“Fuck, we have to go. That little shit has her. He took her to town, and she doesn’t have a phone. God knows what he is doing to her or where the hell he took her.” Cooper was running out the door as Cash followed behind him. They both loaded their shotguns into the back of the truck as they watched the agents peel out of the drive, heading into town after informing them to stay behind. Fuck that, she was theirs to protect, their own. Cooper jumped into the driver’s seat and sped into town. On the way Cash called Sherriff Morris to inform him that they figured it out and were heading into town to get her. The sheriff volunteered to go get her, since he was right down the street. Both Cooper and Cash sent up a silent prayer that everything was going to be okay and that they didn’t lose her. God, they both loved her and needed her.
* * * *
Shopping was simple, as she only needed a few ingredients to make the men’s favorite lasagna. She just needed the right cheese, along with the lady fingers need to make a tiramisu to finish the Italian theme. She wanted to spoil the men since they had done so much for her and were stressing out over her safety. She was upset at first that they didn’t include her in the meeting, but after thinking about it, she would not be any good trying to help figure this situation out. For once in her life, she trusted the men to know what they both were doing.
She and Cheddar Bob talked about what he wanted to do with his life, and surprisingly he had informed her he had thought about going back to school to become a detective but was saving money until he had enough to go. She said he would do wonderfully, and if he needed a letter of reference, she would provide it for him. He was starting to grow on her, and she found she would soon have another friend in him. The groceries paid for, both of them headed outside to load up their goods. Then she heard sirens wailing and then saw the sheriff pulling into the parking lot. When the sheriff jumped out the car, aiming a gun at them, Riley froze at the sight, and so did Cheddar Bob.
“Riley, I want you to get into my cruiser and stay there,” the sheriff yelled at her. She was thrown for a minute. He started yelling at Cheddar Bob. What the hell is happening? She looked at the sheriff and knew not to ask any questions. He had shown sound judgment before. Granted, he had a rough exterior, but why was he yelling at Cheddar Bob?
“What’s wrong? Am I under arrest or something?” Riley asked. Riley was now pissed. Why the hell was he yelling at Cheddar Bob? He was just a damn kid. He didn’t do anything wrong. He just drove her because everyone was busy.
“No, Riley, it seems this fuck is the one behind the damn attacks and is working for the damn cartel. Trust me and get the fuck into the car, and I will take you home.” Astonished, Riley climbed into the back of the cruiser as the front held a box of paperwork. Sighing in relief that maybe they finally had some answers, she just watched. Soon the agents pulled into the parking lot and arrested Cheddar Bob. She couldn’t get her head around it. He could not be who they were looking for. She was putting her money on someone else, someone one who was in need of money. Riley had to get her head out of the books and back into reality. Shit, this was bad, but at least now she could move forward with her life.
The sheriff didn’t take long before he got into the car and started to drive. “You okay, Riley? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Wow, a caring sheriff, that’s a surprise.
“No, he didn’t do anything. Are you sure it was him? I mean, come on. He isn’t the type. Arg, just take me home and I’ll talk to Cash about it.” Riley sat in the back and pouted. She was now pissed. She knew Cheddar Bob was not the right person, but needed to make the sheriff see it. The sheriff let out a sigh and headed down the road when they both spotted the men driving up to them. They stopped in the middle of the road, and Cooper was the first to get to her and pull her into his arms. He kissed her head, her eyes, and her cheeks while he breathed in her scent. Cash ran up right behind her and started running his hands up and down her body, checking for any injuries.
“Kitten, talk to me. You okay. He didn’t do anything? Shit, I would have never thought it was him. I don’t know who to trust.” And he leaned in and kissed her lips while she turned in Cooper’s arms. She was safe, and Cash and Cooper felt their worry come down, but now someone they had trusted was behind it.
“Let’s take you home, darlin’,” Cooper said then turned to the sheriff. “Thanks, Rob, for getting to her in time. We owe you. I’ll provide all the information we found to the agents later this evening.”
Riley was lifted into the truck, still feeling a little lost with everything that had just happened. The drive home was quiet, oddly quiet for her. She felt a pang of sorrow for Cheddar Bob as he was a sweet kid. There had to me more to the story than him trying to hurt her.
The men had drawn her a bath while they both went down to speak with the agents about the information they had found. Soon the agents had left, stating they were going to tie up loose ends before heading out of town, if they had any questions.
Once in bed, both men lost themselves in her body, as did she to forget everything that had happened. Finally sated, she laid sprawled out on Cooper’s chest while Cash snuggled behind her. Riley was lazily playing with the lines on his chest when Cooper spoke. “I think I lost ten years thinking about losing you tonight, darlin’. I love you so damn much that it kills me to think of something bad happening to you.” He looked down into her eyes and saw her look of surprise.
Cash was the next to speak before Riley could reply. “I love you as well, kitten. I have never felt like this before. You have my heart in your tiny little hand. I would do anything for you, kitten, all you have to do is ask.”
Riley felt a tear roll down her cheek. “I love you, too. I love you both so much. I didn’t think it was possible for one person to love two others, but damned if I don’t. I guess I’m just damn lucky you found me.” She kissed both men. The kiss deepened, and again all three of them were lost in their passion.
Riley woke the next morning feeling slightly off balance, but chalked it up to all the sex they had last night. The men were insatiable, and she loved every minute of it. Heading downstairs, she made breakfast for the men before they headed out. She told them she needed to head into town again for her checkup to get her clean bill of health. Both men laughed, and Cash made his joke about wanting to use his own thermometer to take her temperature. She took the truck into town while she contemplated what was going to happen now to Cheddar Bob and her life.
Arriving at the doctor’s, Riley sat in the waiting room while she waited for the doctor. She was grateful she was alone at this point. She had a couple of question for the doctor. She was glad, in a way, that they were not with her, as she could not handle their overprotectiveness right now. He looked over her head where the lacerations had been and said she was good to go. Okay, now for the hard part. She assumed stress was the reason for her recent dizziness, and nothing more than that, but she’d rather be safe than sorry. He handed her the cup and she went into the bathroom to provide a sample. This small sample could change her life forever.
Riley sat staring at the test that held two faint lines on the stupid strip as it confirmed that she was definitely pregnant. How could she have been so stupid? She wanted children, but did the men? Crap, which one was the father? What was she going to do? Now she did feel sick, but excited. Now confirmed, she was going to wait a couple of days until things died down until she told the men. Until then, she made the doctor swear not to tell anyone. She could not risk this information getting out. She thanked the doctor and set another appointment for the ultrasound to determine how far along she was. She couldn’t be that far along. She could not believe how long she had been in Lucky. It felt like she just got here.
Driving home, Riley tried to think of a way to tell her men, but came up blank. She still needed to process all the information as well. Again, just like previous night, dinner was done and soon bedtime came. Riley was too tired to do anything but sleep. They tucked her in as she let sleep take her while she tr
ied to determine what she was going to do if they rejected her.
The next two mornings after the incident, the men seemed to have too much damn pep in their step for her. She told Cooper and Cash she was going to head into work and she would be fine. They both agreed, and Cooper took her into work and promised to pick her up when her day was over. The first day back, everything was quiet, but on the second day, Sam had stopped by to make sure she was okay while bringing her food. She was grateful it was a simple chef salad. The day was ending when a call came in. It was Cooper saying he was stuck trying to finish up that damn fence again. Someone came and broke it down once more, but it wasn’t an accident. They needed to wrangle up the last of the cattle and he couldn’t bring her home, but the sheriff could take her home. She agreed because she knew that losing the cattle at the ranch would cost some money. The day ended, and since Cheddar Bob was not the other deputy anymore, the office closed until the sheriff returned that night.
She went to sit in the front, but found it full of paperwork and boxes. Reluctantly she sat in the back of the cruiser. “Thank you for taking me home, sheriff,” Riley stated politely as he slipped into the driver’s seat after readjusting the rearview mirrors.
“Well, now, Riley dear, that is going to be an issue. You’re not going home tonight or any other night. You see the little trap I have been working on with messing up the fuckin’ fence will keep them on their toes for cattle thieves.” He snickered and took another drink from his Coke. It didn’t smell like Coke now that she was sitting in a confined space. The smell was almost sickly sweet. Fuck, he’s drinking. What they hell is wrong with him? That was when it hit her. It had been him the whole time, and she played into his plan just the way he had set it up.
“Why? I want to know why you are doing this. I thought the Jacksons were your friends. What the hell did I do to you? Are you being blackmailed? Come on. You’re a good man, a law man. Why?” Riley raised her voice at the last request. She was somewhere between panic and pissed as she saw the road passing to the house. Fuck, what was she going to do?
“Well, little girl, if you must know, I need the fucking money. Do you know what types of people are after me? One fucking wrong hand in poker and it is all goes to hell in a handbasket. I have my order, which is to hand you over. Personally, I can’t wait to get the hell out of this shit hole of a town. How the hell these people can share a one fuckin’ women is beyond me. I can’t stand to share, but then again, the women who are in this town are all whores. Just like my damn ex-wife. She has eaten more balls than a damn Hungry Hungry Hippos game. She finally fucked the right man with money and got the fuck out of town. Now for you, little girl, I suggest you shut the fuck up and we will get along just fine.” Now what the hell was she going to do? She was stuck in the back of a god damn cruiser that did not open from the inside. Fuck!
* * * *
Cooper couldn’t believe what he and Cash were seeing. They had set up a camera after the first issue with the damn fence, but never thought too much of it until it happened again. Cash had a gut feeling something wasn’t right with this whole setup. That was when he decided to play the recording. The fucking sheriff had cut the damn fence, but why? He went into the sheriff’s office to try to catch him and Riley before the end of the day. Cooper and Cash had called the agents while driving to see if they got anything from Cheddar Bob, but found the kid knew nothing. Something didn’t sit right. It was all too damn easy. The door to the office was closed, and Cooper used the key to let them in. They tried to call the sheriff, but got no response. Where the fuck was he? Cash went into the sheriff’s office and opened up his computer. All the evidence pointing Cheddar Bob was lined up too neatly for him. It was like someone set a trail of bread crumbs to follow, and they were mice just following the road.
He started hitting a few keys and then found what he was looking for. The sheriff was the one who had been in contact with the cartel. He had paperwork that showed Cheddar Bob’s signature on the account forms, but he bet the damn kid didn’t even know what the hell he was signing. He knew it wasn’t the kid’s. It had to be someone else’s. How could they not see that? The sheriff was a loner, and since his wife left, he had gone downhill. Cash told the agents what he found, and now they had to figure out where he would take Riley. It had to be somewhere close to drive but far enough away to get a chopper in and out without anyone in town noticing. There was a cabin in the hills that was used by the forest rangers for survival training. It was right on the border and not many people were allowed up there unless they had clearance, and the fucker did. Damn it. He had a good two hours on them. It would get dark soon, and trying to navigate through the woods was treacherous. The sheriff wouldn’t be able to get her out to them tonight, so the chopper should be landing sometime tomorrow. He called the agents and filled them in with the information he had found. Now he had to go and save his woman before it was too late.
“Found the location,” Cash stated as he started loading up the guns from the gun case in the office. They all started creating a plan to get her back. Now he just hoped they could do it before something happened to her again.
* * * *
Riley took deep breaths as tears trickled down her eyes. She felt it was best if she didn’t say anything for now, and when she got to where they were going, she would try to find a way to get free. They turned into a secluded turn off in the middle of nowhere. She tried to find landmarks so she could find her way back, but each tree looked the same. At this point if she just ran, she would find a way. After another thirty minutes, the car came to a stop at a rundown cabin surrounded by again more trees. The sheriff pulled her out of the back and dragged her with him into the cabin. The door creaked open. Riley was shoved inside, causing her to trip and fall. She fell on the wood floor and scraped up her knees and hands to keep from hitting her face.
He grabbed her by her hair and yanked. “Get up, bitch.” And he dragged her into another room. This one was the bedroom. It was small. It contained an iron bed, a nightstand, and a dresser with four drawers. He took his handcuffs out of his back belt, cuffed her left hand to the old bed frame, and turned to leave.
“Wait, I have to use the bathroom,” stated Riley, trying to find another way out before he left her alone.
“Fine, but make it quick,” he said and uncuffed her. She knew she should try to push him away, but knew that he could easily overpower her, so she was going to have to outsmart him. He pointed to another room she assumed was the bathroom, and she went inside. The smell was enough to ask if she could just go outside. It was like something had died in the pipes and was left there to rot. She held her breath, trying to breathe through her mouth while she looked for something to get her out. There was a tiny window she could use. As she went to open it, he banged in the door. “Hurry the fuck up or I’m coming in there.” Shit, she didn’t have time. She looked around the floor and found a piece a wire. It wouldn’t work as a weapon, but she could use it to try to pick the lock of the cuffs. She slid it into her pocket, flushed to toilet for effect, and opened the door. He grabbed her arm and again cuffed her to the bed and left the room.
It was still dusk outside, so it had to be about five or six in the evening. She could hear him banging pots in the kitchen, making something. Soon the house smelled of burnt cheese and slightly of overcooked soup. She sat on the bed and pulled out the wire and tried to start on the lock. She was lucky the wire fit into the hole. She kept working at it, but it wasn’t doing any good. Damn, she needed another plan. She looked around the room for something else when he came walking in with a food tray that looked like it held a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. He set it down and left without a word. She was grateful he had given her some water, as she was parched. She half chugged the water and tried to eat whatever he called food. She got about half of it down before her stomach started to act up. Was it too early to have morning sickness? Nope, not going to happen here. She lay on the bed, hoping the nausea would pass.
* * * *
“Yeah, I got her. Just send the damn chopper in the morning. I put something in her food so she won’t fight me tonight, and she should be out until she gets the fuck out of here. Now I want my damn money. No money, no girl. That was the deal. Great, nice doing business with you.” The sheriff was now happy that this shit was finally coming to an end. The dumb fucks back in town had everything they needed to convict Cheddar Bob. Stupid kid signed the papers so he could open the damn account that he knew nothing about. It was like taking candy from a baby, but in this case it was money. He laughed and finished his dinner before turning in for the night.
* * * *
Riley knew he had to have put something in her food or drink because the room was spinning. She threw up a good chunk of her food, but she was still feeling the effects. She looked at the window and noticed night was upon her and a loud snore was coming from the other room. He must be passed out. Riley did her best to try to wiggle out of the cuff. It wasn’t that tight. She tried to move the bar holding her and noticed it was not budging. She pulled on the cuffs, and her wrist started to bleed. Well, if she was going to get the hell out of here, she would cut off her own arms if she had to. She tugged and tugged. The blood pooled around her wrist, making it easier for her to slide her hand out. One more large pull on the cuff and she was free. Her wrist hurt like a bitch and was bleeding pretty badly, but she was free. She ripped part of her shirt and wrapped it to try to slow the bleeding. Running to the bathroom, she ran to the window and opened it. It was small and in a weird location, but she would be able to get out if she just stood on the toilet. She climbed up and got half her body out when the top lid of the toilet fell to the floor, creating a large crash. Riley pushed herself out the window as quickly as she could and fell to the ground, landing hard. She heard the bedroom door bang open and the sheriff cussing up a storm.
Just Her Luck [Lucky, Montana] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 10