Page 54 of Isla by Any Other Name

Mitch watched as Curt got all excited about the drones. He was a tech nerd at heart. “I figure maybe we could set up a trap for them. If they take the bait, we might just get lucky. Could be an inside job. We won’t know until we get there. It’s been awfully convenient that they know when and where the cattle are being rounded up to move. Doesn’t seem right…”

“You’re coming?” Mitch said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I figured we could take the chopper. That’ll give us two birds in the air. The client’s giving us his pilot to use as we see fit.”

“Is he capable?” Mitch asked. “Things could get dicey.”

“He’s a retired Air Force pilot with combat experience. I think we’re good.”

“When do we leave?

“The day after next. We could be out there for a while. Anything you need to do before you leave?”

“Nope, I’m ready whenever you need me,” Mitch said.

Three days later, they were landing on Hidden Haven Ranch. It was huge. Finding the rustlers was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Jax and Nick met them when they landed. Naturally, they had arrived early. Flying a helicopter across country took a while. It wasn’t as cozy as the private jet, but Mitch had enjoyed it just the same. They headed toward the house, a massive log home bigger than the one in Virginia. If you could call a log home a mansion, this was it. The barns alone were something to see. Cattle and horses had dotted the countryside as they had flown over. The mountains in the distance were magnificent.

Mitch was in awe of the beauty around him. But he wasn’t fooled by it. This was a rugged place with criminals hiding out and ready to kill. Isolation and the elements were the least of their worries. The closest neighbors were miles away. They would be pretty much on their own.

The owner, Cal Keffler, and his ranch manager, Brice Wiseman, met them at the log home. Introductions were made and they were off to discuss what had been happening since they had last talked. As of yesterday, another hundred cattle had been rustled and were gone in the wind. This had to be a big operation. For someone to steal that much livestock, they had to have someplace big enough to put them. Brands had to be changed and paperwork forged. Not to mention the number of trucks it took to transport them.

Hidden Haven Ranch bordered other ranches to the south, north, and east. It bordered the Crow Indian Reservation to the west, nearly 2,308 million acres with a population of almost 8,000 residents. Cal had already spoken to the chairman, Rod Blackhawk, who they would meet soon. With the reservation and the neighboring ranches, Curt’s team had miles of open land to scour.

They flew the chopper to Chairman Blackhawk’s impressive office. The revenue from the casinos was obvious, though many people on the reservation lived under the poverty level.

Rod Blackhawk welcomed them warmly. He and Cal seemed to be on good terms. “Cal, you have my permission to search the reservation. Whatever we can do to help, we will. I can’t offer up my officers. We’re short-staffed as it is.”

“I figured that, Rod,” said Cal. “That’s why I hired these guys. They’ve got the technology to end this nightmare. I’ve already lost one ranch hand because of these guys. He was a family man, left two kids and a young wife. I really appreciate whatever you can do.”

“I’ll meet with my police chief this morning and fill him in,” said Rod. “I’ll have him contact you if they come across anything suspicious.”

Mitch went through the motions, interviewing the heads of the surrounding ranches. But as he looked around at the wide-open blue sky, his heart knew something big was going to happen soon.

Chapter twenty-eight

The next two days were spent programming the drones and hatching a final plan to catch the rustlers. Curt’s team had decided that the surest way to catch them was to bait a trap. Cal and Brice needed to move two hundred head into another pasture. This way they would make it easy for the rustlers and locate them near a road. There was a stand of trees and brush close enough to the herd to give them adequate coverage.

Cal still wasn’t convinced it was an inside job, but he was willing to go along with the plan. Curt and the team were sure that it was. There was no other way for the rustlers to know where the herd was being kept. The ranch was just too big—and it wasn’t a coincidence that they knew just where to look.

They had gone over a list of ten new hires from the last year. A huge ranch like this was the perfect place for a person to hide if he didn’t want to be found. If a man was willing to work hard, they were hired on the spot.

Brice and Cal didn’t think that any of the new hires were necessarily the culprits. But they were suspects. Mitch treated everyone with suspicion. After being shot in Hilton Head, and nearly watching that bullet hit Isla, he’d never let his guard down again. They were just wrapping up the meeting when the door opened. A red-haired woman and a little boy came into the room.

“Dad, sorry to disturb you all. Do you have a minute? We’ve got a situation down at the stables.”

“Gentlemen, this is my daughter Allison and her son Liam. Allison, these gentlemen are from Dark Knight Security. I’ve hired them to put a stop to this rustling ring and bring Hayden’s killer to justice.” He then went around the room and introduced everyone on the team.

Mitch looked over at Curt who seemed to have sat up taller. Mitch could tell Curt was interested in the pretty woman who had just entered the room.

Liam threw himself at Cal. “Grandpa, Star’s sick. Mommy says we have to call the doctor.”

“Then we will,” Cal said as he hugged his grandson tight. He looked up at his daughter. “What’s going on, Allison?”

“Star’s having a hard time delivering her baby. Bob can’t turn the foal around, it’s breech. I called Trent, but he said it would take him two hours to get here. Star doesn’t have two hours. Can we send the chopper out to get him?”

“The chopper’s not available. I wouldn’t be able to get it here for at least two hours.”