Page 27

“Reed!” Mona screamed.

Metal spikes pierced his skin, tearing through his jeans, shirt and scalp.

“Stay back until it stops bouncing.” With his head covered, he couldn’t see if she was doing as he asked. He could only hope she was. Being wrapped in barbed wire was no picnic. It hurt like hell.

When the wire quit vibrating, Reed tried to move. Even the slightest movement made the barbs dig deeper into some area of his body.

“Stay completely still. I’ve got the wire cutters. I’ll get you out.” Although her voice shook, he could tell she was trying to keep him calm.

“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere until this stuff is cut off. But not by you. Leave me here and go get Fernando. I don’t want you getting tangled up in this mess as well.”

“It’s okay. I know what I’m doing.” A snipping sound was accompanied by a strand of the barbed wire loosening its sharp grip on his shoulder. Another snip and she lifted away the strand piercing his scalp.

“Thanks, that one was hurting.”

“And bleeding.” She touched something to his head.

“We can fix the blood later.”

“Right.” She went back to work, cutting one strand at a time until he was free.

When she removed the last strand from the back of his thigh, Mona sat back in the dirt, sweat sliding down the side of her face. “There. You can move now.”

Reed sat up, wincing. “Now I know what my dog felt like after his losing battle with a porcupine.”

“You have a few cuts here and there, but you’ll live. Come on, let’s get you back to the ranch house.”

“Not until I get this fence finished.”

“No way. Those barbs were rusty. When was your last tetanus shot?”

“Less than a year ago.”

“Good thing. Still, you can get infections from puncture wounds.”

“We’ll leave when I finish this fence.” He made her wait until he had the last two strands nailed in place.

Only then did he consider heading back to the house. He’d inspected the other end of the wire that had wrapped around him. Someone had cut it deliberately. Not all four of the strands, just the one. As though setting it up to snap when stretched tight.

Anger, edged by dread, shot heat throughout his body. What if Mona had been tightening that wire? What if he’d listened to her and left when she’d said he was fired? She’d have been alone, trapped in the wire.

No, Fernando would have gone with her. He would have pulled her free.

Still, despite the pain and sting of all the puncture wounds on his body, he was glad he was the one who’d been injured, not Mona.

When they arrived at the house, it was empty, with a note on the counter from Rosa and Fernando. Fernando had gone with Rosa to buy supplies. They’d be back after dinner with Catalina.

“You can be first in the shower. I have a call to make.” He eased his cowboy hat off his head, wincing when the dried blood in his hair stuck to his hat for a second.

“Are you sure? You should get yours first. You look terrible.”

He smiled. “Thanks.”

“No, really. The sooner you’re clean, the better I’ll feel.”

“I have to make a call first,” he repeated. “Go on.” He shooed her toward her bedroom and headed for the phone, hoping he’d be able to get in touch with a friend of his in Chicago. He had a favor to ask.

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