Coyote closed the linen closet and leaned against it. His calloused hand twisted the wiry coils of his beard while his grey eyes searched the dated brown carpet at their feet.

“Gunner thinks we can use her as a trade for Clara and Corbin, but from what I’ve heard about Merric, I don’t think he’ll trade two for one—not even for his daughter.”

“Abraham thinks I can infiltrate their camp,” Luna said.

“And I say that option is off the table,” Jasper objected.

Coyote bounced his eyes between Jasper to Luna as he rubbed his beard. “It’s not a bad idea. I gathered some quick intel on these Hounds and apparently they have their superstitions about messing with people with the gift of seeing. We could arm Luna to the teeth and--“

“NO.” Jasper glared at him. “We can find another way.

“But it’s my choice to make!” Luna snapped at him. “I just gotta sneak in and get Clara and Corbin out. I can do this. You don’t need to hover all the time!”

“I have to protect you!” Jasper snapped back.

“Why? I have a father to do that!”

“What do you mean, why? I’m your brother and I love you.”

“You’re not my brother!” She glared at him and Jasper’s mouth opened to respond but then closed.

“Do y’all need a minute?” Coyote asked.

“NO!” they both clipped.

“Uh...” He darted his eyes between them again. “You’ll have to excuse me. I think I smell our supper burning.”

It was silent between them as they waited for Coyote to disappear, but then Jasper spoke up. “Luna, I care about you and I can’t bear the thought of anything hap--“

“Don’t!” she blurted and began dragging him down the hallway to a bedroom. She yanked him inside with her, and as soon as the door clicked closed, she jabbed her finger in his face. “You have no right to tell me what I can do!”

“Luna, I know you’re strong. I know you’re capable, but it’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous? Please. I’m practically a pimp to a bunch of prostitutes and have to come to their rescue when they’re getting slapped around.”

“It’s not the same.”

“It’s not?”

“No, it’s not. Father and I are always there to protect you, but be up on some hill watching with binoculars!”

“Stop calling him father!” Luna stomped her foot.

Jasper drew his head back. “But that’s what he is. He raised me.”

“And it confuses me!”

A few beats ticked while studying each other as if they were predators circling before a fight. Jasper took a deep breath and upon exhaling, his words tumbled out, “I shouldn’t have kissed you this morning. I guess I’ve just been a little jealous seeing the way you’ve been interacting with Corbin. Perhaps subconsciously I was trying to claim you and I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong and I--“

“Wrong?” She cut him off and furrowed her brows. “So then why did you do it if you think it’s wrong!?”

“Let me explain.”

“No, Jasper! Do you think it’s ok to mess with my head? To play with my emotions? Because it’s not ok to do that to me.”

Jasper clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her. “Luna, please, let me say what I have to say. Ok?” When she nodded, he lowered his hand. “I was a ten-year-old boy when I first saw you hiding in that tree. You were beautiful even in your dirty nightgown and face full of residue from the fire. I fell in love right there. But that day you became my family, so I don’t want to ruin us. That’s why I’m in the wrong, and I promise I won’t do it again.”

“You’ve said none of this before...” Luna turned, facing her back to him. “And we can’t erase what happened this morning so whether you like it or not, that kiss changes things.”

“It doesn’t have to.” Jasper shifted, so he could be in front of her again. “I know I messed up, but I can keep my feelings in check. That way you’re free to... to...”

“To what!?” Luna threw her hands in the air.

“I don’t know!” He shrugged in frustration. “See where things go with Corbin, perhaps? I’ve seen you flirting with him and I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

Luna shoved his chest with a growl. “Don’t you get it? I flirt with him to push away how I feel about you because I’m in love with you too!”

Jasper searched Luna’s eyes, absorbing her words, and pulled her face to his. With his forehead leaning against hers, he said, “Then please, please, don’t go into that camp. We can figure out another way.”

Luna wiped a tear that began trickling down her cheek—her stomach tightening into knots. She knew what needed to happen. Even if Jasper didn’t like it.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Coyote stirred the stew bubbling in the pot over the stove. The sound of boots dragging across the faded linoleum floor caused him to turn. Archibald used the wall as support as he walked towards him, the pain from his wound written across his face in a grimace.

“You should be resting.”

“I’m worried about Clara,” Archibald responded.

“Me too, and about Corbin.”

“How long have you known the boy?”

Coyote reached for some seasoning and began sprinkling it over the stew as he said, “since he was a baby. I was best friends with his father. I’ve known his family for a long time.”

“Luna says she saw something in his eyes...”

“Yes, I was wondering why the three of you were helping him. Makes sense now.”

“After what happened when she was a little girl, I’ll never ignore her visions again.”

Coyote turned off the stove and reached for two bowls. As he began serving them he nodded to the kitchen table and Archibald took it as a request to sit. The clock on the wall chimed, indicating a new hour had struck, and both men craned their necks to glance at it.

“Gunner has been gone for over an hour,” Archibald noted.

“He’ll be back,” Coyote assured him as he walked the bowls over to the table and sat down. “Was the coffee farm burning the first time Luna had a vision?”

“Yes.” Archibald nodded, taking a bowl in his hands. “We should’ve listened to the groundskeeper who said Luna would have visions. We all dismissed it as some old wive’s tale, especially when he said she had the ojos del Diablo. The devil’s eyes. He said children born on a blood harvest moon with green eyes are cursed with visions. I thought it was ridiculous, but then Luna’s nightmares came true.”

“Why did the soldados burn everything down?”

“Retaliation from a disgruntled worker,” Archibald replied as he stirred the stew around. “He knew they would burn everything if they thought drugs were growing.”

“And the worker? What happened to him?”

“I went to his house that night and cut his throat. Then we left Cuba.” As if something occurred to him, Archibald glanced around. “Speaking of my kids, where are they?”

“I left them to hash things out. Jasper isn’t wild about Abraham’s idea.” Coyote shrugged and took a big bite of stew.

“What idea?”

With a mouthful, he said, “to have Luna sneak into the camp.”

“I see...” Archibald set his spoon down and leaned back. “No wonder Jasper hates it. It’s dangerous. Plus, he’s in love with Luna so he’ll never be ok with it.”

Coyote nearly choked and slowly brought his gaze up. “Isn’t that... strange to you?”

“Why?”

“Well, because you raised him like a son.”

“There’s no blood relation there.” Archibald shrugged. “I may have raised him as my son, but I’ve always known how he feels about her. I’d be blind not to notice his eyes following her around a room. Or how protective he is. Besides, I’d rather it be him than any other man, to be honest.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I raised him. I love him. I know his heart and intentions are pure and should anything happen to me, he’s the only man I trust looking after Luna.”

“You’re a better father than most. Even with your non-traditional lifestyle. My father never liked Gunner.”

“Why? He seems to take good care of Clara. I mean, look at what he did just to protect her.”

“Yeah, but you understand this kind of life.” Coyote pushed away from the bowl and folded his hands over the table. “My Daddy was just an old cowboy with a ranch that backed against the Mexican border and he wasn’t fond of foreigners if you know what I mean. Then a mysterious man from Mexico, who’s eight years older than Clara, drops by to take her out on a date.”

“Gunner never told me this before. How old was she?”

“Nineteen, but they met when she was fifteen on Career Day. Gunner was there recruiting for the Military and when Clara sees something she likes, she goes after it! Except they sent him on a special mission in Mexico, so Clara, being the stubborn, waited for him.”

“And the rest is history.”

“Exactly.” Coyote nodded and his shoulders deflated as he let out a long, quiet breath.

Noticing this, Archibald said, “We’re going to get her back. I promise.”

“I know, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying.”

Twenty minutes went by while they continued chatting and almost didn’t hear Gunner walking through the door. The thump of heavy bags hitting the floor caused them both to get up and when they entered the living room, he was unzipping three black bags.

“Archibald, you’ll get the sniper rifle. That way you can stay in one spot, keep watch, and pick people off.”

“Did you go back to the mountains for this?” Coyote glanced up as Abraham walked in with two more bags. “Good grief! How many do you have?”

“More people to kill means we need more weapons. And no, I didn’t go back. I have treasures all over the place,” Gunner explained, pulling out rifles and displaying them across the floor. “I also contacted crazy Chuck.”

“You mean the veteran with PTSD who lives across the field from Corbin’s uncle Domino? That Chuck?”

“That’s the one!” Gunner got to his feet with a grunt and gazed over their arsenal. “From the information he gathered, The Hounds are an independent group so when we wipe them out we won’t have to worry about authorities knocking on our door with questions.”

“Well, gee, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.” Coyote rolled his eyes.

“It should. According to Chuck, the government is making major changes around here, hoping it’ll bring order to the chaos this drought is causing. Also, the man appointed to oversee this region is a real piece of work. So we might as well get our kicks.”

“You have an odd sense of humor, my friend,” Archibald replied.

“I thought you’d be used to it by now? Anyway, we gotta decide who we’re sending into the camp with Merric’s daughter.”

“But we don’t have enough people for an attack, and Archibald is injured,” Coyote replied.

“I took care of the problem.” Abraham grinned, his accent dripping with pride as he rubbed his hands together. “Our family is on the way.”

“Good job.” Gunner shifted his eyes to Archibald. “And another thing... I think it should be Luna that goes in.”

“Yes, apparently that’s the popular opinion around here, and I don’t like it. It’s dangerous,” he replied.

“Did I just hear my name?” Luna asked, entering the living room with Jasper trailing behind her.

Archibald pulled her into his side with a kiss to the top of her head. “We need you to go into the camp, sweetheart.”

“I’ll do it,” she blurted.

“Excuse me, what?!” Jasper’s jaw fell.

“I’m sorry...” She faced him. “But I still need to unravel what I saw in Corbin’s eyes. the only way to do that is by going into the camp.”

“I call bullshit!” Jasper snapped. “You’re not the only one who can go. Superstitious Hounds don’t make you bulletproof and we can’t protect you if we’re far away!”

“Jasper,” Archibald intervened. “I’m not thrilled about this either. Do you really think I want to send her into that camp? But what other choices do we have? Sending Luna is the best way for us to get someone inside. Once we know where Clara and Corbin are, we can attack and rescue.”

“I have to do this, Jasper.” Luna searched his eyes, pleading silently, but he looked away.

“Fine. Do whatever you want.”

“Good.” Gunner clapped, completing the decision. “Let’s tighten up this plan. I want to strike The Hounds at dawn.”

“I need a minute,” Jasper announced and disappeared down the hallway.

When Luna tried going after him, Archibald gently grabbed her wrist. “Let him go. Give him his minute.”

Her eyes drifted back to the hallway, but she joined the others as they began planning. After a while, Jasper found them sitting around a map Abraham sketched of the camp. He squeezed in next to Luna and wrapped his arm around her shoulder with his lips pressing to her temple. She closed her eyes and relaxed her body against his. Next to them, Archibald gave Jasper’s knee a squeeze, and both men nodded to each other.

They all knew it was a risky plan, but tiptoeing danger was what they did best.

So what was one more time?

***
Thanks for reading 💓