'She won't go. She made her decision to help with the dogs, and I don't mean to hurt your ego, but you're not the sole reason she's here.'
'Then find a way to get her away from me. Any way.' He turned away and looked out at the fields. 'It shouldn't be that difficult. I'm sure you were well schooled in that type of operation by Lincoln and his merry men. Or I could do it myself.'
'I wouldn't trust you,' she said bluntly. 'You have to commit, and you don't want to commit to this. If you did, you wouldn't have called me.'
'Clever Bridget.' He smiled. 'But you're willing to commit, aren't you? You've been wanting to get rid of her since she came.'
'It's best.' She paused. 'Okay, I'll do it. Right away?'
'As soon as possible. I don't know how much time we have before Danner makes his move. Act fast.'
'Danner will be cautious. He won't attack without sending someone in to reconnoiter. He'll find out this ranch is a stronghold.'
'I know. I've been thinking about it. And when he does attack, it will be with force, and that means more people will be hurt or killed.' He paused. 'That's why I'm pulling out right after I finish talking to you.'
Her eyes widened. 'What?'
'I'm going home. I'm taking the dogs and going back where this all began.'
'Paco's canyon?'
He nodded. 'I know it very well. Every cave, every rock, every cactus, every path.' He smiled sardonically. 'Don't you think it's fitting that I meet Danner on my own territory? It should bring back memories for the bastard. The last time he was there was when they dumped Paco's dead body on the plateau.'
'I think you're crazy. You should stay here, where you're safer.' She was studying his face. 'But you don't want to be safe. You want to go hunting and howl at the moon.'
'I'm good at hunting.'
'And what about the dogs?'
'I won't take them there alone. I'll take a team and position them all over the canyon. The guardians will be there to care for the dogs… and get them out if anything goes wrong. I told you, I know that area. I can keep them safe.'
'So you're going to set up, then let Danner know you're waiting for him?'
'Yes.'
'I should be there to help.'
'You have your own job to do.' He turned away and strode toward the front door. 'And if you get Devon hurt, I'll break your neck.'
'That's comforting,' she murmured, watching the door shut behind him. She hadn't the slightest doubt that Marrok would go lethal if she was clumsy about this. There had been a note in his voice that she had heard before but never to her. She was still reeling with surprise, but she'd better pull herself together and start thinking. Marrok was right, she needed to pull Devon out of the equation, and she should be jumping at the chance.
But she wasn't jumping. There were too many potential hazards. One of them was Devon herself.
She slowly sat down in the swing. Think. Plan. Put all the pieces together.
There could be an opportunity here.
MARROK WAS gone.
Devon smothered the disappointment that tore through her as she looked at the pillow next to her. It wasn't fair to Marrok to expect him to be here when she woke. She had told him she had no expectations, and yet here she was acting as if he'd betrayed her.
She sat up in bed and glanced at the clock-6:35 A.M. Where was he? It didn't matter. Get up. Get on with her life. She had been more open and vulnerable last night than at any other time of her life, but that didn't mean that she was going to act any different now than she usually did.
She got up and headed for the bathroom. She'd shower, get dressed, and go down to the bunkhouse. Perhaps she'd call Marrok and ask him-No, she'd wait until he contacted her. She'd been aggressive enough.
For Pete's sake, what an immature reaction. This wasn't a game where they took turns. She'd do what she wished and whatever she thought right.
Lord, she wished he'd still been in bed when she'd opened her eyes. She wanted to see his face, talk to him. She felt naked, exposed. She wanted this first confrontation over. Even if it meant hearing words she didn't-
Her cell phone rang.
Marrok?
She eagerly pressed the button.
'Did you think you'd get away from me, bitch?'
Shock jolted through her. She couldn't speak for a moment. 'Lester.' She drew a deep breath. 'I see you managed to get my cell number after all.'
'I told you I'd do it. You helped. I'm a cop, and you supplied a good reason for me to use every means to track you down. Everyone wanted to help find poor Devon Brady.' He paused. 'They didn't know what a slut you are. But I know, don't I?'
'It won't do you any good to know my number. I'm going to throw my phone away as soon as I hang up.'
'I wouldn't do that. It's going to make me angry if I want to get in touch with you again. You don't want to make me angry. I might make it harder on that son of a bitch you're screwing. I've decided I'm going to hurt Marrok very badly, Devon. I told you never to fuck another man.'
Marrok. Panic soared through her. How had he known about Marrok?
'I hear he's a half-breed. Trust you to pick up a dirty Indian to screw. A rutting animal just like you.'
She had to ask it. 'How… did you know I was with Marrok?'
'I can find out anything I want to find out. You should know that. Didn't I find you every time you ran away? This time you made it easy for me. You brought his dog back from that island. There was a Captain Ramirez who had a report on Marrok. I knew you only went down there to fuck someone and I was right. But now I know your cell number and soon I'll know where you are.'
'I'm not with Marrok any longer.'
'Yes you are. I can always tell when you're lying,' he said softly. 'You want to protect him, don't you? You always want to protect them. It's not going to do you any good. It's your fault I have to get rid of them. Do you remember that shyster lawyer, Don Garrett, who went over the cliff in his fancy Porsche?'
His words stunned her. Don Garrett? He'd been the lawyer who had helped her prepare her case all those years ago in Texas. She had heard he'd been killed in an auto accident, but that had only been a short time ago. It seemed impossible that Lester would wait and spin his web of malice all that time before striking.
No, nothing was impossible for Lester.
She felt sick. 'You're telling me you did that?'
'I told you not to see anyone. You didn't listen to me.'
'You didn't- You never said anything.'
'I'm not stupid. I have to protect myself.'
'Then why are you telling me now?'
'It doesn't matter anymore. I'm going away. You're coming with me.'
'No,' she whispered.
'Yes.' His voice lowered. 'But first I'm going to find Marrok and kill the bastard.'
Her heart was pounding with fear. 'You won't be able to do that. He's not like Garrett.'
'Tough guy? There's always a way. I have contacts. I can pick up the phone and get a hit man to do it for me. I'll wait and watch. When he least expects it, he'll die, Devon.'
She closed her eyes as panic raced through her. 'What a lot of trouble for nothing. I was going to leave him anyway. He's nothing to me. Just a way to get away from you. I'll be a thousand miles from here by the time you find out where I am.'
'Will you? Then maybe he's not that important to me. But I'll still find you and, if he's with you, then I win the jackpot.'
The jackpot. To Lester that meant having Devon and killing Marrok.
