Cooper nodded. “I’d appreciate it.” He listened while Mont called Nathan, and then the FBI, telling them as soon as he was sure it was a kidnapping, he’d call back.
“I gave them a heads up. I can have Agent Micah Turner here in no time.”
They both watched as a car slowly drove by and Cooper recognized the driver as Tyler Conrad.
“Stop him, Mont,” Cooper shouted.
Without hesitation, Mont waved for the car to pull over. Cooper followed him to the car. Mont glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. Cooper leaned down to look at Conrad.
“You know something about this. I’d lay money on it.”
“Something about what?” Conrad asked him.
“Kendra. She’s missing. Now that I think about it, she said someone was following her. I bet if I showed her a picture of you, she’d say it was you.”
Conrad sighed. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I only followed her because Jasper’s paying me to. I had nothing to do with...”
“With what?” Mont asked him.
“This...”
“Bullshit,” Cooper growled.
“I’m calling Nathan. He can send someone here to take him back to the station for questioning.”
“His name is Tyler Conrad. He came to my ranch on the pretense of buying it. What was that about anyway?”
“Jasper wanted me to check into you. To see what Kendra saw in you. I just did it for the money.”
Cooper listened as Mont called Nathan. They’d wait until a deputy got there before going to Kendra’s parents’ ranch, but Cooper wanted to go now.
“I want to go with you when you tell her parents,” he said to Mont.
“I can handle it—”
“I’m sure you can but I like her parents, and I want to be there. Please.”
“All right. You can follow me once a deputy gets here.”
Once the deputy showed up and took Conrad into custody, Cooper ran to his truck. Damn Jasper Nelson. Cooper just wanted one good shot at the son of a bitch.
****
The man who had taken her had access to Jasper’s jet so an hour later, Kendra stood in the living room of the home she’d been held prisoner in. It hadn’t changed a bit. Still gaudy and ugly. The door behind her opened but she refused to turn around.
“Well, look who’s home,” Jasper said.
Kendra laughed without humor. “I didn’t come home. You had me kidnapped.”
“Oh, come on, Kennie. I didn’t kidnap you. Who’d believe that? I just had Gil pick you up when you asked to come back to me.”
“Who’d believe that? No one I’m friends with would. Not my family, that’s for sure. None of them would believe I’d come back here willingly.” She sat down in one of the wingback chairs and glared at him.
“You can talk all you want. It’s just too bad no one will hear you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” She jumped up.
“Who are you going to tell? You have no way of telling anyone anything.”
“My father will come looking for me! He’ll know where to look.”
“By the time he gets here, along with your lover no doubt, we’ll be gone. I’m taking you to the villa in Spain. No one can get to us there.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Are you crazy?”
“When did you become a whore?”
Kendra burst out laughing. “Why do you want me if you think I’m a whore?”
He strode over to her, grasped her arms, and put his face close to hers. “Because you belong to me. I’ll get past it though. I won’t be able to touch you for a while, but eventually that will change.”
“You’ll never satisfy me like Cooper does,” she said softly and watched a muscle twitch in his cheek.
Jasper shook her. “Don’t ever say that again. Do you hear me?” He shoved her back into the chair. “I have a meeting. We’ll be leaving soon. You won’t be able to get out of the house so don’t even try it.” He left the room slamming the door behind him.
Kendra glanced around the room trying to figure out what to do. How was she going to get out of here? She walked to the door, opened it slowly, and peered out. No one was around but she knew someone was watching her. She headed toward the kitchen and entered the room to see Lena at the sink. Kendra blinked tears from her eyes as she looked at the one person who’d helped her.
“Lena,” she whispered.
Lena Cortez spun around and gasped. She walked to Kendra and pulled her against her ample bosom. “Oh, Miss Kendra! It is so good to see you...but what are you doing here?”
“Jasper had me kidnapped and brought here.”
Lena gasped. “No!”
Kendra nodded. “I have to get out of here but I don’t know how. He said he’s going to take me to the villa in Spain. If he does that, I’ll never see my parents again.”
“I don’t know how I can help. I’m sure Mister Jasper has someone watching you,” Lena whispered.
“I’m not asking you to help me get out, just let me use your phone.”
Lena wrung her hands together. “I want to help you...”
“Please, Lena,” Kendra begged.
Lena reached into her pocked and pulled out her cell phone. She handed it to Kendra.
“Thank you. I’ll go into the bathroom to use it.” Kendra left the kitchen after sticking the cell phone in the pocket of her jeans. She was glad it was Friday so she was wearing jeans. There was no way Jasper was getting her on his jet. She closed the bathroom door and called her parents.
“Hello?” Hudson Mattingly answered.
“Daddy...Jasper has me and plans to take me to Spain.”
“Kendra! I can barely hear you, honey.”
“I’m using Lena’s phone. I can’t let anyone hear me,” she whispered.
“All right. Mont’s here and he’s calling the FBI. Try to do anything you can to not get on that plane with Jasper.”
“All right. Please tell them to hurry. He said we’ll be leaving soon.”
“Mont says the FBI is on the way to Jasper’s house. It won’t be long now. Hold on tight, honey. We’ll have you home in no time...hold on.” She could hear her father talking to someone. “Cooper said to tell you to kick Jasper like you did him, if you have to. I have no idea what he means.”
Kendra smiled. “Cooper’s there?”
“Cooper and Mont showed up here together when they figured out what happened.”
“Tell him I’ll do it, and with more force.” She listened as her father repeated her statement to Cooper. She heard Cooper laugh. She blinked back tears as she told her dad goodbye and hung up.
She opened the door and stepped out. No one was around. Maybe they were outside standing guard since she hadn’t seen anyone following her through the house. How had she ever thought she’d be happy living in this mausoleum? Jasper had to have the best of everything and Kendra hated the house the minute she entered it. She begged him to let her redecorate but he wouldn’t hear of it. He purchased the most expensive things to surround himself with—from fine art to handmade drapes. It was like living in a museum. She was happy with a smaller, more comfortable home—one like Cooper’s. She sighed at the thought.
Kendra quickly walked into the kitchen and handed Lena her phone back. “Thank you,” she whispered. “The FBI is on the way.”
Lena cleared the sent calls and put the phone in her pocket. “Will they get to you in time?”
“I hope so. If Jasper comes back too soon, I’ll have to stall him some way.”
“The FBI is just downtown, they should be here quickly.”
“I hope so.” Kendra jerked when she heard Jasper’s voice. He was back. She glanced at Lena and took a seat on one of the barstools at the counter. Jasper entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks when he saw her.
“As soon as I make a phone call, we’re out of here,” he told her.
Kendra turned away from him. She hated him and there was no way in hell she was going anywhere with
him. She hopped down from the stool and walked toward him. Stopping in front of him, she gazed up at him. He stared down at her with a smug expression. She raised her hands and slid them up his arms. He grinned at her, and she smiled back then gripped his arms and slammed her knee into his groin. He grunted and hit the floor. She kicked him in the side and ran. She could hear him swearing behind her. He was trying to yell but his voice sounded choked.
Kendra ran to the front door, pulled it open, and ran outside. As she ran down the steps, she saw two men running towards her from the side of the house. The front gate was still open, probably because Jasper thought they’d be leaving soon. She ran as fast as she could down the driveway. When a black SUV suddenly barreled into the drive, she screamed and veered out of its way. It screeched to a halt, the nose of the vehicle dipping low. A man jumped out and grabbed her telling her everything was going to be all right. After putting her in the back, and climbing in beside her, he signaled the driver to continue toward the house.
When it came to a stop, the three men inside jumped out, the one who shared the backseat with her yelling for her to stay put. They aimed their weapons at Jasper’s two men and identified themselves as FBI. Jasper’s men got on their knees and put their hands behind their heads. Kendra watched as Jasper came running outside but stopped when he saw his men on their knees, and the FBI aiming guns at him. They told him to get on his knees too. She could hear him arguing, but he finally complied.
Another black SUV entered the driveway and Kendra watched as agents loaded the Jasper and his men into it. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was over. It was finally over. She was going home and never had to worry about Jasper again. Her thoughts suddenly went to Lena. She felt bad for Lena. She had been the only one who seemed to care what happened to her. Now what would happen to her? Kendra opened the door and stepped from the vehicle.
“Miss Mattingly, you need to stay in the vehicle. We’ll need you to describe the man who actually took you.”
“I want to talk to Lena before I go. Please. She had nothing to do with this. She helped me. She’s the only one who helped me.”
The agent stared at her, and then gave a nod. “Make it quick, please.”
Kendra ran into the house and back to the kitchen. “Lena.”
Lena turned. She had tears in her eyes. “I’m so glad they came for you.” She pulled Kendra into her arms.
“What are you going to do now?”
Lena smiled at her. “Go home to Mexico. My son has wanted me to return and now I can. I have saved up a lot of money. I’m very happy to be going.”
“Will you please keep in touch with me?”
“I’d love to. I’ve missed you.”
Kendra hugged her and wrote her address down for Lena. “Please write to me when you get settled.”
“I will.” Lena assured her as they hugged again.
Kendra smiled and walked out of the house she would never step foot in again. The FBI agents drove her to their office and had her go through photos of Jasper’s employees.
“I want to start with people who work for him first, and then we can go to mugshots if we have to,” an agent told her.
She nodded and looked through the photos. She found the man who took her, and saw the face of the man she was sure had been following her. She pointed to him.
“This man didn’t do anything to me other than to show up any place I seemed to be.”
“He never approached you?”
“He spoke to me once but I walked away from him, and then I saw him at a bar I was at one night.”
“He was probably following you for your ex-husband. Tyler Conrad has a lot of gambling debts. Nelson was probably paying him enough to pay them off. The other man, Gil Woodard, is a whole other problem. He’s been in prison for just about anything you can name. There’s nothing he won’t do for money.”
She shivered at the thought. “He was scary. I just froze when he stopped his car in front of me. I told myself to backup but I just couldn’t.”
“Everyone reacts differently. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Conrad didn’t do anything illegal unless you can prove he was following you?”
“No, I can’t. I only saw him in two places.”
“Trust me, Miss Mattingly, he was in more than two places, but we’ll find out. Odds are though, he won’t be charged without solid proof. Even if Nelson owns up to having him following you, we have no proof he actually did. Let me put a quick call in to the sheriff’s department in Dry River about Conrad. I’ll just be a minute.” Kendra listened as he talked with someone on the phone. He hung up and turned to face her. “It seems that Tyler Conrad was picked up. They have him in custody and he’s cooperating fully.”
“Can I go home now?” she asked.
“Yes, we have a jet ready to take you home.”
Kendra sighed and stood. She was more than ready to go home and hug her parents. She might even hug Cooper.
****
Cooper stood on the porch with Angela and Hudson Mattingly as they waited for the car coming up the driveway. It pulled to a stop, the back door opened, and Kendra stepped out. Her mother and father ran down the steps to greet her. Cooper saw the tears in her eyes as she hugged her parents. He’d wait his turn. He watched as she pulled back from her parents, and then walked up the porch steps toward him. She stopped in front of him.
“Hi,” he said in a low voice.
“Hi,” she whispered and with a sob, threw herself at him. He caught her, hugged her to him tightly, and then kissed the top of her head.
“I can’t tell you what it felt like to know he’d gotten to you,” Cooper told her.
“How did it feel, Cooper?”
He pulled back and looked down into her face. “Like my heart was ripped out. Tell me.”
“Tell you what?” She frowned up at him.
He grinned. “That you love me.”
Kendra’s mouth dropped open, and then she burst out laughing. “What makes you think so?”
Cooper grinned. “Why can’t you just say it?”
“You expect me to say...” She laughed.
“That you love me?”
Kendra shook her head. “Why would I say something like that?”
He cupped her face in his palms. “Because you do.” He tilted her head up. “It doesn’t matter how much you deny it. You love me, Kendra.”
She sputtered. “You’re crazy.”
“I can feel it in the way you touch me, kiss me, and make love with me. You talked about commitment with me.” Cooper shrugged. “You love me.”
She pulled back from him. “I do not.”
Cooper chuckled. “Liar. Why can’t you just admit it? Because I haven’t said it? All right, I will. I love you.”
Kendra gasped as she stared at him. “You don’t love me. We were just...going out.”
“Going out? Bullshit. We’re exclusive.” He pulled her against him.
“Then maybe we shouldn’t be.” She stepped back from him.
Cooper growled and pulled her back to him. “You will not see anyone else. I love you and you love me. As I said before, you are the most obstinate woman I’ve ever met.”
“Cooper, you said you didn’t want to settle down.”
“I didn’t think I did, until I thought I lost you.”
“You’re just running on adrenaline since finding out I was taken.”
“Not true. I was on my way here when I found your car. I was coming to tell you I’m in love with you.”
“You were?”
“Yes. I just about died when I couldn’t find you. Mont happened to come by. He saw the skid marks from the other car. I called here and your mom said you hadn’t gotten home yet. I had a bad feeling. I wanted to kill Nelson with my bare hands.”
“I kicked him like you said.” She smiled up at him.
Cooper leaned down and whispered. “In the balls?”
“Yep. Laid him out too. Then I kicked him in the side and ran.
The FBI was coming up the driveway when I was running for the gate.”
Cooper burst out laughing and hugged her tightly against him. “I love you. Now tell me,” he growled.
Kendra threw her arms around his neck and whispered against his lips. “I love you, Cooper Lang.”
“Damn straight you do, darlin’.” He pressed his lips to hers and moved his tongue into her mouth. He pulled away from her when he heard Hudson Mattingly clear his throat. Cooper turned to look at him. “Mister Mattingly, I’d like your permission to marry Kendra.”
Hudson Mattingly stared at him, his arms folded across his chest. “Do you now, and if I don’t agree?”
Kendra gasped. “Daddy...” She stopped when her father held his hand up.
Cooper cleared his throat. “I’ll marry her anyway. If I have to run away with her, I will. I’d sell everything I own to have her in my life.”
Kendra blinked back tears as she gazed at Cooper. “Really?”
Cooper lifted her hand and kissed it. “In a heartbeat.”
Hudson Mattingly walked up the steps and stuck his hand out to him. “I’d be more than happy to give you my permission as I’m sure her mother will too.”
“Of course,” Angela Mattingly said with a big smile.
Cooper stared down into Kendra’s face. “Name the time and place, and I’m there.”
“Next summer?”
“Sounds good to me, darlin’. Can we go to my place to celebrate?” he said near her ear and chuckled when he saw the blush stain her cheeks.
Kendra turned toward her parents. “Mom...”
“Go,” her mother said with chuckle.
Kendra and Cooper walked down the steps to his truck, he held the door and helped her in, climbed in behind the wheel, and then steered it forward down the drive. She sat on the passenger side and stared at him.
“You keep staring at me and I’ll stop this truck.”
Kendra laughed. “I remember what happened the last time you told me that. We had sex against the wall.”
Cooper shifted in his seat. “Damn, now you’ve got my dick hard. Time to pick up the pace.” He glanced over to her. “Open the glove box.”
She frowned at him, but did. She burst out laughing when she pulled out her panties. “I wondered what you’d done with them.”
Cooper Bad Boys of Dry River, Wyoming Book 3 Page 15