An Endless Kind of Love

by Krista Lakes

  A noise made her pause. It sounded like a little kid scuffing his feet against the barn doors. She shook her head. The camp kids had a bad habit of messing with the barn doors when they were bored. She was going to have to go put an end to that.

  She turned the corner of the barn, fully prepared to yell at one of the kids to stop scuffing the paint, but there was no kid.

  Instead, she suddenly had a bag over her head. The world faded away as she felt an arm wrap around her neck, choking the life out of her. The arm loosened a little, but she still felt herself losing consciousness. The world went dark as they took her.

  Chapter 34

  Bonnie

  It was hot and hard to breathe. Her head hurt like hell.

  Bonnie woke and struggled to remove the cloth from her face. She pulled at the dark fabric, finding that her hands were tied together in front of her and she was in a small enclosed space. She managed to get the pillowcase, or what she assumed was a pillowcase, off her head.

  Then she had to work on not panicking.

  Bonnie wasn't a fan of tight spaces. She wasn't exactly claustrophobic, but she didn't enjoy spelunking or being buried in a pillow fort. She liked being able to breathe and to stretch out without touching anything.

  She couldn't do either of those things.

  Panic clawed up from her stomach and gripped at her throat. She wanted to scream. She wanted to kick and thrash and fight for her freedom, but she knew that it wouldn't do any good. So, she closed her eyes, counted backward from ten and focused on her breathing.

  It was an exercise she did with her autistic kids when they got overwhelmed. It worked. Her chest loosened and her heart beat more regularly the closer she got to one. Deep breathing also seemed to help the ache in her head.

  You can do this, she told herself. She wasn't quite sure what “this” was just yet, but she was going to do her best not to freak out. She needed to stay calm and come up with a plan. Panic wasn't her friend right now.

  “Three, two, one,” she said softly. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to evaluate what she could see.

  She was in a small, dark space. It smelled faintly of gasoline. A pale glow caught her attention, and she wiggled to look at it. It was an emergency escape trunk light. She reached up and pulled at it, but nothing happened. She wasn't terribly surprised.

  It was kind of stupid to lock someone in a trunk and keep the escape latch still working.

  She'd heard that if someone ever kidnapped her and put her in the trunk of the car, that she should kick out the taillight. That way, anyone driving by them would see her, and the police would catch them.

  She wiggled around in the tight space, very carefully ignoring just how tight it was, and tried to figure out where the taillights were. She guessed and kicked hard.

  Nothing happened except it hurt her foot. She tried a different spot but heard a metal thud. Of course, if the kidnappers disabled the security latch, they would probably have a plan in place to protect the taillights too.

  She sighed and tried to relax and think. There had to be something else she could do.

  She wiggled, searching for her phone, but it wasn't in her pocket. Her attacker probably took it. She did a mental inventory: shoes, jeans, t-shirt. Hands bound, hooded, and her head hurt like she'd been drugged. There wasn't a lot she could do with any of that.

  She had seen on TV where a modern-day Sherlock Holmes was able to tell where in London they were by focusing on the sounds of the street and what direction the car was turning. She had no hope of doing that herself, but she figured she might at least keep her brain thinking.

  The car wasn't on. The engine was running, but they weren't moving. She heard a voice coming from the front. She quieted her breathing and listened as hard as she could.

  “No, Boss... Too much security… I don't... can't...” The words faded in and out, but only one voice said them. Whoever it was that had her was talking on the phone. The phone conversation continued with her kidnapper obviously getting frustrated. She wondered what had him staying stationary and why they weren't speeding down the mountain and calling her brother to keep him from testifying.

  Her stomach twisted, not just from the stress, but from the pounding in her head. Whatever they'd used to knock her out was making her nauseous. She was just glad she hadn't eaten much of that sandwich. Given that she had no idea how long she'd been in the car, she didn't know how much of it she was going to throw up. At least there wasn't going to be much either way.

  She closed her eyes to help her concentrate. Deep breaths, in and out. Go to your happy place. She'd guided so many kids into calmer spaces using this method. It was time she made it work for herself.

  Go to your happy place.

  She expected to find herself sitting on the beach in Mexico sipping margaritas with her girlfriends, but that wasn't the memory she wanted. That didn't give her the peace she was looking for.

  Instead, she wanted to be in the pool with Tyson and Dylan. She wanted to splash and hear their laughter. She imagined herself there in the pool with them. She could see Dylan's dark eyes smiling as he pretended to be a shark and chase Tyson. Tyson would shriek with delight, and he'd smile so wide it had to hurt.

  That was her happy place. Those two were her happy place.

  What if she never saw them again? What if they killed her to keep her brother from talking? The panic gripped at her throat, choking off her supply of air. She whimpered, unable to scream. She was afraid in a way she'd never thought possible. Every cell of her body shook with terror.

  She heard the car door slam and the driver mumble something as he walked away. She had no idea what was happening or how to get out of this.

  “Deep breaths, go to your happy place,” she whispered. She thought of Tyson's sweet smile when he succeeded in swimming. She thought of the way Dylan's hand would rest on her hip as he stood beside her and watched their boy swim.

  Slowly, she pushed the fear down and focused on them. They were who she was going to fight for. She was going to get back to them if it was the last thing she did.

  Chapter 35

  Dylan

  Dylan was worried. He’d seen Bonnie walk to the barn, but then she didn’t come back. He was waiting for her to come back so he could show her the updated car. He finally had it all fixed and ready for her. He’d basically put in a new engine, and he wanted to surprise her with it.

  But he couldn’t find her.

  He called her phone and smiled when he heard her ringtone from inside the barn.

  “There you are,” he said, coming inside and looking in one of the horse stalls.

  Except she wasn’t there. He found her phone tucked in a saddlebag. It was only because the ringer was perpetually stuck on the loudest setting that he even found it.

  Anxiety tumbled in his belly. There was something very wrong about this. Bonnie always had her phone. It was part of her escape plan if the Trio ever came here. She needed it. It was as much a part of her as her hand or her head.

  Tension crept into his jaw.

  He grabbed his phone and called security.

  “This is Dylan Abbott. Bonnie Kincaid is missing,” he announced as soon as the head of ranch security, Brian Cards, picked up.

  “We have an issue at the West entrance,” Brian told him. “We’re locking the camp down. No one gets in or out. I’ll spread the word that Bonnie is a priority.”

  “She’s more than just a priority,” Dylan growled.

  “Of course, sir.” Brian shouted an order to someone in the background before returning to the conversation. “I have four of my best men on it, and I’m running the security footage myself. I’m afraid that’s all I can spare with what’s going on at the West entrance.”

  “Find her.” He shut off the phone angrily. There were few times in his life Dylan wished for old technology. Slamming the phone was one of them. There wasn’t enough of a release angrily pushing the little red button. He wanted something to slam
.

  He stalked out of the barn. He wasn’t sure quite where he was going, but he didn’t want just to stand still and wait for security to find her. He felt the need to do something. He was never the kind to simply sit back and let others do for him, so he was going to go out and look for her.

  He hoped he’d find her curled up under a tree with a good book. Maybe she was swimming or planning one of her sensory friendly activities in the kitchen.

  The queasiness in his gut made him think that something bad had happened. There was an edginess and raw anxiety that he couldn’t seem to shake, no matter how much he tried to come up with alternatives for where she could be.

  He checked the area around the barn. He checked the hayloft. He walked out toward the horse pastures, but since the horses were all out on rides, he didn’t go far. With every moment, he felt the dread deep in his bones increase.

  Two security guards hurried past him as he walked away from the barn and back toward the garage. They spoke quickly into their radios and had determined, firm looks on their faces as they headed toward the West entrance. Something big had to be going on over there.

  He paused, mid-step. Should he follow the security guards to the west? What if that’s where Bonnie was and she needed help?

  He shook his head. He’d just be in the way over there. He could only imagine the current chaos at the entrance. Today was pick-up and drop-off day. New kids were arriving while some stayed for another week. It meant that the parking area was always full of cars and kids. If there was an accident or a delay, it always turned into a disaster.

  Instead, he decided to walk along the far path behind the garage. It was on the eastern edge of the property and usually quiet. Since the East entrance was gated off from the road, the only person he’d ever seen over here was Bonnie the night she’d arrived.

  For some reason, it seemed like a good place to look.

  He walked quietly and quickly. His eyes searched in the trees, and he saw one of the barn cats jump into a clump of grass and emerge a moment later with lunch. But no Bonnie.

  There were lots of trees along the perimeter of the property. Long before Carter had purchased the place, someone had put a line of pine trees to act as a wind buffer. Tall evergreens stood against the pale blue of the summer sky. The smell of pine in the sunshine was strong. Every hundred yards or so, a couple of aspen trees managed to take hold and make a little grove of their own.

  The sound of metal caught his attention. He slowed his steps and came around the tree line. Standing at the eastern gate was a man he didn’t recognize. He was large and wore dark clothing that resembled the security teams.

  He definitely looked dangerous enough to be on the security team, but Dylan didn’t recognize him. He’d made a point of looking at all the photos of the security personnel that would be protecting Bonnie. He tried to remember if Brian had hired anyone new recently

  The man swore and pulled at the chain holding the gate shut.

  Why would security be trying to get out using the east entrance, he wondered. There wasn’t a good reason. The gate was always locked. All staff and security knew that. There was no reason to open the gate.

  Unless he wasn’t security. Unless he was trying to get off the property while security was busy dealing with an issue on the west side.

  Dylan searched the tree-line, his eyes looking for anything that was out of the ordinary. It took him a moment before he spotted the car tucked carefully into a grove of aspen and saplings. The dark green of the car hid well.

  She was in that car. He didn’t know how he knew it, just that he did. Bonnie was in that car.

  He checked his phone. Would security get here in time?

  He knew they wouldn’t. It would only take the man at the gate a couple of minutes before he figured out how to unlock it. The process wasn’t very hard. Dylan made a mental note to have Brian update that as soon as possible.

  He sent a message to Brian to come to the east gate with as many men as possible. As he put his phone in his pocket, his fingers brushed the pocketknife he kept there. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. He pulled it out, keeping it loose in his hand.

  Dylan crouched low and made his way over to the aspen grove. He moved through the dappled light, doing his best not to step on any branches or do anything that might give his position away. His breath was shallow, and he was sure the man would be able to hear his heartbeat.

  Carefully, he moved to the driver’s side door. The man at the gate swore again, and Dylan froze. The sound of the chains moving against the gate followed. Dylan didn’t have much time. He had no doubt this would get ugly fast if the man caught him.

  He cracked the door, staying low and trying to stay out of sight. The door opened with a low creak that made Dylan wince. He held his breath and looked out. The man hadn’t noticed. He was too busy threading the chain from around the gate.

  It was an older car, which Dylan was grateful for. It meant there was a trunk release, rather than having an electronic option that would be more difficult to get to. He pulled the lever and prayed the man didn’t notice.

  The trunk popped, but the man was too busy opening the gate. Dylan didn’t have a second to spare. He pushed the door shut as quietly as possible and hurried back to the truck.

  His heart was in his throat as he opened it. If she were hurt.. or worse... he didn’t know what he’d do.

  “Dylan?”

  Her voice was rough as she sat up, blinking against the light.

  He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to tell her she was safe. But she wasn’t safe. Not yet.

  Dylan looked over at the gate to see it swing open. He grabbed Bonnie under the arms and pulled her out of the trunk, closing it hard. He hoped that the man was too distracted to notice the sound.

  She clung to him, her breathing fast. He needed to hide her. There was a gooseberry bush growing near the back tire of the car. It wasn’t big, but it was close. He carried her behind it and set her on the ground.

  She looked up at him, and he put his finger to his lips. She nodded.

  He couldn’t fit behind the gooseberry bush. It simply wasn’t big enough for the two of them. The sound of the man’s footsteps as he returned from the gate filled his brain. Without thinking, he stabbed his pocketknife into the back tires and then ran behind one of the aspen trees.

  He felt like a child playing hide and seek. All it would take was one look back to see a man hiding behind the slim tree. He got as low as he could, but all it would take was one good glance. He gripped the pocketknife in his hand and prayed.

  If the man did see him, Dylan would use the pocketknife. He would make sure that the man saw Dylan and not Bonnie. He would keep her safe, even if it meant his life.

  The man kicked at a stick, sending it flying into a tree. Dylan was sure his heartbeat was loud enough for the entire state to hear. The man paused as if listening.

  Dylan took a slow deep breath. He was ready.

  The man shrugged and opened the car door. The car groaned with the new weight as he slammed the door shut. The engine started, and the car rolled away.

  Dylan didn’t dare move until the car was past the gate. Even then, he was afraid that the man would look back and see the two of them, hiding behind a tree and a bush. A three-year-old could find them if they looked.

  But the car kept going. It pulled onto the dirt road, and the engine revved. A cloud of brown dust followed it as it escaped. He knew that his knife would give the driver a flat tire by the time he was down the mountain. The police would catch him easily.

  “Dylan?” Bonnie’s voice held panic and relief at the same time.

  He ran to her.

  She pressed her face into his shoulder as he held her to him, whispering his name like a mantra. He whispered hers right back. He held her to him, afraid that she might be ripped from his arms at any moment. He would never lose her again.

  Chapter 36

  Bonnie

  The nex
t week was a blur of police officers, questions, security upgrades, and lawyers. Bonnie was overwhelmed by it all, especially after just being kidnapped and locked in a trunk.

  But, through it all Dylan was there.

  He was there when the security team found the two of them walking up to the house.

  He was there when the police caught her kidnapper trying to get onto the highway with two flat tires.

  He was there when she had to tell the police what happened and explain the bruises.

  He held her hand when the lawyers came to explain what was happening next.

  He promised her he would always be there.

  And she believed him.

  Every night, she slept in his bed. He was there when the nightmares of being trapped in the trunk again would wake her. He would hold her and whisper calming words into her ear. He saved her every night, just as he had saved her from the trunk of that car.

  A week after the incident, things finally seemed to settle back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be with the insane amount of security both Dylan and Carter hired for the ranch. She was set to testify at the trial for her kidnapper, and after what the Trio had done to stop her brother from testifying, Dylan wasn't taking any chances.

  The police wanted to put her into hiding. Bonnie found it hilarious that now, after all of her running and telling the police the mob was out to get her, now they were going to do it. Except, she didn't want it now. Dylan was her protector. He was the one who would keep her safe. He'd already proven that he could.

  Bonnie stared out the car window as Silver Springs vanished into the distance. Two unmarked black SUVs followed closely behind them. She saw them and ignored them, knowing she was safe.

  Bonnie wasn't thinking about the police or the upcoming trial. Today, she was going swimming with her boys. Dylan and Bonnie were taking Tyson to a pool with water slides and a diving board. Dylan had rented the entire place out, so it would be just the three of them and Bonnie couldn't wait.