Renegades (2 page)

She crept around to the rear entrance keeping close to the wall of the building. When she came to the door, instead of opening it and risk making a noise or setting off an alarm she pressed her hands against the metal. The door felt mushy to touch which always astounded her. Easing her way through, she held her breath as her body followed her hands through a solid steel door that brought her into a small hallway just down from the vault. Again she merged through another tremendously thick door. This time it made her a bit queasy but she shook it off.

Working very fast, she grabbed a canvas bag and slunk along the wall while keeping her head down. She knew the camera did a continuous slow sweep of the area from her previous visits to the huge safe, so she moved quickly and did her best to stay ahead of the camera. After filling the bag with as much as she could carry, she glanced up and saw the camera had swept around and was preparing to come her way again.

Immediately Shye merged back through the wall, hugging the sack of money to her chest. Amazingly enough, the canvas bag seemed like part of her and came through the wall without any trouble. She wondered about this.
Can anything I am holding travel with me or just objects without a life force?

Back in the alley again, she placed one hand around the white feather and called upon
Nagi
. Instantly a wave of intense heat washed over her, making blood feel like fire in her veins. The odd sensation lasted less than a minute and was easier to tolerate than the cold. It was like shifting from the spirit world then back to life—kind of creepy but absolutely mind-blowing. The gift she’d been given was indeed unique.

Just as she pushed to her feet a tall figure blocked her way. “Going somewhere?” he asked. His voice was deep and husky.

She stared up, way up into the dark eyes of a very tall man. Long black hair hung several inches past his shoulders and his brown-black eyes were flecked with gold. He looked Native American but she’d never seen him on the reservation. His high cheekbones were tan and so were his long muscular arms. Strikingly handsome, his sudden appearance had taken her off guard and for a moment rendered her breathless. But it didn’t take long for an ominous aura to grip her spirit like an icy chill.

“Who are you?” She slanted a suspicious look his way.

“Someone you don’t want to mess with. Now hand over the money and maybe I’ll forget we met.”

“Like hell I will,” she snapped.

He braced both hands on the wall behind her, blocking her escape. “I don’t know how you pulled it off…I’ve never seen anything like it…but my job is to bring you in.” He shook his head in open disbelief.

His reaction indicated that he’d seen her shift or at least merge through the wall.
This is not good. Carter must have hired him. I can’t believe his thug found me already. Damn that man!
Panic rose in her throat but didn’t last long. Suddenly an apparition manifested at the end of the alleyway.

She breathed a sigh of relief and pointed past his head. “You’ll have to deal with
that
before taking
me
prisoner.”

His head jerked around in time to see a horse galloping toward them at full speed. “What the hell?”

Shye watched in fascination as a huge black stallion raced forward. On his back sat the Indian maiden she’d seen in her visions—
Nagi
Howiwacipi
—Shadow the ghost dancer coming to her rescue. The horse never broke stride. As it came upon them she saw the blazing eyes and flaring nostrils. He snorted his fury while knocking this brawny man aside then the stallion and the maiden simply vanished.

In the next instant the roar of a familiar Harley drew her from her dazed state of mind. Trip came to a screeching halt in front of her.

“Get on and hold tight,” he said low and fierce.

She wasn’t sure if he was angry or just stunned or both. Either way, she hopped on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, keeping the canvas sack wedged tightly between their bodies. He maneuvered the bike with impressive skill around the back streets of town until they cleared traffic. They hit the highway doing at least eighty before shooting off like a skyrocket. The breath got sucked straight from her stomach as they raced out of town.

He didn’t slow down until they were safely at his campsite high in the mountainous area of the Black Hills. Golden skies laced with shades of pink and blue bid farewell to a setting sun. Another close call but she came out victorious yet again. Her body was still vibrating from the wicked ride north as the bike came to a halt. She slid off and tucked the money into a saddlebag for now. Trip held her hand as they walked the few feet to a grassy patch near a fire pit.

“What the hell was that bearing down on Pike?” he asked with arched brows.

She shrugged, feeling as shocked as he looked. “A ghost rider?”

“You have a very strong guardian around you.”

“I know. That man came out of nowhere and had me trapped. He was huge. I think he saw me go through the wall.” Her hands started shaking from the adrenaline rush. “Now they will know it was me taking the money. He must’ve been hired by that sleazebag banker.”

“Looks like we have a common enemy.” Trip took her hands in his. “Relax…Pike Draven has ghosts of his own. He’s not a law abiding citizen so he won’t go to the cops.”

“You know this man?”

He nodded and the expression in his eyes deepened. “I’ve been tracking him for a while now. I knew he had to be in this area but today is the first time he came out of hiding.”

“So that’s why you’ve been hanging around town? It wasn’t as you said, in hopes of meeting me?”

“Initially, yeah, I was coming into town waiting for Pike to show up. He had to hook up with Carter and Gage eventually.”

Her heart sank. “So what was I? Just some sideline entertainment?”

Trip released a frustrated sigh. “Ya know, for a small dust ball of a town, it sure isn’t dull. I didn’t have to pick you up on the road that day. I could’ve kept on going. It’s never been my style to give hitchhikers a ride. And I continued giving you rides even after you robbed the bank because I just can’t resist your sweetness. Now if that doesn’t say something to you, then I don’t know what will.”

She mulled over his words. He made a point. She had used him for a getaway driver without giving him a heads-up. He could’ve left her there to find another ride back to the reservation yet he’d waited on all accounts and helped her each time.

“I guess you have a good argument there. We still have a lot to learn about each other. What do you know about Carter and Gage? I know they are in cahoots with one another and worked together to steal my family’s farm but I’m not aware of anything else.”

He pulled her into his arms, against his hard chest. He smelled wonderfully masculine and his embrace eased her tension.

“Let’s just say your lawyer friend has more going on in his firm than helping underhanded pricks like Carter. I’m betting that had you dug a little deeper, you’d have found what really made him rich.” He petted her hair with strong yet tender hands. “He didn’t make all that money defending clients.”

“I know. He padded his pockets to cover Carter’s shady past. I’m sure he does it for others.”

“Not only that. He and Carter head the biggest drug ring in the area. The deals go down at night. I’m guessing they’re using Gage’s office as a front and the bank to hold the money.”

“I wonder how that slob convinced Gage to get involved with his dirty scheme. Maybe Gage was desperate for money.” She sighed, disappointed that a man she’d trusted all her life had been corrupted. “So you think Gage keeps a storehouse of drugs in his building?”

Trip nodded. “Pretty big office for one lawyer with no partners and only one secretary.”

“No doubt his mortgage is owed to Carter. That creep is the worst thing that ever happened to this town.” She shook her head sadly. “Why haven’t you busted them?”

“I’m a bounty hunter, babe, not a lawman. My stake in this is personal. Once I take down Pike I’ll leave his cohorts for the FBI.”

“No…” She tilted her chin upward so that their eyes met. “You can have Pike but that low down sleazy banker is mine. Maybe once we get rid of him the town will be safe again.”

A wry grin touched his lips. “I knew it was a good thing hooking up with you. It just felt right.”

“Yeah…it does.” Her thoughts came together quickly. “Pike is the one responsible for the death of your brother, isn’t he?”

Trip placed a light kiss on her nose. “Yeah.”

Their gazes locked in a silent exchange. She saw the pain, rage and determination in his—the same feelings raging in her very soul. “What happened?”

With open hesitation, he sighed before speaking. “My brother uncovered their drug ring. He was a cop. Pike gave him an overdose of heroine to keep him quiet.”

“So that’s why you asked if I was running drugs? When you saw me leave the bank with a huge bag of money, you thought I was working with them?”

“The thought crossed my mind. I didn’t know you had your own personal beef with them.”

“And your brother’s OD was not an accident…” She offered him a consoling smile. “You’re beginning to make sense to me.”

“Don’t get too confident,” he said with a wink. “I have a feeling we’ve only scratched the surface on what makes each other tick. I don’t even know your last name yet.” He gave her an expectant look.

“Oh…we do have a long way to go. My last name is Halayi.”

He studied her for a moment in open adoration. “It’s beautiful…like you.”

Heat flooded her cheeks and she looked away. “You know they’ll be gunning for me now. Even if I don’t show up on camera, which I hope I don’t, Pike saw me with the money then watched me ride off with you.”

Trip laid a comforting hand alongside her face, lifting her chin until their eyes met. “Then we’ll be ready for them, babe, we’ll be ready.”

“We’ll be renegades is what we’ll be.”

“Yeah…one with a fast bike and the other a weapons specialist, I assume your twenty year career prepared you well?”

“Hell yeah,” she replied. “I can handle anything that fires ammunition
and
I’m a sharp shooter.”

“Damn, angel…you really are my ideal woman.”

Chapter Two

“We need to unload this money.” Shye sat cross-legged on the grass near the fire pit. “Do you think we can ride down to the reservation after dark?”

Trip nodded. “You’ll need to be extremely cautious. No doubt they’ll be watching the area, expecting you to visit your parents.”

“I will.” She watched in silence for a while as he cooked over the fire. “I’m very sorry about your brother. How did you discover that Pike is responsible? Why did you want me to think it was an accident?”

Leaning back on bent elbows with his legs stretched out on the grass, he stared up at her with hauntingly alluring eyes. “I rarely speak of this and it’s why I led you to believe his death was an accident. I didn’t want to involve you in my personal fight. I live a dangerous life.”

“Yeah and mine is chock full of rainbows and fairy tales,” she said with a sarcastic laugh. “I think I can handle hanging with you.”

He grinned, then winked. “I like your straight forward style…
Shadow
.”

She loved the way her Lakota name rolled off his tongue, as if he was making love to it as he did to her with his eyes. No man had ever affected her as he did. A mere touch, a fleeting glance—every move he made, every word spoken from those kissable lips made her tingle with excitement.

“I don’t know how to be anything I’m not.”

“Don’t ever change, babe. Not too many genuine souls around.”

“Some people are put off by that.” She placed a gentle hand on his chest. “I’m very sorry about your brother.”

He nodded his thanks. “My brother left me one thing in his will. Everything else went to his wife.”

“Are you bitter?”

“Nah, she was a good wife. Not easy being married to an undercover cop. She deserved it all, the house and the money. Sadly he didn’t leave her with a child. After the funeral she sold the house and hopped a plane to somewhere far away from here.”

“You told her to go, didn’t you?”

Openly impressed, he cocked one brow. “Don’t miss much, do ya?”

She shrugged while polishing off the delicious burger he’d cooked. Trip smiled and continued.

“Yeah, I told her to get the hell away. I knew if she stayed that the pricks would hunt her down searching for info she didn’t have.”

“Ah, the one thing your brother left you…his secrets.”

Again, the impressed look flitted through his eyes. “You think like a warrior. I take it you didn’t spend much time playing with dolls while growing up?”

Shye laughed, recalling what her mother had said. “Nooo…
Ina
always told me I was too much like a boy, playing with weapons and eating like a bear.”

“
Ina
,” he repeated, the name rolled off his tongue sweetly. “Is that what you call your mother?”

“Yes, it’s our native tongue…Lakota. My father is
Atewaye Ki
.”

“Very nice.” An intrigued expression filled his eyes. “Well you are right. The one thing my brother left me was the key to a safe deposit box nobody knew about. Inside, I found a book with all his informants listed inside, the evidence he’d gathered on this little three ring circus in town and a tape of Pike bragging about killing others.” He paused to chug some water from a jug. “Ty was about to blow this thing wide open the night we found him with a needle in his arm. At least he left me with enough evidence to bury Draven when I catch the snake.”

“Didn’t he have a partner who could help you?”

Trip looked away. “He vanished the night Ty died. Nobody’s seen him since. My brother was smart to leave the evidence with someone not involved and the only person he could trust. He had too much invested to let this bastard get away. There’s just not enough manpower to track a trail once it goes cold. It took me a while to find an informant who’d talk. But if you keep at it you’ll find one who’ll cooperate to keep his ass out of jail. He wore a wire during a chat with Pike and got him talking. The prick had boasted over taking down
pain-in-the-ass Viper
with one little shot
. Draven was pretty cocky over taking out a cop and vowed to get the other brother too.”