by Becca Van
Cash closed the door to her cabin behind her and slid down to the floor. Her body still hummed with satiated desire from their love making and she thought back over the weeks and how each of them had looked out for her. The despondency and fear which had invaded her heart dissipated and in its place exultation reined.
It was only as she sat there on the floor with her arms around her legs and her head on her knees that she realized what they said was heartfelt and not lust driven. Why would they tell her they loved her after they’d taken her body? If they were feeding her a line wouldn’t they have said so beforehand if they were just trying to get into her pants?
Cash groaned. She was so fucked up and stupid. She had just rejected the loves of her life out of fear and didn’t know how to fix it. Her body was aching in a good way because of their recent loving but also because she was apart from her men. She had to fix what she’d done and there was only one way she knew how.
Firming her resolve to get back her men, she rose to her feet and headed for the bathroom. She was going to clean up and put on her new red dress and shoes and she was going to go and get what she wanted. Bruce, Cain and Danny were hers and she wanted to spend the rest of her life by their sides, loving them and growing old with them.
After showering she dried off, wrapped a towel around her and walked into her bedroom, aiming for the closet where her lone dress hung. Just as she opened the door to the robe pain exploded in her skull. She cried out and reached for the wardrobe door, but her vision was already blurry and she missed and went tumbling to the floor onto her side.
She saw work boots close to her face and as she followed the legs up with her eyes another hit landed on her head and she knew no more.
Chapter Eleven
Rage permeated his soul as he stood in the shadows and watched their silhouettes against the blinds. There was no way he was letting her get away from him, not when he’d spent the last few months planning. She was a slut just like his mother and every other woman alive. He was going to have to punish her and excise the demons inside her out of her.
She was supposed to be his. He’d known she had been pure but not anymore. She didn’t deserve to be his wife now, she was just like his momma had been, spreading her legs for anything in pants. He’d looked forward to initiating her to love but not now, not when she’d sullied her body by letting them touch her, fuck her.
He’d seen the tears on her face as she’d hurried back to her cabin and hadn’t had an ounce of sympathy for her. She’d known she was his and yet she’d still let them have that pure body. He’d warned her and now she was going to have to pay. Being careful to stay in the shadows, he kept his step light and followed her back home. He crept up onto the porch and listened as she cried near the door. After a bit she moved away and he heard her walking toward her bedroom. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he turned the door knob and slipped inside. He could hear the shower running and he went into the kitchen, looking for a weapon. Sitting on the bench top was a heavy stone mortar and pestle. He snickered as he picked up the heavy bowl. Tiptoeing into her bedroom he stood leaning against the wall and waited patiently. It wasn’t long before she came out wrapped in a towel, and she didn’t even notice that he was there. She walked toward her closet and opened the door.
With her back turned to him it was easy to get closer, and he raised his arm and brought the stone down hard on the side of her head. He laughed when she cried out with pain and tried to catch the door, falling to the floor instead. She tried to look up at him through heavy eyelids but before she could he brought the stone mortar down on her head again and watched as her eyes closed.
* * * *
Cain grabbed his clothes and pulled them on. His chest ached and he wanted to rub the pain away, but he knew that wouldn’t help. He’d been so sure that Cashmere loved them as much as they loved her and a couple of times he could have sworn that she was about to tell them how she felt but as she opened her mouth she stopped and clamped her lips shut again.
“What the hell are we supposed to do now?” Danny asked with a sigh. Cain had been wondering the same thing, but he didn’t have a clue. He and his brothers had opened up with Cash and even though she hadn’t rejected their love she hadn’t been brave enough to reciprocate. It wasn’t that she didn’t love them, he had seen it in her eyes. She just hadn’t had the courage to tell them how she felt.
Cain headed to the kitchen and snagged three beers from the fridge. After handing the other two to his now-dressed brothers when they entered the room, he twisted the top off his own bottle and took a long swig. He stared out the window and gazed toward Cash’s cabin. Lights twinkled around the edges of the curtained windows and he wondered what she was doing. He’d seen the tears in her eyes when she’d left. Was she sitting on the small couch crying her eyes out?
“We need to go and talk to her,” Brutus said finally breaking the silence. “We have to convince her that we really love her.”
“We already tried, Brutus,” Cain mumbled. “I don’t want to put myself up for another slap down.”
“Cash didn’t do that.” Danny took a slug from his bottle. “Not once did she say that we were lying or that she didn’t believe us. All she said was ‘I can’t.’”
“You’re right,” Cain agreed and put his now-empty bottle on the counter and turned to face his brothers. “She didn’t reject us, she’s running scared again.”
Bruce rose to his feet. “This has to stop now. I can’t let her stay away from us. If we let her keep her distance we are gonna lose her and I’m not prepared to let that happen. Let’s go and talk some sense into our woman.”
“Do you think we should leave it for tonight and wait until tomorrow?” Danny suggested. “Let’s give her time to calm down and then we can talk to her rationally. We’ll all be calmer after a good night’s sleep.”
“Good idea,” Cain agreed. “But first thing tomorrow we talk to her. I’m not giving up until she tells us she love us.”
Cain glanced out the window once more and then headed toward his bedroom. He hoped that he would be able to sleep but with his mind in such turmoil and his gut so knotted up he didn’t think he would be able to close his eyes for hours. But one thing was for certain, Cash wasn’t going to be leaving his sights until he had her where he wanted her, in their bed and entrenched in her heart and soul.
* * * *
Cash’s head was pounding so bad she felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t remember where she was or what had happened or why she was ill. She’d never been one to overindulge in alcohol often but thought that she may have a hangover, but she couldn’t remember drinking the night before.
It wasn’t just her head that was aching, her arms and legs were sore, too. Her wrist and ankles felt like she had a band around them and when she tried to move, she couldn’t. Her hands and feet were numb and she was so cold she was shaking. Opening her eyes to slits caused pain to pierce her skull and nausea roil in her stomach. She slammed them shut and turned her head to the side, moaning when it hurt to move. The movement caused her to realize that she had something tied around her face and over her mouth. God, her brain was so fuzzy she wasn’t functioning on all cylinders. She lay still, breathing evenly and deeply through her nose until the pain in her skull eased slightly, as did the nausea in her belly.
This time when she opened her eyes the pain wasn’t as bad, but the light shining into the room was minimal since the curtains were closed. Glancing around the room she couldn’t work out where she was. She’d never been here before. When she tried to sit up and couldn’t she tilted her head back and saw the leather straps tied tightly around her wrists and to the metal slats of the bedhead. And then she lifted her head and looked down to her feet and realized her ankles were also tied up.
Cash began to shake with fear. She had no idea where she was or who had taken her but she was in deep shit. She wished that she’d shown one of her men that threatening letter and told them that she
loved them. Now that her life was in danger and she may never see them again she realized she had been a complete and utter coward for not telling them how she felt. She may never get the chance to see their loving faces again and they would never know how much she cared for them. Tears leaked from her eyes and she cursed the fates and whoever had kidnapped her, but she wasn’t going to let this asshole ruin her life when she found love for the first time. Taking as deep a breath as she could through her nose, she wiped her moist cheeks on both shoulders and began to work at getting the gag off. No matter how long it took or how hard it was, Cash was determined to escape.
* * * *
Danny knocked on Cash’s front door again and waited for her to answer. He knew she was up because the lights were on, but she still hadn’t come to the door. She was probably in the shower but he didn’t want to wait to see her. Hoping he didn’t piss her off by entering her place without an invitation he turned the door handle and cursed under his breath when he met no resistance. He was going to have to punish her for not locking her door, especially when she was living on a ranch with so many men. Her living room was neat and tidy as was her kitchen, so he headed to her bedroom.
Danny frowned when he realized her bathroom door was open with the light on and there was no sound of running water. Her closet door was open and her bed didn’t look like it had been slept in.
“Cash, where are you?”
The hair on Danny’s nape stood on end. Something wasn’t right but he didn’t know what. She wasn’t here and he began to feel dread forming in the pit of his stomach. The only other place she could be was with Harry and David at their cabin, or in the bunkhouse. He spun on his heels and rushed toward Harry’s. By the time he knocked on their door he was panting, but not from rushing. He was full of anxiety and he couldn’t shake the pending doom which had lodged in his heart and wouldn’t let go.
David answered the door but Danny didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Is Cash here?”
“No, I thought she was with you and your brothers.”
“She was but she got upset and left. Do you have any idea where she could be? She’s not in her cabin and her bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“Shit. No I…”
“What’s going on?” Harry asked as he came up behind David.
“I’m going back to search her cabin,” Danny said before David could explain to Harry. “Can you let Brutus and Cain know where I am?”
“Of course,” David replied, and Danny heard him begin explaining to Harry as he headed to the main house.
Danny went back to Cash’s place and entered her bedroom. He glanced into the bathroom and saw the clothes she had been wearing the previous evening on the floor. As he walked over to her open closet he looked down and saw a dark stain on the carpet. He bent down and touched the spot and found it sticky. When he lifted his fingers and saw the reddish brown stain on his fingertips his heart stuttered. He brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed, but he already knew what he was seeing. The metallic scent of blood assailed his nostrils and he roared with pain. Someone had hurt and taken his woman.
Danny tried to get his emotions under control by breathing deeply and evenly a few times. When his anger and fear receded he looked about. It didn’t look like a struggle had taken place so that meant that Cash had been taken unaware. He looked over to her closet and saw something grey on the floor. Being careful not to disturb any more evidence he skirted the blood and leaned over to see what it was. The heavy stone mortar bowl was lying on its side and had blood as well as a couple of strands of long dark hair stuck to it.
Just as he got to his feet and pulled his cell phone from his pocket Bruce and Cain entered the room. He quickly told them what he’d found and called 9-1-1. When he was patched through to the sheriff, Danny explained to Luke Sun-Walker what he’d found.
Luke told him not to touch anything and that he and Damon Osborne would be there as fast as possible.
Danny followed his brothers into the living room and he saw David and Harry standing in the doorway.
“Get all the hands together and saddled up,” Danny barked out orders. “I want every inch of this ranch searched.”
“Wait,” Bruce said, “has anyone checked to see if Cash’s car is still here?”
“I’m on it.” Harry rushed away.
“We need to search in here,” Cain said and headed toward the kitchen. “Whoever has her may have left a clue.”
“Luke said not to touch anything,” Danny explained.
“I won’t,” Cain replied, “but I have to do something. Our woman’s hurt and needs us.”
Danny nodded and headed back to the bedroom. He searched Cash’s room and the bathroom and when he couldn’t find anything else he sank down onto the side of her bed. Reaching for her pillow he brought it to his face and inhaled Cash’s sweet scent. The thought of her out there hurt somewhere made him sick to his stomach. Tears pricked the back of his eyes but he didn’t let them fall. His woman needed him to keep it together so he could help find her and when he did he wasn’t letting her go ever again.
* * * *
Cash must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes the room was brighter than it had been before. Even though her head was pounding she didn’t feel as sick, and for that she was thankful. With care, she slowly and carefully turned her head toward the window above the bed and saw a large tree not too far away. She frowned because that tree looked familiar. And then it hit her, it was familiar because it was on the ranch behind the bunkhouse and cabins. She was still on the ranch. One of the ranch hands must have hit her on the head and carried her from her home, but whom? No one had ever looked at her as if they were interested in her in a sexual way besides her three men. The only person who had approached her was Arty.
Could he have been the one to hurt her? She couldn’t see him doing that. He was such a quiet man and didn’t go out carousing on the weekend with the other hands, but he did ask her out not long ago and when she had refused she’d thought she’d seen anger on his face. If he was hiding his true personality then no one would even think to question him about her whereabouts. It looked like it was up to her to get out of this predicament. Hopefully he would be out working on the ranch, which would give her the time she needed to try and escape.
Cash brushed her face against her shoulder trying to pry the gag out of her mouth, but it was tied too tightly. She tugged on her hands but the leather around her wrists chafed and cut into her skin. Her shoulders were screaming with pain from being tied up for so long and her hands were numb, but she wasn’t going to give up. There had to be some way she could get free or alert someone she was here. She pulled and tugged as hard as she could, but no matter how hard she tried the leather didn’t budge. When she stopped to rest she was struggling to fill her lungs with oxygen because of the gag and she was exhausted. Her head was pounding and her hair was wet. There must be a cut on her head because it was stinging like a bitch and she may have made it bleed again with all her moving.
Her eyes drooped and no matter how hard she tried to keep them open she couldn’t. With one last desperate jerk on her hands and legs she finally drifted into sleep.
* * * *
“I found something,” Cain yelled just as he heard the sheriffs pull up.
Bruce rushed into the kitchen and noted Cain’s pale face. His brother’s gaze was fixed on the kitchen drawer open before him. He moved closer and blanched when he read the note. Cain reached out to pick it up but Bruce grabbed his wrist to stop him.
“Don’t, it could have prints on it. Luke, get in here.”
Luke walked over next to him and looked down. “Shit. When did she get this?”
“I don’t know. If it was before today Cash never said a word.”
“Did either of you touch it?”
“No,” Bruce and Cain answered simultaneously.
“Good,” Luke replied. “Damon, bring your kit in here.”
Bruce and Cain m
oved out of the way and watched as Damon picked the note up with tweezers. He placed it on the counter and then began dusting it with powder. Only one set of prints showed up and Bruce hoped they weren’t Cash’s. Damon took out his phone and snapped a picture of the prints then sent it with a text message to forensics. He turned to face him and Cain.
“If those prints are on the system we should have a result within the hour. I also dusted that heavy bowl and if I had to hazard a guess the prints on there match these ones.”
Harry and David came in and Bruce looked at them. “Any sign of her?”
“No.” Harry frowned. “I don’t get it. There should be some sort of tracks leading from the ranch but I can’t find anything. No tire or horse tracks, just…nothing.”
“What if she’s still here?” Danny said, drawing their eyes. “What if someone on this ranch has her hidden away somewhere?”
“Search the barn,” Bruce ordered, “including the hayloft, the feed bins, tack room, and all the stalls.”
“Hang on,” David said, and then turned to Harry. “Didn’t Cash tell you that Arty had asked her out on a date?”
“Fuck, I forgot all about that, and yeah, he did. Cash said him approaching her was a surprise because she didn’t think any of the hands looked at her like she was a woman.”
“Where is Arty now?” Luke asked.