Alexander Ranch (5 page)

“Yea, about that,” she hesitated
, “That little situation you walked into yesterday has put you in a bit of danger. Fortunately, Jordan and I are part of a security detail who was looking for those exact, uh, bad guys and we’ve been assigned to protect you and escort you home to safety.”

I stared at her. What was she talking about? I didn’t know the people I saw yesterday and they didn’t know me. How could I possibly be in danger?

“I don’t understand,” I said, finally.

“I know,” she said gently
, “And, I promise to explain it all and answer your questions. But, we have to move you out of here. This is the first place they will come looking for you. So, once Jordan and I are done packing up everything and we are on our way, we’ll explain everything to you.”

As if on cue, Jordan walked through the room loaded down with bags and headed out the front door. I noticed he had my backpack. He came back in a few moments later and stuffed my clothes in a bag and carried them out too.

“Our family runs and investigative business,” Daisy was saying, “and, Jordan and I work for this business. The guy you saw get shot works there too. Actually, he’s my cousin. I am very grateful to you because if you hadn’t been there to distract the men he probably would be dead. From what I’ve been told, when they went chasing after you he was able to get away.”

This was all
just so unreal. I’m not sure what she saw in my face, but a look of concern came over her expression. “I know this is all pretty overwhelming. But, let us get you out of here, ok?”

I nodded. I was certainly ready to get out of here.

“By the way, how did you get here?”

I blinked. “Jordan brought me here.”

“No, I mean, how did you get into the woods? Did you drive here from somewhere? Do you have a car nearby?”

I told her
where I’d parked my car. She asked for my keys and told me that she would have someone bring my car down. She walked out of the room with my keys and pulled her cell phone out. She walked back out a few moments later to see me struggling to get up. I was so weak and the covers where so heavy.

“No, don’t move. Jordan will carry you,” she instructed. Jordan walked back in the room on the heels of that statement carrying a duffle bag.

“Ready?” he asked looking at Daisy.

“Yes, she’ll be ok. I think she has bruised ribs, but other
wise, mostly scrapes, bumps, and bruises. Can you carry her?”

Jordan stiffened and a look passed between them.

“Of course,” came his terse reply a moment later.

I was mortified. I didn’t need him to carry me. Surely I could walk, maybe a little slowly but, I could get there on my own. Jordan came towards me. Daisy spoke just as I was opening my mouth to protest.

Did you see anyone outside?” Daisy asked
Jordan.

“No, it was all clear,” he replied walking to me and kneeling down.

“I can do it, really. You don’t have to carry me,” I flushed.

“I’m sure you can,”
he said doubtfully, “but, just to be sure, I’m going to carry you, alright? I don’t know if your wound needs stitches and I don’t want you starting it bleeding again.”

Before I could protest he lifted me gently in his arms and I turned into him to hide the color flooding my face. This man unnerved me. And, being this close to him made me feel very strange and uncomfortable. However, I didn’t have time to analyze my feelings because even being carried hurt. He was being very gentle, but an involuntary gasp escaped me. He froze and gritted his teeth.

“I’m sorry. Am I hurting you?” His voice was low and soft with concern.

“It’s fine,” I said in a muffled voice since my face was buried in his chest. He was wearing a long-sleeved t – shirt, despite the fact that it was rather warm out. Or, maybe it
wasn’t. Maybe I was just running a fever. Still, Daisy was wearing a sleeveless shirt and jeans. His body stayed rigid, and he hesitated for a moment longer before carrying me quickly to the car trying not to jar me. He put me in the front seat, buckled me in, and set my seat back so that I could lie down. Daisy climbed in the back after locking up the cabin and we were off.

“How am I going to get my car back?” I asked as we started pulling off.

“I called for a pick up. It should arrive shortly after you,” Daisy answered.

Someone was going to retrieve my car and bring it back to me? How was that possible? Just who were these people?

“I need to call my brother. He’ll be worried. My phone was water logged and isn’t working. Can I use your phone?” I asked, still not completely trusting. For a moment I’d thought they’d say no and wondered if I was a hostage. I saw Jordan glance at Daisy in the review mirror before she answered.

“Of course you can,” Daisy answered after a beat and handed me her phone. I called my brother Blake and got his voicemail. I didn’t want to alarm him so I just left him a message that I’d dropped my phone in the water and it was now dead. So, if he’d tried to call me I didn’t get the message and wasn’t at home. I assured him I would be home soon though and would soon get my cell phone replaced.

I lived with my older brother Blake. He travelled a lot for business and I was there to take care of the house for him. He refused to let me pay him rent saying that he should be paying me for house sitting. He was away from home more often than not. Still, we usually touched basis at least once a day by text or voicemail. So, I knew he would worry since he hadn’t heard from me in a day. I’d told him the night before I left that I would be leaving early in the morning and coming up to the mountains. He wouldn’t have expected to hear from me until last night. However, last night I wasn’t home and my phone hadn’t been operational. Even if it had been working, I probably wouldn’t have thought to call him. But, today I didn’t want to worry him. There was nothing he could do about my ordeal of the last twenty four hours.

Chapter 5

Despite the smooth ride of the vehicle, I felt every bump and jar in the road. Thankfully, discomfort was overcome by exhaustion and I eventually slept. I didn’t awake until I felt someone lifting me out of the car
. My sleep had been so complete and deep, waking was decidedly a huge disappointment. My body ached all over and the place where I was shot positively burned. I was in a strange place, with strange people and overall I was in a foul mood. I lifted my head slightly to look around and saw a huge house. I couldn’t see much with my face pressed into Jordan’s sizable and well-muscled chest, but I smelled animals or farm smells.

“Where am I?”

“This is our home. It’s also our headquarters,” Jordan murmured softly in my ear, his breath tickling my earlobe.

“Why am I here?” I asked groggily.

He looked down at me now with a slight frown, “Do you remember Daisy telling you that we were taking you here to see her sister who is a doctor?”

“Yes, but I want to go to my own doctor,” I answered trying to work up enough energy to be assertive. Part of me warned that I should not blindly trust these people despite the lure of having someone else handle my current situation. I did not know these people. And, I certainly didn’t want to end up in another situation. What if they held me captive or something? Jordan stopped walking and looked down at me.

“Lela, no one is going to hurt you here,” he said as if reading my mind. “I would like you to see Grace so I know that you are ok. If you want to see your doctor afterwards you can. You can also go home if you like. But, will you please just let Grace take a look at you?”

“And, if I say no, I can go home now?” I asked, trying to ignore the weird feeling I got at hearing him say my name.

“If that is what you want, I’ll make it happen,” came his solemn reply.

Maybe
I am crazy, but the sincerity in his eyes convinced me. And, the excruciating pain helped a lot too. At the very least she could give me something for the pain. “Ok, I’ll see your doctor first, but then, I want to go home.”

We were greeted at the door by a woman with a shocking resemblance to Daisy. She ushered me into what looked like an exam room.

“Place her over there, Jordan,” she directed and stepped out of the room.

Jordan deposited me lightly on the exam table and left without a word or a backwards glance. He seemed relieved to be rid of me and I felt a flicker of disappointment
. I felt confused. One minute he seemed caring and gentle, then the next minute he was indifferent or irritated. He was clearly bothered by my presence. However, I didn’t have time to dwell on my thoughts, because the woman who met us at the door was walking in placing a stethoscope around her neck. Daisy was right behind her.

“Lela, this is my sister, Grace. She’s a doctor,” Daisy said, making swift introductions.

“Pleased to meet you,” Grace greeted me briskly but pleasantly. Her voice sounded urgent, “Do you mind if I examine you now? I hear you were shot.”

“No, I don’t mind
, but I want to go home after,” I said weakly. Her efficient manor lessened my own bravado. I had a feeling if she said I couldn’t leave I wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“I understand,” she smiled at me and put her hand on my shoulder. Even through the fabric I noticed the same warm tingly feeling I felt when Daisy had touched me, only this
time it was stronger and warmer. “And, we will provide you with anything you need.”

“What do you mean?”

She looked at Daisy in confusion, and Daisy explained, “She means that you are under the protection of the agency. So, unless you needed something we couldn’t provide, there’s no need to go to the hospital. We’ll set you up with whatever medical care you need at home so we can keep you safe.”

I stared blankly at them. Under the care of the agency? What kind of agency was this again? And, just what had I gotten myself mixed up in
? I tried to choose my words carefully when I spoke again, “I don’t understand. I should be safe now. I’m nowhere near where that man got shot, and I don’t know those people.”

“You’re probably right,” Daisy said sitting on the cushioned exam table next to me
, “but we don’t want to take any chances. The men you saw are part of a dangerous group we’ve been trying to track down for a while. They know you saw them. And, if they have any way of identifying you, they will. We just want to make sure you’re safe. If they know they shot you they could be checking hospitals for gunshot victims. If they think you can identify them they will be looking for you.”

I hadn’t thought of that. I felt like I’d stepped into a bad episode of the twilight zone. How had this happened? I take one day off
, go out to have a day of fun in the sun and relaxation, and the next day I’m under some form of protective custody by a mystery agency.

“Is this some kind of secret government agency?” I asked and then
belatedly thought better of it. “Never mind, if it’s secret I don’t want to know about it.”

“We are no secret
, but we are private,” Grace chuckled, her face blossoming into a beautiful smile. “We do, at times, work directly with law enforcement when necessary. Anyway, we just want to make sure you’re safe. You had the misfortune of walking into the middle of some very dangerous suspects of an ongoing investigation. Based on what we know of them, they are very deadly and have far reaching resources to get what they want. There’s a possibility you are in danger and we just want to make sure you’re safe. We only want to get you healthy and provide you with a security detail until we can determine if you’re safe. ”

“But, I can go home?”

“Definitely,” she smiled at me reassuringly.

Sure enough, after Grace examined me, gave me a couple of stitches, bandaged me and tended a few more scrapes and bruises I
was taken home. Grace had said I was very lucky because the bullet had basically just nicked me. According to Grace, the wound wasn’t deep, and Jordan had done a great job of cleaning and bandaging it. Other than a few scrapes and bumps, I was fine. She explained that she would come by to check on me and, when she couldn’t, Daisy would be there to nurse me as well as be part of my security detail.

Grace hadn’t bandaged me quite as tight as Jordan had and I could breathe easier now. She’d given me some painkillers and cleaned my wounds with something soothing. I wasn’t sure what Grace had given me, but I wasn’t as weak and the pain was much less. I could walk, though I was moving slowly and stiffly. I was tired but not quite as exhausted
. And, I was hungry.

Grace had a delicious bowl of clam chowder brought in
, and I fell on it like a starved animal. She had some packed up for me to take home. Then, I was soon on my way escorted by Daisy and Jordan.

Once home, I bathed as best I could without getting my bandage
s wet, which left me totally spent. Then, I crawled into my bed. Daisy told me that she would stay with me for the night and I’d pointed her in the direction of the extra bedroom. She thanked me but advised me she would just sit outside my bedroom, just in case I needed her help. I told her I’d be fine, but she insisted.

“I won’t be any farther than the living room. I’ve got my laptop and need to get some work done,” she’d assured me.