by S. E. Smith
Hayden’s face turned a dark red as he stared at the ring on his sister’s finger. A sharp command stopped him when he took a menacing step toward her. Instead, she found her hand captured by the man Hayden had introduced as Jerry.
A dark smile curved his lips, as he studied the ring. “You are worth more than this thin piece of gold,” he said glancing over to where Hayden stood in indecision. “You were not lying about your sister’s beauty. Even under the dirt, I can see it,” he said in amusement. He released her hand, capturing a strand of her hair between the long, slender digits. “I like the fire in your eyes. I wonder if you are as passionate in bed.”
Indy gave him a nasty smile. “You haven’t seen fire yet, asshole. Now, let go of my hair or you’ll be eating your balls for dinner,” she snarled.
Jerry chuckled as he withdrew his hand. Only he didn’t let it drop to his side like Indy thought he would. Instead, he backhanded her sharply across her cheek. The blow sent her stumbling sideways and falling to her hands and knees. She put her hand to her mouth, tasting blood from when the inside of her lip busted from the blow. The two men near the door took a step forward when Hayden yelled out a protest. Rodgers just stood frozen, his eyes focused on the man who had hit her.
“You sorry-ass son-of-a-bitch,” Indy said rising up to stand trembling before him as she put the back of her hand to her mouth. “If you ever hit me again, I’ll gut you the first opportunity I get!” She threatened, lowering her hand and clenching her fists tightly.
Jerry chuckled again. “Such fire,” he said, nodding in approval. “Yes, it will be interesting to see it while I’m fucking you.” He turned to look at Hayden who had paled considerably. “I am disappointed she is not the virgin I was promised but I won’t take that out on you, Hayden. You can expect my support in the upcoming race,” he said smugly. “Pour us a drink and we can discuss the finer details while your sister gets cleaned up. I hope you bought her something in red. I do love the color,” he added moving to sit down on one of the plush chairs near the windows.
Indy stood shaking as she stared at the man in disbelief. She opened her mouth to tell him what he could do with his likes when she felt the sudden pressure on her shoulder, warning her to be quiet. She turned to look at Rodgers who shook his head briefly at her, a dark warning in his eyes for her to remain quiet.
“I’ll make sure she is ready for you,” Rodgers said with a nod to his head. “Move it,” he snapped out in a tone that warned her not to disagree.
Indy glanced at her brother one more time but he refused to look her way. Whatever he had done, he was now in too deep to get out of it. She started toward the door before she turned to look at him one last time.
“Hayden,” she called out softly, waiting for him to acknowledge her. When he turned his head at last, she stared coldly into his eyes. “I hope you enjoy the prison cell you are going to end up in. You are no longer my brother. Family doesn’t sell out family. Ever!” She said before she turned, stiffening her shoulders before she walked quietly out the door.
Chapter 16
Jonathan let out a loud curse while Jacob bent over the bag he was holding and tried to breath through the nausea. It would appear they did ‘fly’ in this time. When Allie had driven to a tall building set off a ways from the ranch earlier this morning, neither one of them could figure out what in the hell was going on. She had parked outside a large, metal building. An older man came out with a grin on his face and spoke briefly to Allie who nodded. She had told him and Jacob to stay put while she did a ‘flight check’. Since neither one knew what she was talking about they chatted for a few minutes with the man called Allen. He explained he was a mechanic and worked on just about anything on the Whitewater ranch that needed fixing. He joked with them for a while, telling them different stories of some of the mishaps that had happened over the years. Jonathan had just nodded his head listening with half an ear while Jacob kept glancing toward the building. Jonathan suspected his brother wanted to know what Allie was doing. After a few minutes, Allen's cell phone rang. He talked for a couple of minutes into it before he hung up with a sigh. He told them he needed to head out, that one of the tractors had broken down and the guys couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Jonathan watched as the old man climbed into an old blue, dull looking truck and drove away.
“I don't know how they can talk into little boxes and someone can be on the other end and hear what they are saying. I know it would be handy but I like seeing the person's face when I'm talking to them. That way I know if they are telling me the truth or not,” Jacob said leaning back against the silver truck. “Sam said that Indy’s brother took her to his place in California,” he said with a frown on his face. “I don’t know how he expects us to meet up with this man, Trey, at noon today. It would take us weeks of hard riding to get there and that’s if we don’t run into anything.”
“It wouldn't if we go in one of these metal wagons,” Jonathan said, tapping the truck with his knuckle. “You saw how fast it can go and with the black roads they have, it shouldn’t be that hard of a journey.” Jacob opened his mouth to respond but Allie stuck her head out of a side door and called them.
“You guys ready to go?” Allie said, pressing a button so the door to the hanger would open. “The planes ready and my flight plans are filed. We’re wasting daylight,” she called out over the rumble of the door.
Jonathan and Jacob had both been puzzled and leery as they got their first view of the metal wagon Allie called a ‘plane’. It was shaped a lot differently than the other vehicles they had seen so far. She opened the door to the Cessna Turbostation and motioned for them to climb in. It was a roomy, single prop plane that could carry up to six passengers. Allie stood aside and waited as the two men approached the plane with a worried frown on their face.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Allie said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m a damn good pilot.”
“Yeah well, I hope you really are better at driving this thing than you were the other one,” Jacob said jerking his head toward her pickup truck. “You damn near hit another metal wagon yesterday,” he added with a snort.
Jonathan decided that was probably not the best comment to make before they all piled in the metal beast. He reached for one of the little bags that Allie pointed to shortly before she jammed the black things over their ears. He couldn’t help but think some of the rocking and rolling was due to Jacob’s comment about her driving. Both of them had been alright until the damn thing started to lift off the ground. The moment it did that, they were both cursing loudly before the praying began. A chilled sweat coated his forehead as he tried to breathe deeply through his nose. Jacob sat beside him, muttering the Lord's prayer and every other prayer their momma had taught them when they were little.
Allie’s giggle reached both of them through the black device they had over their ears. “You both can open your eyes. If you want, I can give you a little bit of information about what we are flying over. It might take your minds off the fact you're both scared shitless of flying,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “I’ve made this flight hundreds of times since I was about twelve. Papa used to let me fly some. He said it was a good thing to know in case something happened to him. I got my pilot’s license by the time I was sixteen and have been making trips a couple of times a month to different places, checking out the horses for the ranch or going to cattle sales. I haven’t crashed – yet.” She couldn’t resist adding that last part.
Jonathan’s throat worked up and down as he stared out the window at the ground far, far below them. He heard Jacob’s swift draw of breath before his brother pushed his nose against the glass in fascination.
“Where are we?” Jacob asked in an awed voice.
“We’re skirting Yellowstone before heading down to Salt Lake City, Utah. I have to drop something off and we’ll refuel before heading down to Las Vegas for another refuel then Los Angeles. We’ll do the same on the way back. It is almost twelve hun
dred miles and we'll be reaching speeds of 174 mph. We should be there around noon – one o’clock at the latest- if all goes well,” Allie replied.
“Twelve hundred miles,” Jacob said under his breath looking at Jonathan with a shake of his head. “This is unbelievable.”
Allie laughed and gave them both a strange look. “Haven’t either one of you ever flown before?”
Both of them shook their head and looked back out the window. Allie spent the time between the stops giving them an overview of the landscape and the history of the regions as they flew. Jonathan was amazed at the huge salt deposit outside of Salt Lake City. Neither one of them knew what to think of Las Vegas as they flew over. Whoever would have thought that such a large city could exist in the middle of a desert? Both men climbed out to use the restroom while Allie took care of the refueling. She rolled her eyes when Jacob came back to the plane with both hands filled with quarters from the machine in the bathroom.
“I think that one is mine,” Jonathan said, plucking one of the quarters that threatened to spill out onto the runway.
“It is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Well, except for the silver wagon and this flying machine and the lights that come on without a flame and the water out of the wall,” Jacob was saying excitedly. “Who would have thought a machine would give you money if you pull on its arm?”
“It doesn’t always,” Allie replied buckling back up. “Guess you guys live pretty rustic lives back home?” She asked as she glanced down at the checklist in her hands.
“Yes, you could say that,” Jonathan replied looking at his brother whose face suddenly closed up. “But, we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Allie looked up and raised an eyebrow when she heard the defensive tone in his voice. “I know what you mean. All this could disappear tomorrow and I wouldn’t miss it. I love to fly but to live where….” Her voice faded as she shook her head.
Jonathan smiled at the intense look on Jacob’s face as he studied Allie for a moment before a small smile curved his brother’s lips. Jonathan watched as Jacob nodded to him before sitting back in his seat. He knew his brother would enjoy this time as much as he could but he had no doubt where Jacob’s heart lay. He could only hope that his brother wouldn’t be alone for much longer.
*.*.*
Indy shivered as she waited in the bedroom of Hayden’s townhouse. The guards had been posted at the door all night. She had tried to sneak out but they had blocked her way before she had even taken more than a couple of steps. She had spent most of the night pacing before she barricaded the door with a large dresser to make sure no one could come in while she took a quick shower. She had finally fallen into an uneasy sleep just before dawn. Her heart ached at what Jonathan must be thinking. She hoped Cal and Jake let him know that she would not have gone if she could help it. She also worried about if she would be able to return. Her chest hurt so bad from the thought of never seeing him again that she had to sit for a moment to catch her breath.
No, she thought fiercely. I will see him again. I will get back to him. I will not give up!
She jumped up off the bed when a loud knock sounded on the door. She looked down at the glittering red dress that had been laid out for her and grinned with devious delight. There wasn’t much left of it. She had shredded it last night as soon as she had seen it. After taking her frustration and anger out on the dress, she had washed out her undergarments. Luckily, they had dried during the night. Now, she wore them under her dirty jeans and top. She would be damned if she would dress up like some Barbie doll for a dirty old man.
“Unless you are letting me walk out of here you can go to hell,” she yelled out, standing near the window.
“Open the door, Indiana,” Hayden growled out. “You can’t stay in there forever.”
“I don’t need to stay in here forever,” she yelled back. “Only until Jonathan or the police come. If you have the police out there with you I might consider opening it.”
She heard muffled voices on the other side of the door before Jerry Hammock’s deep, menacing voice sounded. “Open the door now, Indiana, and I might not get too upset with you.”
“Go fuck yourself,” she snarled back. “Or better yet, go fuck Hayden. He seems to want to be in bed with you.”
A shiver went down her spine when she heard a low order given right before the door shook. She moved toward the bathroom as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the room. A few minutes later, a hole opened up large enough for a hand to appear. Indy decided another door between her and the force of the men breaking through into the room might be wise. She bolted for the bathroom wishing Jonathan was there to help her.
“Damn it,” Hayden’s voice echoed as she slammed and locked the bathroom door. “Indiana, you might as well give up.”
“Never!” She called out, sliding down and bracing her legs against the wall.
It wouldn't help much but it was better than nothing. The flimsy lock on the bathroom door wouldn't hold anyone out for long. She let out a whimper when the door shook and the lock shattered from the kick on the other side. She slid forward a little and immediately scooted back, pressing as hard as she could against the door. Another hard kick and the added weight of the muscular shoulders of Hammock’s bodyguards were more than her slender body could hold back. No matter how hard she tried to keep her weight against the door, she was still being pushed forward.
“No!” She wailed in anger, fear, and frustration as one of the men squeezed through the opening and lifted her body off the floor.
“I’ve had enough of this,” Hammock bit out coldly. “Drug her.”
“No!” Indy screamed out again, this time louder as she began struggling fiercely to break free of the tight arms around her. “Hayden, you have to help me! You can’t do this!” She cried, tears running down her face. “You can’t do this.”
Hayden stood near the door of the bedroom. His face was pale but resolved. He was too far indebted to stop the events from unfurling. If he tried, he would not only lose his chance at the Senate but possibly his life. He had signed a contract with the devil in exchange for his soul and the devil had come to collect.
Her eyes moved from her brother to Rodgers who was standing silently beside the man holding her. He refused to meet her gaze, instead his eyes were fixed on Hammock. She was suddenly overwhelmed with everything that was happening and the depth of her brother's betrayal.
“I’m sorry, Indiana,” Hayden said quietly. “If you don’t fight, things might go easier on you. He’s a rich man. He can buy you anything you want.”
Indiana stood still for just a moment as her brother's words sunk in. The bodyguard who was standing near the door came toward her with a hypodermic needle filled with a sedative in his hand. Something inside Indy exploded as the unfairness of having found love, only to brutally lose it, swept through her in a crushing wave of fury. She burst out in violence as the wave reached its peak inside her. Slamming her head back against the bodyguard holding her, she caught him off guard when she had calmed for just that brief moment. She felt the pain exploding in the back of her head at the same time as she heard the crunch of his nose breaking from the force of the blow. His arms loosened around her and she broke free, kicking out her leg at the other guard. Her foot caught the arm holding the needle and it went flying across the room. She rolled under his outstretched arms even as Hammock roared out for Rodgers to grab her. Indy continued rolling before jumping to her feet. She had only taken a few steps when Hayden stepped in front of her. She didn’t think twice about raising her knee and slamming it as hard as she could into his groin. His strangled cry echoed through the room even as his knees hit the floor. He fell forward clutching his balls in agony.
Indy thought she might actually make it out of the room. She would have if Hayden hadn’t gotten in her way, delaying her escape. Those few precious seconds gave Hammock just enough time to come up behind her and grab her by her long hair. He jerked her around r
oughly, wrapping his fist tightly in the silky strands and pulling until her head was bent sideways, forcing her to look at him.
“You have been a very, very naughty girl,” he tsked out coldly. “I am going to enjoy beating you. You will learn to obey or you will pay for your disobedience.”
“You sick bastard,” Indy choked out hoarsely. “You’ll never get away with it. My husband will find me and when he does he’ll kill your ass.”
Hammock laughed and twisted her hair even harder in his fist, making her cry out and drop to her knees. “Silly little twit, if your husband shows up he’ll end up dead just like the last bitch who got in my way. He’ll meet with a tragic accident and I will be there to help his grieving widow,” he whispered with a cruel grin.
“Really?” Indy asked huskily. “You forgot one thing, though,” she whispered as he pulled her up by her hair until she was standing in front of him.
“And what’s that?” Hammock asked with a raised eyebrow.
“This,” Indy muttered shoving the syringe into his side and depressing it. “Sleep tight, asshole. When you wake up I'll be long gone.”
Hammock’s eyes widened in disbelief even as his legs trembled then collapsed under him. Indy pushed his body away from her and scrambled over Hayden who was still moaning on the floor. She didn’t even look back as she rushed out of the townhouse. The elevator opened at the same time as she was running for it. She slid to a stop, losing her balance and falling to the floor. A cry ripped from her throat as four figures poured out of it, rushing toward her.
Chapter 17
Trey Randall waited while the Cessna Stationair taxied to the hanger. He pushed off from the side of the dark green SUV he was leaning against, folding his arms across his chest as he waited for Allie and her passengers to disembark. When Sam had called him late last night, calling in a favor Trey owed him, he knew it must be serious. After Sam explained what was going on, he realized it was more than serious, it was going to be explosive. Trey worked in the local FBI office and had been following a possible lead on corruption, bribery, and the murder of one of their fellow agents. He had been shocked when Sam mentioned Hayden Wild. While the prominent attorney had a squeaky clean record so far, the man he was dealing with did not.