Manny’s Mission (Broken Wheel Ranch #7)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Manny stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the bunkhouse behind Ann and whistled at the sheer size of the common area. He assumed they were the common area because he saw the kitchen and living room. It made him wonder how big the bedrooms were.

“Through that door is your side of the bunkhouse.”

“Are there any rooms the other hands haven’t claimed?”

“The other hands live at the main house,” Ann looked him dead in the eye as she said that. “Between you and me, they are worthless pieces of shit and need to be tossed in the horse shit pile out back of the barn.”

“Tell me how you really feel,” Manny chuckled as he headed across the living room. He turned and paused as she shook her head.

“I’ll get you up to speed while we eat. This first night, I’ll cook supper for us, but after this, we will be equal in the kitchen, and you’ll have to go to town and pick up groceries.”

“Got it, you’ll just have to tell me where it is.”

“Go drop your bag off, pick whatever room you want, and the clean bedding is on the top shelf of the closets in the rooms. There are three bathrooms, but they are not attached to any particular bedroom.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked to the other side of the building and went through a different door. Manny automatically assumed that was her side of the building. Not wanting to offend her any more than he probably already had, he quickly went over to his side, and after walking around for all of five minutes, he picked out a room, made up the bed, and got three sets of clothes out of his seabag. Because he didn’t know how long dinner would take, and knowing what would happen after eating, he decided to take a quick shower before rejoining Ann in the common area. Twenty minutes after entering the door to the men’s side of the building, he returned. He was walking through the living room when the door on the other side opened, and Ann walked out. He saw by her change of clothes and wet hair that she had also decided to take a shower. It gave him pause when he felt his cock begin to stir at the thought of her naked with water sliding down her body. He gave himself a mental slap, then scowled when he noticed she wore a different colored bandana around her neck. He wondered if it was a cowboy thing, or a personal preference on her part. Until he knew her better, he wouldn’t ask. He didn’t recall any of the women from Broken wearing one. With a shrug, he continued forward.

“What would you like me to help you with?”

“Nothing,” Ann’s response was short, and Manny paused long enough to raise his brows at her. It took several minutes before she turned to him, then sighed heavily. “Sorry, that must have been a curt reply. I threw a meal in the crockpot before I went to work this morning. It should be done, I only have to remove the meat and vegetables from the pot, then make gravy.”

“Do you have any biscuits I could whip up, or open a can to put on a tray?”

“In the door of the refrigerator. Thanks,” she said as she did what she said she’d do, and only pointed to doors or drawers when he was looking for what he wanted. Fifteen minutes later, as he tossed the hot biscuits in a basket, they sat down to eat.

Neither of them said a word until they were halfway through the meal, and it shocked Manny that Ann was the first to speak.

“What’s it like at the ranch in Colorado?”

“I don’t know,” Manny answered honestly and swiftly as he continued to mop up his gravy with a biscuit. When he glanced at her, he paused at her expression. On a heavy sigh, he set his spoon down and sat back to study her intently.

“What kind of answer is that? Don’t you live there?” she asked angrily.

“Sort of,” he said as he shook his head and held up his hand. “In order for my statements to many any sense, I need to give you a little background information for you to get context about my situation. Some of it will be personal, some of it will be generalizations.”

“Will I be able to get a whole picture?”

“I hope so.”

“Go ahead,” she said after several minutes of silence as they both continued to eat.

Manny drew in a deep breath, let it out in a rush, and settled back in his seat. “I was in the military. My last mission went FUBAR in the worst possible way.”

“How many were killed?”

He liked that she didn’t even hesitate to ask that question. “Two, at first, our team leader and another guy. The remaining four of us were captured and held, we were tortured for twenty days before we were rescued. By the conversations I had been able to overhear, there was no ransom demand for the four of us. Those were twenty days of pure hell. Out of us four, our tormentors took two of us to one room, and two to another. The two that we didn’t see, one of them was the most senior member of our team after our leader was killed. With him was not only the youngest in years, but also the one with the lowest rank, and the least experience. Under three years.”

“Understood. Can you tell me what branch of the military?”

“Navy SEALs.”

“Oh shit, you were a SEAL.” It was a statement, not a question. “As were the others.”

“Yes. When we were rescued by other SEALs, our tormentors didn’t get out alive.”

“That’s perfectly understandable.”

“Okay, with that being said, Carter, our new leader was held captive with Broome, the New Guy, that’s what we referred to him as when he joined the team. The tormentors must have thought New Guy would squeal to reveal state secrets, but he remained steadfast in his silence.” Manny shook his head and hadn’t realized a single tear had leaked from the corner of his eye until it splashed on the back of one of his fisted hands he held in his lap. He shook his head, knuckled it away, and looked at her directly.

“The fuckers tortured all of us. None of us escaped without injuries.”

“How bad?”

“New Guy was disemboweled over the course of a week. He died in Carter’s arms. They took one of Carter’s eyes, with their own fingers. Now mind you, we were separated from them. It wasn’t until we were rescued that we realized we’d been kept deep underground, in the dark, and only given rancid water to drink. One of the reasons why I pulled my K-bar when you flipped the lights earlier was because that was how they would let us know they were there, by flashing the lights on and off. We knew our torture would begin again.”

“No food for twenty days?”

“No, the three of us that survived lost close to fifty pounds each. I think the only good thing that came out of that was that the teams that came in to rescue us were able to find our two dead SEALs and bring them home with us, along with most of our gear. Unfortunately, the fuckers kept our weapons.”

“Okay, I can see that happening, but what happened to you and your friend? If they took Carter’s eye, and disemboweled New Guy, what did you endure?”

“Hell,” Manny didn’t hesitate to say, then shook his head sadly. “Sorry, Scott and I were kept in the same room, and when the fuckers came in to torture us, they did it in front of one another. This is going off in a tangent, and not relevant, but it sort of is, anyway, I digress. Part of being a SEAL, it is strongly suggested that we know a little of the language of the country we’re sent to on a mission.”

“Ah, I can see where that would be handy. I, too was in the military, and I had to learn different languages also. Just enough to be able to get around.”

“Exactly, anyway, we couldn’t understand why during the first round with these fuckers they withdrew a substantial amount of blood from Scott and me. I can’t speak for Carter and New Guy, but they did it with us. The three of us survivors haven’t really sat down and compared notes of the torment we each received at the hands of the enemy yet. I doubt we ever will, but we know we are there for each other if it’s needed.”

“Did you have your tags on you?”

“Yes, but I don’t know if they could read them. Their English was so broken, it was hard to understand them. I understood more when they spoke in their native language.”

“What happened?”

“They left us alone for days, but we could hear the faint, but distant screams from Carter and New Guy. At least that’s what we thought at the time. It wasn’t until after we were in the hospital that we learned these fuckers had kidnapped not only other military personnel, but also people from far out villages. It was all for the same purpose, and they were relentless in their mission.”

“What were they after?”

“Organs,” Manny said coldly, and clenched his fists tightly. He slowly stood and lifted his shirt to the middle of his chest and did a very slow three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn. When he faced her again, he lowered his shirt, then gingerly lowered himself back into the chair. Without looking at her directly, he kept his eyes on his bowl of stew.

“They tried to take one of my kidneys and one of Scott’s. See, we both have O-neg blood.”

“The universal donor.”

“Correct. We were ambushed on the twenty-third of December, rescued on January thirteenth, and taken to the hospital in Germany. We stayed there for two months before we were cleared to go stateside, but once we were back on US soil, we were sent to the local military hospital. The three of us were kept for two more months. Carter was able to get out about two and a half weeks before Scott and I were released.”

“From the military?”

“No, the hospital, but eventually we were all released from the military. First from the hospital, then after all the reports from the doctors finally came in, we were given medical leaves. Those fuckers ended our military careers for us.”

“But, your buddies had their lives ended. I’m not downplaying what you and your teammates went through, but considering the alternative, you got away with the better deal.”

“There is that.” Manny nodded. “Anyway, since I don’t have any family, and Scott had a brother-in-law up in LA, we went to see him. We thought we might have been able to get a job with him, or at least have him point us in the direction as to where to start.”

“What does he do?”

“FBI.”

“Shit, how did that work out for you?”

“It didn’t, however, Duane, the FBI agent, who is currently working up in Yellowstone with Carter Manning, was telling us about a case he’d been on for years. No matter what the undercover agents did, they couldn’t get the goods on the guy they knew was a ringleader of illegal arms. One thing led to another, and we were recruited to be undercover agents with the FBI to take this fucker down. Don’t ask me how it happened, because there had to be more red tape then any military mission, but we were asked to join them.” He shook his head and reached for his glass of water for the first time and downed the contents in one swallow. “These are military grade weapons.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, they had made the buy, but the money guy wanted them delivered. It was all set up, and ten agents along with Scott and I headed to our destination. When everything was said and done, because the weapons were taken across state lines, the charges kept racking up and up. However, imagine my surprise to find one of the people waiting for us was none other than Carter.”

“Your former teammate?”

“Correct, and once the mission was complete, we learned that our entire former team was there. We happened to be on my former LTs property. Erin’s Way.”

“Wait, I thought you worked for The Broken Wheel.”

“I work for Erin Riceman, well, I will once I get the clearance from my doctor that I can work. Erin won’t let me lift a shovel until I don’t pass out from doing any work. That’s why I’m here now. It was discussed and voted on that since Scott and I can’t really do any physical labor until we’re completely healed, then I come here to help Cole get Naomi’s horses to Colorado. After talking with Carter Manning and Hank Patterson with Brotherhood, up in Yellowstone a couple of days ago, I came here, and Scott headed to Arizona to try and find Patrick Clemmons.”

“What happens then, once your friend finds Clem?”

“Then the two of them head back to Riceman Ranch and wait for us to arrive.”

Ann didn’t say anything for quite a few moments, and when she did, she spoke so quietly he had to lean forward to try to hear her.

“Does that mean we’re on our own?”

“Not completely.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means that once Erin gets back to Cole about which horses Naomi wants transferred first, then Duane, the FBI guy, will come up with paperwork for a bill of sale, but nothing in Colorado will be mentioned.”

“Ah, is this in case Benson or the Big Pig return and start asking questions?”

Manny grinned at her name for Percy Biggins and nodded. “Yes, but before we leave with the first load of horses for Colorado, I’m going to call Erin to say we want help with the rest of them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the fact that we’ll have to make four round trips with the horses. That’s not even making room for Cole and his things. I feel that many trips will draw unwanted attention to us. I’m thinking if the guys can come from Colorado to help haul the trailers, then we can get everything out of here in one trip. Less attention to what we are doing. Cole said the local cops know what a bad person Benson is, but I don’t want to really push my luck with them. I think having the others, along with Duane here will help in the long run.”

“Damn, I never thought of that. Do you think she’ll send the help?”

“Yes. You asked me about The Broken Wheel. I’ve been brutally honest with you so far, so I might as well continue. Erin wouldn’t let Scott nor myself work for her, because she wanted us to heal. The people that work there now are all former military, both the women, except for Naomi, and the men. So far, all the men had served with Clark Riceman, Erin’s brother.”

“A SEAL?”

“Yes, he was Delta team’s LT. I don’t know the entire story, I only know bits and pieces, but from my understanding, Delta team, before I joined them, was on a mission that was dark.” He looked at her with raised brows, and when he didn’t see any confusion on her face, he nodded. “While Delta was dark, there was an accident at home where Riceman lost his parents. His sister, Erin, lost a hand. It took some time, but she pulled up her big girl panties and did the only thing she knew to survive.”

“What’s that?” Ann asked after Manny remained silent for at least three minutes.

“Again, I don’t know everything, but she took her stallions and mares on the original ranch, Erin’s Way, and culled the herd. It’s my understanding there were some of the stallions that rejected her with her missing hand.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I never would have believed it.”

“What’s that?”

“The guys, the former SEALs, help out with one aspect of Riceman Ranch, and they dubbed one particular barn as the sex barn.”

“What in the world?” Ann asked in shock, unsure if she should believe him.

“For the stallions. First, it’s where they breed the mares, second, when she culled the herd, she talked it over with her vet and they came up with a way to extract sperm from the stallions she was going to sell. In the contract with the new owner, there was a clause that she had the right to use the sperm she extracted, the new owners had no rights to it. They agreed.”

“Holy hell, that could be a gold mine if done right. Is she successful?”

Instead of answering her, he pulled out his phone and accessed the website and handed his phone over to her. “That’s the website where ranchers can order the sperm. Once the order is placed, Erin gives the information to her vet, then it’s out of her hands and he deals with it. Last time I overheard a conversation about Riceman Stallions, that’s what she calls the website, is Erin needs someone to run the website.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with The Broken Wheel, and where we’re taking the horses.”

“Nothing, I just wanted to give you some context. The Broken Wheel is another ranch on the original ranch that was started because after losing her hand, Erin called herself challenged, not disabled. She hired Naomi first to help her get the new ranch started, then she hired former female military people that were injured in some capacity while serving their country and had a challenge. The horses for Broken were fostered through the SPCA when their previous owners were arrested for animal cruelty. She also was able to save some of them from the glue factory.” He shook his head as he remembered learning about all of the fates of the horses before Erin stepped in. “Anyway, the horses at Broken are being trained to help children, veterans, and the general public with disabilities as part of their rehabilitation.”

“Wow, okay, but these horses here are bred to be racehorses. Others are specifically bred to be used in the rodeo.”

“We know that, and again, I won’t get into all the details, but there’s a ranch that borders Erin’s spread, and that’s where we are taking Naomi’s horses. That ranch is thirteen hundred acres, give or take a few, and they are converting some former chicken coops into horse stalls.” He saw her confusion and smiled. “Trust me, those coops used to house fifty thousand chickens in one building. There’s plenty of room for the horses, and even space to make a loft above them for the storage of hay. The people back home are calling Ducky’s ranch The New Double A. Or The New Double. I don’t know if the name will remain that once it’s in full operation, but that’s what it is being referred to now.”

“Who’s Ducky?”

“The man who has living rights to the land and house. Cole, and Clem when Scott gets him to Colorado will be given the option to live in the main house there. There currently aren’t any bunkhouses, but from what I’ve learned of Erin, that might be rectified by the end of the year.”

They remained silent, and together, they cleaned up the table after the meal, and at one point, Ann turned to Manny to ask quietly, “Would Erin hire someone who is former military, was injured in the line of duty, but doesn’t have any challenges?”

“Yes. Denver Appleton, a former teammate doesn’t have any challenges and he works there.”

“What about women?”

Manny cocked his head to the side and scowled at her. “Are you talking about yourself?” He watched as Ann drew in a deep breath, held it for a long time, then let it out in such a rush her hair flew in the air. She slowly reached up, unknotted the pink bandana around her neck, and removed it.

Manny sucked in his breath when she lifted her chin and he saw a pink puckered scar across the entire length of her neck. From his view, it looked like it went from ear-to-ear.