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Haverton from Yuma Town, checking on a call from the woman who lives in the house near the end of the road."
    "Mrs. Blasdell. Will you watch him?" She motioned to the wounded man.
    "Yeah, you got it. Do you live around here?" He was surprised as he'd never seen her before.
    "Used to come here when I was a teen. How are we going to get my partner out of here and get him medical attention?" She took hold of her partner's hand, smiling at him, looking worried sick though.
    "I can get reception where our vehicles are parked. I was talking on my cell to Sheriff Dan Steinacker when we heard the gunshots fired. He would have alerted everyone within a reasonable distance to come to our location."
    That's when they heard someone call out, "Police!"
    "Stryker!" Hal turned to Tracey. "Will you be all right with him for a sec?" He jerked his thumb at the wounded gunman. "I'll let the troops know we're here."
    "Yeah, go. We need the EMTs STAT."
    Hal headed out the secret entrance and shouted, "Stryker, we're here. Agent down, GSW. One of the perps also. One gunman dead."
    Suddenly, the area was crawling with law enforcement, while two men were tearing down the boards over the old saloon's entryway, freeing the two swinging doors.
    With the all-clear call given to the EMTs standing by, they quickly moved in to take care of the wounded men. A policeman read the gunman his rights, while Tracey explained to an investigator all that had happened.
    Fascinated, Hal and Stryker Hill, the full-time deputy at Yuma Town, watched her, the way she motioned with her hands when she described where everyone had been, the guilty parties—some informant who had turned on them, and possibly the ringleader of the wildlife trafficking group.
    Hal knew Stryker was just as interested in the she-cat as he was. He smiled a little at Stryker, knowing that his friend would realize that this was one time he should have taken Mrs. Blasdell's call.
    Hal explained what he'd witnessed to a couple of the officers who were helping with the search and trying to identify the men.
    "We saw fingerprints on the bar," Tracey said, "but we don't know if they belonged to any of these men or if they're even viable after all of the shooting that went on."
    Two of the men went to check on it.
    Tracey retrieved her field pack and her partner's. But one of the policemen, who told her he was giving her police protection to the nearest hospital, offered to take the bags for her.
    She let him, and Hal damn well wanted to be the one carrying her bags. What was wrong with him anyway?
    She reached over and held her partner's hand as the EMTs placed him on a litter that they would have to carry him out on, and then headed through the swinging doors as another two officers held them open.
    Hal and Stryker walked outside and watched her leave with the EMTs carrying the litter.
    Hal wanted in the worse way to go with her, to be the one to protect her, but he was needed here for the investigation. Four police officers were providing security for her and her partner.
    Search parties were already combing the cliffs, looking for signs of the two men who had escaped. She glanced back over her shoulder and said, "Thank you," to Hal and he nodded before she disappeared past the rest of the buildings and headed down the remnants of the narrow wagon trail.
    Stryker slapped Hal on the back. "Hell, now that's what I call saving the damsel in distress."
    "Believe me, she's certainly capable of handling a gun."
    A couple of men hauled out the dead man in a body bag.
    "I can see. Sure explains a lot about what happened to the man who was torn up during that last skirmish." Stryker didn't mention that he was talking about the cougar attack, but Hal knew that's what he was referring to.
    "Yeah. Did Dan and Chase make it here already?" With much anticipation, Chase had been sticking close to home, never knowing when his twins might decide to come into the world.
    "They're both here, organizing the search up in