Page 2 of Legacy of Danger
He frowned. "So you all found the missing guy?"
Kerr crossed his arms and leaned on a tree trunk. "Yes."
"Then why is she still out there alone?"
"I told you. Eric's with her." Kerr rubbed his leg absently, and Vaughn flinched in sympathy. "I had to take care of my clients."
"Of course."
Kerr and Eric's fledgling hunting guide business would be devastated if they lost a wealthy client.
Vaughn checked on the hunters huddled next to the fire. One guy looked like he'd seen a ghost, but his buddies were giving him a good dose of "atta boys" and something in a flask. Whatever they were drinking didn't improve the terror etched across the man's face.
Didn't improve Vaughn's stress levels either as he stared at the metal bottle and licked his lips until he dragged his gaze back to his brother. With effort, he tamped down the liquor cravings. Barely.
What the hell had his brother so freaked out? Vaughn rubbed his temples again. His ability to detect danger had gone on neck-prickling high alert in the past few minutes. He checked over his shoulder. Nothing there.
"Yeah, something about this situation feels... wrong." He tapped his head. "In here. You feel me?"
Kerr pointed at Vaughn's head. "Bro, when you get the danger heebie-jeebies, it's the real deal." He shifted from foot to... well, foot. One was prosthetic.
"Yeah. Damn it." Silence while his brother watched him. Ah, right back into the oldest brother role. Vaughn rolled his shoulders. Now wasn't the time to buck responsibility. Now was the time to man up. "Let's track down Shelby and then get the hell out of here before I crawl out of my own skin."
Vaughn curled his hands into fists. Damn, what he'd give for a solid punching bag right now. Or a huge sparring partner or two. Or a drink. Anything to burn off the unsettled, nervy sensation. "Something's sideways. With... I don't know... maybe with everything. I can't pin it down. Can you read anything from Shelby?"
"I've been checking every few minutes, and everything seems okay." Kerr tilted his head to the side, going into that faint connection he could access with his twin sister. He blinked his gold-flecked eyes, a family trait, and focused on Vaughn. "She's maybe nervous and... curious about something. That's all I can tell right about n—" Kerr dropped to his hands and knees, sawing air in and out of his gaping mouth. "Holy crap, dude."
"What?"
"It's Shelby. Something just happened. She's hurt. Oh, shit, the pain." Kerr reached under his long duster and grabbed his prosthetic leg.
Vaughn put out a hand. "What's happening?"
White lines formed around his brother's mouth, and he gasped in response.
"Screw this. We're going after them," Vaughn growled.
Kerr pushed himself to a shaky standing position. "Roger that."
The old Vaughn would run straight into the woods, guns a-blazing. But impulse control issues had gotten him nowhere except a long trip out of town for the past year. At least he could learn from his past fuckups. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind, like he did before a fight.
"What about calling the police and EMS?" Vaughn asked.
"We called several hours ago when my guest went missing. All emergency services have been occupied elsewhere but should be headed here any time now." Kerr yanked out his satellite phone and dialed. "Garrison? Call 911 again. Get their asses up here." A pause. "Yeah, I know you can't leave the ranch. I get it. Just have them park near us and follow the tracks into the woods. I'll have one of the guests direct them in." Another pause as his mouth tightened. "Don't know. Something with Shelby. Something bad."
Kerr turned the phone off, laid out succinct plans with his clients, and turned back to Vaughn. "Let's go. Hopefully, EMS won't be far behind. I have a feeling Shelby's going to need help."
* * *
Twenty minutes of pushing their skittish horses past the limits of safety and then hiking through the dark forest while following tracks in the snow from Shelby and Eric's last known location finally brought Vaughn and Kerr to a ridge.
Vaughn ran to the edge of the bluff. Two sets of footprints stopped there, illuminated by his headlight.
His temples throbbed. An invisible hand squeezed his head and cranked it until he peered down the rock face. Dimly, he registered Kerr's slower steps as his brother caught up.
"What?" Kerr panted.
Their flashlight beams bounced off the bottom of the bluff, about fifty feet down.
