Strength Under Fire – Excerpt 3
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June 12
Colin was just finishing saddling the horses in the corral. It was just after dawn, less than half an hour ago, that they’d arrived at Wildflower. Dana went to clean out the box stalls in the barn, which was her normal chore to do. The day was threatening rain, and he wasn’t sure they would be able to ride around the upper fifty acres to check on the different plantings and how they were coming along or not, but they were going to give it a go. They’d had a warm front come through five days earlier and the land was soaked. The soil was soggy at best and they couldn’t use the truck on the dirt road, which was now far too muddy, to get around, so the horses would do the job this morning. At least, they wouldn’t get stuck in the mud and he smiled a little, making sure the cinch was tight on Gypsy, Dana’s mount.
The breeze was erratic, humidity higher as the cold front was pushing through the area. The sky was a lead color, cumulous clouds moving lower, blanketing the entire valley, indicating rain wasn’t far away. He decided to get two rain ponchos from his truck, parked just outside the corral area, that he had stashed away. They might need them. Bandit had decided to be with him and the he was casually waving his tail in anticipation of going out on the land with the horses and his humans. There was no question he was an athletic Lab and loved these times when they would ride instead of drive out, to check the fields.
As he opened the door to his truck to get the rain gear, he heard a sound, but couldn’t make out what, exactly it was.
A bolt of lightning flashed above him, followed quickly by rolling, teeth jarring thunder.
Bandit barked.
Pulling out of the cab, Colin looked up toward the barn on the other side of the road. A cold warning went down his spine. He knew that meant danger. What the hell! He shut the door, Bandit at his side, barking, but looking down the hill. With the barn, it was impossible to see beyond it, the old log cabin below it. Another noise. It sounded like an engine.
What the hell! Heard another engine fire up, the sound eaten away by another clap of thunder rolling through the valley.
What was going on?
Bandit barked furiously, looking up at him, and then looking at the barn. He moved to the corral, mounted up on Blackjack and pulled the reins to Gypsy, so she followed beside him. His heart was starting to pound. There was danger. But where? And who? Where was Dana? He knew she was deep in the first floor of the barn where the box stalls were located.
“Dana?” he yelled, guiding his black horse out the gait, Gypsy trotting beside them.
Bandit suddenly took off, barking furiously, heading straight for the barn.
Lightning flashed and he winced, digging his heels into Blackjack. The horse grunted and leaped into a full gallop. Gypsy followed, her nose near his left knee as they raced toward the barn that was a quarter mile away and on the other side of the road. Mud splattered upward, and Colin knew the ground was slick. Blackjack was a solid, powerful horse and he could feel him beneath him, negotiating the clay that was now nothing more than slick mud.
Just as he approached the open doors of the barn, he heard several engines, unable to see them due to the size of the building.
“Dana!” he yelled, halting at the open door.
She wasn’t there.
Suddenly, an ATV with three men in it, roared by, down below the barn.
Where was Dana?
Urgency plunged through him as he urged his horse into a gallop, getting around the side of the barn so he had a view of below. Who was in that ATV? As he rounded it, he saw a second ATV ahead of the one he’d seen. There was no mistaking seeing Dana’s red hair in the back seat of it. There were three other men in it, too!
Frantic, Bandit was barking wildly, running ahead, chasing the two ATV’s that were heading toward the upper fifty acres and that slope that led up to the top of the ridge.
Bullets suddenly filled the air.
The men in the ATV, all wearing cammo gear, had AR-15’s and were shooting out the sides of the fleeing vehicle at him! Bullets sang wildly around them and he didn’t stop. There was no way he could return fire, for fear of hitting Dana by accident. Bandit was hightailing it toward the ATV’s who were going at least twenty-five or thirty miles an hour, chewing up hunks of mud, sliding around, but heading straight for that slope.
Colin called out to Bandit.
The dog slowed, looking back at him, torn between running after the fleeing ATV’s and going back to him.
“Bandit! Come!” he yelled, slowing the horses. His mind canted toward what to do next. The ATV’s were making strong headway and were almost to the edge of the planted fields. In a few more minutes, they’d be clawing their way up that slope. Why hadn’t he looked around? Since the incident in late May, everything had been quiet around the valley. Everyone was waiting for that satellite fly over, which was still standing in line, and the sheriff couldn’t do anything about it.
Who was taking Dana? Were they white nationalists? He didn’t know. Pulling Blackjack to a halt, Bandit came back to him, his chest and neck covered in mud, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Colin could see how upset the dog was. Hell, so was he! What to do? He pulled the horses to a half, told Bandit to ‘stay’ and hauled out that small, powerful radio, making a call to Dan.
“What’s up?” Dan asked.
In as many words as he could, his voice hoarse with fear, Colin gave him the information.
“They kidnapped Dana?”
Colin heard the disbelief in Dan’s voice.
“Yes…they did. I saw her in the back with a soldier or some guy in cammo with her. They’re heading up that slope, Dan. The same one that’s not a USFS trail.”
“Can you follow them at a safe distance while I get my people together here?”
“Yes, I intend to. I’ll keep you informed. They’ve got AR-15’s and I can’t get too close to them, but the ground is wet and muddy, and their trail is going to be easy to follow.”
“Okay, if you can do that? It will help us. I’ll be in touch. I have to call the FBI, DEA and ATF and let them know what’s happened.”
“Who kidnapped her?” Colin rasped. “Was this Gonzalez men? Were they down here to get the bags of money?”
“Maybe,” Dan growled. “I’m putting one team on and around that log cabin. My other team will work with you. If we can just keep tabs on them, we may be able to capture them.”
“Dana’s in danger,” he warned.
“We won’t do anything to risk her life,” Dan promised.
“Okay. I have to put a halter on the other horse. It’s Dana’s horse. We were going to go to the upper field this morning to check on the crops.”
“Take that horse with you,” the sheriff said.
“I’ve got Bandit, too.”
“Use your Ranger skills, Colin.”
“Roger that. Out.”