by Carolina Mac
Mason stepped out into the steamy August night wearing a permanent smile on his face as he strolled through the dark parking lot looking for a new outfit.
It wasn’t long until one of the uniforms, left his position and strode with purpose to the back of the parking area to take a leak. Mason was right there hiding in the bushes, ready to bash him over the head and strip off his uniform. The pants were tight around his gut, and the shirt a little snug as he did up the snaps, but not a bad fit. He strapped on the utility belt, transferred the sap into the pocket of the pants, and hustled back to the Caddie to collect the rest of his equipment. He rolled his own clothes into a ball and tossed them into a blue dumpster.
Silver Spur. Cherokee Junction.
HARLAN CHUGGED his third beer and ordered another. The Shiner’s were going down good tonight and he had no intention of stopping any time soon. Country music blasted out of the speakers mounted in the corners of the huge, sparsely decorated space, and two or three couples were two-stepping around the dance floor and hollering out yahoos to their friends. Most of the worn, wooden booths were occupied like they were every night of the week with couples or three or four guys tossing back a few after a hard day’s work.
Harlan was there to keep an eye on Becca and watch her back—exactly what he was doing when he saw one of the Burk brothers grab for her boob as she passed him with a tray loaded with drinks. Both her hands were full and even if she wanted to swat him, she couldn’t.
Off his stool so fast he knocked it over, Harlan was all over the ugly Burk. He knocked the fat asshole to the floor and got a couple of good ones in before Tommy-Joe was on him, yanking on his shirt and trying to pull him off.
“Break it up. No fightin in my bar. “You’re out of here, Harlan. Get your ass outside.”
Harlan turned and swung. He landed a hard right in Tommy’s eye and knocked him backwards. That’s when the second brother, the three-hundred pounder, stepped in. Three on one was no fuckin battle and Harlan came out on the short end.
The ugly brothers dragged his ass out the back door into the parking lot. One held him down and gave free rein to the other two who pounded and kicked him.
Becca ran outside, grabbed up Harlan’s gun from where it had fallen out of his waistband, and pointed it at the Burk brothers. “Y’all stop hurtin Harlan right this minute, or I’m gonna shoot y’all,” she hollered.
Tommy-Joe laughed at her and launched a vicious kick into Harlan’s ribs.
Becca pulled the trigger and the bullet whizzed by Tommy-Joe missing him by inches.
Tommy-Joe dove for cover, hollering, “Fuck, look out. The crazy bitch is shootin.” He jumped up and ran for cover with his two brothers on his heels. As he charged through the back door, he hollered over his shoulder, “Your ass is fired, Becca. Don’t come back here.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she helped Harlan get to the truck.
Hill Country Hotel. Johnson City.
MASON TOOK up a post close to the stage where he had an unobstructed view of Virginia, and he could hear every word coming out of her beautiful mouth. Her silver gown clung to her curvy body and sparkled as she walked, her jet-black hair shone under the lights. What a package. His erection made him squirm. The tight uniform pants got even tighter.
Virginia’s speech ended, and the crowd clapped and cheered, then they all stood up and clapped some more. Mason grinned, he was so happy for the woman he loved.
The ugly bitch that was always with Virginia, came on the stage from behind the curtain and Mason heard Virginia say to her that she had to go to the ladies’ room before she talked to the press.
He hurried down the hallway next to the big room with the stage and saw the sign for the two washrooms. He glanced around to see if anyone was watching, then ducked into the ladies’ bathroom.
Good. Nobody in here.
Mason waited behind the door and as Ginny walked in he grabbed her, clamped a big hand over her mouth and stuck the needle in her arm. He pushed the plunger and she went limp in his arms but before he could reach for the door handle, the ugly helper came in. Mason dropped Virginia onto the tile floor, clamped his hand over the ugly bitch’s mouth and smashed her head three times on the edge of the granite vanity. He picked Virginia up and ran with her in his arms through the washroom and out the far exit—the one that came out close to the back door of the hotel.
Once he was outside, he was only a few steps from the Caddie. He laid Virginia on the back seat, ran around and jumped behind the wheel. “We’re going for a drive, Virginia. Just you and me. I’m gonna show you a real good time.”
Mason couldn’t stop grinning as he drove out of the parking lot and through the streets of Johnson City to route two eighty-one.
TRAVIS AND GENE stood in the corridor near the ladies’ washroom waiting to escort Ginny outside to the waiting media people. In front of the hotel, several local stations had waited patiently, and were set up to interview the candidate.
Gene shifted from one foot to the other while he stared at the closed door to the ladies’ room. “She should have come out by now, shouldn’t she? Think I should go in?”
The door opened, and a young girl came out crying, a wad of paper towels in her hand. “A lady is hurt in there,” she said, “and I think something else happened too, but I didn’t see it.”
Travis brushed past the young woman and charged into the bathroom. Ginny’s campaign manager, Willa Freeman, was out cold on the floor, her face covered in blood. Travis called for an ambulance, then rushed back into the hallway to speak to the witness.
“Miss, could I talk to you for a second? I need to get your take on what happened in there and get a statement from you.”
“Are you the police?” She sniffled as she reached for her boyfriend’s hand.
Travis held up his creds. “Deputy Travis Bristol, ma’am from State Violent Crime. Could you tell me what happened in the washroom?”
The girl was shaky on her feet and her boyfriend slipped an arm around her waist to support her. “I was in one of the stalls when I heard the door open and someone came in. Then it was quiet until the door opened again, and more people came in. One of the ladies started to scream, then stopped. I heard a bang, grunting and groaning, then a crash… and then nothing.” She sobbed a little, “I was scared to come out of the stall I was shaking so bad. My heart was pounding so loud, I thought I might have a heart attack. After it was totally silent for a few minutes, I peeked out and saw the lady lying on the floor by the sink, all bloody.”
The paramedics arrived minutes later, and Travis showed them where Miss Freeman was, then he searched the bathroom and discovered the mirrored makeup area at the far end offered access from another corridor. He followed that route and came out close to the rear emergency exit. The parking lot had emptied out and only employees, guests of the hotel and press vehicles remained.
Back inside, Ginny’s press person was frantically asking Gene what she should say to the group at the front of the hotel.
“You have to say, Doctor Rodriguez is feeling ill, and she apologizes to y’all, but she had to go to her room to lie down,” said Gene, “Nothing else you can say.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll take care of it.”
Moments later, squad after squad of Johnson City’s finest arrived. They blocked all entrances to the property and shut the hotel down. Some began a room to room search while others searched every vehicle leaving the premises.
Gene tore at his thick black hair. “Jesus Christ, Travis, how in hell could I let this happen?”
“Don’t know, Gene, and it’s not your fault. You followed procedure and did everything in your power, so it wouldn’t happen. One thing I do know, searching the hotel is a waste of effort and manpower. She’s not here, and whoever took her is long gone.”
Pissed at himself for not being more vigilant, Travis stomped to the bar, ordered a Lone Star and called Blacky.
Misty’s New House. Austin.
DI
NNER had been fun, and after a few beers, Blaine mellowed and began thinking about how much he missed having Misty in his bed. She was nowhere close to what Blaine imagined his ideal mate would be, Misty was wild, obstinate, unruly and deeply into the occult. Her thought patterns were so unlike his own, he could never get a read on her or figure her out. Sexually, they were on the same plane but was that enough to hold a relationship together? He didn’t see how. Maybe they could work things out like she wanted, or maybe not, but he’d stay the night and see how things turned out.
Misty kissed him again and the scent of her made him hard. “Let’s go see your new bedroom.”
“Can you sleep over?” She took his hand and led him down the hall. He took his phone off his belt to set it on the nightstand and it rang.
“Shit, it’s Travis. Sorry, Mist, I have to answer this.”
Misty stripped off her clothes in front of him and he wanted to throw the phone across the room and jump into her bed.
Blaine listened as Travis told him Ginny had been abducted from the hotel in Johnson City. As Travis gave him the sketchy details, he tried to focus. “Tell me what the witness said.”
Travis repeated the girl’s story verbatim.
“All preplanned,” said Blaine. “He was waiting in the women’s bathroom with whatever. If there was no noise or screaming, he drugged her or knocked her out. Totally prepared—nothing random about it. It’s that fuckin stalker in the red Camaro. I’d bet money on it. A high-profile kidnapping like this, the feds will be all over it in seconds.”
“They’re coming,” said Travis, “Special Agent in Charge is Roy Ackerman.”
Blaine groaned.
“You know him?”
“Sure do. Have you got a BOLO out on the red Camaro just in case?”
“No, but I’ll do that first off.”
Misty was giving him hand signals to hurry up.
“What about road blocks? All routes leading out of Johnson City should be monitored,” Blaine hollered route numbers into the phone, “Two-ninety east and west and two eighty-one, north and south.”
“I think highway patrol have been alerted,” said Travis. “Techs are printing the bathroom, and all of the hotel property is being searched.”
“Do you need me to drive out there?” asked Blaine.
Misty was emphatically shaking her head and Blaine smiled at her.
“With the Feds taking the lead, there’s not much point, boss.”
“Make good notes and make damn sure we get copies of everything from every agency and from Johnson City PD.”
“Yep, I’ve got it covered,” said Travis.
“I’ll phone Ackerman.”
“Good luck with that.”
Blaine searched through his contacts and came up with Roy Ackerman. It had been a while.
“Special Agent Ackerman, Blaine Blackmore here.”
“I figured I’d hear from you sooner or later, son. The Bureau has got this covered and we don’t need any help.”
Blaine laughed out loud and pressed end.
Travel Inn. Taggart’s Well.
MASON OPENED the door of room twenty with his key, left it standing open, then went back to the Cadillac, opened the back door and lifted the doctor out. He carried her into the room and laid her gently on the bed, then stood and smiled down at her. “You’re so beautiful, Virginia, and you belong to me.” He closed the door, locked it and put the safety chain on.
Her eyes were closed, and Mason thought maybe he’d given her too big a dose of the roofie drug. He shrugged it off and began undressing her. He rolled her onto her stomach and unzipped the long silver zipper. The sight of her bare back made him instantly hard. He rubbed his erection, inhaled a breath and gave a little groan of pleasure.
Taking his time, he enjoyed every moment it took to strip Virginia’s dress off her limp body. She lay there in just a pair of tiny silver panties and Mason couldn’t wait a second longer. Mason ripped her undies off and tossed them over his head, then mounted her and with a loud animal growl, he forced his lumber inside of her.
She moaned and moved a little as he thrust into her over and over, but she didn’t wake up. He gripped her hair in his hands and kissed her long and hard as he came.
Sweaty and exhausted, he collapsed on top of her and slept.
Route Thirty. Huntsville.
“WE DID IT, CHARLIE, we’re out of there.” Sirens wailed behind them and Billy-Don pushed the gas pedal to the floor. At four a.m. there wasn’t another car on the road. And Billy had chosen the route they would take carefully—very carefully. Planning took time, and he’d had lots of it. Huntsville Prison had been his home for the last nine years.
Nine years ain’t too bad for a life sentence with no parole.
“What are you laughin at, Billy?”
“Just thinking nine years was short for a lifer. That’s all.”
“Yeah, that’s funny all right.” Charlie fiddled with the buttons on the gray guard’s uniform that didn’t fit him worth a shit. “Where we going first?”
“We gotta dump this piece of garbage and get us new wheels.”
“Think they’ll catch us?”
“Don’t matter.” Billy-Don shrugged. “We’re dead anyway.”
CHAPTER TEN
Thursday, August 16th.
Coulter-Ross Ranch. La Grange.
ANNIE’S CELL rang, and she grabbed it quickly off the nightstand, so it wouldn’t wake Jesse. A quick glance at the screen and she knew who it was.
Once Blaine and his agency had begun working for a ‘higher power’, a man in DC with resources and clout that knew no limits, the man had made it his business to recruit Annie for her talents and make her his wet work specialist. She worked apart from the others and kept a low profile.
“Yes, sir.” She slipped out of bed, tiptoed across the cool Mexican tiles to the ensuite and closed the door behind her.
“Two murderers have escaped from Huntsville, sweetheart. You need to take care of them. Billy-Don Donovan and Charlie Guthrie.”
“Is that…?”
“We protect our own.”
“I understand.”
Jesse was awake and propped up on his elbows when she came out of the bathroom. “What is it, Ace?”
“I have an assignment.”
“Damn it, sweetheart, I don’t…” He changed tacks knowing neither of them could change the reality, and said, “How can I help?”
“I need all the information I can get my hands on for Billy-Don Donovan and Charlie Guthrie. They broke out of Huntsville in the middle of the night.”
“Is that Farrell’s father? The guy that…”
Annie held a finger to her lips. “We don’t want Neil to hear us talking. He has a tough enough time dealing with what his parents were.”
“I’ll see what I can find on the computer. I’m getting better at it now that I’m a fuckin invalid.”
Annie leaned down and kissed him. “Yeah, but you’re my invalid, and I’m so happy you and Charity are here I feel like shouting out to the moon or something.”
“What does shouting out to the moon do?” Jesse sat on the side of the bed and reached for his boxers.
“Lots of cultures in the past worshiped the moon.”
“I didn’t know that. If you make coffee, I’ll call the warden and see what I can find out for you, sweetheart.”
“Annie tugged on her jeans. “I’m all over the coffee angle. Can’t get started without caffeine. I’ll get the kids started on some cereal too.”
Misty’s Bungalow. Austin.
BLAINE OPENED his eyes, glanced around the room and wondered where he was. Then Misty stirred beside him and he remembered. The bedroom was shrouded in semi-darkness, but he had to get going. Ginny was missing.
He struggled into his clothes, his ribs giving him trouble with every breath he took. The sound of his zipper woke her, and she rolled over and looked at him.
“It’s dark. What are you doing?”
“I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“I love you.”
He picked up his wallet and keys and walked out the door.
Cherokee Junction.
BECCA WOKE FIRST. She padded across the one-room apartment to the sink unit, rinsed out the carafe and started a pot of coffee. After she used the bathroom, she sat on the side of the bed and Harlan opened his eyes.
“I like waking up and seeing you every morning,” he said.
“You’ll be seeing a lot more of me now that I don’t have a goddam job. What are we gonna do without my tips, sugar?”
“Stop worrying about it, Bec. I got money coming from that last shipment of cars, and if we’re short we can use some of Nate’s share while he’s in the hospital. He won’t need it.”
“He might need to pay his rent,” said Becca. “We should go over and clean his place for him while he’s in the hospital. It would be a nice surprise.”
Harlan smiled. “Yeah, it would. We’ll do it today.”
“Do you have to work at the shop?”
“Don’t work for Mason no more. I told him.”
“You should pick up your tools before he locks you out and won’t give them back. He can be mean. Nobody on this earth meaner than Mason Wall.”
“I’ll do it when we go over to Nate’s.”
Coulter-Ross Ranch. La Grange.
ANNIE RETURNED to the master suite carrying a coffee tray with all the fixings and a basket of muffins Rosalie had just taken out of the oven.
“Did you feed the baby?” asked Jesse.
“Sarah is feeding her now, and Jacks and Lucy are eating their cereal with her.”
“Charity loves the kids,” said Jesse. “She loves you too.”
Annie gave Jesse a hug and a kiss. “Nothing I love more than having my family together.”
“It’s a gift to me,” said Jesse, “staying here with y’all.”
“You belong here, sweetheart. You don’t have to go back to Quantrall unless you want to.”
“Ty will need me in the arena now that he’s hurt. I’ll have to help him and Paulie.”