AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who’s asking?” Clay wasn’t friendly or rude, just indifferent.
“Samir Abdul Amir,” Samir replied.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m looking for a friend who may have passed this way. A woman. Oakley Rising Wolf. I’m in the midst of a negotiation with her.”
“For what?” Jud asked. Already he felt twitchy, the kind of twitchy you get when you’re facing a viper who’s trying to wear the face of friendship.
“Interestingly, a pair of wolves.”
“Wolves?” Clay pinned Samir with a hard look. “Well, it’s clear you’re not from around here, so let me save you some time and aggravation. It’s illegal to owna pure blood wolf in the United States. They’re classified as an endangered and regulated species, so it’d be wise to forego purchasing anything from that woman. She’ll either get you killed or arrested for breaking a federal law, and then, you just might end up in jail.”
“Nonsense,” Samir chuckled in an arrogant manner. “My country will ensure I am granted diplomatic immunity. I am untouchable.”
“Not here,” Jud’s voice was deep and carried more than a hint of menace.
“Is that so?” Samir shrugged. “I assumed there were laws to protect the innocent.”
“Oh, there are,” Clay agreed with a smile cold enough to cast a chill. “But you’re not dealing with the country, sir. You’re in Wyoming, and here, we don’t take kindly to people showing up wanting to steal anything from this place, including its wildlife. So, I suggest you get in your cars, turn around and go home. There’s nothing for you here.”
“I merely—” Samir was cut short by Jud.
“Leave.”
“Or?” Samir smiled as he snapped his fingers. Almost instantaneously, every man standing at every car pulled a weapon.
Jud laughed. “Amateurs.” He whistled, and from all around them men rose from where they were hidden in tall grass, behind a rock, a tree, or a water trough. They held weapons as well, only theirs were not handguns. They were high-powered rifles that could leave an exit wound the size of a grapefruit.
Jud then looked at Samir. “You were saying?”
“You would not kill me. All of us,” he gestured toward his men. “You’d surely be imprisoned.”
“You can’t be charged for murder if there’s no body. Anything else?”
For a moment Jud thought Samir would buck up, but that was only a flash of fire in his eyes. Then he backed down and away, bowing in a thoroughly mocking manner, just a slight bend from the waist as he stepped back, arms spread but low, beside his hips like someone making a magnanimous gesture of goodwill.
Jud didn’t believe that was the man’s intent. He simply didn’t want to be killed. He and Clay watched as Samir returned to his vehicle, his men got into theirs, and the entire parade began to leave.
Once they were gone, Jud and Clay looked at one another. “What now?” Clay asked.
“I’m going to give Gunner a call and let him know they showed up.”
“And I’m going to beef up security here and at the place in Montana,” Clay said. “And ask Grace to call her son, Micah, and ask him to keep an eye open for strangers on the reservation.”
“Good idea. Okay, I’ll catch up with you later.”
Jud turned, pulling out his phone. The call to Gunner went straight to voice mail. That meant Gunner was either still in theater or already on the hunt for Oakley. He hoped it was the latter, because there was no one better suited to help you fight a war and win than Gunner Hale.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Gunner dipped the bandana into the stream, squeezed it out and tied it around his neck. Despite the coolness of the air, he was sweating like a racehorse. Altitude, he reckoned. He hadn’t been in the higher elevations in a while and wasn’t accustomed to it.
Not to mention he’d been steadily traveling at a four mile an hour hike in rough terrain. He could have slowed, but if he did, he’d cover less ground in the same amount of time, and Oakley already had a good head start. The only thing he’d sacrifice the time for was taking the drone up and searching for signs of her or the wolves.
He returned to the cover of the trees, where he’d placed his pack on a big rock. After unpacking the drone, he walked out to the edge of the stream and sent it upward, following high above the stream.
Had it not been for a call from Matt on the SAT phone, Gunner might have decided against taking the time to search with the drone today. He needed to keep moving, keep his mind focused.
