Aimée Thurlo - Restless Wind

“I want full immunity before I say anything else.”

“I want to win the lottery. It looks like we’re both out of luck,” Harris spat out.

“Then forget about it. I’m not saying another word until I talk to a lawyer. I know my rights.”

Dana watched him, anger seething inside her. “I’ve about had it with this jerk,” she whispered furiously.

Ranger chuckled softly. “Easy. Let Harris work a little longer. He’s got a reputation for getting things done. He’s just got his own style, that’s all.”

Dana focused on the two men inside the room. Harris walked back to his chair, sat down, then leaned back casually.

“You’ll be serving time-hard time, and most likely in a federal prison. I can’t do anything about that, but twenty years, even twenty-five, is better than life. Ten minutes of truth can save you decades in a cell with a mean, ugly, sweaty roommate named Chuck. Give me a reason to tell the DA that you cooperated. That’s my final offer.”

“Yeah, that and three-fifty will get me a cup of coffee,” Willie spat out. “Do your best. You’ve got nothing on me but lies.”

“You’re going down, Franklin, and you know it as well as I do.”

Willie held Harris’s gaze, then finally his eyes narrowed. “If I decide to cooperate, will I get protection?”

“You’ll be guarded around the clock until we put the ones you’re working for behind bars.”

Willie leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk between them. “I know you want a name, but I never asked and he never offered one.”

Harris reached into his jacket pocket and brought out three photos, laying them on the table in front of Willie. “Is the man who hired you among these?”

Willie glanced down and picked out the photo on the end. “That’s him, but he’s older now, and has a mustache. After he handed over half the money, he said I’d have someone watching me while I worked. If I failed to kill the bodyguard and take the woman-by tonight-I’d be as good as dead.”

Dana looked over at Ranger. “That’s why he had the handcuffs,” she whispered. “You were supposed to be killed. I was going to be kidnapped again.”

Ranger nodded, remembering his brother’s report.

They both looked back through the glass as Harris continued.

“He can’t get at you here. You’ll be in a tribal jail cell by yourself,” Harris said, holding up Ignacio Trujillo’s photo so they could see it on the other side of the glass.

“No, man, you don’t get it. The dude’s bad, and he’s rich. He’s got bodyguards who’ll slit your throat for a six-pack of warm beer. With his money he’ll find someone willing to stick a screwdriver in my back.”

“Not here, and especially not once we lock him and his people up. That’s where you come in. We’re going to need everything you have on him-how he contacts you, what he’s driving, all those details.”

“Fine, but not before my lawyer gets here,” Willie said. “He’ll make sure I’m not screwed out of anything I should have.”

“Okay. I’ll let you know when he arrives. Until then you’re going to a holding cell. You’ll be alone, so no one can get you there.” Harris opened the door and waved to an officer coming down the hall. “Officer Benally, would you escort the prisoner to lockup while I speak with your captain?”

“Sure.” Officer Benally waved Franklin out from behind the desk. “Turn around, please,” Benally said, taking the handcuffs off his belt.

Willie held out one hand, but when Benally reached for the other wrist, the prisoner whirled around and tried to grab Benally’s pistol.

Ranger moved in to help, but Harris got there first. He clipped Willie on the side of his head with the heel of his palm.

Franklin, his balance precarious with his ankles shackled, fell hard, dropping the pistol when his head bounced off the seat of Harris’s wooden chair. There was a sickening crunch as he hit the floor, face first.

Willie’s body started to twitch, his head at an unnatural angle.

Dana stared in horror through the glass, her heart hammering against her ribs. Benally flew out into the hall, yelling for help. Dana saw blood flowing onto the floor. She watched mesmerized, as Willie’s body twitched hard one more time, then lay motionless.

Dana turned away, feeling weak and a little sick to her stomach. No matter where she went, death was waiting. She was trapped in a circle of violence with no way out.

Ranger pulled her into his arms. “ Franklin made his choice,” he said softly. “At least no one else was hurt.”

Seeing Harris motioning to them, Dana stepped out of Ranger’s arms and walked down the hall toward the agent. As she did, she took deep breaths, trying to pull herself together. She wouldn’t let herself fall apart now.

“I don’t know why Willie reacted like that. It cost him his life,” Harris said as they joined him. “I told him he’d be in one of our holding cells, away from even other inmates, but he still tried to escape.”

“Where does that leave you now?” Ranger asked.

“We’ve got one more potential informant-Xander Glint. I’ve got guards all around him but, so far, Glint’s not talking.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Dana said. “Let me go identify him for you, face-to-face. Once he knows his conviction is all but guaranteed, that may jolt him into cooperating.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Harris said. “I’ll let the guards know you’re coming, and join you there.”

As they walked back outside, Dana couldn’t help wondering if they’d make it to the finish line in one piece. Trujillo was a relentless enemy. As long as he remained free she’d never be able to go back to her life. She missed her work, her students, the sanity of routines. Yet, deep down, she also knew that her eventual return would be bittersweet. Nothing would ever be the same for her again.

She glanced at Ranger, lost in her own thoughts. Her one wish was that Ranger would choose to remain a part of her life even after the danger had passed. But wishes alone would never tame the wind.

Ranger parked toward the north end of the regional medical center in the city of Farmington. This was where Glint, a non-Navajo, had been transferred after being stabilized.

Focused on security, Ranger studied the area around them before turning off the engine. It was close to midnight and quiet at this late hour. There had been very little traffic, even on major streets. The powerful lights that illuminated the parking lot made for few shadows, and because it was long after visiting hours, most of the vehicles probably belonged to the staff.

Though he could see nothing out of the ordinary, something didn’t feel right. The skin at the back of his neck prickled, and he studied all the vehicles he could see, especially unmarked vans.

A strong breeze rose in the air, and a small whirlwind came to life just outside the truck, stirring up dust and leaves. As Dana started to open the door, he pulled her back. “That’s an ill wind and it brings bad luck. Wait until it passes.”

Dana nodded and sat back. The fact that she’d accepted what he’d said without question pleased him. She wasn’t Navajo, but she respected Navajo ways. A man could spend a lifetime looking for a woman like Dana-one who could understand what couldn’t be explained.

They left the truck moments later. His muscles tense, he stepped in front of her, and led the way quickly toward the closest entrance.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Stay on your guard. Something’s not right.”

Yards from the side door, Ranger heard running footsteps, and two men emerged from behind a row of parked cars to his left, cutting off their retreat. A third man suddenly stepped around the last car on the right, placing himself between them and the hospital doors.