The meeting place was to be a site in the desert northeast of the community of Shiprock, just inside reservation land. The bullet-resistant vest she now wore under the heavy jacket was bulky and uncomfortable, not reassuring.
“Nothing’s ever fool-proof in an operation like this. Just remember, all Trujillo has to do is see you,” Ranger said. “Thanks to the unofficial loan, you’ve got some protection from handguns and shotguns. But remember to stay inside the truck, and if there’s shooting, get down and stay down. The truck’s side door panels are reinforced.”
They left the highway north of town and headed east along the desert floor. There were oil and gas wells in the area, which meant there were graveled access roads between sites. Their plan was to meet Trujillo at the base of Monument Rocks, the largest formation for miles, just above and west of Eagle Nest Arroyo. From there, no one could get behind them, since the cliff face was directly to their backs. Ranger knew his brother and other brotherhood warriors were already set up in strategic locations, including the arroyo itself. Ranger got out of the truck, and came around to Dana’s side.
She’d been watching for the past ten minutes, but the only things she could see in the immediate vicinity were grass, brush, rocks and the edge of the arroyo. “Are you sure we’ll have backup? I didn’t even see any tire tracks. Maybe we should have called Agent Harris.”
“He’ll have his shot at Trujillo -afterward. There’ll be two cameras, directional microphones and several of our people listening in when Trujillo arrives. This is serious tribal business. The FBI may have jurisdiction here, but this is our land and our fight.”
Ranger saw the flash of a mirror off the windshield and tensed up. “It’s time. Trujillo ’s on his way. That was my brother’s signal.”
Seconds later, a large black SUV came into view in the distance. “One vehicle. Looks like he didn’t bring backup,” Dana said.
“A big vehicle like that could hold a baseball team and their gear. Trujillo didn’t come alone. Count on it.”
Trujillo was driving, and though he was the only person visible, all the windows were down. When he arrived he parked to the left of Ranger’s truck. Seconds later, Trujillo opened his door and climbed out, his vehicle providing him with partial concealment.
Ranger stepped toward the front of the SUV, wanting to have the cover of the engine in case Trujillo came around with a gun in hand.
Suddenly someone stood up in the SUV, poking his head and arm out of the sunroof. It was Bruce. Ranger ducked below the hood just as Bruce opened fire. The bullets blew away the hood ornament with a loud whine.
Ranger dove to the ground and rolled to his left, wanting to keep Bruce guessing. As he looked underneath, he realized that Trujillo must have jumped back into the SUV.
“Go!” Trujillo yelled.
The doors on the passenger side suddenly flew open, and Bruce and another man leaped out, firing shots at Ranger with pistols as they ran. Bullets kicked up the dust, but Ranger had already disappeared beneath the SUV.
While one man crouched, trying to see where Ranger had gone, Bruce jumped up on the running board of Ranger’s pickup. He grabbed Dana through the window with his right hand, his pistol now transferred to his left.
Ranger, on the wrong side of Trujillo ’s vehicle to intervene, made the next best move. He jumped onto the running board, grabbed Trujillo ’s pistol hand and yanked him out the window onto the ground. Trujillo rolled up to his feet, pulled a knife out of a boot sheath, then took one step forward. Suddenly a hail of bullets struck the ground by his feet.
“Don’t move!” came a shout from above. Trujillo turned his head and stared at Hunter, who was thirty feet up the side of the cliff, aiming a carbine at his head.
“Don’t shoot!” Trujillo yelled back, letting the knife fall as he raised his hands over his head.
Dana pulled away from Bruce’s grip, but only to build momentum. She slammed the door with her shoulder as she lifted the handle, whacking Bruce in the face with the side of the door. The blow knocked him to the ground and he dropped his pistol.
Ranger raced around the back of the SUV, surprising the third man, who was aiming his weapon at Dana. He kicked the man in the ribs, then moved in as the guy scrambled back up to his feet. Ranger landed a solid uppercut, and his opponent went down hard.
Ranger looked back at Dana and saw her scooping up Bruce’s pistol. Archuleta was flat on his back, holding his bloody face with both hands, moaning.
“Good work,” Ranger said, noticing two warriors running up from the direction of the arroyo, weapons directed at the men on the ground.
Two more armed warriors, who’d come out of the arroyo in another spot, were already approaching Trujillo. Their captive was cursing, but standing dead still, his arms in the air, as Hunter kept him in his sights.
By the time Ranger walked back between the vehicles, Dana was sitting on the running board of his truck. The pistol was still in her hand, but pointing down to the ground.
He’d just joined her when his phone rang and he heard Hunter’s voice. “I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Trujillo and his men. The tribal police and Agent Harris are on their way. We’ll be handing these punks over to them as soon as they get here. We also have some great video and audio waiting for them. Once you give Harris your statements and can leave the scene, come to the cave of secrets. Hastiin Dííl wants to meet with Ms. Seles.”
TRUJILLO AND HIS GANG were loaded into patrol units and taken away, and after answering Agent Harris’s barrage of questions, Dana and Ranger were finally free to leave.
Dana walked with Ranger back to his truck. “This part’s done, and everyone’s safe now, but I’ve still got a promise to keep.”
“Hastiin Dííl’s ready to meet with you,” he said. “I’ve been ordered to take you to a place no outsider has ever been-the heart of the Brotherhood of Warriors. This is unprecedented. But first, on behalf of the brotherhood, I need your word that you’ll never reveal its location, or anything else about your visit.”
“You have it,” she said, a shiver of excitement racing up her spine. “The secret will be safe with me.”
“I believe you,” he answered quietly. Her unshakable loyalty was what made her the woman who’d touched his heart…and now held it in the palm of her hand.
“But does Hastiin Dííl even need the list anymore?” she asked. “He must have managed to get the names he needed, or we wouldn’t have had any help when we confronted Trujillo.”
“Some of our warriors were there, but not all. Our secondary identification process is…lengthy.”
The drive took almost two hours, but finally they reached the foothills east of Gallup, near the southern tip of the Navajo Nation.
“This is it,” he said at last, parking beneath a tall piñon pine. They were in a dry forest of junipers and pines, where the mesas rose almost like stair steps into the high mountains beyond.
“The climb up isn’t a difficult one, so don’t worry,” he said, seeing her staring at the jagged sandstone cliff, a worried frown on her face.
A sturdy wooden ladder had been set in place for them and Ranger went up first. Dana followed and a few minutes later entered the opening of a deep, narrow cave carved by wind and water into the cliff side. A piñon log fire was burning in a shallow pit surrounded by stones, and the blue sky was visible through the vertical slit above them where the smoke rose and escaped.
Ranger greeted his brother, their fists meeting in the air, then introduced Dana to him.
Dana watched the two brothers, noting how similar their expressions were. Before she could even try to get to know Hunter a bit more, she was led into one of the antechambers. Hunter asked her to wait, then he and Ranger stepped into an adjoining area, leaving her alone.
After they’d left, an elderly man appeared, wearing the white sash of a medicine man. “Welcome to the cave of secrets, schoolteacher. I’m Hastiin Dííl.” He motioned for her to sit on one of two folded blankets then took a place across from her. “I understand you have a message for me.”
The whole story came tumbling out of her and, lastly, she revealed the names, one by one, giving him time to write each down on a piece of hide. “There were more, but I never saw the other part of the list. Before we could do anything about that…we ran out of time,” she finished with a whisper. The memory brought tears to her eyes, tears she didn’t try to hide or wipe away.
“The brotherhood owes you a great debt.” He rolled up the hide, then placed it into a shirt pocket beneath his jacket. “Tell me, what can we do for you? There has to be balance between us.”
“I’ve learned a lot during this journey-about myself and others, too. That knowledge more than cancels out any debt.”
He smiled and gave her an approving nod. “One thing remains, then.” He called for the others to join them.
Ranger came in first, carrying something in a small box, and handed it to Hastiin Dííl.
The medicine man brought out a silver necklace and slipped the chain over Dana’s head. “The circle of flames engraved in the medallion is our symbol. This will show that you’re under our protection.”
Dana thanked him, then met Ranger’s gaze and smiled. In this one way she’d be a part of his world forever.
The ceremony concluded, a celebration began. While the food was brought out, Ranger took her hand and pulled her into one of the dark, narrow chambers with him.
“We’re bound, you and I,” he whispered. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I love you, and I’d like to spend my life showing you just how much.”
“Starting now?” Welcoming the winds of change, she stepped into his arms.