Money Grab

Calley kissed him, rose and said that she needed to wash the oil off. "I'm going to take a long bath."

"Can I watch?" Davis asked.

"Wait until you get your cast off and your wounds heal," she promised him.

"I'm going to break it off tomorrow," he laughed.

She dimpled up and reached out a hand to Malina. "Would you care to join me?" she asked.

"Yes, Calley, I love baths," She kissed Davis and the two girls held hands and walked into the house as Davis' imagination ran wild.

Chapter Seven

Something was wrong with the dogs. They came and sat at Davis' feet every time he went outside. They would sit for a moment and then get up and run to the gate. They would stop and look back at him and then repeat the process. He called the girls after the third time.

"Watch this," he said.

The dogs repeated their cycle twice more. "What do you think they're doing?"

"It looks like they're trying to get you to follow them," Calley said.

He walked to the gate and the dogs ran outside when he opened the gate. They ran down the driveway fifty yards and stopped and looked back at him. Lilly ran back and took his hand gently in her teeth and pulled on it.

"I think you're right Calley. They want me to go with them. Get the Jeep and we'll see what they want."

She ran and got the Jeep and pulled up beside Davis. He got in and this seemed to confuse the dogs.

"Walk with them, Malina."

Malina walked behind the dogs and Calley and Davis followed in the Jeep. The dogs kept just ahead of Malina and they led them across the prairie to the fence. The dogs sat, looking out through the fence across the prairie. There was a small hill just beyond the fence and they could see lines of gypsum running across its face. Malina got back in the Jeep and they sat there for a minute. They were perhaps half a mile from the house and there was nothing unusual in sight. Davis scanned the area but saw nothing.

"Calley, drive down the fence until I tell you to stop," he told her.

She drove slowly along until the fence curved and he could see behind the hill. There was an ATV parked there.

"Okay, back to the house," he said.

The dogs lay down in the grass, watching the hill, and he left them outside.

When they got inside he sat the girls down at the bar and got them a glass of tea.

"Someone is watching us," he told them. "Until we find out what's going on, you girls are going to stay inside. Whoever it is, is on Z bar land. I don't recognize that ATV. I know the Z bar people pretty well. Unless they've got a new ATV in the last month, that's not theirs. I don't know how they would have gotten a new ATV. If they stay out there the Z bar riders will spot them eventually. They have fifty people on that ranch and nobody wants to mess with them. That's a pretty tough bunch, old time cowboys that will fight at the drop of a hat. I'd run over there and ask, but I don't want to leave you here and I don't want to leave the place empty by us all going. I've got a big telescope and we'll watch and see if we can find out anything."

They set the telescope up and focused it in on the top of the hill. Davis looked through his binoculars and he could see that the dogs were still there. They got up occasionally and walked up and down the fence for a while and then disappeared back into the tall grass.

Calley watched through the telescope and Davis sent Malina on an errand.

"Just inside the bunker door there is a electrical box with a red handle. Pull the handle down. That will electrify the fence and give anyone that touches it a nasty surprise. I don't like to leave it on," he told Calley. "It will kill animals that touch it accidently and I hate that. The cattle and the dogs know to stay clear, but wild animals don't. Keep the house between you and that hill."

Malina returned and informed them that the fence was now charged. That would quickly drain their electrical reserve so Davis took them to a small concrete building and showed them how to run the generator. They stayed inside the rest of the day and the girls took turns on the telescope. They saw nothing, and when Davis got up in the morning, breakfast was ready and the girls were talking excitedly and taking turns peering through the telescope.

"Davis, good morning, you were very tired this morning. We have found a person! He is watching us. Come and see." Malina was very excited.

Davis hobbled to the telescope and put his eye to the viewfinder. It was focused on a black form on the top of the hill. It was a man in dark clothing wearing a baseball cap. He had a rifle in his hands and he was looking at the compound through a large scope. Davis was a gun expert and the man's weapon looked like a CheyTac LRRS to him. So far as he knew that weapon was only available to the military and law enforcement and the clothes the man had on looked like standard FBI or BATF swat gear.

"I think he's a federal cop of some kind," he told the girls.

"What would he be doing?" Calley asked.

"I don't know. There's no way he could be doing anything official for the government. There hasn't been a government for at least 6 months. The fact that he's got a military sniper rifle tells me he isn't up to anything good. We're at extreme range for the gun he's got. He's not going to hit much at more than 2500 yards. If he's good he can sit on that hill and kill us in the back yard. We can't go out there anymore until this is resolved. Damn it, I'm a cripple and this hole in my chest isn't healed enough to do much. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. We're going to have to do chores after dark and in the dark. He can't stay up there all the time but we have to assume that he's always watching."

"Calley and I are able to fight," Malina told him. "We have not forgotten that you are wounded protecting us. We will protect you."

He hugged her. "I don't want you fighting, little girl. I'm too afraid you'll get hurt. If they come through the fence we'll fight, but as long as he stays out there, we'll just have to put up with it. Maybe the Z bar boys will spot them."

Two days later, Davis got his first look at the man's face. There were two of them up on the hill now and the man with the rifle took off his ball cap and was speaking to the second.

"I know that guy," Davis told Calley who had noticed that she could see the man's face. "He's a BATF agent that has been harassing me for 5 years. His name is Matuszi. He's a BATF sniper. He was one of the guys that worked on my class 3 weapons permit after Cindy was killed. What the hell?"

****

Agent Matuszi was a patient man. Johnson was not. "Why don't you do something?" he complained. "We can't just sit here. You haven't seen anything for three days."

"What would you like me to do? I think he knows we're here. Those dogs down there definitely know we're here."

"If he knows we're here he isn't going to show himself. I'll go get the rest of the men and we'll cut that fence and take him out the hard way."

"Are you kidding? Those dogs will eat us alive. They're huge. Look at them," he handed Johnson his binoculars.

"Jesus, they're monsters. What are they?"

"I don't know. Some kind of Mastiff, but they're way more athletic than any Mastiff I've ever seen. Those are man killers Johnson. We've got to get them out of the way."

"Shoot them then. I'll get the men and you get rid of those dogs."

He slid back a few feet and walked to the ATV and drove away. They were staying in an abandoned house 5 miles away. He heard a shot when he was a mile away and smiled. Matuszi was taking care of the dogs.

That shot was Matuszi's first mistake. He made the shot and the bullet smashed Lilly into the grass. She was killed instantly and the result was not what he expected. The other two dogs instantly disappeared into the tall grass and he couldn't locate them. The next time he saw them they were running through the gate in the wall and to the front of the house where he couldn't see them. The gate in the wall closed.

****

Two miles away, Chip Hardesty was working on a windmill. He was a weathered old cowboy and he knew a rifle shot when he heard one. It sounded like it came from Rade's place. He never knew Rade to waste a shot. Maybe he was hunting, but Hardesty decided to check it out. He put his tools in his saddlebags and rode toward Rade's house.

He knew Rade pretty well and he liked the kid. He always had a beer for a thirsty rider and he was always ready to hunker down and shoot the breeze for half an hour. The old man loved that boy. Rade had worked summers on the Z bar and his daddy had owned the property just to the north. The old man bought that piece of land from Rade after his father died and had sold the land Rade owned along Elm Creek to him.

Hardesty approached cautiously. His horse seemed nervous about something. He kept off the skyline and dismounted below the crest of the biggest hill around and crept to the overlook. There was nothing stirring at the house when Hardesty looked through his binoculars. He looked around the property and spotted a dark form lying on the ground near the fence. It was one of Rade's dogs. It had a big bloody hole in its side. Rade loved those dogs. Hardesty swore and searched the hill beyond the fence. He spotted Matuszi, prone and looking through the scope of a rifle at the house. The son of a bitch was on Z bar land and he had obviously killed that dog. He had Rade pinned down in the house.

Hardesty eased back down the hill and jumped on his horse. He quickly gave it a touch of the spur and rode for the Z bar at a quick lope. He pulled up at the main house an hour later and jumped down. His horse was heaving and he dropped the reigns. It would stand there ground tied for hours. He ran to the front door. He could see Angus sitting at the kitchen table with his foreman.

"Boss, you better come out here," he called.

Angus Bachman was a small, wiry man with a deeply tanned and lined face. He walked out on the porch. "What's up Hardesty?"

"I was working on that broken windmill over by Rade's place. I heard a shot and I went to check it out. There's a fellow with a big rifle sitting up on a hill watching the house. He killed one of Rade's dogs. That was the shot I heard. I think the boy's in trouble boss. I rode straight back here. I know you like that boy, hell, I like him myself. The guy with the gun is on our place outside Rade's fence."

"Damn it to hell, run and round up everyone you can find. Everyone gets a rifle. They've already got side arms. Beckett," he turned to his foreman, "get on the radio and get everyone in a vehicle to go to Davis' place. We'll meet down at the creek where the big spring comes in. Move gentlemen."

Hardesty ran down to the barn and Beckett went to a truck and got on the radio. Nine men came running and picked up weapons. Hardesty came running back with three more, and they jumped in trucks and started south.

"I got 13 on the radio and they're headed for the creek. By the time we get there they'll be there. We should have 25 men boss," Beckett told him.

"If they hurt that boy I'm going to tie them to the bumper and drag them to death," Angus growled. "I promised his Daddy I'd look out for him and I aim to keep that promise."

****

Agent Johnson was back with his crew, and seven men watched the house from the hill. Johnson was angry that Matuszi hadn't gotten all the dogs. He gave a pair of bolt cutters to one of his guys and sent him down to cut the fence.

The man cautiously approached the fence. He looked around and saw nothing. He reached out with the bolt cutters. As the tool touched the fence there was an explosion of sparks and he cried out as 7000 volts surged through his body. He fell against the fence and his body spasmed and his clothes began to smoke. He continued to spasm and then a breaker tripped and he was still."

"Jesus H. Christ," Johnson exploded. "You didn't tell me the fence was electrified. It burned him up!"

"I didn't know," Matuszi protested. "How could I know that? Look, it blew a breaker. It's dead now. We can cut it. Send somebody down before they reset the breaker."

"You go down and do it," Johnson told him. "I'm not risking anyone else."

Matuszi ran down and quickly opened a five foot gap in the fence. He ran back up the hill. "All clear. Go, and I'll keep them pinned down. When you get to the wall I'll come through."

"Go fellows. Get through that fence and stop under the walls," Johnson told them.

They grabbed weapons, and ran down the hill and crawled through the fence. The first man through stood up as the remaining fout crawled through.

Davis and the girls saw the lights flicker and dim when the first man was electrocuted. They came back up when the breaker tripped. Davis grabbed the rifle beside the patio door and parted the curtain looking toward the hill.

"Here they come," he told them.

The girls picked up their riot guns and came and stood beside him.

Davis jacked a shell into the .300 Winchester Magnum and took a rest with one hand on the door. "Cover your ears," he told them.

One of the men stood up and Davis shot him in the chest. He was smashed back on top of one of the crawling men behind him and they all rolled into the grass. Three shots from the hill shattered the glass in the patio door and Davis dove back into the house, pulling the girls with him. He hit hard and felt the bullet hole in his thigh open when he hit the floor. They crawled further into the living room and Davis stood up and hobbled to the kitchen window.

He saw a cloud of dust coming along the fence from the direction of the creek and he saw the Z bar vehicles flying along the fence. Two circled the hill and men jumped out. A thunder of gunfire roared as the Z bar men shot the intruders inside the fence to rags. The Z bar hands crawled through the hole in the fence and checked the bodies. They were all dead. They crawled back through the hole, got in their vehicles and drove around to the gate.

Calley opened the gates and the convoy pulled up in the front drive. As the gate opened, two dark forms slipped out. Anubis and Issus ran outside.

"Hey guys, where are you going?" Calley called to them. They stopped and looked back at her, the stumps of their tails wagged furiously. She laughed, "Oh, go ahead. Have fun." They trotted away and disappeared into the tall grass. Men came pouring out of the trucks and Davis hobbled to the door with the Malina helping him and opened it.

Angus and Beckett came in and the old rancher embraced Davis. "Son, I don't know who those men were but they weren't here for your birthday party."

"Hello Angus, Beckett," he nodded at the tall foreman. "They were here to kill me I think. There's a rogue BATF agent with them. Did you see a guy in a black SWAT suit?"

"He was running like a jack rabbit with another guy. They jumped in a Jeep and they were high tailing it north. Six of the boys are chasing them. We'll find out directly what happened to them."

"Thanks Angus, I was never so glad to see anyone in my life when I saw you boys coming along the fence."

"Hey, your Daddy was the best friend I ever had. You're a good boy, Davis, and a good neighbor. Those sons of bitches were on my land, trying to kill a boy I've known since he was in diapers, and that pisses me off. Who are these two lovely ladies, Davis? I don't believe I've been introduced."

"This is Calista De la Vega and that's Malina Nebrija. Girls, this is Angus Bachman. He's been like an uncle to me all my life. He owns the 30,000 acre empire known as the Z bar."

Angus took off his hat and shook their hands. "Pleased to meet you. What are you doing hanging around with this bum? You know he's a baseball player, right? Never done an honest day's work in his life. He used to work for me when he was in college at Wichita State, if you could call it work."

"Mr. Davis has adopted us," Malina explained. "We ran away from Wichita and came here and he has been very kind to us. Calley and I are in love with him. He has saved us many times and he works very hard to keep us safe. I do not believe that he has never worked." Her Spanish accent deepened and her blue eyes flashed as she grew angry at his description of Davis.

"Lord, young lady, I was just kidding. I know he's a hard worker. I'm sorry, an old cowboy just jokes around like that. I'm in love with him, too. Well, I love him like my own kid, if that's what you mean. You're not from around here, are you?"

Malina's frost melted before the kindly old man. "I'm sorry Mr. Angus. It makes me angry when someone speaks unkindly about Mr. Davis. I see that you love him and it was friendly humor. My home was in Spain. I was going to high school in this country when the bad things happened and I cannot return home. My home is with Mr. Davis now."

"Do I know you?" Angus asked Calley.

"We've never met. You might have seen me on TV. I was a news anchor at Channel 3."

"That's it. Calista De la Vega, I remember. You're even prettier in person."

She blushed. "Please, call me Calley. She smiled at Davis then gasped. "Davis, you're bleeding! Are you shot?"

"No, but I think my thigh opened up again. I think I need to sit down."

The two girls sprang to his side and helped him to the sofa. Malina ran for the box they kept bandages in. Calley cut open the leg of his jeans and they treated his wound. It was oozing greenish pus along with the blood.

"Mr. Bachman, could you go to the bunker for me?" she asked him. "On the second level you will find a blue tub with surgical tubing in it. Bring me a piece about six inches long."

"Call me Angus, Calley, and yes I will." He hurried away and soon returned with the tubing. She poured alcohol into the wound several times and Davis gritted his teeth and groaned with pain. Malina held his face in her two little hands and kissed him. "Be brave," she told him. Calley inserted the tube three inches into the wound and he nearly passed out. Sweat beads stood out on his forehead as she stitched the wound closed around the tube. She wiped his face with a cloth and kissed him. "I'm sorry Davis. I know that hurt. You were right; we should have done that to begin with."

Light was dawning in Angus' eyes. "You weren't kidding, Malina. You girls are in love with this big lunk. Lord what a coil. You're a lucky man Davis. You've got a hard choice to make ahead. What in the hell happened to you? Why is your leg in a cast and how did you get shot and why didn't you tell me?"

The girls told Angus the story while Davis rested and the details all seemed to involve how brave Davis was and how he had fought and killed the two attackers to save them.

Davis opened his eyes. "At first I was in such bad shape I couldn't get over to the Z bar and then Matuszi was up there on that hill and I didn't dare leave the girls here alone. What brought you out here in the nick of time anyway?"

Angus told them the story. "I'm sorry Davis, but your dog is dead."

The two girls burst into tears. Lilly had been their favorite and she had adopted them and went everywhere they did, watching over them. Davis hugged them close. His own eyes were a little misty. "I raised that girl from a puppy. Don't cry girls. She died doing what she was supposed to do; protecting us. We'll let Issus have another litter and you can both pick a puppy."

They were both very excited about that but still sad that Lilly was gone.

"Tell Hardesty I owe him. Any time he's over this way there's a cold beer waiting for him and we'll feed him if he's around at dinner time."

"I'll tell him. When the boys find out you've got these two beautiful ladies you won't be able to keep them away. I've got to get back Davis. I'm going to leave Will Bryant here. He's a good man and you know him. Just till you get healed up. He'll help around and be handy in case those sons of bitches come back. Use your radio boy. Call me if you need anything. I know you want to stand on your own two feet, but you've got friends all over these hills."