Page 11 of Valor

Yet, he knew Emily’s safety had to come first. At least at this point in the operation. She was the true innocent in all of this. Oliver hadn’t deserved to be brutally murdered, but his younger brother had gotten involved with the drug-dealing crew of his own accord.

A wave of grief over losing his brother and his mother washed over him. His mother had died weeks before Oliver had been murdered. His burning need for revenge had prevented him from taking the time to mourn them properly. He spent most of his time trying not to think about them at all, although during the time he’d been sick with fever at Doc’s ranch, he’d often dreamed they were still alive.

And upset with him over the path he’d chosen to take. Especially his mother.

“Owen?” From Emily’s impatient tone, it sounded like she’d said his name more than once. “Are you okay? You were a million miles away.”

“I’m fine.” He checked the rearview, grateful there wasn’t a black SUV tailing them. He couldn’t afford to let down his guard. Not with Emily.

Not with anyone. Not until he understood who was trying to kill him.

* * *

Emily couldn’t believeshe was sitting in a stolen truck. Never in her life had she willingly broken the law. Okay, maybe a speeding ticket here or there, but nothing like this. And she knew that since she hadn’t stopped Owen from taking the vehicle, she was now a party to the crime.

Guilty by association of committing a felony.

Doug would be so disappointed in her. She tried not to think about how she’d explain this to him. Yes, they’d been running from a killer, but most innocent people called the police to let them handle the situation.

They didn’t hide from the local authorities and compounded the issue by committing another crime.

The silence that stretched between her and Owen gave her too much time to think. To regret her actions. She drew in a deep breath and decided to focus on their next steps. She’d come this far, there was no point in looking backward. “Maybe we should we call ahead to warn Doc and his wife that we’re coming.”

He shook his head. “No. We’re still thirty minutes away from the two-track road that leads to their ranch. Besides, my plan is to drive past the two-track road, find another place to park the truck, preferably hidden in the thick brush. Once we’ve covered our tracks, we’ll approach the property on foot.”

She frowned. “You’re making it sound like you’re worried someone will be there waiting for you to arrive.”

“I hope not.” His tone was grim. “I didn’t tell anyone where I’ve been recovering from my injury since escaping by snow machine last January. When I reached out to my contact, I purposefully kept Doc and his wife out of it. I only mentioned a ranch, nothing more specific.”

His contact? Who was that? Another criminal? Or someone else? She wanted to ask more but sensed Owen wouldn’t confide in her. And really, why would he? She wasn’t one of his fellow outlaws. Quite the opposite. She was related to a DEA agent. Her brother, Doug, had worked for the Wyoming Criminal Investigative Division since relocating here to marry Maya but had recently been reinstated as a federal agent working with the DEA based on the increased drug activity in the area.

And as a federal DEA agent, her brother was required to arrest Owen.

Her stomach clenched at the thought of the two men facing off. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that, and what did that say about her? Why did she care so much whether Owen was forced to go to jail?

Maybe Doug was right that she needed to talk to a counselor. She was letting her emotions override her common sense.

Pushing that problem aside, she cleared her throat, and asked, “If the location of the ranch has been kept quiet, why the secrecy?”

“For one thing, we’re driving a stolen vehicle.” He fell silent for a long minute, then said, “I don’t know why I’m on edge. It’s hard to imagine anyone could have figured out that I stayed with Doc and his wife while recuperating. There have to be dozens of ranches in the area. I just think it’s better that we don’t announce our arrival.”

Keeping the stolen truck hidden made sense. She had no idea if the news of the theft had been called in to the police yet or not. And what did she know about skulking around? Nothing. “Okay, I understand.”

He ran his fingers through his blond hair, and muttered, “I wish I did.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. As she gazed at the beautiful Bighorn Mountains in the distance, she had the irrational wish that Owen would keep driving until they reached a location where nobody would ever find them.

Talk about a foolish fantasy. Owen was a criminal and had already refused to cooperate with her brother in exchange for a lighter sentence. She was making him out to be a better person than he really was.

Sitting in the passenger seat of a stolen truck was proof of that.

“That’s the two-track road.” Owen gestured to the left. By the time she looked, she couldn’t even tell where the road had been. “Keep your eyes peeled for a good place to hide this truck.”

Ignoring how she was aiding and abetting the crime even further, she scanned the terrain outside her passenger-side window for possibilities. “How about there? See that clump of trees? It’s about ten yards from the road.”

“I see it.” Owen slowed down and pointed to his side of the road. “There’s a similar wooded area on the other side too. There’s less grass, and we can avoid crossing the road to head up to the ranch.”

He turned left, leaving the road and bouncing over the uneven ground to reach the trees. As she slid from the passenger seat, she winced when she noticed how the truck left obvious tire tracks in the clumps of grass. No wonder he’d wanted to come this way.

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