by Cassie Miles
“How do you know?” she snapped. “You’re lying down and can’t see what I’m doing. For all you know, I might be driving down the wrong side of the road.”
When he laughed, a responding smile tightened her lips. She was so grateful that he was here.
He said, “I wish I had a spy periscope so I could see where you’re going.”
“Are there any special instructions I should be aware of?”
“Only one,” he said. “Make sure Joey is safe before you turn over the ransom. Once they’ve got the money, there’s no reason to keep him alive. Ask to talk to him.”
When she pulled up to the first stop sign, she could see the Elkhorn Café farther down the block. On a normal day, she might be there, working the morning shift so the owner, Deborah, could have some time off. Though waitressing wasn’t what she’d call a terrific career choice, she longed to go back there. Her former life had been so calm. She wished that none of this had ever happened.
But if Joey had never been kidnapped, she’d never have gotten to know Mace. Now they were close. In her mind they were more intimate than if they’d made love. She hadn’t really had time to process what happened last night, but she knew he’d given her a precious gift. His respect.
“Where are we now?” he asked.
“Driving west on Elm Street, almost beyond the houses. Has it been fifteen minutes yet?”
“Almost,” he said.
“I’m glad you’re here, Mace. If I was doing this myself, I’d be scared to death.”
“Don’t get too happy,” he said. “You need to stay alert.”
“No problem.” She mentally measured her stress level. “I’m still incredibly tense.”
“You’ll be okay. There’s no reason for the kidnappers to hurt you.”
She prayed he was right.
The cell phone rang, and she pulled over to the side of the road before she answered.
The instructions were terse, but she noticed right away that the mechanically altered voice had changed to normal tones. “Turn right at Route 188. I’ll call back in another fifteen minutes.”
She relayed the information to Mace who passed it on through his cell phone. At Route 188, she turned right through fields that lay cold and fallow in October. This area was populated only by the occasional farmhouse, several of which looked deserted. She shuddered, hoping she wouldn’t be asked to walk into a deserted house to drop off the ransom.
Another scary thought occurred to her. “Mace, you won’t be able to come with me when I leave the car with the ransom.”
“I’m thinking about that,” he said. “The kidnappers were clear about the fact that you shouldn’t wear a bug. But you’ve got a cell phone and so do I. Before you leave the car, call my number and leave the connection open so I can hear what’s going on.”
She doubted he’d be able to hear much if the phone was in her pocket, but it was better than nothing. “That makes me feel a little safer.”
“If you want, I can take the phone. They’ll be stuck dealing with me.”
She considered for a moment. Though she’d love to be free from this responsibility, the kidnappers had been clear. If she failed to follow their instructions, they would kill Joey. “I won’t risk it. If Joey gets killed because I was too scared to answer a telephone, I couldn’t live with myself.”
“I’m here for backup,” he said. “Stay calm.”
Calm? That couldn’t be further from the way she felt. Her pulse rate throbbed in triple time. Nervous sweat made her feel clammy under her parka.
Mace asked, “How fast are you going?”
Nicole checked the speedometer. She was driving nearly twenty miles per hour over the limit. Joey’s Beemer provided a very smooth ride. On the long stretches of straight road, it was easy to speed.
Her foot lifted from the accelerator pedal. “How did you know I was speeding?”
“I’m a cop,” he said. “Speed limits are my bread and butter.”
She chuckled with surprising relief. “Are you telling me that cops stop speeders just to collect the fines?”
“Yeah, sure.” His sarcastic tone rose from the back seat. “Most days, I’ve got nothing better to do than lurk around behind bushes at the side of the road, waiting to nab unsuspecting tourists.”
She grinned, unable to imagine Mace doing anything so petty. He was bigger than that—larger than life. Not only was he efficient, but everybody in the county knew who he was, and they respected him. “You might not be tracking down notorious criminals every day of the week, but I’ll bet the reason there’s order in Sterling County is because you’re here.”
“I like the way you think.”
“Is that all you like about me?” She regretted the words as soon as they slipped out. Now was not the time for a relationship discussion. And yet she truly wanted to know if she was special to him. Last night he said he wanted to know her heart.
“I shouldn’t tell you this,” he said. “But I get a kick out of your sassy comments. I like the way you act tough.”
“Me? I’m a huge scaredy-cat.”
“You’re no pussy cat,” he said. “You’re a cougar. Lean and tawny, scratching a livelihood from the desert plains. You’ve had to fight to survive.”
His description made her feel braver. If she’d had someone like Mace at her side, she might have followed a more productive path, might have been worthy of respect. But she’d made so many mistakes, so many foolish decisions.
He said, “I believe in you, Nicole.”
She wanted to turn around and kiss him. “I trust you, too. A hundred percent.”
“You trust me?”
“Sure.”
That wasn’t true, and he knew she was holding back.
“Are we coming to a town?” he asked.
Beside the road she saw a sign. “Ellensburg.”
“Tell me what you see.”
“It’s tiny. A gas station and a general store.”
“Do you see a dark-colored Jeep?” he asked. “Anybody sitting in a parked car?”
She described two men at the gas station, talking. “They’re both wearing baseball caps, jeans and jackets.”
The phone rang again.
From the back seat, Mace reminded, “Ask for Joey. Tell them they don’t get the money until you talk to Joey.”
She pressed Talk.
The mechanical-sounding voice on the phone said, “Stop at the general store in Ellensburg.”
“I’ve already driven past it,” she said. “And I won’t do anything else until I talk to Joey. I need to know he’s all right.”
“Turn around and go back to the general store in Ellensburg.”
“I mean it.” Her voice quavered. “I have to talk to Joey first.”
“Hang on, bitch.”
Dead air came across the phone line.
She swerved to the side of the road and slammed the car into Park. Apprehension gathered like dark clouds before a cloudburst, but she had to stand up to her fear and be clear in her demands. If she didn’t talk to Joey before the kidnappers had the ransom, they could kill him.
“Nicole?”
“Joey! You’re okay.”
“Listen, you’ve got to do what these guys tell you to do. Understand?”
“Not until I’m sure you’re safe. Tell them! Tell them I have to hear from your own lips that you’re safe before I’ll deliver the money.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll tell them. Just don’t screw this up.”
“Be careful, Joey. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Too late.” He chuckled. She couldn’t believe that he was laughing while she was gripped by fear. The inside of her head pounded.
She turned in the seat to look back at Mace. His dark eyes reassured her. He reached toward her, and she gripped his hand. Thank God he was here! If she’d been alone, Nicole never would have thought to negotiate.
The other voice returned. “You’ll know Joey is safe before the f
inal delivery.”
“Good,” she said.
“Now, go back to Ellensburg. Take the ransom from the car. Go inside and buy a pack of cigarettes.”
“I don’t smoke,” Nicole said.
“Are you always this dumb or are you trying to tick me off?”
She immediately recognized the tone. He was a bully, an abuser. He might have been her stepfather. Or Derek. And she knew better than to fight him. She cowered, waiting for the pain that she knew would come. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”
“Do what I say. Go to the general store. Take the cell phone with you. I might call while you’re inside. Go now.”
He disconnected.
She tossed the cell phone onto the passenger seat, wishing she could throw it through a window, start up the car and drive into another dimension.
Mace still held her other hand. “What did he say? Tell me quick.”
Wobbling at the verge of a scream, she relayed the conversation. “And I should go now.”
He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “You did well. Nobody, not even Heflin could have done better. Let’s get moving.”
She started up the car and pulled a U-turn. “Since I have to keep the cell phone line open for the kidnappers, I can’t stay in touch with you.”
“If it comes to a confrontation, drop the money and run. I’ll watch for you. I won’t let these guys get away.”
“Not until we know Joey’s safe,” she said.
“Right,” he said. “Be careful, Nicole.”
She parked in front of the general store, got the wheeled suitcase from the trunk and walked inside, pulling eight hundred thousand dollars in cash behind her.
Chapter Eleven
Mace crouched in the back of the BMW sedan with his automatic pistol in his fist. Frustrated by his inability to act, he felt his muscles coil into tight knots. He hated waiting, but he couldn’t leave the car because the kidnappers might be watching the vehicle. Likely, they were observing. Likely, this stop in Ellensburg was a test to make sure Nicole wasn’t accompanied by a horde of Feds.
He called Heflin on the cell phone and whispered their location. “Do not,” Mace said, “I repeat, do not approach.”
“Is this the drop?”
“Doubtful,” Mace said. “They promised proof of Joey’s safety before we turn over the cash.”
“Keep us apprised.”
“Roger.” Mace disconnected.
Through the slightly opened window of the Beemer, he listened intently for any sound indicating Nicole might be in trouble. He was worried about her. She was scared to death, literally quaking with fear. It took a lot of courage on her part to walk into that general store alone, and he wasn’t sure how long her strength would last.
He wanted to be at her side, protecting her instead of hiding. Remembering the lessons he learned when hunting with Tata Charlie, Mace told himself to be patient, to wait until his quarry came into view, wait for the perfect moment to attack. The pent-up need for action must not overrule a hunter’s wisdom.
He concentrated on figuring out the mind of the kidnappers. From what Nicole reported of their last communication, he deduced they hadn’t been watching the road. Otherwise, they’d have known when she drove too far, passing through Ellensburg. So where were they? Why did they want her to come inside the store?
One reason might be that they wanted to lay down a pattern of obedience from Nicole, wearing down her resistance. Or they might want to get a look at the suitcase holding the money, to gauge the size and figure out how they were going to grab it. The worst possible scenario? They meant to take the ransom now.
Mace doubted that plan. Ellensburg was in the middle of wide-open spaces and few roads. Escape from here without being noticed would be almost impossible. Better escape routes were near the foothills where rutted roads and pathways led through a labyrinth of mesas, arroyos and canyons.
Or they could wait until dark. He winced when he thought of that possibility. Spending the entire day in the back of the Beemer would be difficult for him. And it would be hell for Nicole. Her nerves were already stretched to the limit.
He heard the trunk of the Beemer open. There was a scuffing noise as the suitcase was lifted inside and the lid slammed. Nicole was back in the front seat.
“They called while I was inside,” she said as she started the car. “I’m supposed to stay on this route until they call again in fifteen minutes.”
Mace glimpsed the nape of her neck and the edge of her jaw. He saw her delicate white fingers curl around the steering wheel. When she turned to look through the rear window to back out of the parking space, she glanced at him. Her blue eyes seemed murky and dulled as if she was losing strength.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I feel kind of numb.” A tremulous smile fell from her lips. “There’s only so long a person can be terrified before…”
“Before what?”
“Before you accept your fate, no matter how awful.”
He understood what she was saying. After a physical injury, the body goes into shock to deaden the senses and ease the pain. It was the same with intense emotions. Sooner or later adrenaline was spent. Fear could not be sustained forever. “Don’t give up.”
She drove for a while without speaking. From his position in the back seat, all he could see was a sky filled with gathering storm clouds. Yesterday had been sunny, and it was still too warm for snow.
“Rain,” he said aloud. “They’re waiting for the rain.”
“What?”
“If we get a downpour, the FBI chopper won’t be as useful for surveillance.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“They planned the ransom delivery for today when it would rain.” But that couldn’t be right. They had to wait for Blake Wentworth to arrive with the ransom money. That was the real reason they couldn’t schedule anything for yesterday. “Forget I said that. Nobody can predict the Colorado weather.”
The cell phone rang again, and Nicole answered.
It drove Mace crazy to hear only her side of the conversation. He was certain that there were clues in what the kidnappers said.
She dropped the phone quickly. “I’m supposed to turn right at the next town. It seems like I’m making a circle.”
“Headed back toward the foothills,” he said. Using his cell phone, he relayed the information to Heflin.
After she made the turn, Nicole said, “There’s something I need to tell you, Mace.”
“Shoot,” he said.
“A little while ago, I was talking about trust. Between you and me.”
His jaw clenched. Relationship talks were never his favorite thing. En route to a ransom drop, he definitely didn’t want to open this bag of worms. “Maybe we should discuss this at another time.”
“I want to do it now. It’s best if I don’t have to face you.”
“While I’m stuck in the back seat of a Beemer.” With no way out, he had to listen. “What is it, Nicole?”
“We both know I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
There was a catch in her voice. He knew how hard it must be for her to tell him these closely guarded secrets. “Go on,” he said.
“I moved in with Joey because I’m on the run.”
“From what?”
“Before I came to Elkhorn, I was married for four months.”
Married? That one came out of the blue. “Your marriage didn’t show up on any record checks.”
“I never legally changed my name. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew the marriage wasn’t going to work.”
It was an incredibly simple ploy, especially for a woman like Nicole who had no family and refused to tell the name of the few friends who might make the connection. Still, her deception didn’t answer any of the important questions. Why had she married? Who was this man? Why the hell had she kept her marriage a secret?
“He was wealthy,” she said. “The l
ife he offered me was something I could only dream about. Designer clothes. Magnificent jewelry. A mansion fit for a princess.”
She had married for money. He didn’t like the idea, but he understood the appeal. “This very wealthy man. Why did he marry you?”
“Because I was pretty and young.” She made those attributes sound like a curse. “I was his trophy wife.”
Mace didn’t need to see her face to know the depth of her regret. He heard guilt and shame in her voice. She knew that she’d made a bad decision.
She continued, “It was my job to look good on his arm, to make all the other men jealous. I never left the house without complete makeup and perfect style. Derek made sure I always looked good. If he noticed anything wrong—a lipstick that was too dark or a hemline that was too long—he made me go back to my bedroom and start over until I got it right. I learned to hate those designer clothes.”
Which explained why she never bothered with lipstick or styling her hair anymore. “What happened next?”
“Since I was only a possession, he didn’t even pretend to respect me. The verbal abuse started on the honeymoon. Then the beatings.”
The heat of anger surged through Mace’s veins. Men who hurt women disgusted him. “Why didn’t you tell the police?”
“Did I mention that Derek was a high-powered lawyer? And I was nothing. Eye candy. A bimbo. Nobody would’ve listened to me. And Derek would’ve punished me for embarrassing him. So I ran away.” She was talking faster, as though anxious to finish her story. “And I couldn’t tell you or Agent Heflin because you’d contact Derek. Then he’d know where I was, and he’d come after me.”
His anger turned to outrage, and it burned in his gut. Her story sparked his instinctual hatred for injustice.
Her admission shouldn’t have been a complete surprise to him. He knew her childhood included abuse from her stepfather, and it was an unfortunate fact that people who had been treated badly often fell into similar relationships with a spouse. But Nicole was more than a statistic to him. He cared for her on a deep, almost cellular level that he didn’t completely understand. He admired her innate beauty and her sharp intelligence. She was a real woman with many dimensions, and she had survived against all odds.