her voice and stroked his nose.
“Dena, get the hell in here,” Rocky yelled, and struggled with the door.
Manny yelled something, but she gave the guys only a quick glance and jumped into the saddle. “Zeke, we have to find Zeke.” She turned the horse around, and headed toward Cyril’s side of the trail, fearing the worst.
Manny was out of the cop car and screaming after her. But no way would she stop. She glanced back as Ortiz and Stanton ran around from the rear of the ranch house and an ambulance and two Sheriff’s vehicles roared up the drive.
Dena nudged José into a canter. There was no time to waste giving explanations. “Zeke, we must find Zeke,” she whispered, over and over again.
They steadily rode up the trail, the most treacherous part would come up soon. She’d ridden it in the daytime, but not at night, and even in the daylight it had scared the heck out of her. Fear gripped her, but she refused to give in to it. She breathed as deeply and calmly as possible, which wasn’t very deep at all. Rounding the bend she saw the two men on the ground, grappling with a rifle. At least Zeke was still alive. Thank you, thank you, Lord.
“Drop the rifle, or I’ll shoot,” she said loudly, although she had no weapon of any description. She patted José’s neck and slid to the ground and crouched. She picked up and palmed a smooth rock.
“Dena, no!” Zeke yelled. “Go back.”
Cyril laughed, a weird hollow sound, and took advantage of the moment to wrestle the rifle from Zeke’s hands.
“Damn it, Cyril, what—”
“Shut up,” Cyril said. “Okay girlie, over here.” He sounded short of breath but waved her forward, shoved the rifle against Zeke’s chest. “Sit, Cabrera, or I’ll blow you to smithereens in front of the girlfriend.”
Dena approached, pretending to lead the horse behind her with one hand, but that hand gripped the small smooth rock. With enough effort behind it, it could startle if not do damage. José followed behind her, his breath coming in snorts.
“Who else knows you’re out here?” Cyril asked.
“The cops are at your house,” she said. “Rocky lived. They know everything. You might as well give yourself up.”
“Shut up. Sit beside your boyfriend. You can die together.” He laughed again. “Just like the women. You both think you’re so damn smart. You never knew I was getting it on with your mother. And you.” He stared hard at Dena. “So stupid you didn’t even figure I’d set up Rocky to take the fall. Bunch of dumb city slickers.”
Cyril moved a little closer. The man was a maniac. His hair was wild and eyes so wide the whites gleamed. She had every belief he would pull that trigger.
“Why’d you do it, Cyril?” Zeke asked coldly.
“What? Fuck your mother?”
Dena heard Zeke’s intake of air. “Don’t let him rile you,” she whispered.
“I always wanted both places. Man can’t ever have too much land. The bitch cheated me out of what was rightfully mine.”
“How?” Dena asked, still gripping the rock.
“Said I was in the will.”
“And you believed she’d leave you the farm even though you were blackmailing her?” Zeke said. “Talk about a dumb fuck.”
Cyril moved closer to him, the gun waving.
Dena looked at Zeke, widened her eyes and tilted her head toward the knife that lay a few feet away from him. If she sat at the furthest end of the rock, she’d be close enough to reach for it. Maybe.
She released the reins, slapped José on the rump. “Home,” she said, and he trotted down the trail. She knew the last thing Zeke would want was José caught in the middle of gunfire on a narrow trail.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, and sat two feet away from him.
“I said shut the fuck up,” Cyril said.
“I love you, Dena.” Zeke slid closer, kissed her cheek. He pushed her a little further along the rock. “I love you so much. I’m such an idiot. Can you ever forgive me for what I said, and for how I—”
“Of course,” she said.
“Will you two shut the hell up?”
In the distance she heard the slam of car doors, and voices were carried on the still night air. Cyril raised his head; he’d heard them too. He kept the rifle trained on the two of them, but looked back down the trail quickly a couple of times.
Dena waited until he turned again, and slipped Zeke the stone. “Now,” she said.
He hurled the round