Beyond Power

by Connie Mann

  Delilah spun around to run but froze when she heard the click of a magazine being loaded into a weapon.

  “Don’t think I won’t shoot you in the back if I have to.”

  Delilah had no doubt he meant it. She turned back toward him. “Where’s Mary?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea. Probably getting ready for the wedding.”

  The truth dawned and made her shiver. “You wrote the note, not Mary.”

  He smiled at her like a teacher whose student had finally gotten the right answer. “I knew there was a sharp brain hiding under all those ridiculous notions of independence and other nonsense. But don’t worry. I’ll soon beat those out of you.” His conversational tone confirmed he had well and truly lost his grip on reality.

  He kept the gun in his right hand and reached down to scoop her phone from the dirt. “Move,” he said, nudging her with the gun. “We still have a ways to go. But if you want to live to see your sister wed, you won’t do anything stupid.”

  Delilah had no intention of doing “anything stupid.” She’d be smart and escape. She suddenly heard her beloved monkeys chattering in the distance, and her heart clenched. They’d be the perfect distraction, but she didn’t want to risk Nate shooting one of them. She kept her head down, ears trained as she waited for her opportunity.

  The troop suddenly appeared above them, and when the alpha male let out a shriek, she pretended to stumble, jerked out of Nate’s grasp, and took off running. She didn’t get very far before his big body landed on top of her. All the air escaped her lungs as she squirmed under him, gasping and terrified.

  “I’d forgotten just how feisty you are, my dearest fiancée.”

  She wanted to gag but held herself perfectly still until he shifted his weight. Then she elbowed him hard before she flipped over and kicked him with everything she had.

  He roared with fury and grabbed her, his arms like a vise, the smell of his sweat making her stomach roil. She struggled and twisted and tried to break free, but he tightened his grip, pinning her against him with one arm while he fished in his pocket with the other. Before she knew what he had planned, he’d yanked her hands behind her back and secured them with a zip tie.

  He hauled her to her feet. “Enough games. Move.”

  Delilah kept her expression bland as she walked, but her mind raced, determined to find another way to escape.

  * * *

  Josh huffed out a relieved breath when he spotted Delilah’s green pickup hidden near the river. He raced over to it, but it was empty.

  “I’ll head toward the tree while you skirt around from the other side,” he said when Hunter joined him.

  “I’ve got your back, Hollywood. Don’t be a hero.”

  Josh ran in a crouch, gun in hand, eyes scanning, ever alert for trouble. He stopped short, surprised, when he spotted a cargo net lying in a heap several hundred yards from the tree. His eyes followed the rope up to the tree and back down. A chill slid over his skin. He didn’t like what he was thinking.

  But he didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so he made his way to the meeting tree. There was no sign of either Delilah or Mary and nothing that said either one had been there recently. He signaled Hunter, who jogged over and met him at the cargo net.

  “What the hell is that doing here?” Hunter asked. “Looks like it came off a container ship.”

  “Handy for moving gun crates,” Josh muttered, tempted to howl with fury. Unless he missed his guess, Delilah had walked right into a cleverly set trap. And he had absolutely no idea where to start looking for her. He spun in a circle, heart pounding, searching the trees as though they could provide the answer. Dammit.

  “Head in the game, Hollywood,” Hunter said. “We’ve got footprints. Two sets. Let’s see where they lead.”

  Chapter 33

  Hunter and Josh followed the footprints until they ended abruptly. The sand and dirt were churned up as though there’d been a struggle, but thankfully, there was no blood.

  “Over here,” Hunter called. “Only one set of tracks heads away from this spot. They’re deeper, too.”

  Josh turned in a slow circle, studied the area. “He carried her from here.”

  “Looks that way.”

  They followed the trail until it ended beside one of the dirt roads that crisscrossed the forest. It was well traveled, with evidence of multiple vehicles coming and going. Josh studied the tire impressions and then slammed his hand against a tree trunk in frustration. Everywhere he turned, they ran into nothing but dead ends. Hunter took pictures just in case, but neither man held out much hope. Even if it did lead to a particular vehicle, none of that would help Delilah in time.

  He’d promised to protect her, but he hadn’t been there when she’d needed him. He rammed a hand through his hair. Crappy cell service wasn’t his fault, but she didn’t know that. All she’d know was that she’d reached out and he’d abandoned her.

  His mind tossed up all manner of horrible scenarios, and his stomach churned just thinking about what she might be going through.

  “We’ll find her,” Hunter said.

  Josh nodded absently, his mind scrambling to figure out what they’d missed. Who had her? He pulled out his cell phone, relieved to see a measly two bars. He’d take it. “Did Byte get back to you about Benson’s properties?”

  “Not yet,” Hunter responded.

  “Hey, Byte,” Josh said when the other man answered. “Did you find out if Commissioner Benson has a hunting place out in the forest?”

  “I didn’t find anything, but let me make sure.” He heard keys tapping. “No. Nothing shows up.”

  “What about Eli Foster or Nate Hamm? Or the Atwoods? John Henry or Aaron?”

  “I’ll check, but it’ll take a little while.”

  “Nate said he still plans to marry me.”

  Delilah’s words hit him like a slap, and his whole body stiffened. What if they’d been coming at this all wrong? What if it had been Nate all along? “Byte, move Nate Hamm to the top of your list and see what you can find out about any property he owns, rents, or uses in this area. Right now. Then get me anything you can find on the others. Properties in the area, places they like to go. Anything.”

  “On it. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  “I need it yesterday, Byte. Delilah’s missing.”

  “Missing? Damn, Hollywood. You should have led with that. I’ll get you whatever I can, as fast as I can.”

  He thanked the other man, then turned to Hunter, heart pounding with the need to rush out and find her. Now. But to do that, the squad needed info. He took a breath. “Years ago, Delilah’s family tried to marry her off at sixteen, which is why she ran away. She thought the guy had left town. But Nate Hamm is still here, and at the ball, he told her he still planned to marry her.”

  “Crap.” Hunter rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Why am I just hearing this now?” He sighed. “Never mind. Just get over to Hamm’s place, and I’ll—”

  “Wait a minute. The map.” Josh turned and started running back to their vehicles, Hunter right behind him.

  “What map? What are you talking about, Hollywood?”

  “Delilah and I made a map of all the places the Atwoods might be. We couldn’t find them, but we know they move around a lot. Let’s split up and start over, and hopefully, Byte will come up with something to narrow the search.”

  When they reached the trucks, he spread the map over his hood and divided it into sections. He texted pictures to Fish and Sanchez, assigning each another piece of the pie.

  “Call me as soon as you find anything,” Josh called as he climbed in his truck.

  “Same goes, Hollywood. And don’t do anything stupid.”

  He put the truck in gear and took off.

  “Stay tough, Delilah. I’m coming.”

  Cha
pter 34

  Delilah came awake slowly, completely disoriented for a moment. Where was she? Her cheek ached and she almost moaned, but some sixth sense kept her quiet. Without raising her chin from her chest, her eyes darted around the room, lit only by a single kerosene lamp.

  She was sitting in a hard wooden chair, her arms tied behind her back, her ankles secured to the chair legs.

  Her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, and she’d give anything for a sip of water. The dimly lit room was stifling. Perhaps that was why she’d dozed off.

  A shadow separated itself from the darkness beyond the lamp, and Nate’s face appeared. He leaned over her, his fetid breath making her gag. “Welcome home, Delilah. I’ve been waiting a long time for you to come back where you belong. With me.”

  “I didn’t come back, and I’ll never belong here,” she spat. “Let me go. This is kidnapping. You know the cops will come looking for me.”

  He looked surprised. “Why would they? They have no way of knowing that you’re with me. And even if they did, what harm is there in a husband and wife having a little reunion?”

  “We are not husband and wife, never have been, so there is no reunion. Let me go.”

  He laughed and then patted her uninjured cheek before he left the room. “We’ll see.”

  Those two words sent chills down her spine, and she held herself stiffly, braced for his return. The silence lengthened as the minutes ticked by. Finally, the outer door opened and closed, and then a key turned in the lock.

  He was gone. For now.

  Which meant she didn’t have a minute to waste. She started trying to work her hands free, but good survivalist that he was, Nate had replaced the zip tie with para cord. She couldn’t remember what kind of knot it was, except that the harder she tugged, the tighter it got.

  She pulled and tugged until sweat plastered her clothes to her skin and defeat sapped her resolve. Angry tears slipped down her cheeks. But then Josh’s smiling face popped into her mind.

  Her head snapped up, and she shook it hard to clear it. “You are not a sixteen-year-old weakling anymore. You are Xena, so act like it. You can beat Nate and you will.” Memories of her time with Josh sent adrenaline shooting through her. He wouldn’t quit until he found her, and he—and Mary—were counting on her not to give up. She wouldn’t let them down.

  Somehow, she had fallen head over heels in love with the handsome lawman. And though he might not know it yet, she suspected he’d fallen in love with her, too, despite her fears and attempts to push him away.

  The knowledge terrified her in the most amazing way. She’d never thought further than rescuing Mary and completing her research study. But what if she did?

  For Mary, for herself, and for Josh, she’d fight with every bit of her strength.

  She wouldn’t let Nate destroy any chance she and Josh had for a future she’d never before allowed herself to want.

  As the hours dragged by, Delilah worked to loosen her bindings and plotted her escape.

  * * *

  Josh searched in a grid pattern, determined not to miss a single structure, cave, or hollow tree where Hamm might have taken her. Hunter had checked the man’s house, but there was no sign of him—or Delilah.

  If he hadn’t been driving so slowly, Josh would have missed the small cabin. He pulled behind a clump of scrub palm and moved in on foot.

  There was a huge hole in the roof where a tree had fallen through. But was it empty? He climbed through one of the broken windows to be absolutely sure, but his were the only footprints on the dusty floor.

  He walked around the structure, surprised to find a small outbuilding that was in much better shape.

  Were those tire tracks?

  Sure enough, an aging pickup sat in the weeds at the back. He felt the hood. Still warm. Was Delilah in here? Hand on his weapon, he slipped around the building, avoiding the garage door, and tested the knob of the smaller side door. It wasn’t locked.

  He eased it open, then slipped into the dimly lit room and stepped behind the male sitting in a camp chair, flipping through a magazine, wooden crates surrounding him.

  Gun steady, he said, “FWC. Hands where I can see them.”

  The man leaped up and spun around, hands raised, eyes wide with fear.

  What the hell? This was no man. This was a boy, no more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

  “You have any weapons on you?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Empty your pockets.” The boy did. “Now raise your pant legs.” Josh zip-tied the kid’s wrists together and then patted him down, just in case. Satisfied, he pushed him down in the chair and holstered his weapon before he studied the room. Crates of wooden boxes were stacked like cordwood. When he inspected one of them, he found semiautomatic weapons. Lots of them.

  After he notified Hunter by radio, he demanded, “What’s your name, kid?”

  The teen looked mutinous, but then muttered, “Tom Simms.”

  Josh huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Small world.” Then he sobered. “Your folks were pretty worried about you and your sister this morning. Not nice letting them think you drowned.”

  The boy shrugged. “I had things to do.”

  “I can see that.” They’d sent a kid to guard their stash? That was pretty cocky. “Is your sister all right?” First things first.

  He looked down, mumbled, “She had stuff to do, too.”

  “More guns to guard?”

  He shook his head no.

  Josh leaned closer, applied a bit of pressure. “Who paid you to pull that stunt this morning?”

  Simms visibly paled. “I can’t tell you. He made me promise. Said bad things would happen if I told.”

  “Is that the same person who paid you to sit here?”

  The teen nodded.

  “I need a name, kid. Now. Or this is not going to go well for you.”

  Tom swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Will he know I told you?”

  “I’ll do my best to make sure he doesn’t. Who hired you?”

  “Aaron Atwood.”

  Josh straightened. “Do you know where he’s taken Delilah Atwood?”

  “I don’t know anything about that. He just told me to sit here.”

  Frustration burned in Josh’s gut as he waited for Hunter. Keeping these weapons out of the wrong hands was good, but he still had no way to find Delilah.

  The moment Hunter arrived, he filled him in, then took off for his truck.

  * * *

  It was dark when Delilah heard the sound of the key in the lock. By then, her stomach rumbled, and she had to pee, bad. She tensed, hoping her flimsy little plan would work. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could come up with.

  She heard the sound of a match, and then the kerosene lamp flared to life. He came into the room and leaned over her, holding the lamp high so he could see her face.

  Delilah made her voice soft, pleading. “Please. I need to use the bathroom.”

  He studied her a moment longer, then left the room and returned carrying a five-gallon bucket, which he set beside the bed. He reached for one of the bindings around her wrist and made a tsking sound. “You should know better than to tug on these. You’ve practically cut off your own circulation. You should take better care of yourself.”

  Delilah bit back words and waited. He pulled out a knife and kept it trained on her while he untied the cords with the other hand. When she was free, he raised the knife. “If you try to run, I’ll have to hurt you. Do you understand?” When she nodded, he rose and leaned against the wall.

  She stood up slowly, rubbing her wrists to get the circulation going again. He’d positioned himself right by the door, so there was no hope of escape in that direction. She lifted her chin. “I need some privacy.”

  “We’re about t
o be married. It’s not a problem.”

  “It is for me. I can’t pee if someone’s watching. Please.”

  He studied her a moment more and then stepped through the doorway. He pulled it partway shut, and she knew he was standing right outside, the creep. Delilah sang an old country song at the top of her lungs to disguise the sound as she quickly took care of business. She yanked up her shorts and scrambled onto the bed, determined to shimmy through the small window before he could get back into the room.

  But no matter how hard she shoved, she couldn’t get it open. It must have been painted shut. Come on, come on. Frantic, heart pounding, she shoved harder, but it was no use.

  “Hurry up in there.”

  When she heard him move toward the door, she scrambled off the bed, so frustrated she could scream. She just needed a little more time.

  With chilling efficiency, he retied her hands and feet, then took the lantern and left the room. A short while later, the cabin was plunged into darkness, then the door opened and closed, and she heard the key turn in the lock.

  Chapter 35

  Thanks to Byte’s coordinates, Josh peered through the trees at Commissioner Benson’s tidy cabin. Unlike the falling-down shack they’d found earlier, this one looked fairly new and was cleverly designed to blend into its surroundings. He recognized Benson’s Lexus but not the white pickup beside it.

  After a quick call to Hunter, he approached the cabin from the side. He’d wait if he could, but if Delilah’s life was in danger, all bets were off.

  The windows were too high to see inside, but they were open and the voices carried. He pressed his back against the wall.

  “Whoa. Don’t get excited,” he heard Benson say. “Everything is under control. The cops don’t have squat. Besides, Black shouldn’t have shown up when he did. If he’d just minded his own business, none of this would’ve been necessary.”