Shephard (Mountain Men of Danger Falls #1)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

S hephard

Finding myself chasing after some drunk rich kid wasn’t something I’d intended on doing. Ever. I couldn’t care less if the kid was eaten by a bear. Only even thinking that presented a problem for my psyche. My training kicked in, the need to save and protect ingrained in me.

I found that fascinating since my last stint had altered my psyche altogether. The motto then?

Hunt and eliminate.

While being trained as a mercenary meant learning to end the life of a target, it was also vital that we learn how to save and prevent harm from innocent victims. I was damn good at it, enough so I didn’t hesitate to join Denise.

Not that she approved of or was happy about my presence.

If she could lock me up inside a jail, that would suit her just fine.

A park ranger. Denise had hidden talents, other than her snark and stunning good looks. I’d suspected as much. She definitely wasn’t from around here. That had been obvious. However, no one came to the Shenandoah Mountains at her age for a career advancement. What was she running from?

I’d find out.

Pepper eyed me carefully, but easily accepted I was coming along for the hike. I liked the pup, her keen sense of awareness a reason she’d become an expert at sniffing out unwanted materials. Denise was lucky to have her, including being able to bring her with her for this job.

That was rare. I was curious to learn more about her and her credentials, which I would do upon my return to the cabin.

I still had a lot of associates I could call on to find info on anyone if I wanted. I rarely used up favors. You never knew when they’d come in handy. Or would save a life. Plus, I wasn’t interested in allowing anyone to learn my whereabouts.

Sure, I could be found given my family’s new success, but I wasn’t going to advertise it to anyone, including anyone from my past.

Still, something told me I wanted to know her background in its entirety.

“You follow my orders. Got it, cowboy?” Her tone was harsh. That amused me.

“Cowboy?”

“What would you prefer I call you, scruffy old man? You look like a goddamn vagrant.”

“That you didn’t mind fucking.”

The sudden hitch in her step made me smile.

Denise grumbled more than once as we headed further up the mountainside. I’d been forced to climb mountains where the cliffs were almost impossible to navigate or survive for even the toughest experts. While I loathed heights, I’d been forced to hone my skills. Scaling more than one mountainside had kept me from getting a bullet in my brain.

She finally stopped and checked her phone a second time. “His name is Marcus Randolph. He’s twenty-five and at least in fairly good shape. Other than being drunk off his ass.”

I had no idea why she was including me other than she needed to say the words out loud. She certainly couldn’t trust me at this point and I didn’t trust her either. Although I doubted that she was a bad girl other than in the bedroom. I was damn good at reading people.

But her dark secret had changed her. Or someone had.

“This is where it gets tough, cowboy. Can you handle it?” she asked almost absently. She had no intention of stopping to help the old guy.

Pepper woofed and I grinned. “I guess we’ll see.”

She was right, the terrain became slightly rougher, the elevation increasing. At least she was dressed appropriately, her hiking boots exactly what was needed for the dense foliage and difficult terrain. Yes, I’d checked her voluptuous body out completely, head to toe.

I was a man with carnal needs after all.

Denise stopped again, using the flashlight to study the crown of the trees. She was also listening intently to the sounds made deep in the thick foliage.

“Pepper, do you gather a scent?” she asked, although that was impossible.

Her slight woof indicated she didn’t. I could tell. However, her keen senses were picking something up.

“Just be careful, little buddy,” she said to the dog. She couldn’t care less if I fell off the mountain.

God, that made me want her even more.

“Marcus! Are you here?”

She called Marcus’ name several times, waiting the appropriate amount of time for the kid to answer. The only answer was a wolf’s howl. She didn’t seem fazed by the fact danger lurked in the shadows. While a slight distance away, we were invading their territory.

Her training was quality, her markers enough to get us back to where we came from. She also stopped every few feet, searching the area for any clues. What I didn’t think she noticed was that something was off. How did I know?

A couple of broken limbs that indicated someone had raced blindly in the dark, trying desperately to get away. A few trampled branches and depressions in clumps of foliage that could be missed easily.

I hunkered down, noticing a dark substance. The flashlight told me enough, but sliding my fingers through the substance confirmed blood. There were several drops, a trail appearing to lead to nowhere.

Pepper was growling, her ears perked up.

“Come,” Denise commanded. The pup complied after snorting.

I listened for any sounds, hearing only the light rustle of leaves. My instinct was suddenly on high alert. Yes, it was possible the kid who’d fled the party was hurt. However, I could tell by Pepper’s reaction this could also be something else entirely.

Denise realized what I was doing, tentatively walking in my direction. “What did you find?”

“Blood.”

“Shit. Marcus is hurt.” When she whispered the next few words, I knew she was highly skilled and intuitive. “Or someone else is. Goddamn it.” She was thinking about the case I sensed she was directly involved in.

I’d caught a snippet of the news, the fucking reporter making it sound as if we had a serial killer loose. I was surprised the town folk seemed to take it all in stride. My guess was they’d heard it all over the years.

“When did he walk away from the party?” I stood, using the flashlight to scan the close surroundings.

“An hour ago. Maybe. Why?” She crouched down, also brushing her index finger through the blood while I headed toward something that caught my eye. “The blood is already starting to coagulate. Shit. Not his blood.”

Pepper remained alert, pacing the area while staying close to her mistress. Letting her go at this point in the dark was dangerous for the dog.

“Exactly. And there’s more over here. You have yourself another issue.”

She took long strides toward where I was standing, groaning as she peered down at the heavier volume of blood. “You should get back to the Jeep. This is for the experts to handle.”

“Lady, I don’t know who you think I am, but this is what I’m trained to do. I’m here. I’m helping. Period. Let’s find the damn kid. The other asshole is likely dead given the loss of blood. Look at the tree. It’s covered in it.” I swung my flashlight on the area and she sucked in her breath.

“Damn it.”

I’d grill her later about what she knew, even if it wasn’t my place. It was my nature.

As I walked away, I could smell her anger. My suspicion was that we’d potentially also find someone else who was injured.

Or worse.

An attack had obviously occurred at some point. But I had my doubts it was animal related. If it had been, there’d be more than just blood soaking the ground.

She moved ahead of me, her anger increasing. “Marcus. Where are you?” Her call reflected her unhappiness with me.

I got it. She didn’t like me other than beneath the sheets. While the reporter hadn’t done anyone a service with her ridiculous, overblown story, she obviously had no idea what was really happening.

Why did I have the distinct feeling a pattern was developing?

“Come on. Watch your step,” Denise barked.

The trail was getting worse, the dense foliage blinding even with the powerful flashlights.

“Shit. There are two well-known cliffs just up ahead.” She made the statement absently as she stopped and pulled the bottle of water from the holder attached to a special belt holding several pieces of equipment. She came prepared, but almost too much so.

When she started to elaborate, I threw out my hand. “Listen. Quiet.”

Pepper also responded, the low-slung, very deep howl indicating we weren’t alone.

Denise’s first instinct was to give me shit, but it hit her what I was saying. Of course we were met with quiet at first, only the sound of night creatures doing the talking.

“Marcus!” she called, her voice echoing. She started to shrug as if she didn’t hear anything when we both obviously heard a muffled sound. She headed deeper into the forest, stopping just as there was a cracking sound that had nothing to do with the trees surrounding us.

A laugh.

Someone was fucking laughing.

The look she threw me was highlighted by my flashlight and I knew she was about ready to break bad. Not that I blamed her. She stormed forward, not bothering to do so carefully. Chuckling, I trailed behind her. I was eager to see what she’d do with the jerk who’d yanked everyone’s chain.

We found the completely inebriated Marcus sitting on his butt nursing a liquor bottle.

I came close to dragging him off his feet and punching the kid until I knocked some sense into him. Denise seemed to read my mind, shaking her head as she glared at me. She did kick the guy in the leg, not hard but enough to try to grab his attention.

Marcus did nothing more than laugh his ass off, pointing at the two of us as he squinted from the light. “Wook at wu. My herwos.”

I certainly liked my liquor, but smart people never allowed a single weakness to get the better of them. Myself included.

“Get up, Marcus. You have people looking for you,” she told him.

I knew the bastard couldn’t walk. Certainly not that far.

He rolled onto his back, staring up at the trees. “What’s up?”

That was it. I bent over, gathering the pudgy guy into my arms and slinging him over my shoulder. “Let’s get him back to the vehicle before he pitches his guts.”

She stared at me and while I didn’t have the flashlight directed on her, I sensed her disdain.

And maybe her appreciation, although she’d never say the words.

“Agreed. Don’t piss on my parade, Marcus,” she snarled, as if the guy knew what the hell she was talking about. She took a second to swing the flashlight around in an arc before heading back the way we came.

Her markers were helpful, our time cut in half returning to the Jeep.

She continued to look back every few steps. I had a feeling she was half expecting a monster to crawl out of the forest. I remained on edge and it had everything to do with her reaction.

The entire time we traipsed down the mountainside, the guy was laughing hysterically. He was also doing his best to get out of my hold. A part of me wanted to drop the jerk on his face. I wouldn’t do that to her. Not fair.

But maybe later I’d hunt the shithead down.

I grinned from the thought though, which reminded me I was an asshole most of the time.

With the Jeep in sight, I heard a hitch in the kid’s digestive system. Well, fuck me. The jerk was going to toss his cookies after all.

After placing the dude on his feet, I spun him away from the front of the Jeep, holding his arm as I bent him over slightly. “Go for it, buddy. Just miss my damn boots or I’ll kick your motherfucking ass.”

Denise planted her hand on her hip. “I don’t get paid enough for this shit. Tourists. Wedding guests. You need to do something about providing rules when you rent the place out.”

I laughed for the first time in a while. “Whatever you say, Little Miss.”

“Fuck off.” Her quick, tart reply surprised even her.

The agonizing guttural sound as Marcus emptied his guts was enough to cause a wolf to howl. I didn’t blame the creature. The kid sounded like he was losing his stomach in the process of pitching its contents.

When he was finished, his entire body was shaking.

“I nweed a dwink,” he slurred.

“The only thing you’re getting is a one-way ticket back to the party or straight to your bed. If I had my way, I’d toss you in jail.” She threw open the back door before grabbing him by the shirt collar, wincing from the stench wafting between us. “Don’t you dare get any vomit on my seat or I’ll make you lick it up.”

Marcus was stupid enough to laugh.

I had to stop her from punching him in the mouth. I shook my head, even issuing a slight tsking sound just for her benefit and annoyance. I had my hand wrapped around her fist and she immediately tried to jerk it away.

“Not so fast, sweetheart. You need to promise you’ll be nice to the arrogant rich kid.”

She glared at me, even daring to shine the powerful light in my eyes. “I don’t make promises. I make threats that I enjoy keeping. Stay in the Jeep, Marcus. Fall the fuck asleep.”

I only hoped for his sake that he did.

“I’ll keep the windows open,” she muttered before heading to the driver’s side. I sensed she wanted to ask more than a few questions but knew she wouldn’t do so in front of the kid, even if he was unconscious. She definitely didn’t trust anyone but her dog.

I threw open the passenger door when another sound piqued my attention. Pepper was way ahead of me, her growls matching her stance.

Denise was immediately by her side, stroking the top of her pup’s head as she scanned the forest in front of us once again.

“Stay in the goddamn Jeep,” I told the not so happy guest before closing the door. He wouldn’t freeze or get eaten by a wild animal.

Yet.