LITMIR.BIZ

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Diablo, apparently a Callahan tradition. Sloan sat on a leather sofa, leaning back, his mind wandering. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kendall, worrying about her, though he doubted she would appreciate his concern. And he was more apprehensive than he’d let on. Although he’d vigilantly studied the E.R. parking lot, he hadn’t seen one thing, one person, that raised his radar.

      But he felt a dark presence nearby. Hidden. Watching.

      He feared the mercenaries who were now on Callahan land weren’t newbies to the game. Unlike the last merc who’d tried to take his cousins down, whatever was here now was serious. Their grandfather had warned of three—which meant the enemy could gather a lot of intel while husbanding their resources and not stretching too thin.

      Sloan’s gut cramped. Kendall had been fortunate.

      “I’ll let Sloan fill you in on what happened,” Jonas told the roomful of men and Ashlyn.

      Sloan put down his crystal glass. “As you know, Fiona and our grandfather have decided we should stick together. I’m not sure about that,” he said. “With the attack on Kendall, I feel pretty certain she was an intended kidnapping victim. I’ll go with the general vote on whether we go undercover or remain on the ranch.”

      He knew everyone in the room had the same thing on their minds: How best to protect the whole family?

      “We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Falcon said. “Kidnappings are a concern.”

      “Anything could happen—not to scare the hell out of you,” Galen said.

      Sloan saw his six Callahan cousins absorb this. They had families here. His side didn’t have skin in the game—no children, no wives. They could pick up and leave tomorrow, and this would have just been a nice vacation for them.

      Except Kendall. She needed a bodyguard, in his opinion. She was tough, but a tiny woman like her was no match for a merc. The spirits had been on her side today.

      The library doors opened. Chief Running Bear walked in, and everyone stood. Sam handed him a cut crystal tumbler of whiskey.

      They all settled into the leather seats. Their grandfather set his glass on a table, his dark face serious. “Everything has changed.”

      Sloan cast a glance at his cousins. They were serious, alert. Listening.

      The chief looked at all of them. “With this direct attack on the ranch, we must change the enemy’s focus.”

      “What are you suggesting, Chief?” Jonas asked.

      “Divide and conquer.” The old man studied the people in the room, assessing their reaction to his words. He looked grave. “The situation is dangerous. The tactic must meet the moment. All Jeremiah’s children and grandchildren must leave the ranch.”

      Sloan’s cousins didn’t say a word. He figured that had to be a huge bombshell dropped on them. But he also saw where the chief was going. With no one here, the mercs’ purpose was essentially wasted. They were never going to find the Callahan parents; Molly and Jeremiah would never be given up by their sons.

      Unless a child was kidnapped. All bets were off if children were involved in a ransom situation. And that was the utmost worry now on the chief’s mind, Sloan felt certain, or his grandfather wouldn’t have suggested such a radical tactic.

      With sympathy, he met Jonas’s gaze. But there was nothing Sloan could say. No one had expected the situation to get this dangerous so fast.

      “Some can go to Dark Diablo. There’s room there for many,” the chief said. “Others can go to Hell’s Colony. Kendall and her brothers have offered their compound, which she says is large and safe. There’s also transport for the children, and a staff to assist with the transition.

      “I told her we were looking for a place for the children to go to school, for maybe the next half year. I didn’t mention the mercenaries. When she’s over the shock of what happened today, perhaps more can be explained. For now, she believes we’re looking for a place where the children can also go to school. I was prepared to consider someplace in Canada, but Kendall has convinced me that, between the two locations, the family will be comfortable.”

      Sloan glanced around at his brothers and sister. Their grandfather’s plan meant his family could all go back to their own homes. He would miss spending time with them. He’d thought they would be here longer, have more time together.

      The chief looked directly at him. “You will stay here, Sloan, to keep an eye on the ranch. All of you, to watch over the Diablos, and the land.”

      They all glanced at each other, surprised.

      “It’s a lot of people to uproot,” Sloan said, “much to change. The children’s education, their friends.” He didn’t know why he was speaking up. The chief’s plan was clear and concise, his preeminent goal to get the children and women out of the line of fire. Sloan got it—the plan was wise, strategic. Still, he understood how hard this would be on the families.

      As a military operative, he’d lived alone for many years. Loneliness was part of the deal. But not for children.

      “It’s true,” the chief said. “But there is no other way. There were no women, no children, before, but now there are many targets. I would not lose any of my family. Or my friends.”

      The chief meant Kendall. Sloan felt himself tense.

      “Well,” Jonas said, “there are two silver linings here. We have places to go, fortunately, because the Hilton would get expensive for as many of us as there are.”

      His brothers laughed, the tension lightening just a bit. There was, of course, no Hilton in Diablo, New Mexico.

      “And thankfully, we have backup,” he added, looking at Sloan.

      After a long moment, Sloan nodded. For him, the mission had not changed all that much.

      But it had become more personal than before.

      * * *

      KENDALL EYED SLOAN when he entered her room upstairs in the main house. “I have no makeup on,” she said, “and I’m just vain enough that it matters. Plus I haven’t showered. And I’m sulking because I’m stuck in here. So you’ve been warned.” Her leg was atop a pillow, and she wore a tiny tank top and some heart-dotted shorts for comfort.

      Sloan thought she looked sexy as hell.

      He sat in the wingback chair next to the window. Not too close. “You got lucky.”

      “I guess.” She winced, not wanting to dwell on the attack. “Anyway, just for the record, I knew you did something to put me to sleep. Don’t do it again. I’m no fainting female who needs to be protected from the scary monsters.”

      He considered her. “You’re very brave.”

      “It has nothing to do with bravery,” Kendall said, “which is the part that scares me. I just reacted. But what if I’d frozen?”

      She’d be dead or kidnapped. Sloan didn’t mention that. Kendall would figure it out in time.

      “So what was the meeting about? I heard a lot of footsteps on the stairs.”

      He thought her blond hair, which was pulled up into a ponytail, would probably be soft as a bird’s wing if he ever got to touch it. “Jonas should probably be the one to tell you.”

      “You go ahead and tell me, soldier. My curiosity is killing me.”

      She was just the type of woman who would always want to have all the information. “Not my job, beautiful.”

      She stared at him. “Are you patronizing me?”

      “Stating a fact. You are beautiful. The truth should not be an intimidating thing.”

      “Oh.” She considered him for a moment. “That was pretty smooth for a guy who’s supposed to be a loner.”

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