Naomi Ayze used her shirtsleeve to swipe away streaming blood and tears from her eyes. With her other hand gripping the wheel, she steered her car down the steep cliff-side road.
She'd already done the hysteria bit. She'd cried, screamed and raged until hoarse. Now it was time to get it together and drive out of the mountains to a spot where her cell phone would work. But whom to call?
She had no husband. Her parents wouldn't have a clue how to help when help called for action. They were brilliant, but traditional Navajos were set on staying in balance. And Dan, the brother she'd turned to as a child, was off somewhere working on an oil rig.
Despite their differences, she would have to call her other brother. Michael belonged to the Brotherhood, that band of medicine men who fight the evil ones. He—they—would be her best hope for saving Emily.
A bubble of hysteria threatened to consume Naomi again at the thought of her little girl. Her only daughter, sweet six-year-old Emily, taken by evil Skinwalkers!
Just then, she heard an odd sound coming from under the car. When Naomi stepped on the brakes, she got no response. The brake pedal hit the floor as the car picked up speed and careened down the twisting road. And there was no way to stop!
Junior Gashie replaced the radio microphone and turned his tow truck around. The call from his office had been about a possible abandoned vehicle up near Tohatchi Lookout, only fifteen minutes away. Junk cars were often abandoned in these hills, and his parts yard could stand a few additions to inventory. So he'd decided to check it out before heading home after a long day.
The scarlet rays of another stunning sunset struck his windshield as he turned, reminding him of how much he'd missed this eastern side of Navajoland—the place of his birth. The sage-covered deserts and the russet sandstone cliffs of the "four corners" area.
Easily locating the spot where a passerby had seen the car, Junior parked on the shoulder and got out to check the area. Dusky shadows and tall pines obscured his view into the canyon, but he saw the glint of metal sticking out from brush about fifty feet down the hillside.
"Ya'at'eeh. Hello." He called out in case anyone was around and heard no response.
Dropping over the side, he decided to give the wreck a closer inspection. When he slipped on loose rocks, Junior figured this was going to be a bugger of a job, dragging the car up the hill with his winch.
He eased his way closer and thought he heard a moan. Stopping to listen, he heard only the howling winds. Must've been his imagination.
As he took his next step, there was the sound again. But this time he knew where it came from. He shoved aside juniper and sage brush, fighting his way to the driver's side door. Someone was inside!
In a moment he reached a woman, slumped over the wheel, saved by both her seat belt and the blown, limp air bag. Tugging on the jammed door handle, he yelled at her, "Are you okay?"
She groaned and turned her head.
Even dazed and glassy, those electric eyes were unforgettable. Naomi Ayze. The one woman in the world he'd hoped never to think of again.
She stirred and lifted her head. "Junior?"
"I'll get you out, Naomi. Hold on."
She must be dreaming. She had dreamed of him every single night for the past seven years, so why should this be different?
The last thing she remembered was being in a car with no brakes and heading over the edge of the cliff. The car accident must've knocked her out and carried her away into familiar and erotic dreams of the man she had always loved. Would always love.
Trying hard to pull herself out of the haze, Naomi inhaled deeply and blinked. There was something important she had to do—and it was floating right at the edge of her consciousness.
"The doors are locked," a deep, masculine voice called out from nearby. "I'm going to have to break a window to reach you. Try to stay awake, Naomi. I'll need you to pay attention and do what I say."
That sounded like Junior's voice. Was she awake? A shooting pain at her temple blindsided her, searing her in a way unlike any dream. Another pain, this time in her ankle, confirmed the worst—she was not dreaming.
"Help me," she whimpered. "What happened? It hurts."
The face from her dreams, wet with perspiration and scowling with determination, appeared in the passenger window. "Don't try to move," he said with a rasp. "I have something that'll shatter the window so I can reach you. Shut your eyes tight and don't open them until I say."
She closed her eyes. Junior. The last time they were together had been to say good-bye. She could still feel the youthful desperation, egging them on toward that one last kiss. That one last touch. They'd eventually given in to teenage lust, all mindless and fierce. And neither one had had even the slightest idea that their good-bye would end up meaning forever.
Junior set his jaw. He didn't dare think about this injured woman being his Naomi. The initial surprise had quickly dissolved into steamy memories and heated blood. But such sudden desire was uncalled for and unwise.
Sweeping it all aside, he rammed the tool in his hand upward with one heavy thrust. The tempered glass window webbed into a thousand unbroken splinters. Fisting his other hand, he knocked out the whole panel.
With the glass impediment gone, Junior reached inside and unlocked the door. At that moment he felt the ground underneath his feet tremble and the disabled car jolted.
Why? When he looked, it didn't take a genius to discover the car had been precariously balanced on the edge of another precipice and now was inching toward disaster.
Any sudden moves and the car and all inside would go crashing down to the canyon floor a hundred feet below.
"Naomi, listen to me," Junior said with more calm than he felt. "Don't move. Don't say anything."
He was not about to tell her the whole truth. "There's a little problem. I need to go back to my truck for a moment. I'll be right back. Meanwhile, sit perfectly still, will you? It's important."
"How bad is it?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.
"Shush." He couldn't lie. Not to her. "It's bad. But I swear you'll be fine. All you have to do is stay calm."
She snuffled quietly, but didn't move a muscle. Junior spun and took off up the hill, adrenaline pumping and heart pounding. There wasn't time to think.
Almost at the lip of the incline, he slipped against the rocks. Pebbles showered out from under his feet in a landslide of dirt and stone. He caught himself and held his breath, expecting the disturbance to be the catalyst for Naomi's destruction. When the dust petered out before reaching the car, he climbed out of the canyon and made for the truck. No time now to try radioing for help. Not much time for anything.
He unlocked the cable and set the winch, readying it to go down the hillside with him. In the next sixty seconds he also set the brakes, blocked the tires and rolled back over the cliff side.
Junior knew these hills and cliffs, had climbed through them following his grandfather's goat herds for most of his childhood, but he'd never been quite so careful as he picked his way back down to Naomi's car.
At the car, he inched his way under the rear bumper and hooked the cable to the car's frame. Then two minutes later he was up to the tow truck to take the cable off to spool freely. This wasn't the perfect solution, but it had to work.
Inside, Naomi felt the car jolt and gasped in surprise. Not sure what her fate would be, she assumed this was it. Daring to open her eyes, she saw Junior easing the door wider. Then he leaned toward her across the front seat. If this was to be her end, she was glad her last sight would be of Junior.
"Easy, Smiley." He unbuckled her seat belt. "I'm going to slide you out. Think you have any broken bones?"
She concentrated for a second. "Maybe my ankle."
"All right. I'll be careful. But we have to get you out of this car now."
Naomi wrapped her arms around his neck and gingerly eased both feet out from under the mashed dashboard and steering wheel. A little pain, then freedom. Once more safe in Junior's arms, her head began to clear.
Balancing her against his chest, he bent to do something under the trunk. She heard a click and a snap. Then he hitched her higher in his arms and took off up the hill.
She watched over his shoulder as the car jerked then rolled, disappearing in the brush. That's when it hit her.
The man who'd once hurt her so badly she'd thought she might never recover…had just saved her life!
"You're bleeding." Junior kept a hand on the wheel and gently thumbed the trickle of blood from Naomi's forehead.
He'd managed to bring her up the cliff to the truck and buckled her in, but she was groggy and nearly incoherent. He'd tried his cell, looking for help, but got no signal. The radio also wouldn't be useful in these mountains.
"I'm taking you to the clinic," he said in frustration. "Just hold on."
"Emily," she cried. "Emily first."
"Who's Emily? There wasn't anyone else in your car."
"Call Michael. Please, Junior. Help me reach Michael."
He remembered Michael Ayze only too well and could think of dozens of people he'd rather talk to. "Calm down, Smiley. We'll call your brother as soon as we get out of these hills."
Was she in shock? Hallucinating? He was having trouble even believing she was sitting here beside him. She was like a familiar mirage, not quite real. Glancing over again, he tried focusing on her hair. The thick mink-colored silk that he vividly remembered touching, curled around her shoulders. The curve of her neck caught his attention and he remembered placing his lips right at that tender spot.
She groaned and shook her head as if to clear it. "What are you doing back in Dinetah? I'd heard you'd gotten married and moved off the reservation."
"Yeah," he said carefully, not knowing where the conversation was going. "But my father passed away about a month ago so my son and I moved in with Mother. I'm taking over the family garage."
"Your son? How old is he?"
"Ted is three. His mother died when he was born. It's just the two of us, but we'll be okay here."
"Emily is my daughter." Naomi suddenly fisted her hands and jabbed the air. "She's gone. Oh. My. God. I have to save her."
"Easy." He didn't like her panicked tone, and the words were strange. "Save her from what?"
"You don't know. You've been away." She started crying again.
"What don't I know?" He was really worried now and pushed down a little harder on the gas pedal.
"They have Emily. And they tried to kill me." She sobbed and put the back of her hand to her mouth. "What am I going to do, Junior? My six-year-old daughter has been kidnapped by Skinwalkers!"
By the time they reached a spot where Junior's cell would work, Naomi had herself under better control. But Junior was still watching her as if her mind had dropped down into the canyon with her car. Maybe it had. Who in their right mind would believe what was happening on the rez these days—let alone what had just happened to her today?
She punched in Michael's number and waited for her brother to answer. He had warned her, and Michael Ayze wouldn't be happy to know she had ignored his warnings. She'd needed to take this shortcut across the mountains just this once. Emily had a dentist appointment and, after all, it'd been broad daylight. But obviously once had been too much for her and Emily's sakes.
At the sound of Michael's voice, Naomi found her backbone. She got mad.
"They've attacked me and taken Emily," she spat out before even saying hello. "The Skinwalkers. They left me alive but did something to my brakes. I almost went over a thousand foot drop. Junior saved me."
Silence.
"Where were you when Emily was taken?" Michael finally asked.
She told him.
"Are you all right?"
"Junior's driving me to Raven Wash Medical Clinic. My ankle may be broken."
"What the hell are you doing with Junior Gashie?"
Her mind wanted to go numb at Michael's harsh words, but she ignored the question and sucked it up.
"Michael," she began behind gritted teeth, knowing full well the use of his proper name was against Navajo traditional beliefs. "Find my daughter. Stop worrying about things that aren't your business. Get Emily back."
Michael's tone softened while he expressed his sympathy about her child's kidnapping. Then he voiced promises of quick action and said Dr. Ben Wauneka of the Brotherhood would be notified she was on her way to his clinic.
At last Michael added, "I'll meet you at the clinic later. Don't leave with Gashie. Get rid of him as soon as possible."
"You don't need to come. I'll be fine. You find Emily." Naomi felt the hysteria crawling up her throat, but fought it back once again. "Junior saved my life, Brother. If anything, you owe him your thanks.
Naomi knew asking such a thing of an arrogant man like Michael was like asking ice to get friendly with fire. She also knew Michael had a few good reasons to dislike Junior. But those reasons went back seven years.
People could change. Times changed. Besides, she needed a way to forget the past to get Junior's help.
And if she could forget what happened, then by heaven so would Michael.
"I don't want you around him," her brother argued.
"Too damn bad."
"Ya'at'eeh." Navajo medicine man Dr. Ben Wauneka greeted them at the door to his clinic.
Ben practiced as a western medical doctor and was a longtime friend. Junior clearly remembered how kind he had been during his dad's illness. It was also Ben who'd, years ago, suggested that Junior begin hataalii, or medicine man, training. Junior had been thinking of finishing his training now that he was back in Dinetah.
Cradling Naomi in his arms, Junior followed Ben back to an examining room. A nurse met them there as he eased an angry but eerily silent Naomi onto a table.
"Give me a few minutes to check her over," Ben told him. "You can wait down the hall in one of those uncomfortable chairs in the alcove with the drink machines. The chairs aren't meant for long-term stays, so I'll be there as soon as I know something useful."
Junior walked down the hall, but he didn't need a chair. He paced the old linoleum, thinking of time long past.
He remembered sunny, warm days when he and Naomi had been children, roaming the hills and canyons of their homeland. He'd been following his grandfather's herds, and Naomi had come along as the two of them dreamed of what they wanted for their futures.
Junior had dreamed of being a respected medicine man. Of stepping out of his humble sheep-camp Navajo roots.
Naomi had always wanted babies in her future. Lots and lots of babies she could mother. As she grew older, her family tried to convince her that aspiring to become a professional as they were would be a necessary part of her Big Medicine Clan heritage. They wanted her to become a doctor or a lawyer, or perhaps a college professor like her brother.
But those things were never in Naomi's heart. Even as a tiny girl with her dolls, she had never played at being their teacher or their boss. Instead, she'd cradled them and sang lullabies to her little brood of doll-babies.
Naomi had eventually grown into a beautiful and strong young woman, and the two of them fell in love. He would've given her the world, so awestruck and helpless had he been.
But all these years later, Junior clearly remembered her reluctance and misery when, instead of letting her stay home and get married, her parents sent her off to college in the eastern U.S. To the same university where Michael was teaching at the time.
On Naomi's last night at home, their one night, she cried softly in his arms and begged him to run away with her.
"Try it for a year," he'd urged. "For tradition's sake, honor your family's wishes for at least that long. If you're still unhappy afterward, I'll come for you and we'll be married.
They'd made tender love to each other for their first and only time. Then they cried together and promised to be true forever. He'd touched her. Held her. And let her go.
It should've been just a temporary good-bye. Little did he know it would take almost seven years for him to hear from her again. Or that when he did, it would be a cry for help as she dangled off the edge of a cliff.
For years he had hated her for taking his heart and never looking back. Now…
Now he didn't know what he felt about the girl he still couldn't help calling Smiley.
Dr. Ben caught up to him as he paced. "Naomi's going to be okay. We've taken X-rays and the ankle isn't broken. It isn't even a bad sprain. We'll keep the foot elevated for the next twelve hours and use ice, and she should be able to walk on it by tomorrow. Gentle walking will be the best thing to keep the muscles from getting stiff."
"What about the cuts on her head?"
"She was lucky. Doesn't have a concussion. She's bruised and has lots of scrapes, but they're superficial and not deep enough for sutures. Rest should heal her body. I'll treat the cuts with a special medicine man salve once the nurse cleans them up. Then we'll get her settled in a room."
"A room? Why?" Was there something Ben wasn't saying?
Ben stared at him for a second, then answered, "If I let her leave the clinic, she won't rest. She'll be out looking for her child in the middle of the night. I can't let her do that."
"Then what she was saying about her little girl being kidnapped was true? What does the FBI say?"
Instead of answering, Ben checked his watch, then tilted his head toward the alcove. "I've only got a moment, but there are some things you need to know. Come sit down."
Junior followed the doctor but was confused. Both Ben and Naomi were acting strange, as if some big conspiracy were happening on the rez. And Naomi's use of the word Skinwalker sounded just plain crazy.
Once they were settled in the quiet corner, Ben said, "You've been gone from Dinetah for about four years, is that right?"
He nodded.
"About that time, terrible things began happening here. Rumors of Navajo witches were running rampant across the countryside. It was my aunt, the medicine man's Plant Tender, Shirley Nez who figured out the truth. She discovered a mysterious man had appeared in Navajoland and was forming a new cult of Skinwalkers. No one knows where he came from, but we've found out this new cult has learned the ancient secrets for changing out of human form at night. They've recently begun changing over even in daylight."
"You're not joking, are you?" Junior could see that the man he most admired in the world was deadly serious, and it gave him the creeps.
All his life he had heard the dark legends of the Skinwalkers. How they were known as the Wolf Clan and were the evildoers in Navajo life. And about how the original Navajo Wolf had been a sorcerer who had changed from a man to a wolf because of his greed and the need to create chaos among the harmony-loving People.
But Junior had always imagined that stories of how the Skinwalkers could mimic any animal they chose were just children's boogeyman tales. Werewolves, as white men call them, practicing black magic. Supposedly capable of superhuman strength, mind control and spreading disease so they could cause death.
Great spooky stories, but…
"It's all true," Ben said quietly. "Everything you've ever heard is true. Before she died, Shirley Nez gathered together a band of medicine men. We call ourselves the Brotherhood. We've formed to fight off the new evil cult.
"Shirley gave us special herbs and chants to use as weapons," Ben continued. "We were holding our own against them, but this newest kidnapping is another setback."
"They've kidnapped children before?" Junior was stunned and horrified. How could he not have known?
"Just a few months ago they took a one-year-old. Traded the girl for an ancient map that will lead them to the original Skinwalkers' parchments and the secret to everlasting life."
"But the baby was saved? What do they want with Naomi's child then?"
"The other baby was recovered due to the Brotherhood's efforts, but the map was lost in the end. Both sides are still searching for it. This time, however, I believe the Skinwalkers have taken little Emily strictly for blackmail.
"They've been attempting to dissuade Naomi's father from running for Tribal Council," Ben added with a sad shake of his head. "Hastiin Ayze is a good man who knows all about this new cult. He's too smart for them and would be a thorn in their sides. The Skinwalkers need leverage."
Ben hesitated. "When Hastiin Ayze first got the threat, he turned to us for help. Obviously, we've failed to protect his family."
"But they won't hurt Emily, will they? Can't you call in the FBI?"
"You think the FBI would believe any of this?" Ben asked with a wry smile. "The Brotherhood does have a Special Agent in our ranks—Kody Long. He's sure the Skinwalkers would disappear into their magic world with Naomi's daughter if we put in an official request to the feds for assistance. We can't take the chance."
This was impossible. "So what's the Brotherhood going to do? You can't just let them keep Emily until after the election. That's a month away."
"They won't hurt her," Ben said soberly. "If they did, their leverage with Hastiin Ayze would be gone. As it stands, he's considering complying and withdrawing from the race. In the meantime we're questioning people who may have seen or know something to lead us to where the Skinwalkers are keeping the child."
Junior's mind was spinning. "Where's Naomi's husband? What does he have to say about all this?"
Ben shook his head. "She doesn't have a husband. To my knowledge, she never did."
"I see." But Junior didn't understand it at all. "Is Naomi still in danger?"
"We don't know. They have what they want. She's probably just a nuisance to them. The Skinwalkers believe Hastiin Ayze cares more for his granddaughter than for her, though I doubt that. But…"
"What?"
"Naomi Ayze is a danger to herself. She's hotheaded. I worry that she'll storm off and do something rash. The Skinwalkers may lose it and kill both Naomi and her daughter if that happens. A rescue needs to be done carefully."
Naomi. The thought of her suddenly twisted something in his gut. Something he'd buried ages ago.
"May I stay with her for a while? Maybe I can convince her to rest and let the Brotherhood find her daughter."
"You can stay. And I wish you good luck."
Naomi was furious. How dare Ben Wauneka try to keep her in his clinic against her will.
He'd given her pain medication and was icing her sprain, so why should she stay here overnight?
Wait until Michael arrived. She would demand that her brother get her out of here so she could look for Emily.
She lay back against the pillows of her hospital bed, started feeling a little groggy but fought to stay awake. Resting was one thing, but she refused to fall asleep until Emily was safe.
"How are you doing?" Junior stood in the doorway to her room with concern written all over his face.
"Terrible. Can you get me out of here?"
He smiled and came to sit by her bed. "Dr. Ben says you need at least one night's rest before you get back on your feet."
"Junior, my daughter. She's been taken by—"
"I know," he said soothingly. "Ben explained what's been going on in Dinetah. It's hard to believe those old, terrifying stories we scared ourselves with as children have come to life, isn't it?"
"Not for me. I saw them."
"Quiet now, Smiley. Rest."
Naomi stared up into the masculine face she remembered so well. Once she had known that hard-angled jawline and those high cheekbones better than she'd known her own. His gentle dark-chocolate eyes took her back to a place when life had seemed so easy. She could almost smell the soap and the crisp outdoors scent that had always surrounded him. It was as if no time had passed since they'd been as close as any two people—and desperately in love.
But so much had happened since then. Too much. Starting with how he had never answered any of her letters. She'd written of her loneliness, of her love, begging him to answer and give her hope. After a few weeks of not hearing, she'd even begun pleading with him to come for her.
But there had never been any reply.
The anguish and frustration were as clear in her heart now as they had been all those years ago. Still, he had once been her everything. And today he had saved her life. Regardless of their many past mistakes, Junior would help her rescue Emily.
At this moment nothing else mattered.
"Rest," he said again. "Close your eyes. I'll sit here. Be here when you need me."
Fleetingly, she thought of how she'd wished he would've meant that seven years ago, long before her life had taken such big twists.
"But what about your son and your business?" she asked instead of saying what was in her heart.
"Teddy will be fine with my mother. And I have an assistant who can take care of the garage if need be." Junior reached out and actually took her hand. "Sleep for a little while. You can count on me."
Maybe that had been true when they were kids with the same interests and the same dreams. She wanted more than anything to believe it might someday be true again.
But she couldn't get past the time when it had really mattered, when her whole life had hinged on him. And he had been nowhere around.
Junior watched as Naomi fought the sedative. Wanting to help, he held her hand and hummed one of the oldie soft rock songs they'd used to sing together. Back before things had gone so wrong.
Finally, she dropped off as Ben had said she would. Junior hoped she'd be out until morning. He knew how hard this must be for her. Knew what he would feel like if someone had taken Ted.
Letting go of her hand, he sat back in his chair and tried to get comfortable. He'd meant what he'd said about sticking with her. As much as he'd once hated her for leaving him in her dust, what he felt now was mostly pity.
What if she had nightmares about Skinwalkers and woke up all alone? No, he figured he would stay right here through the night. By her side—the same way he'd once thought things were destined to be forever.
The clinic's corridor lights were lowered for the night and everything went into shadows. Through heavy eyelids, he watched her sleep. His gaze wandered lazily over her face, tracing each curve. The woman who had once been his best girl had a few new lines around her eyes. But at twenty-six she was just as beautiful as ever.
He remembered everything about her, everything about their last night together, as if it were a movie stuck on rewind. When he closed his eyes, he was back there, seeing the indigo-midnight skies all decked out in a zillion stars. Smelling the sage and pine of the late-summer night as the two of them sat on a flat granite boulder high in the cliffs and with the vast Navajo desert spread out below.
And tasting … He remembered her sweet and drugging kisses. All openmouthed and primitive. Tongues tangling, warm and wet. They'd drunk lust from each other until the very air surrounding them had ignited in fire.
The world seemed so brand-new then. Yet their inexperience had not slowed the sizzle of breathless need, driving them beyond boundaries.
His fingers curled with the memories of running his hands through her satiny hair and across the smooth tenderness of her shoulders. How could the memory of touching his fingertips to the hardened peaks of her breasts still seem so fresh and real all these years later?
His tongue ran over his own parched lips as he remembered the many tastes of her. The honey of the silken skin right under her breasts. The intimate and salty tastes of hidden places that had quivered under his advances.
He couldn't get any of it out of his mind. The traditional Dine Way said that one should go with the flow. Maintain balance. But while adjusting his thoughts, he discovered his body hadn't gotten the message.
Shifting, he considered why it all seemed so clear. How long had it been since he and Naomi had been together again? Seven years?
As allusive thoughts of time swam through his brain, Junior suddenly began counting months and years. And he at last came around to the proper computations. Ones he should've considered from the start.
Just how old was Naomi's daughter?
Junior heard a noise and blinked open his eyes. Immediately alert, he sat up to check on Naomi.
The door to her hospital room eased open. Through the shadows, Junior saw a huge hulk of a man silhouetted in the glow of night-lights.
On his feet in an instant, Junior pushed the guy backward, slammed his forearm into the man's Adam's apple and rammed him out into the hallway. The two of them landed against the wall under one of the low lights as the big man began saying medicine man chants, ones Junior had never learned.
But he did recognize the voice. "Michael Ayze," Junior muttered. The last thing he needed now.
"Ah," Michael said as he cleared his throat and quit struggling. "Junior Gashie. I should've known. I guess my sister couldn't manage to get rid of you."
"She asked me to stay."
Michael heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah, she's never been the brightest match in the book where you're concerned."
Junior leaned back on his heels. "Your sister and your niece are in trouble. I intend to help. So should you. Whatever it is you've always had against me can wait for another day."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you helping Naomi? What's she to you?"
Junior wondered about that himself. What did he feel for Naomi? He still wanted her body, no question. But at the moment, his mind filled with lots of questions. Why hadn't he heard from her in seven years? And who was her daughter's father?
"She's an old friend and in trouble," he managed.
Michael narrowed his eyes to study him through the shadows. "Yeah, well. As much as I've always thought you weren't good enough for my sister, right now she needs someone. I understand Dr. Ben gave you a rundown on what's going on. You still want to stand beside her knowing Skinwalkers are involved?"
Junior folded his arms across his chest and gave him a cold stare. "I'm here, aren't I?"
Maybe he was staying just to get another chance at touching and tasting her. Maybe it was only to get his questions answered. Whatever the reason, it was still none of Michael Ayze's business.
Michael nodded once. "Right. I want you to meet someone then." He turned and indicated another Navajo man who had been lurking way down the darkened hallway.
"This is Lucas Tso. He's a member of the Brotherhood and wants to talk to you."
Lucas Tso? Junior had heard of him. Who hadn't? The guy was a famous native artesian and was rumored to be able to read minds. But what did he want with him?
Michael took his stunned silence for what it was. "Pay attention to what he says, Gashie. I'm going in to talk to my sister."
"She's asleep. Ben said to leave her alone until morning."
"Perfect. 'Cause it's nearly dawn." Michael broke away and strode into Naomi's room.
Which left Junior alone. And facing a weird stranger with stark features and look-right-though-you eyes.
Junior gulped back his jitters and greeted Lucas Tso with the regular Navajo handshake, slightly less forceful than a white man's.
"I have come with goodwill," Lucas said quietly. "As you may know, my grandmother is a stargazer. She sees the future sometimes, and she sends a message."
"For me?"
Lucas nodded. "Amá sání has seen the recovery of the child of the youngest child born to the great Hastiin Ayze. She tells me you are the savior and must not falter."
"Me?" When had he even decided to go looking? "What else does she see about me, or about Emily?"
"It doesn't work that way," Lucas said, smiling wryly. "Grandmother only sees what's there for her to see. But I have come to offer assistance. I can't go with you on your search—it's not in the stars—yet I bring two things that may help."
Junior tried to keep the skepticism off his face.
"I know you feel doubt." Lucas began digging into his jacket's pocket. "But this journey will happen, so it's best to be prepared."
Junior waited for the weapon he expected to see. He wasn't great with a gun, but perhaps another knife would be useful.
"This jish has been made for your protection." Lucas held out his hand with a small leather bag.
"But I carry my own medicine pouch. I made it years ago and wear it always."
"Yes," Lucas agreed, "like all traditional Dine. But this one brings special blessings and cures. The lost child's maternal uncle designed it for your protection from the Skinwalkers."
"Michael made this?" Surprised, Junior took the pouch and put it on his belt.
Lucas nodded his approval. "One more thing. You are a man of the Fourth World," he said, referring to Junior's years learning about nature as he followed the sheep. "Let that be your guide. But we have allies in our war with the evil ones who may also be of service."
"What allies?"
"The Bird People. Listen for them. Watch the skies. When you need their help, they will be there."
Great yei. Birds? What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Michael handed Naomi the jish he said he'd made especially for her. "I'd rather you not go out searching for Emily. But if it's destined, as the stargazer says, then you and Gashie must have protection."
"You made one for Junior, too?" Naomi's heart took a spin. "Why is he going to help? What have you told him?"
"Nothing that is not my place to tell. You must give up your own secrets, my sister."
Not just yet, she thought. She couldn't bring herself to say the words to Junior right now.
Maybe later. But that would depend on the outcome of their journey. And on the chances for forgiveness.
"Where should we start?" Junior had never done any real tracking; he might not measure up.
"Let's try going back to the kidnapping spot. Maybe we'll find something that'll tell us where they went."
"I doubt it. I'd bet the Brotherhood has been all over that place by now."
Naomi bit her lip with self-doubt. He knew the feeling. Her indecisive move had brought back a time when they'd been so close they'd known each other's thoughts. Back then she'd given him a sense of spiritual and physical connection. But now…
"Look," he said soothingly. "It's as good an idea as any. Tell me where you were when it happened."
She gave him directions and he almost smiled. "I know the area almost better than I know the names of my family clans. I spent years climbing those cliffs as a kid."
"I remember."
Those two words speared him with a sense of loss. Turning his truck up the road, he tried to get back under control. It hadn't been his fault that things had gone wrong between them.
"What happened to us when you went off to college?" he asked before he could rethink the words.
"Now's not a good time to talk about it." Her gaze held a challenge. "I'm devastated about Emily. I'm trying to stay strong, but I can't if you make me all emotional again."
"That would make you emotional?" The idea surprised him. It never occurred to him that she might've cared one way or the other. If she had, why hadn't she contacted him?
She laughed. Her tone was rusty, but still the sound ran down his arms like a warm touch.
"Every time I think of all those unanswered letters, all those millions of tears…" Her voice cracked and she turned her head to stare out the window.
"What letters?"
Her head whipped around. "My letters to you. The ones I wrote that you never answered."
There was a lump in his throat. "I…I never got any letters."
"Well, I wrote them. Poured my heart into each one, then carefully put them in envelopes with the right postage and sent them off. But there was no reply." A sheen of tears glazed over those amazing nutmeg eyes.
Shocked, he slowed the truck but kept his attention focused on the winding road ahead. "I swear to you, I didn't receive any letters. I just figured you'd decided your parents and brother were right. That a poor sheep-camp Navajo was not the right match for someone so intelligent and in the best clans."
"What? Why didn't you trust me? Trust what we'd felt for each other?"
Trust. That wasn't something he'd ever been very good at. He hadn't even fully trusted her story.
"Why didn't you call me?" he groaned as a reply.
She screwed up her mouth and glared at him. "You'd said to write."
Naomi's expression suddenly turned to stone. "I gave the letters to Michael to mail. Ask him."
"Michael."
Naomi heard Junior's tone, knew what he thought. It hadn't occurred to her until now.
"You think my brother sabotaged the mail? Deliberately didn't send my letters? He wouldn't."
"Oh yeah? Your brother hates me. Never thought I was good enough for you. When I called to ask about you, he said you were fine and hung up on me."
"You called for me?" The anger flamed but was quickly extinguished by guilt. "When did you call?"
"About six months after you'd gone. I was a wreck. I couldn't stand not knowing if you were okay."
Naomi blinked back the regret. By that time it had been clear she was pregnant—Michael had only been protecting her. She remained silent in her anguish.
"Shortly after I called," Junior continued, "I met Dina. We were both on the rebound. Our marriage was probably a big mistake, but I can't regret having Teddy. He's my whole life now."
Naomi had felt like crawling into a hole, but his talk about his son brought back thoughts of her daughter. She stiffened her spine and shook off her conscience. Emily was the most important consideration now.
She wouldn't discuss anything more about that time or her child with him until she was sure Emily was safe. Junior just had to help her. He had to. She wouldn't take any chances with Emily's life.
They pulled up to the overlook where Emily had been kidnapped. Naomi's breath hitched in her throat when visions of those bastards taking her daughter filled her mind.
"Do you know what direction they took?" Junior asked softly.
She shook her head. "I was knocked unconscious for a few minutes."
He put his truck in park and set the brake. "Let's get out and check around."
In a few minutes, they'd devised a plan on how to search and where to look. Each of them slipped on backpacks and they set off down into the wide canyon.
She tried to keep her mind on the search, and her senses tuned in as Junior had taught her when they'd looked for lost sheep. But she couldn't help noticing the man beside her. He was still hot with those lean, muscular thighs and strong corded back. When he whispered, his voice still held weight. As if he knew everything and could fix anything.
She tried to fight those images. Felt she should be focusing on the gnawing fear for her child's welfare. But being hysterical wouldn't help Emily. And thoughts of Junior were keeping her on an intense edge. Ready to roll.
When they came to a sandstone seep a couple of miles down the bottom of the canyon, she was surprised. She'd been concentrating so hard on the poison weed and shale rocks around her, and on the man leading the way, that she'd lost track of how far they'd gone.
Then suddenly the hot sun dipped behind a cloud and the sound of a hawk screeching overhead changed everything.
The air stilled. Complete silence took over as the sudden noise faded.
Junior had never experienced anything like this deathly calm in his many years spent out in the canyons. "What do you think the red-tailed hawk is trying to say?" he whispered.
Naomi shrugged. "Beats me. But if I had to guess, I'd say it meant trouble."
Another shriek came from above.
Naomi yelped and grabbed his arm. "Let's get out of here."
Without taking time to consider, he took her hand and set off in the direction the hawk had flown. They angled up through boulders the size of a car, but he could've navigated the familiar shale paths and high-walled canyons blindfolded.
After a few minutes, Junior stopped to let Naomi catch her breath. That's when he heard the buzz. Sounding like a high-pitched whine, the noise drilled through his veins and set his blood pounding.
"Skinwalkers," Naomi whispered.
He pulled her to his chest, dragging them both backward into a thin, hidden slot between two boulders. She buried her face in his chest. Being able to feel her frantic trembling right through their clothes was sending shivers up his spine.
Holding her, he carefully reached for the hunting knife secreted in his boot. But as Junior's hand rubbed past the medicine pouch Michael had given him, its touch became a reminder that the best way to fight Skinwalker danger was with medicine man chants and special potions.
Trusting Michael to have put the right potion and herbs into the pouch, Junior began saying the one chant he remembered from training that might work on the Evil Ones. He also withdrew his blade, preparing, just in case.
Out of the skies straight above their heads came two huge vultures. They were Navajo witchmen in changed form. But right behind them, several large raptors flew in precise formation and dive-bombed their unnatural cousins.
The vultures streaked away out of sight, and all the birds disappeared from the narrow patch of sky where Junior last saw them. The skies rang out with brutal screams and calls.
Then there was silence—except for the heavy beating of his heart.
Naomi took a tentative breath. "We're okay. Your chanting did it. You saved us."
Probably not. But when she looked up at him with those round, warm eyes, he lost his balance. The next thing he knew he was kissing her.
He hadn't planned it or given himself even a moment to think, just dipped his head and covered her mouth. But once he felt her lips under his, things changed from relief to something else entirely.
Memories mixed with wishes as he became bolder, went deeper. Seducing, begging for surrender, he wrapped her in his arms and ravaged. A sure feeling of "mine" sneaked up and hammered him in the gut.
His palms were sweaty. His erection throbbing.
He wanted back their lost time. And he needed her. All of her…desperately.
Naomi jerked. Pushed herself away.
She was shaking. Panting. Her tender nipples strained against the cotton material of her shirt.
"What just happened?" She couldn't catch her breath. Couldn't find a footing.
Junior narrowed his eyes. "You tell me."
Shrugging, she changed the subject. "The Bird People must've won that round for us."
Junior raised his eyebrows but put away his knife. Terrified of falling in love with him again, Naomi steeled herself. When she told him the truth, he would hate her forever. But right now Emily needed his help, so Naomi had to stay strong.
No matter what her heart said, this was no time to delve into past mistakes. And no time to give in to the most astounding kiss in her entire memory.
Junior quietly took her by the arm again and eased them onto the canyon floor. Their previous moment's terror had subsided. For how long, though?
"Is there anything you can think of that might help us find Emily?" he asked.
"Not really."
"What about the last time the Brotherhood rescued a kidnapped child? How did that go down?"
Naomi sighed. "The Skinwalkers hired goons to take the baby. They carried her on their backs through the desert to their cavern hideout."
"Goons and a baby?" Junior asked with a grave expression.
"Well, they'd thought they had the mother, too. And they'd also hired an old Navajo wet-nurse to care for the little one. It turned out the old woman took really good care of the child.
"But this isn't exactly the same," Naomi added. "Emily's a big girl. She doesn't need to be carried or nursed."
Junior looked thoughtful. "If they want to keep your daughter alive as leverage, they might hire another woman. I wouldn't think they'd want to take a lot of chances on Emily seeing their faces either."
"I guess that's right." The idea lifted some of the weight off her chest.
"And they wouldn't want to march a six-year-old too far in these canyons," Junior said almost to himself.
"Let's go." He swung west and started off down the canyon floor. "I have a good idea where we might find Emily."
Naomi remembered some of the landmarks, but she was glad Junior was here. They trekked through deep gorges and past narrow slot canyons. The magenta and tangerine colors of the granite and sandstone would've been amazing if she'd been in a mood to appreciate them. The air was thin and dry. The sun getting hotter.
After an hour of walking, Junior led them upward to a point near a summer hogan, supposedly deserted when the clan who lived there moved their sheep to lower pastures for the upcoming long winter, but the smell of cooking smoke was unmistakable.
"Quiet," he said. "You stay here while I scout."
"Not a chance in hell," she muttered. "If Emily is there, I'm going in, too."
Junior softened his stance when he saw the stricken look on Naomi's face. He'd been more than a little irritated at the way she'd pushed him away after their kiss. Even though he'd been well aware the timing wasn't right.
But the longer he thought about Naomi and her child, the more curious he'd become. Was this his child they were trying to find? If so, why had Naomi kept her a secret? His whole life would be different if he'd known he had a daughter six years ago.
That thought brought him back to his son. He would never wish away Teddy. Like any good traditional Navajo, Junior should work at finding balance with the facts at hand, not try to force the circumstances to bend his way.
"Don't you trust me to protect her?" he asked Naomi softly.
"Trust?" Her face turned a pasty shade as she'd uttered the word. "I've spent so long kicking myself for trusting you to stick by your word, and then hating you when you didn't answer my letters that I…"
He took her by the shoulders, gazed into her eyes. "Now you know why. Search your heart for true feelings—the ones you'd buried. Trust me."
At last she nodded. He urged her to drink water and have a power bar while he went to check the lay of the land.
Refusing to think too much, Junior got close to the small hogan without being seen. He crouched behind a boulder and watched as a Navajo woman stood stirring a pot over a glowing fire. It was much too warm a day for her to use the inside stove as was usual in hogans, but that gave him a good opportunity to sneak up to the west-facing window for a look inside.
Twenty minutes later Junior was back with Naomi. "Your daughter's asleep inside the hogan. I'll bet she's been drugged. There's only a middle-aged woman with her, but that one's got a loaded rifle at the ready."
"Oh." Naomi released a breath and tentatively searched his eyes.
"This is good news," he insisted. "Emily's alive and okay. If we leave right now, we can hike to where we can get a signal to call the Brotherhood. They'll be here before the sun drops below the rim of the canyon. She'll be home by tonight."
"Leave?" Naomi shook her head violently. "I can't just abandon my child to Skinwalkers."
"We can't help her here," he repeated. "It's too dangerous. Let the Brotherhood handle it."
She was still shaking her head. "No. Please. I'll do whatever else you say, but I've got to try to reach her."
"Don't—"
"I'll have sex with you," she blurted. "You still want me. And I'll do anything you say. Just please help me get to Emily."
The rush of anger came fast and hard. "Stop it." He shook her. "Don't pretend you could use me like that. It isn't you, and we both know it."
Anger lit in her eyes, too. "What if this was your child? Could you walk away then?"
The words came out of his mouth before he could catch them. "Is she? Is Emily my child?"
Silence fell between them the way night falls behind a mountaintop.
When the question finally came, Naomi had frozen. She'd tried to prepare, but which answer would make Junior more inclined to help? Should she say Emily was his —or not?
In either case, Naomi found she couldn't lie to him. So she put on her backpack and walked away.
"I'm going after my daughter," she said over her shoulder. "You could come along."
She was pleased when she heard his footsteps following hers through the steep rocks. But her heart betrayed her. He was a good man—the best. There was no question about her loving him again. She had never stopped.
Fifteen minutes later they were perched on a rock shelf above the hogan, studying the woman keep watch as she worked outside. They devised a plan: Junior would overpower the guard, while Naomi sneaked through the back window and rescued Emily.
With her heart in her throat, Naomi climbed down the shale path, keeping her footsteps light as Junior had showed her years ago. She couldn't wait to reach her baby.
Junior eased himself down the face of a boulder, making sure not to jar any loose rocks. He was confident he could take this Navajo woman by surprise. She seemed to be paying little attention to her surroundings, but that made him stop and think. Why wasn't she?
Just then, a rattler appeared out of nowhere. Larger than any of its brothers, Junior knew it was Skinwalker. He drew his knife and began saying medicine man chants.
He was lucky. He got just the right opening and lunged his knife into the snake's eye. Before his own eyes, the unnatural thing changed from snake to man to dust.
Quickly turning back to the hogan, Junior crawled on all fours to capture the female guard in a sneak attack. He locked her in a choke hold, and she lost consciousness. But then he heard a commotion coming from the far side of the cabin and took off running.
By the time he arrived, the Bird People had killed a Skinwalker weasel and Naomi was already through the window.
He climbed in after her.
Naomi sat on a stack of Navajo blankets, cradling her unconscious daughter in her arms. "They've drugged her. How are we going to get out of here?"
Junior nearly smiled at the picture Naomi and her child made. "This is the easy part."
Lifting the six-year-old in his arms, Junior said, "Remember, I was the one who rescued injured lambs that were much were bigger than Emily. No problem. Let's go."
After a couple of hours of climbing, Junior began to worry about the child over his shoulder. "We should rest," he said, as he glanced back at her mother.
But then he was blindsided by the look on Naomi's face. A look that said she would do whatever he wanted, that she trusted him completely.
A safe place was nearby: Junior's own clan's summer hogan. He settled them down there and they worked to make the child comfortable.
"She's okay," Junior said, as he followed Naomi through the door and into the old-fashioned outdoor kitchen in back. "Her pulse is strong and her breathing is good. She'll be fine when the drugs wear off."
Naomi looked into his eyes, worshipping. "You've saved her life, Junior."
Flustered by that steady gaze, he stood and eased away. As much as he wanted to devour her, he didn't do it. She was still the only woman for him. Saving her child, working together only made him more aware of how much he needed. They belonged to each other. He wanted his life back.
But not now. "I think I should hike out to where the cell signal is stronger and call the Brotherhood. You two will be okay alone. I won't be—"
Naomi flung herself into his arms, hungrily staking her claim on his mouth, suddenly greedy. With his blood pulsating, he slanted his mouth over hers. Both of their hands went everywhere at once. Instantly he was hard and desperate.
"I still love you," she moaned. "Want you."
She pulled her shirt over her head. The sight of her made his knees weak and his heart pound. Panting hard, he feasted on one of her nipples. Squirming as he laved, she shoved her jeans down and off, then tore at his zipper.
Too fast. His head was spinning as he stroked and aroused them both beyond measure.
She reached out, put her hand around him and squeezed. Not fast enough.
In a daze, he hitched her legs around his waist, and like lightening he was inside her. Home.
With hands firmly holding her bottom, he slammed into her right where he stood. Primal, savage, so full of passion and need, he was beyond civilized. This was no young girl he held, but her womanly fullness and curves nevertheless were like a familiar meal. One he had craved forever.
"Junior!" she screamed as he felt her tighten around him. Her nails clawed at his shoulders. She bit him through his shirt.
The world stopped as she arched her back in climax. His throbbing erection, so long denied, took him over the edge, too.
They were back where they belonged. And there was no way he was ever letting her go.
In a few minutes, her body slumped against him, and he was forced to let her drop to her feet. Disheveled but still so sexy he immediately wanted more, she stared up at him with glassy eyes and straightened her clothes.
"I meant what I said, Junior. I didn't do this because you saved Emily. Thank you for that. But I do love you. I've never stopped loving you. I'm sorry for…everything."
"The past wasn't your fault," he murmured. "And I hope you aren't sorry for what just happened here."
Shaking her head, she looked lost. He wanted to hold her in his arms again, but she took a step back.
"I was so heartbroken when I thought you didn't love me," she said. "And angry. To spite you I went out with the first guy who asked."
She drew a breath. "Turns out he was married. But I can't be sorry, Junior. He gave me Emily."
Naomi never really took another decent breath after telling Junior the truth. She deserved whatever she got.
He left her and Emily in the small hogan and called the Brotherhood. Michael and Lucas had been close by looking for them and they came back with Junior.
By then Emily was wide-awake. Still, she wasn't steady on her feet. Holding back the tears, Naomi introduced her daughter to the man who should've been her father.
Michael's face was somber. "My niece is too shaky and will need to be carried. I'll do it."
"No chance," Junior told him. "I got her this far. She leaves with me." He picked Emily up and backed out the door without another word.
Lucas led the way to the truck with Naomi and her brother following behind Junior.
Michael climbed in beside her. "Junior said you told him the truth. I'm sorry if I caused any of this, little sister."
She swiped at her welling eyes. "Not sending my letters was your only mistake. That and not trusting me to know who I wanted. But I realize you did it thinking that was what our parents wanted. I've forgiven you —and them. My own mistake was much worse."
"He still loves you."
"He doesn't." Her voice cracked. "Why would you say that?"
"Can't you see it every time he looks your way?"
"But how could he ever forgive me? Whenever he sees Emily it will be a reminder of my mistake."
"I wouldn't count on that. Look at what's right in front of you."
She gazed ahead and saw Junior and Emily with their heads together. Whispering and occasionally laughing, they looked so much like father and daughter she nearly broke down.
Her heart stopped, skipped and then danced with hope. Was it possible? Could there eventually be some kind of future for them?
They took Emily to Dr. Ben for a checkup. Naomi stayed by her daughter's side, reluctant to let her out of sight. The child had been dehydrated and they were giving her fluids through an IV, but she'd be able to leave in the morning. An hour later, Naomi snuck out of the room while Emily took a nap.
Junior stood in the hallway —alone. Surprised, she went to him with hesitant steps.
He must've seen the questions in her eyes. "You two still need protection. I've nominated myself for the job."
"Oh?"
"I'll be joining the Brotherhood, too. Ben is going to help me finish my medicine man training."
"Oh."
"If you still love me," he began as he gazed at her. "Are you going to marry me like you promised seven years ago?"
"But what about Emily?"
"She's thrilled about having a new baby brother. Ask her."
Naomi collapsed into his arms. "I'm so sorry for the lost years, Junior."
He stroked her hair. "Don't be, my love. We've got two fantastic children to show for those years."
Four spirits would be joined. A new family begun. And all through the power of love and trust.
The End