Drake (Men of Versteck Valley Book 3) Read online

  "If you keep going you'll be there before dark and who knows what kind of hotel room you'll find in Denver without a reservation. You're too close to being where you're going to stop now. Call me when you get to the house."

  Mya turned onto the long two-lane road heading to Versteck and said a quick prayer that the weather held. "Alright, will do. Wait. How're you feeling? How's your hip?" Her mom had surgery three days ago which was the reason Mya didn't want her sitting in the car with them for over ten hours. It would be painful. Plus, her mom would need to make numerous stops to stretch and go to the bathroom which would turn the 10 hour drive to 12 or 13. A flight would be easier for her mom to navigate once the doctor cleared her.

  "Same as when you left early this morning, honey. It's going to take time to heal, and I'm staying off my leg. I'll be alright, don't worry about me. I'm worrying enough about you and Colin traveling alone to a new place where you don't know anybody. No need for both of us to be in the worry-house."

  Mya grinned. "Worry-house? Really?" Her mom had all but tossed her out the house in her haste to get Mya jump started on what she thought was a great job. At that time her mom downplayed the distance.

  Her mom laughed, and it warmed Mya. They were close. As the oldest and only daughter, she and her mom had been through so many hills and valleys together this separation wasn't a big deal. Once her mom healed and could travel, she would come for a long visit. If she liked it, she would consider moving.

  "You like that word? I just made it up."

  Mya smiled and glanced at her son again. "I could tell. Stop worrying and take care of you. I'll call once I get there and if it's late, I'll call in the morning."

  "No. Call me tonight, no matter what time you get there. I won't be able to sleep if you don't."

  "Alright, I'll call once we're settled." She disconnected, checked her gas, almost a full tank and looked over her shoulder at her curly-haired son, as he turned another page. Traffic slowed to a procession of cars bumper to bumper behind a huge piece of farm equipment that had to be moving 20 to 15 mph.

  "You've got to be kidding me," she murmured while checking to see if she could pass and couldn't as cars whizzed by in the other lane. By the time the farm equipment turned onto a dirt road, 28 minutes had passed, and the GPS gave her another 39 minutes to reach her destination.

  Traffic thinned, and she made decent time. With 15 minutes to go the sky darkened and a rumble rolled across the sky.

  Colin whimpered when the sound echoed in the sky again.

  "No, no, no," she murmured and pressed the gas. They had to reach the house she rented before the storm. It couldn't be much further.

  Raindrops hit the windshield softly at first.

  Her son's eyes went wide as saucers as his gaze locked on the window. "There should be a town nearby. A place we can wait out this storm." She wasn't sure if she was telling Colin to prevent his breakdown or encouraging herself. A police car blocked the road ahead, and she cursed.

  Dressed in rain gear with water falling from his plastic covered cap, he stood outside his car with his hand up to stop her. Peeved by the delay, she hushed Colin as she rolled down her window halfway.

  Without waiting for the officer to speak, she said. "I'm heading into Versteck. We're almost there and need to get out of this storm." The police officer looked into the car and nodded. "If you want to avoid the storm, make a right here and follow the road until you come to a large two-story house and go inside."

  "Is it a hotel or something?" she asked.

  He waved her to the right and went to the car behind her. The rain fell harder, but with the absence of thunder and lightning, they should be okay. She turned right, followed the road and boom, crack. A double whammy of thunder and lightning. She didn't bother turning to look at Colin when he screamed and writhed in his car seat as if red ants crawled over his body. Tears ran down his creamy cheeks, now splotched red as he cried like his life was ending.

  It broke her heart.

  Rain fell faster, and she drove slower. Nothing she said would stop him from crying, she had to get him out of this weather and contemplated turning around. She should've followed her mind and gotten a room in Denver. Now she had no idea how far this hotel was or what kind of place was this far out anyway. Dark mountains, no longer fanciful or pretty, acted as a backdrop as she drove up the street. There were no other houses or signs signaling a hotel along the long road, and she wondered if the Officer had made a mistake.

  Colin's unrelenting screams gave her a headache. Just as she was about to turn around, she saw the hotel in the distance and turned onto the side road leading to the wide, columned porch. No one was outside as she pulled the car to a stop beneath the portico.

  "It's alright, baby. We're here. Let's go inside away from the noise." She hopped out with her keys and purse, ran around to the other side and lifted him out. She'd come back for his things once they were settled.

  He wrapped his arms around her neck and legs around her waist as he continued to cry. Thankfully he stopped screaming as they moved quickly to the door, opened it and walked inside.

  Immediately she knew something was wrong, or they handled things differently in this small town as she looked for the lobby and check-in counter. Colin's whimpers echoed in the large foyer with a large chandelier that looked like something out of a gothic novel. Without looking behind her, she stepped back toward the door. This wasn't a hotel. The police had made a mistake.

  "What the hell are you doing in here?" The question was asked in a low, angry tone.

  Colin screamed.

  The piercing sound was so close to her ear it sent shards of pain to her head. He shook so hard she almost dropped him.

  Mya spun in the direction of the deep voice and stared at the outline of a man. Most of him was in the shadows, and she couldn’t see him clearly.

  "I apologize, the Police officer gave me directions to come here when I told him I needed to get my son out of the storm. I thought this was a hotel." She hefted Colin in her arms and walked to the door.

  Thunder boomed in the distance followed by cracks of lightning. Colin screamed and tried to climb inside her body. It would be hard getting him back in the car.

  "You're Ms. Curtain? The new housekeeper? No one told me you had a child or that a child would be coming with you,” he said in a low voice.

  "What?" She could hardly concentrate on what he was saying while calming her son. "No. I'm not Ms. Curtain. The police officer must've thought that's who I was and sent me here." She rubbed Colin's back as he continued to cry.

  "What's the matter with him? Is he sickly?"

  "No, he's not. It's the storm. He doesn't like thunder," she explained while listening. Soon as the storm died down, they would leave.

  "Were you lost?"

  "No, the road was closed, and the police was redirecting traffic." Her arms grew tired. She glanced at a brocade padded bench in the foyer, just inside the door.

  "Have a seat, wait out the storm. I left the door open for Ms. Curtain. Chances are she won't arrive today," he said and stepped backward, disappearing from her sight.

  "Thank you," she said as she took the seat.

  Colin whimpered but kept a tight grip around her neck as he turned his face in the direction of the voice.

  Thunder rolled across the sky again. Colin screamed while shaking and buried his face against her chest.

  "It's okay, baby. It's okay," she whispered wishing she was in her car or someplace less creepy. What if the cop and this guy had some kind of racket going on where they lured women to this place and... she locked down that thought and palmed her keys with the small canister of mace.

  Outside, the storm continued to rage.

  Colin shook so bad she had a hard time holding him on her lap. Normally she would put him in bed with her and turn on the television to drown the noise outside. This time they were right next to the door, and she refused to close it which meant they heard everything.


  The guy never reappeared.

  Mya searched the dimly lit area where he had been standing while keeping an eye on her primary escape avenue, the front door. How old was this place? Was it one of the historical homes? Or the place the German criminal lived? Although she appreciated the shelter which allowed her son to calm down, she couldn't stop thinking of the town named for hiding criminals. The guy had remained hidden in the shadows could very well be someone hiding from the law.

  When the rain let up and the skies lightened, 10 minutes had passed. Colin sobbed but eased up on the death grip as he took her hand in preparation to walk out.

  "Thank you for your hospitality, Sir. I'll close the door behind me," she yelled as she walked outside toward her car. She put Colin in his car seat, locked him in and ran to the driver's side. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

  She turned around and headed back in the direction she had come.

  Grab Asher’s Story on Amazon for a great read.

  Check out Book 2 in the Men of Versteck Valley Series.

  Moses

  Taylor held her semi-automatic in one hand and pulled the dark cloth over the lower half of her face and made sure her hair was covered. The oversized shirt and pants stuffed in dark boots allowed her to blend in with the rest of their squad.

  Poised and ready to finish the job, heart racing, Taylor ran forward the moment her brother gave the command. There were no wasted movements. They had practiced this operation over and over until they could do it in their sleep.

  She and Henri brought up the rear, covering the others. As one of the best shots on the team, normally she would remain a distance to pick off stragglers. With the wounded Marines, they didn’t have time to bring in another shooter, and could only hope no one decided to visit Ashad until after they finished the job.

  No one spoke as they entered the compound. Each person lying on the ground, dead or alive, received a bullet in the forehead. They met their father leaving a room and locking the door behind him.

  “Ashad and his core team,” he said and pointed to a corridor. Taylor and Henri ran down the hall. The door was locked. Henri kicked it in. A horrendous stench swept into the hall.

  On the floor, beaten, bruised and half-dead were five dirty men. The remains of two decaying, dead men lay in the far corner. Taylor’s heart wrenched at the thought of being too late to save the soldiers. Her stomach lurched at the smell as she and Henri went forward.

  “Take a picture of them first,” her father said from the door.

  She didn’t bother asking questions and took out her phone and snapped several pictures.

  “Take the ones alive out of here.” Her father stared at the dead men in the corner and walked out.

  She and Henri cut the rope that bound the men. Henri picked up the first man, slung him over his shoulder and ran out of the room. Taylor continued cutting the men free, hoping not to encounter another corpse.

  “Easy, easy, we’re getting you out of here. You’ll be going home soon. Hang in there,” she said in soothing tones when they tried to move. Relieved the five still breathed and wore their dog tags she continued removing the rope.

  Henri returned with another team member, they picked up two of the men and ran out to place them in the back of the van Franti had driven into the courtyard.

  Her father and Travis stepped into the room. Travis picked up one man, placed him on his shoulder and left the room.

  “Take them to Garace. He’ll work on them before we get them out of this region into Paksis, they’ll be picked up by their own there. Be mindful we’re on a schedule, be on that plane.”

  She nodded. Garace was a good doctor, expensive and particular about who he served. These men would have a fighting chance of survival under his care.

  Taylor stared at the last man. Her heart squeezed as she gazed at his swollen face, half-shut eyes, dark mottled skin from bruises all over his arms, chest, legs, and back. “Don’t give up. Fight to live. You can make it. Fight for your life.” His eyes remained closed, the next breath rattled in his chest, and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. It would be a miracle if he survived the drive to Garace. She looked at his dog collar and ignored everything except his name. Sanderson, Moses.

  Henri returned and picked up the last man. She followed him out to the van. Inside were bottles of clean water, clean blankets, antiseptic creams, and bandages. Initially, she planned to bandage their cuts and bruises, but they were in such bad shape, she might make things worse.

  As she, Travis, and Henri left the campground, she looked in the rear-view mirror, grabbed her rifle, and motioned for her brother to stop. In the distance, at least a mile away, two men ran toward the campground holding weapons.

  Her father and the others were placing explosives in the compound and didn’t see the oncoming threat. Travis pulled over and stopped allowing her to get out. Taylor relaxed into the moment, envisioned the first bullet hitting the man in the forehead and the next hitting the other man in the heart. She steadied the long-distance rifle in position and pulled the trigger twice.

  Both men dropped to the ground. Her father turned and looked behind him and then in her direction before continuing to set the compound ablaze.

  Henri whistled from inside the van. “Not many people could’ve made that shot. Good job, Taylor.”

  Warmth filled her chest at his praise. Henri didn’t talk much, but when he did everyone around them listened.

  “Thanks,” she said as she and Travis watched the woods for anyone else who might come forward.

  “Go,” her father said through a text. He and the rest of the team jumped into another truck and drove in the opposite direction. Taylor and Travis reentered the van and moved off before the place blew up.

  Ashad’s family would not benefit from his ill-gotten wealth, it would burn along with him and his men. She turned in the seat, glanced at the men lying on the flatbed of the van and hoped they made it out of this area before Ashad’s enemies realized it was safe to drive across his land.

  <<<>>>

  The drive across the rough terrain hadn’t been easy for the soldiers in the back. Two groaned and woke long enough to drink water, ask where they were and said thank you before falling back to sleep. Sanderson’s wounds had reopened when Henri picked him up and placed him in the truck, that couldn’t be helped. Taylor understood why Travis drove at a sedate pace to allay suspicion but wished they could make better time. Soon they would be in a friendlier area, she just hoped Sanderson and the others survived.

  When they turned onto the main road, Taylor released a pent-up breath. In less than 30 minutes they would be at Dr. Garace’s, a retired medic who, for a large fee, administered expert medical care. The older man was in demand by certain parties not only for the high level of care he provided but also because he kept no record of visits and invested in good security.

  “Hang in there,” she said, unsure if any of the men heard her or would survive. They’d been hurt so bad she wondered how long they had been with Ashad.

  Travis turned into the doctor’s courtyard and waited for one of the servants to let them in. Moments later they drove beneath a covered portico as the servant locked the gate behind them. Dr. Garace, a short man with graying hair and slender frame, stood waiting with two gurneys.

  “Take the worst two in first, then come back for the others,” the doctor instructed his staff as he climbed into the back and looked over each man.

  They took the one who had been bleeding and another with a broken arm. Drawn to Sanderson, she followed them inside, watched as they moved them to beds and returned to bring in the others.

  Dr. Garace examined the men in silence. “This one’s in bad shape,” he muttered without looking at her. They were all in bad shape, she thought as he looked over the other man, nodding.

  “They just need to be patched up well enough to be picked up in a few days, right?” He didn’t look at her when he spoke.

  “Yes, none of t
hem can die,” she added in case he wasn’t clear on that point. Sometimes doctors in this part of the world acted like gods. Not today.

  He looked at her then. “I am only a man and will do my best.”

  Two others were brought in and placed on beds.

  “For what we’re paying you, none of them can die,” she said pissed by his cavalier attitude.

  His gaze narrowed at her and he stopped his examination. “I always do my best, which is why your father pays me high fees. If you’d prefer someone else to look after these men…” He shrugged.

  Taylor pulled out her gun and pointed it at him. “If he dies, you die.” At that moment she would have shot him between his eyes and not blinked. These men had been through more than enough, and this asshole had better step up his game and attitude, especially for Sanderson, the first man he blithely looked over. Couldn’t he see that this man was hanging on by a thread?

  Dr. Garace’s face blanched as he stared at her.

  “She means it,” Travis said from the door. The doctor had provided emergency surgery on her once to remove a bullet and was one of the few people who knew she was female. “Get started, we’re on a tight schedule and need to get them out of here.”

  “But, but she’s pointing a gun at me.” The doctor’s head swung from her to Travis and then at his servants who brought in the last man and placed him on a bed. Henri stood behind them holding his semi-automatic.

  “How am I supposed to work under these conditions?”

  Travis waved aside his complaints. “Can you get started, please? That one is bleeding, you should stop that. Have your people clean these wounds and get them bandaged so we can go.” He waved at her.

  She lowered her hand but didn’t put the gun away. Instead, she glared at the doctor until he returned to work on the badly damaged soldier.

  Travis, her twin, moved closer to her and handed her a bag. “Eat. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”