Like a boot.
She curled up and tugged on her shoe. Her knee sent out pain. Too bad. She sucked it up and finally removed her shoe. More cold air invaded her pant leg, but she forced her mind to ignore the discomfort.
Now came the hard part. Keeping her head below the lip of the truck, she edged the boot upward. She bet he’d be checking the back constantly. In one quick burst, she shot the boot over the lip.
Yes!
Hansel and Gretel had a lot of breadcrumbs. She only had a few and needed to pace herself. The bootless foot turned colder. Slight frostbite might be the least of her worries after he stopped.
She shivered. Okay, maybe her choice of a personal item was stupid. What if Creighton left her out in the plains all alone? She’d freeze to death before she’d reach the road, especially if she was shoeless.
That might have been a stupid choice. Now that she’d ditched one boot, she didn’t need the other one. Or did she? The ache in the back of her head messed with her thought process. She wasn’t willing to take off her jacket. That would be too dumb.
There had to be something else to ditch. She almost laughed at her next option—her bra. Wouldn’t that shock the driver?
Can’t get the bra off with your hands tied, dummy.
At least he’d tied them in front of her. Unfortunately, it was too dark under the tarp to see where the tape started. She ran her nose over the tape and was able to detect a small ridge. Careful not to get the tape wet, she used her teeth to pick at the edge.
Hurry.
Chapter Eighteen
“We must have taken the wrong direction.” Blade hooked a hand on the overhead handle and leaned forward. “I don’t see them.”
The snow flurries were increasing, making the visibility worse. Having an extra layer of powder on the roadway forced Daniel to slow.
As soon as they suspected what had happened, they’d called Will Sutton and asked him to go in the opposite direction. “If the sheriff hasn’t called, he hasn’t found them either.”
Daniel pressed the accelerator to the floor, but the SUV didn’t go any faster. He’d already hit a few snow patches and skidded. He gripped the wheel tight.
Something sat in the middle of the road and he swerved around it. “What was that?”
“It looked like a boot.”
Without thinking, he slammed on his brakes. The top of the boot was rimmed in red leather, like the ones Candy wore.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Blade’s voice came out in a near panic.
“The boot might be Candy’s. If he stashed her in the back of his pickup, maybe she’s trying to leave us a trail.” Skidding to a stop, he jumped out. “Stay here.” He really didn’t think that was true, but his desperate mind clawed at any shred of hope.
He’d run track in college. He prayed he still had a sprint in him. Running down the middle of the road, he kept his gaze on the boot as well as oncoming traffic.
Come on. Come on.
He pumped his arms hard. Losing valuable time sucked, but he needed a connection to her. He had to know she was still alive.
Breaths shot out from his lungs as he neared the object. Daniel swiped the shoe and rushed back without taking the time to study it. He’d let Blade decide if this belonged to her. Maybe it had been stupid to stop, but he had to know.
Hell, it was too late now.
His car door still sat open and the engine running. He jumped in and tossed Blade the boot. “Does this look like hers?”
Daniel put the SUV in gear and shot back on the road.
“Yeah. It’s even a size nine.” Blade ran his fingers over the edge then stuck his hand inside. “And still warm, too.”
Please let it really be hers. “That means we’re close.” He floored the pedal. “Call the sheriff and tell him to turn around.”
The snow slanted sideways and the wind picked up, buffeting his car left toward the side of the road. He set the wipers to high and gripped the wheel harder. Poor Candy would be so cold without a boot. He prayed fucking Creighton hadn’t hurt her.
Blade disconnected. “Will’s on his way back.”
A ton of questions bombarded him. “Why did Creighton even take her?” He wasn’t even on the radar for possible suspects.
Blade shook his head. “Beats me.”
“It’ll take Will ten minutes to catch up. It’s up to us to stop Creighton.” He checked his gas gauge. It was only half full.
He couldn’t remember if there was a station anywhere near here. The good news was that Creighton wouldn’t have known Candy was coming and wouldn’t have prepared. Maybe he needed fuel, too.
“There!” Blade pointed to a spot in the distance. “It could be them.”
With more determination than ever, he plowed ahead. The small dot turned into a bigger dot then turned into a white van. “Crap. It’s not them.”
“Maybe he changed cars.”
“He didn’t have time.”
“You’re right. Go around them.”
When he finally reached the slow moving vehicle, his car was shimmying and his wheels whining. He slid over to the left lane, when a tanker came into view. He tapped the wheel.
“What are you waiting for?” Blade’s foot was wearing a hole in the mat.
“Truck.”
The oil tanker passed, and Daniel scurried about the white van a second time. Blade looked out the window. “Not Creighton.”
Should he be relieved? “How are we going to stop him? I don’t have a weapon.”
“Let’s hope Creighton doesn’t either.” Blade leaned forward. “Where the hell could he be?”
“At least my SUV is faster than his old truck.” They hadn’t passed any access roads. “Keep an eye out on a side pasture. He might have decided to plow through someone’s property.” A downed fence would be easy to spot.
Something red lay in the road. “Look. What is that?” He wasn’t going to slow down. The white van wasn’t far behind him.
“A bra?”
A blast of adrenaline raced through him. “Holy shit. That’s my girl. She is leaving us a trail.”
“She’s okay then.”
Daniel grinned. “We can only hope.”
With renewed enthusiasm, he drove like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Even though Blade was checking the pastures for the truck, he swept his gaze around, too. Visibility sucked.
“How are you planning on making him stop?” Blade asked.
“I’ll think of something when I find the bastard.”
“We can’t ram him from behind, not with Candy possibly in the back.”
That’s exactly what he’d planned to do. What had he been thinking? He needed another plan. “Damn. See him yet?”
Blade rolled down the window and stuck out his head. “Maybe, but I can’t tell.”
He was no help. Daniel straightened his arms to stretch them out. Something caught his attention up ahead in the middle of the road.
He swerved. “Another boot.”
“Hurry.”
He slapped the wheel urging his vehicle to move faster. He leaned forward. “You see that? Could that be the truck?”
“Get closer.”
“As if I’m not trying to?” He failed to keep the agitation out of his voice.
“Screw you.”
He was gaining on them. He couldn’t remember if Creighton knew the make of his car. As he closed the gap, his heart sped up. “Call Creighton. Tell him we’re right behind him.”
“You think he’ll stop and hand her over?”
His brain was fuddled. “No. You’re right. There’s only one thing to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Just hold on and scoot closer to me.”
“Fuck no, you don’t.”
Daniel finally reached the truck. He trailed behind him. Creighton sped up. He had to do something. He had to make his move—now.
Shooting into the oncoming lane, Daniel drove alongside Creighton. The man kept his focus straight ahead. What h
e wouldn’t give for a megaphone right now. “Is it him?” He didn’t want to run someone else off the road.
“Yes.”
“Here goes.”
Daniel edged ahead until he pulled in front and slowed. Creighton honked. Before he acted, he wanted them to be moving as slowly as possible. The conditions demanded it. Daniel couldn’t afford for Creighton’s truck to flip. That would kill Candy.
“He’s passing us, Daniel.”
“Let him.” No cars were coming from the opposite direction. That was one more benefit of living in Wyoming.
As soon as Creighton entered the oncoming lane, Daniel sped up and veered his car in front of Creighton’s truck. As hoped, the man jerked the wheel to the left and drove over the berm. Daniel wedged Creighton’s vehicle between himself and the barbed wire fence.
Once more, Creighton did the expected. He slammed his bouncing truck into the fence, probably hoping he’d drive right through it. Fortunately, the barbed wire only bent but didn’t give. The truck came to a halt.
“Move.” Not seeing if Blade followed, he jumped out of the car. “Take the front.”
Daniel raced around the back, not to check on Candy, but to stop Creighton from escaping. Creighton’s door opened, but he didn’t get out.
Both he and Blade reached the man at the same time, praying the bastard didn’t have a gun. No rifle appeared on the back window.
“It’s over, John.”
Creighton leaned out. “What the fuck is your problem? You could have got me killed.”
Did he think they didn’t know he had Candy? “Blade, search the back.”
Footsteps pounded around the other side.
“Get out of the car, John.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Make you wait outside until the sheriff arrests your ass.”
The tailgate squeaked open. “She’s here.”
The adrenaline drop helped slow his heart. “See if there’s any rope in the back, so we can tie up this bastard.”
Creighton lowered his head in apparent defeat. “You don’t need to do that. I got no place to run.”
Daniel admitted from the way the man’s shoulders slumped, he probably wasn’t going to try to escape, but Daniel didn’t want to chance it.
“Why, John. Why?”
He nodded to the back. “Bitch cost me a ton of money.”
He assumed the bitch referred to Candy. “I don’t understand.” While she’d never be able to wash away the trauma of being kidnapped, perhaps if Candy had answers, she could learn to heal.
“I thought she’d leave after I tried to run her off the road, but did she? No. Even after I keyed Mandy’s car and broke into the house, she was too stupid to get the hint she wasn’t wanted.” He shook his head. “My last chance was to overbid her on that house she wanted. I heard Courtney mention it was the only one Candy could afford.”
“You bought that place?”
“Yeah.”
Once Candy purchased another place, Creighton didn’t want it anymore. That explained why it went up for sale so soon. “What did Candy ever do to you?”
“She went in competition with Donna.”
Now it all made sense. Blade carried Candy into his car. He’d take good care of her. “Hand me your keys.”
John reached into the ignition, turned off the engine, and gave them to him. He was cold standing outside, but if it meant removing the threat from Candy’s life, he’d wait for days. Finally, sirens sounded. “I’m sorry, John.”
He meant it, too. At one time, the man was an active member of the community. Now he was a menace.
Once Will and his deputy arrived, his deputy put Creighton in cuffs and had him sit in the back of the cruiser. “She okay?” Will asked.
“I hope so.” Daniel dug the keys out of his pocket. “One of you might want to drive the truck back. I’m betting you’ll find evidence of Candy being back there.”
He was ready to go home and help Candy put the pieces of her life together.
* * * *
Blade held Candy in his arms while Daniel drove. She snuggled close, happy to be safe. Only now did the full impact of what happened hit her, and she couldn’t stop shaking.
Blade kissed the top of her head. “You sure you’re okay?” He moved her tangled hair to the side. “Babe. You’re bleeding. Jesus Christ. What the fuck did he do to you?”
Her whole body ached. “He hit me. I was running away.”
“Daniel, we need to get her to the hospital.”
A hospital meant waiting in a cold room. She needed warmth. “I’ll be fine. I just want to rest.”
“No can do. You might need stitches.” He tightened his hold.
She didn’t want to think about that. “Creighton told me he loved Donna and that he didn’t want her to have any competition.”
Daniel glanced in the rearview mirror. “He confessed everything to me, too. He told me he bought that house you wanted thinking that without any options, you’d leave.”
“The guy’s crazy.”
“Love does strange things to people.”
That didn’t excuse his behavior. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“He’ll be in jail for a while.”
“Damn.” She sat up. “I really needed that nail polish from his store.”
Both men laughed. The sound helped her soul.
“Babe, you don’t open for a few days. If you tell us the brand name you need, we can drive to Cheyenne or even to Denver to pick it up.”
She looked up at Blade. “You’d do that for me?”
He kissed her nose. “We’d do anything for you.” He stroked her cheek. “I love you, you know.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Tears welled. She never thought Blade capable of saying those words. “I love you back.”
He kissed her as softly as a snowflake landing on the ground.
Sooner than she expected, they arrived in town. When she was in the back of Creighton’s truck, it seemed as if they’d driven for hours. She wasn’t thrilled Daniel stopped at the hospital, but her body ached. She guessed it wouldn’t hurt to have a doctor check her out. Maybe he’d give her something to stop the pounding in her head.
Although the emergency room was filled with people, they checked her in rather quickly. Maybe having a Callen by her side helped, or her condition was worse than she thought. The nurse cleaned the head wound and put bandages on her hands. The doctor examined her and said no stitches were necessary.
By the time they left, her stomach wouldn’t stop grumbling.
Daniel escorted her into the elevator. “How about we order some pizza?”
“That sounds divine.” She wasn’t in the mood to sit in a restaurant anyway.
Besides, if they ate at their home, she could have her dessert that much sooner.
Chapter Nineteen
For the last two days, Blade and Daniel had been cruel. They’d refused to have sex with her, saying she needed to heal both physically as well as mentally. Her head didn’t hurt anymore, and the scrapes on her hands barely showed.
The opening of the spa was tomorrow, and she had jitters up the wazoo. Nothing would help calm her more than if she made love with both men. Now she needed to convince them.
Under a low-cut top and slinky skirt, she put on her sexiest lingerie. Instead of her usual boots, she donned spiked heels. She did her hair and makeup with care. Now, she was ready to seduce the two men she loved.
She took the elevator to the second floor and knocked on their door. Voices sounded, but they didn’t answer. They had to know it was her. No one else would have made it through the entry door without their notice.
Daniel opened up, and his eyes widened. “Holy shit, sugar. Come on in.”
Her plan had been to tease and torment, but as soon as Daniel smiled and his eyes lit up, she wanted to wrap her legs around him and make love. Suddenly, seduction seemed highly overrated, and haste seemed to suit her needs.
&nbs
p; Blade jetted up from the sofa and strutted over. “Someone’s looking for some loving, I see.”
Finally, they understood. “Anyone interested? Seems I need a little stress relief. Between almost dying and opening a spa, I won’t sleep unless I’ve been thoroughly loved. Any takers?”
The men glanced at each other and shrugged. Blade returned to the sofa and Daniel stood next to the kitchen island. What was going on?
Maybe Blade had told Daniel about the striptease she’d done. Daniel hadn’t had sex in a month. He should be needier than her.
She rubbed her nipples. “I remember someone talking about nipple clamps. I’ve never used them. Does anyone happen to have a pair lying around?”
Daniel kept his gaze on her and eased toward her. “You telling us that you want to be at our mercy?”
She’d say anything if only she could love her men, both at the same time in the fullest way possible. To love was to trust. “Yes.”
Daniel grinned. “That’s what I was waiting to hear. Come this way, young lady.”
He escorted her into his room. The bed was made and candles were placed around the room.
So they had been expecting me. Yes!
Blade rushed over to each one and lit them. When he doused the overhead light, the flickering candles bathed the room in seductive darkness.
“Nice.”
Daniel moved in front of her and ran his hands down her arms. “We want this time to be extra special. Tonight we will make you ours.”
His sentiment brought tears to her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I’d like that.”
Drawers opened and closed. She glanced at Blade, who was gathering things she suspected would be used to enhance their lovemaking. His body blocked most of what he was doing, but she didn’t need to see. Whatever their plan, she was going to love it.
Blade returned and placed ropes, lube, and a package on the side table. He slid her out of Daniel’s arms and turned her to face him. “I want to say that having you in our lives has changed my whole outlook on life. The sun seems brighter and the day so much better.”
Her heart burst. “That was so romantic. And here you said only Daniel possessed that trait.”
Craving Candy [The Callens 10] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 18