Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,52

him clean, Lynx grabbed his elbow and helped him to his feet. “You really are a dumbass.”

“I know. I promise to change. Can’t you just let it go?”

Lynx looked him in the eye until Chad glanced down at his feet. “Uh, guess not,” Chad said.

“You cooperate and I’ll tell the judge. That’s the best I can do. ”

Chad had enough smarts to give up on the matter.

He turned to Big Bart and yanked him to his feet. “Now, listen up. We are going to hike out of here. You two don’t want to give me any more trouble, because I’m really pissed off.” He read them their rights as he picked up Big Bart’s rifle and had both guns trained on them, marching them out of the forest, keeping an eye out for wounded Pete.

“Pete’s gonna get you,” Big Bart said. “You’re a dead man.”

Lynx nudged him to move faster as he opened up all his senses, scanning for anything that would warn him of Pete’s whereabouts. He should have made sure Pete was restrained rather than thinking he was dead. He knew better than to assume anything in his job. Assumptions got you killed.

Strung tight, he hiked his prisoners to the place he’d parked his truck.

Ah, shit.

His truck was gone. Pete had taken his keys when he’d gone through his pockets.

“Climb in the back,” Lynx said to the two, lowering the tailgate of the truck he’d disabled. Next time he’d disable his own, too, in order to safeguard against this happening again.

“I’m not riding back there with that,” Big Bart said, gesturing with his head to the severed moose they’d already poached.

Lynx prodded him with the end of the rifle. “Move.”

Cussing, Big Bart rolled into the bed of the truck, trying to stay clear of the blood and flies already gathering on the rotting, exposed flesh.

“Chad.”

“Seriously, dude.”

“Seriously. Get up there.”

There wasn’t a lot of room with the huge pointy rack of the bull moose.

“Backs together,” Lynx instructed, looking around the clearing just in case Pete laid in wait after moving his truck. There was nothing but silence. Even the forest creatures were quiet as they took time out to watch the entertainment. Lynx set down the rifle and holstered his Glock. Grabbing the rope laying in the bed of the truck, he secured the men together and then tied them to the moose carcass.

“Oh, man,” Chad complained.

“I’m sure this falls under cruel and unusual punishment,” Big Bart said.

Lynx smiled and made sure the knots were tight. He then hiked back into the forest and grabbed the distributer cap that he’d hidden. Making quick work of putting the part back and then using the keys he’d taken off of Big Bart, Lynx started the truck and headed to Chatanika. He called Nate, who it had turned out hadn’t received his previous text, and told him he needed backup, giving him Pete’s description and that he’d commandeered his U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Refuge vehicle.

Yeah, he’d have a tough time living that down.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Eva heard Lynx’s truck pull up outside and tried to calm the beating of her heart.

What was she, sixteen again?

She rushed to the front door and forced herself to slow to a moderate pace. It wouldn’t look good for her to swing open the door and greet him before he even got out of his truck. That would give away too much of what she was feeling. Give him more power over her. She stood on the inside of the door, waiting instead. Hearing him shut the door to his truck and walk up to the path to her door, his gait sounded tired, and she wondered for the umpteenth time what he had been out doing all day. She glanced at her watch. It was headed on eleven. With this crazy sun, there was no way she’d be able to tell night from day without her watch.

As Lynx shuffled up the stairs, she couldn’t wait anymore to see him. She swung open the door, and found herself staring into the barrel of a gun.

“Hey, blondie,” the man greeted. “Do as I say and you won’t get hurt. Now, back up. Slow like. That’s my girl.”

Eva’s heart skipped and then lurched with panic. “Where’s Lynx?” That was Lynx’s truck this dirty, gun-wielding bastard had gotten out of.

“Don’t worry about him. Worry about yourself and what I’m going to do to you if you don’t follow my instructions.”

Eva swallowed her panic. She needed to keep her head about her,