“Is she alive?” He hated to ask. This had to be eating her up inside. Even though they weren’t close, and Jillian hated her, Morgan cared deeply for her sister. She’d worry about her niece and nephew growing up without their mother. After all, Morgan had grown up alone. She wouldn’t want those kids to go through the same thing.
“She is, and she’s scared. She’s only been down there a few hours.”
“A few hours?” He thought she’d been down in the well overnight. He thought time might be running out. If she’d only been down there a few hours, she’d probably be okay.
“He tricked her into staying last night by telling her I’d be here this morning with the money, so he’d stay away from me. She believed him,” she said, disgusted with her sister’s betrayal. “Let’s go get her.”
Chapter Thirty
* * *
MORGAN ASKED THEM to stop the vehicles on the dirt road and got out and stood looking across a pasture toward the trees. Impressed with the men Agent Davies sent to assist them, they respected Morgan and her gift enough to stand by their cars and wait. No one spoke. They gave her the time and space she needed to do her thing. When she walked off at a forty-five-degree angle from the road and headed for the trees, no one moved until Tyler started out after her. Tyler and ten other agents followed at a short distance as she made her way through a sparsely forested area.
Ten minutes later, they came upon a stone foundation for an old burned-down one-room building. Morgan continued past the crumbling structure and walked another hundred yards and came to a sudden stop. She swayed on her feet, what little energy she still had sapped away as she used her gift.
They reviewed a dozen detailed maps of the area, and none of them showed any wells. There could be one or a dozen out in the hills. The fact that Morgan knew the well had been covered by brush would only make it more difficult for them to find by searching the property on their own. Morgan was their best chance of finding Jillian.
She stumbled, turned to her right, and followed a path only she knew. He decided to try talking to her in his head.
Morgan, are you all right?
Almost there, she said weakly.
He didn’t like the way she sounded. He could barely hear or feel her. Their connection to each other was tenuous. She used everything she had to find her sister.
She jogged down a small incline and dropped to her knees in front of what looked like a mound of boulders with several small bushes behind them. Deceptive, and a good cover for the well. When Morgan leaned over the boulders and threw several of the bushes aside, everyone saw they were just large branches broken from another large bush. Brittle, sun-bleached, well-worn wood covered the well. Anyone who happened to step on it might fall through and into the depths, maybe to their death.
As soon as Morgan and several of the men began removing the wood, Jillian called out, “Help me. I’m down here.” Her voice nothing more than a gravely rasp. She must have screamed for a long time with no one for miles to hear her.
Without Morgan, they might not have found Jillian in time—or ever.
“Jillian, we’re coming. Hold on,” Morgan called to her.
“Help me! Get me out of here!” she screamed, but hardly anything came out of her sore throat. Scared and angry, she couldn’t believe her father dumped her down this hole. Cold and wet, she twisted her ankle landing in the soft mud. It hurt so badly she couldn’t stand on it. She probably broke it, and all of this was Morgan’s fault.
Morgan waited while they lowered a man down on ropes. Twenty-something feet down, her sister cursed and pleaded in alternating tones of anger and misery. Morgan wished this hadn’t happened, but Jillian brought it upon herself when she’d invited their father into her life. She should have left well enough alone.
As soon as she freed herself from the ropes, she turned on Morgan.
“Here comes the freight train,” Morgan said softly to Tyler.
Tyler didn’t have time to register Morgan’s remark before Jillian managed to limp over the five feet to them, cock back her arm, and throw a punch toward Morgan’s face. Morgan ducked in time and planted both hands on her sister’s shoulders and shoved her back, making her stumble on her bad ankle. She squealed in pain, but kept the furious glare in place.
“I’ll forgive you for that once.” Morgan turned from her sister and walked away from everyone now staring at her. She couldn’t take the added attention. Fading fast, she still had so much to do. She hoped Sam arrested her father.
“This is all your fault. If you’d just do what he asked, none of this would have happened,” Jillian screamed after her.
Tyler had enough of Morgan’s family members taking shots at her. He grabbed Jillian’s arm and spun her around to face him. She winced when she shifted her weight to her bad ankle, giving Tyler a little satisfaction.
“Leave her alone, or I’ll arrest you.”
“You’ll arrest me. I was kidnapped and thrown down a well.”
“You contacted your father and helped him set this up. You wanted the money just as much as he did. How much of a cut did he promise you?”
He waited to see if she’d answer. She didn’t, but stood defiant, looking incredulous and guilty as hell. Unable to look at him, her eyes fell away.
“You wanted it just as much as your father does. A little quick cash and who cares who gets hurt. The fact that he double-crossed you hasn’t even entered your mind. You just want to blame her because you’re pissed he took off with the money and left you down that well.”
“It’s only a hundred grand. She won’t miss it. She’s rich, thanks to the family curse. She uses it to make all that money.”
“You ridicule her for that family curse, and then you want to benefit from it. Well, let me fill you in on the kind of woman your sister is. She lived on the streets and in shelters from the time she was thirteen. She got her GED because a nun took an interest in her and helped her. She taught herself about the stock market and finance through hard work and studying her ass off. She doesn’t use her curse to make money on the stock market. She uses her brain. And what difference would it make if she did use her gift? It’s hers to use as she sees fit.
“Today, she used her money and her gift to find you. She paid your father one million dollars to get him to tell her where you were. A million dollars of her own money to get back a sister who hates her and would take her for every dime she has if you could.”
She tried to get out of his grasp. The truth hurt, and she was going to listen. It was the only way he had to make up to Morgan for the fact that, again, she’d gotten hurt, and he’d stood by and done nothing.
“My father wouldn’t leave me out here. He just wanted to be sure she gave him the money. That’s all.”
“You keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. The truth is, he took the money and left to catch the jet waiting for him at the airport. He never planned on giving you a dime. He meant for you to stay in that well. He didn’t tell her where to find you. She did that all on her own.”
He turned her so she could see Morgan. She’d fallen to her knees about twenty feet away, and one of the other agents helped her to sit down. She had her face turned to the sun and even from where he stood with Jillian, he could see her swollen jaw had turned an even deeper shade of red. Her lip had swelled and crusted over with dried blood. Her skin paled to ghostly white against the deep blue of her shirt. She looked lifeless, guarded by two agents.
“Look at her. That curse, as you call it, sucks the life out of her every time she uses it, like she did today to find you.”
“At least she wasn’t down in that hole.”
“I wonder how many times she was locked in the closet for days, not hours. I wonder how many times your father slapped her, punched her, or beat her until she couldn’t move. Imagine it was your daughter down in that hole, or locked in a closet, or beaten. Hungry and hurt and scared. Your father could have just as easily taken your little girl and pu
t her down that well. Morgan would have paid any amount and used her gift until she died if it meant getting her back. It’s what she did for you today. It didn’t kill her, but she doesn’t exactly look like she got out of this unscathed. A bruised jaw, a busted lip, a million dollars gone, all to get you back.” He turned her to face him. “What a waste, if you ask me. Don’t contact her again. Stay away from her. If you don’t, you’ll answer to me.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
He leaned into her face. “I’m the only family she’s got.”
Chapter Thirty-One
* * *
SHE FELT THE sun on her face and Tyler’s strong body along her back. They sat on the soft grass beneath a huge oak, her body tucked between his long legs, her head resting against his shoulder and chin. Her face hurt. She turned her head and glanced around at the rolling hills.
“Tyler?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“Where did everyone go?”
“They left about an hour ago. They collected all the evidence they needed.”
“And my sister?”
“To my disappointment, they took her to the hospital. Her husband and kids will meet her there. She maintains this is all your fault.”
“She won’t be charged with a crime?”
“She should be,” he said angrily. “But, no. Agent Davies agreed he’d let her go. She didn’t know your father was going to dump her down that well. He used her. If you ask me, she got off easy. She wanted her cut of the money.”
“He dumped her down a well,” she said in defense of her sister.
“Yeah, and to thank you for paying to get her back and for finding her, she tried to clock you.”
“Yeah, well, like father like daughter.”
She gently put her hand to the side of her face. The throbbing pain ached like nothing else. Just talking hurt. She’d never again put herself in the position of being used by her father or sister. It saddened her to think that now she really was alone. She had no family, not like Tyler had a family. He had his sister and his friends. Her family was lost to her. She’d tried to be good to her sister and found it hard to accept that even though she’d tried, her family would never be what she wanted.
Let it go, she said to the universe and looked up to the sun, letting the warmth help to heal her broken heart.
“Let what go, honey?”
She’d forgotten he could hear her thoughts, but took comfort that she wasn’t alone. Not when she had him.
“The dream that I was born into a family who cares about each other. My father and sister would rather curse me for my gift and exploit it to their benefit. I just have to let it go. I can’t make them be something they aren’t. I can’t be something I’m not.”
Her sadness radiated off her. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. His wrists ached from leaning back on his hands, but he barely noticed. Morgan was all that mattered. He looked over her head at the land and the sun setting in the distance. “You picked a pretty spot to rest. I like it here.”
“I didn’t pick it so much as it picked me. I blanked out. The other agents must think I’m a nutcase.”
“Not really. Impressed, bowled over by your ability, a little awestruck watching you work and find your sister. One of them wants to know if you’ll help with a kidnapping case he’s working on, and another wants to know if you can help them with a bank robbery scheme, something about a code they can’t figure out.”
“The girl ran off with the mechanic who fixed her eighteenth-birthday Beemer after she sideswiped a parked car on her way home from a club. They’re in Fiji, spending her daddy’s money. She’s almost out of cash and will call home for rescue in a couple of days.”
Tyler laughed. “I’ll call the agent and let him know. Anything on the bank scheme?”
“Not now. I’m tired.”
He held her tight. “I know. You’re back, but you don’t look like you’ve recovered.”
“It’s just been too much in such a short time. Between the attempted robbery at the restaurant, the whole confrontation in the restaurant with my sister, my father, and this mess, that poor girl, Leslie, and the serial killer, I haven’t had enough time to rest and recover.”
“Not to mention all the energy you expended waking up happy with me this morning,” he teased and nuzzled his nose against her neck.
He wanted to make her smile. He didn’t know how to help her, except to keep her out here in the isolated hills. That’s why he hadn’t just carried her to the car and taken her back to the city. She needed the time alone.
“That’s been the highlight of my week here in the city. I have to say, I much prefer you happy to mad. You’re something when you’re happy.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll show you how happy I can be tonight.” He nuzzled his nose into her soft neck and kissed her beneath her ear, making her giggle. “We need to swing by the office. You have some paperwork to sign on your father, and we have to get your million dollars back to the bank.”
“Sam caught my father?”
“He did. He waited on the plane until your father boarded with the duffel bags in tow. Your father confirmed the flight plans with the pilots, asked the flight attendant to get him a drink, and sat back ready to gloat. Sam came out and arrested him after your father took the first sip of his celebratory scotch. Sam said he didn’t take it very well.”
“Is Sam upset about the eye?”
“How did you . . . never mind. He’s fine. I should have warned him about your family’s penchant for throwing a punch. Remind me never to make you angry.”
“I’m more a lover than a fighter.” She turned in his arms and pressed him back down to the ground. “Kiss me. I really need to feel something good.”
He didn’t have to be asked twice, especially when he’d been part of the trials she’d endured over the last few weeks. He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Soft and sweet, he held the kiss, nibbled at her bottom lip and kissed the corner of her mouth. He used the tip of his tongue to trace her lower lip, and when she sighed, he slid his tongue inside and caressed hers.
She gave back the caress, and he buried his hands in the long strands of her hair and brushed them back over her head and down her back. He loved the feel of her lying down his body. He remembered what it felt like to have her lying on him naked that morning. He cupped her hips and pressed them down to his. A deep groan escaped up his throat.
She rocked her hips against his and continued kissing him. He really wanted to make love to her. It felt like if he didn’t do it now, he might not get the chance to do it again. He kissed her cheek and her temple and forehead. When she rested her cheek against his, he wrapped his arms around her tight and just held her while they both calmed their need for each other.
He didn’t care about lying in the dirt and grass. He only cared about the woman in his arms. She’d let go of her dream of having the ideal family. He’d let go of his dream of having the wife and kids at any cost. He only wanted Morgan, and whatever life they made together.
“We’ve got to get back,” she said, but didn’t move from her spot on top of him. He felt so good, and with his strong arms around her, she felt like she could relax and just be. She didn’t have to put up any blocks or guard herself. When Tyler was like this, she could let go. It felt so good to have his warmth and passion and love wash over her. She wanted to draw it in and wrap it around her, around them, and forget everything else.
“Are you sure you’re up to leaving this place? It’s nice. No one’s around but you and me.”
“I can’t hide here all day. We’ve got things to do. Sam is waiting for us.”
He didn’t have to ask how she knew that. He just helped her up and laughed when she turned him around and brushed off his backside. She gave him a few extra pats on the ass and surprised him by giving it a squeeze with both hands.
“Nice butt, Agent Reed.”
He grabbed her and threw her o
ver his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He smacked her on the bottom and said, “Thanks. I like yours, too.”
She patted his backside and he walked back toward the car with her over his shoulder. They both felt lighter and their laughter rang out over the hills. It was a good moment. One she’d hold on to.
“Let me down. You can’t carry me like this all the way back,” she grumbled and lost her breath from laughing so hard.
He pulled her back over his shoulder and let her body slide down his until her feet hit the ground. He held her to him and gazed down into her bright crystal-blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed from the rush of blood to her head.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Nothing like a woman with a split lip and a bruised jaw,” she joked.
He wasn’t in the joking mood. “You’re beautiful,” he said with all seriousness and kissed her on the forehead. He took her hand and headed to the car.
She didn’t know what to say. The look on his face and the tone of his voice said more than his words. Her heart ached with joy and hope.
Chapter Thirty-Two
* * *
A LONG DAY for both of them, Tyler drove them down from the hills and back to his office. Morgan spent over an hour giving her official statement concerning her father, his abduction of her sister, and the ransom he demanded.
They returned the million dollars to the bank and transferred it back into her account. The bank manager had a fit when she simply walked into his office with the duffel bags, no guards, and asked to make a deposit. With guards posted at the office door, two tellers counted all the money, and she signed and received her receipt.
She didn’t really care about the money. All she’d ever wanted was enough to live her life without having to deal with a lot of people and explaining her gift all the time. She had that in Colorado. Today, that life seemed so far away. She wondered if she’d ever get that quiet life back. Would Tyler be a part of it?
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