room. Of course Larrabee had more than his share of machismo, and even in nature, alpha males clashed. Some things were just hardwired into the species.

Holly was halfway to the highway when she saw the fast rising plume of sand and dust behind her. Her skin prickled even as she told herself to relax. She wasn’t likely to be the only human being leaving the plant, even between shifts. Someone was just in a hurry to reach the highway. She couldn’t afford to overreact every time she saw a person traveling in the same direction she was.

Realizing how isolated she was out here, she decided to play it safe. Holly took the next right, moving toward a new Rez housing area. She’d expected the vehicle behind her to continue directly to the highway, but it took the same turn she did and continued following at a distance.

Holly made a few more random, last minute turns down residential streets where there were more homes than vacant lots, but the vehicle remained on her tail, taking the same turns.

Her heart began beating overtime. There was no way she could go to her office in Hartley now and lead whoever was back there right to her door.

Holly tried hard not to give in to panic, but the possibility that this was the same guy who’d attacked her at the coffee shop was terrifying. What if he already knew where her office was, or where she lived?

She pushed back her fears, forcing herself to think clearly. If this was the same guy, she needed to get a description without further endangering herself. She considered pulling over as soon as she rounded the next curve in the road and waiting for him to pass, but then changed her mind. That was too risky. If he was really stalking her, he’d likely stop, as well, and then what, shoot her? Trying to force the other driver into making any kind of move at all wasn’t a good idea, and if she headed back to the plant, any hope of catching him would fade away. He’d be stupid to follow.

Then it came to her. What she needed was backup. The tribal police department was badly undermanned, and getting a patrol cruiser to her location could take hours. There was only one other logical option. Holly used her Bluetooth and called Daniel. He answered a moment later and Holly quickly told him where she was and what was happening.

“Keep driving through that residential area and stay on the phone. I’ll be there in a few minutes to back you up. If he closes in, find a house where you think someone’s home and run for the door.”

“All right.” As Holly continued circling, the other driver stayed with her.

“He’s still there and keeps his distance whether I speed up or slow down,” Holly said, trying to keep her voice from cracking. “He knows I’ve spotted him. Why doesn’t he take off?”

“Get back on the plant road so I can catch up to you sooner. I’m not too far from your current location, maybe three minutes. Once I have you in sight I’ll let you know. Keep the phone line open.”

Three minutes later, Holly spoke again. “I’ve turned onto the plant road, heading north toward the highway. I’m about a quarter mile from the three-way intersection before the big arroyo, the one with the irrigation ditches on either side. There aren’t any other vehicles around except for the guy following me. The oncoming lane is clear.”

“I’m at the top of the hill and can see you now,” Daniel said. “Here’s what I want you to do.”

Following his directions precisely, Holly sped up, then, just before the intersection, swerved into the incoming lane. Braking at the last possible second, she cut to the right and slid in the gravel, blocking the road.

Her heart was beating overtime as she looked over her right shoulder and saw the oncoming sedan. He’d have to leave the road and drop into the ditch to get around her now. Or ram—