Page 37 of Shephard

Shephard

Finding myself chasing after some drunk rich kid wasn’t something I’d intended on doing. Ever. I couldn’t care less if the kid was eaten by a bear. Only even thinking that presented a problem for my psyche. My training kicked in, the need to save and protect ingrained in me.

I found that fascinating since my last stint had altered my psyche altogether. The motto then?

Hunt and eliminate.

While being trained as a mercenary meant learning to end the life of a target, it was also vital that we learn how to save and prevent harm from innocent victims. I was damn good at it, enough so I didn’t hesitate to join Denise.

Not that she approved of or was happy about my presence.

If she could lock me up inside a jail, that would suit her just fine.

A park ranger. Denise had hidden talents, other than her snark and stunning good looks. I’d suspected as much. She definitely wasn’t from around here. That had been obvious. However, no one came to the Shenandoah Mountains at her age for a career advancement. What was she running from?

I’d find out.

Pepper eyed me carefully, but easily accepted I was coming along for the hike. I liked the pup, her keen sense of awareness a reason she’d become an expert at sniffing out unwanted materials. Denise was lucky to have her, including being able to bring her with her for this job.

That was rare. I was curious to learn more about her and her credentials, which I would do upon my return to the cabin.

I still had a lot of associates I could call on to find info on anyone if I wanted. I rarely used up favors. You never knew when they’d come in handy. Or would save a life. Plus, I wasn’t interested in allowing anyone to learn my whereabouts.

Sure, I could be found given my family’s new success, but I wasn’t going to advertise it to anyone, including anyone from my past.

Still, something told me I wanted to know her background in its entirety.

“You follow my orders. Got it, cowboy?” Her tone was harsh. That amused me.

“Cowboy?”

“What would you prefer I call you, scruffy old man? You look like a goddamn vagrant.”

“That you didn’t mind fucking.”

The sudden hitch in her step made me smile.

Denise grumbled more than once as we headed further up the mountainside. I’d been forced to climb mountains where the cliffs were almost impossible to navigate or survive for even the toughest experts. While I loathed heights, I’d been forced to hone my skills. Scaling more than one mountainside had kept me from getting a bullet in my brain.

She finally stopped and checked her phone a second time. “His name is Marcus Randolph. He’s twenty-five and at least in fairly good shape. Other than being drunk off his ass.”

I had no idea why she was including me other than she needed to say the words out loud. She certainly couldn’t trust me at this point and I didn’t trust her either. Although I doubted that she was a bad girl other than in the bedroom. I was damn good at reading people.

But her dark secret had changed her. Or someone had.

“This is where it gets tough, cowboy. Can you handle it?” she asked almost absently. She had no intention of stopping to help the old guy.

Pepper woofed and I grinned. “I guess we’ll see.”

She was right, the terrain became slightly rougher, the elevation increasing. At least she was dressed appropriately, her hiking boots exactly what was needed for the dense foliage and difficult terrain. Yes, I’d checked her voluptuous body out completely, head to toe.

I was a man with carnal needs after all.

Denise stopped again, using the flashlight to study the crown of the trees. She was also listening intently to the sounds made deep in the thick foliage.

“Pepper, do you gather a scent?” she asked, although that was impossible.

Her slight woof indicated she didn’t. I could tell. However, her keen senses were picking something up.