Tina Leonard - A Callahan Outlaw's Twins (17 page)

And had run away.

“Big chicken,” she said, and headed to the canyons.

* * *

“I
S
A
SHLYN
GONE
?”
Fiona asked Burke, as her husband peered out the window of their bedroom.

“Yes. I just heard the door slam. And she’s walking across to the barn. Probably intends to do a little riding.”

“It’s not easy to get to plan shenanigans with all these people watching me,” Fiona complained. “Remember the good old days, when it was just me and you, pulling everyone’s strings like puppeteers?” She sighed, feeling very put upon. “Between Running Bear and Kendall, this place is guarded tighter than a jail.”

“Let’s get while the getting’s good.” Burke led her down the stairs. “You never know when someone will come to check on us. This whole family thinks we’re in need of constant monitoring.”

“We shouldn’t complain. I try to think of it as getting our just deserts for all the years we monitored the boys like protective hens.” She followed her husband outside into the darkness, hopped into the passenger seat of the van. “We have to be quick. I don’t know how long I bought Ashlyn off with our romantic interlude story.”

“Could be a few hours. They won’t check again until dinner.”

“They won’t look for a meal tonight.” Fiona put the basket she’d carried out with her at her feet. “I have no idea what Storm Cash’s modus operandi is, but since he’s stopped in on us a couple of times, I say it’s time we return the hospitality. My blackberry pie ought to smooth the way.”

Chapter Eighteen

When Sloan awakened the next morning at his customary four-thirty to start ranch chores, he was amazed to find Kendall gone. Which was a shame, because he was really hoping to find her beside him. He loved the smell of her hair and the feel of her skin, and they hadn’t had enough of a marriage yet for him to really explore those wonderful sensations she gave him.

He walked into the den, smiling as he saw her asleep on the sofa, the babies on a soft, fluffy pallet next to her. His sons must have needed a feeding, and like a cad, he’d slept through the event. He looked at the three beautiful people who’d changed his life, and felt his heart lift inside him.

Little Carlos opened his eyes, looking right at him. Sloan could see his son watching him, knew he was absolutely aware that someone was nearby. He would have sworn he saw trust in the baby boy’s eyes. “Hi,” he said, squatting down next to him. He put his finger into his hand, and Carlos clenched it. Though he knew it was impossible, Sloan would have sworn his son wanted to be picked up and held.

So he did, cradling him against his chest. His brother slept on, undisturbed, as did their mother.

“Let’s go have some coffee,” he told Carlos, and carried him into the kitchen with him. “It’s important not to wake Mom when she’s getting a little rest.”

Carlos didn’t move, didn’t protest, as Sloan started the coffee and got out a couple of mugs. There was some fruit on the counter, so he grabbed a bit of that and a muffin. He put Carlos in his carrier and set him on the counter where he could watch. He seemed interested in what his father was doing, and suddenly it occurred to Sloan that his son looked an awful lot like his namesake, Sloan’s own father.

It had been years since he’d seen his parents, but he remembered when they’d left, and had realized that everything had changed. Learned that danger could come no matter how good you were, and that his parents had been freedom fighters of a sort. They’d infiltrated and spied on the cartel that wanted free rein of this ranch land, running drugs and contraband over it.

“You’d be proud of your grandparents,” he told Carlos. “Through your veins runs the blood of a man who fought for what he loved.”

Carlos looked at him, his round face and jewel-bright eyes focused on Sloan. “You’re listening to everything I say, aren’t you?”

Suddenly a smile bloomed on the baby’s face. Sloan chuckled. “Okay, now you’re just sucking up to dear old dad. I have a funny feeling you’re the one who’ll be the daredevil...oh, brother,” he said, picking up his son and holding him so he could look down into his eyes. “I forgot you also have Aunt Fiona’s genes. You’re a triple whammy. No one will stand a chance against you and your brother.”

Sloan took his coffee cup and his son and went outside, content. Prouder than he’d ever been in his life.

“Hello, little man,” Falcon said, walking by. “Nice of you to get your ugly daddy up this morning. But both of you are late. I had to start your chores.”

“That’s fine,” Sloan said, suddenly obsessed by a desire to go back and be with the rest of his family, who were no doubt still snoozing away. “I’ll let you do them today.”

Falcon laughed. “Going back to bed?”

“If I’m lucky,” Sloan said, and carried his son back inside the house.

Isaiah and Kendall slept on, completely undisturbed by his moving around in the kitchen. He changed Carlos’s diaper and put him back on the pallet next to his brother, and then carried his wife to her bed so she could rest. She stirred, but not much, and when he covered her with a sheet, she curled right into her pillow.

He wouldn’t mind joining her. But right now he had sons who wanted to read the morning paper with him. And they were about to do just that when Sloan’s phone buzzed with a text from Ash.

Have you seen aunt and uncle?

His blood ran cold as ice water.

“What are you doing?” Kendall asked, coming out of the bedroom.

“I was going to read the paper to the boys,” Sloan said, “but Ash can’t find Aunt Fiona and Burke.”

“That’s odd. Ash sticks to them like glue.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry. I hate to be a deserter, but I feel like I need to go lay eyes on them.”

Kendall smiled. “It’s all right. Be sure and check the basement. You know how Fiona likes to putter with her holiday decorations and canned goods down there.”

Sloan wanted to tell Kendall how much he enjoyed being with her, how much last night had meant to him. But this wasn’t really the time. She looked ruffled and darling in a blue nightgown and her blond hair just a bit tousled.

He wished he had time to tousle it a bit more.

That thought would have to wait.

* * *

“W
HY
DID
YOU
LEAVE
THEM
?” Sloan asked Ash, as he and his brothers gathered up in the darkness of the early morning.

His little sister looked miserable. “They said they wanted some alone time.”

“Alone time?” Jace said. “What exactly does that mean? They’re always alone.”

“They’re never alone,” Ash said. “I’m always in the house with them.”

“Why is that a problem?” Tighe demanded. “You don’t take up much space. The house is huge. It’s a mansion.”

“I think they wanted some
alone
time,” Ash repeated, and suddenly, Sloan got it.

“Oh. Alone time.” He scratched under his hat. “Well, you should have stood post outside.”

“Don’t be weird,” Ash said. “They didn’t want anybody around. You won’t want to admit this, Sloan, but Fiona’s still got a bit of a gleam in her eye for her husband. There’s a strong possibility she might use whipped cream for more than putting on your peach pie. And when she said, ‘Go,’ I said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’”

His brothers laughed, slapped him on the back. As if he was the only one who was worried out of his gourd.

“They probably went into town. Their van is gone,” Sloan said.

“At this hour?” Galen shook his head. “What would be open?”

“She could have gone to the Books’n’Bingo,” Dante suggested. “That’s her home away from home, and they do own it.”

Sloan blinked. “They do?”

“Yeah. She runs it with her three friends, but Fiona’s name is on the paperwork.” Jace shrugged. “I saw it when I was going through some computer files. And speaking of computer files, did you know Fiona keeps a ranch journal?”

The brothers all stared at him. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been reading her personal papers,” Sloan said.

“No, it’s a
ranch
journal,” Jace emphasized. “Like a daily accounting of events.”

“Aka, a private diary,” Sloan said crossly.

“No. This doesn’t begin with ‘Dear Diary.’” Jace glared at him. “I think I know the difference between a register and a journal! This is more of a business document!”

“All right, grab your hat out of orbit and put it back on your silly head,” Sloan said. “Why are you telling us about it?”

“Because,” Jace said, having the grace to look a bit shamefaced, “you might be interested to know that ten years ago, Fiona sold a bunch of horses to Storm Cash.”

“He wasn’t living here ten years ago,” Sloan said. “He’s a new neighbor.”

“Very coincidental, too, I thought,” Jace said. “Apparently, the deal was such a good one that at one point they discussed doing business together again. Maybe even going into business together. But for some reason, Fiona changed her mind. They definitely know each other, though. He’s not the stranger we thought him to be.”

Which made Sloan wonder exactly who’d thrown that rock through the library window that night if it hadn’t been Storm Cash. Wolf? He didn’t think so. Small stuff wasn’t his style. He’d go for a kidnapping and some coercion, as he had with Kendall.

“I’m going to talk to Storm,” Sloan said. “The rest of you stay on post.”

“I’m coming,” Ash said. “I lost them, I’m going to find them.”

“Where were you, exactly, when you lost our aunt and uncle, Ash?” Dante asked, and when his sister blushed, Sloan groaned.

“When I get back, we’re going to hash this out,” he said. “The mission hasn’t changed. And everyone needs to remember that mistakes happen if we let down our guard. That’s exactly when something will go wrong.”

He headed to his truck, Ash on his heels.

Kendall stood at the passenger-side door, the babies in her arms. “I’m going,” she said. “Ash, you watch the boys. The bodyguards will be back on duty in an hour. You can call them now if you want to, because they’ll come. But if Sloan’s going to find Fiona and Burke, I’m going with my husband.”

Ash looked at Sloan. He nodded, and she took the babies from Kendall.

“I shouldn’t let you,” Sloan said, and Kendall said, “Try and stop me.”

He grinned, and opened the truck door for his opinionated wife.

* * *

“I
DON
’
T
WANT
YOU
treating me like a delicate flower just because I’ve had your children,” Kendall told Sloan as he started the truck and headed down the drive. “It’s not necessary.”

“How do you expect me not to?” he asked, driving a few miles per hour more than allowed toward Storm’s ranch. “Every man wants to protect his wife and the mother of his children.”

“We’re a team,” Kendall insisted. “Anyway, I messed things up. I want to be part of the solution.”

“Kendall, Wolf would have figured out where our cousins were eventually. We just tried to buy time by getting the family out to Dark Diablo and Hell’s Colony, where they could settle in and get security details outfitted. Wolf doesn’t even know some of the Callahans are at Dark Diablo. He thinks everyone is at the impenetrable fortress you call home.”

“I call home wherever you are,” Kendall said. “You’re just going to have to get used to that.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “I’m getting used to it.”

“Good.” She adjusted her seat belt, peered outside to see if she could spot Fiona’s van returning. They barely saw any vehicles, none Callahan. “They’re not going to appreciate us micromanaging them. Your aunt and uncle are very independent.”

“They can’t just disappear— Look,” he said, pulling off the road.

The family van Fiona always drove was on the shoulder, with no hazard lights blinking. Kendall jumped out of the truck and ran over, jerking open the door to peer inside. “They’re not here.”

Sloan glanced around. “I’m calling Falcon. Let him know we may need backup on horseback. Look for footprints. Anything that might tell us which way they went.”

Kendall looked in every direction. “There was a struggle,” she said softly, her skin crawling with fear, “unless Fiona was unusually clumsy and dropped her treasured blackberry pie.” She pointed to the smashed pie spilling from its once-beautiful crust.

Sloan looked at her. “I want you to take my truck and go back home. Get Ash. Tell her I need her on horseback. Some of our best mounts, ones that aren’t afraid of dark caves.”

“Do you want me to call Sheriff Cartwright?” Kendall climbed into the truck.

“Not yet. I don’t want the tracks obscured. It may be our only hope of locating them.”

Kendall drove off, hurrying to Rancho Diablo. She parked Sloan’s truck and flew into the house.

To her shock, Ash was gone. The babies were gone.

“Ashlyn!” Kendall shrieked. Grabbing her gun and stuffing it in her purse, she hurried to the main house, her heart pounding. Maybe Ash had brought the babies there for security reasons.

She prayed harder than she’d ever prayed before.

A soft, deep voice made her start as she walked into the kitchen, and Kendall slowed, listening. She definitely heard Fiona. It sounded as if they were going down into the basement. She moved quietly toward the stairs.

“Open up the safe, old woman,” she heard a man say, and Kendall froze. There was no safe downstairs, just canned fruits and vegetables Fiona had put by so she could bake and cook healthy food all winter.

Kendall pulled out her phone, texted her husband.
Here. In the basement
.

She hit Send, right before someone grabbed her.

Kendall swung her bag, completely forgetting about the heavy gun in her purse. She caught her assailant across the temple, amazed that he let go and went down like a sack of bricks. In the darkness she couldn’t see who it was, but she wasn’t hanging around to find out, either. He’d come to soon enough.

She headed down the stairs, gun drawn.

Fiona and Burke stood under the old fluorescent light, looking annoyed. Kendall wasn’t surprised that they weren’t exactly cowering in their shoes; they were stronger than most people.

She saw a boot just past the doorway. It was black and dusty.... She’d seen that boot before.

Wolf.

“Open it up, Fiona. We’re burning daylight, and I plan to be far away from here really soon.”

Fiona barely glanced at Kendall, telegraphing that she saw her but was being careful not to give that fact away.

“There’s no safe down here,” Fiona said. “I don’t know why you think that, Wolf.”

“I know you have the Navajo silver here. I know Running Bear hid it at Rancho Diablo. And you’re his partner.” Wolf laughed. “It took me a few years to figure out that my father had hidden it right under my nose, and this basement is the perfect place to hide a large amount of silver. It came to me when I saw the basement being dug at the new bunkhouse.”

“You should be ashamed,” Fiona said. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? There is no upside to being the family black sheep.”

“Open the safe before I shoot your husband,” Wolf said, at which point Kendall took careful aim at the black boot, praying her hands stayed steady and that she’d learned her shooting lessons from Falcon well.

A howl rent the air. The boot disappeared from sight as hell broke out. Wolf ran up the stairs, pushing her against the wall as he passed. Kendall ran forward and hugged Fiona and Burke.

Suddenly, she heard boots thundering down the stairs. Sloan appeared in the basement, his gaze sweeping her.

“We’re fine,” Kendall said. “Go!”

He ran off, and Kendall finally released Fiona and Burke. “You gave us such a scare!”