LITMIR.BIZ

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them to dismiss her as harmless. “Silly me, I’d already forgotten about the horse.”

      The one named Reynolds said, “It belongs to someone we know.”

      “Your friend needs to be more careful,” she said. “The horse showed up on my property without a saddle or a bridle or anything.”

      The friendly smiles she offered to the two thugs went unanswered. They meant business.

      The taller, Drew, had sandy hair and heavy shoulders. His mouth barely moved when he spoke. “We’re looking for the guy who was riding that horse.”

      “I didn’t see anybody.” She widened her eyes, even fluttered her lashes. “Like I said, no bridle or saddle.”

      Drew said, “If you saw him, it’d be smart to tell us.”

      His comment sounded a bit like a threat. “Who is this person? What’s his name?”

      “Tony Perez.”

      With complete honesty, she shook her head. “Never heard of him. But I’ll be on the lookout. Is there a number I should call if I see him?”

      Drew handed her a business card that contained only his name and a cell phone number.

      “I guess that wraps up our business.” Woodley checked his wristwatch. “I’d better shove off.”

      She wanted to cling to him and plead for him to stay until these two men were gone. “Can’t you stay for coffee?”

      “Sorry, kiddo. I’m running late for an appointment in Pinedale.” He strolled toward his vintage Ford Fairlane. “I hope you gents can find your missing friend.”

      They gave him a nod and headed toward their SUV. Caitlyn breathed a little sigh of relief. They were leaving. The crisis was averted.

      Before Woodley climbed behind the steering wheel, he said, “Don’t be a stranger, Caitlyn.”

      He drove down her driveway and turned onto the road. The two men stood beside their SUV talking. With every fiber of her being, she wanted them gone. These were two scary guys. Why hadn’t Mr. Woodley been able to see it?

      They came back toward her. Drew said, “We want to take a look around. To make sure he’s not hiding around here.”

      “That’s not necessary.” She positioned herself between him and her front porch. “There’s nobody here but me.”

      Drew glanced over his shoulder at the other man, Greg Reynolds. He was neat and crisp. His boots were polished. His charcoal sports jacket showed expensive tailoring, and his thick black hair glistened in the sunlight. She guessed that he was a man of expensive tastes, definitely the boss.

      Greg gave a slight nod, and Drew walked toward her cabin. Short of tackling him, there was no way Caitlyn could stop him. Still, she had to try.

      “Hey.” She grasped his arm. “I told you. There’s nobody here.”

      Slowly, he turned toward her and removed his sunglasses. He didn’t need to speak; the curl of his upper lip and the flat, angry glare from his eyes told her that he wouldn’t hesitate to use violence. And he would most likely enjoy hurting her.

      She stepped back. Silently, she prayed that Jack had hidden himself well or had managed to slip out the back door.

      “This is for your own safety,” Drew said. “Tony Perez is dangerous.”

      As she entered her cabin, her heart was pumping hard. She shoved her hands into her pockets so no one would notice the trembling.

      Jack had cleaned up every trace of his presence. On the dining room table, there was only one plate and one bottled water. She watched as Drew went into the bathroom. Jack’s discarded clothing had been in there. Apparently, his shirt and undershirt were gone because Drew emerged without saying anything.

      When Tony brushed past her, she caught a whiff of his expensive cologne. It smelled like newly minted hundred-dollar bills. He rested his hand on the door handle of the front closet and yanked it open. She noticed that her rifle was gone.

      IN THE LOFT ABOVE the stalls in the horse barn, Jack lay on his belly and sighted down the barrel of Caitlyn’s rifle. This weapon lacked the sophistication of the sniper equipment he was accustomed to using. Her rifle scope was rudimentary and so poorly mounted that he had removed it. At this range, he trusted his marksmanship. His first shot would show him the correction for this particular weapon, after which he would be accurate.

      His plan was simple. Take out the tall man with sandy hair; he was the most deadly. Then the boss.

      Holding the rifle felt natural, and he easily comprehended the necessary strategy in an assault situation. These skills weren’t inborn. He couldn’t remember where he’d learned or who taught him. But he knew how to kill.

      When Caitlyn and the men entered the house, Jack adjusted his position, trying to keep track of their movements through the windows. So far they hadn’t threatened Caitlyn, except for that moment when she touched the sandy-haired thug. The bastard looked like he wanted to kill her. If he’d hurt her, Jack would have squeezed the trigger. He’d gotten Caitlyn into this mess, but he wouldn’t let her be harmed.

      The optimum scenario would be for them to make their search and then go. She wasn’t a part of this.

      Not being able to see what was going on inside the house made him edgy. If they didn’t come outside soon, he needed to move in closer to protect her. He started a mental timer for five minutes.

      In the corral below him, the two horses—one light and one dark—stood at the railing. Their ears pricked up. They nickered and shifted their hooves. Animals could sense when something was wrong. The horses knew.

      He was nearing the end of his countdown when the small group emerged from the back door. Caitlyn looked angry. Earlier, she’d tried to act like a dumb blonde and had failed miserably. Her intelligence showed in every move she made and every word she spoke.

      The two men walked ahead of her toward the barn. Jack got ready to shoot. His position gave him an advantage, but he needed to time his shot so there was no chance they could retaliate. He wished there was some way to signal Caitlyn to keep her distance from them.

      They walked toward the corral. Coming closer, closer. They were less than fifty yards from his position. The tall man was in front. His hand slid inside his jacket, and he pulled his handgun.

      Jack aimed for the center of his chest, the largest target. If he’d been using a more sophisticated weapon, he would have gone for a head shot.

      He heard Caitlyn object. “What are you doing? Why do you have a gun?”

      The other man assured her, “We have to be prepared. The person we’re looking for is extremely dangerous.”

      Damn right. Jack knew he was capable of lethal action. A trained killer. Damn it, Caitlyn. Get out of the way. The slick-looking man with black hair, the boss, stayed close to her. Too close.

      Jack adjusted his aim. He’d kill the boss first. As he stared, he realized that he knew this man. Gregorio Rojas. He was the younger son of a drug cartel family that supplied the entire Midwestern United States.

      Hatred flared in Jack’s gut. His finger tensed on the trigger. Rojas was his sworn enemy. Take the shot. Rid the world of this bastard whose actions have been responsible for so much misery, so much death.

      Rojas paused, took a cell phone from his pocket. After a brief conversation, he motioned to the other man. They headed back toward their vehicle.

      Still, Jack didn’t relax his vigilance. Rojas was still within range.

      His memory was returning. The blank spaces knitted together in a tapestry of violence. Take the shot.

      Chapter Four

      Jack knew he had killed before. As he stared

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