by Jane Jamison
“She’s on her period.” Curt turned the ignition over then backed out of the parking space. “All women get weird when they’re on their periods.”
“He’s right,” agreed Eric.
“You know that sounds sexist as hell, right?” Dane glanced at her apartment again. Was it really her period that was making her seem standoffish or was something else going on?
“Yeah, but it’s not like we really think it’s true. At least, not with all women. She said she’s tired and cranky. It makes sense,” added Curt.
Eric slumped in the rear seat then pulled his hat down over his eyes. “Let it be. We’ll check in with her later. Now shut your yap so I can get some sleep before we get back to the search.”
They had to take a few hours off from looking for Evie. If they didn’t, their nerves would get even more frayed until they were no use to anyone, making them less effective to pick up scents and look for other clues. Having sex with Krystal would’ve relieved some of the tension, but since that wasn’t an option, they’d have to make do with a quick nap.
Once again, Dane gazed up at her apartment door. “Do you really think that’s all it is?”
“You don’t?” asked Curt.
“I don’t know. It felt like she was trying to get rid of us.”
“She was. She’s tired and wants time alone.” Curt chuckled then flipped on the radio. Their favorite country music station blared to life. “I hate to break it to you, cuz, but not all women are dying to get you in the sack. Maybe now that she’s had you, she doesn’t think much of your skills. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
Maybe Curt was right. Maybe he was making too much of it. Still, his inner wolf was raging, telling him to go back to his mate. But she wanted them gone, time to relax.
Which should he listen to? His wolf or his mate?
“Look, she was fine, just tired. Besides, it’s not like she’s in any danger.”
As usual, Curt’s logic made sense. He shoved his wolf back into submission. “Yeah. You’re right. So I guess we grab some grub, an hour’s rest, then get back to looking for Evie, right?”
The fact that so many men and women were hunting for the little girl yet not finding any clue was not only heartbreaking, but a mystery. Some were saying that whoever had kidnapped her was already long gone. A few people were even giving up.
Yet Dane’s wolf disagreed again. So did his gut. The girl was still in the area. He couldn’t, wouldn’t believe otherwise.
This time he listened to both his wolf and his human instincts. “Yeah. Let’s rest and then get back to the hunt. Evie needs us.” He’d be sure to give Krystal a call later. Or better yet, they could swing by the Wolf’s Den and check on her. The plan made him feel better.
* * * *
Where is everyone? Why isn’t anyone searching this side of town?
Yet Krystal knew the answer. The search groups had started at the place where they’d thought Evie had been abducted and were fanning out in a slow-moving, methodical circle. They’d yet to make it so far out of town. As far as she knew, most people liked to go to the larger lake. The land was flatter there and the scenery prettier. The small lake where she was supposed to meet Denny was surrounded by rolling hills and thick underbrush.
She parked her car on the side of the road, got out, and started the walk to the lake. The sun was beginning to set and a full moon was slowly rising into the sky. Just in case, she’d brought along a flashlight.
Getting to the lake would be difficult enough, but how was she supposed to find Denny and Evie? He hadn’t said which part of the lake to go to. How would they find each other once the sun set?
Once they did, what was she to do? The last thing she wanted was to let Denny take Evie with them. She wasn’t certain, but she doubted he’d turn the girl free even after they’d put enough distance between them and Fate. She wracked her brain, but had yet to come up with a plan.
She’d just come upon the lake when she heard footsteps behind her. She whirled around to face the man she’d grown to hate.
“Glad you could make it, baby.”
The urge to shout for help almost overwhelmed her as she took in the rope tied around Evie’s neck. A red, raw mark circled the girl’s neck.
Krystal fought back anger and forced a smile for Evie. The girl’s frightened expression, her eyes wide with fright, sought out Krystal’s.
“Hi, Evie. Are you okay? Don’t worry. You’re going to go home really soon.” She scowled at Denny, putting every ounce of hatred she had for him in her glare. “That’s right, isn’t it, Denny? You’re going to let her go now that I’m here?”
“Let’s see how things go. First things first. Toss your phone on the ground. You won’t be needing it.”
“Please, Denny, don’t—”
“Baby, don’t get me angry. Just do it.”
Taking her phone out of her jeans’ pocket, she tossed it onto the ground. “Now will you let Evie go?”
“Not yet. Come on. I’ve got a surprise for you.” Keeping his hold on Evie’s arm and the end of the rope wrapped around his wrist, he waved the gun, motioning for Krystal to follow.
She wanted to run. If she did, would he chase after her, dropping the rope and giving the girl a chance to escape? Yet she couldn’t risk it. What if he shot her in the back? Or worse, what if he shot Evie in the head? She did the only thing she could do. She followed them.
“Here we are.” He stopped at the bottom of a low rise and grinned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Look harder.”
She did, scanning the underbrush and looking for anything out of the ordinary. And then she saw it. The makeshift lean-to wasn’t much. Made entirely with brushes, branches, and greenery he’d scavenged from the surrounding area, the shade of the small hill shadowed it in darkness. She doubted that even the noontime sun would’ve made it easy to find.
“This is where you’ve been hiding out. I thought you were staying at the B & B.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. You’ve been asking around about me. I cut out of there after I took her.” He motioned her forward. “Go on, baby. Check it out.”
Pushing back the branches, she made her way toward the small shelter. It was barely large enough to get all three of them inside. To do so, they’d have to get down on their hands and knees.
“Get inside. The place opens up. You’ll see.”
She drew in a breath, gave Evie another supportive smile, and then crawled through the small opening. Once inside, the place spanned outward, giving more room to make it to the far side away from the opening. She couldn’t stand up straight, but at least she didn’t have to stay on her hands and knees. Evie came inside next, the rope trailing on the ground. Denny, who was taller than Krystal, had to stay bent over.
“Sit,” he ordered.
The three of them sat down cross-legged around a hole in the ground where he’d made a fire. Burning coals were still glowing, sending a tiny line of smoke through the hole in the ceiling. She hadn’t noticed the smoke outside yet she could see the fading light through the hole.
“It’s not the most comfortable place, but it’s been good enough for us. Right, kid?”
Evie kept her gaze lowered and didn’t answer.
“Denny, take the rope off her neck. You’re hurting her.”
“No can do. She tried to run. I won’t let her try again.”
“She won’t run, will you, honey?”
Evie shook her head, but remained mute.
“Please, Denny, you’ve got to let her go. Leave now and I promise we’ll wait enough time to give you a good head start before we go back to town.”
“That’s not happening. Did you come in your car?”
“Yes.” Would he use it to take them farther away?
“Shit. If I’d more time to think about it, I would’ve told you to walk here. Hell, if those assholes you’re fucking hadn’t shown up, we’d already be long gone.” He seemed t
o be talking to himself as much as to her. “But that would’ve taken too long for you to walk. Plus, someone might have seen you. On second thought, it’s actually a good thing you drove. My fucking car broke down. But I hid it well enough.”
“Please let us go, Denny.” She couldn’t think of any way to convince him. What more could she do but beg?
He ignored her as though he hadn’t heard her. “Never mind. We’re going to eat and then head out of here. Even if they find your car, it’ll take them too long to figure out what’s going on. By then we’ll be good and gone.”
“Denny, you said if I came you’d let her go. Well, I’m here now so she’s leaving. Now.” She took Evie’s hand and started to rise.
“I lied.”
She should’ve known it, yet she’d dared to hope he’d keep his word. “Denny, you promised.”
He took a small stick and poked at the fire. “Like I said, I lied. Neither of you is going anywhere without me. We’re going to Canada.” A strange glint shone in his eyes. “Don’t you get it, baby? We’re going to be a happy family together. You, me, and the kid.”
Fear raced through her. Denny had always been strange, but now she was sure he’d gone crazy. “Please, Denny, we can’t take her. That’s kidnapping. They’ll come after us, even in another country.”
“Then we’ll go someplace else. Maybe Mexico. Or Europe.” He tossed some kindling on the burning embers, bringing the fire to life. “The world is our oyster, baby. We’re going to have a great life together.”
Scowling he lifted his arm and showed her the bite mark. “Now that you’re going to be her new mother, you need to teach her how to behave. The kid needs to learn not to bite. Stings like hell even now.” He wiped away the sweat from his brow. “I think she’s diseased. She bit me and now I feel like hell.”
“Denny, when she bit you, you didn’t—” She didn’t want to even say the words.
“Not yet. But I won’t tolerate any more disrespect.”
At least he hadn’t physically hurt Evie aside from the rope burns on her neck. Yet. She couldn’t see any bruises. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t left emotional bruises on her.
“Let’s eat dinner. Once it’s good and dark, we’ll get moving.” He twisted around and pulled a frying pan out of a duffel bag. Next to that was a cooler which he opened and pulled out a ham steak resting on dry ice. “It’s not much, but it’ll do. Here, baby, better start doing your duty. Cook this up quick.”
He expected her to cook and act like they were one big happy family. Yet what could she do? She took the heavy pan and set it on top of the low-burning fire. The ham steak sizzled when she placed it on the pan.
“Don’t let it burn. You’ll have to lift the pan every so often and turn the meat a lot.”
She nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. Would Clinton get worried when she didn’t show up for her shift? Would he call Curt, Dane, and Eric? Would anyone know she was missing before it was too late?
Krystal had to use two hands to hold the frying pan in place. The ham steak sizzled sending up a fragrant aroma as the trail of smoke grew thicker.
“We’re going to have a great time wherever we end up.” Denny scooted the gun toward the cooler. “I know you two aren’t as excited as I am about our new life together, but in time, you’ll get there. Just think about it. We’ll get a nice home with a picket fence. We’ll still have our own babies, but you’ll get a lot of practice from this one.”
“Denny, you have to let her go. I’ll come with you and do whatever you want. Please, don’t take Evie away from her family. She already has a home and a mom.”
He glanced at the young girl who had remained almost motionless. “She’ll learn to love us. You wait and see. I always wanted a daughter.” He stroked Evie’s hair. “See? She kind of looks like you. It’s perfect.”
She had to make a move. Once dinner was over, he’d force them to leave. She couldn’t let that happen. “Denny, if you take her with us, I swear I’ll never love you.” Hating to say the words, yet knowing she had no option, she added, “But if you turn her loose, I’ll go with you and I’ll do my best to make you happy. I’ll be everything you’ve ever wanted in a girlfriend.” She forced out the next words. “And as your wife.”
But not a mate. Never a mate. I’m already someone’s mate.
“Krystal, baby, stop nagging me. I’ve made my decision and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
She lowered her gaze to the frying pan. Without giving it thought, she reacted, knowing that if she didn’t make a move now, she never would. Gripping the pan with both hands, she flung it at him. Thankfully, Evie saw her move and flung her body to the side. Scalding grease and hot meat struck him dead-on, hitting his face and his chest.
Denny’s scream rent the air as he threw his body backward, trying to get away. He roared his anger, his hands covering his burned face.
She moved as quickly as she could, bringing the pan up and around again. Her aim was true as she brought the pan against the side of his head. She’d never forget the sound of the pan striking his skull. Blood ran down the side of his head as he slumped to the side.
“Run, Evie, run!”
Evie didn’t hesitate. With something reminding Krystal of a growl, she scrambled toward the exit. Krystal dropped the pan and hurried after her, going as fast as she could on her hands and knees.
The sun had set making the short route from the shelter through the thick bushes and into the clearing agonizingly painful. Branches tore at her skin, but she ignored the cuts. Evie was well ahead of her and moving faster than she’d have thought possible.
By the time she’d gotten through the bushes, Evie was already several yards ahead of her, the rope gone from around her neck. “Evie, wait for me! We need to get to my car.” She breathed a sigh of relief when Evie stopped, then turned around. Slowly, the child lifted her arm and pointed at something behind Krystal
“Fuckin’ bitches, get back here!”
Krystal’s heart jumped into her throat. Seeing Denny coming through the bushes renewed her fading energy and she took off running. Taking Evie’s hand, she kept going, marveling that the small girl could keep up with her. Suddenly, not only was Evie running along with her, she was pulling ahead, still holding Krystal’s hand. Evie was leading the way.
“Run, Evie, run,” she panted.
They rounded a corner, running blindly in the dark, yet it seemed as though Evie could see where she was going. She let the child lead her as the sounds of Denny’s footsteps pounding into the dirt grew closer.
Evie almost took her off her feet when she tugged her arm and drew Krystal to the right. The child ducked lower, going under two large tree trunks that had fallen across each other. The opening the trees formed gave them a small space in which to hide under their huge trunks. They huddled together, holding each other as Denny came closer.
Krystal wrapped her arms around Evie and tried to bring her breathing back to a normal rhythm. The full moonlight couldn’t break through the thick overgrowth of the trees and the shade of the tree trunks.
She listened straining to hear Denny. Yet, all at once, he’d stopped. Had he given up? She couldn’t believe he’d give up so easily.
“Let’s check this side of the lake before we call it a night.”
That’s not Denny.
Hope took hold, but she forced herself to remain calm. Evie, however, stiffened, then relaxed. Did she recognize the voice?
The crunch of leaves heralded the arrival of two men. They both carried huge flashlights, but even those couldn’t penetrate the darkness of their hiding place.
“We’re not doing any good searching at night this way. Let’s shift.” The first man was a big man, broad in the chest.
His companion, a man half his size, shook his head. “Naw, we can see good enough. Besides, some folks are sure she’s long gone. Whoever took her got away fast. That poor girl’s a goner.”
They’re talking about Evie.
<
br /> Thrilled to find two of the men searching for Evie, Krystal rose and started to leave their hiding place. Strangely, Evie tugged her back, shaking her head.
“Evie, it’s okay. They’re good guys.” Still, she whispered, thrown by the girl’s reaction.
The retort of two gunshots startled her. She let out a yelp, then ducked down. Panic set in as she turned around.
The two men lay on the ground. Moonlight shone on them, showing the dark blood oozing from their head wounds. Denny strode over to the men, his gun still pointed at them. Krystal pulled the trembling girl against her.
Denny let out a huge sigh, then pivoted toward them. “Damn it, Krystal. See what you made me do?”
Chapter Seven
“Run, Evie.” Unlike when Krystal had shouted before, this time she whispered. Yet Evie was already in motion by the time she’d spoken. She took one look at Denny, saw the insanity in his eyes, and chased after Evie. A shot rang out, and after a horrifying minute of expecting pain to strike, she realized he’d missed.
“Krystal! Get your ass back here now!”
Yeah. Like I’m going to turn around and run into your arms.
She ran as hard as she could, but she still couldn’t catch up with Evie. The child was a lot faster than she would’ve imagined even when she kept looking over her shoulder and waving for Krystal to speed up.
Even hearing Denny running after her couldn’t get her to move any faster. Instead, she called to Evie. “Go on. Keep…running. Don’t wait…for me.” Her breath hitched in her throat, burning, telling her she couldn’t go on much longer. They’d already made it around the edge of the lake. If she could find her breath again, she would’ve shouted for Evie to duck into the trees and hide again.
Please, God. Let her escape.
* * * *
“What do you mean she didn’t show up for her shift?” Eric glared at Clinton, certain the bartender had to be mistaken.
“Like I said, she was supposed to be here two hours ago. I figured she must be sick or something.”
Eric sensed Curt and Dane getting anxious beside him. “She didn’t call in or anything?”