Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One)

by James, Ranay

  “I’ll have my officers look out,” Sheriff Maxwell relented but with stipulation. “I will not stop him, Robert. I have no legal reason if she went voluntarily. However, I will have him followed, let you know if we find him, and you can go get her just as long as you promise not to do anything rash.”

  “Thank you, sir.” He breathed a small sigh of relief.

  “Do I have that promise, son?” Maxi was not about to hang up without extracting his word that he would be a good boy once he caught up with Langston.

  Robert promised with total self understanding and certainty that if Brice harmed one hair on Kate’s head, he was going to need a throng of lawyers to bail him out of some serious shit because he would jump so far down Langston’s throat Brice would find his tongue hanging out of his ass.

  Chase had his moments, this being one, Robert acknowledged. Maybe he did need to stake his claim and sort it out later.

  Robert fired off his command. “Chase, make the call to the hangar and get the plane ready.”

  “Hot damn! And the flight plan?” Chase could feel this was going to be good. He really needed a good rush of adrenaline to spice things up a bit. It had been too long.

  “I’ll let you know just before we leave.” Robert would commit no more than that for the time.

  Kate did not have a passport or travel visa, so taking her out of the country was out of the question. However, he could get her out of the state. Who would think to look for them in Reno or Tahoe? He would fly them to Carson City and drive to the lake, but he was not divulging that information to anyone. Not even Chase.

  Robert dialed his phone hoping to catch Brice. If he could get a triangulation on his cell, he could help narrow the search grid for the sheriff’s deputies.

  “This is Brice.”

  Robert felt his teeth set on edge the moment he heard Brice’s voice.

  “Bring her home, Langston. I’ll not ask again.” Robert fought for control pinching the bridge of his nose.

  “Well, good evening to you, too, and no, Kate is mine for the evening,” Brice said in false confidence beginning to doubt his plans for Kate’s evening out.

  Robert wanted to crawl through the phone and kill Brice. Kate did not belong to Brice for the evening or any other way.

  Kate was his. She just did not know it yet.

  “May I please speak to her?” Robert’s voice was much more civil than he was actually feeling. The man was a schmuck, and there was no way he was going to let him try and seriously date her. He wanted nothing more than to get Kate home safe and drive Brice’s porcelain veneers right down his arrogant throat.

  Brice handed the phone to her, returning his attention to the roadway. Why not let Robert talk to her? He had asked her out for a drink and she had accepted. He was not taking her by force, therefore had nothing to hide, at least not yet, anyway.

  “Hello?” Kate had no idea who was on the other end, but had her suspicions.

  “Kate, please have him bring you back. He might not be a danger to you, in the physical sense, but he cannot protect you against those who would be in a position to harm you.”

  “Robert, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, but we are just going into town for a drink. I won’t be long. I promise.” She was not sure why she suddenly felt guilty for leaving as she did even if she felt justified at the moment she had said yes to Brice.

  “Kate, just listen to me for a half a minute. All it takes is the blink of an eye for things to get out of hand and end up way south. And if that were not reason enough, you have just come out of a horrific experience and should be resting.”

  “I had to get out of there, and you were locked away in your study with Chase arguing about Candice.”

  Robert shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose again. Damn, that was not the conversation he really wanted her to overhear. He wondered what she was thinking, and he tried to recall what he had said.

  Besides, she thought, he never would have let her leave and it raked her nerves to ask permission like some underage teenager with a curfew. The only way a person would know she was out of Robert’s cocoon of security was if they were watching the house. Given there were acres between the house and the highway and dozens of men now on the perimeter of the house, she felt relatively secure in the fact she was safe for at least a little while.

  “Kate, just because you may be at risk does not mean you have to be holed up in the house like you are under house arrest. If you feel the need to get out, I can take you anywhere you would like to go. I just have to have a little time to prepare, that’s all. Please, Baby, just get him to bring you back. Will you do that?”

  “Here’s Brice.” She ignored his request handing the phone back to Brice who could not help but gloat.

  “You worry, too much, Robert. I did not force Kate to say yes. I did not have to.”

  Robert looked over at Chase. The thumbs up sign indicating they had found Brice’s cell signal was all he had been waiting for to put his plan into motion. He silently took his index finger and circled it as the indication to round up the boys. It was time Reese and Chase earned some of the money he was paying them.

  “Touch her and you will discover that I can sometimes be as rash as Chase.” Robert felt his blood go still and cold in his veins. It was a pure McKinnon warrior reaction. With them it was the same before any battle. It had always been so. It would always be.

  “No need for all the posturing, Robbie. It is just a drink not anything meaningful.” Brice rubbed the salt in the open wound. He had something Robert wanted.

  “Damn right it is just a drink. Get where you are going, stay in open public spaces away from the street, and I’ll meet you there to bring her back,” Robert commanded leaving no room for a prudent man to argue. He just hoped Brice was a prudent man. Robert had his doubts.

  Robert heard Brice ask Kate if she wanted her security detail to come get her.

  “The lady says no thank you for the offer. Good bye, Robert.”

  Kate sat in silence for a moment after Brice hung up the phone. It had been a while since she had been in Texas, but she was relatively sure Fort Worth was still north on I-35 and to her knowledge no one had picked the city up and moved it to the east. They were now heading east on I-20 toward Arlington.

  “Brice, where are we going?” she asked more than a little alarmed. The hair was standing up on her arms.

  “To my place,” he replied just a little too casually.

  She could tell he was lying from his body language; he rubbed his ear and would not meet her eyes even for a split second. Driving had nothing to do with it whatsoever.

  “I do not want to go to your house. That was not what we talked about doing. I did not agree to that. I agreed to a drink, at a restaurant, in public. I need to let Robert know where I am.”

  “Relax, Katherine. I’m not kidnapping you. I just figured you needed peace and quiet. We can sit out by the pool and watch the moon rise, maybe take a swim if you want. The pool is heated and I have several new swimsuits for unexpected guests. However, go ahead and call him if it makes you feel better.” Brice figured why not set her at ease. It would make things easier for both of them.

  Kate reached into her lightweight sweater. Finding the phone Robert handed to her right after supper, she turned it on having turned it off after Brice picked her up. She knew Robert would be calling. She did not want or need the lecture. Yet, he was a very resourceful man managing to track her down anyway in spite of her plan. He had not sounded angry, only worried which surprised her that he had not gone on a rampage. She was still in the driver’s seat on this date owing Robert at least the courtesy of the call. He had been thoughtful enough to place his number first on speed dial.

  She figured she would give Brice the benefit of the doubt and take him up on his suggestion. A swim would be nice and it looked as if his intentions were aboveboard. She would go along until she felt differently.

  Dialing she heard Robert answer, and
briefly she explained they were going to Brice’s condo for a swim.

  “Kate, this is extremely important. Now is not the time for us to pull in separate directions. You are not as safe as you might think, so please, do not buck me. Ok?”

  “Fine, whatever,” she sighed.

  “Do not look over at Brice, act natural, and do exactly as I say. Do you understand what I’m asking?”

  “Sure. I know why you asked me to come back and I can see your point of view.” She carried on the conversation casually, looking out the window at the passing traffic. She did not have to be a rocket scientist to hear and figure out she had walked into a trap.

  “Did he specifically say he was going to his house?” Robert asked as he merged into the traffic heading east on I-20 gunning the van that was just barely street-legal.

  “Yeah, that was my understanding,” she said trying not to stiffen.

  “Just act normal. He lives out west of town in Benbrook now and you are heading east, correct?”

  “I know you are right, Robert. I can be stubborn.”

  Robert knew that was her way of saying she was sorry for falling into this trap, if that indeed was what this was. He was following his gut instincts, which usually were dead on target. And they were telling him Kate was in some kind of difficulty.

  “I’m not far behind, maybe five or six miles at the most. If you can casually look out the side view mirror, can you see the gray sedan behind you?”

  “Well, depending on traffic it is going to be about eight o’clock.”

  “Ok, Kate, just so I’m clear. Are you saying that it is behind you and on the left side? What, a couple of car lengths back?”

  “Ok, so again you are making perfect sense. No need for the lecture.” She tried to carry on as if things were normal. She was not sure she was successful. She felt her palms began to sweat.

  “The gray car is one of mine. Once Brice stops the car, if I’m not already there, whatever you do, get to that car as fast as you can. Understand?”

  “Thanks, Robert. I’ll call you before we start to leave Brice’s place to come back to your house. Will that be a good compromise?”

  “Hang tight, Baby. I’m on my way.”

  She heard the the van's Hemi engine kick in through the cell phone.

  “See you soon?” She hoped the question did not sound in her voice. She was getting scared. Personal security was Robert’s livelihood. If he felt she was in trouble, she guessed she probably really was, and all standing between Brice and her life was the mysterious gray sedan.

  Chapter 32

  Brice exited off the interstate, and they were now entering a plush neighborhood filled with gated mansions lining the immaculately clean, tree-lined street.

  “Nice digs.” She undid her seat belt hoping he had not heard the click of the release above her voice. “Real estate development must be doing well these days,” she commented casually hoping he would not be tipped off to the fact she knew this was not his home.

  “It is, but this is the home of someone else. We will get to my house soon. I live in Benbrook. I just needed to make a quick detour.” He offered up the information making her wonder if he was being honest.

  Boy, would Brice be pissed if Robert miscalculated his motives with her this time. The two men were hardly civil to each other as it stood. If Robert miscalculated Brice's intentions with her it could easily escalate to out and out physical hostility without much provocation. Brice would not come out on the better end of that venture, she was sure.

  “Brice, I do not like this. What are you up to?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Relax, would you? We won’t be here long. All I need are a couple of signatures on a license.”

  “Oh, well I’ll call Robert and let him know.”

  She wondered if she could believe Brice. However, this was just too mundane not to be believable. Still it was better to be safe.

  She started to dial when Brice angrily pulled the phone from her hand.

  “You do not have to answer to him for every damn move you make, Katherine.”

  Brice’s face changed as he tossed the phone into the back seat well out of her reach.

  “Coming with you was a mistake.” She reached for the door handle. Lightning fast, he reached across to stop her from leaving the car.

  “You just have to trust me. I care for you,” he said hoping to calm her.

  “Then let me out of this car, Brice,” she demanded.

  “Ten minutes, Kate. Just give me ten minutes, and then I’ll let you go wherever you want,” he softened.

  She wasn’t buying. He was definitely up to something if the fine hairs standing up on the back of her neck were any indication.

  If she could get him to let his guard down then maybe she could get away. Damn, she hated the fact Robert was right. She could trust no one, especially herself.

  Taking a deep breath and forcing herself to relax she agreed.

  “Ten minutes, then I want to go home. I’m more tired than I thought. It is too soon after the fire.” It sounded reasonable, she thought.

  He let the door handle go and focused his attention back on the wheel as the iron gates began to open. If he got her behind those gates she had no idea what or who was waiting for her. This could be innocent, but maybe not. If Robert wasn’t willing to take such a chance, then neither was she.

  Quickly, unsnapping her seatbelt, she jumped out of the car before he could catch her, hearing him curse as she made her getaway. He grabbed for her and managed to get a piece of her jacket. Wiggling out of it and turning it inside out, she lost her balance and hit the pavement hard before scrambling back to her feet. Running as fast as she could, she tried not to focus on the fact Brice was right behind her and gaining. The gash she received on her leg was painful and slowing her down. She sensed him as he leaped and caught her. Tackling her from behind, she again hit the ground hard knocking the breath out of her.

  She kept fighting.

  She would never go quietly.

  Kicking out as hard as she could and managing to get a lucky shot, she caught him in the midsection sending him backwards enough to scramble back to her feet. The gray sedan was only yards ahead. Just beyond it was Robert, his gun pulled, running full tilt to close the gap between them.

  Screw the car, she thought.

  Robert was her goal, her security. Right beside him was a young deputy focused on Brice. Robert caught her as she barreled into his arms and swinging her around in one fluid motion he covered her body with his, hurrying to the sanctuary of the silver van with the open side panel door. He pushed her inside, slammed the door, and it sped away before she hardly knew what happened. It was all done in a matter of seconds. Robert’s words echoed inside her mind, It only takes the blink of an eye for things to go way south.

  By the time Robert had secured Kate, the deputy had Brice face down and cuffed on the side lawn of the street. He was fighting to keep Brice contained and had placed his booted foot on the back of his neck and his gun was still pointed at the back of Brice’s head as he shouted orders to stop resisting.

  Robert holstered his gun. One locked and loaded gun pulled out of a holster was enough. There was a crowd beginning to gather as Dallas Langston came charging down the street with threats to sue everyone within ear-shot. So, Brice was off to daddy’s house by the looks of it, Robert thought.

  “Do you realize you could face kidnapping charges for this, Brice?” Robert asked casually, covering his gun with his jacket.

  “Screw you. I want my lawyer,” he mumbled face down on the asphalt.

  “Brice, I hope you have a permit for that,” Robert said as the deputy pulled the .38 out of Brice’s jacket. “What the hell did you think you were doing, Brice?”

  “Sir, this might answer your question.” The deputy handed Robert the gun and document he had pulled from Brice’s jacket.

  Robert took only a second to look it over. He shook his head several times.

&n
bsp; “Brice, you are a very, very naughty monkey,” Robert said feeling the pressure rise.

  Chase was right. If it was not him horning in, there would be others vying for Kate’s land, body, and time.

  The document was a marriage license already filled out complete with the date.

  Chapter 33

  Kate was shaking as she settled into the seat of the van. Chase was behind the wheel.

  “Are you all right, Katherine?” he asked looking back through the rearview mirror, his jade green eyes showing his concern.

  She nodded. Her leg was pretty badly skinned with a severe case of road rash. The wound stung, but not as much as her pride. She had foolishly gone with Brice, making another bad choice with a man.

  “You know something, Kate, I don’t think I have ever seen Robert as frantic as he was tonight. I think he is falling in love with you. How do you feel about that?” Ever the one to cut right through it, Chase came right out and asked.

  “It would not be a good move for him, I’m sure. He just feels responsible for me right now, that’s all. He could have any woman he wants.”

  “You are right, he could have any woman he wants, and personally, I think he wants you. That desire has nothing to do with responsibility and everything to do with the fact he thinks you’re hot. The fact you have a brain is a definite plus, too. For me, brains are optional, not so with Robert. He wants the whole package. And you are the whole package in his eyes, Katherine.”

  She smiled. The way he put it made her feel good. It still did not change the fact she was not the woman for Robert.

  “Thank you, but I’m bad juju for any man, especially a man like Robert. If he knows what’s good for him, he will look elsewhere.”

  “You’re a good kid, Kate, always were. You just need a break, that’s all.”

  She needed something, all right. She would agree with that much. How did she feel about the fact Robert could be thinking about her as more than his best friend’s kid sister?