Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO

EIGHT DAYS LATER

"You're still watching her?" Belson asked curiously as Harlan trained his infrared binoculars on Kira Drake. She was moving swiftly around the first level of the museum cliff dwelling community followed closely by her golden retriever. "It's the fourth time this week that I've seen you go to the trouble of staking her out yourself since she arrived in Colorado. Which means you've been practically stalking her since she showed up. Why? Didn't you believe me when I told you that she was good?"

"You might say that," Harlan said. "Or maybe I wanted to make certain she wasn't getting ahead of me, given that she's refused to even meet with me since she arrived. It's enough to annoy me, isn't it?"

"But somehow I don't think it is. You look like you're enjoying yourself too much," Belson said speculatively. "So which one is it?"

Harlan lowered his glasses. "Yes, she's as good as you told me she was. Yes, I'm annoyed that she could screw up the entire capture if I'm not careful. But she's also very interesting, quite unique. For instance, why did she come here? Would anyone else show up at an archaeological site built centuries ago when they were searching for a bloodthirsty killer?" He leaned back against the pueblo wall. "But she not only came today, she's been searching the entire area for any clues that he's been here in the past."

"And has he?" Belson asked.

"He must have been. The dog must have picked up his scent at some point near this location. It would have been an excellent hideout for him until he could arrange transport to whisk him away from Colorado. Some of those ancient Pueblo communities have almost a hundred and fifty rooms. He could get lost in that much space. At any rate, either way it would have been clever of her to lead me here, don't you think?"

"If she cared one way or the other," Belson said. "She's made an art of ignoring you since she's been here. You have to appreciate that fact."

"Oh, I do. Let me count the many ways," Harlan said caustically. "And if Taylor's scent still lingers, she may not even know whether or not he's in that cliff dwelling or somewhere else entirely. It's a crapshoot."

"What's your guess?"

Harlan shrugged. "That we'll have to wait until she leaves and then go search the place ourselves. In the meantime, we'll just send one of our team to follow her and keep an eagle eye out in case she already has an idea where else she can locate Taylor and is only trying to find him before we do." He added thoughtfully, "She's very sharp. That could be the way she'll play it. We'll have to see, won't we?" He lifted his binoculars to his eyes again before settling back against the pueblo wall. "She's started working at the dwelling called the Cliff Palace right now. She should find it interesting. It dates back over seven hundred years and is built of sandstone, wooden beams, and mortar. At one time, it was painted entirely in brilliant colors."

"Fascinating. I'm sure you find those esoteric facts intriguing, but I don't regard them as particularly appealing."

Harlan grinned. "No, but evidently Drake does. Otherwise she wouldn't have come here or looked for Taylor at an ancestral Pueblo national park. Not exactly the usual action for an expert tracker to take."

"So we just sit here in the sun and watch and wait to see if Kira and her favorite pooch will furnish us with the direction where Taylor can be found?"

"That's it exactly. But while we're waiting, we'll let her entertain us and admire the way she's handled herself so far in tracking the bastard. Aren't you proud that you managed to talk me into hiring such a pearl above price?"

"Sarcasm, Harlan?"

"Perhaps a little. It all depends on what happens in the next few hours and what Kira Drake is really up to…"

"Yes, he's watching us again, Mack." Kira bent and stroked Mack's neck. "But he's not making any moves yet. We'll still have time to finish up and get out of here." She chuckled with amusement as she finished up checking out the last room at Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace. "No sign of Taylor here. Well, it could have gone either way. Do you think Harlan is enjoying himself? We do hope so, don't we? But we'll be out of here soon, and then we can go back and make sure that we actually locate Taylor before he does. I've found an opening on the lower level near the juniper trees where we can slip out and get back to that place where you first picked up his scent here." She deliberately turned and stared directly at where Harlan was probably sitting, watching her. She smiled and insolently flipped her hand at him. "Have a great day, Jack Harlan. See you later…"

JONES CREEK, COLORADO

Shortly after nightfall, Kira called Harlan. He sounded shocked to hear from her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought it was time I checked in."

"Well, you've been treating me like a pariah, and you won't even discuss working with me when we're actually after the same thing. If I'm the problem, I'll be glad to send Belson instead."

"Don't you dare. I don't trust Belson, and I certainly don't trust you. Do you think I didn't know that you've been on the hunt for me ever since I arrived here in Colorado?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You must've known. I could feel you tracking me."

"Of course I did. It was quite entertaining. You're exceptionally talented."

"I'm happy you enjoyed yourself. But suppose I give you a counteroffer. As soon as I capture Taylor, I'll turn him over to the governor with the stipulation that he's to let you and your lawyers know he's in custody and allow you access. That would be fair and wouldn't allow you total power over a prisoner that I've already apprehended."

"I guarantee the governor won't mind if I have jurisdiction over the bastard," Harlan said curtly.

"But he also has a reason for revenge," Kira said. "I don't mind being connected to the administration of justice, if necessary. It's revenge I don't like." She rushed on to stop the protest she knew was coming. "Yes, I saw the photos of the governor's daughter. It made me sad, but I can't be judge and jury."

"You'd rather be the cop on the beat?" Harlan paused. "Yes, I can see you in that role."

"I can't. I'd rather not be involved at all. But my offer will remain in place until further notice. I've told you my terms. They're better than you deserve, but Sarah Logan appears to think you're worth it. Goodbye, Harlan." She hung up.

She drew a deep breath and turned back to face the porch of the ranch house. She didn't know what she expected, but nothing had changed since she'd zeroed in on Joseph Taylor a few moments before. She had located Taylor's hideout earlier this week, and she was almost sure that the man she had caught sight of in the rocking chair on the ranch house porch today was her target. He had been sitting in that same position just now, leaning back, casually holding a rifle across his lap, except he was talking to someone on his phone. From the way he looked up and occasionally nodded, she guessed he was talking to someone in the helicopter that was almost overhead now; she could see the blue lights streaming down from the cockpit. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she had to be absolutely certain that the man in the rocking chair was Taylor. Which meant she had to go back to that porch and get a closer look at him. It might also mean that she and Mack would go after Taylor if the opportunity presented itself. She began crawling down the cliff, her gaze still glued to the figure on the porch. She gave a short whistle for Mack to follow her more closely.

She knew he would make no sound as he came toward her. One of his lessons involved making sure he would never betray her while they were on the trail. The people in that helicopter were almost definitely some of the men who had been summoned to help Taylor escape, and the craft was slowly descending toward a clearing she remembered seeing behind the cabin. They weren't close enough to be a danger yet, but the lights would make it more dangerous by the minute. Better to move fast and grab the target when the opportunity presented itself.

However, those lights might be an opportunity in themselves, she thought suddenly. There was more than one way to bring a monster like Taylor down. She just had to bide her time. But she could see now that the man with the rifle had the general build and features of Taylor; he seemed to match the photos that had been forwarded to her. She would get a little closer to the porch and see if an opportunity presented itself to go after Taylor that didn't involve Mack in the capture. She would have to be very careful…

The man on the porch was now shouting angrily into the phone. She heard an expletive and the name Donovan. Instinct told her that this person was subservient to him. If she brought Harlan into the picture, he might be able to get a trace on Donovan, which might be a way to pin down the identities of Taylor's gang. But she didn't want to involve Harlan if she could avoid it. Better to go with her own tried-and-true tracking methods…

"Where the hell have you been, Donovan?" Taylor shouted into the phone. "You were supposed to be here forty minutes ago."

"I had to pick up the helicopter. Then you said you wanted me to do a little scouting around for that mutt that belongs to Drake. It took me a while, but I managed to spot him on the cliffs near the pueblo a little bit ago. I think he's on the hunt for you just like you thought he'd be. Do you want me to go after him and take him out?"

"No, the timing is wrong," Taylor said impatiently. "It has to be me, and the Drake woman has to see it."

"I don't understand," Donovan said blankly.

"I know you don't," Taylor said. "You don't understand any of the subtleties of the relationship that exists between Harlan and me. It's all about punishment and pain and making sure Harlan knows that he can't bring in outsiders and expect me not to punish them. But he'll know all that after tonight. How close are you to picking me up, Donovan?"

"Five minutes. We'll do one more sweep, then land at the clearing."

"That's good enough. I might have to perform a demonstration to illustrate how our tracker is to be treated. But all you'll have to worry about is lining up her faithful pooch exactly where I want him."

"Whatever you say," Donovan said. "You're the boss."

"Exactly. Now get down here and let's start moving. I admit I'm getting a little impatient…"

Although Kira had been on the far side of the porch and too far away to hear much of the conversation, she'd been able to get the gist of the emotion from Taylor's body language. No fear. Arrogance. Now he was stroking the stock of his rifle almost caressingly and leaning back in the rocker, his thoughtful gaze staring into the darkness. The aircraft appeared to be preparing to set down. She felt a sudden chill. She was sure he didn't know she was anywhere near this hideout. She'd been careful whenever she'd hiked this area recently. But she'd had the eerie feeling that he not only knew she was there but had been smiling mockingly at her from the porch.

Imagination?

The feeling was so intense that she carefully backed away from the porch and then, just as cautiously, made her way around the side of the ranch house until she was halfway back to the cliff where she'd left Mack. She would take her time and approach the house from a different direction. She believed in trusting her instincts, and she'd never had a stronger sense of warning than tonight. Once she had positive confirmation of his identity, she'd get Mack off the cliff, go after Taylor, take away that rifle, put the son of a bitch down, and then get the hell out. She gave Mack another short whistle as she increased her pace to bring him closer to her. "It's okay, boy," she whispered as he looked up at her, cocking his head inquiringly. "We just have to wait a little longer. I have to be sure about what we're doing. We'll go slowly and steadily. Okay?" She gave him a hand signal and Mack started at a trot, looking over his shoulder to make sure she was following. It was the way they usually worked, and Mack was eager to resume the status quo.

Her head rose as she suddenly heard something! A familiar low hum in the distance. Was it the helicopter again? She tensed. She'd done a preliminary search of the area earlier in the day for possible co-conspirators and found nothing. This could be members of his team in another vehicle. A late arrival? But she had been sure Taylor had been communicating with someone in the helicopter while he'd been sitting on that porch. It could be either.

Mack could hear the sound, too. She could feel it in the tension of his body. Was Taylor on the move? She put out a hand to soothe him. "Soon," she murmured. "I'll let you go when I'm sure we can close in on the damn bastard. Yes, I know that helicopter is getting closer." She reached in her pocket for her infrared binoculars. "Just give me a few more minutes…" She trained the glasses on the porch as she spoke, quickly scanning the entire ranch property.

Shadows. Only shadows. "Come on, Taylor. Let me see you…"

Light from the helicopter played across the back porch, illuminating the figure in the rocking chair for a moment. It was definitely Taylor. Unmistakable.

Yes!

"We've got him, Mack," she whispered. "Go!"

But Mack was already on his way, climbing toward the bottom of the cliff. Not a sound emerged from his throat. Even the pads of his feet were quiet on the stone and rocks of the cliff.

And Kira knew she had to be just as quiet as she and Mack set a trap for that bastard…