Thicker Than Water

Chapter Twenty Two

Heath knelt on the ground looking at the tracks they'd been following for the past hour. Even with the light of the full moon and the light that their torches gave off, their efforts at trailing Audra was slower than they'd have liked. The pressure they felt was immense… made worse by the uneasy truce that now existed between him and Nick.

Nick, who had been keeping an eye on the man his heart still thought of as Mr. Thomson, even if his logic said different, was troubled by the look he saw in Heath's eyes as the man stood up, as were the men with them. Heath had seen or thought of something. "What is it?"

Heath stood up and mounted his horse before answering. "Mr. Anders isn't alone. He's joined up with a second rider."

While Nick and the others didn't like that, they weren't surprised either. A man who would set a barn on fire and be involved in a kidnapping seldom worked alone. At least, from what Nick had seen in the past he wouldn't. He didn't spend but a few seconds on his musings; how could he? Nick, Heath and the other men didn't have time to waste. Soon the five of them were back to doing what they could to follow the tracks, which were clear enough in the light of the moon and the flames of the torches he and Heath carried. Twenty minutes later, Nick realized where the tracks might be leading, and so he put out the flame of his torch.

"What are you doing?" Heath asked confused, as he watched the flame of Nick's torch go out. Why was his half brother dousing the extra light?

"Put yours out, too." Nick ordered as he looked at Heath and the ranch hands with them, while he explained to Heath about the cabin his family had on their land, but seldom used. "These tracks are leading in that direction. And," he said as he looked around, "we're roughly only two miles from it."

Heath didn't have to ask what that had to do with anything. He knew. He also wondered if Nick was right; if the men who had set the barn on fire and taken Audra had already noticed the light of the torches. Of course, having no way to find out, all he could do was to follow Nick as the man pressed Coco forward. The silence that hung among the small group as they traveled was deafening. Each man had their mind on Audra and the fact they just knew Lyman Stoddard was behind all this. Was Lyman with the men who had taken Audra or was he waiting for them; waiting to take Audra down to Mexico and sell her like someone's piece of property? Just the thought made all the men sick.

~oOo~

Audra sat on the chair Lyman had instructed her to sit on, before he stepped out the front door and started talking with Ethan and Frank. Kyle remained in the open doorway, keeping an ear on the conversation that was taking place and an eye on their captive. His gun was in his hand. Kyle and Frank had been more than happy to enlighten Audra as to Lyman's plans for her. Audra was praying like crazy that her brothers would be able to pick up on the men's trail and find her soon.

Her brothers…Audra couldn't help but let out a very soft sigh as she thought on Nick and Heath. Nick had always been there for her, ready to fight for her if necessary. Time and time again, he'd helped her. How she wished she'd listened to him when he told her to go to bed and to stay in bed. Her mind then turned to Heath. After the initial shock of finding out Heath was her half brother, she remembered how she'd grown up saying she felt as if someone was missing from the family; there was such a huge gap between her and her older brothers and had made the comment to Gene more than once. Jarrod and Nick had simply told her to accept the fact that their parents weren't having any more children. That feeling...The feeling that someone was missing, had never really gone away. She couldn't help but wonder if someone had been doing their best to prepare her for the day this missing brother would be joining the family. She was jolted out of her thoughts, as Lyman's laugh and words carried through the open door.

"Don't worry 'bout Miss Barkley!" Lyman yelled, as he turned on Frank who was insisting that the young woman would bolt first chance she got. "Before we leave here, I'll make sure she understands who is boss!" He made sure his voice was firm and sharp, sending a clear message that he meant business.

Audra wasn't sure exactly what the meant, only the way all the men laughed, along with the way Kyle Anders looked at her, Audra fought the panic that gripped at her heart; fearing what the man might intend to do. "Please, hurry, Nick, Heath."

~oOo~

Hurrying was something that Nick, Heath and the other men were doing as much as they could, not easy considering that on top of no longer having lit torches, a lone cloud had partially covered up the full moon. Nick, Heath and the other men were grateful when they came to the top of the hill that set off to the side of the cabin. From where they sat they could see the position of all four men, and thanks to the lamp that sat on the cabin's table they could be seen through the window to where Audra was.

"Four of them, five of us, boss," James, the youngest of the ranch hands, spoke loud enough to be heard by the men he was riding with, but low enough to keep his voice from carrying down to the cabin. "We can take them." The comment got disbelieving looks from every single man with him.

"We go barging down there and they're bound to hightail it inside and use Audra as a shield! No, we need something to distract some them." Nick barked as quietly as he could; he didn't want his loud voice alerting the men who had his sister to his presence anymore than James had.

"They've got to have horses." Heath spoke up. I could make my way around to the other side of the cabin and see. If they do, I can free them. Once they realized their horses are loose, Audra's captors would have to chase them. Well, at least one would have to."

Knowing what risks Heath would be taking, and what Victoria would do to him if he didn't at least do what he could to protect his new brother, Nick looked at Carl, the oldest of the ranch hands, "Go with him, please."

"Yes, sir," Carl answered as Heath pulled the reins in his hands to one side and turned his horse around. After the two men left, Nick and the men with him continued to keep an eye on the men outside the cabin. However, they could no longer see Audra; she'd moved onto one of the beds when Kyle had decided they were better off with the young lady away from the window. Unlike Lyman, Ethan and Frank, Kyle was still very uncomfortable with the choices their leader had made.