Wilde Side

by Jannine Gallant

  “Who the hell would do that?”

  “Good question. She doesn’t have any enemies, for Christ’s sake. But you do. Maybe someone hoped to get at you through her.”

  “She doesn’t even work for me anymore. I only called because I forgot the password to get into the files she maintained. I answered one of the security questions wrong, and the damn program locked me out. Anyway, it makes no sense that some creep would target Devin in an effort to harass me.”

  “I can’t imagine any other reason.” His head throbbed. “You bailed Roman out of jail. He knows how much you care about Devin, and his actions haven’t exactly been rational over the last few weeks.”

  “Roman wouldn’t hurt her. I spoke to him a couple of hours ago about the attorney I hired to represent him. The kid is back home in Montana, keeping a low profile at his lawyer’s insistence while he builds a defense. Devin told me she was going to testify—”

  “If Roman’s lying about trying to kill you, maybe he’s afraid she’ll crack under cross-examination.” Sawyer paced across the room. “Hell, I don’t know how a psycho like that thinks.”

  “Devin doesn’t believe he’s guilty.” Walton’s voice softened. “I’m having my own doubts, and not just because he’s my son. Anyway, he couldn’t be in Colorado. He told me he’s backpacking for a few days along the Bitterroot River to get his head together.”

  “Conveniently alone, I assume. Don’t kid yourself. Roman could be anywhere.” Sawyer gripped the phone tighter. “Right here in Denver, for example.”

  The door opened, and the deputy poked her head through. “Mr. Wilde?”

  “Yes.” He held his breath.

  “I’m sorry to tell you Miss Lockhart definitely left the airport. At first glance, we thought she’d simply gotten into the vehicle. But after watching the footage several times, it appears more likely she was abducted.”

  Chapter 26

  Devin winced and moaned. Her head throbbed with a dull ache that turned her stomach. Slowly she opened her eyes and blinked against the light streaming through the windshield as the vehicle she was riding in cruised down the freeway. A big rig on her right downshifted with a roar as traffic slowed. She moved restlessly in the seat, sending another stab of pain through her head. Funny, she didn’t remember getting into a car. Her jumbled thoughts sorted themselves into a semblance of order. She’d been at the airport, waiting for Sawyer. A sedan had pulled up next to her, and Charles… She blinked and turned carefully to meet his direct gaze.

  “You’re awake.”

  “My head hurts. What happened?” She glanced over her shoulder then whimpered as a wave of pain threatened to topple her back into oblivion. She took a couple of shallow breaths. “Where’s Tiny?”

  “I left him at the airport. The damn mutt tried to bite me.”

  “What?” She straightened then held her head. “Owwwww… Oh, God, what’s going on?” She glanced at a green freeway sign as they drove under an overpass. “This isn’t the way to the hotel. We should be going south not north. Where the hell are you taking me?”

  “Montana.” His eyes were calm as he glanced her way before returning his attention to the road. “Damn traffic. I wasn’t anticipating congestion on a Sunday afternoon.”

  “I don’t understand.” Her heart thumped like a jackhammer as fear crept in to push out the pain in her head. Gingerly she touched the swollen knot. “You hit me!”

  “I didn’t have time for an argument, and I had no intention of taking that damned dog along for the ride, not when I’d be changing vehicles. It was the fastest way to get you out of the airport.”

  “Why would you do that!” She rubbed her arms as a chill shook her. “Please take me back. There’s an exit just up ahead. Surely Sawyer is at the airport by now, wondering what happened to me.”

  Scooping her purse off the car floor, she searched for her phone with a shaking hand.

  “Don’t bother looking. I took it.”

  The cold gleam in Charles’s eyes had her reaching for the door handle. If he moved into the right-hand lane and traffic slowed enough…

  He raised his jacket and rested a hand on the curved grip of a sheathed knife. “I’d prefer not to stick you in the ribs right now, but if you try something stupid, I will.”

  She slumped against the seat and swallowed down a surge of nausea. Nothing in this man’s expression resembled Walton’s mild-mannered brother-in-law. The hard eyes belonged to someone who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her if she pushed him.

  “Why? What have I ever done to you?”

  “You just couldn’t let it go. I set everything up perfectly for that stupid punk, Roman, to take the fall. Then you had to open your big mouth and cast doubt on his guilt. Walton mentioned you intend to testify that he couldn’t have thrown the rocks that knocked the two of you off the cliff by the waterfall. Next thing you know, his attorney will be scouting around for a new suspect to shift the blame even more. There aren’t a whole lot of contenders who had opportunity.”

  Devin stared. “You threw those rocks. I thought it was a mini-landslide or something. Why would you try to hurt us?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve nothing against you personally. It was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The opportunity was there, but if I hadn’t knocked you off the cliff along with my ass of a brother-in-law, you would have turned and seen me. I couldn’t have that.”

  Devin drew in a shuddering breath, doing her best to understand what he was saying, despite the throbbing in her head. “You intended to kill Walton. I was just collateral damage?”

  “Precisely.”

  His tone was calm, almost conversational. He hadn’t hesitated to admit to attempted murder, which could only mean he didn’t plan for her to walk away from this situation alive.

  Her hand shook as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you tamper with the jet, too?”

  “Sure. Roman was there, like a stroke of fate. I wouldn’t have done it, otherwise. But with a ready-made suspect, who was I to turn down the opportunity?”

  She drew in a sharp breath when he accelerated into the fast lane as traffic thinned. “Killing a plane load of people didn’t bother you?”

  “You could have stopped it.” He turned with a frown before directing his attention back to the freeway.

  She wanted to shout that he was out of his mind, a freaking lunatic. No point in antagonizing him. Maybe if I stay passive, he’ll lower his guard… “How could I have stopped it?” Her voice quavered.

  “I sent you that letter. All you had to do was convince Walton to drop out of the race, and I wouldn’t have been forced to take drastic measures. Months ago, I tried to reason with him, but my brother-in-law is so damned stubborn and self-centered. He couldn’t—or wouldn’t—see what he was doing to Cathy.”

  Devin touched the knot on her head again. “Is that what this is about? Your sister?”

  “Of course. She’d never tell him she couldn’t handle the pressure of being First Lady. She’d never do anything to disappoint him, but I know it would have killed her. When his polling numbers started to climb, making it clear he really could win…” A vein in his temple throbbed. “I went on that raft trip to try one last time to talk him into quitting. Then Roman almost drowned him. I saw the whole thing and kept my mouth shut. If Walton wouldn’t see reason, maybe his illegitimate son would take care of the problem for me.”

  “You knew about his connection to Roman?”

  He glanced over, his eyes hard. “Of course I did. I’m not crazy, despite what you might think.”

  Crazy didn’t begin to describe the situation. Is he insane, chatting with me like I’m his confidante? Bragging about his intentions…

  He let out a sigh. “I have a very good reason to know my sister is…delicate. Not that she’d show any weakness around her husband.” He let out a breath. “She tried to kill herself when Walton got that woman pregnant twenty-o
dd years ago, swallowed a bunch of pills. I was home on leave at the time. I found her and poured ipecac syrup down her throat. She refused to go to the hospital and made me promise not to tell Walton. I kept as close of an eye on her as I could the next few years, and also on the slut he got pregnant. Not an easy feat while I was in the service. I knew she’d married and had the baby, and I didn’t want Cathy to face any unpleasant surprises down the road with no advance warning.”

  “I can understand you wanting to protect your sister, but—”

  “No buts!” His voice cracked like rifle fire. “Our parents died when we were young. She was always my responsibility.” He shrugged. “I would have been happy to see her divorce the cheating bastard, but that wasn’t what she wanted. They worked out their problems, and I could see how much stronger she was, especially after she had Dwight.”

  Devin focused on the traffic. Watching those flashing eyes, so filled with anger and determination, sent her blood pressure into the stratosphere. Clenching her hands together in her lap, she moderated her tone. “So, everything was fine between them?”

  “For the most part. I was concerned when they moved to Washington, but the press wouldn’t dig too deeply into the background of a fledgling congressman from the Independent Party. Then Walton had to take it up a notch and run for president.” Charles slammed his hand down on the steering wheel. “People started buying into his bullshit, and his campaign gained momentum. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone dug up the truth about Roman. Cathy would be crushed. I leaked the anonymous story of an illegitimate child, confident without any follow-up proof, the story would die a natural death. My intention was to frighten Walton into calling it quits.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course he was too stubborn…or stupid…to do the right thing.”

  “Did you know Roman would be on the raft trip?”

  “God, no! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him. I didn’t know he was responsible for the poisoning attempt, but I saw him dive under in the river right next to Walton. When my brother-in-law didn’t come back up, I almost called out but then shut my mouth. Let the kid solve my problem for me. Why the hell not? I’d be there to console my sister if her shit of a husband was dead.”

  Is that a highway patrol car behind us? When a siren blared and lights flashed, Devin’s hopes soared. Charles didn’t even flinch, and the cop flew by them to pull over a sports car that had sped past earlier. She forced back a sob as they drove by.

  He gave her a smug glance. “They won’t be looking for us.”

  “Why not? Surely someone noticed—”

  “The white rental car, sure. I ditched the Ford in a parking lot not far from the airport and picked up my Toyota. Had to knock you on the head again when you started to come around. You’re actually heavier than you look, but I was quick making the transfer, and no one saw us.”

  She wouldn’t cry. Wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

  “Let’s see, where were we?” He snapped his fingers. “Right. Roman actually gave me the idea to eliminate the bastard. When the kid didn’t follow through with his attempts, I nailed Walton with the rock while we were at the falls.”

  Charles seemed to be enjoying this. Boasting about his actions. Explaining how clever he’d been. A shiver shook her.

  “After that failed, I backed off and sent you the letter. Maybe you’d be able to convince Walton to drop out of the race. That was my original goal, after all. I couldn’t let him force Cathy into the spotlight to deal with four years of unending pressure. Roman had kept his mouth shut about his relationship with Walton while we were on the river, and it seemed obvious he didn’t intend to say anything publicly that would upset her.”

  “But Walton stayed in the hunt, even gained points.” Devin spoke as calmly as she could manage. Sawyer would be in a complete panic by now, and Tiny… Her poor dog must have freaked out when she deserted him at the airport. Blinking back tears, she wondered how Charles could possibly believe his actions were justified. Was he completely delusional, or did he have some kind of God complex to think he could get away with murder?

  “Exactly. I was picking Cathy up at the airport in Cody, wondering what to try next, when Roman followed Sawyer out to the jet. I jimmied the fuel filter—” He flashed a satisfied smirk. “I picked up a few useful tricks while I was with the Rangers. Anyway, I was confident the pilot would be able to land the plane safely. The scare alone would surely shake Walton’s resolve.” He smiled again and nodded. “I was right about the pilot’s skill. Too bad my idiot brother-in-law was too stupid to give up his chase for glory.”

  “Then the news about Roman came out.”

  His brows lowered. “Thanks to you.” He glanced sideways. “That really pissed me off, which is why I don’t totally regret what has to happen next.”

  Her heart thumped painfully. “I’m sorry.”

  “I bet you are.” The look he turned on her was a caricature of a grin. “Walton finally threw in the towel. Cathy took the news about Roman hard but has showed amazing fortitude. Everything would have worked perfectly if you’d kept your damn mouth shut and let that punk go down for attempted murder. But no, you had to blab about how you didn’t think he was guilty. You dug your own grave…so to speak.”

  She closed her eyes and carefully leaned back against the headrest. Nothing seemed real. Not this conversation. Not the fact that she was in the company of a man she’d once liked, a man who’d turned out to be totally insane. “You said you’re taking me to Montana. Are you going to kill me there?”

  “I have no choice. I’ll ditch your body in Roman’s hometown, where he’s currently licking his wounds since Walton lost his mind again and bailed him out of jail. I guess I should be thankful. He’ll be the logical suspect, the only suspect. Your death will be the final nail in his coffin, if you’ll pardon the cliché.” He gave a little chuckle. “Both your coffins, actually. This is going to work just fine.”

  She let out a long breath and opened her eyes. “You’re going to kill me, just like that?”

  He nodded. “Just like that. I take care of my own. Always have. Always will.”

  Devin didn’t respond. If she opened her mouth, she just might start screaming and never stop.

  * * * *

  Sawyer left the airport with Tiny riding shotgun. After extensive questioning, and a phone call from Walton to the authorities demanding quick and thorough action, the deputy in charge had assured both of them the police would make locating the white Ford a top priority. Alerts had gone out across Colorado and to all the nearby states. Too bad the license plate had been obscured by mud, making locating the vehicle a hell of a lot harder. Airports, along with bus and train depots were being watched on the off chance Devin’s abductor had ditched the car. A trace on her phone had turned up nothing. Either the man who was holding her had removed the battery or destroyed it.

  Letting out a long breath, Sawyer took the ramp onto the freeway. Walton claimed Roman couldn’t be responsible. He wasn’t nearly as certain. The man in the video wasn’t his former employee, at least he didn’t think he was. Devin’s abductor had worn a ball cap, kept his head down and his back turned to the security cameras, making identifying him impossible, but Sawyer was almost certain he was a little too tall to be Roman. Didn’t mean the kid hadn’t hired someone to grab her. Maybe he’d only been pretending to be broke and homeless. Roman could have been waiting just outside the airport to take her away in a different vehicle. Which would mean searching for the white Ford was a complete waste of time.

  He slammed his hand down on the steering wheel as he picked up speed. Tiny let out a whimper then resumed panting. Ears pinned back, his whole body quivered.

  “Sorry, boy. You may as well settle down. We have a long ride ahead of us.” He’d drive all night to get to Montana. If Devin’s kidnapper was taking her to Roman, they’d be somewhere on this same freeway ahead of him. He wouldn’t let himself
believe a random stranger had grabbed her to haul her off to Mexico or Canada or freaking Timbuktu. And he sure as hell couldn’t sit around in a hotel room in Denver waiting for word from the police and doing nothing. He’d lose his mind.

  When his phone rang, he snatched it up off the seat. Walton.

  “Any news?”

  “They found the white sedan. Whoever this guy is, he left it in a lot not far from the airport.”

  “Which means he transferred her to a different vehicle. Son of a bitch! I don’t suppose there were any cameras this time.”

  “Afraid not. The Ford was a rental.”

  “Then they’d have information on the person who rented it. Who is the asshole?”

  “Me.”

  “What?” Sawyer zipped around a string of traffic. If he got pulled over for speeding, he didn’t give a shit at the moment. Except a ticket would slow him down in the long run. He let off the accelerator a little. “I don’t understand.”

  “A man rented the vehicle over the phone using my name. He gave them my credit card and driver’s license number.” Walton let out a huff of breath and lowered his voice. “Sorry to yell in your ear, but I’m mad as hell. The asshole used a small, private agency and said he’d be picking the car up after hours. The clerk was so impressed by my name, she broke the rules and agreed to leave the keys in the vehicle under the mat. No video footage since the car was parked off to the side of the building.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. I hate to say it, but maybe you were right about Roman. He could have gotten my license number and credit card while we were on the rafting trip. My wallet was in my bag, and everyone in camp probably had access to the luggage at one point or another. I just don’t understand what his motive would be.”

  “Is that who the authorities suspect?”

  “They weren’t talking, other than to question me like I was a common criminal. I do think they finally believed me when I said I had nothing to do with Devin’s abduction. Thankfully, my alibi is airtight since I’ve been in my office with a couple of aides all afternoon.”