Make Me Whole (Brothers From Money #3)

by Shanade White

  “Sounds good, I’ll be ready.”

  After a shower, she tried again to get a hold of Donovan, both by phone and by email. When she was unsuccessful, all her doubts came bubbling to the surface again. Knowing that sitting around the house wouldn’t get her anywhere, she put on her coat and boots and headed outside to shovel the walks and driveway. She still had a couple of hours to kill before Daphne picked her up and some physical activity might be just what she needed.

  Chapter 12

  Donovan was pacing restlessly around the small room in the police station. They’d finally been cleared to leave the county and were waiting for the passports to be returned. It had taken far longer than he’d hoped to get things settled. It had taken two days to get in to see the bank president, then another day with the police before the mayor’s scheme had been fully revealed.

  They’d had to wade through miles of paperwork just to convince the bank and the police that Donovan was not the person who’d opened the account. Once that had been accomplished things had gone quickly, the authorities joined the investigation since it had now become a case on international identity fraud, and the mayor was soon exposed as the guilty party.

  It had been a relief to finally have some concrete evidence against him, it would have been nice to have something to directly tie him to the toxic waste, but the man would now be dealing with a lot of bigger problems, getting him to confess shouldn’t be a problem.

  Now what he needed more than anything was to tell Elizabeth about what they’d discovered, but he’d been avoiding her for days, then the police had taken his phone and computer. He knew that she would still be pursuing the investigation, which at this point was only putting her in unnecessary danger. The inspector had promised to get their things to them quickly, but it wasn’t fast enough for Donovan.

  They had a plane waiting at the airport, ready to fly them back to the states, they would be home in a few hours and it was still the middle of the night back home. If nothing else, he should be able to leave a message on her phone or through email. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the inspector coming down the hall with a box full of their property.

  They said their goodbye’s quickly, knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time they heard from the inspector. They hailed a taxi and promised the driver a big tip if he got them there quickly. As soon as they were in the car, Donovan was on his phone trying to reach Elizabeth while Charles sent emails to everyone he could think of.

  They both knew that if the mayor tried to access the account today, he would be locked out. Then he’d know that someone was on to him and that put Elizabeth in a dangerous situation. As the phone rang and rang, his worry only increased, when not even the voice mail picked up he knew something was wrong.

  “Don’t worry it’s probably the storm, they’re getting snow right now.” Charles said, showing him the live feed from the resort. “There’s supposed to be a break in the storm early in the morning, but then another front is moving in.”

  “Did the emails go through?”

  “As far as I can tell, but you know how spotty the signals can be during storms.”

  “Great, the only time we’ll be able to reach them for sure is when we’ll be in the air.” Donovan was beyond frustrated.

  “We could wait until then, call them, then we can fly home. It might delay us a few hours but I think it might be our best chance to make contact.”

  Donovan considered it for only a second. “No, we need to get home. I can just feel it, I need to get home.”

  “I’m with you no matter what you decide. Do you really think the mayor will result to violence?” Charles asked, skepticism in his voice.

  “Think of what he has to lose, there was millions of dollars in that account, not to mention the identity theft and environment pollution. If he thinks Elizabeth is on to him, he’ll do what he has to. I’ve seen the man be ruthless before.”

  Charles didn’t say anything, just got back on the computer to track the storms that would be descending on Colorado in the next few hours. “We’re going to have a hard time getting home, that storm is going to blanket the entire state. I’m going to get a hold of our pilot so we can decide the best way to get around the storm.”

  By the time they reached the airport Donovan wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through the long flight, his sense of doom had only been increasing over the last few hours. He needed to get home to Elizabeth as quickly as he could, of that he was sure.

  *****

  When Elizabeth and Daphne stepped onto the porch they had their story all prepared to explain their visit, so when Bruce opening the door they were ready. He was surprised to see them at first, then go a strangely excited look on his face.

  “Hello Daphne. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” He said, gesturing for them to enter the house.

  As they walked through the door, the first thing that caught Elizabeth’s attention was a huge painting in the entry way. If it was the real thing, it would be worth millions. As much as she wanted to launch right in with questions about the painting she knew they had to stick to the plan.

  “Elizabeth wanted to meet you, she’s heard about your work with solar energy.” Daphne said, as they followed him into a formal living room.

  “That’s very flattering, and I would be happy to tell you about my work, but could you excuse me for just a moment. I need to make a quick phone call and then I’ll get us some refreshments.”

  They had no choice to agree, but Elizabeth felt the first stirrings of doubt, which were only increased when they heard Bruce talking on the phone. He’d stepped out in the hall, but obviously didn’t realize that they could still hear him.

  “Yes, they’re here. I don’t know why. I think they’re onto us.” He could clearly be heard to say. But then he walked further down the hall and they couldn’t hear anything else.

  Elizabeth and Daphne exchanged worried looks, then began to get up, but before they could Bruce came back into the room. He looked nervous, his hands shaking as he smoothed his hair back from his face.

  “Are you leaving so soon? You just got here, I can’t let you go so soon.” He said, pulling a gun from out of his pocket. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait here for the mayor, it appears you’ve been sticking your noses into something that you shouldn’t have been.”

  Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but the mayor burst through the door, another gun in his hand. “Okay you two up.” He said, waving the gun at them.

  He threw a bunch of rope to Bruce who immediately tied their hands behind their backs. Draping their coats around their shoulders he said. “Hopefully this will be enough to keep you warm on the ride, of course it won’t matter in the end, but I don’t want to have you dying on me too soon.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Elizabeth asked, trying to stall for time.

  “Don’t play stupid with me. I know you’ve uncovered our little scheme. My security cameras recorded you taking pictures of my paintings when you were supposed to be sick. Then today you show up here, at little too much of a coincidence if you ask me. Now we’re going to take a little ride, I want to show you what you’ve been looking for.”

  “You’ll never get away with this.” Daphne said.

  “By the time they find you, we’ll be long gone.” The mayor said, with a sneer. “Now move.”

  They stumbled out of the house, and were forced to climb into a trailer attached to a snow mobile. Elizabeth was so focused on the mayor, she was surprised when a foul smelling cloth was suddenly covering her mouth. She tried not to breathe, but within seconds she felt the world getting smaller and smaller.

  Donovan and Charles were racing through the terminal on their way to pick up where a jeep, compete with snow tires and chains was waiting for them. They’d barely managed to land at the airport in the city before it had been closed down. Now they had to make it up the mountain, in one of the worst blizzards the state had seen in a long time.
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  What should have been a two hour drive would take much longer and they still hadn’t been able to get a hold of anyone from Pleasant Valley. But as they were driving, Donovan suddenly remembered the satellite phone in the security complex at the resort. It was there for emergencies and this was definitely one.

  Once Donovan had reached one of the guards, he sent him up to the ranch to alert them of what they’d found. He was sure that Garrett would be there and he could go and warn Elizabeth, but until he knew she was safe they’d have to continue on at speeds that were less than safe.

  *****

  Elizabeth woke up disoriented, her stomach threatening once again to spill it contents, then realized with a start that they were in a cave. Daphne stirred next to her, moaning as she too realized where they were.

  There was a light coming from the back of the giant space, giving them just enough light to see where they were. It wasn’t a cave, it was the mine, and it was freezing. Elizabeth was glad that she’d dressed for the weather, but she was still beginning to become quite cold. As she began to shiver, Daphne did too.

  “We’re going to freeze to death if we don’t get some more heat.” Daphne said.

  “I think that was his plan. But he must still be here.” Elizabeth said though chattering teeth.

  Just then the mayor came out of the back of the mine, he was certainly dressed for the weather, only his face showing. “Ladies, glad to see you’re awake. Before I leave you to your fate, would you like to see what all the fuss had been about?” He said, helping each of them to their feet.

  He gave them each a gentle push toward the back of the mine. When they got closer, Elizabeth could see the barrels of toxic waste piled up along one side. “It’s a shame that one barrel had to leak, I thought I’d repaired the damage soon enough, but obviously not. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “You’re not going to get away with this, my cousin is probably already on his way here.”

  “I seriously doubt that, it was nice of the weather to give me some help. No cell service, no rescue. No I’m afraid we’ve come to the end ladies.” He said, pulling his gloves off as Bruce did the same.

  They both fought, but in the end their feet were tied together as well. As the mayor left, he called over his shoulder. “I’m going to leave the light on for you, at least you can see while you’re freezing to death. You should have stuck to what you were good at Ms. Mathews and stayed in the Amazon.”

  *****

  Donovan and Charles arrived in town just as the sun was going down, of course it didn’t make much difference, the cloud cover and snow were so thick it had been nearly dark for almost an hour. They pulled up in front of Elizabeth’s house just as Garrett came flying up the road.

  Jumping out of the truck he met Donovan before he was halfway to the door. “They went to Bruce’s house about three hours ago. I’ve already been there and it's dark, the mayor’s missing too. His wife claims he just jumped up and tore off on his snowmobile.”

  “Damn, we’re too late. Something tipped him off, but I don’t know what. I knew that was going to happen. Where would they have taken them?”

  “The mine.” They all said in unison.

  They quickly put together a plan, Charles’s job was to go for the sheriff, while Donovan and Garrett went to the mine. “We’ll borrow snowmobiles from the resort, and head straight there. I just hope we’re not too late.” Donovan said.

  “We’ll get there in time, don’t worry.” Garrett said, taking several guns from the truck and handing them to Donovan. “Let’s go.” Charles dropped them at the resort, then headed out to find the sheriff. Donovan and Garrett were on the trail in minutes, hoping that their knowledge of the area would work in their favor. Garrett took them off trail and they made record time, stopping far enough away from the mine to keep their presence undetected.

  The snow had continued to fall as they’d made their ascent, now it was several feet deep, but Garrett and Donovan had spent their entire lives in the mountains and knew how to deal with the snow. As they approached the opening for the mine, they could see the gate, which was normally shut and locked, hanging open.

  Breathing a sigh of relief that they weren’t too late, they crept as close to the opening as they could, then waited while they caught their breath. “How do you want to do this? I hate to follow them inside, but I don’t want to wait out here either.” Donovan said, wanting to get to Elizabeth and Daphne as fast as they could.

  Before they could come to a decision, they heard voices coming from the mine. As they watched, the mayor and Bruce stumbled out of the mine. “They won’t last another hour in the cold and that’s one problem solved. Now we need to get our paintings packed and get out of town. By the time they find them, we’ll be long gone.” The mayor was saying as they came out of the mine.

  They stopped just outside the opening when Bruce came to a halt. “I can’t get my family packed and ready that fast. You never told me we might have to pack up and leave in the middle of the night.”

  Garrett and Donovan had been slowly working their way closer to the mine, once they were close enough Garrett stepped into the light and said. “Bruce you aren’t going to have to worry about that. You’ll be spending the rest of the night in jail.”

  Bruce and the mayor looked around them startled, then the mayor tried to reach for his gun, but his heavy gloves slowed him down. Garrett had his shot gun pointed at him before he could pull the gun out. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. One thing I know for sure, this shot gun would put a large hole in you faster than you could get to your little hand gun.”

  They backed the men into the mine, Donovan rushing to the two women as soon as he saw them. They were huddled together, both looking frozen. Daphne was able to talk as Donovan started untying them.

  “Elizabeth needs to get warm right away. I’m used to the cold, but she’s more sensitive. She stopped shivering a few minutes ago.”

  Donovan stripped off his jacket and handed it to Daphne then scooped Elizabeth up into his arms and headed back out of the cave. He knew that there was a small cabin just on the other side of the mine. It was used mainly in the summer, but was equipped with a wood stove and a supply of firewood.

  Garrett had the situation well in hand, he forced Bruce to tie up the mayor’s hands, then tied up Bruce’s. Daphne was striding around the cave, warming herself. “I was beginning to get worried that you weren’t going to come for us. That was a little too close for comfort.”

  “Your welcome cousin.” Garrett said, giving her a hug.

  “I need to check on Donovan and Elizabeth. The sheriff is on his way, I think we should wait for him. Are you going to be okay with them?”

  “I might accidentally shoot one of them if they move, so I hope they don’t. Although, I might not mind putting a hole in one of them given the opportunity.” She said, taking the shotgun from Garrett.

  By the time Garrett got over to the cabin, Donovan had a roaring fire going. He’d pulled the bed as close to the fire as he could and was holding Elizabeth in his lap, they were covered by a huge pile of blankets. Elizabeth was shivering violently, her entire body racked with muscle spasms as her body began to warm again.

  “How is she?” Garrett asked, coming in a closing the door.

  “It was close enough I don’t want to think about it. But she’s going to be fine once I can get her warmed up.”

  Garrett put some more wood on the fire, then checked the cabinets for something to make a hot drink from. “How about some coffee?” He asked Elizabeth.

  She tried to speak but as soon as she opened her mouth her teeth began to chatter. Even as cold as she was the thought of coffee made her stomach turn. She shook her head no, then yes when Garrett found some tea bags. Donovan was a little shocked at her refusal of coffee, but was happy that she was able to communicate with them.

  In only a few minutes, Garrett handed Donovan a steaming cup of tea, full of as much sugar as he could get to
dissolve in the cup. “You’ve got plenty of wood to keep the fire burning high for a while, I have to go check on Daphne. She’s holding the mayor and Bruce at gun point, I don’t completely trust her not to shoot one of them.”

  He was out the door before Elizabeth could thank him, which she would have been able to do as the tea and the fire worked their magic. Still shivering a little, she finally managed to say. “How did you know where we were?”

  “It’s a long story, but the bottom line is that we have all the evidence we need to expose the mayor and shut down his entire operation. The sheriff is on his way to arrest him.”

  “That’s good. Then we can finally get this cleaned up. Did you see it?”

  “Not really, the only thing I was looking at was you. Are you sure you’re okay? They didn’t hurt you did they, because if they did I might just shoot them myself.”

  “They knocked us out with something, but other than that they didn’t touch us. When can we go home?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back out in the cold tonight. How about if we stay here until morning, then they can send a snow cat for us, they have heated cabs.”

  Suddenly feeling very sleepy, Elizabeth only nodded her head. “I’m really tired all of the sudden. Is it okay if I sleep?”

  “I don’t think you’re in any danger, and your body is exhausted from fighting to stay awake. Sleep would be the best thing for you, but I’m not letting you go, so you’ll just have to sleep here.” He said, shifting them until they were spooning on the bed.

  She was asleep in seconds, knowing she was safe in Donovan’s arms, his wonderful smell filling her nostrils as she drifted off. Hours later when she woke up, she was alone in the bed. She began to panic for a moment, thinking that she was tied up again. She started thrashing around, only stopping when Donovan came over and helped her untangle herself.

  Blushing, she said. “Sorry, I freaked out for a second.” She said, then covered her mouth with her hand, realizing that she was going to throw up.