Her Broken Wings by D.K. Hood

Thirty-Three

Snakeskin Gully, Montana

Annoyed by the lack of response to her messages and calls to Ty Carter, Jo Blake had called into the Snakeskin Gully Sheriff’s Department to ask for assistance to locate him. It seemed when an off-the-grid ex-Navy Seal didn’t want anyone to find him, he became invisible. The sheriff had insisted he take her to Carter’s last known location and they’d left at once. The sheriff’s cruiser, a massive SUV, bumped over a rocky path. Along the way, she’d kept vigilant and scanned the area, trying to memorize the turns they had taken, but the highway had soon become dirt roads leading into a dense forest. After reading the serial killer reports coming out of Black Rock Falls, being with a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere pushed her fear factor to maximum. “How much further?”

“Well, Last Chance Falls is at the end of this road. From there I guess we go on foot and look around for a cabin.”Sheriff Cage Walker’s mouth turned up at the corners. “You sure you’re cut out for small-town life?”

“I don’t really have a choice.” Jo looked at his honest face and soft brown eyes. “I go where I’m needed.”

“I haven’t had more than a dispute over a fence since I became sheriff, and that’s near two years now.” Cage shrugged. “I’m not sure why the FBI decided we need a field office here.”

The images Wolfe had sent through earlier spilled across her mind. “I guess they picked somewhere central, with a spare building for us to set up shop in.”

“Maybe.” Cage pulled the cruiser to a halt. “There’s the falls— his place can’t be too far away.”

Jo frowned. “He owns a mess of land up here but I couldn’t find a cabin on Google Earth.”

“It’s unlikely you would.” Cage chuckled. “Not many come this way to map the forest.” He gave her a long look. “You do know about the wildlife around these parts? You wouldn’t want to find yourself in a showdown with a grizzly.”

Annoyed, Jo stared at him. “Yeah, I’m aware. I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me if it hadn’t been so urgent.”

“I’m happy to help out at any time.” Cage slid from behind the wheel and pulled up his collar. “Looks like there’s a trail into the forest. Watch your step; it’s been snowing and underfoot is icy.”

Jo swallowed her first reply and nodded. “Yeah, we have snow where I come from too. Can’t we drive? The trail looks wide enough.”

“I don’t make a habit of driving onto people’s property without permission.” Cage frowned at her. “Walking up nice and slow, so they can see who you are, and yelling out will keep you safer.”

“Hmm.” Jo touched the Glock snug inside her shoulder holster under her jacket. She shivered. It was so cold and she wasn’t handling the mountain temperatures at all. “So they shoot first and ask questions later around here?”

“If they’ve posted a notice, yeah.” Cage grinned at her. “A might different than the big city, huh?”

Jo shook her head. “Not at all but in the big city they don’t post notices, they just shoot you. Sometimes because you’ve looked at them the wrong way or they want your shoes.” She slipped on the uneven surface and he grabbed her arm to steady her.

“You might want to buy a pair of hiking boots.” Cage eyed her footwear. “The produce store carries a good range and you’ll need snow gear too. You won’t survive here unless you bundle up.” He took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the area. “I see smoke. The cabin must be straight ahead.”

Jo stumbled after him, realizing designer boots might look great but didn’t stop the bitter cold. After three strides she couldn’t feel her toes. They’d walked for ten minutes before the cabin came into view. Tucked into the side of the mountain, it was barely visible, but the signposts along the way warning the owner would shoot trespassers on sight had gotten her attention. She paused at the stairs to the porch and raised her voice. “Hello, inside. I’m Agent Blake, FBI. I’m looking for Ty Carter.”

“You found him.” A deep, masculine voice came from inside.

Relieved, Jo moved to the bottom step. “It’s Jo Blake from the field office at Snakeskin Gully. We need to talk.”

The front door opened a crack and she made out a tall figure inside. “I thought you were a man.”

Jo held her ground. “Well, you were obviously mistaken.”

“Mornin’, Cage.” Carter stepped to the door.

Jo swung around and gaped at Cage in surprise. “You know him? Why didn’t you say?”

“You didn’t ask if I knew him, you asked if I knew where he lived.” Cage leaned against a tall pine. “I’ve never visited him before now.”

Jo turned as Ty Carter walked out onto the porch and rested a rifle against the wall. He was not what she’d expected. Tall and strong with a square jaw and buzz cut was the image she remembered from his file. The man standing before her was a cowboy right down to his snakeskin boots. Piercing green eyes bore into her, and his shaggy blond hair poked out from under a well-worn Stetson. She straightened and walked up the steps to greet him. Grab your gear, we have an urgent case.” She noticed a slight smirk and it made her blood boil. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“No bars up here.” Ty shrugged and moved a toothpick across his lips. “I received my orders last week by mail. They informed me to wait for you to contact me and here you are.” He stood to one side. “I guess you’d better come in and bring me up to speed.”

Jo stood her ground. “We don’t have time.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, opened the image files Wolfe had sent her, and handed the phone to him. “Mass murder out of Black Rock Falls. The medical examiner is waiting for us before he removes the bodies. You’ll need to pack for a few days.”

“My duffle is always packed.” Ty frowned at the images. “Give me five to put out my fire and get my weapons.” He looked at the sheriff. “Cage, can you grab a bag of food for Zorro from my pantry and put it in my truck?”

“Sure.” Cage walked in the door and stopped dead. “Ah… is he okay?”

Jo’s attention moved to a Doberman, sitting ears tall, quivering lips pulled back displaying very white teeth. “Do you have someone to care for him?”

With one small gesture from Ty’s hand, the dog dropped and watched them closely. Jo marveled at the condition of the animal. He was a fine-looking dog and held his head up with pride, looking like a Sphinx.

“Zorro goes where I go.” Ty walked through the small, spotless cabin and into a room at the back. “He’s the bomb squad.”

She waited a few minutes for Ty to emerge from the other room. He’d changed into clean clothes and had a duffle over one shoulder, a gun case in one hand, and a pair of hiking boots in the other. He still resembled a cowboy.

“We’ll go in my truck.” Ty ushered her out the door.

Once they’d dropped Cage at his cruiser, Jo brought Ty up to speed with the murders in Black Rock Falls. He hadn’t said a word to her for the past ten minutes. He had no conclusions or opinions on the case, which she thought strange. “Have you handled many serial killer cases?”

“Yeah, a few.” Ty turned onto the highway and accelerated. “So, what is your part in all this? You’re my boss—my orders made that perfectly clear.” He tossed the toothpick out the window, letting in a blast of freezing air.

It was obvious to Jo that he didn’t like the idea of her seniority. From his file, he’d been at the top of his field two years ago. He’d been much of a lone wolf before a slip-up by a team he was working a case with had resulted in the deaths of two young children. From what she’d read, Ty had suffered PTSD to such an extent he’d gone off the grid to recover. Although his psych tests had come back clean, he was still an unknown quantity. She turned to look at him. “The idea is we work together but I’ll be taking the lead. I’m a behavioral analyst. I profile killers and attempt to anticipate their next move.”

“I use my gut instinct and I’ve not been wrong yet.” He shrugged. “Do you work on the fly?”

“If you mean will I stay in the office and send you out on cases, no. I prefer to be right in the action. I need to see the crime scene to determine the profile of the killer.” Jo looked at the rigid set of his jaw. It was obvious he wasn’t impressed to be working with her in the field. She cleared her throat. “I’m not a detective but my insights have solved many crimes.”

“Can you handle yourself in the field in extreme conditions?” Ty flicked her a swift glance, taking in her attire. “It’s going to be tough working the backwoods towns. Days of hiking through forests, hand-to-hand combat, and ducking bullets.”

Jo set her jaw. Her boss and ex-husband’s lover had given her a hardnosed, damaged partner with the intention of making her life a misery. She’d dealt with a bossy, demanding man during her marriage and was well versed in how to deal with egos. She didn’t need to impress Ty Carter with qualifications. She’d earn his respect but he was correct, they would sure need to be tough. She lifted her chin. First, she’d need to convince him she wasn’t a helpless woman. “I can handle myself just fine.”

“Uh-huh.” Ty stared straight ahead. “So, how many do we have on our team?”

Jo swallowed hard. “Right now, it’s just you and me.”

“Oh, boy.”