Lynette Eason - Bounty Hunter

Disappointment shot through him. He had the wrong man. Riley lowered the rifle with a frustrated sigh. Then frowned and lifted it to stare through the scope once again. The man’s face was familiar. Where had he seen him before? Television? Yeah, that was it. Could it be—? He focused again.

Yep. That was the missing FBI agent that had been all over the news lately. Morrow was his last name. Jack? Jeff? No, Jake. Jake Morrow. And there was a hundred thousand dollars being offered as a reward for his safe return.

It had been reported that he’d been kidnapped by the Dupree crime family and that he might have escaped, but still needed help.

The Dupree family had long been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and from what Riley had been able to piece together, the feds had almost managed to capture them. Only things had gone wrong in a raid on a warehouse in Los Angeles.

While tracking Reginald Dupree and his uncle Angus Dupree, Morrow had disappeared from the warehouse. From what Riley remembered, a Dupree helicopter was able to get away during the shootout. It was suspected that Morrow was on that chopper, held against his will by Angus. Reginald and two of his associates had subsequently been arrested and were still in custody.

The weird thing was, Jake had been spotted all over the country, but the last report had him near Billings, Montana. So, of all places for him to show up, why here?

Riley lowered the rifle yet again and stood. “Special Agent Jake Morrow?”

The man froze and Riley raised his hands, along with the rifle, over his head and started walking slowly toward him. He stayed on the path that led to the little campsite clearing, bypassing the large rocks and tangled bushes as well as enormous trees. “I’m Riley Martelli. I’m a bounty hunter and I’ve been tracking a guy. I thought you were him. Imagine my surprise when you turned—”

The man palmed his weapon in a move so fast Riley didn’t have time to blink. Morrow aimed the gun at him. Riley’s street training didn’t allow him to freeze, he just dove behind the nearest tree as the gun cracked.

The bullet pinged off the large trunk, sending debris stinging against his face. “Hey! I’m one of the good guys! What are you doing?” Another bullet zipped past him and he raised his own rifle to his shoulder once again. “Stop shooting! I’m not trying to hurt you!” He peered around the rock, his blood pumping. His eyes met Morrow’s and the man glared at him for another few seconds before he raised his weapon once again to aim it at Riley’s face.

Riley pulled back just as another pop sounded then he heard the engine of the SUV roar to life.

Riley rose to his feet once again and watched the agent drive away while his heart thundered in his ears. Why had Agent Morrow reacted that way? Had he not heard him calling out to him? Of course he’d heard and still opened fire. His aim had been deliberate. Close shots that meant business. If the look in his eyes meant anything, Jake Morrow wasn’t lost and he definitely didn’t want to be found.

Riley reached for his cell phone, checked that he had a signal, and went to the news website. The number he’d seen on the television last night regarding reporting tips for Jake Morrow sightings was on the home page. He tapped the number and lifted his phone to his ear.

* * *

FBI Special Agent Harper Prentiss lowered her feet from her desk and leaned forward, her attention totally focused on what she was hearing. She’d been about to walk out the door to head home for the evening when the call had come through. Could this finally be the tip they were waiting for? “Tell me again. I want to make sure I didn’t miss anything.” And that his story didn’t change.

The man on the other side of the conversation had identified himself as Riley Martelli and said he’d spotted Jake Morrow in Drum Creek, Colorado. Skepticism was her first reaction. They’d had so many bogus tips that her head hadn’t stopped spinning with all the information she’d had to sift through. But the more this guy talked, the more she wondered if he’d really seen Jake.

He repeated the story word for word. The details didn’t change. Nothing left out, nothing added.

They had to check it out.

“Hold on a second.”

“Sure.”

She did a quick Google search. It was about a ten-hour drive to Drum Creek. If they left within the hour, they’d have time for a couple of hours of sleep before jumping on the case. She pondered taking the choppers, but they’d need their vehicles for the dogs.

Then again, she wanted to get there before too much time passed and Jake had a chance to move on. Or, there was another option. One that made the most logistical sense. “All right, I’ll tell you what. If I take a chopper, I can be there within a couple of hours. The others drive up with the vehicles and meet me there, but at least I can start searching.”

“No sense in hurrying,” Riley Martelli answered. “You’re going to want to start your search where I last saw him, I’m sure. There’s no searching in the dark. Not in that area, trust me.”

“Give me the location.”

“Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s about an hour and forty minutes from Denver and about fifteen minutes from Drum Creek. It’s got tons of camping areas, lakes and other great hiding places. I repeat, you won’t find him in the dark.”

Harper bit her lip, her frustration raging. She didn’t want to have to wait until morning to start looking for Jake, but apparently she wasn’t going to have a choice. They could chopper in lights and other equipment, but that was still risky. They could miss something important on the fringes of the light.

No, they’d have to start the search at dawn. “All right, we can be there first thing in the morning. Can you recommend a place to stay that can accommodate six team members and six dogs?”

“Sure. There’s a hotel in downtown Drum Creek. I’m staying there right now. The owner is a friend of mine. What do you need? Six rooms?”

“Yes.” Harper worried her bottom lip with her teeth. They had to be careful how they approached this. They still didn’t know what they were dealing with. Was Special Agent Morrow an agent in need of help or was he a double agent, actually working for the very mafia kingpin they’d been trying to put away for months now? She just didn’t know. But she was going to find out.

“Keep this confidential, will you? We’re going to make a big enough splash with our vehicles and the dogs, but if you can help us fly as far under the radar as possible, that would be great.”

Keeping the press and the public unaware of their classified missions was the only way to ensure the success of the team. However, with the dogs, the handlers had to be identifiable in certain situations so the FBI provided a variety of uniforms and gear for different occasions. Max West, their team leader, would have to figure out the best option for this situation.

“I’ll do my best and I’ll reserve the rooms for you,” the bounty hunter was saying. “Like I said, the guy who owns the hotel and works the early morning desk is a friend of mine. He can keep his mouth shut—and if you park in the back, your vehicles won’t be seen from the main road.”

“Perfect.”

“I’ll meet you in the lobby at 5:30 sharp. Sunrise is around 5:45. If we get out of town and head into the park early, there won’t be a lot of traffic or inquiries.”

“Good. Our vehicles are black Suburbans. No flashy logos or anything.” But the dogs would attract attention. They gathered stares wherever they went. She sighed. Well, they could only do their best.

“Sounds good.”

“Thank you, Mr. Martelli.”

“Call me Riley.”

“All right, Riley, see you in the morning.”