Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

W illa woke a bit disoriented. She didn’t normally nap in the middle of the day. She pulled on a pair of leggings, a bra, and a long sweater, and wandered into the common area of the safe house. When the two agents on duty rose to greet her, she waved them off.

“Let’s dispense with formality, okay? I’m Willa. I’m only here because Marshal McDaniel is a worrywart and doesn’t think I could handle a putz like Simon Eastwick.”

The agents grinned at one another. Apparently, she and Mac as an item was not news to either.

“He just wants to keep you safe Ms… Willa,” he corrected when she glared at him. “We’ll try to make you as comfortable as we can. I’m sure Mac showed you the entrance to the escape tunnel.”

“He did. Like he thinks I’d leave him or anyone else to make a stand while I head for the hills.”

“Yes, ma’am. Our sworn job is to protect you, so the man accused of killing Evie Eastwick is brought to justice. You’re our best shot at that. As I understand it, he confessed to you. That makes you an enormous threat. If we say run, you run. If you get away and something happens to us, we did the job we signed on for, and we put Eastwick away. If you don’t run and we fall, then we failed.”

For the first time, Willa really heard what he was saying.

“I-I didn’t understand,” she stammered.

“Now, you do.” The man grinned. “So, we’re good? If we say run, you get into that room, bolt the door, and rabbit down that tunnel to safety.”

She nodded. “Either of you hungry?”

“Yes, ma’am. John Hampton says you’re one helluva cook. He made sure we had all the stuff you use to make meatloaf and said if you offered to make it, we were in for a treat.”

“If I know John, he made sure I had enough, so there’d be plenty of leftovers for sandwiches.”

“And we were to tell you we prefer your rustic smashed potatoes.”

Willa laughed. “Yes, John would tell you that. He’s a big fan.”

“He seems to know you pretty well.”

“He does. His wife works for me, and they’re good friends with both Mac and me.”

“You don’t need to feel obligated to cook for us.”

“This is John’s way of trying to keep me occupied, so I’m not too much of a pain in the ass.”

“He seemed to think the best thing to do if you were less than cooperative,”—he smiled as Willa laughed out loud—“was to call Mac.”

“Remind me to hit Marshal Hampton over the head with something heavy next time I see him.”

Willa spent the next several hours making food for the men who had been charged with keeping her safe. She only hoped those Mac had kept with him would be ensuring he returned to her.

M ac and the other marshals’ trip to join up with the border patrol proved to be a bust. They found the town car, but the driver had alibied up, so they returned to Scottsdale to regroup and figure out their next move.

Mac called Willa on the secure line, and she excused herself, retreating to the bedroom for a little privacy.

“Are you okay?” she asked immediately.

“Other than frustrated and missing you, I’m just dandy.”

“I can tell you for a fact a cold shower only takes the edge off.”

He laughed. “You behaving yourself, Cowgirl?”

“I am.”

“And are the agents with you going to tell me the same?”

“They are,” she said. “I took a nap earlier, then John made sure I had food to prepare.”

“If it was meatloaf, save me a sandwich, will you?”

“That’s disappointing. We’re finally back together, and the thing you want to eat is meatloaf.”

Mac dropped his voice. “No, Cowgirl, the thing I want to eat is that honey you keep between your legs. How’s your pretty red fanny doing?”

“Not as painful as it was earlier. You do know that hurts, right?”

“If it doesn’t, I’m not doing it right.”

“I take it you didn’t catch Slippery Simon.”

“No.” He chuckled. “Close but, as they say, no cigar. We’re working on it, babe.”

“I know you are. I want to come home, and I know that’s not happening until he’s caught.”

“Correct. If we don’t catch him in the next few days, I’ll try to come down there to check on you.”

“Is that going to be a complete and thorough inspection, Marshal McDaniel?” she asked seductively.

“Yes, it is, one might even say intimate.” He was glad she was bantering with him.

“I might even manage to behave until then.”

“I really wish you would. I’d much prefer to have your inspection involve a lot of sighing and moaning as opposed to crying and caterwauling.”

“I do not caterwaul!”

“You do when your bottom warms up and starts changing colors. Still a nice shade of red, or has that faded to a nice blush pink?”

“You’ll have to come see for yourself. Are Gus and the horses home?”

“They are, and I had Baez stay with them.”

“Thanks, Mac.”

“I love you, Cowgirl. Behave yourself until I get there.”

“Maybe… maybe not. You’d better not keep me waiting too long. Some of these guys assigned to be my bodyguards are pretty cute, and lots of steamy romance novels have sex scenes between the heroine and her bodyguard.”

“Yeah? And in those books, does the sexy heroine get her bottom spanked by the hero?”

“I love you, too, Mac.”

Willa hung up and slumped on the bed.

The next few days became routine. Willa continued to be impressed by the two teams charged with her safekeeping. She had quickly taken on the role of chef, assuring them it gave her something to do versus being bored to tears or worried about Mac. The marshals were thoroughly enjoying someone who knew how to serve nutritious, delicious meals.

She woke one morning happy and excited. Mac was supposed to be there tonight. As she walked into the kitchen, she could feel the pall hanging in the air.

“What’s happened?” she asked.

“They’re being inundated with false tips and phony leads. Eastwick’s lawyer is making a lot of noise that his client had only bolted to escape our harassment and is willing to turn himself in if he can be under house arrest with an ankle monitor.”

“Isn’t that good news?” she asked.

“Yes and no. Yes, because at least we’d know where the bastard is. No, because it means they think our case against him has become weaker. Mac is concerned it’s a ploy to get you out in the open where he can take another shot at you.”

“Mac’s not coming, is he?” she said, suddenly understanding the discomfort of the men on her team.

“He needs to be up there to testify this afternoon and clean up some loose ends. He said to tell you he’d try to be here this weekend.”

“And he didn’t tell me himself because he knew I’d be pissed. Your boss is a jerk,” she said, going to her room and slamming the door.

The agents knocked on the door several times and called her name. She did nothing but wasn’t surprised when there was another knock before the key was inserted, the lock disengaged, and the door opened a crack.

“Willa?”

“I’m here. Just go away. I don’t like any of you at the moment.”

“Both teams are here. How about if we set up a perimeter patrol, then if you want, you can sit out on the porch? I know you’re used to being outside, so being cooped up for almost a week has to be tough.”

Willa stood and wiped away the tears she hadn’t known had fallen.

“Thanks. I’m sorry I blew up at you guys. You’re just doing your job. If you could make it so I could at least sit on the porch, I’d really appreciate it. And while you’re doing that, I’ll make breakfast… but your boss is still a jerk.”

Willa went to work in the kitchen, and by the time breakfast was made and consumed, she had the all-clear to sit out on the porch to sip her coffee. She sank into the rocker. It really was a lovely porch, not as nice as hers but still very nice.

One of the marshals walked out and handed her the secure phone.

“Hey, girlfriend!”

“Hey!” Willa was delighted to hear Mandy’s voice.

“John told me Mac can’t get down there tonight, but he and I could come over and keep you company if you like.”

“No, what happened was Mac asked John to bring you over, so I wouldn’t be as pissed off tomorrow when he does manage to show up.”

“Well, that might have been closer to what happened, but hey, we’re not a bad consolation prize.”

“Wanna bet? When I’m looking to have the Mighty Mac fuck my brains out, you and John suck as a substitute.” Willa giggled as two of the marshals on her detail sputtered and wiped their mouths. “Mandy, I just made my jailors spit their coffee.”

“I doubt they’re used to hearing him and his equipment referred to as the Mighty Mac.”

John grumbled in the background, and Mandy yelped in response to what Willa was sure was a swat to her bottom.

“John’s jealous, you don’t have a nickname for his package.”

John took the phone away from his wife.

“That’s enough out of the two of you. Do you want us to come over or not?”

“Sure, why not? Have Mandy pick up some bourbon, pecans, Mexican chocolate, and whipping cream. I’ll make pie. Maybe Mandy can use some leftover whipped cream to enhance your equipment.”

“Keep it up, Cowgirl. I’ll be happy to tell him what a brat you’re being.”

“I’m not being a brat, am I boys?” She flipped the phone to speaker and pointed it at her detail. A chorus of support could be heard. “So, there!”

“Yeah, you’re feeding them. They aren’t stupid. Usually, they’re stuck with frozen food.”

“Hey, a girl’s gotta make friends where she can.”

John chuckled and agreed to have Mandy pick up the requested items. After he disconnected, she asked, “Any chance I can call my ranch foreman to check in?”

“We need to clear it with Mac and run it through our system, but if you give me about an hour, I think I can arrange that.”

Willa contented herself with sipping coffee and rocking on the front porch. The marshal came out laughing and handed her the phone.

“We got the go-ahead. The Mighty Mac said if that would make you happy, we were good to go. Although I’m not sure, he’s all that happy with his new nickname.”

“Why not? Better than if I referred to him as the Mini Mac. Of course, that wouldn’t be accurate…”

The marshal laughed and walked away, shaking his head. The phone on the other end picked up.

“Gus?”

“No, but if you don’t react badly, you might still be able to save the old geezer.”

It took every ounce of her strength not to pale and let the men surrounding her know she had their quarry on the phone.

“You do know who this is, don’t you, Willa?”

“Of course, I do, Gussy. I haven’t been gone that long. How’s my boy Roscoe doing?”

“Good girl. Do you think you can evade your watchdogs and come here to your ranch?”

“Yes. I miss you, too. I should be home in a couple of days. I’ll see you soon.”

“It had better be within the hour. I don’t have long. Your friend has less time unless you get here.”

“Not a problem. I’ll see you soon.”

She hung up and handed the phone to the marshal.

“Hey, if John and Mandy are coming, I think I’ll go soak in the tub, then lie down for a bit.”

“You feeling okay?”

“Sure, I’m just stressed and disappointed Mac won’t be here tonight.”

“I’m sure he misses you, too, Willa.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “Thanks for everything. You guys have made a really shitty situation even better than tolerable.”

“We try.”

She headed into the bedroom, silently engaged the deadbolt, and ran a tub full of water. As it was filling, she slipped into a pair of boots and walked over to Mac’s side of the bed and determined he’d left his backup gun. She ensured the safety was on and slipped it into the waistband of her leggings.

Quietly, she opened the trap door, went down the ladder, and into the tunnel. She was quite sure this was the last thing Mac had in mind when he’d shown her the escape route. Willa pulled the trap door down, making sure the rug wasn’t caught in the opening. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out how she’d eluded them, but hopefully, she’d be within striking distance of home when they did.

If they called Mac and related her conversation, he’d know there was something very wrong at home.

M ac hung up with John, who’d regaled him with his conversation with Willa. It sounded like she was behaving and putting up with having her freedom curtailed. He looked at the small, velvet box on the desk that contained the ring he’d had made before they split up. The large yellow diamond at its center was flanked on either side with channel set pink tourmaline and hessonite garnets, the colors of the Arizona sky at sunrise, Willa’s favorite time of day.

His cell phone rang, and before he could even say hello, he was given the message he had never wanted to hear.

“She’s gone, Boss. She must have bolted down the escape tunnel. We went to the end, and the keys are missing, and the gate across it is open. She must have gone right after she said she wanted to soak in the tub. The hidden Jeep is gone as well. I don’t?—”

“Calm down. I understand Willa’s gone. What happened? John said she sounded fine. Did Gus say something to her to upset her?”

“I couldn’t hear his side of it, but when she asked about her boy Roscoe, it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong.”

“She asked about Roscoe? Not Gator?”

“Yeah, she asked Gussy about Roscoe. I’m sure of it.”

“Shit, there’s something very wrong at her place. Everyone needs to head there now. There’s a small side road behind a gate. Open the gate and wait for us. We’re going to want to go in from the side entrance to the ranch as quietly as possible.”

“We’ll be waiting. Do you want us to go without you?”

“If I’m more than ten minutes behind you, then go, but quiet. Real quiet. Gus is her foreman, and no one ever calls him Gussy. And Roscoe is my horse… Gator is hers.”

John had overheard enough to know there was trouble and gathered the men, guns, and vehicles. By the time Mac was off the phone, he was holding the door open for him. Mac sprinted out the door, and the two hopped into a waiting SUV, speeding through the streets of Scottsdale, and joined the detail from the safe house in record time.

Silently, the marshals crept forward through the rear of the barn. Clearing that building, Mac guided them around the hay shed and a group of trees down to the creek and behind the house, coming up under the deck off the bedroom.

They moved through the French doors, clearing the bedroom and bath, and moved onto the main portion of the house. It, too, was empty. Gus was slumped over and tied to a dining room chair, Baez in a similar position, with large goose eggs forming on their temples, but both had strong, regular breathing. Mac smiled as he looked at the knots Willa had used to tie them up. Once either of them had come to, they would have been able to untie themselves instantly.

Baez looked to have a concussion, so an ambulance was called. Gus sponged cool water all over his face.

“Easy, Gus. I’m assuming it was Eastwick?” asked Mac.

“He’s got Willa, Mac. She made a deal with him for Baez and me. He’s going to kill her.”

“Not if we can help it. Any idea where she might have taken him?”

Gus was quiet for a moment, then smiled.

“Yeah, away from civilization. That bastard doesn’t know anything about the wilderness. There’s a small pass leading through the mountains we can check. I’ll bet Willa will find a way to leave us a sign if that’s where she’s gone. Billy Crofton, the next ranch over, is a decent tracker. He’ll be able to follow the tracks. Let’s head to that trail system and see if she left us a marker. If not, we’ll have to depend on Billy to track her. If she used that system, she knows I know it, and we can get ahead of them and set a trap.”

“That’s my Willa. You up for this, Gus?”

“She ain’t just your Willa. She’s been mine a lot longer. I love that girl like she’s my own, and she gave herself up for me.”

Mac sent one of his men to enlist Crofton’s help while they saddled horses. Gus loaded the trailer with three of their best, including Mac’s buckskin. He was going to head to the spot that would allow them to set a trap for Eastwick. He gave the coordinates to Mac and the three marshals, who would wait for the other marshal to return with the tracker. Mac and John took off for the trailhead in the old Jeep Willa kept for rough country.

“We’ll get her, Mac. She’s a smart girl.”

“That she is. I need her to be okay. Why didn’t she let the team know? Why didn’t she try to reach one of us?”

“She’s used to being on her own. Gus is like family to her. Knowing what she knows about Eastwick, I can’t see her doing anything else.”

“She’s going to need to develop an instinct to ask for help.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to encourage that behavior.”

Mac couldn’t help but grin. He had to believe Willa would be all right. When they arrived at the trailhead, they saw it, a recently broken branch. Mac wheeled the Jeep away from the trail and sped as fast as he could to Gus’ position. John called the rest of the team to tell them to close off the trailhead and the only other possible escape route. The broken branch was too high for any animal to have done it.

Willa had left them a sign.