Page 51 of Shades of Mercy
He greeted Jag with a tense nod, tossing the brush from one hand to the other with an uncomfortable motion.
“You come to trade chores?” Bones partially teased.
“Sorry about your luck. Sheriff Monarch had asked some of us to lead a search over on Fire Mountain. I’m taking Crow and Bear. I need to ask a favor.”
“Anything,” Bones said without hesitation.
“Keep an eye on Mercy for me. She’s a bit out of her comfort zone here at the ranch, and I wouldn’t want her to get herself into trouble.” He couldn’t share details, but he knew he could trust Bones.
“Sure. I’ll provide any help I can. I know you’re protective of Mercy,” Bones said.
“We’ll discuss that later,” Jag said. “Just make sure she has everything she needs.” Probably not the right choice of words.
“I’ll help saddle up the horses,” Bones volunteered.
When Jag, Crow, and Brear rode up, Sheriff Monarch was there, speaking with a concerned-looking couple.
Jag slid out of the saddle and approached Shelby.
“Thanks for coming.” Sheriff Monarch greeted him, meeting him halfway. “This is Jonah and Abby Jenson, parents of our missing boy, Jacob. They are traveling through on their way to Texas. They camped over here in the primitive campground last night. They tell me, kid, Jacob, was excited to see the mountain, and I guess he decided to start early and go out on his own. Sometime later, the parents noticed he was gone.” She shot a glance over her shoulder. “Something’s not right in their story, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint it. I’m going to stick around and do some research.”
“Are you the tracker the Sheriff mentioned?” The mother stepped forward. Her red-rimmed eyes made Jag’s chest tighten. The father also looked like he was on the verge of losing his cool.
“Yes, ma’am. Name’s Jag and over there are Bear and Crow.”
“Find my son. I know he must be scared out there all alone. Please,” she pleaded.
“I promise we’ll find him,” Jag replied, trying to stay hopeful, even though he knew the elements could be tough even on a skilled hiker. An eight-year-old was a crisis case. Jag knew if they didn’t find him soon, it was a toss-up whether the mountain would get him or a predator.
Jag was accustomed to finding people in the worst conditions, but he wasn’t familiar with tracking little kids. This heightened the challenge for Jag, Crow, and Bear in their search.
“Thank you so much,” Jonah stepped forward and shook Jag’s hand firmly, subtly pressing bills into Jag’s palm.
“You don’t have to pay us. We’re going to find your son.” Jag gave him back the money.
Jonah’s beard wobbled as he struggled to fight back tears.
Jag would make sure he found the kid because imagining telling the family the worst-case scenario didn’t settle well with him.
“My wife has something to give you,” he said to Jag.
Abby held out a small, blue stuffed animal that looked gently worn. “This is Jacob’s. He sleeps with it every night. He’ll be scared, and maybe this will calm him when you find him.” She broke down into sobs and her husband comforted her by folding her into his embrace.
Jag tucked the stuffed animal into his jacket pocket. He climbed into the saddle and gestured to Crow and Bear to let them know they were heading out.
“We’ll cover more ground going in different directions,” Jag said. “We have our radios in case we need to reach out, but remember, radio service can be hit or miss the further you get into the mountain. Cell phones are useless on the trails. This kid is our top priority.” In a lowered voice, he added, “Temperatures and conditions have been mild on the mountain today. That serves in our favor, but that’ll change when evening comes. We’re expecting a storm to pass through. After all the rain we’ve had, there will be a lot of water, downed trees, and mudslides. Tracking won’t be easy in many areas, but let’s stay hopeful. Instinct tells me he walked off the trail, and that’s why he couldn’t find his way back. But he’s eight, and our horses can cover ground a lot quicker. Just keep your eyes wide open, look for anything.”
As they set out, Crow and Bear curved to the left, and Jag to the right. They shot up their hands in a departing wave and disappeared into the rugged terrain.
*****
“This is your fault.” Cross shot up from the chair behind his desk and peered at the tall, lanky man cowardly staring at his hands. His bodyguards, Ragland and Moose, flanked the man, who looked as though he was about to piss his pants.
“I told you. Mercy doesn’t have any information on you.”
Cross eased onto the corner of the desk. “If you hadn’t fucked up, this merry-go-round would have stopped. We had a deal. You were given a lot of breaks to bring her to me. You’re up to your eyeballs in gambling debt. We could have easily fitted you with concrete shoes and sunk you to the bottom of a river.”
“There’s nothing she can do to bring you down. Mateo is the one you should fear.”
