'That's a possibility.'
'It won't work. You'll be picked off yourself. I'm calling my men to come up and get me.'
'Go ahead. I believe they're probably being kept a little busy at the moment.' He paused. 'Did you hear that?'
'What?'
'It's like peas being shaken in a tin cup.'
'You're bluffing. I don't hear anything.'
Marrok had been bluffing. But there was an edgy note in Danner's voice that convinced him to push it a little harder 'Strange. You're so much closer to them.'
'I don't hear anything but that damn coyote howling. The same one that's been yapping for the last five minutes.'
Coyote. What was he talking about? Marrok didn't hear any howling.
And then he heard the rattle.
'Shit,' Danner said.
Marrok heard one shot, two.
He started up the path, keeping low, darting from side to side.
Another shot, ricocheting off the boulders at the top of the cliff.
A howling behind him.
Not a coyote. A dog.
No, two dogs.
Ned and Wiley tore into view and bounded up the path, almost knocking Marrok aside as they passed him.
They were heading for the top of the cliff.
'No!' Marrok yelled. He took off after them at a dead run. 'Heel, Ned. Dammit, stop.'
Ned ignored him. He and Wiley had already reached the boulders at the top and were running behind them.
More shots.
Oh, God. The son of a bitch had shot them.
He tore around the boulder.
Danner was on the ground, and both dogs were on top of him. Ned was ripping at the arm holding the gun, and Wiley had his teeth in the man's throat.
Danner screamed. He was trying to lift the gun. 'Get them off me!'
'Sorry. They don't seem to be paying any attention to me.' Marrok carefully aimed to avoid hitting the dogs and put a bullet in Danner's forearm.
Danner screeched, and the gun fell to the ground as the bone shattered.
Marrok felt a fierce surge of satisfaction. 'It hurt, didn't it? How many of Paco's bones did you break, Danner?'
Danner was still trying to ward off Ned and Wiley. 'Get these dogs off me!'
'They don't like you. Do you think they remember you caging them after you killed Paco?' He walked toward him. 'They hate cages.'
Suddenly, both dogs were backing off Danner, looking at Marrok.
'I'll kill you all.' Danner was raving. 'Damn dogs, damn snakes… I'll kill you all.' He managed to roll to the side, and his other hand closed on the gun. 'And you, Marrok. I'll kill-'
'Good-bye, Danner.'
Marrok's bullet shattered his skull.
Dead.
Marrok crossed the distance between them and stood looking down at Danner.
'I'm sorry it took a long time, Paco,' he whispered. 'I've killed the bastard. Now you send him to hell, okay?'
Ned and Wiley were not even staring at the man they'd been savaging only minutes before. The rage and ferocity were suddenly gone from their demeanor. They sat down beside Marrok and looked up at him as if asking for instructions.
'It's over. It's okay now,' Marrok said. 'You did well.' Though how and why they had suddenly appeared he had no idea. He'd worry about that later. 'Let's go down and see about Bridget.'
HE MET DEVON WHEN HE was halfway down the canyon.
She stopped on the path and drew a deep breath as Ned and Wiley ran to greet her. 'Thank God. I heard the shots. Danner?'
'Dead. How is Bridget?'
'Bad. Still alive-911 sent an air ambulance to pick her up. They should be here any minute. I left Walt with her.' She looked down at the dogs. 'He was worried about Ned and Wiley. Sid said they broke away from the other dogs and took off. He was going after them when I called him. Sid said it was weird. They both had their heads cocked as if they were listening to something. Then they bolted.'
The phantom coyote that Marrok had not been able to hear.
The rattlesnakes that had distracted Danner enough to keep him from killing the attacking dogs.
Marrok had thought he'd heard a rattle, but he'd seen no sign of the snakes Danner had been muttering about before his death. Could they have slid back into the crevices? Or had it all been Danner's imagination, aided by the thought Marrok's words had planted? He didn't find the latter possibility viable. Danner was too cool to be drawn, and the bastard's voice had been genuinely terrified.
Paco?
He took Devon's hand and started striding quickly down the hill. 'Who knows? Maybe they were listening to something.'
THE AIR AMBULANCE WAS LANDING when they reached the plateau.
Walt was standing by Bridget's stretcher with Nika and Addie by his side. He looked up at Devon soberly. 'She's not going to make it. They're taking her to the hospital in Tucson, but she'll be lucky if she's not DOA when she gets there.'
Devon's heart plummeted. 'No, I promised her she'd live. She's
Marrok's comforting hand was on her arm. 'She'll live,' he said. 'We're going to do everything we can, Devon.'
'She said she didn't want to die,' Devon said jerkily. 'She said to tell you to stay with her, that you owed her.'
'She didn't have to remind me of that.' His hand tightened on Devon's arm. 'I know how much I owe her. And you're damn right I'll stay with her. I'll bring Ned and Wiley with me. If I need them, I'll send for Nika and Addie, too.'
'You may have a few problems getting the hospital to let you do that,' Walt said. 'They have rules.'
'That can be broken. Get Sarah Logan on the phone and have her start pulling strings. I want clearance by the time we reach the hospital.' He started for the plane that had just landed. 'And I'll take care of getting the pi lot to accept them myself right now. They have to be on the plane, close to her.'
Devon watched him stride across the plateau with Wiley at his heels. She began to feel the faintest flicker of hope. Marrok had said Bridget would live and he had been with Ned on many missions when the Lab had managed to cure the incurable.
Walt was dialing his cell. 'Don't get your hopes up,' he said gently. 'She's bad, Devon.'
'I know that.' She looked down at Bridget. She had known her for such a short time, and their togetherness had been fraught with such a multitude of emotions-suspicion, anger, admiration, amazement. They had not really had a chance to become friends. Yet this woman may have given her life for Devon. 'But she said she had a chance. We've got to see that she gets it.' She took Bridget's hand. Lord, it was cold and limp. 'We're here, Bridget,' she whispered. 'I don't know how it works, but we'll stay with you. We'll bring you through this.'
No response.
Ned was whimpering in distress. He moved close to Bridget, his nose gently pushing against her cheek as if