As she led Titan back into the kitchen and used his leash to secure him to a leg of the table, she passed close enough to Harold to catch his eye and whisper, “Chapel.”
Would he understand? Would he remember their recent foray into the Lost Woods and the shoot-out next to the old church...and put two and two together?
She yearned to say more, to explain that she intended to lead her captor on a snipe hunt in the vicinity of the graveyard. However, if she tried to say more, Lamont was liable to overhear and shoot poor Harold just to keep him from sending help. No. She’d have to be satisfied with that one word and trust the Lord to supply the rest.
I do trust God, I really do. I’m just so scared right now. And so worried about Jackson. What if he comes after me and is killed? What then? How will I go on without him?
That was the moment Nicki finally admitted how she truly felt, how much she cared, how deeply she’d fallen in love in spite of the determination to remain unaffected.
Hints of those feelings had tickled at the edges of her mind for days, almost since the first time she’d laid eyes on the handsome Texan, but she’d attributed them to extenuating circumstances rather than seeing them for what they were.
And now? Now, she was sure. She loved the K-9 cop and she cared nearly as much about his dog and his uncle, although obviously not in the same ways.
The hard muzzle of the silver pistol against her spine triggered another wordless prayer. Another silent plea for deliverance. For a way out of this.
As her thoughts spun and her stomach churned, Nicki pictured herself emerging triumphant. She had always had a good imagination. This time, she hoped her dreams would become reality because those nearest and dearest to her were counting on her to think her way out of this dilemma.
And fast.
* * *
There was no sign of life when Jackson skidded to a stop between the rear of the house and the barn. Not even Titan greeted him.
He stiffened, drawing his gun and dropping into a crouch. A mare was tied by a halter rope to a metal stanchion next to the nearest corral. Her head was hanging low, but she didn’t seem distressed, other than perhaps being a little weary.
Edging closer, Jackson saw brushes and combs near the horse’s feet, indicating that someone had been grooming her. So where was everybody now?
Circling the patrol SUV, he slowly approached the kitchen door. It was closed in spite of the warm afternoon. Something was amiss. He could feel it. Sense it. But what?
His hand grasped the knob and turned it slowly. The hinges moved an inch and squeaked.
Jackson froze. He could call out now and announce his arrival, or wait to see what lay on the other side of this door. Since no one had answered his telephone calls, he supposed Harold and Nicki could have gone to the grocery store or something innocent like that...but his instincts kept screaming, Danger!
Crouching to present a smaller target, Jackson gave the door a push with his fingertips. The noisy hinges wailed.
He heard a low growl.
“Titan? Is that you?”
The big, black dog barreled into him, trailing half of a chewed leash. The response nearly knocked Jackson onto his back pockets.
Looking past his overzealous dog and ordering him “off,” Jackson spotted his uncle. Harold wasn’t merely seated in one of the kitchen chairs, he was lashed to it.
With his sidearm at the ready, Jackson crossed to him. “What happened? Is the perp still here?”
Harold shook his head, his eyes unusually misty. “No. He’s long gone. He took Nicki.”
“What?” Jackson holstered his weapon then severed the cord with quick, strong swipes of a knife blade. “Who grabbed her...and why?”
The older man got stiffly to his feet and spoke while he rubbed his throbbing wrists. “It was some businessman named Gunther Lamont. He took her at gunpoint. There was nothing I could do after he got the drop on me.” After describing the gunman down to the littlest detail, Harold began to pace. “I should have known better. He said his car quit out on the road. He looked so friendly, so harmless, I let my guard down and he got the drop on me like I was a green recruit.”
“Do you know where he took her?”
“I think so.”
Jackson was already on the handheld radio, explaining to dispatch what he’d found and asking for assistance. He said, “Hold on and I’ll tell you more,” before looking to his uncle again.
“She was talking about a secret code she and Arianna used to play with when they were kids. I don’t know if she meant it or if she was making up the story as she went along, but she told me she was going back to the chapel in the Lost Woods. That’s all I really know.”
“Lost Woods. Cemetery,” Jackson shouted into the radio. “Silent approach. Code 3 but no sirens. Got that?”
Dispatch said, “Affirmative. Anything else?”
“Yes. The subject is Gunther Lamont. Heavyset white male about fifty. Dressed in a Western-tailored gray suit. Armed and dangerous. He has a hostage. Nicolette Johnson. She managed to let Harold know where they were headed but that’s all I know for sure.”
“Captain McNeal says we’ll also send Austin and his bloodhound, just in case you need them for tracking. ETA approximately thirty.”
“I can be there in half that time. If I spot them I’ll leave my cruiser where the approaching units can see it and proceed on foot.”
He ended the conversation before anyone had a chance to order him to wait. He was not waiting for anybody or anything. Not on your life. Or, in this case, on Nicki’s life.
“I’m coming with you,” Harold yelled as Jackson and Titan raced for the police SUV.
“Follow in the truck,” Jackson shouted over his shoulder. “And grab my hunting rifle.”
“Gotcha. Be careful, son.”
Jackson was beyond heeding any warnings. Nicki had been kidnapped. On his watch—even though he had been called away. This should never have happened. It was his fault as much as Harold’s. He should never have left her. Never have gone to town without taking her along.
Titan dived into his crate, and Jackson slammed the door. When so many threats against her had taken the form of bombs, he had never dreamed that a person would show up at the ranch and literally abduct her. Especially not someone as seemingly far removed from crime as Gunther Lamont was. The guy had a financial interest in half the businesses in town, as well as being active in the Chamber of Commerce and several service clubs. A man like that didn’t go around kidnapping innocent women. It just didn’t happen.
Only it had, hadn’t it? Nicki was gone, and Lamont had taken her.
Jackson’s hands clamped on the steering wheel, his boot pressing the gas pedal to the floor as he roared away from the ranch.
Was it possible he had misjudged her? Could she have actually known about a secret code all this time and not confided in him? He didn’t want to doubt her, didn’t want to even think such a thing. Yet, there it was. Harold had heard her mention a code with his own ears.
Okay. One thing at a time, Jackson told himself. First, he would find Nicki and get her away from Lamont. Then he’d ask her why she’d waited so long to open up about her cousin. It was a fair question. And when he looked into her eyes, he’d know if she was being truthful.
Right now, right here, his heart was telling him that Nicki was every bit as law-abiding as he was. Until somebody showed him otherwise, he was going to trust her.
How much?
Jackson gritted his teeth. With his life.
SEVENTEEN
Long shadows made the Lost Woods seem even more frightening than Nicki remembered, and that was saying a lot in view of the fact that the last time she had been there she had fallen over a stiff, icy body and an open grave.
Her kidnapper had strapped her in with her seat belt, then tied her hands by binding her wrists, making it impossible for her to reach the belt release, let alone open the door and throw herself out. Not that she would have
. She and her baby had already come through enough trauma to last the entire pregnancy. She wasn’t about to endanger her unborn child’s life by leaping from a moving vehicle.
Fervent, constant prayer had been her main objective since this ordeal began. When there was nothing she could do for herself, when all avenues of escape had been cut off, she had naturally turned to the Lord.
Somewhere in the Bible it said to “pray without ceasing” and she could certainly see the point in doing so. She knew she didn’t have to be on her knees with her hands folded to speak to God. Nor was piousness necessary. She simply let her heart, her mind, call out with abandon to her heavenly Father.
Unshed tears blurred Nicki’s vision. When she blinked they slid silently down her cheeks.
The man behind the wheel of the silver Mercedes was so flushed she wondered if he was going to have a heart attack. Would God save her that way? Maybe. There were certainly plenty of examples in the Bible of Him smiting the enemies of his earthly children.
Gunther Lamont glanced over at her. “What are you staring at?”
“Uh...do you feel okay? Your face is really red. I’d hate to be in a wreck if you had a heart attack or something.”
His chortle was choked and far from humorous, although Nicki imagined he’d meant to sound amused. “I feel just fine. And I’ll feel even better once you show me where to look.”
“I suppose you brought a shovel?”
Muttered curses were the reply. “Never mind the details. Once I see what I need, I’ll take care of getting the right tools.” A sinister grin lifted the corners of his lips, his smile finally reaching his eyes.
Nicki wondered why his mood had lightened. She didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“You just told me half of what I need to know,” Lamont said. “I’d been wondering if they’d used one of the crypts, especially if they were in a hurry. Now I know the stash is buried. Thanks.”
She shook her head slowly. The man was clearly deranged, at the end of his rope. Desperate. Although the reason for such great anxiety on his part remained unknown.
Nicki leaned back against the butter-soft leather of the luxury car’s seat and took deep, settling breaths. The only way she was going to get through this was to keep calm and cool, particularly since her captor was so close to losing control of his emotions. The way she saw it, the more frantic he became, the better her chances of escape, no matter how critical her situation was.
Irony touched at the edges of her mind. Here she sat, kidnapped and in danger of being murdered, and she had just pictured herself wearing a long, white robe and standing with Daniel in the lion’s den of the Bible.
Was that so strange? Nicki wondered. Perhaps the Lord was giving her that idea so she’d know to stand firm and not be too frightened.
She huffed. Yeah. And maybe her brain was playing tricks on her as a method of survival. It really didn’t matter which was true, or if either notion was logical. All she was certain of was that she was in deep, deep trouble.
Given those parameters, right now, right here, she’d even have welcomed help from Bobby Lee.
That notion struck her as so ludicrous she had to smile. A guy like Bobby Lee would take one look at that gun and hit the trail for parts unknown. As a matter of fact, he had, with far less incentive. Good riddance. Any lingering affection she might have felt for her ex had vanished when she’d realized what real love was like.
It was personified in Jackson Worth.
Nicki simply prayed that she would live long enough to tell him.
* * *
The dirt road into the Lost Woods was rutted and bumpy. Since the recent rain it was more muddy than powdery, so Jackson didn’t have the benefit of seeing dust clouds ahead to tell him if he was on the right track.
He gritted his teeth. He had to be correct. The alternative was to lose Nicki forever...and he was not going to accept that. Not while he still had breath in his body.
“Father, help me. Help us. Show me the way. Please, God. I have to find her.”
Would Titan track her? he wondered. It was possible since she and the dog had bonded so well. The big, affectionate Lab had not been trained to find people, but he was enamored with Nicki so maybe he’d follow her scent.
Titan wasn’t the only one who loved that woman, Jackson reminded himself, growing more convinced by the mile. They hadn’t known each other nearly as long as he had known a few others he had thought about marrying like Nancy or Ann, yet he and Nicki had clicked in ways he had only dreamed of in the past. She was more than special. She was perfect. At least for him.
He slowed the SUV as they approached the cemetery. Having been there so recently, he was aware of where to park so he wouldn’t be seen, and it dawned on him that he had actually been prepared for this very moment. His prayers had been answered long before he’d even prayed them!
Encouraged by that conclusion, Jackson killed the engine, climbed out quietly and circled to get his dog. Titan seemed to understand the need for silence because he didn’t bark, didn’t even whine.
“Good boy,” Jackson whispered, signaling him to jump down. “Come on. Let’s find Nicki.”
Confused at first, the Lab circled at the end of the long lead and sniffed the dirt. Then he wagged his tail and looked to Jackson.
“I don’t know where she is, boy. But we’ll find her. I know we will,” he said softly.
In the distance a motor revved, then fell silent. Praise the Lord. He had stopped his own vehicle just in time to keep from being overheard the same way. Score one for the good guys.
Gathering all but about ten feet of the braided nylon lead, Jackson started down the narrow road toward the chapel and adjoining cemetery. Since there had been so much official traffic through there due to the Jones disinterment investigation, it was impossible to be certain about fresh tire tracks.
Pausing and crouching, Jackson pointed to what he thought might be the ruts left by their quarry.
By his side, Titan put his nose to the ground and snuffled. Then he raised his broad head and sniffed the air.
“Nicki?” Jackson whispered. “Can you find Nicki?”
Whether or not the dog understood was a moot point. As soon as Jackson straightened, Titan took off in the direction they’d been traveling.
A jumble of unspoken prayers and confusing possibilities filled Jackson’s mind as he trotted after his canine partner.
We’ll be in time, he kept insisting. We’ll save her. We have to. The alternative was unthinkable.
* * *
Dragging Nicki out of the car increased Lamont’s labored breathing. She didn’t help him by moving easily, hoping that the more he was forced to struggle, the better her chances were of eventually getting away.
“All right. We’re here. Now start pacing it off.”
“I have to begin in exactly the right place or it won’t work,” Nicki insisted.
She took in their surroundings, noting that the sun was nearly set. If she could delay long enough for night to fall, the darkness would give her a better chance to escape unscathed.
“Well, hurry it up. We haven’t got all night.”
Ah, but we do, Nicki thought, continuing to make circuitous advances toward the abandoned chapel as if searching the ground for the ideal spot. The longer I can stall, the more chance there is that help will arrive.
Was that a foolish fantasy? She didn’t think so. After all, Jackson wasn’t planning to stay in town long, and he’d surely be home in time to enjoy one of her special evening meals. Therefore, he should discover Harold soon and learn what was happening from him.
And then he’d come after her, she thought, smiling slightly in spite of her tenuous situation.
Off to one side, Gunther Lamont still had his pistol trained on her. He gestured with it. “Find the right place soon, or I’ll kill you, anyway.”
Another intonation echoed from the direction of one of the nearby crypts, making Nicki gasp.
&nb
sp; It wasn’t Jackson, as she had initially hoped. Matter of fact, the voice didn’t even sound human as it said, “You’re a fool.”
Did he mean her? Or was he speaking to her captor? The instant she made eye contact with Gunther Lamont, she knew that answer. The speaker was not only addressing her kidnapper, Lamont was frightened so badly he’d forgotten himself and lowered his weapon.
Should she make a run for it? Was this her chance? Maybe her only chance?
In seconds, Nicki realized that flight would be futile. Not only was there one man coming out of hiding accompanied by a large brown-and-black dog, he was flanked by two dangerous-looking companions in camouflage clothing: one crew-cut and stocky, the other long-haired and wiry, as well as twitchy.
The speaker was slim, taller than the others, and dressed all in black, including a knit ski mask that covered his head and most of his face. The eyes she saw through the two upper holes weren’t normal. They were black, too, except they showed little or no white around the pupils.
Meeting that gaze was like staring into two bottomless pits filled with indescribable evil. The man exuded it as if surrounded by a cloud of palpable wickedness that accompanied him as he approached.
Lamont began to stammer. “I’ve just about got the answer for you, Boss. A few more minutes and we’ll know where to dig.”
The man in black snorted. “Bah. I don’t need her anymore. I’ve figured it out for myself.”
“Are you sure?” Gunther asked.
Nicki heard the fear in his tone, sensed how terrified he was of the man he had referred to as his boss. She stood stock-still, hoping to deflect undue notice, particularly since the “Boss” was so focused on the quaking businessman.
“As sure as I need to be,” the masked man said. He raised a dark-colored pistol he’d been casually holding at his side and pointed it at Lamont.
The gray-suited businessman raised his hands in silent plea, then managed, “Please. No. No!”
“I can’t abide failure. As my second in command, you should be well aware of that.”
“I didn’t fail. She was about to...” He never got to finish his explanation.
Explosive Secrets (Texas K-9 Unit) Page 17