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Shephard (Mountain Men of Danger Falls #1) Chapter 6 24%
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Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

D enise

The tourists were out in full force, the chilly late October weather providing them with a stunning backdrop of leaves in vivid color and the hint of snow with frost on their breaths. This was the hiking mega season, which included folks who had no business climbing up a mountain. Or a gentle slope for that matter.

In the two days since my return, the other park ranger currently on duty and I had rescued a party of four and two individual hikers. Two had been in real peril and they’d both laughed about their predicament.

Stupid assholes.

I was bone tired and eager for a quiet night with a good book and a tall glass of wine in my hands. Pepper finished her dinner and huffed as she looked at me. She could tell I was off. I had been since the night spent with a sexy stranger. It hadn’t been my typical behavior. Regret? Not really, but I was questioning my motives.

I’d sworn off men, yet I’d fantasized about him more than once. Maybe I needed a soul cleansing.

I was about to sit down when my phone rang. Nope. I wasn’t going to answer it. This was my private time and no one was going to interfere.

The ring stopped after five and I shook my head. I still got my share of scammers. I’d chalked it up to that.

After placing the wine on the table, I glanced at the roaring fire. At least I had enough wood for the season. I’d be damned if the phone didn’t ring again. What the hell? I was bound by the regulations of the park rangers and by honor to be on duty twenty-four hours a day. Usually, very little happened after dusk. Thankfully. But there were always incidents lurking in the shadows.

With no other choice, I grabbed my phone from the table, eyeing my boss’ number. Shit. “Greg. Is there an issue?” Greg Young was highly experienced having worked for two other park ranger services. He was getting up there in age, but that certainly didn’t diminish his skills or his reputation.

Sadly, one mistake and he’d been relegated to this particular post. I’d chosen the location on purpose. He hadn’t.

“Yeah, I’d say. Another dead body.”

We had our share of criminals, although I’d only been forced to deal with one escaped bank robber since taking the job. But I’d heard stories that could curl your toes, even if I suspected they’d been embellished. However, I’d been the lucky one to find a mauled victim while on a tracking trip two months before. The summer heat had taken a toll, including on various critters as well.

Even the coroner had experienced a tough time trying to determine a timeframe and an actual cause of death for the victim. Very little was known other than he was a male in his thirties. He’d been roughed up, likely beaten prior to being mauled. But from what I believed, a knife had been used indicating a murder. Although Maggie Danners, another talented individual had expressed her suspicions as well, she’d gotten pressure to rule it an animal incident.

I’d almost pitched a fit until Greg had explained the situation to me. A murder investigation could go on quietly behind the scenes. I knew that from my previous life. What I hadn’t taken into account in my initial blustering was just how much hysteria could be created with leaking any information. Jobs could be lost. I hadn’t liked it, but I’d backed down.

Now this.

My instinct was already working overtime. I shouldn’t have let the issue drop.

“Where?”

“Tanner Ridge. A hiker found him. You’re close. Can you swing up there? The coroner’s team is on another call and can’t handle the body for an hour if not more.”

With one of our park rangers out on his honeymoon, it left Cane Williams and me to hold down the fort. The translation meant Cane was likely out with his buddies at a bar, which he did quite often. He and I had an entirely different work ethic. Maybe because I’d lived and breathed detective work.

“Sure. I’ll head up there.”

“I’ll text you coordinates,” he stated. He wasn’t happy with the situation either. I could tell by his voice.

Tonight was one of those nights I hated this shit, although I’d craved a new adventure after being all but forced out of my last job, bone weary from the heavy workload as required by a city detective. Search and rescue was a rewarding opportunity, but the action had been what I’d lived for. “I’ll let you know what I find.” After hanging up the phone, I stood right where I was before turning my head toward Pepper. “We’re on, girl.”

She was excited. I was not.

I gathered the duffle I always kept prepared, which included flare guns, thick rope, a couple of knives, and other survival equipment. I had to be prepared for anything. Which was why I kept a rifle and extra ammunition in the Jeep at all times. I also carried my pistol as well. I learned very quickly once on the job anything could occur.

Pepper didn’t mind her special harness, but every time I put it on her, I was reminded of a few of our former missions. It always left a bad taste in my mouth.

With bottles of water and extra batteries for my powerful flashlights, I headed out.

Tanner Ridge was a few miles away up the mountain, the slope considered more for medium level hikers. It wasn’t too bad if you knew what you were doing. I loved the area because there were hidden gems, including a lovely waterfall I’d visited more than once during the summer months.

Very few people had discovered the gorgeous site.

Pepper jumped in the passenger seat, eager as always. I checked my gas level and sighed as I started the engine. Why did I have a bad feeling about this?

I certainly didn’t have the credentials Maggie did, but I’d seen more than my share of dead bodies over the years. Far too many, a dozen victims the product of one type of abuse or another.

The drive was pleasant enough even though twilight would begin its descent in about an hour. I might know the terrain like the back of my hand, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be caught anywhere on the mountain after dark. There were too many dangers.

Thankfully, I experienced no trouble before reaching the destination. According to Greg, the body was about three hundred yards off the main path. After parking, I gathered what I’d need, which included my iPhone to take a series of pictures. Our entire department had been deputized by the sheriff, which allowed us to make arrests and handle crimes independently. Doing so had been a product of need, his work including six counties.

Everyone was short staffed around here, cutbacks constant.

“Let’s go.” Pepper’s ears perked up and she headed out in front of me. The foliage was thick, the decent rains the area had experienced during the spring and summer the cause. I certainly couldn’t complain since it had kept fires to a minimum so far.

I had to fight my way through the brush at certain points, curious how the hikers had even found the area. The trek took me longer than it should have and I was close to needing to turn on one of the flashlights.

Pepper found the body as usual, providing a single woof then standing over the victim. There was no smell, which meant the body hadn’t been here but for so long. Just as I approached, I noticed a path of fallen limbs that had obviously been trampled on coming from the other direction. Was it possible the body had been dumped here?

That was exactly what I’d thought about the previous victim, which was possible given the access roads threaded throughout portions of the parkway.

I stood over the victim, sighing heavily as I removed a pair of latex gloves. “What do we have, girl?” I asked absently.

Pepper was scanning the area as she’d been trained to do, capable of hearing noise from a mile away. She’d alerted me to upcoming danger more times than I could count.

As I crouched down, I was almost instantly repulsed. The body had been beaten and if I had to guess, I’d say prior to death. It was a male approximately forty-five years old. He’d been worked over with more than just a man’s fist. His face looked like a puzzle at this point. From my initial exam, I identified stab wounds, but I didn’t think that had killed him. Neither had the beating.

The mauling by an animal likely had. There was no doubt in my mind the body had been left here long enough for a bear to find fresh food.

Given my years of experience, I allowed myself to come to the conclusion the poor asshole had endured all three horrific abuses while still alive.

What the hell were we dealing with?

I tried not to make an instant connection to the previous victim, but it was tough given my background.

I took a series of photographs, even texting Maggie my findings. The man was covered in blood, but with no trail leading to the body, I also confirmed the victim had been dumped here. The lack of blood proved it.

Pepper’s slight growl meant we suddenly weren’t alone. I instantly pulled my Glock from my jacket, moving toward one of the large trees. The crackling of limbs was a further indication her senses were spot on.

I waited, keeping hidden. Only a minute later, someone walked directly into the area.

“Stop right there, asshole.”

First, I noticed Pepper wasn’t growling and foaming at the mouth. That’s when I noticed my mysterious visitor was Cane.

“Jesus, Denise. You could have killed me.” He was startled, taking a gasping breath.

“You need to stop sneaking up on people.”

“I wasn’t sneaking. Greg called me after he contacted you. He thought you might need some help.”

Cane wasn’t a bad guy, but he was a male and far less experienced. He’d worked as a deputy in another small town before coming here. I considered him wet behind the ears. He didn’t like that in the least.

“I don’t need any help.”

“This poor guy does. Who the fuck does something like this?” He crouched down, peering at the body without bothering to put on gloves. He wasn’t a hands-on guy, more of an arrogant playboy. I could only count on him half the time.

“A monster. The body was dumped here. We need to section off the area for the coroner.”

“I doubt anyone is going to stumble on the sight,” he said as he stood. As usual, he was glaring at Pepper. Neither one liked the other, but Pepper knew better than to eat him.

Yet.

“Hikers found the body. Yeah, we’re following protocol. Period. Why don’t you grab the tape while I take a few more pictures?” The sheriff had already been called, removing our ability to question the people who’d found the victim. Which, as Greg had reminded me more than once, wasn’t in my job description. That didn’t mean I wasn’t annoyed.

We eyed each other warily and I resisted rolling my eyes as he moved closer.

“So, I was wondering. There’s a hot new movie in town. You want to go see it with me?”

Cane had assumed since the beginning that I’d go out with him. How many times had he been stupid enough to ask?

“I have plans,” I told him.

“You don’t even know which night.”

“Trust me. I have plans.”

Usually, he mentioned it was my loss or something equally chauvinistic, but this evening he appeared angry.

“I’ll get the goddamn tape.”

When he stormed off, ignoring any possibility of evidence, I heard him call me a bitch. It was the first time, but I doubted it would be the last.

Yeah, I was a bitch. Life had made me that way.

As I waited for the debonair boy to return, I thought about the two murders. Was it possible they were connected? Maybe. It wasn’t necessarily the mark of a serial killer as opposed to a career criminal using the area to dump remains. Perhaps someone unfamiliar that this was a popular hiking area.

Or maybe they’d wanted the body to eventually be found.

I was playing detective again, something Greg had warned me against vociferously. This wasn’t the Charlotte, North Carolina area where there were more murders than people realized or were reported on. I’d been assigned a high crime district while there, a mixture of drug deals and petty crimes all in a typical day. Our department had been tasked with at least two murders a week. But I was no longer a detective.

Still, my gut had never steered me wrong. Something told me we hadn’t seen the last of our killer.

What was needed was additional expertise. Maggie was great at her job, but she had a department to run along with being the only coroner for two counties. She reviewed results at various trials and also taught a class at the local community college. She was a busy lady.

“What are you thinking?” Cane asked when he returned, obviously not suffering from our earlier encounter.

“I’m thinking we need to protect the body and the evidence.”

“Oh, come on. You have a theory about everything.”

I threw him a look and held my tongue.

“You’re thinking the two bodies are connected. Aren’t you?” He was very happy with himself.

“Fine. Yes, I do, but it’s not something you can repeat. It’s a hunch and nothing more.” Along with my gut telling me more bodies would drop. Why and by whom? I hadn’t heard about any horrific crimes in any of the nearby cities, Roanoke and Blacksburg being two of the closest on the Virginia side. But it wasn’t unheard of for certain criminals to travel a long distance for the right dumping ground.

Right now, I’d keep my notions to myself.

Plus, there were no experts I could think of in the area, including a criminal tracker. And there was nothing at this point that would be a draw to hire one of the big guns from a larger city.

“Let’s get this tape off and lights in position. It’s getting dark. And we’re going to keep our mouths shut about this, Cane. Aren’t we?” When he said nothing, I took long strides toward him. I was positive he’d been the one to leak the death of the other victim to the press, although I hadn’t been able to prove it.

The speculation when the information had dropped within Danger Falls had been ridiculous, bogus calls from concerned citizens coming at all hours of the day and night. Thankfully, it had finally died, all the guessing about the victim’s identity dead wrong.

“Sure, Denise. Whatever you say.”

We had a reporter in town who also covered several counties, doing whatever it took to get her fifteen minutes of fame so she could get the hell out of here.

I had my doubts they weren’t beyond platonic.

“That’s what I say and I outrank you.”

At least I had that going for me.

Shephard

When you were stationed in a jungle setting, sleeping a couple of hours in the day while keeping watch at night for insurgents creeping through the dense, wet foliage, you didn’t need a watch. Also, when hunting prey, as my handler had called it, you often found yourself in different time zones, uncertain the state or country, let alone the time.

Now, here I was, a forty-three-year-old man with accommodations out the ass, significant money in several banks, a traveler who’d seen the world both good and bad, and I was being forced to give a shit about time.

I had a fucking resort to run.

It had taken me less than an hour to pack up the rest of my shit back east, heading back to Danger Falls on the same day. Pops had handed each of his boys sets of keys to three private cabins. Thankfully, each one was miles away from the other, but all three were surrounding the fifty acres of resort. It was clever to have a tripod formed, but I wasn’t interested in clever, cute, or any of the derivatives.

At least I could use the diver’s watch I had owned for two decades to my advantage, ticking down every day until my penance was over. I laughed at the thought, now regretting agreeing to this.

What the hell did I know about running anything other than a dangerous mission? I doubted my training or areas of expertise as a marksman would come in too handy in Hicksville, USA. Yeah, I was selling the entire town short, but I didn’t care at this point. I wasn’t planning on making friends or calling this home. I’d use the town for supplies and nothing else.

What bothered me was that the cabin I’d been provided with was more like a palace to me. I was so used to maybe two rooms and a closet-sized bathroom, I doubted I would ever get comfortable in the place. While completely furnished with a fully renovated kitchen, all the food and drink I could want, leather furniture and king-sized beds including in the guest room, I still felt like a visitor.

At least my father drank the same kind of whiskey, the bar stocked with bottles. Hell, there were even fluffy towels and thick comforters. The only other thing I was glad to see were stacks of wood ready to be cut for the fireplace and the woodstove.

I’d kept the lights out, only the glow of the fire adding any light. I’d even glanced through the documentation on the resort while sitting on the hearth.

Tomorrow I’d make an appearance in the place. Great. The news was likely already out about the takeover. From what I’d heard from my mother, nothing occurred that wasn’t known within minutes.

One of the first things I’d done had been to lug the computer and security equipment from the back of my truck. I’d found a small bedroom and a six-foot table, using that as my newly established communications room. Old habits died hard. I didn’t feel comfortable living anywhere without taking precautions.

I’d eliminated too many people over the years in my official capacity. But there were friends, family members, and associates of the targets longing for revenge. The likelihood I’d be found, especially now that I’d returned to the States, was less than a quarter of a percent, but it was better safe than sorry.

Keeping the glass in my hand, I headed upstairs to the bedroom. With the bright moon streaming in through the oversized window, I didn’t need any light. I polished off the drink, slammed the glass on the nightstand, and placed my weapon on the floor. Then I crawled into my sleeping bag and took another look around the room. I’d cleared the house earlier, walking inch by inch with my weapon in both hands. There were decent locations to install cameras if I felt it necessary. I was totally alone. Hopefully, I could get some damn sleep for a change. I’d need it so I didn’t bite the head off everyone I was forced to interact with.

As usual, I lay staring at the ceiling. It was my only method of coping with the wretched nightmares if and when I closed my eyes.

There would always be ghosts from my past haunting me, no matter where I went or the kind of man I became. It was just something I’d been forced to get used to.

I rolled over, zipping the bag closed over my head. Maybe that would keep out the demons. When I yawned, I forced myself to close my eyes. Maybe that was a good sign.

The wait had never been so excruciating. I was in an abandoned room where I’d been for the last three days, my bag of supplies dwindling. I was on duty every hour of the daylight and well into the night, sleeping a couple of hours to ensure I didn’t miss his arrival.

My target.

I never used names because I didn’t need to personalize who and what he was. Everyone I’d been assigned to hunt was considered evil, his deeds on display for the world to see. I was in a unique position of helping reshape humanity, or so it had been drilled into my head.

Not that I cared. I had a job to do, one I was well paid to undertake. Once the mission was finished, as usual I vanished. No one ever saw me come in or leave. That’s the only way I’d managed to stay alive for so long.

I’d gotten a call that the target was finally appearing at the conference, ready to pontificate in front of his believers. Whatever that meant. I was on edge, perched in front of an open window. It had a bird’s-eye view of the main entrance of the posh hotel and conference center.

I was high enough up inside the building, the design easily preventing anyone from noticing me. Plus, I was in the shadows of the room, the position of the sun also helping keep me hidden. I knew what I was doing. I didn’t need coaching.

Another half hour slipped by and I remained exactly where I was. My tenure as a prisoner of war had taught me how to remain still for long periods of time.

I could easily zone out with my headphones, head-banging music of my choice. It helped with the possibility of losing concentration.

Minutes later, I caught sight of the target’s brigade of cars heading toward the hotel. The man’s true fault was that he always followed the same protocol every single time. A dummy would step out of the third car. The poor guy knew he could be assassinated at any time. Hopefully, he was paid well for his job.

Four minutes would go by and four additional vehicles would pull up after rounding the corner hurriedly. He would finally step out, not wasting any time heading into the hotel. I’d studied his actions for a full month. I knew where he ate, where he fucked his mistresses, and when he took his first drink of the day.

While there was a narrow window of opportunity, I never failed. Never.

The decoy came and entered the hotel without incident, three of the four minutes passing. I sucked in my breath, ensuring my aim was exactly where I wanted it to be. Like clockwork, the four vehicles rounded the corner, all stopping short just in front of the hotel, vehicle number three the one of choice.

And like magic, the target stepped out, but this time he waited for someone to exit the vehicle with him. What the hell? I wouldn’t get another chance as the man was leaving for another country that would make it almost impossible to get to him.

There was no other choice but to count the seconds.

I had my shot and I took it.

Only his passenger freaked, spinning around and racing toward traffic and…

Gasping, I jerked up.

The images continued to flash in front of me. Mistake number one haunted me to this day. Shit.

My eyes were almost immediately accustomed to the dark, but I had no clue where I was. Completely disoriented, I fought with whatever was holding me down, roaring like some fucking animal as I ripped whatever was on top of me into shreds. I grabbed my weapon more because of training than anything, lurching to a standing position. But it took a few seconds to be free of the item holding me prisoner.

I couldn’t breathe, my heart thudding as my blood pressure skyrocketed. I knew the signs. The moment of terror felt real even though it wasn’t. It couldn’t be.

Doubling over, I issued a primal cry. I was teetering on my feet, incapable of getting control. When I stumbled backward, my arm slammed against something, the hard crash almost supplying a reason to pull the trigger.

This had to stop. I couldn’t go on like this. With the weapon still in my hand, I stared at the barrel, almost making the final decision.

Almost.

As another strangled sound left my throat, I finally managed to place the weapon on the floor before hanging my head into my hands.

I was the most fucked up of all.

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