Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

“ I ’m afraid it’s just us, Mac,” said John wearily when Mac and his team arrived at John’s office. “The locals are trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and this fiasco.”

Mac could tell from the disappointment in John’s voice, his friend was taking this personally.

“In the end, it usually is. But we’ll find him. What do you know?”

“Not much. I hope your guys can ride because the best way to go after this guy will be on horseback.”

“Won’t ATVs work?” one of Mac’s men asked.

“They might cover the terrain,” replied John, “but not as easily or as quietly as a horse, and their range is bound by how much gasoline we want to carry.”

“I think we split into two groups. John, you and my tech guys set up shop here in your office and keep on top of everything electronic. The rest of us will split up and see if we can’t figure out where he is. I’ve arranged for a helicopter to take me up tonight.”

“What do you plan to do in the dark?”

“I’ll use infrared tracking and night-vision goggles to see if we can’t spot something or someone camping.”

John shook his head. “I don’t know, Mac. This is a popular tourist area. Lots of folks out camping.”

“We’ll need to eliminate them one by one. I don’t think he’ll be part of a group, but if you give me my sandwich, I’ll head out. Thom, work with John to locate and arrange for us to use some horses. I’ll head out and see if I can’t find us a place to start.”

“Mac, nobody will have better horses than Willa. I’ll check to see if she’s willing to supply us with some.”

Mac paused for only a moment before responding. “That’ll work, and if she wants to be difficult, tell her the government is confiscating them for the duration. Everybody needs a good night’s rest. We’ve got us a fugitive to catch.”

Mac left the office in a pensive mood. His team was pumped up and ready to go, and he loved their enthusiasm. He had chosen his team carefully, and they saw each new op as a challenge to be conquered and strut their stuff. They weren’t arrogant, but they were very good.

John was right. Willa would have the best horses. It would seem, after five long years and a lot of stubborn pride, fate had presented him with the opportunity to reclaim the woman he loved. As he walked toward the waiting chopper, he wondered if she had any idea her life was about to take a radical turn and put her on the path she was always to have traveled—the one she shared with him.

The helicopter rose and flew a grid pattern, searching campsites obtained from a list of backcountry permits. By checking them off one by one, he’d be able to eliminate those least likely to be Eastwick. There was only one heat reading that looked to be a single camper. He doubted Eastwick would be with anyone else. His face and infamy were too well known. It was in an oddly placed little canyon. Mac made note of its location on his map and determined that it would be their first targeted destination in the morning. He didn’t fly down for a closer inspection as he didn’t want to alert whoever was there that he or she had been spotted.

At the motel, he was glad to see his men had settled in for the night. He opened the door to his room to find a small cooler sitting on the bed with a note taped to the top.

Mac,

Thanks again for coming. Inside are two sandwiches, potato salad, and a couple of beers.

Mandy talked with Willa. She’s given us her full support to borrow some horses, good steady mounts that know the terrain. Don’t know the cost, but Willa’s always been more than fair. She won’t be needing the horses for her business for at least two weeks.

I’ll come by at 7 and pick up you and your men who are going out with you. We can use my truck and stock trailer if we need them.

Thanks,

John

Mac opened the cooler, took out half of one of the sandwiches, and started to eat it as he headed into the bathroom. He removed his clothes as he finished the half sandwich and turned on the shower. He envied John his Mandy. Spirited and sexy, she was a devoted wife and great life partner. For the most part, she minded John, but she had just enough sass, their marriage never seemed dull. Fact was, they were incredibly happy. Mac longed for the same. He’d once envisioned it with Willa but had let it slip away. He meant to remedy that.

Willa, he sighed. She’d truly been his better half, and they had brought out the best in each other. He’d had a lot of time to think and realized both he and Willa had been too caught up in what they wanted as opposed to putting the other first. That stopped now. He wasn’t sure what it was going to take to get Willa on board with his plan, but he suspected she’d end up with a blistered backside and a well-plowed pussy before it was over… at least he hoped so. God, he’d missed her. He’d worked so hard to convince himself he didn’t, but it had been a lie.

Mac thought about the beautiful ring he had sitting in his safe deposit box in Louisiana. He’d had it made when they were living together, waiting for the right moment to ask her to marry him. He’d wanted his proposal to be perfect. He’d often wondered if he’d done as John suggested and just put the damn ring on her finger if she would have so easily walked away from him when he was offered the opportunity to head up the SOG?

Mac stood under the hot shower and let it beat down on his tight, tired muscles. Thinking about Willa always made his cock stiffen. The fact it had been a while since he’d last been intimate with anything other than his hand made it throb. Looking down, he grinned. He felt like a giddy schoolboy whose girl had finally said yes. Take it easy, old son, we’re got a job to do here, and the pussy you want isn’t going to come easily. Well, that wasn’t true, Willa had always been easy to make come—that would be the easy part—getting her in a position he could exploit to get her into bed might take some doing.

He’d always found, the more dominant he was, sexually or otherwise, the more submissive she became. Too many years. Even now, he could picture her in vivid detail and remember how she felt, smelled, and responded. He’d forgotten nothing—the way she moved, the way she sounded as he thrust inside her, how she felt when she climaxed and her pussy had tightened around him. He thought about switching over to cold water to quell those feelings but decided it was probably best to give himself the relief he needed.

Mac closed his eyes, closing his fist around his cock, and imagined what it would be like when he got her back in his life and his bed. This time, he meant to rope and hog-tie his blonde cowgirl. He let his mind drift back. She’d often joined him in the shower and taken care of that for him or rather with him. He’d always preferred sexual encounters where both parties got what they needed and enjoyed watching and feeling a woman experience multiple orgasms.

His dick became fully erect, almost painfully so. Mac leaned heavily against the shower wall, bracing himself with one hand while he slowly stroked himself as he imagined Willa in his life again. He thought about how her hand would feel when she fondled him, kissing and rubbing herself against him. Mac fisted his cock faster. He’d never been one to rush being with a woman. Willa had been no different. He could recall numerous times they had stayed in bed on a Sunday, with finger food and water on the nightstands, and spent the day doing nothing more than reveling in each other. When he had to pleasure himself, he tended to take less time and was a lot rougher. He grinned. But then, Willa had been known to enjoy a less than gentle quickie.

Mac squeezed and stroked his cock as he imagined Willa kneeling in the shower and taking him in her mouth. He could almost feel her lips gliding along his length as he thrust slowly in and out with the head of his cock, reaching that soft spot at the back of her throat. Mac groaned with the imagery his thoughts and hand were creating. His hips moved in the same rhythm as his hand. Like most men, he enjoyed a woman going down on him, but Mac had rarely given control to Willa. He would often let her initiate things but most often, ended up holding her head in place while he fucked her mouth.

In the past, when Willa had gone down on him, and he could feel his release close, he’d often withdrawn and positioned her on her hands and knees in front of him, so he could plunge his cock deep in her pussy and finish there. Part of his enjoyment came from knowing she enjoyed taking him deep and him shooting his load down her throat into her belly. He closed his eyes and summoned the image of Willa’s ass in the air as he parted her feminine folds and drove himself to her depths, usually claiming the first of her orgasms. He pulled hard on his cock and felt his cum rushing up from his balls and down his length before spilling onto the shower floor.

As soon as he was done masturbating, he finished his shower and turned off the water, then exited the steamy bathroom of the hotel.

Pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms, he smiled. He’d never been one for wearing the tops. Initially, Willa had wanted to wear them, but he’d wanted her naked in their bed. More often than not, he was naked as well—so much easier to fuck her if there wasn’t clothing in the way. Lifting the cooler off the bed, he grabbed the other half of the sandwich and a beer, and plopped down in the middle of the mattress. He turned on the television, watching something mindless, and it was interrupted by breaking news. The media had discovered Simon Eastwick was a fugitive.

“Shit,” he muttered. “There goes easy.”

Mac knew from this point forward, it would be useless tips and racing with the press to find the guy. He texted John and the men who would be heading out to change the meeting time from seven to six. Maybe they could get a jump on the feeding frenzy.

S imon Eastwick was angry. He’d planned his wife’s murder perfectly. She hadn’t grown old gracefully, and as she began the change of life, she’d lost any and all desire for sex and expected him to do without. There should have been no hitch at all in his scheme to end his marriage without a huge financial impact. By now, he should be snuggled up to some international beauty in Dubai. But some mangy coyote had found his wife’s rotting corpse and unraveled Eastwick’s plans. He had yet to go to trial, but Eastwick was no fool. He knew his chances were slim to none, he wouldn’t be convicted. He had no interest in the lethal injection that could be imposed if he was found guilty.

He laughed to himself. They’d thought they had him trapped. All his bank accounts and other assets had been frozen. His passport had been seized, and his house was under surveillance. The authorities hadn’t known he had a safe hidden in the kitchen floor that contained several million dollars in cash and bearer bonds. He’d also planned ahead years ago and had a phony passport created. It, too, resided in the safe.

His stupid wife had played with well-bred, high-dollar warmbloods. He’d ensured one of them was trained to ride under a western saddle and one trained to carry a pack. He’d told her that way they could ride in the beautiful countryside together. He’d simply saddled the horse that could be ridden western and packed gear—and funds—for a ride across the border into Mexico. From there, an uncharted private flight to Dubai would take him to his new life with some young beauty who’d ride his cock the way his wife hadn’t in years.

He felt his cock stiffen and reined in his libido. If he had enough time between when he arrived in the small Mexican border town and when his plane would be ready to whisk him off to a new life, he’d find a high-end whore to vent his frustrated lust on.

Part of his plan had worked. The horses had been well trained and were doing their job. The part he hadn’t counted on was, while they looked to be in beautiful shape—glistening coats and firm, muscular bodies—they weren’t in aerobic shape. They tired easily, were afraid of their own shadows, and in general, were a pain in the ass, but he had no choice. These two were his only way out. He followed the small river that lazed along the foothills, heading south, and tried to keep close to the mountains, especially during the day. At night, he did without the comfort of a fire, eating protein bars and drinking tepid water. He dressed in layers and was warm enough, but not comfortable. It wouldn’t be for long, he told himself. Soon, he’d be in Dubai. Soon, his new life would start.