Zach nodded toward the gate. “I take it the gate doesn’t open without a remote.”
Jacie’s face heated. She slipped from the truck and ran to the gate, punching in a code, triggering the automatic gate opener arm to swing out.
Jacie climbed back into the truck and sat quietly as Zach drove the winding road that led to the lodge at the Big Elk Ranch.
The lights shone bright, unusual for the earliest hours of the morning.
Before the vehicle came to a halt, Richard Giddings leaped off the porch and opened the passenger door to the pickup. “Oh, thank God.” The tall man with the slightly graying temples reached out. His hands circled her waist and he lifted Jacie to the ground. “I’d been so worried about you. When your hunting party never returned, I had everyone out looking until midnight. When Derringer called to say you were on your way, I was relieved and sick all at once.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her toward the house. He’d taken a couple of steps before he stopped and stared down into her eyes. “I’m so sorry about your sister.”
Despite the exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her, Jacie planted her feet in the ground and threw back her shoulders. “Tracie will be all right. We’ll get her back.”
Richard smiled down at her with his warm green eyes. “She’s a fighter, just like her sister.”
“Damn right.” Jacie backed away from her boss. “Richard, I’d like you to meet Zach.” She stopped, realizing for the first time she didn’t know Zach’s full name. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, hoping he’d take the hint.
Zach stepped forward and held out his hand. “Zach Adams.”
Richard’s eyebrows V’d over his nose. “Should I know you?”
“Not at all.” He glanced at Jacie and smiled. “Jacie and I go way back to college, don’t we?”
“Y-yes. We do.”
“We dated for a while, lost touch, but I just couldn’t forget her. And since I was in the neighborhood, I planned on reconnecting in the morning, once I got my bearings.” He shook his head. “Imagine my surprise when she found me first at Hank’s place.”
Richard held out a hand and shook Zach’s. “You picked a really bad time.”
“No, actually.” Jacie crossed to Zach’s side. “I’m glad he’s here. With Tracie being gone and all, it’s nice to have the support of … friends.” She hooked her arm through his. “Do you mind if he stays in the Javelina Cabin? I know it’s empty.” And it was the closest one to the tiny cabin she’d called home since she came to work full-time at the Big Elk Ranch.
“Sure.” Richard nodded. “You can show him the way. I’ll have Tia Fuentez make up a plate of food since you missed dinner. How about you, Mr. Adams? Hungry?”
“Call me Zach. And no, thank you. I had my supper.” He pulled Jacie close. “But I’ll use that time to get a shower and hit the rack.”
“Make yourself at home. The ranch is big, but the people are friendly.”
“I’ve noticed that.” He smiled again at Jacie. “I’m looking forward to catching up with Jacie, and maybe we’ll hear something about her sister soon.”
Jacie steered Zach toward the line of cabins leading away from the lodge. As soon as they were out of listening range, she whispered, “Why did you lie to my boss?”
“I’d just as soon everyone in this part of Texas think that I’m here as an old college buddy or boyfriend, rather than an agent searching for your sister. In this case, we don’t know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. So we play it neutral and I blend in. The best undercover agents are those who blend in.”
“Okay, then. When do we start looking for my sister?”
“Was that a helicopter I saw out by the barn?”
Jacie frowned, taken off guard by the change in subject. “Yes, Richard has a helicopter he uses occasionally for the big game hunts or flight-seeing tours over Big Bend.”
“Think he’ll take us up so that we can fly over the canyon?”
Her heart fluttered with excitement. “I’m sure he will. I’ll ask.” Maybe they’d spot the people holding Tracie.
“Good. It would be better coming from you, since it’s your sister and you work here. Remember, I’m just a boyfriend.”
Her cheeks warmed at the thought of Zach as her boyfriend, even if it was pretend. “I’ll get right on it.”
“I’m gonna hit the sack for a few hours of sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us. I suggest you do the same.”
She nodded, staring out at the night sky, wondering what her sister was going through and if she was okay. “We’re going to find her.”
When he didn’t respond, Jacie’s fists tightened. “We will find my sister.”
“I promise you this.” He faced her, capturing her cheeks in his hands, his gaze severe, his lips pressed into a firm line. “I’ll do the best I can.”
A shiver rippled across Jacie’s skin as she gazed into his brown-black eyes. The intensity of his stare and the tightness of his grip on her face gave her a sense of comfort and commitment. This man had lost someone he loved to terrorist cartel members. He wouldn’t let it happen again if he could help it. They would get her sister back or die trying.
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