by Rita Herron
Brandon silently cursed. Only he hadn’t figured it out because he’d been too wrapped up in the end of his sordid marriage.
Carter turned to Brandon. “I’ve had five long years in jail to think about what’s important, man. Five years that I’ve missed building my own spread, having a family. You’re a damn fool to have left Kim, and a bigger fool if you don’t make up for hurting her.”
Carter was right.
He did need to make it up to Kim. But first…Lucy.
“So if you didn’t kidnap Lucy,” Kim said, her voice breaking, “who did, and where is she?”
Carter’s eyes filled with worry. “I have no idea. But I swear I had nothing to do with her disappearance.”
Brandon’s anger faded. “Then you risked your life by coming here, Carter. You know the state is crawling with cops looking for you.”
Carter jammed the gun back inside his jacket. “Yeah, I saw that press report Kim did.” He turned back to her with beseeching eyes. “But I had to come back. I couldn’t let you believe that I abducted Lucy. And I didn’t want the police wasting time looking for me for the crime when they needed to be investigating someone else.”
So even after the terrible rift between the three of them, Carter had put his life on the line for them. Maybe it was time he returned the favor. “Carter, what’s going on? Why did you break out?”
“I didn’t plan to break out,” Carter said. “But the day before the escape, I found out the P.I. Johnny hired was murdered. When the bus crashed, and the other two guys offered me the key, I took it.” Carter shrugged. “I figured it was my only chance to finally find the real murderer and clear myself.”
“The police could have handled the investigation,” Kim said softly.
Carter slanted her a wary look. “Like they investigated the murder they hung me for?” he said sarcastically. “Forgive me, Kim, but I don’t have any faith in cops. Not after they railroaded me into a life sentence.”
“What about the guard?” Brandon asked. “Did you shoot him?”
“No,” Carter said. “I tried to stop Morris from killing him.” Carter made a disgusted sound in his throat.
Brandon cleared his throat. “Hopefully the guard will regain consciousness and verify your story.”
Doubt filled Carter’s eyes. “Maybe, but I can’t wait on that. I have to find out who killed that private investigator. When he came to see me, I gave him a photo of the woman I was with the night of the murder five years ago. He was trying to track her down.”
Kim cleared her throat. “You think your case was the reason he was killed?”
Carter nodded.
Brandon shifted on the balls of his feet. “Listen, Carter, just lie low until we find Lucy, then I’ll help you track down this woman.”
“I can’t wait,” Carter said. “If the police find me, I’ll go back and rot in jail.” A sardonic smile curved his mouth, a remnant of the old devilish Carter. “That is, if they don’t kill me first.”
Kim reached out and stroked Carter’s arm. “Please, turn yourself in, Carter. We’ll hire another investigator.”
“It’s too late for that,” Carter said. “I have to find this woman and clear myself.”
Brandon and Kim exchanged worried looks. “But it’s dangerous,” Kim said.
Carter chuckled bitterly. “So is prison. This is my last chance and I’m taking it.” Carter pivoted to leave, but Brandon caught him.
“Wait, man. What can I do to help?”
Carter stared at him, the memories of the two of them tussling and fighting and defending each other as kids flashing in Brandon’s head. The fact that Carter didn’t trust him spoke volumes for their relationship, but somehow the atrocities of their childhood still connected them.
“You can’t,” Carter said matter-of-factly. “You have to take care of Kim and find your daughter. They need you, Brandon.”
Brandon’s chest heaved with a sudden ache for Carter and all he’d lost. “At least let me give you some money to help you while you’re hiding out.”
Carter’s expression flattened. “I don’t want your charity.”
Brandon frowned. “It’s not charity. It’s one cowboy lending a hand to another.”
“The cowboy code,” Carter muttered.
Brandon nodded.
“All right,” Carter said. “But somehow I’ll pay you back.”
Brandon shrugged. “When you get your own spread built up, you can send me some steaks.”
Kim pressed a hand to Carter’s cheek. “Please be careful, Carter. Lucy needs her uncle Carter.”
A sea of sadness seemed to wash over Carter; then he pulled Kim into a hug. “You find her while I clear up this mess, then I’ll be there to watch her back growing up just like I did yours.”
Kim nodded, and Brandon saw tears in her eyes as she pulled away.
Once the four of them, he, Johnny, Carter and Kim, had banded together in friendship and love, all underdogs struggling against the odds.
They would do the same to find his daughter.
KIM WATCHED CARTER drive away in one of Brandon’s old pickup trucks with a sick knot in her stomach. Carter hadn’t abducted Lucy.
So who had? And where was she?
“Do you think it was wise to give him your truck?” Kim asked. “If the police discover you helped him, they could arrest you for aiding and abetting an escaped felon.”
“I couldn’t not help him,” Brandon said. “He’s been through hell. And how can I blame him for wanting to clear his name?”
Kim wanted to argue that he should trust the system, but Carter was right. It had failed him miserably just as everyone in his life had.
Even she and Johnny and Brandon had doubted him at a time when he’d needed them most.
“I’m going to call Johnny and fill him in about Carter,” Brandon said. “And I’ll let the sheriff know that Carter didn’t kidnap Lucy.”
While he stepped into his office to make the call, she flipped on the TV. Instantly her nerves spiked as the story about Carter and the other escaped prisoners aired.
Then the news replayed her interview.
Images of Lucy rose in her mind, and she rushed outside to the porch, then slumped into the porch swing and looked across the ranch.
“Where are you, baby?” she whispered.
The next few hours dragged by, each second a reminder that Lucy might be in danger. That she could be anywhere in the States. And Texas bordered Mexico… If the kidnapper had crossed the border, they might never find Lucy.
Brandon busied himself on the phone with his accountant again, liquidating more funds, reviewing employee files for possible enemies. Then he and Kim met with the employees and Brandon offered a reward for information.
Suddenly everyone was a suspect. Kim racked her brain for past acquaintances, maintenance workers and vendors she’d met on the Bucking Bronc when they’d worked on the rodeo, for anyone who had seemed unusually interested in her daughter. Every twig that cracked, every rustle of the leaves, every car engine that sounded in the distance made her jump.
She and Brandon decided to ride the ranch once more and look for any clues they might have missed. As they passed the pond, she remembered the picnic she and Brandon and Lucy had shared, the joy on Lucy’s face when Brandon had waded in the edge of the water with her. The wildflowers she’d picked and tucked in Lucy’s ponytail.
Hours later, she felt drained and exhausted as they returned to the stable and brushed down the horses.
Brandon had been deadly quiet as well.
Finally she finished grooming the palomino and gave him some fresh water and food, then stepped outside the barn and walked back to the porch. Brandon followed close behind. Her legs felt leaden as she climbed the stairs and sank back into the swing.
Brandon moved toward her and started to speak, but her cell phone jangled, and they both froze.
Her hand shook as she stabbed the connect button. “Hello.”
“Listen carefully,” a computerized voice said. “I have your daughter.”
Chapter Eleven
Brandon’s stomach churned at the stricken look on Kim’s face. He leaned in close to hear the caller.
“Where is she?” Kim cried. “Let me speak to her.”
“Just shut up and listen. I want a million dollars. And if you call the police, I will kill your daughter.”
Kim crumpled against him, her face ashen, and he jerked the phone from her. “You want money, you son of a bitch? Then let me speak to Lucy.”
“I’ll call back with details—”
“You’re not getting a dime until we have proof that Lucy is alive,” Brandon snapped. “Put her on the phone or I’m hanging up.”
“Brandon,” Kim shrieked. “No…”
Brandon held his ground. “I said let me speak to her.”
A heartbeat of silence followed, and Brandon feared the caller was going to hang up. Then a rattling sound followed, and a low mumble from somewhere in the distance.
“Please.” Kim squeezed her hands over Brandon’s, hugging the phone between them. “We’ll pay you the money. I just want to know my little girl is safe.”
Another tense moment, then Lucy’s voice echoed back, tiny and frightened. “Mommy, I w-wants to c-come home.”
“Oh, baby…” Kim closed her eyes, heaving with relief as tears spilled over. “I love you. Are you okay?”
Brandon’s heart pounded like a stallion racing down the track. “Lucy, it’s Daddy. Did he hurt you?”
“I’m okay, Daddy. But I don’t wike him. He’s a meanie.”
A big gulp followed, Lucy swallowing back a sob. The sound wrenched Brandon’s heart like nothing ever had.
“Listen, sweetie,” Brandon said between clenched teeth. “Just do what he says and Mommy and I will have you back at the ranch soon.” He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Spots misses you and so do we.”
Lucy’s muffled cry followed; then the caller must have grabbed the phone back, because the computerized voice returned.
“You have until sundown to get the money. I’ll call back with details on where to make the drop.”
“Sundown?” Brandon’s pulse clamored as he checked the time. Another minute or two and the police might be able to trace the call. “That’s only a few hours away.”
“And a million is nothing compared to what you have,” the voice said. “Get it or lose your precious Lucy.”
Brandon clenched his jaw to keep from cursing. Then the phone clicked into silence, and he slammed his fist on the porch rail and let the ugly words spew. Dammit.
He punched the sheriff’s number and asked if they got the trace.
“No, it wasn’t long enough,” Sheriff McRae said. “Do you have any idea who he is?”
“Not a damn clue,” Brandon said.
“Did he say where he wants you to bring the money?”
“No,” Brandon said. “Just that he’ll call back.”
“Let me know when he does and we’ll arrange for an officer to make the drop.”
Brandon thanked him then hung up and turned to Kim. She looked pale and shaken.
“Did they trace it?” Kim asked.
He shook his head. “He didn’t stay on the line long enough.”
Kim sagged with disappointment.
Brandon pulled her to him and enveloped her in a hug. “When I find this bastard, I’m going to kill him.”
“NOT IF I SEE him first,” Kim said, anger mingling with the fear nearly choking her. “Anyone who would frighten a child like this doesn’t deserve to live.”
Brandon stroked her back, rocking her in his arms. “No, he needs to suffer.”
“A million dollars.” Kim sighed, sucking back more tears. “Do you have that much cash available?”
“Not yet, but I’ve been putting it together. I’ll call my accountant and tell him I’ll be there by noon to pick it up.”
Kim squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you, Brandon.”
He arched his brows, his voice hard. “You don’t have to thank me, Kim. Lucy is my daughter. I’d do anything to protect her.”
Regret filled Kim. “I’m sorry. I should have told you about her sooner.”
The hurt in his eyes compounded her guilt. “We both made mistakes, Kim. Right now let’s just focus on the ransom.”
Brandon’s fierce protectiveness and the conviction in his voice gave her strength.
“The sheriff suggested one of his officers make the drop,” Brandon said.
“But we can’t risk him hurting Lucy.”
“You’re right,” Brandon said. “It’s too risky.”
“But what if this is a setup?” Kim asked. “What if the kidnapper runs off with the money and Lucy?”
Brandon stared into her eyes. “We can’t think like that,” he said. “We heard Lucy’s voice. She’s scared, but she’s all right. We will get her back.”
Kim struggled to hang on to his words, but still a sliver of fear seized her.
He removed his cell phone from the clip on his belt, and she paced to the window and stared out as she waited on him to make the call. Tonight.
Sundown.
She would bring Lucy home.
She had to.
She couldn’t survive another day without having her little girl back in her arms.
BRANDON STEPPED OUTSIDE and dragged in fresh air as he addressed his accountant. “How much did you put together?”
“A half million.”
Brandon had explained the reason he needed the money but sworn the man to secrecy. “See how fast you can get me another half. Meanwhile, I’ll call Johnny.”
He hung up, then punched in Johnny’s number. “We received a ransom call.”
“Did you talk to Lucy? Is she all right?”
“She’s scared but alive.”
“Thank God.” Johnny sighed heavily. “Did you recognize the voice?”
“No, it was altered, computerized.”
Johnny cursed. “What else did he say?”
“He’s calling back tonight with the details for making the drop. And he wants a million.”
“He expects you to put that much together by tonight?”
“Apparently.” Brandon clenched his jaw. “I just talked to my accountant and he has a half million ready.”
“I’ll handle the rest,” Johnny offered. “Just let me make a call, and I’ll meet you at the BBL this afternoon.”
“Thanks, Johnny. I’ll pay you back.”
“No way,” Johnny said. “This is my niece, Brandon. I want her home the same as you and Kim.”
Brandon forgot his anger with Johnny over keeping Lucy from him. He had to. At the moment nothing mattered except his daughter. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” Brandon hung up and went to tell Kim that he was leaving.
He found her on the porch swing hugging Lucy’s lamb to her.
“I’m going into San Antonio to pick up the cash,” Brandon said. “Johnny’s meeting me at the BBL with the other half.”
Kim stood. “I’m going with you.”
Brandon brushed her elbow with his hand. “Kim, maybe you should stay here and rest.”
“I can’t rest,” Kim said. “I want to be with you.”
Brandon hesitated. He wished she wanted to be with him. But he understood her comment came from fear.
She’d been attacked twice. What if the kidnapper was working with a partner and waiting to find Kim alone and vulnerable?
That thought gave him pause and made him rethink the kidnapping. Carter obviously hadn’t abducted Lucy. And if someone wanted Lucy for the ransom, why had he or she tried to run the two of them off the road?
He had to look at the situation differently. Figure out who wanted to hurt him.
Kim looked pale as they headed to his SUV, and she remained silent during the drive. She waited in the reception area while he stepped inside his accountant’s office to retrieve the bag of cash. Th
ey still had an hour to go before meeting Johnny.
Knowing Kim hadn’t eaten anything since the day before, he stopped at a barbecue restaurant and led her inside to a table.
“I’m not hungry,” Kim said. She’d slipped into a quiet numbness that worried him more than her crying had. Because he shared her fears.
God knows, he’d read enough horror stories in the news about child kidnapping rings and children being sold into foreign countries to not imagine the worst. Texas was too close to the Mexican border for comfort....
“Kim, you look pale and I know you haven’t slept much.” He waved to the waitress to bring over menus. “If we’re going to make it through this and be there for Lucy, we have to eat.”
Kim’s flat gaze met his. “I just want her back, Brandon.”
He felt her pain as if it were his own. “I know. So do I.”
He reached across the table and cradled her hand in his, and for a moment they simply clung to each other, a mother and father both terrified and aching for their missing daughter.
But the waitress intruded with water for both of them. He ordered iced tea and two barbecue plates and they fell into a strained silence. When the food arrived, Kim picked at the sandwich, but she managed to eat the cup of Brunswick stew. He wasn’t hungry either, but he wolfed his down anyway just to replenish his energy. He hadn’t slept either, and the fear and adrenaline rush that had come with the call was waning as doubts set in.
His mind kept ticking off questions about who wanted to hurt him. He had bought out several small ranchers when he’d been expanding his spread, but most of them had been in financial straits and had welcomed his offer. Marty had balked at the idea of the divorce at first, but between the divorce settlement and her family wealth, she certainly wouldn’t need ransom money. Besides, he’d heard she’d been sleeping with some bigwig lawyer already. Photographs of the two of them had been plastered all over the papers. Rumors hinted that an engagement was imminent.
The waitress appeared again, a pencil jammed in her bird’s-nest hair. “You want anything else, sugar? We have hot apple pie and a blackberry cobbler to die for.”
“No, thanks. Do you want dessert, Kim?”