Colorado Wildfire

Wade’s head dropped forward on his chest. Earning Samantha’s forgiveness was going to be harder than hell. It was one thing to say that he’d faked his death so she and Jenny would be safe, and another to prove it.

“You’re in big trouble.” Ty hunkered down beside him on the hill. “Consider yourself lucky that all she did was throw you on the ground and slap on the cuffs.”

The handcuffs were mostly a joke between them. Long ago during a particularly wild session in their bedroom, he’d shown her how to pick these locks. With his hands still behind his back, he dug into his pocket for the Swiss Army knife he always carried. His gaze locked with Ty’s. He wanted to trust this guy he’d known since high school, wanted to believe that Ty was on his side 100 percent. Ty was one of a handful of lawmen who knew Wade had faked his death. He’d been nothing but supportive. But Wade had been betrayed by others. He had to be careful.

While he opened the knife and went to work on the cuffs, he said, “Kind of a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Samantha just happened to be on this particular stretch of road. You just happened to find Morrissey’s body.”

“Accusing me? Really?” Ty sat back on his heels. “You’re a real piece of work, Wade. Do you really think I’d put Sam in danger?”

He wasn’t sure what he thought or whom he believed in. “How did you get to be here? In this particular spot?”

“I sure as hell wouldn’t call down an ambush on myself.”

“Tell me,” Wade said.

“Sam received a call from the fire marshal, who told her that the chopper pilot spotted three hikers near Horny Toad Creek. The marshal couldn’t spare the manpower to pick them up, so Sam volunteered, since we were in the area.”

Ty’s story sounded plausible and bore no resemblance to the conspiracy theories that were running rampant in Wade’s head. It wasn’t likely that the pilot, the marshal and Ty were in cahoots. Still, he said, “And why were you and Sam in this area in the first place?”

“I asked Sam to come with me while I checked out the safe house. And, yes, I had an ulterior motive. As soon as I heard about your escape, I figured you’d hightail it back here. And I wanted to warn Sam, maybe even take her and Jenny into protective custody.”

“The hell you will.” The pocketknife he was using to pick the cuffs slid across the metal and nipped into his thumb. “I know what protective custody is like. I’m not putting my wife and child through that.”

“How are we going to keep them safe? When word gets out that you’re alive, the cartel will use them. They’ll threaten harm to your family unless you turn yourself over to them.”

Wade wasn’t sure how many people knew that he was still alive and waiting to testify against a former DEA agent and a member of the Esteban cartel who were in prison awaiting trial. He was the witness who could make sure those men were convicted of murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking and gun smuggling. His testimony would seal the deal...if he lived long enough to get into the courtroom.

“I’ve got a bad feeling,” Wade said. “I think too many people already know.”

“Is that why you broke out?”

“You make it sound like a great escape.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“Nothing so dramatic,” he said. “After this last trip to the federal courthouse in Austin where—as you know—the trial was delayed for the seventh time, I went back to the safe-house motel with my handlers. Later that night, I climbed out the bedroom window.”

“You just quietly sneaked out, huh? I heard you knocked both guards unconscious. One of them has a bad concussion.”

“Not true. I wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

Ty cast a cynical gaze at the carnage spread across this smoky mountain meadow. “Yeah, you’re a peaceful pussycat.”

“I’m telling you that if my handlers were injured, I didn’t do it. Whoever hit them could have been after me.”

“None of the people who know you’re alive have reason to want you dead.”

Wade thought differently. Three days ago in Austin when he was leaving the courthouse, he caught a glimpse of a face he’d seen before. He didn’t know the man’s name but seeing him set off alarm bells. He needed to get back here, back to Samantha and Jenny as quickly as possible.

He regarded Ty with a steady gaze. His friend’s easygoing manner was well suited to his ranching background, but Wade wasn’t fooled for a minute. This laid-back cowpoke could move as fast as a rattlesnake’s strike. Ty was sharp and smart. He was a good man; he’d earned an FBI Shield of Valor for his work on a kidnapping case.

The question was: To trust him or not to trust him? Even if Ty was brave and loyal, he was also a federal agent who wouldn’t want to risk his job. “I’m going to ask you for a favor, Ty.”

“Shoot.”

“Don’t tell anyone you saw me today.”

Vertical worry lines creased between his brows. “That’s asking a lot, brother. Those guys you shot are going to mention the mystery rifleman. And the forensic investigators are going to find bullets from the rifle.”

Wade nodded toward the gun on the ground. “There it is. You can say that you were using it.”

“You got it from the safe house, didn’t you?”

“The rifle and two handguns,” Wade said dismissively. There were more important issues at stake. Yes, he’d breached the sanctity of a federal safe house. So what? The place was never used. “I’m asking you for twenty-four hours. By nightfall tomorrow, I’ll know what I need to do.”

“I knew you spent the night in the safe house. As soon as I walked through the door, I could see that the dust on the floor had been disturbed.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I ran water in the sink. And I ate a can of beans, left a dirty cup and messed up the sheets in the bedroom. Sue me.” He heard a tiny click as the lock on his cuffs sprang open. “I need you to focus. Will you give me twenty-four hours?”

“If you can convince Sam, I’ll do it.”

Wade wished he was more sure of himself as he watched Samantha hike up the hill and stand beside Ty. Turning her profile to Wade, she spoke to his friend.

“My dispatcher contacted police and ambulance services in Glenwood Springs. They said they’d be here in half an hour, but I’m guessing it’ll take longer. We need to do as much first aid as we can.”

“I’ll work on the guy by the sedan. And I’ll get a tarp from your SUV to throw over Morrissey’s body. His lieutenant is on his way. He’ll want to see that we’re showing respect.”

“Even if Morrissey doesn’t deserve it,” Wade put in.

“Truer words never spoken.” Ty backed down the hill. “I’m going to leave you two alone now.”

Her thumbs hooked in her belt, she tilted her head down and stared at the buffalo grass beneath her boots. She’d left her hat in the SUV, and he noticed that her braided chestnut-brown hair wasn’t as shiny as it used to be. Still beautiful but a little bit thin, her hair looked as if she hadn’t been able to spend much time taking care of it. Managing the responsibilities of the sheriff’s office was a lot of work.

A new wave of guilt splashed over him. Though he’d made sure that all her bills would be paid, he’d left her with a lot of loose ends. “Samantha?”

Her lower lip stuck out in a pout. “What?”

Her features weren’t as tense as they’d been before. The deep sorrow had faded. The anger was gone, too. With a shock, he realized that he couldn’t read her mood. They used to be in perfect harmony, perfect understanding. He’d lost that connection.

“Samantha, look at me.”

She slanted a gaze in his direction. “I don’t know what to do.”

He swung his arms apart and made a grand gesture to show the cuffs dangling from his left wrist with the right side completely free.