On the Hunt

“I don’t understand,” Donovan said blankly.

“I know you don’t,” Taylor said. “You don’t understand any of the subtleties of the relationship that exists between Harlan and me. It’s all about punishment and pain and making sure Harlan knows that he can’t bring in outsiders and expect me not to punish them. But he’ll know all that after tonight. How close are you to picking me up, Donovan?”

“Five minutes. We’ll do one more sweep, then land at the clearing.”

“That’s good enough. I might have to perform a demonstration to illustrate how our tracker is to be treated. But all you’ll have to worry about is lining up her faithful pooch exactly where I want him.”

“Whatever you say,” Donovan said. “You’re the boss.”

“Exactly. Now get down here and let’s start moving. I admit I’m getting a little impatient…”

Although Kira had been on the far side of the porch and too far away to hear much of the conversation, she’d been able to get the gist of the emotion from Taylor’s body language. No fear. Arrogance. Now he was stroking the stock of his rifle almost caressingly and leaning back in the rocker, his thoughtful gaze staring into the darkness. The aircraft appeared to be preparing to set down. She felt a sudden chill. She was sure he didn’t know she was anywhere near this hideout. She’d been careful whenever she’d hiked this area recently. But she’d had the eerie feeling that he not only knew she was there but had been smiling mockingly at her from the porch.

Imagination?

The feeling was so intense that she carefully backed away from the porch and then, just as cautiously, made her way around the side of the ranch house until she was halfway back to the cliff where she’d left Mack. She would take her time and approach the house from a different direction. She believed in trusting her instincts, and she’d never had a stronger sense of warning than tonight. Once she had positive confirmation of his identity, she’d get Mack off the cliff, go after Taylor, take away that rifle, put the son of a bitch down, and then get the hell out. She gave Mack another short whistle as she increased her pace to bring him closer to her. “It’s okay, boy,” she whispered as he looked up at her, cocking his head inquiringly. “We just have to wait a little longer. I have to be sure about what we’re doing. We’ll go slowly and steadily. Okay?” She gave him a hand signal and Mack started at a trot, looking over his shoulder to make sure she was following. It was the way they usually worked, and Mack was eager to resume the status quo.

Her head rose as she suddenly heard something! A familiar low hum in the distance. Was it the helicopter again? She tensed. She’d done a preliminary search of the area earlier in the day for possible co-conspirators and found nothing. This could be members of his team in another vehicle. A late arrival? But she had been sure Taylor had been communicating with someone in the helicopter while he’d been sitting on that porch. It could be either.

Mack could hear the sound, too. She could feel it in the tension of his body. Was Taylor on the move? She put out a hand to soothe him. “Soon,” she murmured. “I’ll let you go when I’m sure we can close in on the damn bastard. Yes, I know that helicopter is getting closer.” She reached in her pocket for her infrared binoculars. “Just give me a few more minutes…” She trained the glasses on the porch as she spoke, quickly scanning the entire ranch property.

Shadows. Only shadows. “Come on, Taylor. Let me see you…”

Light from the helicopter played across the back porch, illuminating the figure in the rocking chair for a moment. It was definitely Taylor. Unmistakable.

Yes!

“We’ve got him, Mack,” she whispered. “Go!”

But Mack was already on his way, climbing toward the bottom of the cliff. Not a sound emerged from his throat. Even the pads of his feet were quiet on the stone and rocks of the cliff.

And Kira knew she had to be just as quiet as she and Mack set a trap for that bastard…

CHAPTER

3

“I’m heading out,” Harlan told Belson curtly as he headed for the cliffs. “Kira Drake is getting close to Taylor and could cause big trouble. And I need to clean up the mess before it becomes terminal. I can’t get her to listen to me.”

“What a surprise,” Belson said. “Do you want company?”

“I think I’d rather deal with her myself. I’ll call if I need you.”

“Which is what I told you was probably going to happen anyway.”

“Because you’re so psychic?” Harlan asked sarcastically. Still, he had to admit that Belson had been right: Here Harlan was on this blasted mountain, running after that woman and her dog while she tracked that damn murderer. It was damn fortunate Harlan had made his own maps and plans to go after Taylor from the beginning.

There had always been the possibility that he’d end up on his own, as he always had been where the hunt for Taylor was concerned. Kira Drake had always been just a way to get the police, FBI, and governor to let him participate in the search. At least now he wasn’t worried that the media wouldn’t be on his side at every turn of the mountain.

But Kira and her dog had done their job, finding Taylor in an area of hundreds of square miles. Although Taylor had become the most wanted man on the globe, the world’s investigative agencies still came up short compared with this one woman and her canine companion.

“He’s there,” Harlan said grimly. “I tracked the woman to within two miles of the property, and she was still heading north. There’s nothing else around there. The bastard is the most arrogant son of a bitch on the planet. He’s waiting for me. I wouldn’t want to disappoint him.”

“Don’t be conceited. It may not be you he’s after right now. Maybe he’s actually waiting for Kira Drake, what with all that media coverage. Several news outlets have revealed that it was you who hired her. She’s new blood. Taylor would like that. To strike at her would be like striking at you.”

Harlan shook his head. “I shot him in the stomach after he killed Colin and blew up the lab. I guarantee he won’t forget that. I’ll bet he still has some lousy nights from that wound. And he knows I’ll never stop now. A mere dog and his tracker buddy wouldn’t stand up to that kind of competition.” Harlan added mockingly, “Though they might be good enough to give him a reason to prove what a good shot he is.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I revealed his crimes to the world, and I’ve been getting in his way ever since. She doesn’t have nearly the appeal I do for him.” His teeth were suddenly bared in a tigerish smile. “So follow if you like, but don’t expect me to wait around for you. I’m going to go get him.” He increased his pace, feeling the adrenaline begin to pump through him. He was impatient. He wanted Taylor with a hunger that had dominated his life since that moment at the lab when he had realized the son of a bitch had blown Colin to kingdom come. The waiting was almost over now, though Taylor’s recent ascension to the world’s Most Wanted Man had made things more complicated. Harlan didn’t want to risk someone else getting their hands on Taylor first. “You can bet I’ve no desire to see either that tracker dog or Kira Drake get in my way and prevent me from finding Taylor tonight.”

ONE HOUR LATER