McCullen's Secret Son (The Heroes Of Horseshoe Creek Book 2)

by Rita Herron

  “Everyone get down!” Maddox yelled as he jogged from across the street, his gun drawn, his gaze sweeping the area for the shooter.

  A few locals on the street screamed and darted in different directions. Brett pushed to his hands and stood, cursing as he hunted for the person who’d just stolen the cash. But he’d come out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.

  Maddox was breathing hard, his gaze still surveying the street as he approached Brett. “Are you hit?”

  “No. The shooter drove off, but another guy punched me and stole the money.”

  Maddox pivoted again. “The shooter was a decoy meant to distract you so the other man could sneak up behind.”

  “Yeah, and he succeeded.”

  “Did you get a look at either one of them?”

  “No, not really. The license plate on the truck was missing. The one who took the money was big and wore a hoodie.”

  Brett’s manager stepped from the bank, looking terrified. “Brett, man, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, but he stole the money.” Brett scraped his hand through his hair, frustrated. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Maddox narrowed his eyes at the manager. “Did you see anything?”

  The tall man fiddled with his bolo tie. “No, I heard the gunshot, and like everyone in the bank, we dropped to the floor and hid. We thought someone was coming in to rob the bank.”

  “It had to be the bastards who have Willow,” Brett said. “They must have followed me here, and decided to take the cash and run.”

  His heart stuttered. Which meant that they might have given up on the other money and killed Willow.

  * * *

  AN HOUR LATER, Brett entered the farmhouse. Anxiety churned in his gut. Maddox had canvassed everyone in the bank, the street and business owners, but no one had seen anything.

  Once the first shot had rent the air, panic had set in. It was a small town. The locals weren’t used to high crime or random attacks...or murder.

  But they would know soon enough that a kidnapping had occurred and that a man had been shot to death right here in their safe little town.

  Rose greeted Maddox with a big hug and kiss. If Brett hadn’t been so fraught with fear for Willow, he would have laughed at the mushy look on his big brother’s face as he locked lips with her.

  Sam raced in from the kitchen. “Did you get Mommy back?”

  Brett’s lungs squeezed for air. He’d never look at life the same way now that he had a little boy.

  Maddox, Rose and Mama Mary gave him sympathetic looks.

  “We were making cookies to surprise her when she comes home,” Mama Mary said, wiping flour from Sam’s cheek with a gentle hand.

  “And Sam made her a card,” Rose added with a smile.

  Brett stooped down to Sam’s level. “She’s not with me now, but we’re going to find her, little man. And she’s going to love the cookies and card.”

  Sam’s face fell into a pout. “We’re making peanut butter. That’s Mommy’s favorite.”

  Emotions nearly choked Brett. He remembered that about Willow. One time she’d eaten half a dozen of Mama Mary’s famous peanut butter cookies. He clasped Sam’s hand in his. “Come in here with me a minute, bud. I need to talk to you.”

  Sam clamped his teeth over his lip, but followed him to the den. Brett wanted to wrap his arms around his son and swear to him that everything would be all right.

  But he had to find Sam’s mother first or he would be making empty promises.

  “Sam, I’m trying to figure out where those bad men are keeping your mommy. Do you remember anything else about the place?”

  “No. Just that it was dark, and it smelled bad.” The little boy dropped his head and picked at the button on Brett’s shirt.

  “How about your daddy? What can you tell me about him?”

  Sam turned his face up toward Brett. “He was mean to Mommy and he didn’t want me.”

  The breath left Brett’s lungs in a rush. He lifted Sam’s chin with his thumb. He wanted to assure him that he wanted him, but that would take an explanation he didn’t have time for right now. But it would happen. “You know, that’s not your fault. You are a wonderful kid.”

  Sam simply stared at him with big frightened eyes. “Daddy didn’t think so. He said I was a baby, and I was in the way.”

  Brett wrapped his arm around his son. He wished Leo was alive so he could kill him. “That’s not true, Sam. You’re very special and your mommy loves you with all her heart.” And so do I. “I care about you, too.”

  Sam looked up at him. “I see why my mommy liked you when she was in school. You’re nicer than Daddy. He yelled at Mommy all the time.”

  “That’s because he was a bad man.”

  Sam looked down again. “But if he was bad and the other men killed him, why did they take me and Mommy?”

  “Because your daddy stole money from them, and they’re greedy and want it back.”

  “There was lots of it?” Sam said.

  “Yes.” Brett rubbed Sam’s back. “Did you see your daddy with any money?”

  He shook his head.

  Brett hesitated, trying to word his questions carefully. “Daddy picked you up at your mommy’s friend’s house that day?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t wanna go with him, but Miss Gina said I should.”

  Brett chewed the inside of his cheek. “What happened when you and Leo got back to your house?”

  Sam kept tugging at Brett’s button, his little body trembling slightly. Brett rubbed Sam’s back. “I know it’s hard to think about, but buddy, it might help.”

  A long moment lapsed between them, then Sam’s breath wheezed out. “We went inside, and he tolded me to hide in my room.”

  “What? Why?”

  “He said some men followed him.”

  So Leo had tried to protect Sam. That was something.

  “Did he have anything with him?”

  Sam scrunched his nose. “Like what?”

  “Maybe a briefcase or suitcase.”

  Sam’s eyes lit up. “He gots a big gym bag and brought it in the house. Then he pushed me in the closet and shut the door and told me not to come out.”

  “You stayed in the closet?”

  Sam nodded. “I was scared. I just wanted Daddy to go away. But he said he had to get some stuff he left with Mommy.”

  “Did she say what stuff?”

  “No, and Mommy said she throwed the stuff he left away. But he said he hid it there. I was scared he’d get mad about that, so I didn’t tell him.”

  Smart boy.

  “After you got in the closet, what did your father do?”

  Sam’s finger twisted the button harder. “He took my toys out of my toy box and throwed them on the floor.”

  Brett imagined the scene, questions ticking in his head. He and Willow had searched the house, but what if Leo had stowed the money in that toy chest?

  “Then someone busted in. I heard the door cracking, then those awful men shouting and Daddy gots up and tried to talk to them.”

  Brett cradled Sam in his arms, holding him tight.

  “They yelled and said ugly words, then Daddy jumped on one of them and...the gun went off.”

  His heart ached for his little boy. To witness a murder at such a young age was bound to affect him, maybe give him nightmares. Possibly for years to come.

  He needed his mother to help him through the trauma.

  He also needed a father.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that, Sam, but you’re very brave to tell me about it.” Sam shivered, and Brett hugged him with all the love in his heart.

  Then he cupped Sam’s face in his hands. “I need you to be strong just a little while longer, okay?”

  Sam nodded, the trust in his son’s look nearly bringing Brett to his knees.

  * * *

  WILLOW’S BODY ACHED from being tied up and bound in the trunk of the car. She was suffocating.

  But t
hey didn’t seem to be in a hurry to let her out. In fact, it had gotten quiet for a while and she thought they might have left her.

  The sound of another engine roaring rent the air. Tires screeched. Then more doors slammed.

  “Where have you two been?” the woman asked.

  “We got that money McCullen promised.”

  “He found Leo’s stash?” the woman asked.

  “No, the money McCullen withdrew from his own funds. With that and Leo’s money, we’ll all be set for a long time.”

  “You idiot,” the woman said. “He’s liable to call the cops.”

  “And tell them what?” the man barked. “That someone stole ransom money? That he buried Leo’s body? I doubt that rodeo star wants that in the papers.”

  “It’s time for us to make the meet,” the other man said. “If McCullen doesn’t bring the cash Leo stole this time, let’s get rid of the woman and get out of town before things heat up.

  The trunk opened, and Willow clenched her teeth as the bigger guy hauled her to the ground. She stumbled, then gasped when she saw the woman.

  Gina, her neighbor. The woman she’d thought was her friend.

  Dear God... “Why?”

  Gina gave her a nasty grin. “Because Leo was supposed to be mine. And so was this money. And with you out of the way, now it will be.”

  The big guy, Norman she’d heard him called, punched a number on his cell phone. It must be Wally Norman. A minute later, she heard Brett’s voice.

  “Hello. This is Brett McCullen.”

  “I’m texting you an address. If you want to see the woman again, bring the cash and come alone.”

  “Let me speak to Willow first,” Brett said.

  Willow shuddered as the big guy pressed a gun to her temple. “Say hello, honey.”

  “Brett, I’m okay, just take care of Sam!”

  The man jerked the phone away, then whacked her on the back of the head again and shoved her back in the trunk.

  Tears caught in her throat. The drop-off was a trap.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Brett left Sam to finish the cookies and card with Mama Mary and motioned for Maddox to join him in the hall. “Maddox, I received a text about the drop.”

  “Where?”

  Brett angled the phone for Maddox to see the address. “Do you know where that is?”

  Maddox shrugged. “Yeah. It’s not too far from here.”

  “I also may know where the stolen money is.”

  “Where?”

  “Sam said that when Leo picked him up, he had a bag with him, and that he was digging around in Sam’s toy chest.”

  “Did you look there before?”

  “I saw the chest but all that was visible was toys. Maybe he hid it under them.”

  “Let’s go.” Maddox grabbed his keys, but Brett put a hand to his brother’s shoulder.

  “Not in your SUV, Maddox. If they see you, they’ll kill Willow.”

  Maddox exhaled. “You’re right. We’ll drive your truck.”

  Seconds later, they raced to Willow’s house. Crime-scene tape marked the house and fingerprint dust coated everything inside.

  Worse, the house smelled of death and emptiness, not like a home, but like a place where a terrible wrong had been done. Would Willow want to return here?

  “The toy chest?” Maddox asked, jarring him back to the moment.

  Brett pushed all thoughts aside and hurried into Sam’s room. Knowing Sam was his son made the toys and posters on the wall seem more personal and they tugged at his heart.

  Toys had been dumped and scattered across the floor from the toy chest. A football, toy trucks, plastic horses, a plastic bat and ball.

  “You see it?” Maddox asked behind him.

  “No.” He quickly emptied the remaining toys, then felt along the bottom and discovered a piece of plywood. Had that board come with the toy chest?

  A nail felt loose, and he pulled at it until the board loosened, then he yanked it free. “I found it!” Cash was neatly stacked and spread evenly across the bottom.

  Maddox handed him the duffel bag, and Brett quickly filled it with the money.

  Nerves tightened his neck and Brett watched for another ambush as he carried it out to his truck. Seconds later, Brett sped from the house.

  “Listen, Brett, when we get there, I’ll stay down until we see what we’re dealing with.”

  Maddox checked his gun, and Brett grimaced. His rifle lay on the seat between them. If he needed it, he’d use it in a heartbeat.

  Dark clouds rolled overhead, the wind picking up as he turned down the road into the woods. Trees shook and limbs swayed as he neared the cabin, and he searched for signs that Willow was there.

  “What do you see?”

  Brett squinted through the dark. “An old cabin, looks like it’s been deserted for a while. I don’t see anyone. One light on in the house from a back room.”

  “How about a vehicle?”

  “A dark sedan. Tinted windows. I can’t see if anyone is inside.”

  “Park and sit there for a minute. Wait and see if anyone comes outside.”

  Brett did as he said, his senses alert as he scanned the exterior of the cabin. An old weathered building sat to the right. It appeared empty, but someone could be hiding inside.

  A sound to the left made him jerk his head to see what it was. A deer scampered through the woods.

  He hissed a breath, then reached for the door handle. “It’s time. I have to see if she’s here.”

  Maddox caught his arm and looked up at him from the floorboard of the truck. “Be careful, Brett. This could be a setup.”

  He knew that.

  But he had to take that chance.

  He eased open the door and slid one foot from the truck. Clutching the duffel bag with the other hand, he lowered himself to the ground. He visually surveyed the area again, his stitches tugging as he slowly walked toward the cabin.

  “I’ve got your money,” he shouted.

  The front door to the cabin opened, and he braced himself for gunfire. If they killed him, at least Maddox was armed and could save Willow and take her home to Sam.

  * * *

  WILLOW FELT DIZZY from being locked in the trunk of the car and inhaling the exhaust as they’d driven.

  The car jerked to a stop, and she forced tears at bay. Crying would do no good. These people didn’t care about her.

  All they wanted was money.

  The trunk opened, and she squinted, blinded by the sudden light. Then a cold hard hand clamped around her wrist and dragged her from the car again. She stumbled, dizzy and disoriented.

  “Day should be meeting with McCullen now,” the man named Norman said.

  Gina gestured to the right. Willow looked around, sick when she realized that they were in the middle of nowhere.

  And that Gina was pointing to an old mine. Rusted mining equipment sat discarded, piles of dirt scattered around along with metal garbage cans and tools.

  “How can you do this, Gina? Sam is just an innocent little boy. He needs me.”

  “He’ll survive,” Gina said.

  “Did you kill Leo?” Willow asked.

  “He deserved it. He tried to betray me, just like he did Norman and Day.”

  “Why did Leo take Sam to my house?” Willow asked. “Why didn’t he just get the money and leave?”

  Gina hissed. “He knew Norman broke out of jail, and he and Day were onto him.”

  Hate swelled inside Willow. Leo had taken Sam with him as insurance.

  “And you followed him to my house and killed him,” Willow said, piecing together the most logical scenario.

  “No, that was Norman,” Gina said. “He said Leo attacked him.”

  “So when he died that day, you kidnapped Sam?”

  “We earned that money the hard way.” Gina waved a hand toward the mine. “And when Jasper gets back with it, we’ll flee the country and live the good life.”

  Panic clawed
at Willow. Norman reached for her and she tried to run, but with her ankles bound together, it was futile. She stumbled, then he threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carted her toward the mine.

  * * *

  BRETT PAUSED AT the foot of the steps. A thin man with a goatee and tattoos on his neck appeared, a .38 pointed at Brett. Jasper Day.

  “Toss the money on the porch,” Day ordered. “And you’d better not try to cheat us this time.”

  “You’re the crook and the murderer, not me.”

  Day’s laugh boomeranged through the silence as he waved the gun. “Throw it now.”

  Brett clenched the bag tighter. “First, I want to see Willow.”

  Day shook his head. “Not going to happen. I’m calling the shots here.”

  Brett had a bad feeling this was going south. That Willow wasn’t here. If she was dead...

  “Either you bring her out here, or I walk back to the truck.”

  Day cursed. “You’re a fool. I’ve got a gun pointed at your head, and you think you can bluff your way out of this.”

  “I don’t care about the money,” Brett shouted, “but I’ll give my life for Willow. Now show me that she’s alive.”

  Day’s hand shook as he took a menacing step toward Brett. “Put the bag down now, McCullen. This isn’t one of your rodeo games.”

  Brett held his ground and yelled for Willow. “Is she in there?” He gestured toward the cabin, and Day glanced sideways with a cocky grin.

  Brett took advantage of that small sideways look, swung the bag and threw it with all his might. The bag slammed into Day with such force that it threw him backward. But he managed to get off a shot before he fell.

  Brett dodged the bullet, then Maddox jumped from the truck and fired at Day. One bullet into Day’s chest, and he crumpled to the ground with a bellow. His gun skittered to the ground beside him as the man’s arm fell limp.

  Brett and Maddox ran toward him, then Maddox kicked the gun away, knelt beside the bastard and handcuffed him to the porch rail. Brett started toward the house, but Maddox called his name. He was right behind him, holding Day’s gun. “Take this.”

  Brett snatched Day’s revolver and inched up to the house. Maddox motioned for him to let him enter first, and Maddox eased through the door. He glanced in all directions, then gestured for Brett to go right and he’d go left.