Dirty Little Secret

by Jennifer Ryan

  Roxy: I hate it here

  Roxy: I’m leaving you and going back to Vegas

  Roxy: Time to move on

  None of that sounded like Roxy. She loved Montana and hated the Nevada desert. If she wanted to move on, she’d say it to his face.

  A picture came up that sent a bolt of rage through his system.

  Roxy lay in a bed, her hair a tousled mess, her eyes barely open, shirt off, breasts spilling over a black bra, a man’s chest pressed against the side of her, his hand on her stomach.

  “That’s not right.” Annabelle stared at the picture. “She’d never cheat on you.”

  No, she wouldn’t. And whoever took the picture and sent the texts would regret treating Roxy like some . . . whore. That’s what they wanted her to look like. As if she’d pick up some random guy, have sex with him, cheat on Noah, all without a thought to hurting him.

  Not Roxy.

  Whoever did this, didn’t know Roxy.

  They didn’t know she swore she’d never leave him.

  Noah: When I find you you’ll wish you never laid a hand on Roxy

  Annabelle grabbed his arm. “I need my cell phone.”

  “This isn’t the time. You’ll get it back at the end of the month just like we told you when we took it from you.”

  Annabelle shook his arm. “No. I need it to find her.” Annabelle ran around the desk and pulled her cell out of the top drawer, plugged it into the charger connected to Roxy’s computer, and turned it on. It felt like an hour waiting for it to come on. She tapped an app and held up the phone with a map and a blinking red dot. “She’s at the Mountainside Motel.”

  Shocked, Noah held Annabelle’s wrist and stared at the map. “How do you know that?”

  “She put a tracking app on my phone so she can find me in case of emergency. Or I don’t answer,” Annabelle added under her breath. “It works both ways.”

  Noah remembered Roxy adding it to his phone, too, but he’d never used it. “Why didn’t you do this earlier?”

  She scrunched her mouth. “I snuck in here and tried, but her phone has to be on. Duh!”

  Noah didn’t even bother to ask how many other times she’d snuck in here to use her phone. He headed for the door, not surprised whoever sent the text from Roxy’s phone didn’t respond to his reply.

  Annabelle caught up to him.

  “You’re not coming.”

  Her eyes held a desperate plea. “Noah, she’s my sister. If my mother has her . . .”

  Noah stopped, though he wanted to run to Roxy. He held Annabelle back with a hand on her shoulder. “Stay here. Let me handle it.”

  Annabelle’s lips trembled. “I want to help.”

  “It could be dangerous. If they’re willing to kidnap her, who knows what else they’ll do?”

  Mary wrapped Annabelle in a light hug and nodded for him to go. “I’ll give you a head start, then call the police.”

  Noah jumped into his truck and sped away with Mary and Annabelle in his rearview mirror as worried and scared as him about what he’d find when he got to that motel. If Roxy was hurt, he’d kill them. As it was, they’d be lucky to live through his wrath.

  His phone rang as his tires ate up the miles to the outskirts of town where Tom had told Roxy he had a private place picked out where they could meet and fuck. If he caught Tom there, he’d be wishing the only thing Noah did to him was knee him in the nuts.

  “Hello.”

  “She’s not here. The girls haven’t heard from her.” Candy’s words came out fast and filled with worry he wanted to believe was genuine.

  “I found her. I’m on my way to her now.”

  “So she’s okay?”

  “I don’t know. My best guess is that someone took her and is holding her against her will so she forfeits the ranch to me and Annabelle.”

  “If her father hadn’t put those stupid stipulations on the will, none of this would be happening.”

  “He had his reasons.” To get her away from you.

  “Everybody’s got a reason. Doesn’t mean it’s right.”

  “Agreed. John wanted her and you wouldn’t give her up so she could have a better life, because you wanted to keep cashing in.”

  “She had a good life.”

  Noah rolled his eyes at Candy’s false optimism that was true.

  “She does now. And I’m going to make sure she’s happy and loved every day. Anyone gets in the way of that is going to deal with me.”

  “Then deal with this and tell her to call me. I want to know she’ll be all right.”

  “She will be with me.”

  “For what it’s worth, I believe that. She deserves it.” The sincerity in those words made him believe she meant it.

  “She deserves a hell of a lot more, and I aim to give it to her.”

  “You better, or you’ll get a visit from me.”

  “God help me.”

  Candy laughed, then hung up on him.

  He pressed the gas pedal to the floor and sped the rest of the way to the motel where he skidded to a stop behind Roxy’s Camaro and Tom’s Subaru. He jumped out of the truck, ran to the door in front of Roxy’s car, and kicked it in with a splintering crash of wood.

  He stood in the doorway and stared in disbelief at Tom and Lisa naked in bed. Lisa straddled Tom who had his hands out wide and tied to the bedpost with red scarves.

  “Shit, Noah, what the hell are you doing here?” Lisa pulled a corner of the sheet up and tried to cover her breasts but didn’t bother to get up.

  Tom’s eyes were wide as saucers as he glanced from Noah to the door and back. Looking for a way out? Hoping no one else came in and saw him splayed out and naked? Noah didn’t give a shit.

  “Where is she?”

  Lisa glanced around the room, one eye red and swollen, and lied through her teeth. “We’re the only one’s here, you maniac.”

  “Why is Roxy’s car out front?”

  Lisa’s face paled, the first sign she knew she’d been caught.

  Noah walked to the closet and threw open the door. Empty.

  “You can’t just bust in here and . . . No! Get out!” Lisa scrambled off Tom’s lap and came after him.

  Noah turned the bathroom doorknob and shoved it open, nearly falling forward when Lisa attacked him from behind and tried to close the door again. Too late. He caught a glimpse of Roxy lying like a limp ragdoll half naked in the tub, pale and out cold.

  “Get out!” Lisa pounded on his back.

  He didn’t usually hit girls, but he planted one hand on her chest and shoved her back. She fell on her bare bottom on the ugly carpet and stared up at him with tears shimmering in her eyes. “You ruin everything.”

  “You do that all on your own.”

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  “Untie me. Let me go.” Tom struggled against his bonds. “She made me do it. She’s crazy. Look at this. She tied me up and did things to me.”

  “Shut up, you idiot.” Lisa grabbed her clothes off the chair by the window and started putting them on.

  With the cops closing in, Noah left the two of them and went into the bathroom. He kneeled by the tub and gently touched Roxy’s face. He pulled his fingers away, shocked by her too cold skin. He slipped his hands under her and pulled her up and to his chest. He carried her back into the room and laid her on the end of the bed.

  Lisa had some mercy in her and had untied Tom. He leaned over and reached for Roxy’s arm.

  Noah punched him right in the face, breaking his nose. “Don’t you fucking touch her again.”

  Noah grabbed a blanket out of the closet, hoping it was cleaner than the one pulled off the bed and dumped on the floor. He laid it over Roxy and tucked it in, hoping to warm her up. He needed to do something because she hadn’t moved or shown any sign of waking up.

  “What did you give her?”

  Tom held out one bloody hand. “I didn’t give her anything.” The sheet he held against his nose turned red as blood contin
ued to flow down his mouth and chin.

  Noah turned to Lisa, who grabbed her purse and draped the strap over her shoulder. She turned for the door, but he snatched the strap and pulled her back and around to face him.

  “Let me go.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “I didn’t know she was in there. He invited me here to have some fun. You saw him. He likes things a little wild. I have no idea what he did with that whore before I got here.”

  “Bullshit,” Tom mumbled behind the bloody sheet. “She tricked Roxy into having coffee with her. She roofied her and brought her here.”

  Noah held up his phone with the picture they’d sent. “And what did you do to her?”

  Tom flinched away. “Nothing. Just took the picture and put her in the bathroom.”

  Lisa snorted. “Not before he put his hands all over her.” Lisa sneered at Noah. “Without me here to stop him, who knows how far he would have gone.”

  “She’s still got her clothes on.”

  Noah went after Tom, who backed himself into the wall, nothing but the sheet hanging from his hand at his nose as protection. Noah grabbed him at the throat, squeezed, pulled him forward, then shoved him back. His head thumped against the fake wood paneling. Tom winced and tried to suck in a breath that wouldn’t come.

  “Do you think it’s okay to touch an unconscious woman, clothes on or off?”

  Tom sputtered, but couldn’t answer with Noah holding his throat closed. Noah shoved him against the wall again.

  “No. The answer to that question is always no.” Noah sidestepped and brought Tom around and shoved him backward. Tom scrambled to keep up, his eyes wide and scared, then surprised when the cop standing in the open door took hold of Tom’s arm. “Did you get all that?” Noah asked the cop.

  “Heard every word. Ambulance is two minutes out.” The cop passed Tom off to another officer and walked toward Lisa.

  Lisa backed up two steps, hands held up to ward off the officer. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Arresting you.”

  Lisa pointed at Tom. “He did it. Not me.”

  Noah scooped up Roxy, turned, and sat on the bed with her in his arms. “At the very least, you kidnapped and drugged her.”

  “I heard something about pornographic pictures taken while she was unconscious,” the cop added. “You’re in a lot of trouble.” He clamped the handcuffs on Lisa’s hands at her back.

  “Noah, you can’t let this happen. What about Annabelle? I’m her mother.”

  “She’s better off without you.” Noah spotted the ambulance pulling in outside. He stood and carried Roxy to the door.

  “Noah, please, Annabelle needs me.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “No, she doesn’t. She’s got Roxy.” He walked right out and into the back of the waiting ambulance and laid Roxy on the gurney. He tossed the motel blanket out the back and took the one the paramedic handed him before getting to work on Roxy.

  “Do we know what she was given?”

  Noah brushed his hand over Roxy’s hair. “A roofie.”

  The paramedic put a needle in Roxy’s arm and started an IV line. Roxy didn’t even flinch when the needle went in. She didn’t acknowledge Noah’s soft touch on her forehead. She didn’t kiss him back when he pressed his lips to hers.

  The cop appeared at the back of the ambulance. “Mr. Cordero, you need to move your truck.”

  Noah pat his pocket then glanced back at the cop. “Keys are still in the ignition. I’m not leaving her.”

  The officer nodded to another officer to move the truck. “How’s she doing?”

  The paramedic looked up from writing something on a chart. “The IV will help flush the drug from her system. She’ll sleep for a few more hours. When she wakes up, she probably won’t remember what happened.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing,” the cop said.

  Noah wished he could erase this day from Roxy’s life. Even if she didn’t remember, she’d hear all about it. No way he kept this quiet. Lisa and Tom weren’t going down without a fight.

  Noah needed evidence. “Can you take a blood sample and confirm she’s been drugged?”

  “They’ll do that first thing at the hospital.”

  The cop tossed Noah back his keys. “I’ll be in touch.” He closed the ambulance doors and they left for the hospital.

  Noah pulled out his phone and called the house.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Sprite. I’ve got her.”

  “Let me talk to her.”

  “She’s unconscious, but she’ll be okay.”

  “Is she hurt?” Annabelle’s voice trembled.

  “No, Sprite. She’s been drugged. She’s just sleeping it off. We’re on the way to the hospital.”

  “Did my mom do it?”

  He gave her the hard truth. “She and Tom were working together. We’ll talk about it later.”

  “She’s going to hate me.”

  “Never, Sprite. Roxy loves you. She’d go through this a thousand times to spare you one moment of hurt from your mother.”

  “She has to be all right.”

  “She will be. I’ll make sure of it.” His phone buzzed with another incoming call. He checked the screen and saw that he’d missed three others. “I gotta go, Sprite. Roxy’s sisters are calling me. I’ll call you in the morning when Roxy wakes up.”

  “You better. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.” He accepted the incoming call before it went to voicemail. “She’s okay. I found her.”

  “Thank God. This is Adria and Juliana. We tried to reach you earlier.”

  “I had to get her back from her kidnappers.” It took him ten minutes to fill them in, especially with the twins talking over each other and asking him questions. By the time he and Roxy reached the hospital, he’d assured them he’d take care of Roxy and have her call them tomorrow when she was feeling better.

  He was in for a very long night but he didn’t care because Roxy was safe and back with him where she belonged.

  Chapter Forty

  Roxy woke disoriented and in a panic. She didn’t know why or what happened that put her in the hospital. She lay still, breathing hard, then found a smile for the group gathered around her, staring in disbelief.

  Noah practically fell on top of her and held her close, his cheek pressed to hers. “Finally, you’re awake.”

  “I told you, she can’t handle her drugs,” Juliana teased.

  Roxy hugged Noah, needing his strength and love. He pulled up, but she grabbed hold of his shirt and held him still. “What happened?” She narrowed her eyes, trying to remember, but most of what came to her was snippets of hazy images that didn’t make a lot of sense.

  “As far as we’ve pieced together, Lisa kidnapped you at the grocery store.”

  “I think she drugged my coffee.”

  “You got roofied,” Juliana supplied.

  Roxy focused on Juliana and Adria standing on the other side of the bed from Noah. “What are you doing here?”

  Adria squeezed her thigh. “Noah called last night looking for you. When we found out what happened, we came to make sure you’re okay.”

  “We thought you might need your sisters,” Juliana added.

  “It’s so good to see you.” She turned back to Noah. “Who found me?”

  “Annabelle did. On that phone app you put on her phone. Something your mother said made me think Lisa and Tom were involved.”

  Roxy tried to keep up. “You talked to Candy?”

  “Yeah. I’m still not a fan.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Your phone had been off for hours, but then Lisa sent me a text pretending to be you, saying you were leaving me.”

  “I’d never leave you. Or break up with you by text.”

  “That’s how I knew it was a lie.”

  Roxy touched her hand to her chest, remembering someone touching her.

  Noah placed his hand over hers. “They sent me a
picture of you with a man. Turned out to be Tom. The doctor checked you out and confirmed Tom’s assertion that nothing happened.” Noah let out a frustrated sigh. “He put his hands on you, but nothing more. You were still in your bra and jeans when I found you. They just wanted the picture to rile me.”

  “It did.” Adria’s smilereflected the admiration in her eyes. “Noah busted Tom’s nose, nearly choked him out, and left him with a mild concussion.”

  “It’s better than he deserved,” Noah bit out. “You got your shot at Lisa. She had a black eye when I found you.”

  “I take it they’re in jail.”

  “They should be six feet under,” Noah grumbled. He leaned down and kissed her. His lips pressed to hers for a long moment, then he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. His intense gaze softened. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

  She held his face in her hands. “Thank you for coming to get me.”

  “For a moment there, I thought I might have lost you. You were really out of it when I found you.”

  “The coffee made me groggy, but at one point Lisa forced me to drink some water. It must have been dosed, too.”

  Adria patted her thigh. “After what you’d been through, the doctors decided to just let you sleep it off.”

  She kissed Noah again, then turned to her sisters and held out her arms. “Come here.”

  It was something they did all the time at home when one or more of them was having a hard time. Juliana and Adria crawled up on the bed, lay on each side of her, and held her close.

  Roxy kissed both of them on the head. “I’m so glad you guys are here.”

  The door opened and Sonya walked in with Annabelle following her. “You’re awake.” Sonya wasted no time climbing up the end of the bed and snuggling in between Roxy’s legs and Adria and Juliana.

  Surrounded by her sisters, Noah beside the bed holding her hand, Roxy’s heart filled to overflowing with love. What she’d been through the night before seemed insignificant to everything good and wonderful she had in her life.

  But one face in the crowd dimmed Roxy’s growing sense that everything was going to be okay. “Annabelle, what’s wrong?”

  Tears immediately streamed down her cheeks and her head fell forward. “It’s all my fault.”