He’d flung up an arm to cover his eyes in the glare of her headlights, but something about his posture was familiar. She rolled down her window and leaned out. “Preston?”
“Claire? When I saw the motor home, I had a feeling it was you.” He stepped around to the side to gaze up at her, a wide smile lighting his face. “That guy, Vern, who’s working on your house, told me you’d left town for the day when I got to talking to him in the grocery store. Thank heavens you came home when you did.”
“What’s wrong? What’re you doing in the middle of the road?”
“My battery died.” He pointed toward a turnoff where the rear of his van was just visible in the moonlight. “Since the evening was so beautiful, I hiked into the woods to do some star gazing, hoping to get lucky and maybe spot a Bigfoot.”
She frowned. “You hiked from here?”
“There’s a trail of sorts. Anyway, I got back late and discovered I’d left my parking lights on. Stupid, I know, but it was still light when I headed out, so I didn’t notice. My battery’s completely dead, and it’s not easy to sleep right beside the highway even though the traffic is spotty.”
“Do you want me to give you a jump start?”
“Would you? I stopped a few other cars, but people were nervous about helping a stranger at this hour. Can’t blame them, I guess.”
“No doubt. I would have freaked out a little if I didn’t know you. I’ll pull up beside your van.”
He stepped away, and she drove the RV forward to the side of the road, setting the brake when she was in position. “How’s that?”
“Perfect. Can you come hold the hood up while I hook up the jumper cables? The prop bar is broken.”
After unfastening her seatbelt she stepped to the door, opened it and jumped down. “What a pain. Car trouble is the worst.”
He glanced over, eyes bright in the glow of the headlights. “My luck’s never been great, but that may be changing.”
“Good to hear.” She paused beside him. “Ian wasn’t imagining things, then? Do you expect to get that photograph after all?”
“Something I want even more. Sorry, Claire, but this is the only way.” His arm lifted, a metal bar clutched in his hand.
Fear slammed into her as she stepped back and dodged to the side. Too late. Pain exploded in her head as she fell into blackness.
* * * *
Scoop’s frantic barking dragged Jed out of a deep sleep. He struggled to hold onto an image of Claire dancing naked in the moonlight with a Bigfoot, swaying to and fro.... The dream faded into wakefulness, and he groaned.
“Damn it!”
Struggling up out of his sleeping bag, he staggered to the bedroom window where the dog stood, paws propped on the sill.
“There better be a freaking bear out there, not a squirrel.”
Rubbing his eyes, he blinked and peered through the gray of dawn. A police cruiser pulled to a stop beside his SUV. The door opened, and a uniformed cop stepped out. In a frenzy of barking, Scoop rocketed out of the room. Moments later, nails scraped the front door, grating on Jed’s raw nerves.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Grabbing his pants, he pulled them on to run down the stairs. He reached the door just as a knock sounded. “Down, Scoop!” Kneeing the dog out of his way, he jerked open the door.
The man on the other side lowered his raised fist. “I’m Officer Boylston with the Shady Bend police department. Is Claire Templeton available?”
“She’s out of town until later today. Can I help you? Is this about the investigation into her stalker? Did they arrest someone?”
The officer, who was probably close to Jed’s age with close cropped dark hair and a wicked scar down his left cheek, frowned. “When I called in the abandoned vehicle and the registration turned up Miss Templeton’s name, the chief updated me on the harassment case then sent me here to check on her. There’s been no arrest yet. You are?”
“Jed Lafferty, her…friend. Damn it, Scoop. Back off.” He held the door wide. “Come in. What abandoned vehicle?”
The cop eyed the dog with a cautious glance. “A motor home. The vehicle was parked by the side of the road about five miles from here. I stopped to tell the occupants they couldn’t camp there, but no one was around. When the plate came back registered to Miss Templeton, the chief got worried.”
Fear rose in Jed’s throat, tightening until he couldn’t breathe. He pressed a hand to his bare chest to drag air into starving lungs.
“You okay? Maybe you should sit down.”
He gripped the doorframe. “What happened? Where’s Claire?”
“We don’t know. There were tire tracks next to the motor home. Possibly she parked beside another vehicle and left with the driver.”
“Did you try calling her cell phone?”
“Of course. It went straight to voice mail, which is why the chief sent me out here to find her.”
“Son of a bitch!” Jed released the door and dug both hands into his hair. “No way she went willingly with some stranger—anyone for that matter. She would have called me.” He pulled his cell from the pocket of his jeans and checked the display. No missed calls. No new messages. He dialed her number and waited. When voice mail picked up, he slammed his fist into the wall. “Claire, call me right away. I’m worried.”
“Take it easy. We’re checking into a few possibilities.”
He turned on the cop. “What possibilities, exactly? I know the chief has a suspect. Preston Meyer. Is he the psycho who took her?”
“Look, I’m not at liberty to—”
“Screw procedure!” When Scoop growled, Jed rested a hand on the dog’s head and unclenched his other fist. He wouldn’t be a lot of help to Claire if they tossed his ass in jail for punching a cop. “Fine. I’ll call the chief myself. Better yet, I’ll head straight down to the station. I’m going to live in his office until he tells me everything he knows about Meyer, and then I’m going to hunt down Ian Rutledge just to make sure that nut case doesn’t have her.”
“Suit yourself.” The man’s lips curved in a brief smile. “I don’t envy the chief his morning. By the way, he mentioned having the motor home towed back here instead of to the impound lot. Hope that will make things a little easier once we find her.”
The officer turned to walk back to his car. Jed pressed his forehead against the smooth wood of the door to steady his breathing. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—panic. Before he went anywhere, he had to put on shoes and a shirt, grab his wallet and keys. Running up the stairs, he yanked his cell from his pocket to press a button.
“Kane, I need your help.”
* * * *
Claire blinked and moaned as she dragged the world into focus despite the throbbing ache behind her temple. With care, she pressed fingers to a lump the size of a walnut and winced. Trees shifted and blurred around her as she struggled to sit up. When nausea threatened, she bent double and swallowed hard, over and over.
“Take it easy. You have quite a bump. Would you like a couple of aspirin?”
Conquering the urge to vomit, she glanced up at Preston. “What I want is to go home.”
“First we need to talk.” He sat beside her on the sleeping bag. Brown eyes filled with remorse studied her. “I’m sorry I had to hit you. I couldn’t risk a scene on the highway in case someone drove by.”
“What do you want? I thought we were friends. Why would you do this to me?”
“Do you think I liked hurting you?” He slammed his fist down on the padded nylon surface. “All I wanted was for you to keep your word. We made a vow.”
Cold shivered through her, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Obviously her old pal had completely lost it. “What vow?”
Where in the name of God was she? A glance in any direction revealed only thick forest. They were in some type of shelter made of branches and moss surrounded by tall ferns. No sign of his van. Nothing but endless redwoods and Douglas fir, rhododendrons
, huckleberries and thimbleberry bushes. They might be two miles from civilization…or twenty.
Did he carry me here? The man might look as scrawny as a scarecrow, but she didn’t weigh much.
“You honestly don’t remember?” Hurt reflected in his eyes. “Even after all my reminders?”
Don’t piss him off.
He didn’t seem dangerous, just sad. Surely the somewhat pathetic guy she’d known for years didn’t intend to hurt her?
He already has. Keep your guard up.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t. Maybe you could simply tell me instead of playing games.”
“I wanted you to come to me. I wanted you to believe we were meant to be together.”
“Preston…”
“You’d had a few drinks that night, but you weren’t drunk. Maybe that’s why you don’t—”
“How many?” She winced and held her head. “Uh, I’ll take those aspirin.”
He pulled a standard white pill container from the front pocket of a backpack leaning against the shelter wall and shook two tablets into her palm before handing her a water bottle. She swallowed them, drinking slowly, then splashed a little water on her face. Wherever they were, the place was well equipped with a camp stove, cooking gear and a second sleeping bag. Her gaze slid away, and her stomach lurched.
“How many what?”
“Drinks. How many drinks did I have?”
“Three.”
Her eyes widened. “Three! And I didn’t pass out? I never have three drinks. I’m a total lightweight when it comes to alcohol. No wonder I don’t remember anything. When was this?”
“You didn’t seem that drunk to me.” He shrugged. “Ten years ago. We went to a bar after work. You’d just had it out with Ross and dumped his sorry ass. Remember that?”
Recollection stirred. Sitting at a booth in a dimly lit bar across from Preston, drinking strawberry daiquiris in an attempt to drown her sorrows. Ugh. Maybe that’s why she never touched rum. She’d been madder than hell at Ross, and depressed. Really, really depressed. Lonely. Thinking she’d never find a decent man who’d treat her right. Who would love her and only her. Preston had bumped into her when she was leaving the office and offered to buy her a drink and let her vent. The rest was a blur.
“What happened?”
“You cried a little. I held your hand. Then we made a promise. We agreed if we were both still single in ten years we’d find each other and get married. It was a solemn vow.”
He’s been stalking me for ten years because of a drunken promise?
“Surely you didn’t take a vow like that seriously?”
His eyes clouded, and the mobile mouth twisted into something ugly. “You swore. I kept my end of the bargain and found you. Now you need to keep yours.”
“You want me to marry you because of something I said in a moment of grief-induced stupidity aided by way too many daiquiris?”
“It wasn’t stupid. I’d wanted to ask you out for a long time, but you were with Ross. After your breakup, I didn’t want to be just a rebound guy. I wanted forever. You haven’t been in another serious relationship, at least not engaged or anything, since Ross. I know since I’ve kept up with your life.”
Anger simmered. “Taking pictures of me when I didn’t realize anyone was watching is your idea of keeping up?”
His scowl deepened. “Not for the first five years, I didn’t. After that, I could see you were waiting for me, too. I didn’t want to push, so I stayed in the background. I bided my time until the ten years passed.”
She clenched her fists at her sides. “I’m in a relationship that matters now.”
“Too late. Time was up before you met Lafferty.” He pushed to his feet to stand outside the entrance to the shelter. His shoulders rose and fell in a long sigh. “Anyway, he’s not good enough for you. He doesn’t care about you the way I do.”
“This won’t work between us. I love Jed.”
He spun on his heel, eyes flashing. “Does he want to marry you?”
She bit her lip.
“Ha. I didn’t think so. The guy’s a player, just like Ross. Soon you’ll realize the truth. Once I convince you, once you understand how happy we’ll be together, we can go back to your house.” A wide grin stretched his lips. “Everything’s going to work out just the way I’d hoped. I’ll get the photograph I need to get my job back, and I’ll have you.” Worry lines marred his brow, and the smile slipped. “Is that too much to ask?”
She scooted against the rear wall of the shelter and pulled her knees tight against her chest. “No, it isn’t. I see your point. You’re the one I should be with, not Jed.”
“Don’t lie to me!” His voice rose in a screech. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know you don’t believe me yet, but you will. You will.”
Her head throbbed, painful enough to make her whimper. She pressed her lips tight to hold back the sound. This wasn’t the mild-mannered, goofy man she’d known for years. This man just might hurt her—again. It wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge…
She searched for something non-threatening to say, something to bring him back from a sheer drop into madness. “I’m hungry. Do you have any food?”
His eyes cleared. “Sure. We can make breakfast. Pancakes? Eggs?” He smiled. “I went shopping and have everything you could possibly want. Just name it.”
* * * *
Kane slammed the door of his Jeep and crossed the yard toward the house. Jed met him halfway. The grim expression on his brother’s face didn’t promise good news, but he asked anyway.
“Did you learn anything?”
“The chief updated me, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot to tell. Ian Rutledge is in the clear. The idiot tripped and fell, slicing his arm open on a tent stake yesterday. He spent most of the night in the emergency room down in Fort Bragg waiting to be stitched up.”
Jed let out a slow breath. “So the son of a bitch who has Claire is definitely Preston Meyer.”
“Looks like it. The police got a warrant and tracked his financials for the last six months. He made charges to his credit cards that match times and locations when Claire’s stalker was busy snapping pictures of her. They put an APB out on his van.”
Jed clenched and unclenched his fists before stuffing his hands in his pockets. “That broken-down relic should be easy enough to spot.”
“You’d think, but so far there’s been no sign of the vehicle.”
He stared up at a seagull circling in the clear blue sky and did his best to rein in his temper. “The freak could have taken her anywhere! What if he parked the van in a garage or an old barn? Or left the area completely. Hell, they could be in Oregon or Washington by now, or on their way to Mexico.”
“He’d have to pay for gas.” Kane rested a hand on his arm. “No new charges on his cards since yesterday at the grocery store here in Shady Bend. No cash withdrawals from his accounts, which are mostly overextended. My guess is he’s holed up with Claire somewhere close.” He pointed toward the forested hills rising along the Eastern horizon. “Somewhere out there in the redwoods.”
“Hell if I’ll wait for them to run out of food to come into town. I don’t want Claire spending another night with that bastard.” He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand through his hair. “If he touches her…”
“Look, you said her stalker wants to marry her. He’s living in some fantasy world of his own making, but he won’t hurt her unless—” He turned, eyes shadowed with worry.
“Unless what?”
“Unless he’s pushed. Unless he has no other choice. If Claire plays it cool and doesn’t aggravate him, she should be okay. At least for a while.”
“Claire’s smart. She won’t do anything stupid. She knows Meyer, and she’s good at decompressing tense situations.”
“Then trust in her ability to keep herself safe until we find her.”
“How’re we going to do that?” He flung out an arm
. “There are hundreds…no thousands…of acres out there. How the hell are we going to search them all?”
“We’ll start with what’s accessible from old logging roads and trails. He had to park the van somewhere. The chief is organizing a search.” Kane nodded toward Scoop. “You think the dog could sniff her out if he got close enough?”
Head buried in a gopher hole, Scoop dug furiously, tail wagging.
Jed frowned. “I don’t know. Claire said there’s a little hound in him. I don’t know if it’s bloodhound, but it’s worth a try.”
“Bring the mutt and a backpack with water bottles, energy bars if you have them and a couple of flashlights. I don’t know how long we’ll be out searching. We’ll start wherever you think best. You know the area a lot better than I do.”
Jed nodded. “I’ll be ready in a couple of minutes. Make sure you bring a jacket. If the fog rolls in, we’ll freeze our asses off.”
He collected his gear, hands shaking as he loaded his pack. They had to find Claire. He drew in a ragged breath. He couldn’t live without her. Didn’t want to. Blinking back scalding tears, he wiped a hand across his face, wishing he’d told her that the last time he saw her.
When he returned to the yard, Kane gestured toward the Jeep parked beside Jed’s SUV. “We’ll take mine. That thing can go pretty much anywhere. Load up the dog.”
“Fine.” He held the door open for Scoop. “Let’s start near the Bigfoot camp. Meyer spent a lot of time out there, and it only makes sense he’d choose someplace familiar.”
“Now you’re thinking smart.” His brother’s blue eyes held compassion. “Keep it together. We’ll find her. First, though, I have to eat. I missed breakfast and lunch, and I need fuel. My guess is you do, too.”
“I can’t stomach food right now.” His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears. “I don’t want to waste time.”
“We’ll grab sandwiches to go.” Kane’s tone was firm. “Tell me where to get them.”
“Shit.” He closed his eyes and rested his head against the seatback. “The market in town has a deli counter in back. Turn right at the second stop sign.”
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