Ranger took her to the one place he’d never thought he’d take anyone outside the brotherhood-the old reconverted barn deep on the reservation where new warriors trained. But he’d known it would be empty inside now. The brotherhood was in a state of transition. No one would be initiated anytime soon.
“What is this place?” she asked at they arrived.
“Kind of a private gym…and, at the moment, our place of refuge,” he said. “I needed someplace where I could study these CDs in relative safety.” And safe they would be. He’d felt the presence of some of his brother warriors, watching, as they drove up. The fact that they hadn’t been intercepted meant that he’d been recognized by at least one pair of eyes.
He led her into a small, unoccupied office that bordered a large arena, and got down to work almost immediately. Dana didn’t interrupt him while he loaded the CDs into his laptop and studied what they contained.
“This one looks like an accounts payable ledger, but it doesn’t list the last names of the payees-the people he hired,” he said at last. “A few months ago he hired someone by the name of Del. No last name, but undoubtedly the dead man’s partner,” he said, avoiding mentioning Marc Finch by name.
“Scroll down more. There’s a lot of information there,” she said, standing behind him and studying the entries.
It took them almost twenty minutes, but they finally found a separate accounting base and another entry that dated back ten months. “There you go. Del Archuleta,” she read off. “He’s a P.I., according to that. Have you ever heard of him?”
“No, but I can have him checked out.” Ranger dialed his brother, then waited. “I need some intel,” he said, then proceeded to tell him what they’d learned.
Hunter’s response was immediate. “I’ll get back to you. And Wind…? You’ll have to explain your choice of sanctuary to the brotherhood when all this is over.”
“Understood,” Ranger said and hung up. He’d known he was violating security by coming here with Dana and that would make him subject to disciplinary measures later. But, as always, he’d done what was necessary. “Let’s see what else these other accounts have to tell us,” he said, focusing back on the screen.
Another half hour passed, but they found nothing else they could use. “At least we have Del ’s full name,” Dana said. “That’ll help us narrow the search. I think we’ve made some solid progress. Maybe I’ll be able to meet with Hastiin Dííl soon.”
Before he could answer, his cell phone rang. He flicked it open and answered.
“Del Archuleta, according to a uniformed agency source, is a scumbag,” Hunter said. “He had his P.I. ticket pulled last year for playing both sides of the fence on a divorce case. I’ve got his last known address and two photos, and I’m uploading them now. Maybe the woman will recognize them.”
Ranger switched screens and picked up his e-mail. “Do either of these men look familiar to you?” he asked her.
As she leaned over him to take a closer look at the screen, he grew aware of every part of her. Though she’d given herself to him, it had been on her own terms. Her body had been his, but she’d held back a piece of her heart. That knowledge tugged hard at him. Next time, there would be no holding back, not by her, and not by him, either.
“The one on the left. He was one of the men who kidnapped us,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
He had to struggle to refocus. “And the other one?”
“I haven’t seen him before.”
Reading his brother’s note, Ranger filled her in. “The one you recognized is Bruce-Del Archuleta’s brother. He used to work for the city of Farmington as an animal control officer.”
Ranger passed the news to Hunter, then hung up, avoiding what would have undoubtedly been his brother’s next question-what was next on their agenda.
“We need to find Bruce and Del, and we have Del ’s last known address. What do you say we go pay him a visit?” he said.
“I’m ready when you are,” she answered.
They drove to the address they had for Del and found he’d moved. The new tenant, a young, slim, college-aged woman, seemed to want Ranger to stick around, so she invited them in.
“I’ve forwarded a few pieces of mail to Del, and I’ve got his new address around here someplace,” she said, brushing back a strand of long, blond hair. “He lives with his creepy brother, Bruce.” She fished around a drawer for a few moments, then finally pulled out a small notepad. “Here it is,” she said, handing it to Ranger.
Dana tried not to feel ignored, but the woman hadn’t taken her eyes off Ranger since they’d come in.
Ranger gave the young woman one of his devastating smiles. “I appreciate your help.”
“Let me know if you need anything else. My casa is your casa, as they say around here.” She stepped closer and gazed up at him. “Good luck.”
As they drove to the address she’d given them, Dana laughed. “I felt like the invisible woman back there.”
“Jealous?” he teased, then shaking his head, added, “Nah, you’re way too secure for that.”
She thought about what he’d said. “It’s a funny thing about security. I spent most of my life trying to create it for myself-through my job, my friends, my lifestyle. But these past few days, as we fought just to stay alive, I learned that security isn’t a tangible thing, it’s a spiritual outlook. Security comes from courage, and faith, in yourself…and in those you trust.”
For the first time Ranger saw hope for them and not just for a few stolen moments here and there.
They reached the address a short time later. Ranger parked about half a block down the street from the small one-story house and waited. “They’re both in there, judging by the two cars in the driveway,” he said after a moment. “Unless one of them has a visitor.”
“No, Bruce is there. I just saw him pass by the window,” she said, her voice shaky as she handed him the binoculars. “I’ll never forget his face.”
“Don’t let him get to you,” he said. “He’s going down.”
“I just remember…him. He was one of the men who questioned the medicine man. When I see his face…I see death.”
“Stay here,” he said. “I’m moving in.”
“I’m going with you. There are two of them, and that’s not an even playing field. I can help balance the odds a bit.”
“All right then. I’ll watch your back and you watch mine.”
Ranger checked the pistol in his belt, then started the truck and drove down the street. He killed the engine as they got close, and coasted into the driveway silently, blocking both vehicles.
Ranger nodded to Dana, then climbed out of the pickup and walked over to the door. She stood behind him, and to the left as he knocked hard on the door four times. Then he pushed the doorbell, not taking his finger off.
“ Del, gotta talk to you, man. Business,” he yelled, faking a southern New Mexico accent.
As Del yanked open the door, Bruce reached around Del and slammed the door shut.
“Run!” they heard him yell.
Ranger kicked the door open instantly and the force of it knocked Del to the floor. Ranger was on him in a second. Grabbing him by the back of the collar, he swung Del around, bouncing him off the wall.
“If he tries to get up, shoot him wherever you want,” he said, handing Dana a small pistol pulled from his jacket pocket. “And grab that cell phone,” he added, pointing to a unit on the coffee table, an idea forming in his mind.
Ranger raced across the living room just as Bruce went out the back door, slamming it shut. By the time Ranger opened it again, the fugitive was already pulling himself up the cinder-block wall across the backyard.
Ranger jumped over the wall, landing in a crouch, his hand on the butt of his pistol. Bruce was nowhere in sight.
Ranger stood still and listened. Hollow footsteps came from his right. Taking three steps, Ranger jumped down into the dry irrigation ditch that bordered the property. Bruce was fifty feet ahead, sprinting around the curve in the dry channel that ran underneath the street about a hundred yards away.
Ranger pressed hard, gaining ground, but Bruce ran up the concrete apron lining the ditch at the bridge. A second later a woman screamed.
Running up the concrete, Ranger reached the street level just as a green pickup raced away, Bruce at the wheel. An elderly Navajo woman lay on her side on the asphalt. As Ranger ran over to help her, the woman rose to her knees, shaking her fist at the departing pickup and cursing colorfully.
Ranger thought of a few more pertinent words to add to the string of obscenities. He’d lost the race, and there was no way he’d catch up to Bruce anytime soon.
Ranger made a quick call to Agent Harris, updating him on all the events. Before Harris could go on a tirade, Ranger abruptly ended the call. There’d be hell to pay later, but for now, he had other business.
After making sure the woman was all right, he returned to Bruce’s duplex. Del was sitting on the floor, and Dana still had him at gunpoint.
“ Del, you’re in one heckuva lot of trouble,” Ranger said casually, taking a seat across from him. “I’m going to turn you over to the feds, but I need some fast answers. Cooperate with me, and I’ll return the favor when you go before the D.A.”
“Forget it. I’m not talking,” Del spat out.
“ Trujillo ’s got his own problems right now,” Ranger said. “I wouldn’t worry about him sending anyone after you.” Even as he said the words, he knew that Trujillo probably still had other assets, and with those he’d be able to buy himself a new bunch of men.
Del shook his head. “People like that never forgive or forget.”
Ranger considered it for a moment, then took Dana aside. “I’m going to tie Del up and leave him here for Agent Harris. But you and I need to get going.”
“What if his brother returns?” Dana countered. “He’ll free Del. ”
“Bruce won’t be coming back here. He’s probably looking for another vehicle right now.”
Ranger took the cell phone from Dana, shoved it in his shirt pocket, then tied Del up to the frame of the sofa with rope taken from the curtain rods. They were out of the house five minutes later. Two blocks from the house several police cruisers, sirens blaring, roared past them.
“What’s next?” she asked.
He handed her Del ’s cell phone. “Does he have Ignacio on speed dial?”
Dana checked it out. “There’s an I.T. listed so I think that’s probably him,” she said.
“Okay. Now I’m going to need something my brother has…or, more accurately, the brotherhood does.”
This was the first time he’d mentioned the brotherhood by name, and she gave him a surprised look.
He met her gaze, then focused back on the road. “You’ve risked your life repeatedly to help us. You’ve earned the right to be trusted,” he said.
“Will the others think that, too?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Once they know the whole story, yes,” he said slowly. “We can be ruthless with our enemies, but we also know how to honor our friends.”
He picked up the phone and called Hunter. “I need a piece of equipment-the voice scrambler gizmo. I have plans for it.”
“Okay, but we can’t use any of our usual drop sites because we don’t know which-if any-have been compromised,” he said. “So go to the place where you used to exchange notes with your first girlfriend, the preacher’s daughter. Remember?”
“Of course.”
“It’ll be there in twenty minutes. Give me twenty-five before making the pickup.”
“Okay. Thanks,” Ranger said, ending the call, then checking his watch.
As Ranger drove, he explained where they were going. “It’s a huge elm that died years ago, but there’s a knot in the trunk that comes out if you pull, and a space inside for hiding things.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you. Why do you need to disguise your voice?”
“Using Del ’s phone, I’m going to call Trujillo, and let him assume I’m Del. I’ll tell him that I’ve been taking all the risks and I’m sick of the whole thing. I’ll threaten to spill my guts to the feds unless I get more up-front money.”
“He’ll suspect a trap. Trujillo knows Del has as much to lose as he does. And what about Bruce? He could contact Trujillo at any time and blow your plan to shreds. We need a better hook.”
They reached the drop site a short time later and, as they got close to the elm, she saw two sets of initials carved into the trunk. “So who is JB?”
He grinned. “I had it bad for Janet Begay back then,” he said, working the knot in the center of the trunk loose. “Her father was a preacher, and he didn’t allow his daughter to date. She respected that, so, except for trading notes, the only time we had together was at school.”
Dana watched him carefully as he extracted a small device, then placed it in his shirt pocket.
“So what does that do?” she asked.
“You can change the pitch of your voice up and down, and other little tricks. I’m going to use it to fade in and out, like a bad connection.”
She nodded slowly. “Good. I have a new idea that’ll help us get the evidence we need, and using that device will really help,” she added. “When you call, pretending to be Del, tell him you’ve got the list he wants, but you need a quick payoff because you’re getting out of the area. Unless he can make it worth your while, the list of brotherhood members will go up for sale to the highest bidder.”
Ranger considered her plan and nodded. “I like it.”
“I can give you the name of a brotherhood member-one toward the top of the list that the medicine man gave them while drugged,” she added. “ Trujillo ’s probably got that name already and it’ll add credibility to your story.”
“No. We can’t jeopardize another brotherhood member without his knowledge and consent. I’ll give him my name and my brother’s. Neither will come as a surprise to him,” he said. “My brother Hunter played a key role in the operation that brought Ernesto down. And by now he knows I’ve been guarding you.”
Ranger hooked up the electronic device to the phone, entered a few code numbers, then made the call to Trujillo, pretending to be Del. After finishing his say, he waited.
There was a lengthy, tense silence before Trujillo spoke. “There’s no place a traitor can hide and when they find your body, somebody’s going to lose their breakfast.”
“I’ll be long gone before you ever order the hit,” Ranger countered, “and you don’t have the stones to come out of your hidey hole and do it yourself.” Before Trujillo could speak, Ranger named the price and saw the surprise register on Dana’s face.
“Cut the crap, Del. You think I’m falling for this scam?” Trujillo shot back in an ice-cold tone. “That list got burned in the fire.”
“Wrong. That’s what you get for trusting someone outside your family. I obtained it from a guy who held on to it in case he got pulled in by the feds and needed a bargaining chip. But he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore,” Ranger said in a deadly voice.
“What’s with the connection? You still in the mountains?” Trujillo asked.
“Good try, ex-boss. Here’s a little incentive. I’ll give you two names from the list just to show you I’m sincere-Hunter and Ranger Blueeyes.”
There was a pause. “Good choices, but they’re just names. Prove you’ve got the list.”
Ranger paused. “You’ll see the list when we meet eye-to-eye.”
“No deal.”
Dana, realizing that Ranger was losing ground, waved her hand in front of his face, getting his attention, then pointed to herself.
He shook his head, knowing what she was thinking.
“Let me go,” she yelled suddenly.
“What’s going on?” Trujillo asked immediately.
“TV’s on,” Ranger shot back, glowering at Dana and moving away from her quickly.
“They’ll catch you,” Dana yelled out, then cried out as if he’d hit her.
Ranger closed his eyes, then opened them again. There was no turning back now.
“You’ve got the Seles woman. That’s where you got the list,” Trujillo said flatly. “Where’s Blueeyes…if he’s dead, why haven’t I heard about it?”
“Your network’s gone, and I’m not admitting anything over a phone. But enough with the questions. You want the list or not?”
“Bring her-and the list of names-and I’ll have your money in cash.”
“Here’s where we’ll meet,” Ranger said, then gave him a location near the Brotherhood of Warriors’ operational base. He and his brothers knew that section of the rez like the palms of their hands.
After Ranger hung up, he glared at Dana. “Have you lost your mind?”
“You were losing him, and I was going to go with you anyway. What’s the difference?”
“News flash-you weren’t going. Correction, you aren’t going. There are others I can trust to protect you now.”
“In your dreams. Think about it a second. The only way to make sure he goes to prison is if I go along. Selling him the list doesn’t mean a thing to the courts, but kidnapping, or attempted murder, will.”
“The knowledge of the list and what it represents would have implicated him, Dana. Keep in mind that Glint was hired to get that list, and he knew what it was going to be used for. Once Trujillo ’s in custody, Glint will sing his lungs out.”
“Sorry to break it to you, but I would have come-one way or another. I need to see this through, too. And at least this way you’ll know where I am.”
“There’s a comforting thought,” he snapped.
“So now we need to arrange the details of this meet,” she said. “This is your area of expertise. How do we handle this?”
“With help,” he said as he reached for his phone and punched out his brother’s number.
“She did what?” came Hunter’s response less than a minute later.
Ranger glared at her. “It’s too late to change anything now. We’re going to need some heavy duty backup because I can’t guarantee he doesn’t suspect a trap. The only thing I’m sure about is that he’ll come. He’ll risk anything to get his hands on Dana.”