Cage (Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT Book 1)
Cage
Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT
Delilah Devlin
Dedication
Writing a book is a solitary experience. However, getting it ready for readers to enjoy takes friends who love you and your stories.
I owe a debt of gratitude to my good friends the eagle-eyed Fedora Chen, the supremely talented Elle James, and fabulous author Reina Torres, whose support made it possible for me to bring you this book. Thanks, ladies!
About the Book
MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS:
DEAD HORSE, MT
Authentic Men... Real Adventures...
A former SEAL and MMA fighter, and now, newly minted bounty hunter, has to hunt down his first skip...his ex-wife.
Former SEAL Cage Morgan thinks he doesn’t need anyone. As a rising MMA fighter, he makes enough to do what he wants and doesn’t have to answer to anyone.
Then an old friend sends an emissary, Reaper Stenberg from the Montana Bounty Hunters, to offer him a job. He agrees to meet him, but he has no intention of becoming a bounty hunter…until he hears who Reaper needs his special skill set to take down—his ex-wife.
Elaine Morgan is facing jail time due to her chosen line of work. She runs an illegal, underground fight club with her brother. Up until now, she’s always run clean, fair fights, but her brother owes money to the wrong people. As she prepares to the take the rap for his poor judgment, she misses her court date—that’s just one more stressor to add to the pile, and she doesn’t have time to worry about the consequences.
Until the night of the fight that will free her brother of his dangerous debt. Only her ex-husband shows up there, telling her he’s taking her in, and he has the friends with him to get the job done. The hunters’ poor timing sets off a chain of events that has the Montana Bounty Hunters staging a daring rescue.
All the while, Cage and Elaine revisit their past love, finding that the time apart put their problems in better perspective. As their connection grows, they both fear an uncertain future.
Contents
Cage
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
BRIAN
Chapter 1
Also by Delilah Devlin
Cage
Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Delilah Devlin
Chapter 1
As he approached the front door to the Dead Easy Saloon, Cage Morgan flexed his hands, wincing as he did so due to the deep bruising on his knuckles. Still, sore knuckles felt like a small price to pay considering the size of the purse he’d won the previous night at the MMA bout in Bozeman.
Thinking about the $36,000 deposit he’d made at the bank that morning, he wondered why the hell he’d agreed to this meeting in the first place. Cage’s needs were simple, and the purse would pay his bills for the next four to six months until he accepted the next match.
However, he owed Fetch Winter the courtesy of meeting with his representative to talk about the possibility of a job. He didn’t owe him a “yes,” but he had agreed to listen. Fetch had led the unit that had pulled his ass out of a firefight which had killed several of his SEAL teammates back in Afghanistan a lifetime ago.
From the outside, the meeting place was like any other roadhouse bar. Wood plank siding, a tin roof, and a red neon “Open” sign. He climbed the three steps to the porch then opened the door. Music played on a jukebox, customers lined a well-polished counter, and in the rear, the crack of striking balls and groans sounded from the pool tables.
As he passed the bar, the bartender’s gaze narrowed on him, and then a broad smile spread. He lifted his chin to Cage. “Great fight last night.”
Cage lifted his eyebrows and gave him a little salute but didn’t stop. He made his way to a small round table tucked into a corner of the main room and took a seat.
A waitress with dirty blonde hair so straight it had to have been ironed paused beside his table. “What can I get ya, hon?”
Her smile was flirtatious, and while she was kind of cute for a middle-aged woman in a skin-tight tank with the bar’s logo on the front and short blue-jean shorts, he wasn’t interested in encouraging her to linger. “Whatever beer’s on tap will do,” he said and pulled a twenty from his wallet.
She smiled and moved away, her skinny hips wagging.
She was back inside a minute with a foamy beer and handed back his twenty. “Kip, the bartender, says it’s on the house. He won a pile of money last night on your fight.”
He pushed back the twenty. “You keep it then, and thank Kip.”
Just then, a commotion sounded at the entrance of the bar. “Damn, are you Reaper, that dude on TV?” asked a man who was holding onto the arm of a large man wearing a ballcap who was trying to get through the doorway.
Cage watched as the man who looked like he belonged on a Viking longboat shook the man off his arm.
Cage couldn’t make out what he said to the smaller man, but the guy held up his hands and backed away, grinning. As soon as the big man’s attention left him, he scurried to the bar, leaning over the counter to talk to Kip, whose gaze shot to the big man.
He watched the man in the ballcap grimace then step deeper inside the bar, his eyes narrowing as he searched the counter and then the tables. Cage knew the second when his gaze came to rest on Cage, because the other man tipped his chin before striding his way.
As the man approached, Cage assessed him like he always did, sizing him up as a possible opponent in the ring. They were of a similar height and weight. His arms and chest looked powerful. However, Cage could tell by the way the man moved that he wouldn’t have his same speed. Not that he was planning to fight this guy, but old habits died hard.
The big man stopped in front of his table. “You Cage Morgan?”
Cage nodded.
The man sat and whipped off his cap. “Thought the hat would work.”
Cage’s mouth twitched. “That was supposed to be some kind of disguise?”
The other man made a sound a bear might make just before it took a bite. “Fetch sent me.”
“I figured.”
“Said I was to try to schmooze you into taking a job.”
“I’ve been wondering why he isn’t here to do it himself.”
The other man raked a hand through his long blond hair. “I’m here to set up the satellite office. He’d have come, but he said we didn’t need the big guns. That you’d want this job once you heard what it was all about.”
Cage grunted and sat back in his chair. “You’re the guy in that reality TV show.”
Reaper gave him a dead-eyed look. “If I wasn’t makin’ bank, I’d take exception to your tone, dude.”
Cage snapped his fingers. “What’s it called?” He pretended the name escaped him.
“Bounty Hunters of the Northwest,” the other man said, sounding bored.
“Right!” Cage grinned. “I liked the episode when that wild man chased the bear.”
“His name’s Animal.”
Cage chuckled. “Fits.” He picked up his beer and drew on it, not knowing exactly why he was trying to rile the other man. Maybe it was because he viewed him as a competitor, and his instinct was to start the psych-out before a fight. Or maybe it was because he wanted to make sure the man didn�
�t waste a lot of time trying to convince him to take a damn job he didn’t want. “Can’t remember your name, though,” he lied.
“Reaper. Reaper Stenberg,” the big man said, his words a little garbled like he was grinding his teeth.
“Right,” Cage said. He took another swallow and waited for Reaper to give his pitch, but the waitress sauntered over again.
Her gaze went from Cage to Reaper, and Cage knew what was on her mind. Too bad for her, he knew Reaper was married, and he flat didn’t get into bed with another man, even if their dicks never touched.
“He’ll have the same as I’m having,” Cage said to hurry her away.
She was back inside a minute and set a beer in front of Reaper. He handed her a twenty.
“No, Kip said it’s free. He watches your show,” the woman said, sounding out of breath.
“Keep the tip,” Reaper said than turned his attention back to Cage.
The woman’s mouth tightened, but she moved along to another table.
“Saw you fight in Bozeman last night,” he said, his gaze direct.
Cage curled his fists and grimaced at the throbbing ache. “McMann gave me a run for my money.”
“You fight well. Heard you came to MMA through less than legal fights.”
Cage gave him a hard stare. “That was a long time ago.”
“Three years.” He took a sip of his beer. “Least, that’s what I hear. Bareknuckle stuff’s not for sissies.”
Cage almost smiled at the grudging compliment. “No, it’s not, but it’s hard on the body.”
“We could use someone like you. Fetch says you were a SEAL.”
Cage straightened in his chair. “I was.”
“Marine,” Reaper said, pointing at his chest with his glass.
“Won’t hold it against you.”
Reaper’s mouth twitched. “We’re building an office here. Broke ground last week. We hope to hire on eight to ten hunters to cover southwest Montana and into Wyoming and Idaho.”
“Sounds ambitious. From your TV show, it looks like you guys are sweeping up all the trash. Sure you’re leaving enough work for another agency?” Cage didn’t know why he asked. He still wasn’t interested, but he was curious about what Fetch was hoping to accomplish.
“America has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Long as that doesn’t change, we’ll have plenty of bounties to go around. And it’s not just bounties on folks skipping their court dates or mandatory drug testing. We help find prison escapees, pitch in on law enforcement manhunts—anywhere our particular talents are needed. Our Bear Lodge office helped bring in a terrorist who was recruiting anti-government whackos intent on building an army here in Montana.”
“That all sounds fine and dandy for someone who wants to be a bounty hunter. I don’t.”
“Well, Fetch thinks you might change your mind when you hear who we’re hunting. He needs someone with your skills to get close enough to make the takedown.”
Cage narrowed his eyes. “My skills?”
“Your experience in those illegal fight clubs. You’ve got connections that can get you inside.”
Cage shook his head. He hadn’t been a part of that world in years. “Not interested.”
“Ask me who we’re hunting,” Reaper said, his expression neutral, his stare boring into Cage’s.
Cage was curious all right, but he didn’t want to ask. Didn’t want to know. He’d left that world and never looked back. Had the scars and the tattoo, thank you very much.
“Fetch explained how the money works, right? What a hunter gets as a percentage of the bond.”
“He did. And I still told him no.” Hunting people was something he’d done when he’d been in the Navy, and he’d been damn good at it. However, hunting Americans wasn’t something he had the stomach for.
“Ask me,” Reaper said, his voice lowering.
Cage wanted to tell him to go to hell. But he also wanted to know, because the hairs on the back of his neck were rising. Deep inside, he was still that man, the one who always found his target and always took him out. A cool dread washed over him, and he drew a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll bite. Who are you hunting?”
Reaper’s mouth curved. “Your wife.”
Chapter 2
Early the next day, Cage showed up at the construction site Reaper had given him directions to find. Trees had been cut, the stumps ground down to the dirt. No workers were around. A trailer stood at the back of the site, with two doors and two sets of steps. Three vehicles were parked to the right of the trailer, so he parked his truck at the end of the row and stepped out. Per the cardboard sign on one door, he headed up the stairs on the right.
He didn’t bother knocking because that would’ve given him one more chance to pause and reconsider what he was about to do. However, hearing that his ex-wife was the subject of a manhunt had stirred something inside him.
Reaper had watched him as, first, shock had widened his eyes, and then, a cool reckoning had made them quickly narrow.
Hearing Elaine’s name after so long, and in this context, had reawakened a spark of curiosity inside him. He couldn’t let it be any more than that. She’d chosen her fate. He’d walked out when she’d decided her work was more important than their marriage.
Inside the trailer, he found five people crowded around a long, folding banquet table that dominated the open space. To the right was another smaller folding table that held a phone, a coffee pot, a microwave, and a printer. A small refrigerator was tucked beneath it.
Reaper waved to the smaller table. “Get a cup of coffee and join us.”
Cage did so, taking his time while he looked around. Beyond the table was a door to another room inside the trailer. Otherwise, the place was pretty sparse. Not at all comforting. The “office area” looked as though they were trying to throw together something in a hurry.
Taking an empty seat beside a petite woman with crow-black hair, he set his cup down and glanced around at the others seated there.
Reaper cleared his throat. “This is our team, so far,” he said. “Beside you is Fredericka Newton.”
The woman with the black hair offered him a quick smile. “You can call me Fig.”
He arched an eyebrow and fought a smile.
“I know,” she said, rolling her silver-gray eyes. “It’s followed me all my life.”
“Fig’s new to the organization,” Reaper said. “She’s going to be our office manager/tech guru.” He pointed to the slender redhead seated across from her. “Felicity Gronkowski does technical work for us, but knows how to set up the work stations and comms in the office because she works a lot with our office admin guy, Brian, in Bear Lodge. She’s only part-time with MBH.”
Cage gave the redhead a nod.
Reaper pointed to the beefy guy sitting beside him. Another face from the TV show that Cage recognized. “Dagger Renfrew. He’s a hunter out of Bear Lodge.”
The cute blonde beside him offered Cage a smile worthy of a beauty contestant.
“You’re Bounty Hunter Barbie,” he said, giving her a crooked smile.
“So, you have seen the show,” she said, chuckling. “Name’s Lacey Jones, but I don’t mind being called a Barbie doll.” She fluffed her pale blond hair. “I work hard to look this good.”
Dagger shook his head. “And yeah, she’s always like that, even when the cameras aren’t rolling.”
“They’re a hunting team,” Reaper said. “They do good work. Don’t ever discount Lacey due to her appearance. She’s smarter than all of us put together.”
Lacey’s smile was smug as she gave Reaper a regal nod.
“So, Fig and I are the only new hires?” Cage asked.
“We have a contract hire, Martika Mills. Tons of experience, but she’s commitment shy. She won’t be joining us until she chases down a skip she’s after further south in Wyoming.”
“So, two hunters and one admin type,” Cage said, not very impressed. Again, he felt as though they were
putting this team together on the run.
“Told you, we plan to hire a full crew. Won’t happen overnight. We want the best.”
“You’ve never hunted,” Dagger said, eyeing him. “You’re MMA, so you can handle yourself in a fight, but you’ve no experience with bounty hunting.”
“I didn’t apply for this job,” Cage said, lowering his voice. “Fetch came to me.”
“He’s a former SEAL,” Reaper said. “He can be trained.”
Dagger grunted.
“Let me guess. You were Army,” Cage said, knowing that was Fetch’s branch of service.
“Army Ranger.”
Cage shrugged like he wasn’t impressed, but he’d worked alongside Rangers before and knew they were well-trained and capable.
Lacey laughed and waved a hand in front of her face. “Y’all are stinking up the place with testosterone.”
The other two women raised their eyebrows.
Reaper moved forward in his seat and rested his forearms on the table. “Fig, why don’t you bring up the warrant on Cage’s wife.”
“Ex-wife,” Cage gritted out, forcing himself not to lean closer to Fig to see the screen on her iPad.
Fig whipped her finger over the screen then turned it to show him.
There was Elaine’s face above a mugshot board. Her hair was mussed, and her jaw was tight. The thin line of her lips told him she was furious with her predicament. “What was she charged with?”
“Illegal gambling, battery of a minor—”
“What?”
Fig grimaced. “Apparently, she let a 17-year-old fight. He got hurt.”