CHAPTER TEN
Any excuse not to talk about Emily was a welcome one. Max watched while Jennie stroked the wolf’s head and spoke quietly to the animal. She was an enigma. And he was a coward. But he didn’t quite trust Jennie yet. He wanted her, hell yeah, but he still didn’t trust her. No matter how badly he wanted her, he couldn’t give in to temptation. If he took Jennie in his arms, he doubted he’d be able to let her go. And that knowledge scared the living hell out of him. No other woman had ever made him feel that way. Not even Laura.
Max swallowed hard. He’d seen the way Jennie had looked at him. The way her eyes had grown darker, the way her lips had parted, the color that crept into her cheeks. Their attraction was mutual. It went deeper than anything he’d ever experienced before. All the more reason for him to keep her at a distance. When Jennie got her memory back, she’d be on her way. And he’d be alone once again.
Jennie glanced up at him. “You make her nervous.”
Max snorted. “The feeling’s mutual.”
“She can’t concentrate when you’re around. You remind her of—” She broke off abruptly. Her eyes widened. “You look like the man who found her in the forest. Oh my God,” she whispered. “No wonder she’s so suspicious of you. Why don’t you go somewhere for a few minutes and give her time to relax. Then maybe she’ll be willing to show me something.”
Max leaned back in the chair. Though he knew strange and unusual things were known to happen between animals and humans, and that some animals had rare “senses” or “abilities”—all he had to do was look at Lucky and his clairvoyance to know it did happen—he didn’t trust Jennie and wasn’t sure if she was being truthful with him. He needed some kind of proof.
“Not on your life. If you can really communicate with that beast telepathically, I want to see it. I want proof.”
Jennie sent him an exasperated look. Max raised a brow. He liked Jennie’s spunkiness. He liked it when she got all fired up and her eyes sparkled, swirling with emotion. Hell, he was beginning to like everything about her.
But he wasn’t backing down.
She slid off the couch and knelt on the floor in front of the wolf, looking into the animal’s eyes. Max watched as Gray’s ear twitched. Then the wolf let out a soft whine and lowered its head. Jennie sank onto the floor on her stomach. She continued to stare into the beast’s eyes. Nothing happened for about thirty seconds. Max waited. Then Jennie’s expression changed. Her pupils dilated. Max leaned forward in the chair to get a better look at her face. She stared at the wolf without moving. Several moments passed. Then she cried out. Her head hit the floor.
Gray started to growl. Max tensed. This was how he’d found them before. The wolf growling and Jennie moaning, then passing out. He waited, watching Jennie to see if she would wake up.
“Jennie,” he said softly. “You can snap out of it now.”
The wolf’s gaze flicked to Max. The animal’s lip curled back in a snarl.
“Jennie!” Max said again, more loudly. “Wake up!”
Gray’s fur rose on her back. The animal’s snarls grew louder.
Jennie’s eyelashes fluttered. She eased her head off the floor. “Easy girl,” she whispered, patting the wolf’s head. “Easy.” The wolf quieted, but didn’t take its gaze off Max.
Jennie sat up. She clutched her head.
“What happened?” he asked, wondering if she was taking him for a wild ride. If she was playing him for a fool. If so, she was a damn good actor.
“Gray was trying to protect the girl, the one the man called Emily. The man beat the wolf back with a pole or something. Then he kicked Gray in the head.” Her voice softened. “I don’t think Gray was a puppy anymore in the memory. I got the impression, the sensation, that she was bigger, all grown up.” Her gaze bounced to his. “Like she is now. I think it may have been a fairly recent memory. I think your daughter might still be alive, Max.”
Max’s heart pounded hard in his chest. He wanted desperately to believe her. He couldn’t take it if she was messing with him.
“There’s more,” she whispered. “There was another girl there. Chained to a different bed right next to Emily’s.”
She drew in a deep breath, slowly let it out.
“The girl was me.”
* * *
Dizziness swam in Jennie’s head as she recalled what she’d seen through Gray’s eyes. She’d been shackled to the wall next to the other girl. Jennie tried hard to remember, but nothing but an empty void came through. Her head throbbed again. Groaning in frustration, she rose from the floor. Gray whined.
I’m sorry, Gray. I still don’t remember. But thanks for sharing your memories with me.
She patted the wolf on the head and glanced up at Max. He was no longer in the recliner. He paced back and forth across the living room like a caged mountain lion, his long strides eating up the carpet. Back and forth. Back and forth.
“So you were a prisoner with Emily?” He stopped pacing and stared at her.
“I think so, yes. It looked like me.”
“You don’t know for sure?”
“No. I can’t remember being there. I have no idea how I got there. I don’t remember Emily or Gray.”
He blew out a breath, raked a hand through his hair. “But it looked like you?”
She nodded.
“Could you tell where it was?”
Jennie shook her head. “No. It was dark and cold. I think it might have been a basement somewhere.”
He started pacing again. Jennie couldn’t stand it. She stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm. “Stop.”
His gaze flew to hers. “What if she’s still alive?” His eyes grew moist. “For three years I thought she was dead, but now…” He hitched in a breath. “You’ve given me hope.”
Jennie couldn’t look away from the desperation in his dark gaze. “Why don’t you tell me about what happened to Emily? Maybe it will help trigger a memory for me. I want to help you find her, Max. But I need to remember first. The answer to where she is might be locked away somewhere in my brain.”
He took several deep breaths, then collapsed on the couch. He put his face in his hands. Jennie hesitated, then sank onto the cushions next to him. He didn’t look at her. He just sat there in silence for a long moment. Jennie waited patiently. Finally he removed his hands from his face, but he still didn’t look at her. He stared down at the carpet.
“She wanted to go out with some kids that she’d just met the day before. I told her I wanted to meet the parents first, find out more about the kids…” He turned his face away, let out a deep sigh. “She said I never let her do anything, that I didn’t want to face the fact that she was growing up. She was right. I was an overprotective dad. We argued about it, then she stormed off to her room and slammed the door.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “She snuck out that night, stole the car, and I never saw her again.”
Jennie covered his hand with hers. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.” She hesitated. “What about…your wife?”
He glanced down at her hand covering his, but he didn’t pull away. He cleared his throat. “Laura was already out of it by then. I’m not even sure if she realized Emily was gone.”
Jennie’s curiosity was killing her. She had to know more about Laura. But would he tell her? “What happened to Laura?”
Max hesitated, his expression filling with anguish. And what looked like guilt. And then…shame. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. He turned his face away from her. “She was ill. After…well, she…I…” He paused. “Laura and I were high school sweethearts. She got pregnant when we were seniors. We were young and in love.” He sighed. “We rushed to the courthouse and got married. I promised I’d always take care of her and the baby. Emily was the best thing that ever happened to us. For a while, everything was perfect. We were happy.”
He looked away for a moment, lost in his memories. “Laura started having delusions wh
en Emily was about four or five years old.” A tortured expression settled into his face. “To her, the delusions were so real. I couldn’t get her to calm down. She was scaring Emily. I took her to a doctor in Spokane, who diagnosed her with schizophrenia. He put her on some type of medication, but it didn’t work. It just made her do crazier things. Then…” He swallowed hard, staring down at his lap. “She tried to kill herself. I found her on the bathroom floor with her wrists slit. They put her in an institution for a few days to keep an eye on her, then they let her come home. She was on a different medication this time. But she wasn’t herself. The girl I’d married was gone. Most the time she just sat on the bed in a daze. Emily was afraid of her and tried to stay away from her as much as possible. A few days after Emily disappeared, Laura overdosed on her medication. I’d had a busy day at the clinic and had gone back to check on her a couple of times in between clients. The last time I checked on her, she was sitting up in bed, staring off into space. But that was normal for her. When I found her on the floor two hours later, I tried to revive her, but it was too late. She was already gone. That was the last time I practiced as a vet. I shut down the business the next day.”
Jennie swallowed hard to force away the lump that had formed in her throat. No wonder he’d rationed out her Tylenol at first and warned her about O.D.ing. Poor guy probably thought she’d do what Laura had done.
She was stunned by his statement that he hadn’t practiced veterinary medicine in three years. He’d done an excellent job with Gray. He was very talented. She’d assumed he had an active clientele.
Jennie guessed that after Laura’s death Max had been completely alone. Her heart ached for him. Three years was a long time to be all alone. But she sensed he’d been alone way before then, ever since Laura had gotten sick.
He wasn’t alone now. She was here. Until the weather cleared, anyway. Her chest constricted when she thought of leaving. She didn’t want to leave him. She was growing way too attached to the man.
Jennie squeezed his hand.
He drew in a ragged breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to burden you with all that. It just slipped out.” He looked embarrassed. As guarded as she knew he was, Jennie could only imagine how difficult it had been for him to confide in her.
But he’d never explained the guilt or the shame she’d seen in his eyes. Jennie suspected Max hadn’t told her everything. That there was more to the story. In time, she hoped he would tell her everything.
“It’s all right.” She turned watery eyes to his, blinked rapidly. “I’m glad you told me. It helps me to understand Max Montgomery a little better.” She smiled at him.
One corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t smile back. Max pulled his hand away. He rose from the couch. He strode across the room, turning back when he reached the doorway. He didn’t meet her gaze, instead focused on the carpet near her feet.
“By the way, I called the sheriff’s office earlier after we came back from the car. I told them about the shooter, about finding my car out in the river, about everything. I told them who you are. The guy I talked to said they would contact the FBI agent in charge of your case. As soon as the weather clears, they’ll be showing up. So be prepared for a lot of questions.”
He paused, lifted his gaze to hers. “They won’t be coming alone. They’ll be bringing your father with them.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Emily shivered in the cold dark basement, pulling the thin, tattered blanket up to her chin. Jennie had been gone for two days now. Emily hoped with all her heart that Jennie had made it to someplace safe. And Gray too. She loved that wolf. The animal had tried to protect her in the beginning until the man had beat the wolf back. Gray had almost died for her. She prayed now that Jennie and Gray were safe, that they were talking to the cops and would send someone for her soon. She had to believe Jennie had made it out.
Fortunately, the man had left her alone since Jennie escaped. He’d been too fixated on his revenge to worry about her. She was cold and hungry, but that was nothing new. She was always cold and hungry. Jennie had taught her to be strong, to not give in to her fears. Emily tried so hard to be strong like Jennie.
Guilt slithered into her chest. It was her fault the man had captured Jennie. Her fault Jennie had been abused. Emily had egged him on, informed him he’d only snatched her because she hadn’t been paying attention, had been too worried about getting even with her dad for not letting her go out with her new friends. Which was true. If Emily had stayed home like her dad had ordered, she wouldn’t have been abducted.
Her throat thickened with tears. I’m sorry, Dad.
The man had bragged that he could abduct anyone he chose, and Emily had mocked him, told him he couldn’t snatch a famous person. He’d told her to name someone and he’d prove her wrong. Emily had never believed he’d actually do it. She’d never believed he could. So when she’d tossed out the name of her idol, the up and coming horse trainer Jennie Jones, he’d said he’d bring Jennie back before the week was out. And he had.
I’m sorry, Jennie.
Emily had never told Jennie the truth, of course. Jennie would hate her if she knew Emily was the one who’d gotten her captured. Jennie had given her strength, had helped boost her spirit whenever she’d been so full of despair that she just wanted to die.
Don’t give up, Emily, Jennie would tell her. Be strong. We can’t let this bastard kill us. Someday, somehow, we’ll find a way to escape. We’ve got to believe that.
Emily hitched in a breath. Now that she was all alone again, the fear, the despair, came crashing down on her. For three years she’d been a prisoner. All because she hadn’t listened to her dad.
She’d be in her first year of college now if she hadn’t defied her dad and snuck out that night. Studying to be a vet just like him. He would be proud to know she wanted to do what he did, but she’d never told him she planned to follow in his footsteps. If she ever got out of here, she’d finish her high school education and go to college. Make her dad proud.
Footsteps echoed across the floor above. The door opened. The light clicked on.
Emily pulled the blanket tighter under her chin as the man descended the steps into the basement. He paused when he reached the bottom, his mean black stare settling on her. He always wore the hood, but his eyes were visible. From the start Emily had believed she knew him somehow, but she couldn’t quite place him when she couldn’t see his face. She knew he hated her dad for some reason, because in the beginning he’d always talked about how he was getting his revenge on her dad by abducting her. But she wasn’t sure why. Everyone liked her dad. He was kind to everyone. He’d taken good care of her mom, even after she’d gotten really sick, even after her mom no longer recognized him or Emily. He’d never complained. Emily hoped someday she could be as giving and selfless as he was.
“I found Jennie.”
Emily’s heart slammed into her ribs. No!
His black eyes gleamed with the evilness she’d come to expect from him. “She’s alive and well. And you’ll never guess who found her!”
Emily’s breathing quickened. She swallowed hard. “Who?”
He chuckled, the sound sending a menacing chill down her spine. “Your dad.”
Her breath rushed out. Her dad had found Jennie? That was good. Her dad saved things. He would protect Jennie. For the first time since Jennie’s escape, Emily had real hope.
“They’ll send help soon,” she said. “And you’ll go to jail where you belong.”
He let out another nasty chuckle and stepped up to the bed. Emily cringed back against the wall when he ran a finger down her cheek. “Oh no, my dear, they won’t. I’m going to get Jennie back. After I do, you get to watch me punish her. And then, you and I are going to celebrate.”
Emily closed her eyes. That meant he was going to beat Jennie until she could barely move. He’d done it before. Beating Jennie always excited him. And afterwards…Emily shuddered. She tried not to think about he would make her
do. But damn him, he wouldn’t break her. No matter what.
She lifted her chin. “You’ll never catch Jennie now. My dad will protect her. They’ll send the cops for you soon. I know they will.”
His black eyes narrowed. He lifted a hand as if to backhand her across the cheek. Emily cringed away.
But he didn’t hit her.
“You can believe that all you want, Emily. I’ll be bringing Jennie back soon. You just wait and see.”
He turned and stalked back up the stairs.
The light clicked off.
The door slammed shut.
Once again Emily was all alone in the cold, dark prison.
* * *
Jennie woke with a pounding headache. A fierce ache centered around her forehead, pulsing with each beat of her heart. The pain was persistent tonight, perhaps because she’d looked into Gray’s eyes twice today. The visions made her dizzy afterwards. Now the throbbing intensified.
She’d taken four Tylenol after Max had gone out to feed the horses earlier, but that had been hours ago. He’d stayed outside for a long time. She sensed it was because he needed time alone. Jennie had spent that time on the internet again, trying to regain some memory, but nothing slipped through. Her head was still an empty black void. She’d stared at the images of her father, one after the other, trying to remember him somehow, but he was just a stranger to her. She didn’t recognize him.
Soon he’d be coming here to see her. He would have questions that she didn’t know how to answer. She had questions for him that she didn’t know how to ask. What would she say to her father when she didn’t even remember him?
Jennie sat up in bed, clutching her throbbing head. She glanced at the digital clock on the night stand.
1:30 a.m.
Jennie reached for the lamp, clicked it on. She picked up the bottle of Tylenol from the nightstand and plucked four pills into her hand. Gray lifted her head from where she lay on the floor. The wolf watched as Jennie walked into the adjoining bath. She flicked on the light, filled a Dixie cup with water from the sink. Though Max had urged Jennie to put the wolf back in the kennel for the night, Jennie had refused. She didn’t think Gray would hurt anyone. Besides, the animal deserved to be free. She’d been a prisoner for most of her life. As long as Jennie could help it, Gray would never be caged or chained up ever again.
Abducted (Unlikely Heroes Book 2) Page 8