Portions of the Colorado River were turbulent as it wended through the canyon. The wider area at Spirit Station was placid compared to the rapids. Just to the west of the settlement, two footbridges—Kaibab and Bright Angel—connected the North and South Kaibab Trails where Bright Angel Creek fed into the impressive river.
Holly stood in the center of the first bridge with Gabe, watching for the approach of the FBI agent’s raft. When she spotted a large one being manned by a crew of fit young men she asked, “Is that what we’re waiting for?”
“Yes. I recognize some of my rangers. They’re dressed as tourists but it’s them.”
“Good,” she said. “More muscle.”
She watched his expression until she saw him realize she was baiting him about male superiority. Then his eyes narrowed and he gave her a mock scowl. “Right.”
Holly laughed. “Took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder if you were paying attention.”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
Sobering, she touched his forearm. “I know. Sorry. What’s the plan now?”
“We hold our observation positions and keep our fingers crossed.”
“A little praying probably wouldn’t hurt, either,” she offered.
“Absolutely. I just wish we knew how the injured ranger inside is doing and how many civilians are being held.”
“I suppose you’ve tried phoning and asking?”
When Gabe nodded, she was relieved he hadn’t taken her question as criticism. She knew he was good at his job. She’d seen plenty of examples in the past and he was even more impressive now. The problem for her was rooted in the psychological differences in the way men and women reasoned. Males tended to be linear thinkers while her mind bounced all over the place when she let it. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It sometimes produced ideas that were actually useful. Offbeat, maybe, but good nevertheless. That was one of the oddities that had not been on Gabe’s list of female assets. Before she left the canyon, she was going to make sure he understood how valuable her input could be.
The raft carrying the negotiator beached upriver about a hundred yards and began to offload passengers and cargo. Holly kept up with Gabe as he jogged to meet it and introduced himself.
The moment she recognized the older man the Bureau had sent, she gritted her teeth. Andrew “I Am Always Right” Summers. Terrific. She might as well go sit in the shade and eat another energy bar. That man was never going to listen to a thing she said. Gabe would have a better chance of being heard but even he was going to be surprised once Agent Summers started issuing orders as if he were the only voice of reason.
Squat, perspiring and looking uncomfortable in his khaki clothing and fabric hat with sun flaps, Summers awkwardly disembarked with help from the fit and agile rangers. He shook Gabe’s hand. “I was briefed on the way in, McClellan. Take me to your command post and then show me the closest vantage point. I’ll work from there.”
If Gabe was put off, he gave no indication of it. Holly fell into step behind the men. Talk about feeling like a third wheel. She might as well be invisible. Then again, maybe that wasn’t so bad. At least she’d escaped notice by Summers. Best to be thankful.
Pausing at the open-sided tent denoting his temporary command post, Gabe dispersed the relief crew to personally notify the others that help had arrived.
“Isn’t that the hard way?” Summers asked.
“We’re keeping radio communication to a minimum,” Gabe replied.
“That’s about to end.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Holly knew what was coming and wondered how her calm, self-controlled ranger friend was going to react. His opinion might not show but she was sure she’d be able to tell what he was really thinking.
“I’m going to need a good phone connection,” Summers said flatly.
“There are no telephone lines down here,” Gabe said.
The older man rolled his eyes. “Cell phones, man. Satellite. This is the twenty-first century.”
“No cell service, Agent Summers.” Holly saw Gabe stifle a smile as he continued. “The canyon is too deep and the angle is wrong.”
“Radios, then. Give me yours. And have somebody fetch my megaphone.”
Gabe stepped away far enough to use his radio without letting the agent grab it. Using the usual frequency, he ordered several of his rangers to bring the gear from the landing, then told them to take a vacation.
Covering her mouth, Holly smothered a chuckle. The astonished look on the other FBI agent’s face was priceless.
Summers held out a hand. “Radio, please.”
“I’ll get you one in a few minutes. This is mine.” Stepping out, he gestured. “Follow me. You, too, Agent Forbes.”
“Who?”
“Agent Holly Forbes. She’s been on this case since it began over in Vegas. Surely, you were informed.”
Summers waved a hand toward her. “Heard something about it.”
“Good, because she’s a valued advisor here in the park.”
Holly could have jumped for joy, thrown her arms around Gabe’s neck and kissed him. She did nothing of the kind, of course, except in her mind. That was enough to redden and warm her cheeks, particularly when Gabe caught her eye and winked.
She mouthed a silent thank-you and received a polite nod in return. If he’d been wearing his full uniform, she was sure he’d have tipped his Smoky Bear–style hat to her.
Bottom line, she reminded herself, they were all there to do the same job. That meant getting along. It also meant letting Summers do the talking, and praying he’d have success liberating the hostages and saving lives. She didn’t have to like him to respect his skills.
God willing, he’d help them accomplish their mutual goals before anyone else died. Having been shot at twice and almost smothered in mud and debris, she was more than ready to embrace an end to this standoff.
Seven of Gabe’s men had erected a makeshift barricade that faced the front of Spirit Station. Behind the station building was a rockfall with boulders the size of cars. Rubble along the sides precluded a clear passage to the river unless a person was skilled at scaling unstable rocks. That helped Gabe more than it did the criminals because he could concentrate most of his manpower along the most accessible side.
If he had known the type of man the FBI was sending, he would still have set up their barriers the way he had, but he might have moved the initial access point even farther away. It was a surprise that those nervous, twitchy crooks didn’t fire at Summers the moment he spoke with that megaphone.
“Attention in the ranger station. This is Special Agent Summers of the FBI. You’re surrounded. Put down your weapons. Come out with your hands up and no one will get hurt.”
Nothing happened. Gabe had figured it wouldn’t. He borrowed a spare radio from one of his men and passed it to the negotiator. “I think your first idea was better,” Gabe said. “Here.”
“About time.”
Staying crouched behind the electric farm carts and bales of hay from the mule barn that were piled in a curved line, Gabe worked his way over to Holly. “What’s with that guy?”
“Andrew has an overblown opinion of himself. I will say he’s accumulated a pretty impressive success record but that’s when he’s dealing with real criminals. These guys are different. They’re basically businessmen who got themselves into this mess by fronting the money to a gang for drugs, then running for their lives when the shooting started. I doubt they have the slightest idea how to get themselves out of trouble.”
“Surely he was briefed about all that.”
“If he listened. He tends to form an opinion quickly and hang on to it like a stubborn child with the last ice-cream cone.”
“Interesting analogy. You must be hungry again.”
“I hadn’t thought about it but I could be.”
He pretended to check his pockets. “Sorry. Fresh out of food. If you go back to the place we left the extra supplies, will you bring me a bottle of water and a snack, too? Please?”
“Sure. No problem since you asked nicely.” She eyed the back of the negotiator. “I’ll even bring something for him.”
Gabe quirked a smile. “Well, okay. Just don’t overdo it.”
“Not a chance.” She returned his grin. “Be careful and keep your head down while I’m gone, will you? No heroics.”
Gabe chuckled softly. “Absolutely. I can’t act like a hero again anyway. I gave back my trusty steed.”
“The mule?”
“Hey, a steed is a steed. Don’t knock the ones with long ears. They can outdo a horse, especially in country like this.”
“Same as you and your men are far better suited to this operation than our negotiator,” Holly remarked, squinting at the man’s back. “We’ll need to keep a close eye on him.”
“We?” Gabe felt his grin widening when he noted her reddened cheeks.
“Yes, we, Mr. Ranger, and don’t you forget it.”
He laughed aloud. “Never.”