ecstatic.”
“Interesting,” Joe said.
“Look, you need to be available this evening. The governor’s planning a press conference about the rescue and he wants you here. He’s going to make you a hero, Joe.”
“Nope,” Joe said.
Carson coughed. “But you
As Carson talked, Joe glanced over to make sure there was no sign of Nate. They were gone. He didn’t know if he’d ever see Diane again, and wondered where Nate would take her. And how would he and Nate go on?
Finally, he said, “They aren’t with me.”
After a long pause, Carson said, “Who isn’t with you?”
“Diane Shober. I let her go.”
Carson stammered, “I’m not sure what to say. The governor is going to be very disappointed in you, Joe. Very disappointed.”
He shrugged, even though Carson had no idea what he was doing. Joe said, “He’s not the only one.”
He rode down the trail to meet the throng of law enforcement personnel, media, and hangers-on who waited for him. At the side of the crowd he saw Brent and Jenna Shober. They looked anxious.
Something flashed in his peripheral vision as he rode and he cocked his head. The lone wolf again, bidding him good-bye. He wondered how long they’d been tracked.
He turned in the saddle to make sure the bodies of the brothers were still tightly bound to the packhorses.
He thought: They were under control, at last. McKinty, Brent Shober, and Bobby Mc Cue would be pleased.
The sun doused as massive black thunderheads rolled across the sky. Storm coming.
The author would like to acknowledge the people who contributed to this book, most of all Wyoming game warden Mark Nelson, who first encountered a set of twin brothers in the Wind River Mountains and lived to tell the tale. Also Sherry Merryman, Brian Kalt, Brian Lally, Becky Box, Laurie Box, Molly Box, Don Hajicek of cjbox.net, and my stellar agent, Ann Rittenberg.
As always, a tip of the black hat to the team of pros at Putnam, including Ivan Held, Michael Barson, Summer Smith, Tom Colgan, and the legendary Neil Nyren.
