by Becca Van
“How long ago was that?” Connor asked.
“About a month ago,” Heath said.
“Damn justice system. How the hell could the authorities let someone like that out early? And why the hell didn’t they throw the fucking book at the bastard?”
“He probably played the remorseful card. The jails are overrun with inmates and can’t keep up, hence the arseholes get out way before they should and don’t get sentenced for long enough,” Noah Beech said as he entered the room.
Ash and his brothers had met Noah, Zach and Tom Beech twice before. He was glad to have these dedicated police sergeants on their side.
“I was able to get hold of a Gary Hench, one of the owners of the Hench Cattle Station. He said that Kenny is a nice man, if a little naïve. A Reilly Smooth befriended Kenny, and they’ve both been mates since. The SUV belongs to Kenny, but I’d bet my last dollar that Smooth is with him,” Zach explained.
“We’ve got an APB out on the car,” Tom said. “I suspect that they wouldn’t hang around town. The next closest large town is Bendigo, which is a couple of hours away. If you want to, we can head toward Bendigo and take the chance that’s where they’re heading, or we can wait for radio confirmation for highway patrol for an update.”
“You don’t know for sure that they would take the main highway,” Cal said.
“You’re right, of course, but they’re aren’t familiar with this state. The main thoroughfares would be easier to find and travel on,” Noah said. “Most GPS systems will navigate to the main arterials.”
“We could split up,” Zach suggested.
Connor looked up from his mobile phone. “I’ve just initiated a blanket text to all our male friends in Passion. I gave out the number plate, make and model of the SUV and that Jewel has been kidnapped. If these bastards have taken the back roads, they’ll be seen.”
Connor paused when his phone buzzed. “Texts are coming in thick and fast. The men are out in their own utes, searching. It won’t be long before we have the location.”
Just as Connor finished speaking, the radio on Noah’s hip squawked and the female dispatcher’s voice could be heard. “SUV with registration plate UEZ-9CB has been spotted on the main highway heading north toward Bendigo. They have about a thirty-minute lead from your current position.”
“Copy that dispatch, we’re on our way. Tell the patrol car to keep some distance between them and the SUV. I don’t want the perps knowing they’re being followed, but get them to keep us updated.”
“Will do, Serg. Dispatch out.”
“Let’s get moving,” Noah said. “You guys can follow, since it’s your woman in danger. But you keep back once we stop them. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
Ash nodded, as did his brothers. But there was no way in hell he was staying out of a fight if his woman’s life was in danger. He loved Jewel more than anything and would do everything he could to protect her.
* * * *
Jewel was only semi-conscious when she was thrown onto a firm surface, and barely held in a groan as pain shot though her body and into her head. The slamming of a door caused her to wince and then she sighed as the throbbing dulled down to a constant ache. She struggled to alertness when an engine started, and rolled off a seat as tyres squealed and the car pitched.
Hard, cruel hands latched onto her upper arms and lifted her back onto the seat, and when she heard another familiar voice, she tried to clear the fog from her mind. It took her a few moments, but as the voice penetrated her memories, she placed it. Kenny Schneider had also worked on the Hench Cattle Station, and although she knew he had been friends with Reilly, she hadn’t thought him the type of man to be violent or criminal.
“What did you do to her?” Kenny asked in a near shout.
“Don’t worry about her, mate, she was begging for it,” Reilly replied in a smarmy voice.
Jewel wondered if she could somehow get Kenny on her side and help her escape. Surely he didn’t believe the shit coming out of Reilly’s mouth? He couldn’t be that stupid, that naïve, could he?
Reilly had settled her on the back seat and against his side. Jewel’s skin crawled at her nearness and touch. She tried to keep her breathing even and deep, but it was damn hard when all she wanted to do was vomit at the stench coming off of him. It wasn’t that he smelled bad because he hadn’t showered, it was just that his scent was all wrong and abhorrent to her.
Must be the effects of him almost raping me after beating the shit out of me.
Jewel tried to quell the nausea roiling in her stomach and swallowed convulsively.
“I know you’re awake, baby. Open those beautiful eyes for me.”
Even though his voice was quiet, calm and coaxing, Jewel heard the steel beneath his command. She didn’t want to piss him off right now. Not when she was stuck with no avenue of escape. Hopefully, by obeying his orders, he would become complacent and she would be able to get away from him.
It didn’t matter that she was scared shitless and quaking inside. She wasn’t about to let him know he frightened her. He got off on fear, and she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.
Jewel pried her eyes open and moaned as the ache in her head intensified. She blinked a few times, her vision blurry and then kept her lids up.
“What the hell are you doing here, you arsehole?”
“Is that anyway to greet your lover?” Reilly snarled, grabbed hold of her braid and tugged on her hair, pulling her neck back to an awkward, painful angle.
“You’re not my lover,” Jewel grit out from between her teeth. “I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on Earth.”
“Now don’t be like that, baby. Especially after I went to prison so you wouldn’t be embarrassed about your kink.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? You beat me and tried to rape me. Kenny, what—”
Agony exploded in her face and up into her head.
“Fucking bastard!” Jewel heard Kenny yell and the faint sound of screeching tyres. The car jolted and Jewel went flying forward, her shoulder hitting against one of the front seats as she was propelled between them. A strong arm snagged her around the waist and then she was lowered into the passenger seat. Kenny had saved her from flying out through the windscreen. She thanked God that he was strong from working on the land and had been able to stop her forward momentum, otherwise she may very well be dead right now.
Although she was in excruciating pain and her ears were ringing, she was vaguely aware of hearing angry male voices.
“You lied to me,” Kenny bellowed.
“So what?” Reilly shouted back. “Just drive the fucking car. No matter what happens now, you are an accessory to kidnapping.”
Jewel breathed in and out a few times and finally opened her eyes. She was in the front passenger seat, and when she looked at Kenny, she could see remorse in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Jewel. I had no idea what was going on.”
“Shut the fuck up and keep your fucking eyes on the road!” Reilly screamed. “If we get pulled over by the cops, I’ll fucking kill both of you.”
Jewel’s whole face hurt. The skin was hot and tight and she knew it had to be swelling. Her head was pounding like a drum and she felt sick. But now that she knew Kenny had been duped by Reilly, she felt sorry for him. He was such a gentle, caring man, and she hoped that both of them would get out of this alive.
She had no idea why Reilly had dragged Kenny into this by lying, but she would bet her last dollar he wouldn’t have done it unless it would benefit him.
She had no idea how long she been gone from the club, but she hoped her men knew she was missing by now and were looking for her. Jewel just hoped they didn’t think she’d run off. No, they wouldn’t. She’d told them she loved them and she was pregnant with their baby.
In her heart and soul, she knew her men wouldn’t rest until they found her. Come hell or high water, Reilly was going down, and hopefully this time he would be impris
oned for years instead of weeks.
If the justice system hadn’t been so lenient, this might never have happened.
Chapter Fifteen
Cal gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles ached. He and his brothers followed behind two police cars as they tried to catch up with the SUV and Jewel.
The knot of dread in his gut made it hard to concentrate. He’d never felt like this before. When they had been out on mission with the army, he and his brothers had been able to push all emotions aside and done their jobs with cold calculation, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to pull that emotionless cold to the fore. He was sweating and his heart was racing with fear, not for himself or his brothers, but for their woman. He was scared the two bastards who had kidnapped her would hold her down, rape her and kill her.
Although he was worried about the baby nestled in her womb, too, Jewel was his main concern. He would do anything to make sure she came out of this situation alive, even if it meant losing the baby. Not that he wanted that to happen either, but if it came down to a choice, Jewel won out every time.
The portable radio Zach had given Ash squawked and then Tom’s voice came over the air. “We’re closing in. They only have a ten-minute lead. We should get to them before they hit the outskirts of Bendigo.”
“Roger that,” Ash replied.
“We’ve got the highway guys setting up with tyre spikes across the road. We need to stop them so others don’t get caught in any crossfire if shots are fired.”
“Shit, is this guy armed, Zach? Why the hell weren’t we informed of that before?”
“Would it have made a difference?”
“I suppose not. So, are they armed?”
“Both men have rifles registered in their names. You can bet your arse Smooth will be prepared.”
“What about this Kenny guy?”
“I don’t think he’s a danger. In fact, from what this Gary Hench said, he’s one of the nicest guys you could meet. We’re hoping he’s in this to help Jewel.”
Cal pushed his foot down a little harder on the accelerator and prayed that he would soon have Jewel back in his arms safe and sound.
* * * *
Jewel hunkered down in her seat and stared at Kenny. “Please, help me,” she mouthed.
Kenny frowned and then looked back at the road. She nearly sighed loudly with relief when he nodded his head. She looked down toward his lap when he lowered a hand from the steering wheel and shaped his hand and finger like it was a gun and then lowered his thumb as if he was firing.
Shit! He was telling her that Reilly had a gun. Probably a rifle like all stockman and jackaroos carried while working out on the land. She’d been too out of it before and hadn’t noticed a weapon and wondered where it was. Probably on the floor of the SUV.
“Jewel, get that sexy arse back here with me,” Reilly demanded.
Her heart began to race again as fear tried to swamp her. She took a few deep breaths and exhaled slowly. “I like where I am just fine, thank you very much.”
“I wasn’t asking you, slut. Now get back here before I shoot you.”
Jewel hadn’t known what fear was until the barrel of the rifle slid between the two seats and pointed at Kenny’s head. “Don’t make me shoot him.”
“If you do, that we’ll crash and probably all end up dead,” Kenny said in a calm voice.
“Nope, Jewel can steer until I can push your body out the door. Isn’t that right, baby?”
“I’m not going to do anything to help you. You’re fucking crazy,” Jewel yelled and immediately regretted it when her head pounded again.
She held her breath when Reilly slid along the seat until he was behind Kenny and poked the barrel of the rifle into her shoulder. “Move back here right now or I’ll put a bullet in you.”
Jewel hesitated. She didn’t want to help Reilly, but she didn’t want Kenny to get hurt, either. The poor guy had been taken for a ride thinking Reilly was his friend, and now he was in just as much danger as she was.
For the first time in her life, she wished she had a mobile phone. She’d never bothered to purchase one since most of the time they didn’t work out on the land. Plus, whenever she was searching for work, she just looked on the notice boards in the small rural towns, jotted the number down and called from a payphone. The only technology she’d splurged on was a GPS so she wouldn’t get lost, and she’d had a shop assistant help her stick it to Benjy’s windscreen and set it up for her.
Ash and Cal had told her they were going to buy her a phone and programme all their phones into it on speed dial, but they’d all been so busy they hadn’t had the chance. She’d wished she thought to pick one up the other day when she had to go into town for tea and coffee. She might have been able to text them or alert them to where she was.
She once again glanced at Kenny when she saw him change hands on the steering wheel, and then he was trying to get his hand in his pocket. He gave her another slight nod of his head and realised he wanted her to get into the back of the SUV and distract Reilly. Did he have a mobile phone? Please let him have a phone, she prayed.
Jewel turned and got to her knees and carefully manoeuvred between the seats and got into the back. Just before she turned to face the front again, she saw a police patrol car in the distance as it passed under a street light.
Maybe she would get out of this after all. Help was close by. Now all she had to do was find a way to distract Reilly so the cops could make their move.
* * * *
“The spikes have been deployed.” Tom’s voice came over the radio. “We should be able to see the SUV any minute.”
“’Bout fucking time,” Heath muttered. He hated not having any control over what was going on. Cal at least had the driving to occupy his mind, although, from the way his knuckles were turning white, it didn’t help much.
“Make sure you guys stay back,” Tom ordered. “We don’t want any unnecessary injuries or deaths.”
“Roger that,” Ash said into the portable radio.
Heath leaned over and looked out the windscreen as the ute began to slow down. His heart lodged in his chest when he saw the SUV stopped in the middle of the road. The highway patrol was in front of Noah’s car but still a distance from the dark SUV. When he saw the cops from the first car using the open car doors as screens from possible gunfire, fear surged through him and his adrenaline spiked.
* * * *
Jewel looked over the rifle from beneath her lowered eyelashes. She couldn’t tell if it was loaded, but she’d bet her back teeth it was. Reilly was a narcissistic arsehole and got off on violence and domination, as well as fear.
She caught Kenny looking at her and Reilly in the rear view mirror and he blinked when he saw her gaze as if he was trying to tell her something. Maybe he was aware of the highway patrol cop car following them in the distance too. He shifted again, and she could see his right arm moving and wondered what he was up to. If she could only see what he planned, she might be able to help him get them both of them out of this.
“You need to come closer, baby.” Reilly wiggled his fingers at her in a beckoning manner.
“No.” She glared at him with as much anger and hatred as she could muster, until she began to shake with not only fear, but fury.
He laughed at her and then tugged on her ponytail, once more causing pain to shoot from her neck down her spine and up into her already aching head. She didn’t know how much more she could take from this fucker. Her face felt like it had swollen to twice its normal size, the skin hot and tight. The only consolation was that he hadn’t hit either of her eyes. Although her vision was slightly blurry because of the pain, she could see fine.
“That wasn’t a suggestion, Jewel.” Reilly turned the barrel of the gun back in her direction and smirked at her. “Move.”
Jewel took a deep breath as she tried to shore up her defences. She was already way too close to the bastard, but if her moving nearer kept her and Kenny fro
m being killed, she’d do it. She placed her hand on the seat beside her in preparation of scooting over toward him when the car ran over a bump.
Instantly, the SUV began to slow and the noise of flat, shredded tyres on the black asphalt put her teeth on edge. The noise of the rims on the bitumen was horrendous, but she was also thankful. It looked like the cops had been trailing them for a while and had set spikes across the road.
“Fucking motherfucker cunts,” Reilly roared and then pressed the nozzle of the rifle to the back of Kenny’s head. “Don’t you dare fucking stop!”
“We won’t get far, man. You know that as well as I do,” Kenny said in a calm voice. “It’s over, Reilly.”
“No, it’s fucking not. Not until I say it is,” Reilly shouted as he looked behind them and then out the front. “Fucking cops. I’ll kill them all.”
Jewel held her breath as the SUV finally came to complete stop in the middle of the road. The silence was deafening after the screeching noise from the rims and Reilly’s ranting.
And then her head nearly exploded as the dickhead fired the rifle.
* * * *
Cal pulled the car over when Noah’s car stopped. Finch and his brothers exited the ute and his knees nearly buckled when he heard a gunshot. His whole body went hot and cold, and terror he’d never felt before permeated his heart and soul. The police surrounding the stranded SUV didn’t return fire, and for that, he was glad. If Jewel was still alive, the cops wouldn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t see her and didn’t know for sure.
Adrenaline, rage and grief poured through him, and without thinking about what he was doing, he started moving toward the SUV.