Free Taking Aim by Elle James Page A

herself that Tracie might not be here, but at least she wasn’t one of the bodies left behind.
    “Holy hell, Jacie, don’t ever do that again.” Richard burst into the open, huffing and puffing, followed by Trey. Behind them Humberto and Bruce emerged.
    “We brought reinforcements,” Trey offered.
    Bruce stepped forward and studied the two bodies without touching them. “Looks like members of La Familia Diablos.”
    Zach stiffened, his face going pale beneath his tan.
    Had Jacie not looked at him at that exact moment, she’d have missed his reaction to Bruce’s words.
    “How do you know?” Jacie asked.
    Bruce pointed to the tattoo on the driver’s right shoulder, the tail of a dragon dipping below his T-shirt sleeve. “The Diablos all have a dragon tattoo on their right arms. If you push the other man’s sleeve up, you’ll likely find one similar to this one.”
    “I’ll take your word for it.” Jacie had no intention of touching either of the two dead men. Instead she inched toward Zach, taking comfort in his presence. “Why would they kill their own people?”
    “Who said they did?” Bruce glanced across the dead man at Jacie. “There are two crime families in this area—Los Lobos and La Familia Diablos. Any chance they get to kill each other off, they’ll take it. My bet is the Diablos took Tracie and the Los Lobos ambushed them. Since Tracie isn’t here among the dead, thank God, they must have her in the Los Lobos camp.”
    Humberto stood to the side, his eyes narrowed, his face grim. “The Diablos will avenge their compadres’ deaths.”
    “Will they attack Los Lobos?” Jacie’s hand reached for Zach’s.
    “Probably,” Bruce responded. “It’ll be a bloodbath.”
    Her fingers tightened around Zach’s. “Then we have to get to Tracie before the Diablos do.”
    “It’s not that easy,” Zach said quietly. “I’ve heard they have tightly guarded compounds on the other side of the border. No one gets in or out without running a gauntlet of killer guards.”
    “But we can’t give up now.” Jacie stared toward the south as if she could see the camp from where they stood in the canyon. “Tracie’s still alive. I just know it. But for how long...” She turned back to Zach.
    His face was set in grim lines and his lips remained tightly shut.
    “There’s nothing you can do but let the FBI and DEA handle this.” Bruce touched Jacie’s shoulder. “I’ll get with them and explain my assessment. They’ll decide whether or not to launch an attack and when. But as far as you and the members of the Big Elk Ranch are concerned, you should step back and let the pros handle it from here.”
    Zach’s fingers tightened painfully around Jacie’s.
    “But—” Jacie couldn’t let it go. She just couldn’t stand back and do nothing.
    “Jacie.” Zach tugged her hand and forced her to face him. “He’s right.”
    Bruce took charge. “You guys can double up on the four-wheelers to get back to the truck. Humberto and I can stay until two of you can come back to get us.”
    Zach raised a hand. “Jacie and I will stay back.”
    “I’d rather get her out of the canyon. If there was even a chance either of the gangs is still here, she’d be in danger. It’s bad enough one of the Kosart women is already a captive.” Bruce turned to Humberto. “You’re okay with staying, aren’t you?”
    “No,” Richard said. “The men killed last night and Tracie were my responsibility. I should be the one to stay with Mr. Masterson. Besides, Humberto needs to lead the way out of the canyon.”
    “I’d rather keep Humberto. No offense, Mr. Giddings. He’s probably faster on his feet.”
    Richard’s eyes narrowed. “You might be right about that. I’m not getting any younger.” He turned to Zach and Jacie. “Come on, the sooner we get the two of you out of here, the sooner I can get back down here and retrieve these two gentlemen.”
    Jacie wanted to argue, but she didn’t know what else