Saving amanda, p.4
Saving Amanda, page 4
The other men all nodded.
All the while Stone spoke, Amanda scraped her brain for a good reason to reject Stone’s choice and ask for a different man to help her with the teens.
“And Manning is good with knives,” Dax said.
“My thoughts exactly,” Stone said. “Which could come in handy since the tribal police might not take kindly to him carrying a gun onto the reservation.”
The frown on the dusty cowboy’s face couldn’t be any deeper than the one Amanda could feel pushing her brow low on her forehead. She’d come for help. Stone was offering help in the shape of a man with a bit more attitude than Amanda had the time or energy to deal with. But she’d asked for help, and Stone was offering it. To reject it now would be cutting off her nose to spite her face.
Manning’s gaze met hers.
Was Amanda mistaken? Did she see the man’s lips quirk upward? She could swear they had, if only for a second.
His brow furrowed. “What exactly will I be doing?”
“You’re to help Miss Small figure out why teens are dying,” Stone said. “And keep her safe in the process.”
Manning squared his shoulders and met her gaze. “When do I start?”
Stone turned to Amanda. “From what I understand, the sooner the better.”
“Yes,” she said.
Manning gave a brief nod. “I’d like to shower before we go. I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“No hurry, Mr. Manning,” Amanda said. “We don’t have to leave at the same time. In fact, you can follow later, or even come tomorrow.”
“Are you leaving immediately?” Manning asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I like to get back before dark. There are too many animals on the road after dark.”
“Then I’ll wait to shower until I get to where we’re going. I assume I’ll be staying with you…?”
Amanda frowned. “Since I’m half Arapaho, I can live on the reservation, and I do. I have a one-bedroom cottage.” She shook her head. “You might be able to get a room at a hotel in Fort Washakie.”
Manning shook his head. “I can’t keep you safe if I’m not near enough to run interference. If you don’t want me in your home, then you’ll have to come with me to the hotel. Again, I can’t protect you if we’re miles apart.”
Amanda was beginning to wish she hadn’t come all the way to West Yellowstone. She wasn’t sure this man could help. But hell, any help was better than doing nothing and having another teen die.
“You can sleep on my couch,” she said. “I’m leaving in ten minutes with you or without.”
“Will the tribes give you grief about having someone not from either the Eastern Shoshone or the Northern Arapahoe tribes living with you?” John Jacobs asked. “They might be suspicious of you bringing a white man onto the reservation.”
“You could say he’s a visiting friend,” Dax said.
“Or a cousin from another state needing a place to stay for a week or so,” the one called Moe suggested.
“They’d give you less of a hassle if he was family, even if he’s white,” the older man wearing a cook’s apron said.
“A one-bedroom house?” Kyla shook her head. “If he’s staying with you, you’d be better off telling people he’s your fiancé or husband. They can’t argue with that.”
Amanda’s heart raced as her gaze met Manning’s. What had started as a cry for help was making her even more anxious. She had to remind herself that the kids were what was important. She’d make a deal with the devil himself if it meant saving even one life.
She nodded. “We’ll say Mr. Manning is my fiancé. That will keep them from questioning his presence on the reservation.”
Manning’s mouth quirked upward at the corners. “Your fiancé, huh?”
Lifting her chin, Amanda stared down her nose at the man. “Can you manage that, Mr. Manning?”
He nodded. “Can you?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Certainly.”
“Then you might want to call me by my first name.”
Amanda blinked. “It’s not Manning?”
The men around them laughed.
Manning shook his head. “Call me Carter. And we’ll need to work on our story to make it believable. We should probably ride together back to the reservation and nail down the details of the mission and our engagement.”
“I need my vehicle, and you’ll need yours.”
“We can bring your vehicle tomorrow under the pretext that it had to have work done,” Stone said. “The two-hour drive back to the reservation will give you ample time to brief Carter on what’s happening and come up with how you two met and got engaged.”
Carter’s gaze locked with Amanda’s. “You came to us for help,” he said. “Is this what you had in mind?”
Amanda could have said no. Should have said no. Instead, she found herself nodding. “Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re up to it? You had a nasty fall from that horse. Are you right in the head?”
Again, the men around him laughed.
The man called Moe snorted. “Always knew you weren’t right in the head, Manning. Seems your fiancée caught onto that pretty quickly.”
John Jacobs grinned. “Figures Diablo would dump you in front of a witness. That bastard likes to put on a show.”
“How hard was that fall?” Stone asked.
“I’m fine,” Carter said. “Been through worse shakeups in the sandbox.”
Stone stared at Carter a moment longer before nodding. “I’ll notify Hank of your assignment. Remember you can use his computer guy to track down information. Swede’s good at getting to data. Use him.”
“I’ve got their numbers in my cell phone,” Carter said.
“You might not have heard what I told the others,” Stone said. “The rest of us will be working a security detail for a resort at Big Sky while you’re down at Wind River. If you need backup, I can pull someone back or ask Hank for support. Don’t wait too long to ask for help.”
Carter nodded.
Stone gripped Carter’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Good luck. Or should I say break a leg?” He tipped his head toward the lodge. “Grab your go bag, Carter. You have a mission.”
After Carter entered the lodge, Amanda drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.
For better or worse, she was returning to the reservation with a brand-new fiancé, the stranger who’d almost crashed his horse into her car. The jury was still out on whether this was a good idea or a big mistake.
Chapter 4
Carter took less than five minutes to shove all his worldly goods into his duffel bag.
He didn’t have much, having donated his household goods to a local shelter after losing his wife and unborn baby. Things didn’t mean much to him, and life had become an endless progression of days and nights, pushing through with no real purpose other than to support his team.
Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, he hurried downstairs and out through the lodge’s front door to where he’d parked his truck.
Stone, Kyla and Amanda stood beside the black Ford F-250, the one item he’d splurged on when he’d arrived in Montana. When he’d gone to work for Stone in Afghanistan, he’d sold his old truck.
Having nowhere to spend the money he’d earned, Carter had a sizeable amount saved. He’d considered purchasing a small ranch where he could raise a few cows and horses. That would give him purpose. At least he’d have livestock to come home to.
He tossed his duffel bag on the backseat and turned to face the three waiting beside the truck.
Amanda didn’t look thrilled to ride with him back to the reservation. “I really should drive my car back.”
“We’ll bring it first thing in the morning,” Stone assured her. “You two really need time to discuss your concerns and your cover story. The two-hour drive in the same vehicle will give you that.”
Kyla touched Amanda’s arm. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. Even if it’s just to talk.”
Amanda gave Kyla a crooked smile. “Sometimes, all I need is to vent. But not now. We need action. I don’t want another teen to die. My job is to counsel them, give them guidance, help them navigate raging hormones, bullying and the temptation of drugs. If they’re committing suicide, I feel personally responsible. I’ve failed them.”
“You didn’t force them to jump,” Kyla reminded her.
“No, but I didn’t give them the help they needed to avoid feeling like suicide was the only answer. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can find answers.” Amanda glanced from Kyla to Stone and, finally, to Carter. “I’m ready.”
He gave a curt nod and rounded the front of the truck to open the door for Amanda.
She gave him a slight smile and then climbed up into the cab and secured her seatbelt.
Carter closed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side.
“Remember to use the resources we have available to us. Swede is amazing at ferreting out information from databases.”
“Could you have him do a search on the Wind River Reservation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, DEA and the FBI?” Carter asked. “If those kids are playing in meth, there has to be a source, and all of those agencies should be aware of the problem and might have some insight into the operation.”
“Will do,” Stone grinned. “Enjoy getting to know your fiancée.”
“Wait. That reminds me,” Kyla said. “I have something you might need. Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”
She dashed into the lodge.
Stone’s gaze followed her. “I wonder what she forgot.”
“No telling.”
Two minutes later, Kyla burst through the lodge entrance and came to a stop in front of Carter. “You’ll need this to make your engagement look more legit.” She grabbed his hand and shoved a tissue into his open palm. Inside the tissue lay a delicate white-gold band with a clear, small, sparkling, marquis-cut diamond. “I found this at a pawn shop recently. It was so pretty, I couldn’t resist.”
Carter tried to give it back to Kyla. “No way. It looks expensive.”
“I’d be afraid I’d lose it.” Amanda shook her head. “We can’t take it.”
“Please,” Kyla said. “I don’t need it.” She held up her hand to display a gorgeous solitaire ring on her left ring finger. I’m a little more attached to this one.”
Stone slipped an arm around her. “And I’m a little more attached to this woman.”
“You need the engagement to look real. The first thing a woman will ask is to see the ring,” Kyla said.
Another vehicle pulled up in front of the lodge, and Chelsea, Benjamin Yates’ woman, jumped out. “Oh, good. You’ve all met.”
Benjamin came out of the lodge at that moment. “Hey, beautiful.” He descended the steps from the porch and pulled Chelsea into his arms. “How’s my favorite wolfologist?”
“Ah, you’re back.” She leaned up and kissed him full on the lips.
“Finished up this morning and got back here as soon as I could.”
She slipped her arm around his waist and looked toward Amanda. “I take it you’ve assigned someone to help my friend Amanda?”
Benjamin lifted his chin toward Carter. “Carter’s got this one.”
“We were just working out the details of their engagement,” Kyla added with a grin.
Chelsea’s brow furrowed. “Engagement? Did I miss something?”
Stone chuckled. “Carter’s going to the rez as her fiancé to avoid questions and the chance he’ll be asked to leave.”
“He just needs to put a ring on her finger and make it look real.” Kyla nodded toward the ring in Carter’s hand. “Go on. Make it legit.”
After all the years he’d sworn he’d never take another wife, memories of that day his commanding officer had informed him of his wife’s death rushed into his mind and threatened to overwhelm him.
He fought for control. “This is only an act. It isn’t real.”
“Right,” Amanda said.
Carter hadn’t realized he’d spoken his words aloud. “Sorry. I just want to be clear.”
She nodded. “You’ll be my fake fiancé, nothing more until we figure out what’s going on. Besides, we barely know each other.”
“Exactly.” He held out the ring, expecting her to take it and slip it onto her finger.
“Wait,” Kyla said. “I know this is all for show, but I feel like you should at least go through the motions of what it would be like if it were real. It would make the lies easier to tell.”
His heart pounding hard against his ribs, Carter frowned. “That’s ridiculous.”
Kyla shook her head. “It will make it easier for Amanda to remember when people ask her how you proposed.” She propped her fists on her hips. “Just do it and make it memorable.”
Amanda’s frown matched Carter’s. “You don’t have to. Just give me the ring.”
The fact she was just as unwilling to stage the engagement as he was made it easier for Carter to “do it right.”
Instead of handing her the ring, he dropped to one knee and looked up into her startlingly blue eyes. “Amanda, the fake love of my life, will you accept this ring as a symbol of our undying fake love and agree to marry me, which we both agree will never happen, and stay with me until death do us part or we resolve the suicide/murder case, whichever comes first?”
She laughed, her blue eyes dancing.
This was the first time he’d heard her laugh. The happy sound and the light in her eyes hit him square in his chest and cut a chink into the wall he’d carefully constructed around his heart.
For a moment, he couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see past the beauty of Amanda’s happiness shining on her face.
She held out her hand. “In the name of getting this show on the road, yes. I agree to this fake engagement, to pretend to love you and to act like we are prepared to spend the rest of our lives in wedded bliss.”
Carter stood, slipped the ring on her finger and bent to press a kiss to her lips. “For show,” he whispered.
“For show,” she said in a hushed tone only he could hear.
“There,” Kyla said. “Now, you’re officially engaged.”
“Fake engaged,” Amanda corrected.
“Honey,” Chelsea said, “you’ll have to stop saying fake, or it will slip out while you’re talking to the locals.”
Carter wanted to argue that it was fake but knew she was right. “We’ll work on that.”
Amanda nodded. “Right now, we need to get going. I’d like to be back before dark and available should any of the teens need to talk to me.”
Chelsea hugged Amanda. “You let me know if you need anything. And don’t be such a stranger. We’re all busy, but we need to make time for the people we care about.”
Amanda’s cheeks pinkened. “We do.” She gave Chelsea a shaky smile. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Don’t thank me,” Chelsea said. “Thank the Brotherhood Protectors. They’ll make sure you stay safe.”
Amanda’s gaze met Carter’s, her eyes narrowing a bit.
Did she think he couldn’t keep her safe? He met her gaze and held it until she dropped hers. Yeah, she might not like the idea of him being with her all the time, but that was the only way he could keep her safe, twenty-four-seven.
He opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb in.
Once she was settled in her seat, he closed the door and rounded to the driver’s side.
Stone waited for him there. “We’re here if you need us. By us, I mean all of the Brotherhood Protectors here in West Yellowstone and in Eagle Rock. We can even tap on the Colorado division if needed.”
Carter nodded. “Hopefully, we won’t need to tap on anyone.”
“Good luck.” Stone stepped back as Carter slipped behind the steering wheel and started the truck.
The engine roared to life, and Carter backed out, turned and drove away from the lodge. He felt like he had whenever he’d deployed, only different.
On deployments, he’d had his team with him.
He shot a glance toward Amanda. He didn’t know her, nor could he count on her to have his back. They hadn’t trained together or been through anything life-threatening to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This would be a very different kind of assignment. He hoped he was up to flying mostly solo. He hoped he’d be enough.
First, he needed to know exactly what he was up against. Who was the enemy, what did they want and who stood in the way of them getting it? “Okay, start talking,” he said abruptly. “I need to know what I’m getting into. If we take suicide off the table, who would want these particular teens dead? What’s their motivation? What do you know about the teens? We need to know our enemy.”
She shook her head. “The teens aren’t the enemy,” she said.
“I didn’t say they were. Something they’re doing, or are involved in, might be triggering a killer. All the more reason to understand the teens he’s killing.”
“I get that,” Amanda said. “I’ve been trying to piece it together. So far, the three teens all belong to one group.”
Carter shot a glance in Amanda’s direction. “A gang?”
She nodded. “They call themselves the Young Wolves.”
“Into drugs? Doing or selling?” he asked.
“That’s just it. Until their deaths, I would’ve bet they weren’t doing drugs. I never saw any of them high or heard of any showing up at school stoned.”
“They could be good at hiding it.”
She nodded. “One of the gang’s members has been coming to me for grief counseling since the first suicide. It really got bad for her with the last one.” Amanda sighed. “It was her twin brother. He jumped off a cliff. The M.E. said the first two had methamphetamines in their systems.”
“That would be enough to push them over any edge,” Carter said.
Amanda nodded. “Tara, my teen who’s been coming to me, swore they never did drugs. They’d made a pact among themselves to stay clean. She did say that didn’t always include the use of alcohol, but drugs were strictly avoided. She couldn’t understand why her friends would’ve broken the gang’s rules and messed with meth.”
