Songbird: A Linger Story

by Maya Banks

She went sprawling. Her head cracked against the dash and her behind slid off the seat, wedging her between the glove compartment and the passenger seat.

  “That’s a good place for you,” he grunted.

  She lay there, helpless, her hands tied behind her, stuck on the floorboard.

  “Why?” she rasped out. “What the hell are you doing, Rand? Taggert and Greer will kill you for this. You have to know that.”

  He ignored her, staring out the windshield with that same grim…determination. What was he so determined about? This was all some joke. A really twisted, sick, dumb-as-shit joke, but a joke nonetheless.

  Rand was quiet, respectful, and he’d always had a smile for her. What the living hell had gotten up his ass?

  She cleared her throat and tried a different tactic. “Rand, what’s going on?” She purposely softened her voice and tried to make herself sound…accommodating. God, she was actually trying to sweet-talk this bastard. “Why are you so angry with me?”

  Could she sound any more pathetic? She was so through being pitiful. Enough was enough, damn it!

  “Just shut the hell up so I can drive. I have to get away before they come back. They’ll fix that fence soon enough.”

  He was almost talking to himself, not even acknowledging her awkward-as-hell position on the floorboard.

  “Did you sabotage the fence?”

  He shrugged. “Seemed the easiest way to get them out of your bed and out of the house.”

  Her cheeks went warm, and rage shot through her veins.

  Then he turned to stare at her. “Yeah, I know all about you, whore. You couldn’t leave well enough alone. You already destroyed Sean. You should have stayed away from Taggert and Greer.”

  “Dear God, is that what this is all about? You disapprove of my relationship with Greer and Taggert so you’re taking me away?”

  She could hardly control the incredulity in her voice. He was off his goddamn rocker.

  “Rand, stop the truck. Let me out. Now.”

  He slammed on his brakes, and for a moment she thought he was actually going to listen to her.

  Then he turned, his eyes sparking with fury.

  “You don’t get it, do you? You don’t get to make demands. You twist a man’s balls, have them dangling from your fingertips. It should have been you who died. Not Sean. I won’t make another mistake.”

  Nausea rose in her throat. Tears of anger swam in her eyes. No way. He couldn’t mean what she thought he did. She tried to open her mouth but all that came out was an inarticulate sound of rage.

  She licked her lips, frustrated that she couldn’t get her tongue to work.

  “Nothing to say?” he mocked. “You didn’t have much to say that night either. You deserve to die if for no other reason than for causing Sean’s death.”

  She closed her eyes. None of this made sense. Rand had worked for the Donovans forever. Since he was a young man out of high school. What could possibly have made him hate this way?

  The truck rattled to a stop. Rand got out and walked around to open her door. Without any care, he yanked her from her awkward perch, and she stumbled, trying to get her feet under her. Her hands were completely numb from the tight bonds around her wrists.

  Where on God’s green earth were they? They’d gone the opposite way of town. There were no houses, no buildings, nothing but rock formations jutting from the earth and the base of a large hill that sloped sharply upward, a precursor to the mountains in the distance.

  Rand shoved her forward and she went down to her knees, the rocks digging into her shins.

  He hauled her upright and all but dragged her beyond the maze of rocks and boulders. A cave. He was taking her into a freaking cave.

  A low moan escaped her. She hated the dark. She never slept in the dark. Not since Sean died.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Not in here. I’ll die in here.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  Her mouth fell open, and he shoved her through the tight opening into the yawning mouth of darkness. This time when she stumbled, he let her fall. He knelt beside her and coiled rope around her ankles.

  Panic hit her hard. He really meant to leave her here. Where Taggert and Greer would never find her.

  “Why did you do it?” she rushed out. “Why Sean? I thought you liked him. He was always so nice to you. He gave you a home and a job.”

  Rand’s fingers tightened around her ankles, and she could positively feel the rage billowing off him.

  “It was supposed to be you,” he seethed. “Not Sean. Never Sean. But he stepped in front of you, took the knife.”

  Cold settled over her like a suffocating blizzard.

  “But why?” she croaked.

  “You pulled them apart. You took Sean from the ranch. You turned brother against brother. The Donovans are good people, and you destroyed their family. I heard you that day when you pranced into the house talking about loving them all, wanting to be with them all. Couldn’t blame them for being appalled and sending you away. It’s what they should have done. What kind of a woman proposes something like that?”

  “Someone who loves them,” she said faintly, too shocked, too numb to filter his explanation. Sean had died because of her. She’d always known it, just hadn’t realized how much she’d been the cause of his death. It hadn’t been random at all.

  Oh God.

  “Love,” he said scornfully. “What does a whore know about love? You tempted them with your body. You took Sean away. But that wasn’t enough. You had to come back, luring them with that pitiful smile. I won’t let them be dragged down by you again. They deserve better than that.”

  “They love me,” she said in a steady voice. “You’ll hurt them if you kill me.”

  There was a pause, almost as if he considered that. Then he laughed harshly. “They’ll forget you. You aren’t the keeping kind. You were good for a lay, I guess.”

  His words shouldn’t hurt. He was a maniac. Taggert and Greer did love her. They did. But would they find her in time? Would they ever find her?

  “I’ll just tell them you left,” he said matter-of-factly. “Shouldn’t come as a surprise. You left before. Women change their minds all the time. Can’t be trusted.”

  “What the hell is your problem?” she snarled. “Did your mommy abuse you? Not hug you enough? Did your girlfriend dump you? Leave you for another man?”

  He drew back, almost as if shocked by her outburst. Then he slapped her hard across the mouth.

  “Your father was right to beat you. Your kind needs discipline. You need correcting. The Donovans will be better off without you.”

  He shoved a rag into her mouth and then put masking tape over her lips. As he stood, he kicked her once in the side.

  “If Sean hadn’t died for you, I’d make your death quick, but you deserve to suffer. You deserve to lie here thinking about all the lives you’ve destroyed.”

  With that he turned and stalked out of the cave, leaving her lying in the dark.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was late when Greer drove through the back gate. He stopped to wait for Taggert to shut it and get back in the truck. A few seconds later, they pulled up to the house and got out, dusting themselves off as they headed to the back door.

  As they mounted the steps, Rand opened the door and glanced uneasily at them. The hairs on Greer’s neck prickled and he stared sharply back at his foreman.

  “Something wrong, Rand?”

  Rand’s cheeks flushed a dull red. Man had always been quiet and almost painfully shy. But he was a good, hard worker and he’d never given them any reason to complain. They could definitely use more like him.

  “It’s Miss Emily.” He stepped back to allow him and Taggert inside.

  “What about her?” Taggert demanded.

  Rand looked as though he’d rather eat dirt than have to say what was on his mind.

  “Well, uh, she left.”

  Greer reared back. “What?”

  R
and was openly nervous now. He was sweating bullets, and he twisted his hands together.

  “She went down to Sean’s grave. She does that a lot. When she came back, she went upstairs then came down with her bag. Asked me to take her to town. I didn’t want to,” he added in a rush. “But when I suggested she wait for you to get back, she said she’d walk if she had to. I didn’t think you and Taggert would want her going alone so I drove her.”

  Greer’s hands were shaking. He couldn’t even get his thoughts together. Gone? What the hell?

  “Did I screw up?” Rand asked as he rubbed his palms on his jeans.

  “No, Rand, you did right,” Taggert said in a tight voice. “But we need more information. Anything she said. Don’t leave a word out. We need to know where you took her.”

  Greer dragged a hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall. “Why did she leave?”

  Rand colored again and shoved his hands into his pockets. “She didn’t say. I mean she didn’t talk to me. She was upset. I could tell she’d been crying. Maybe the visit to Sean’s grave put her over the edge? I took her to the motel. She wouldn’t listen to reason. I tried all the way into town, but she wouldn’t even look at me.”

  Taggert let out a curse that made Rand flinch. Then he turned to Greer. “Let’s go.” At the door he glanced back at Rand. “How long ago did you take her into town?”

  Rand shrugged. “Couple of hours.”

  “And you only just now saw fit to tell us?” Greer asked incredulously.

  “I didn’t want to disturb the work on the fence. Already lost enough cattle.”

  Trust Rand to be focused on work. Of course he wouldn’t understand the seriousness of Emily taking off in a fragile emotional state.

  Greer followed Taggert to the truck and the two tore down the drive. Taggert’s hands gripped the wheel, and his face was locked in stone.

  As they neared town, Taggert finally turned to Greer. “What the fuck, Greer? When we left this morning, Emmy was fine. She seemed happy. What could possibly have happened? She’s visited Sean’s grave several times since she’s been back but she’s never taken off on us.”

  “I don’t know,” Greer said in frustration. “Let’s hope she’s at the motel.”

  ***

  An hour later, a cold sweat gripped Taggert’s entire body. Panic hovered, and it took everything he had not to give in to it. No one had seen Emily. Or Rand, for that matter. But if Rand had dropped her at the motel on the edge of town, he wouldn’t have gained a lot of notice. And if Emmy didn’t want attention drawn to herself, all she had to do was go the opposite way. But how?

  He met Greer back at the truck, helpless rage snaking through his veins.

  “What the hell do we do? No one’s seen her. She’s not in Creed’s Pass.”

  Greer’s face hardened, but Taggert could see the worry in his eyes.

  “Maybe she got a ride into Hodges. Hell, Tagg, I don’t know. I don’t understand any of this. It’s late and I don’t know what we should do. One of us should go back to the ranch in case she comes back. We don’t know if she planned to leave permanently or if she just got upset.”

  “Buck and Rand can wait up,” Taggert said. “You and I can keep looking for her. They’ll call if she shows up at the ranch.”

  “Tell them to sit on her if she shows,” Greer said in a low growl.

  “Let’s go find our girl,” Taggert said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dawn had long since come, bringing with it the grim realization that Emily was gone. Not just gone but vanished. For hours, Taggert and Greer had searched every conceivable location. They’d questioned motel owners, cab drivers, they’d gone to the airport and every spot in between. She simply wasn’t anywhere they looked.

  They both needed sleep, but they also knew that with each passing minute, Emily was further away. Hell, she could be across the entire country by now.

  “Maybe the best thing to do is go home and wait,” Taggert muttered. He was dead on his feet after a long day repairing a fence line and then all night spent searching for Emily.

  Greer didn’t look any better. He wore a haunted look that Taggert hadn’t seen since the night they’d been called with the news of Sean’s death.

  Greer raised a hand then let it fall to his side, his shoulders sagging.

  “She left us.”

  Taggert flinched at the betrayal in Greer’s voice. It was a feeling he’d tried damn hard not to experience himself, but how could he not? One minute Emily was pledging her love, her commitment to them, the next she had hotfooted it to parts unknown. The big question was why?

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Taggert said wearily.

  He climbed into the truck and turned home. They were several hours from the ranch. It would be afternoon before they got there. He was hungry, he needed a shower and he needed sleep. Mostly he needed Emily. In his arms. Back home where she belonged.

  “Nothing makes any goddamn sense,” Greer muttered as he slouched in the seat.

  The two didn’t talk on the drive home. They didn’t even look at each other. They stared out the window at the passing scenery, and Taggert focused relentlessly on the road.

  Why had she left?

  The question haunted Taggert. He couldn’t have been that wrong about Emmy. Not their Emmy.

  By the time he pulled up to the house, dusk had bathed the world in shadows and pale shades of lavender. Without a word, they got out and trudged inside where they were met by Buck and Rand.

  “No luck finding the girl?” Buck asked.

  Greer shook his head and continued on past the two men.

  “Get some rest. Both of you. We’ll look again in the morning. I’ll sit by the phone. If she calls, I’ll wake you up,” Buck said.

  Taggert raised his hand in acknowledgement and went up the stairs to his bedroom. His bed was still unmade, the covers twisted and shoved to the side. The fitted sheet had popped off and was dragged halfway across the bed. What the hell?

  Had Emily woken up in the midst of a nightmare? Had she been driven from bed by past demons, visited Sean’s grave and taken off on impulse?

  He stood by the bed, staring down at where he and Greer had made love to her just two nights ago. Where was she now?

  Not bothering to undress, he fell over the bed, eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow. He could smell her. He inhaled deeply and curled his fingers into the sheets.

  A few hours was all he needed. Then he’d find Emmy. He had to.

  ***

  Taggert woke with a start, unsure of what had disturbed him. Christ, it was light again already. How long had he slept? He rolled, wincing at the soreness in his muscles.

  A beam of reflected sunlight flashed across his window, and he frowned. The sound of a vehicle reached his ears.

  His pulse picked up a notch and he hurried to the window, lifting the slats of the blinds with one finger. His frown deepened when he saw Rand’s truck driving slowly down the driveway.

  An uneasy feeling slithered through his veins. Why did it bother him?

  Rand was the last to see Emily. Rand was the one who had taken her from the ranch. Into town. Where no one had seen her. Where the hell was he going right now? Could be nothing. But his gut was screaming.

  Responding to his gut, he raced down the stairs, not bothering to get Greer. He didn’t have time if he wasn’t going to lose Rand.

  He bounded off the front steps and threw himself into the truck, his fingers fumbling with the ignition before he ever got the door closed.

  He peeled out of the yard and hit the dirt drive with a cloud of dust billowing behind him. He forced himself to slow. Last thing he wanted was to get too close to Rand and spook him. And if Rand was doing a legitimate errand, he’d apologize later for the ugly suspicions that had suddenly taken root.

  Everything about Rand’s earlier demeanor took on new light. When he’d faced them with the news that Emily had left. Maybe he hadn’t been relu
ctant and worried about their reaction to her being gone. Maybe he was nervous because he was the cause of Emily’s disappearance.

  Nausea rose in his throat, and he forced himself not to succumb to the dark thoughts tormenting him.

  He caught sight of Rand up ahead and immediately slowed to allow Rand to take the corner. When he rounded the curve, he saw Rand pull out on the main road and head away from town.

  “Bastard,” Taggert whispered.

  If Rand was responsible for any harm or fright to Emily, Taggert would kill him.

  He kept good distance between them though it made him frantic to think of Rand getting to Emily so far ahead of him, but he couldn’t let Rand know he was on to him.

  And what if he’s doing something perfectly innocent?

  Then Taggert would be wrong, and hopefully Emily was safe wherever she was, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  For half an hour he followed Rand until he saw him turn off the road. Taggert immediately slowed and waited. What the hell was Rand doing out here? It was the middle of nowhere. Only rocks, hills and…caves.

  Oh shit. No. No, no, no.

  Taggert hit the gas and careened up the road to the spot where Rand had pulled off. He bumped over the rough terrain, his head hitting the ceiling. His hands slipped off the wheel but he grabbed on again and raced over the barely discernible trail.

  When he caught sight of Rand’s truck he no longer worried about discovery. He roared up and slammed on the brakes beside the other vehicle.

  Goddamn it, Rand was already gone from sight. No matter, he’d been up here plenty of times as a boy. There was only one real possibility as far as a cave. Or at least it was the only one he knew about, and he prayed Rand didn’t know of any others.

  He hurried around rocks, up the hill to where the boulders became larger and hid the entrance to the small cave. It couldn’t really be called a cave. It was more of an enclosure. An area dug out of the side of the hill with no path further into the earth.

  As he neared the carved out entrance between two rock outcroppings, he slowed, listening for Rand, for Emily, for any hint of activity.