by K. C. Crowne
She spoke to someone in the background and repeated what I'd said.
“Jacklyn!” I shouted.
With the phone in my hand, I rushed out the front door and took off toward the fields. Milo saw me running toward him and dropped the axe, apparently realizing something was wrong. He came toward me, a look of absolute terror on his face.
“Tell Milo he has to sign the papers to sell – and whatever you do, don't call the police,” Jacklyn said into my ear.
“Jacklyn, no –” but it was too late. The line went dead in my hand.
I stopped in the field, staring at the phone, trying to find some way to call the number back. I couldn’t get the blocked number to ring back though. I kept trying anyway, searching for some way to do it until Milo finally caught up to me.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It was Jacklyn. Something is wrong,” I said. “Really fucking wrong.”
“Where is she?”
“I – I don't know. She didn't say,” I said. “There was someone with her though, telling her what to say.”
“What did she say?” Milo’s voice had gone deathly calm.
“She said you had to sign the papers and sell the ranch,” I replied. “And she said to not call the police. She was crying, man. I could hear the fear in her voice. Somebody has her, Milo.”
Milo looked like the ground had been kicked out from underneath him. Truthfully, that was how I felt in that moment too. I found it hard to breathe. My head was spinning and suddenly, nothing felt real – not even the ground we were standing on. I felt like we were walking through some kind of waking nightmare.
Only hours before, Jacklyn had been asleep in her bed. Now, she was being held hostage by somebody – the same somebody who desperately wanted us to sell the ranch. Milo grabbed his phone and marched back toward the house.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Eli,” he growled. “And ask him what the fuck he's doing.”
“You think Eli is behind this? Really?”
I knew my brother was eager to sell the property, but to go this far? No way. He would never do something that selfish. He would never put Jack's life in danger – would he? The fact that I had my own doubts scared me.
I wanted to believe Eli was better than that – that he'd never stoop to something so low, so evil, to get what he wanted. But, as I thought about it, I had to admit that everything about him these days had seemed off. His odd recollections of life with our father, the fact that he slept with Jacklyn after knowing I already had. I suddenly wondered if I really knew my brother at all. Milo dialed the number as we walked toward the house, but he got Eli's voicemail.
“Eli, you better get your ass down here and explain yourself. I knew you wanted me to sell, but this is too fucking far,” he growled. “You better have one hell of an explanation.”
10
Milo
I had no choice. I had to save Jacklyn, even if it meant signing over my land. There was nothing I could do besides give them what they wanted if I wanted to keep her alive and in one piece. They'd told us not to call the police, and I wasn't willing to risk Jacklyn's life just to hold on to this property. Nothing in the world was worth that risk; not even saving my ranch.
My heart hurt, but I knew what I had to do. When Eli got there, I was planning to have him reach out to his people for the paperwork and tell them I was ready to sign whatever I needed to sign to get Jacklyn back.
I also had a few choice words for Eli when he got there. I could not believe he would be mixed up in something like this. I knew he wanted the money from the sale of the place, but I never, not in my wildest dreams, would have imagined he'd resort to kidnapping Jacklyn to accomplish it.
This was the end. Once I had her back, we were no longer brothers as far as I was concerned. He'd be lucky to get away from me without me kicking his ass, if not outright kill him. He’d gone too fucking far. Putting Jacklyn at risk – even if she wasn't really in danger and this was all for show – was beyond the fucking pale.
But, how would I know if she was really in danger or not? How was I to know if these people would actually hurt her to get what they wanted or not? They stood to make a lot of money if they developed my property, and I knew that greed was a ruthless mistress. It was a roll of the dice and I really didn't like my odds in this game. I could never live with myself if I assumed this was a hoax and they actually hurt her. Eli had put us in this situation, and because of him, I had to make a choice between two things I loved.
Yes, I loved Jacklyn. How could I not? Imagining life without her in it was impossible. It was even harder than imagining my life without the ranch. Which was why I knew what I needed to do.
“We should call someone,” Sawyer said.
I scoffed. “Who? We can't call the cops. If this isn't some idle threat, they'll hurt her. Maybe even kill her,” I growled. “Who else can help us now?”
Sawyer was sitting, leaning on the table with his face buried in his hands, shielding himself from view. I knew my brother cared for her. I knew he cared for her a lot. It was hard not to fall in love with someone like Jacklyn – especially given how intertwined our lives had been for so long.
I had no doubt Sawyer loved her just every bit as much as I did.
“Her sister, Mallory,” he offered. “She's a cop, isn't she?”
“They said no cops,” I said.
“But they don't have to know,” Sawyer said. “We won't be working officially with the police, but Mallory can help us. I have no doubt she can help us. And she'd be able to do it under the table without actually getting the police involved.”
He had a point. Jacklyn was pretty badass in her own way, and her sisters were equally awesome. Her oldest sister, Mallory was a former Marine and now a police officer in San Diego. She'd been up against the drug cartels in the past and lived to tell the tale. Her and her men.
But I still wasn't sure it was worth the risk. If something went sideways – like it always fucking seemed to – it could cost Jacklyn her life.
“We should just give them what they want,” I said, feeling defeated.
I fell into a chair nearby, sighing deeply. I stared at the place that had been my home, my safe space for so long and felt nothing but bitter defeat. It no longer felt safe there though. If they managed to get Jacklyn – taking her out of there from right under our noses – it was obviously not safe for her. Or us.
It was another reason I felt like Eli had to have been involved. She'd have trusted him, and he had access. It was no wonder he hadn't wanted to talk about what they did last night. Because he'd kidnapped her and handed her over to some shady ass people.
I gripped the arms of the chair and cursed him under my breath. We'd had our differences before, we rarely agreed on anything, but this was a whole new low. I'd never have imagined my brother sinking to depths that low just for money. What he was involved in was unreal to me.
And the bad news for him was that if we sold the property, I didn't have to give him a dime. Before, it was understood that I would split anything with my brothers. All proceeds for selling the ranch would be divided evenly. It was only fair – but now? If he put Jacklyn in danger, he was fucking dead to me.
“But these aren't trustworthy people, Milo,” Sawyer said. “Who's to say they'll let her go even if they get what they want? I mean, they were willing to kidnap her in the first place, who knows what they're willing to do or how far they're willing to go. We need some help here, admit it.”
Sawyer was right about that. These weren't the type of people you took at face value. I had no idea who we were dealing with, or what their plans were. I knew how to run a ranch, not how to negotiate with criminals. I was most definitely in uncharted waters. I knew I was in way over my head and felt like I was on the verge of drowning.
“Call her,” I said. “But be vague over the phone. You never know who's listening in.”
Sawyer nodded, “I doubt they've tapped our phon
es.”
“I know, but better safe than sorry. Besides, I'd rather her get here safely instead of freaking out the entire drive over,” I said. “Just tell her we need to talk to her, don't worry her too much. We can explain everything once she gets here.”
I looked around the room, suddenly paranoid. What if they'd managed to wire the house? Could they be listening to or watching us? Were they hearing everything we were saying? Eli had the access and the means to put up cameras had he wanted to, and in that moment, I wasn't trusting him a whole lot. I didn't know with one hundred percent certainty that he was involved, but the coincidences were far too great.
Sawyer went into the other room and made the call. I stared at the whiskey bottle from across the room, licking my lips, the desire for a drink to settle my nerves rising up within me. I craved the burning sensation of the liquor like a man craved water in the desert. The little voice in my head told me one drink would be okay. It'd help calm me down.
But I had to keep my head clear. I needed to keep all of my wits about me for Jacklyn. Alcohol might help me relax, but it would only make the problems worse.
The front door swung open and Eli rushed inside. It took everything in me not to rush over and beat the shit out of him. Instead, I gritted my teeth, stood and walked over to him, coming face-to-face with my younger brother. My blood was boiling, and my fists were ready though.
He started talking the moment he stepped inside, however, “What's going on?” he said, near panic in his voice. “Have you heard anything?”
“You know what's going on,” I muttered. “Stop pretending like you don't.”
“I don't know shit,” Eli said. “You told me Jacklyn was missing and then demanded I get out here. What the fuck is going on?”
His eyes were wide, and I could definitely see fear in them. But he was also an actor. I couldn't believe anything he did or said – because how would I know if he was being real or just putting on a show?
“All I know is what you told me on the phone,” he said.
Sawyer came into the room and rushed forward. His fist smashed into Eli's face with the sound of a baseball hitting a mitt before either of us saw it coming. I rushed forward as he reached back to punch Eli again and pulled him away. I was shocked. My normally calm, peace-loving little brother went at Eli with the force of a hundred horses and it took everything in me to hold him back.
“Sawyer, chill. We need to talk to him, figure things out,” I said.
I was talking him down, but inside, I was cheering him on. I'd wanted to do the same exact thing to Eli for as long as I could remember. Part of me wanted to let Sawyer go and let him work our brother over a little bit, but I refused to give into the urge. It would accomplish nothing. Not if we wanted to figure this shit out and get Jacklyn back safe and sound.
Blood dripped from Eli's nose and his eyes welled with tears – getting socked in the nose hurt like a bitch. He held his hands to it to try and stop it from bleeding, but the blood still flowed between his fingers and down his arms. He didn't say anything, though. He just looked sad, defeated. Again, I assumed he was just acting.
Sawyer took a deep breath and seemed to relax. The fight left his body, so I let him go but stayed ready. He didn't lunge at our brother again. Instead, he looked at me, his expression grim.
“She's on her way,” he growled.
“Who's on her way?” Eli asked.
“None of your fucking business,” Sawyer said.
“Listen, I don't know what you think I'm involved in, but I'm not,” he said. “Okay? I haven't done anything.”
“Oh yeah, so you just happened to bring these shady people into our lives. You just happened to be the last person to see Jacklyn, and you admitted to being with her until around four this morning before she magically disappeared – no, this isn't suspicious at all, Eli,” Sawyer said. “Just confess… You did this so you could force Milo's hand to get the money.”
“I'd never do something like that,” he said, managing to actually sound hurt.
“Then what happened?” Sawyer screamed. “Where the fuck is Jacklyn?”
I didn't have to say a word, Sawyer was handling everything for me. I'd never seen such passion or heat from him – not since the injury. Seeing him worked up over anything surprised me and it made me realize that he cared for Jacklyn more than I initially realized.
We both did.
“I told you,” Eli said. “We had sex, she fell asleep, and because I didn't want to make things awkward for the two of you, I slipped out around four this morning. That's the last I saw of her. I swear to God.”
“I was up around six myself,” Milo said. “Nobody came or went after that. So whatever happened, happened between when you left and six this morning. Not much time there to work with, is there?”
“I swear it wasn't me. I had nothing to do with this,” he said. “I care about her too, you know.”
“The fuck you do,” Sawyer spat. “You were never around. You didn't even know her.”
“Didn't mean I couldn't see what an amazing girl she is,” Eli said. “I'd never hurt her. I'd never hurt a fly, Sawyer. You know that better than anybody.”
Eli had always been the more sensitive of us. If I was being fair, he was the one who got scolded for having feelings as a kid. He was the one who struggled when it was time to turn our chickens into dinner. He often came off as cold and emotionless, but that was a mask he wore thanks to our father. Or maybe it wasn't a mask. Maybe it was the real thing. Maybe Dad actually had broken something in him after all and that was just who he was now.
“There's no use fighting over this any longer,” I said. “We just need to get her back. I'm willing to sign the papers. I'll give them the fucking land if that's what they want.”
Sawyer grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me aside, speaking softly. “Don't you dare do anything until Mallory gets here, got it?”
As much as I wanted to just get it over with, sign the papers and get Jacklyn back, Sawyer had a point. There was no guarantee that they would give us Jacklyn back even if we gave them what we wanted. We had zero clue who we were dealing with or what they were capable of. I needed to be patient. I was ready and willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe, but I couldn't act blindly. I couldn't let my feelings for Jacklyn get in the way of logic.
“Alright. We'll wait for Mal,” I said.
Eli had left the room but returned with paper towels pressed to his nose that were rapidly growing crimson. It appeared to be broken. Part of me was really happy for that, but the longer I studied my brother, something was telling me I was wrong about him. There was an inkling of doubt inside of me that was starting to grow. I wanted to believe he got caught up into something he knew nothing about but had no active hand in what went down. That would make things much easier.
It was also a convenient excuse. Until I knew more about what happened between four and six that morning, I wasn't sure what to believe. For the moment, I told myself to reserve all judgment – which was a hell of a lot easier said than done, of course. I wanted to lash out and attack him like Sawyer had, but I was still struggling to believe he really could do something this horrific. I knew Eli was desperate, but desperate enough to put an innocent woman at risk?
I'd like to believe we'd been raised better than that.
Eli spoke slowly, looking me straight in the eyes as if somehow, that might convince me he was telling me the truth.
“When I left last night, she was sleeping peacefully,” he said. “Can I see her room? Maybe if I look around, I can see if anything is off that might give us a clue about what happened.”
Sawyer was about to argue, but I stopped him. “Sure. Go for it,” I said. “I'm coming with you. Don't touch anything, you hear me? Not one goddamned thing.”
Eli nodded, and the two of us walked toward the stairway. Sawyer stayed downstairs, pacing and clearly agitated. He was too caught up in his own head and was waiting for Mallory anyway. She wasn't too
far away, thankfully, so I knew she'd get there soon. Except, every minute we wasted felt like an eternity, and I was sure it felt even worse for Jacklyn – wherever she might be.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Eli led the way into Jacklyn's room. Nothing appeared out of place to me, there wasn't even a sign of a struggle. Her bed wasn't made, but that wasn't unusual for Jacklyn. Her phone was still charging on the table next to her bed – that much was unusual since she never went anywhere without it. There were clothes on the floor, along with a few other things. It was a little messy, but that wasn’t strange either. Eli walked over to her bed, then turned around and studied the room in silence. I remained in the doorway, arms crossed in front of my chest, watching him more than anything else.
“The window was open last night,” he said.
“It was closed when I got here this morning,” I said. “Maybe she got cold.”
He shook his head and walked over to it, pulling it up and open. “No, someone closed it behind them.”
I joined Eli at the window and saw exactly what he was talking about. The screen was gone. We both looked down at the same time, peering down onto the ground below. It was there we saw the screen to the window hidden amongst the trees, ripped and shredded to bits.
My heart sank as I started to put together the pieces. Someone had come through the window while she was sleeping. Maybe it hadn't been Eli after all. Or, maybe he'd set this whole scenario up on purpose to make us less suspicious of him. I still couldn't be sure.
“Leave it alone until Mallory gets here,” I said.
Eli glanced at me and nodded. “Good call on getting Mallory involved.”
“I had to do something,” I said.
* * *
Mallory sat still as a statue, silent as a stone, as we explained the entire situation to her. While the resemblance between Mallory and Jacklyn was there, it was sometimes hard to imagine them as sisters. Mallory had short cropped auburn hair, and still looked every bit the part of the battle tough Marine. Her hard body and even harder, ice-cold facial expressions could intimidate many men. It was one of the reasons she made such a bad ass cop – even though she was only a of couple inches taller than Jacklyn, who was incredibly petite. She just had a presence about her that said, “don't fuck with me or you'll regret it.”