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He winced at the look of naked pain in her eyes, but he’d done the right thing. It was best to make a clean break. To leave, and keep her safe. Even after he caught El Cazador, who knew if someone else from the past might appear someday, as intent as El Cazador for revenge? Would she be in danger then?
She would never know how much this moment hurt him.
Without another word, she shifted the truck into drive, then eased back onto the highway.
The miles sped past in a blur of barren grassland. At the top of a low hill she slowed, bit her lower lip and then pulled to the side. When she rolled down her window, the pungent, peppery scent of sagebrush rushed in on the cool evening air.
“This doesn’t look right,” she muttered, picking up the directions she’d written in a spiral notebook. “We’ve gone thirty-eight miles east of Banner Creek Road. This says we should have hit a gravel intersection three miles ago. Allowing for reasonable error, we should have seen it long before now.”
“Do you have the phone number?”
She gave a short laugh. “Wouldn’t do much good. The cellular reception way out here is poor, and I haven’t seen a ranch for the past half hour. There’s no way to call.”
Opening her door, she stepped out of the truck and moved to the front bumper to scan the terrain farther east. Zach grabbed the notebook and joined her. “Your notes say that the place was to be another twenty miles north of that turn.”
“And I don’t see a sign of any roads up ahead.” She shook her head slowly. “I don’t come this way very often, and I just don’t remember.”
Uneasiness hummed through Zach’s veins. “Was it a man or woman who called?”
“I didn’t take the call. Francie did.” Dana said, glancing at her watch. “We should go another few miles, just to be sure.”
“If this was legit, those clients will call again. But we can’t call your place from out here, so we need to get back. Now.”
Her eyes widened with sudden understanding. “Oh, my Lord.”
“Is Ben pretty good with that rifle?”
“Only if he’s got his glasses on,” she said faintly.
Zach clenched his jaw. “How fast does this thing go?”
* * * *
DANA PIVOTED TOWARD the driver’s side of the truck, but Zach caught her arm. “I’ll drive.”
“Hey! I’m perfectly capable—”
He propelled her toward the passenger side. “No time to argue. Get in.”
The second their seat belts were fastened, he threw the truck into gear for a three-point reverse of direction, then he gunned the motor. By the next rise the speedometer had hit eighty-five and Dana had braced a hand against the dashboard.
Her stomach lurched as he took a curve in a squealing, controlled skid. “Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m in a hurry.” He shot a glance up at the rearview mirror, then riveted his gaze on the road ahead. “I had an uneasy feeling about this, so I figured I’d better go with you just in case. But maybe you aren’t a target after all.”
“Target?” An image of Molly, Alex, and little Katie flashed through her thoughts. They were at home, in her kitchen. Eating ice cream and probably driving poor Ben to distraction with their chatter.
Dear Lord, let them be doing exactly that. Safe and sound. Why had she been in such denial about the dangers Zach had been trying to convey? “W-why would anyone harm them, Zach?” Her voice rose in a panic that she couldn’t control.
A muscle jerked along the lean plane of his jaw. “I could be wrong, but I can’t take that chance.”
“Who are you, really? What’s going on here? Tell me!”
As they rounded a curve, the truck rocked deeply to one side. From the vet box in back came the sound of breaking glass. Zach didn’t spare her a glance. “Later.”
Twelve miles east of the Rocking H, on a long stretch of straight highway, the speedometer crept up to ninety. Dana closed her eyes and leaned over, willing away the nausea rising in her throat as she thought about old Ben and the children. Please let everything be okay. Please, please, please let everything be okay.
At the sound of an approaching siren, she sat bolt upright. Maybe a quarter mile ahead, the light bar of an oncoming squad car flashed dizzying streaks of crimson across the darkened landscape. The car slowed, pulled to a stop, its lights still flashing.
