The Jilting: Summer (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 1)

by Catherine Lloyd

  She ducked, flinging herself at Ryder and the ropes that bound his hands behind his back. Scout had ensured the knots were loose enough to allow Ryder to escape after they’d left. She wasn’t going to leave him trapped in the shop under a hot June sun to die of dehydration. A quick pull and the ropes fell away. Ryder ripped the tape from his mouth. He jumped to his feet in time to connect his fist with Roy’s jaw.

  Roy collapsed back, stunned but not out. Noel rushed to the desk. “Delores, grab Terry’s gun. We’ll shoot the lock off.”

  “No!” Scout leaped in front of him. Noel slapped her hard, sending her spinning against the sideboard. There was sound of breaking glass and her ears ringing, followed by another sound, a low terrible rumble that broke into a roar. Ryder lunged at Noel, grabbed him by the collar and spun him around. He drove his fist into the tanned face over and over again, until Scout screamed at him to stop.

  “Yes, stop!” a voice broke in. The breathy lilt had been replaced with edgy brusqueness. “Do as the girl says and I won’t have to kill her.”

  Ryder slowly turned, one hand was still clutching Noel’s bloodied shirt.

  Delores pivoted on one stiletto heel and pressed the barrel of the gun to Scout’s temple. “That’s enough heroics for one day, handsome. Now which of you assholes has the key?”

  The vapid expression in Delores’ blue eyes was gone. She was every inch a steely-eyed killer.

  Ryder released Noel. The older man slumped against the desk.

  Delores gave Terry a nudge with the pointed toe of her shoe. “This one is down for the count. Roy, how are you doing over there?”

  Roy’s mouth hung open. “I ... I’m fine. Thanks for asking ... uh ... Delores.”

  Delores cut him a look and kicked the suitcase at her feet to him. “That’s for the money.” It slid easily across the floor. Empty, Scout thought. She didn’t pack a thing. Delores returned her attention to Noel who was staggering against the desk, baffled and battered. “You should have paid closer attention in history class, darling. If I shoot the lock maybe it will give and maybe it won’t. It was built during the Revolutionary War. Shooting the lock is the first thing a redcoat would try. The historian here tried to tell us—it can’t be opened without the key.”

  Delores pressed the gun barrel deeper into Scout’s temple. “Where is it?”

  Ryder dropped to his knees. “I have it. I do.”

  “Don’t,” Scout breathed. “She’s bluffing. If she steals O’Hara’s money, he’ll come after us.”

  Delores laughed. “Darling, I am O’Hara. Isn’t it obvious?” She tugged a lock of her hair. “Red hair—Scarlett—my father is responsible for the O’Hara. The rest I was born with. The money is mine and I want it back.”

  “What?” Scout twisted to look at her. “I don’t believe you. Terry and Roy didn’t recognize you. You slept with my fiancé the night before he was supposed to get married! You jumped out of his bachelor cake! Did Noel lie about that?”

  “No, he didn’t lie. Delores is my alter ego. She likes attention—I don’t. I keep a low profile. Terry and Roy have never met me. Business is conducted over the Internet. It’s safer that way for everyone concerned. A month ago, some transactions in several accounts struck me as odd. Noel was very good at explaining them away, but not good enough. A million dollars was missing. I put Terry and Roy on it but they weren’t getting anywhere so I stepped in. I tracked Noel to this business address, the night before his wedding. Enter Delores, a girl who would do anything to get invited to a party.” She gave a low, throaty laugh. “Honestly, sister, I jumped out of that cake with the intention of distributing his body parts throughout New York. Screwing him was a momentary lapse.”

  “Boss,” Roy blubbered, “I’m sorry about grabbing you and tying you up and all. You should have told us who you were. Me and Terry, we didn’t know you were getting involved.”

  Scarlett gazed at him, all humor gone from her eyes. “I’m surrounded by incompetents, incapable of carrying out my simplest instructions.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Scarlett O’Hara,” Noel breathed. “I swear, if I’d known you were this hot I’d never have taken a dime from you. Last night was incredible; you are something else in bed. Baby, I don’t want it to be over between us. The money is in the desk but Scout swallowed the key like a fucking child. She knows everything. This other guy—he’s a State forest ranger. I don’t know how he’s involved. Scout says they’re friends but I’ve never met him before.”

  Scarlett turned to Scout. “A State forest ranger, you say. Well, well, well. That certainly explains how you survived the woods last night. A forest ranger would come in handy after the sun went down for body warmth. Professionally speaking, of course. Now where is the key?”

  Scout’s scalp prickled. “Noel told you. I swallowed it.”

  “You may have noticed Noel has no imagination. He sees a key, he sees you swallow it. The end. Whereas, I know you would never swallow that key, especially after you found out what it opened. The money doesn’t interest you—it’s the desk. Its secrets. Its past life.” Scarlett leaned closer. “I’d love to know where you got it from.”

  “It was in the attic of an old man who died alone. His nephew gave it to me when I opened the store. The key was inside. It didn’t fit any of its locks so he put it on a chain and gave it to me as a gift.”

  “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Care to tell me who this nephew is?”

  Scout was silent.

  Scarlett moved with purpose to Ryder, pulled his hair back and stuck the gun in his mouth. “Don’t answer. I’ll take a lucky guess. I can always search the ranger for it after he’s dead.”

  “Wait!” Scout cried. She thrust a shaking hand into her pocket and withdrew it. The key dangled from the silver chain looped through her fingers.

  Noel made a move. Scarlett stopped him. “No. Let the girl open it.” The gun was still in Ryder’s mouth.

  Scout knelt down in front of the panel, feeling she might cry and then realizing she was too frightened to cry. She scraped away a glob of residual putty and blew lightly into the exposed key hole. She inserted the key and turned it with a soft click. The panel sprung open revealing a shallow cavern inside. The narrow shelf was stacked high with money in neat bundles.

  “I’ve done everything you asked,” said Scout. “You have what you came for. Now please, take the gun away from his face. Please.”

  Scarlett removed the barrel of the gun from Ryder’s mouth with a small shrug. “Roy, bag it.”

  Roy opened the suitcase which turned out to be empty, just as Scout had suspected. Scarlett had come prepared. “How did you plan to get into the desk without me?” Scout asked. “You didn’t know that I would come back here.”

  “It was a safe bet you’d return at some point to find out what Noel was up to. I was going to wait here until you did. I assumed you’d be wearing the key. Noel said you never took it off.”

  Scout shifted closer to Ryder under the guise of making room for Roy. The gun was still aimed in their direction but Scarlett’s attention was on Roy who was stuffing the suitcase with bills. The big man’s face streamed sweat.

  Ryder took her hand. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “You?”

  “I’m good. Did you really swallow a key?”

  “It was worth it just to see the look on Noel’s face.”

  Noel’s eyes darkened and his mouth pulled to a sneer. “You think this is a joke? You think the Mounties are going to ride in to save the day? It’s over for you, sweetheart. The only hope you have now of surviving is Witness Protection.”

  Ryder’s voice was low and steady. Scout marveled at his self-control. “That’s better than nothing, Trace, which is all you’ve got. Your boss isn’t going to let you walk out of here.”

  Noel turned to Scarlett, confused. “What’s he talking about? Do you think I’m going to testify? Good God, I am not going to testify! After las
t night, you’re all I want. You and me, baby, we’ve got a good thing here. I don’t want it to end.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you want,” Ryder said, his eyes on Scarlett. “She’s going to kill you.”

  Scarlett smiled, a dangerous mirth in her pale blue eyes, and took aim at Ryder’s head. “He’s not the only one, ranger man; you are more trouble than you’re worth.”

  It was just as Scout thought—the first one O’Hara would kill was Ryder. “Wait,” she cried. Her mind scrambled for a delaying tactic that would slow Scarlett down. “You can’t shoot all of us here. The gunfire will attract attention. Take us back to the cabin. Do it there.”

  “Don’t give her any ideas!” Noel screamed.

  “I don’t want a slaughter happening here, Noel! My parents are losing enough—they are not going to lose this building and their hometown.” Scout spoke rapidly, trying to buy them time. Time for what, she didn’t know, but she had faith a solution would present itself if she just kept talking. As if on cue, a siren echoed in the fresh morning air. Scout raised her voice to cover the sound. “They would have to move away from Mandrake Falls. The blood would be everywhere. They’d never be able to sell this building.”

  Scarlett cocked an ear, letting the gun drop slightly. “What is that?”

  “That is Sheriff Sawyer McIntyre.” Ryder got to his feet, slowly. “I stopped at his house before coming here. I told him what I suspected and he said he’d check it out. He must have called the feds. It sounds like he brought the army with him.”

  The lone siren was joined by three other screaming down Main Street.

  Scarlett turned on Ryder savagely. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that? I hate it when things get messy. Roy! Toss me the suitcase and get me out of here!”

  Roy was breathing heavily. He zippered the bag with shaking hands, loaded down with the money and shoved it toward her. Then he fell back, pink in the face, mottled with bug bites and streams of sweat were rolling down his face.

  “I don’t feel well. I don’t feel well. I don’t feel so good, boss.”

  The big man clutched his arm. His skin color went from red to dead white. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

  Scout leaped to his side. “Roy! Oh my God, I think he’s having a heart attack!”

  “He’s a lucky man. If he wasn’t having a heart attack, he’d be dead anyway.” As if to prove her point, Scarlett raised the gun and fired it into Noel’s chest.

  It was mayhem after that, a blur of screaming, shoving and shots fired. Ryder hauled Scout behind him. Noel lay on the floor, a crimson stain seeping over his shirt. Scarlett caught up the suitcase with one hand. “You. Florence Nightingale. You’re coming with me”

  “No, she’s not.”

  “Yes. She is.” Scarlett aimed the gun at Ryder and fired. “Don’t contradict me.”

  Scout screamed as Ryder fell back and stumbled to the floor.

  “Stop screaming, you fool. He isn’t dead, just wounded, but if you don’t get moving, the next bullet I fire will be into his brain.”

  Ryder cried out. “You’ve got your money. You don’t need her.”

  Scarlett’s mouth twisted. “I didn’t need her before you called the cops, asshole. That’s all changed now. How far did you think I’d get without a hostage? You made the problem, ranger man, you unmake it. Convince them to back off if you want her to live. Take a look at Noel if you don’t believe me. Have I made myself clear?

  With a fierce tug, Scarlett dragged Scout through the door and into the morning sunlight. “Say bye-bye.”

  Scout’s frightened eyes met Ryder’s for one instant in the flash of light and she was gone.

  He stumbled down the hall to the front entrance of the store to intercept O’Hara at the top of the alley. Ryder slammed the door wide in time to see the redhead forcing Scout into the driver’s seat of the van. He ran, pain biting into him with every step. The motor rumbled to life. Ryder stretched his arm out to the passenger side door. The van accelerated, lurching with sudden speed into the road and roared away.

  There was nothing Ryder could do but watch with helpless frustration as Scout was carried farther and farther away. He was responsible for this. It was his duty to report illegal activity, but duty felt pretty meaningless right now. If anything happened to Scout—he promised Lydia he would look after her. He promised.

  Ryder swore savagely and lunged back into the shop. Roy watched him through wide terrified eyes, half-conscious and sick with pain but not dead yet. Ryder grabbed him by the collar. “Where’s she taking Scout?”

  “I need an ambulance,” Roy whimpered. “I think I’m dying.”

  “How about I kill you and then you’ll have nothing to worry about.” The sirens screamed closer. “Tell me, goddamn it!”

  Roy gasped. “The boss would head for the nearest airport. Your friend is safe as long as she can get her to an airport.”

  Ryder flung him back and paced the room. The level of cooperation Scout would give Scarlett right now was nil. Frightened, Scout was more dangerous than most people. She had no impulse control—she ran on adrenaline. Hit first, ask questions later.

  Federal agents squealed up to the front entrance in a convoy of black cars. Sawyer McIntyre, climbed out of the sheriff’s cruiser, taking his time. Mandrake Falls time, the locals liked to call it. He came in through the front door while federal agents swarmed the shop at the back. Ryder shouted the all clear and waved them in.

  “You okay, Ryder?” McIntyre’s eyes were on the blood seeping from Ryder’s shoulder.

  “I’m fine. But she’s got Scout.”

  Agents crowded around them, shouting into radios.

  Ryder raised his hands. “Listen, she’s not here and we haven’t got time to stand around. Who’s in charge here?”

  “I am. Agent Coffrey.” The FBI agent shook his hand. “You’re the man who called it in?”

  “My name is Ryder Dean. Scarlett O’Hara is the name of the mob connection Noel Trace was working for. She’s armed and she’s got a hostage with her, Scout Rutherford.” Ryder winced and glanced at his watch. “Scout’s driving. They have a seven minute head start. Her accomplice said O’Hara will go to an airport. We can cut her off at the bridge if we get moving.”

  Agent Coffrey raised an eyebrow. “We? This has escalated to a hostage situation, Mr. Dean. You’ll have to stand down. Sheriff McIntyre will escort you to the hospital and take your statement. I appreciate that you’re worried for your friend’s safety, but you have to let us handle this.” Coffrey called to the paramedics. “What’s the condition of the guy who was shot? Can we talk to him?”

  “He’s in bad shape. Alive, but he needs surgery.”

  “While we’re standing here talking, Scout is being taken further and further away! You’ll lose the trail if you wait much longer.”

  Coffrey nodded to a tall agent wearing a black windbreaker. “Have we got the highway exits to the airport secured?”

  “Yes, sir, and we have a team in position to comb the woods if necessary.”

  The agent turned back to Ryder. “Satisfied?”

  “No.” Ryder struggled to remain calm. “This area is crowded with isolated dirt roads and forgotten trails. O’Hara could bypass any road block if she knew where to go, and she has Scout to tell her.”

  “We’ll catch up with them in the woods.” Agent Coffrey’s tone was pacifying.

  Ryder gritted his teeth. “Again, no. Your team will destroy every sign of the direction they took unless they know how to track.”

  The senior agent met Ryder’s eyes thoughtfully. “Do you know how to track?”

  “I’m a ranger. I grew up in these woods. I know how to track.”

  Sheriff McIntyre cleared his throat. “Dean could help, Agent Coffrey. He’s the best ranger the service has.”

  There was a silence in the room that stretched Ryder’s nerves to the breaking point. His body twitched for the door.

  Coffrey grunt
ed. “All right, let’s see what you can do. Get that wound dressed. I’ll keep my team at your back.”

  Ryder bolted from the shop praying he wasn’t too late.

  Chapter Thirteen: Finding Scout

  THE VAN rocked over the deep ruts in the abandoned logging road. Scout gripped the steering wheel and prayed that Scarlett wouldn’t notice how the road narrowed to bush up ahead. A branch slapped against the window of the van.

  “I thought you said this road would take us out to the highway.”

  “It does. It’s just a little overgrown.”

  “A little overgrown?” Scarlett peered out of the window, doubtfully. “It’s a fucking forest out there. Where are we?”

  “We’re on the old logging road that leads out to the highway. The trucks used it to bypass Mandrake Falls back when you could log this area. It’s the only way to get you to the highway without having to go through the roadblocks. I’ve lived here my whole life. I used to play Hide and Seek in these woods. I know what I’m doing. I want you to get away as much as you do.”

  Scout could feel Scarlett’s eyes on her. “And why’s that?”

  “Because then you’ll be on a plane and this will be over.”

  “I’m sorry, darling, but this is a long way from over. We are only just getting started.” Scarlett frowned at her shoes. “Just look at that, will you? These are ruined. That idiot made us walk all the way from the cabin to Montrose Falls last night.”

  “Mandrake Falls.”

  “He didn’t know how to hotwire the van. I almost did it myself but I couldn’t blow my cover until I had the money. Do you know how much these things cost?” Scarlett held up a shabby black stiletto heel for Scout’s inspection. “I only brought one pair of shoes with me for the bachelor party—these. And my nylons are in shreds. If I knew I’d be bushwhacking....”

  “It wasn’t necessary to shoot Noel,” Scout interrupted quietly. “He wasn’t a threat to you.”

  “Ah, that’s sweet, standing by your man though he treated you badly.” Scarlett tilted her head, considering. The gun glinted in the shadowed green that reflected off the windshield. “What’s your name? Noel called you Scout. That’s not really your name is it?”