Bare Back Read online

  “Good thing we ain’t the police, huh?” I say to him over my shoulder as I turn to my father.

  Dropping to my knees, I try to assess the situation. Blood seeps through my father’s fingers. He’s been shot. I instantly jump to action. Looking around, I see a small pile of clothes that Billy Joe must have recently washed. I grab a shirt from the top, and run back to Jeff. Pressing the slightly damp material over the wound, I move his hand on top of the shirt to hold it in place.

  “Are you hit anywhere else? I only heard the one shot, was there more?” Jeff shakes his head no. Slowly, I try to roll him to his side, checking for an exit wound. There isn’t one, so either Billy Joe wasn’t close when he shot at dad, or it was a low power gun. I scan the dirt around us, finally seeing a small .22 sitting near the fire. Pushing to my feet, I head over, grabbing it and I take it over near dad. His rifle is laying about a foot away from him. I dig the satellite phone out and move around, making sure I have a signal. Dialing the number to the Park Ranger station, I wait. After calling three times, someone finally answers.

  “Ranger Drake. Garner State Park.” Drake was the go to person when we arranged our search of the Park. He’s a sweet guy, shy, quiet type, and young. But he gets his job done.

  “Drake, this is Kelli, we found our felon, but my dad’s been shot. What are our chances of getting a med evac out here?”

  “What are your coordinates?”

  “Hang on,” I say as I lean down over Jeff. He had the map in the pocket of his coat. Rifling through the jacket, he moans in pain.

  “Sorry dad, I’m trying to take it easy. Need that ma- Shit!”

  Staring down at the shredded piece of paper in my hand, what’s left of it is covered in blood. The bullet had gone through Jeff’s pocket with the map and into his body. So not only is there a bullet in there, but other materials, and I know that can cause infection. My heart races, adrenaline pumps as I begin to worry.

  “Well Drake, anyway you can triangulate us? Seems our map was shot too.” I stand walking back over to Billy Joe and kick him again to relieve some of the anger that’s bubbling in the pit of my stomach. His yelp of pain soothes my anger a little.

  “Not really. We don’t have that kind of equipment here. Budget cuts and all. What’s the last position you were in? What I can do is get a couple rangers out there to pick you up and guide you to a landing zone. How bad is the wound?” I proceed to tell him the last coordinates I remember which were a few miles back. The wound isn’t fatal yet, but if he keeps losing blood it will be. Drake said that they will get a chopper to drop some Rangers into the hills at our last coordinates and to just meet them back there. Hanging up the phone, I look around the tiny campsite. There’s an awful lot of stuff here for just one person. I have to wonder if Billy Joe has been sneaking into town to grab supplies. Brushing off the thought, I try to figure out how to do this.

  “Dad, I’ll be back, okay? I need to go get the horses. We’ll have to hump it a bit to get to the evac zone. Okay?” His eyes flutter and he doesn’t respond. I pull Billy Joe up into a sitting position and try to drag him over to a tree.

  “You can’t do this to me. You can’t leave me like this. Where are you going? What if a panther comes by? You’re leaving me for dead.” Getting in his face, I lean in as close as I can without touching him. Jamming my gun into his shoulder, I dare him to move.

  “You need to shut up. I’ve been stuck in these woods for a week because of you. You shot my dad. I’ll be happy if a panther chews on your ass. It will be less of you to lug back and I get my bounty dead or alive.” His face pales but he shuts up. Spinning on my feet, I turn to my dad.

  Taking the rope dad had latched to his belt, I wind it around Billy Joe, fastening him to the tree. Surveying the surroundings, I grab a sleeping bag and unzip it, covering Jeff with it. Not that it’s real cold here in Texas, but it’s not overly hot here in the woods. The shade makes the air feel crisper than usual. With the amount of blood he’s losing, keeping him warm is important.

  “I’ll be right back,” I whisper to him softly, knowing he can’t hear me. Quickly winding my way back to the horses, the steam is practically rising from my head. I’m so pissed off. This is ridiculous. The guy is a moron. How did he get the jump on us like that? Slowing to walk up next to the horses without spooking them, I reach out to untie the reins from the trees. As I begin to lead both animals back to the campsite, I’m shocked still by the rattling from the bushes. Shit, just what I need right now, a rattle snake. I hate those things and the nasty little buggers always show up when you don’t have time to deal with it. Thoughts of Mitch flash in my head. Tramping down the memories, I focus, scanning the ground to search for the offending beast. Of course during a high stress situation, my mind is going to betray me with thoughts of that jerk off. The horses become antsy, pulling at the reins in my hands. Taking a step back, I keep my eyes on the brush. As the snake slithers from under the leaves, Sansa rears up and I fall to the ground. Letting go of the leads, Shelby takes the chance, turning and galloping away. Rolling away from Sansa’s hooves just as they collide with the ground, the squish I hear means she must have killed the snake. Still hopping around scared, I stand trying to calm Sansa down. As she falls to the ground again, I hear a loud crunch. Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath before looking at the dirt. My sat phone. It must have fallen out of my pocket as I rolled out of danger. Crap. As I reach out for the saddle, trying to still Sansa, she twists her body, knocking me down again and runs off after Shelby. Damn it. How am I supposed to get these two out of this valley with no horses and no phone? Slowly standing, I wipe the dirt off of my jeans. My ass hurts from falling on it twice now. Feeling defeated, I slowly walk back to the campsite.

  “You can’t keep me tied up like this, it’s cruel!” Before I even reach the clearing I can hear Billy Joe crying.

  “Shut up.”

  “Hey, where are the horses? How are we going to get out of here? You can just let me go, please? If I go to jail, I’m going to die. They are going to kill me.”

  “I’m going to kill you if you don’t shut up!” I scream at him as I kneel down next to Jeff. His eyes are closed, but he’s still breathing, that’s good. The shirt he placed over the bullet wound was soaked with blood, the dirt around his body clotted with the drying liquid. Moving his hand, I lift the material. The bleeding seems to have slowed. That’s good news too. Looking at my surroundings, I try to formulate a plan. I have no choice. I have to get to that landing zone, and it looks like I’ll be going alone.

  “Listen lady, I’m serious, let me go or get me out of here. We have to get out of here! That gun shot just gave away our position.”

  “Your smoke gave away your position you dumbass. We’re the only bounty hunters out looking for you. Your contract was given to us. No one else is looking for you.”

  “You don’t get it lady. That bank I robbed, it was a job for the Gessatti family. I botched the job and they want that money. If I go to jail, they will kill me, if they find me, they will kill me. Why do you think I’ve been hiding in the woods?”

  “Because you’re a little bitch and can’t handle jail?”

  “No, la-“

  “Stop calling me lady. My name is Kelli. You’re going to jail. You need to go to court and face the consequences of your crime. End of subject. If you keep talking, I’m going to start shooting.”

  “Kelli, they have people on the inside. I’m not afraid of jail. I’ve been there before. I’m afraid of not making it out alive.”

  “Trust me, we’ve spent a week in these woods chasing you and there’s no one else out here but us, and in about an hour, some Texas Rangers with our evac.”

  Walking away from him for a moment, I look at the supplies. Pillow, more rope, guns, grenades, knives. Man, this guy really must be afraid of something. He’s armed to the teeth. Who needs grenades in the forest? What if he’s telling the truth? What if there’s really is someone else looking for him? Not th
at I can’t handle myself, but I’ll have to stay extra alert now. Looking back over at Jeff, even if I help him walk, he’s not going to make it to the landing zone. I have no choice. I have to hump it myself and then bring the Rangers back. Grabbing the pillow, I prop it up against a tree opposite of Billy Joe. Slowly and carefully I drag Jeff over to it, propping him up, trying to get his wound above his heart. Hopefully his blood loss will lessen then. I lay a canteen of water next to him, as well as his rifle. Lightly slapping his face, I try to bring him around. His eyes flutter open.

  “Hey kiddo,” his voice sounding raspy.

  “Hey dad, listen, the horses were spooked by a rattler. I need to hike to the landing zone for the helicopter and bring help back, okay? I don’t like leaving you alone like this, but I shouldn’t be more than two hours. So I need you to try to stay awake ok? Your gun is next to you, water on the other side and Billy Joe is tied up. You understand?” He nods as his eyes begin to close again. I slap his cheek.

  “Stay with me dad. Wake up, please!” He opens them again, nodding.

  “Go kiddo. See you soon.” Standing, I glare at Billy Joe.

  “Keep your mouth shut and don’t bother him.” The fear I see in his eyes is alarming. He really is scared. What if panthers and rattlers aren’t all we need to worry about out here? Sighing, I turn and begin the hike back up the hill to the area the helicopter will be landing in.

  Chapter 3

  Mitch

  “Right there Dodge,” I say, pointing at the clearing we’re supposed to land in. Dodge and I have worked a lot of cases together. We work fast and well together. An ex-air force pilot, he’s got a lot of experience flying and is having no trouble with the borrowed Search and Rescue copter. Having spent my time as a medic and MP in the Marines, we’re both used to stressful situations.

  “What are we looking for again? Because I don’t see no scared hikers down there,” Dodge says, his voice crackling into our headphones.

  “Park Ranger said Smith Bonds and a felon. Three needing pick up, one GS victim. Shoulder wound. They aren’t answering the Sat phone number that the Ranger gave me,” I recite from the sheet on my clipboard, tucking my cell phone back into my pocket. I wish they gave us more detailed info. When you’re picking up scared or hurt people, and you spend ten minutes calming them down to find out their name, it wastes precious time to get them help. Whatever. As Dodge lowers the EC145 to the ground, I see the first sign of our contact. Long blonde hair whipping in the wind, a tiny frame, her face hidden by the long locks. For a moment, my thoughts drift to memories of Kelli. Ten years. It’s been ten years since I’ve seen her and I still think about her all the time. Every blonde I see walking down the street, or like this, as we land for call, I think of her. That woman is a part of my daily thoughts just like breathing. Sighing, I know it’s not going to be her. Whatever my brother did to her, she didn’t want to look past me for it. He never would tell me what happened. To this day, he and I still don’t get along. I’ll never forgive him. She was my one true love.

  As Dodge powers down the rotors, I check the clip for my Sig 226. I have a full clip in it and one in my pocket. Nodding at Dodge, I holster the weapon and turn behind me to grab my medical bag. Dodge slides out the collapsible back board. It will suck carrying it far into the woods, but if the wound is bad, we’re going to need it. Descending from the copter, my heart races as the woman nears us.

  “Thank god you’re here. Our horses were scared by a rattler, so I need you guys to help me get my dad and bail jumper u-“ The woman stops mid-sentence as she sees me. Her eyes locking onto mine. Pulling strands of that beautiful honey colored hair from her face, I can’t help but smile. That smile quickly fades as her sparkling brown eyes turn ice cold.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Hi Kel. Nice to see you after all these years. You look amazing.” I say to her. When she remains silent, I mock a woman’s voice. “Oh Mitch, thank you so much for coming to my rescue. What would I ever do without you? You’re my hero.” Laughing at my own joke, I turn to Dodge for support. He puts his hands in the air and takes a step back, shaking his head no. That sucked the air out of my joke real quick.

  “This is between you two. Ma’am which way to the scene?” Like a pail of cold water to the body, I remember why we’re here. Her father has been shot. Without any further acknowledgement, Kelli spins on her heel and begins marching back the way she came. I can’t help but watch the way her jeans cling to her ass. Man she grew up nice. I must be one lucky bastard today. Years of dreaming of this moment, and all I can come up with is a smart ass imitation. Sulking at her lack of excitement to see me, I trail behind them, hanging my head.

  Hiking our way through the woods, I hear bits and pieces of what she’s telling Dodge. Her horses took off. Dad shot in shoulder, it didn’t go through, and so we’re going to need to be careful moving him. We don’t want the bullet to dislodge from its spot and cause more damage. Felon tied to tree claiming Gessatti family is out to kill him. That makes me waver a step.

  “Hold up guys. Hang on, time out,” I shout at them. They both stop walking and turn to glare at me. How in a few minutes has the gorgeous vixen turned my best friend against me? Although I can’t blame him. The way her tits look, snug under the thin shirt she’s wearing, any man’s cock would throb. It may be long sleeved, but damn, it’s tight and begging to be torn off her body.

  “If he’s right, we need to be more careful about this. Dodge, you already know our situation with them. If we’re here, they know we’re here and why.”

  “What do you mean they know you’re here? What’s going on?” she yells, storming towards me. Stopping in front of my face, her hands on her hips, I want to reach out and pull her close to me, feel her body against me. Blinking away the dirty images of that luscious body beneath me, I look at Dodge. He knows what I mean. We aren’t supposed to share with civilians, but it’s Kelli and her life is now going to be at stake too.

  “We’ve been investigating internally for a leak to the Gessatti’s for a few months now. Somehow they are always a step ahead of us, meaning that they have a mole in the Rangers office. If the call came through with your felon’s name, then the Gessatti’s are going to know that he’s here and that we’re here. They have no qualms about killing cops or innocent civilians. We’re all in danger. We need to hurry, but stay alert.” Hitching the medic bag up further over my shoulder, I unclip my Sig, releasing the safety. Dodge follows suit. Even though I now know that in the years she’s been gone, Kelli became a bounty hunter, it still shocks me to see her pulling a Glock out of her waist and readying it. My protective instincts kick in and I fight the urge to push her behind me so I can keep her safe. She checks the clip and bends to adjust the leg of her jeans. My gaze drifts down those long lean limbs, and I see the edge of a hunting knife before she recovers it with her jeans. Raising my eyebrows, I look at her. She smiles, shrugs and turns to walk away. It was the sexiest thing I have ever seen a woman do. With or without her clothes on.

  “That looks like an Alamo Bowie. Those aren’t cheap,” Dodge says, flashing me a quick grin.

  “I’ll never be caught unprepared again,” she says over her shoulder. From her tone, and the dirty look she gave me, I’m sure that comment has something to do with Cameron, but now isn’t the time to deal with that. I’ll have time on the flight back to headquarters. She said we were only about forty minutes from the campsite. With a gunshot wound, every minute counts.

  Following a path Kelli was leading us through, I took notice of the eerie quietness. No birds, bugs or any other noises besides us moving. Tapping Dodge on the shoulder, he pauses, nodding at me. He noticed as well.

  “Kel, hold up a sec,” I say to her, barely above a whisper. She pauses, looking at me, then back up the path again. Shaking her head no, she takes a step towards me. Panting from the hike, I can’t help but notice her chest heaving. My cock twitches a bit, and I shift on my feet, hoping she doesn’t realize wh
at her body is doing to me. Ten long years I’ve dreamt about seeing her again. Never in any of those fantasies did it play out like this. Holding my hand up to her, my ears register movement. A snap of a twig, branches moving. Dodge quickly scans the area around us. Pointing back the way we came, I nod. Dropping the med bag, I pull out my Sig. Quietly I maneuver myself away from them, taking a look over my shoulder. I’m torn. Stay and protect Kelli or find out who’s following us. Dodge takes a step closer to Kelli, shaking his head. That says it all. I go and he will protect her. Dodge and I have been friends for a long time. He knows all about her. I think the moment I figured out who she was, was the same time she figured out who I am. He may look like a dumb jock at over six and a half feet, pure muscle, but he’s pretty smart. That’s what made him a good soldier and now makes him a great Ranger. We may have had a chat or two or thousand about her.

  As I creep back up the path, I pause. Voices drift towards us. From the sound, two men, arguing.

  “I’m telling you they came this way.”

  “Man, this is stupid. You don’t know nothing about tracking people. You’re just guessing. They’re going to take him to jail if they find him anyways. Why can’t we just wait until then? We have people in place to take him out no matter where they lock his ass up.”

  “Because this is what Papa told us to do. Take him and the bounty hunters out here. No loose ends. Plus, we don’t even know where the money is. This is why you don’t get to do jobs. You’re a moron.” From the voices, it sounds like Paul and Ricky Gessatti. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting these two baboons in our investigation. They bicker like little sisters but have a mean streak that would scare most men. Ricky’s the oldest and done time for manslaughter. Paul is the little brother who fumbles everything he touches. He’s also done time, but for stupid things, like discharging his gun into his own foot or trying to steal something he couldn’t carry. Word on the street from our CI says that if Paul messes up one more job, he’s gone. Whether he’s the boss’s son or not doesn’t matter. To Don Gessatti, money is all that matters. Sounds to me like Kelli’s bail jumper was telling the truth. I try looking back. I can barely see Dodge and Kelli should be standing right behind him. I’m sure she’s looking furious. I don’t think she understands just how much trouble this guy just pulled her into. Stepping back to get a better view of them, her gun is at her side, and it’s the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen. Focusing, I signal to Dodge that there are two men. As I begin to stand, to make a move on them, something flies past me from the left. A blur of a person running. I can only watch with slight amusement as a handcuffed man runs smack into Paul.