by B. J Daniels
She stared at the man she’d once had a torrid love affair with—her first. Joe had swept her off her feet. The fact that he wanted to change the world with her had made it all the more exciting and passionate. He was still a handsome man. But the electricity she’d once seen in his blue eyes seemed to be an eerie high voltage now.
“You will come back to me,” Joe said confidently. “I had hoped it wouldn’t take...extreme measures—that you would have realized by now that Buckmaster Hamilton was the wrong man for you.” He shrugged. “How is your head?”
“Fine,” she lied. The headache was like a hammer inside her skull. She wanted to lie back down and close her eyes. Wait, extreme measures? Her heart was suddenly a thunder in her chest. Sweat broke out under her arms. She looked into his eyes, and any doubts she had about his intentions were gone. She’d thought he wouldn’t kill her, but now she knew that if he didn’t get Red back, he would.
“Joe—”
He leaned toward her to put a finger to her lips. His blue gaze was like a laser boring into hers. “You will come back to me. We are supposed to do this together. Once you see what I have planned, the work I’ve done all these years behind the scenes will be worth it. You and I will emerge victorious against a country that needs us more than ever.”
* * *
AINSLEY COULDN’T RELAX after her sisters left. It felt strange to be home on the ranch again—let alone staying by herself in the condos her father had built for his six daughters. Her sisters were either married or living with their boyfriends. Only Ainsley was still single. Not just single, she reminded herself with a groan.
“Just get through election night,” she said to herself as she looked out at the ranch the Hamiltons had spent lifetimes building.
With the election tomorrow, it would soon be over. But then what? She had no job, no plans. Bo had told her that their father was planning a short surprise honeymoon after the election and before he was sworn in as president.
So if she stayed on the ranch, she would be here alone. Her sisters were all busy with their families or fiancés. And there was really nothing for her here.
Moving away from the window, she knew she was just trying to keep her mind off Sawyer. She wished she’d never met him, until she remembered that she’d probably be dead—or worse—if it wasn’t for him. He’d left an ache in her chest at the thought of him, one she didn’t know how to extract.
“You need to get a job,” she said to the empty room. Doing what? She’d put her life on hold for the past two years, she realized now. Scouting for movie and commercial locations had been fun for a while. It had been fine after she quit law school. She’d wanted something that required little effort on her part. Also, she’d enjoyed the hours she’d spent on horseback exploring the state.
But now she yearned for something she could sink her teeth into. With a groan, she realized Sawyer had come back into her thoughts.
Earlier she’d noticed that Bo had been uncomfortable, and they’d joked about her going into labor. She picked up the phone and called Bo, only to get her husband, Jace.
“Bo’s napping,” he said. “I hate to wake her since she is having such a hard time sleeping with the babies due so soon.”
“No, don’t wake her. Just tell her I was thinking about her when she wakes up,” Ainsley said.
“She’s insistent on going out to the fairgrounds to be with all the family for your father’s acceptance speech. Unless she has the babies first.”
“Knowing her, she will have the babies right there on the stage,” Ainsley said. “It will make a great story when the kids are older.”
Pocketing her phone, she saw that it was dinnertime. She started to walk the short distance over to the main house, knowing there would be something in the refrigerator to eat over there.
Her cell phone rang, startling her. She looked to see who was calling. Her heart rose like a helium balloon in her chest. Sawyer. She debated taking the call as it rang a second time.
“Hello?”
“Ainsley.” He sounded relieved that she’d picked up. “It is so good to hear your voice.”
She held the phone, telling herself she shouldn’t have picked up.
“I know you said we couldn’t see each other until after the election...”
Just the thought of seeing him almost made her weaken. “I can’t imagine what we have to say to each other—”
“Is there any chance I could talk you into running away with me?”
She laughed. “Seriously?”
He sighed. “It was a thought. Actually, if we could get together...”
“How is your leg?” she asked, changing the subject before she agreed. The problem was that she feared she couldn’t trust her heart with him. She’d thought she could make love with him and then walk away. She knew better now.
“It’s okay.”
She didn’t believe him.
“I’m worried about you. I talked to Sheriff Curry and—”
“If this is about election night, the sheriff has already talked to us about this. He would prefer the family not come.”
“I know, so—”
“Precautions have been taken. There is nothing that can keep us away, short of nuclear war.”
“I was afraid you would say that. I’d still like to see you. Let me prove how wrong you are about me.”
Her heart begged her to say yes. Foolish heart. “I’m sure we’ll see each other sometime, but right now...”
“All right.” He seemed to agree too readily. “But I miss you.” With that, he disconnected, and she realized she’d lost her appetite.
* * *
“YOU CAN’T KEEP me here,” Sarah said as she looked past Joe Landon to the door, realizing he could probably do anything he wanted to her—and he knew it. She had no idea even where she was.
“I told you that I don’t plan to keep you here,” he said as if amused by her fear. “I know you don’t believe this, Sarah, but I’m doing you a favor. Once Doc gives you back the memory of who you were, who we were...” He smiled. “Well, you and I are going to rule the world.”
“You’ve lost your mind. Rule the world by killing a bunch of people?”
“You have a better idea?” Joe asked, his smile fading.
“Anything would be a better idea.”
“Well, you always were the smart one. But together we were a force to be reckoned with. You might have been the true leader of The Prophecy after everyone thought I screwed things up, but you needed me. You will always need me.”
“Joe—”
“I know. You don’t remember us. Not really. Once you do...” He moved to a laptop computer sitting on the table.
For a moment, she thought about rushing him, but a wave of nausea forced her to stay where she was.
He opened the laptop and turned back to her. “Let me show you. I’ve run The Prophecy now for years without you, even though I don’t think you have a lot of faith in me. But take a look at this.”
He brought the laptop over to the daybed. “On election night as your husband is about to make his acceptance speech, the world is going to blow sky high. See all these places? That’s where bombs will be going off. Countries will fall. In the US alone, more than a dozen key spots will be hit. It will be like the Fourth of July. At a touch of a button, we will start the apocalypse. My people are all waiting for my go-ahead. At a touch of a button...BOOM!”
She tried not to show her horror. “And then what?” she said, her voice sounding relatively calm even to her ears.
“And then chaos, and out of that will come a revolution.” He closed the laptop. “I want you with me, by my side. This is what we used to dream of, Sarah. This is our chance. Together there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”
She closed her eyes
, the headache worsening, and opened them only when she heard the door open. Her heart dropped at the sight of Dr. Venable. He’d been the founder of The Prophecy, the oldest of the group back in the 1970s. He was still tall and lean with kind blue eyes, but with a determined look in his face.
Joe rose. “Get me Red back. Whatever it takes. Don’t fail me, or you know what will happen,” he said to Doc as he put the laptop back on the table by the door and left.
Sarah tried to get up, but Doc stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He was still strong for his age. While she might be able to overpower him, there would be no getting past Joe outside the door.
“Do you know what he has planned?” she demanded, still in shock at the connected deadly attacks that Joe had orchestrated. It would take nothing more than Joe hitting a button to make it all happen. “He just showed me on that computer over there. We can stop him. We can—”
Dr. Venable pushed harder on her shoulder. “Stop it, Sarah,” he snapped, then winced as if in pain.
“Doc—” She saw that his left arm hung limply at his side. “What happened to your arm?”
His gaze me hers. “You have to ask? Joe happened. If you doubt what he will do to you and your family, let me show you.” He pulled up his sleeve.
She shuddered in horror at the mass of black-and-yellow bruises. It looked as if someone had crushed his arm in a vise. “Don’t fight this, Sarah. This is how it has to end.”
“No, we can stop him. We can stop all of this. Martin has promised not to send any funding and together—”
He shook his head sadly. “Martin is dead. And in a few minutes you will be Red again.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
BUCK LOOKED AROUND the rented apartment to see if he’d left anything behind. He wouldn’t be coming back here. Catching his image in a mirror by the door, he stopped. He’d aged since this whole political career had begun. But he’d done it. He’d done what his father hadn’t been able to accomplish. He’d stayed in the race, and now if the polls were right, he’d be the next president of the United States.
It was a dream come true, and yet there’d been too many times when he’d almost backed out, given it all up, told himself he’d been a fool to run.
But he’d hung in, and now he had his family back and the presidency almost at his fingertips. Just the thought of his wife, though, came with concern. He still didn’t believe that she really wanted to live in the White House. He would have given it all up for her. Maybe he wasn’t so different from his father, who’d chucked his chances over a woman.
He tried Sarah’s cell phone. He hadn’t been able to reach her earlier, but by now the charity event should be over. Maybe she would pick up. It went straight to voice mail, and he felt a pang of worry as he pocketed the phone.
He needed to hear her voice. He was flying home tonight. The security detail would be driving him back to the ranch, but he had still wanted to remind her what time he should be arriving. He wanted her there waiting for him. He needed her now more than ever.
Even though the polls had him so far ahead that his election seemed to be a slam dunk, he wouldn’t relax until the results were in. He feared that because of what the polls were all saying, a lot of people wouldn’t bother to vote, and it could go either way.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jerrod had said. “We have this one in the bag. You did it—in spite of everything.”
Speaking of his campaign manager, he thought, as he heard the knock at his door. Jerrod had been in high spirits for a few days now, so at least he wasn’t worried.
“How are you doing, Mr. President?” Jerrod said in greeting and quickly added, “I know, I know. Don’t jinx it.” He reached for Buck’s bag. “A car’s waiting to take you to the airport.”
He pulled out his phone. Maybe he would try Sarah one more time.
“If you’re calling your lovely wife, she probably isn’t going to answer,” Jerrod said. “I had a last-minute request from a group of Republican women in Helena.” He shrugged. “I should have told you. She might not be back until tomorrow.”
Buck tried to hide his disappointment.
“But then the two of you will be together and headed for the White House.”
“Actually, I’m planning a surprise honeymoon before then,” he told his campaign manager. “I’m going to whisk her off for a few days.”
“Terrific idea,” Jerrod said as picked up Buck’s suitcase and ushered him toward the door.
“I wasn’t that difficult, was I?” Buck asked on the way to the car.
Jerrod laughed. “Six daughters, one wife, one former wife, one scandal after another. Let’s just say that it took some tap dancing to keep abreast of it.”
“Well, you are one excellent dancer,” he told Jerrod. “I’m sorry I put you through it. You know there will be a place for you on my staff.”
Jerrod shook his head. “Thanks, but I might try something else. I’ve actually thought about going abroad for a while.” He shrugged. “Not sure yet.”
Buck was surprised by that. He’d assumed Jerrod had been waiting for a position. Clearly he was wrong.
“Will you be coming to the festivities election night?”
“A cold night in Montana? Not a chance. I’ll be watching it from a warm bar somewhere. My job is done. Now it’s up to you.”
Yes, Buck thought as they reached the car and Jerrod handed off the suitcase to the driver. Now it was up to him. “Well, good luck with whatever you decide to do.”
“Thank you, Buck,” Jerrod said and shook his hand, giving him the impression that they wouldn’t be seeing each other again.
* * *
THE NEWS OF Martin’s death hit Sarah hard. She lay back against the wall, all hope rushing from her like air from a punctured balloon. Martin hadn’t managed to get away. She thought of his son. Poor Jack. At least he had her daughter Cassidy, and he would have the Hamiltons—if any of them survived this.
“There isn’t anyone left to stop Joe,” Doc said, not unkindly. “Mason Green and Wallace McGill are in prison, Warren Dodge will be, once his trial is over, and John Carter is dead. Joe’s recruited more followers, but trust me, you would be wasting your time with them—if you even knew who they were.”
Sarah had hoped that by cutting off Joe’s funding... But now Martin was dead, and clearly from what Joe had shown her on the laptop, he was moving ahead no matter what. She’d never felt so helpless. “Joe will destroy the world.”
“It’s the revolution we used to dream of,” Doc said wistfully. “Maybe once you’re Red again, you’ll want to help change things. Or at least finally realize how fighting Joe will only bring you pain and sorrow. Joe is determined you will be by his side—one way or the other.”
“Why didn’t you and I just stay in Brazil?” she asked, close to tears. She’d brought all of this on her family.
“You know why. Joe found us. He forced me to give you back your memories of your daughters and Buck, because he needed you and Buck back together again. That’s why his wife, Angelina, was eliminated.”
She shuddered at what Joe had already done as she saw how the events had all come together. “That’s why after Brazil I was parachuted back in Montana. Dropped off with no memory of where I’d been or who I’d been those twenty-two years.”
Doc nodded. “It wasn’t my idea. Joe was obsessed with you. He wouldn’t let it go. A committed anarchist. Now, he wants his pound of flesh, and he will get it—if I can’t give him back the woman he knew as Red.”
“What if you can’t?” she asked, grasping on to that thin thread of hope.
“Then we are both as good as dead. People we care about will also die.”
She could see that there was no way out. “So all those years ago, Joe must have thought I was coming back to him after I mad
e sure that Buck’s father, J.D., became president.” She couldn’t believe that she’d actually “targeted” Buck, planning to use him in the name of The Prophecy.
Instead, she’d fallen in love with him, had six children with him.
Doc sighed. “No one would have foreseen your father-in-law falling for the teenaged girl next door, dropping out of the race and ending up dead. Clearly, Joe hadn’t known what to do then. But he never gave up. When he came to you twenty-three years ago, he wanted you to encourage Buck to run for office. When he realized you were in love with your husband and no longer interested in him or The Prophecy, that’s when he...snapped.”
“You saved me the night I tried to kill myself,” she said, realizing how true that was now. She’d called Doc after a hermit living on the edge of the river had fished her out of the freezing water. Dr. Venable was the only one she thought she could trust. Doc had been working at a clinic in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, experimenting with brain wiping. He believed he could take away bad memories and replace them with good ones.
She’d hated him for what he’d done, but Doc swore that she had pleaded with him to take away her memories because she couldn’t live, knowing that she had a husband and six children she loved. For twenty-two years, she’d lived and worked with Doc in South America, not knowing about Buck and her children, but aching for something. She just hadn’t known what.
Then one day she’d found herself in the woods. She hadn’t known where she’d been. She certainly hadn’t known that she’d lost twenty-two years of her life when she’d stumbled out and into the middle of a narrow dirt road outside of Beartooth and into Russell Murdock’s life.
Russell had almost hit her with his pickup. He’d thought he was seeing a ghost because he’d been at her funeral twenty-two years before, after her body hadn’t been recovered from the Yellowstone River.
She’d been in bad shape. Russell had taken her to the nearest house, where a doctor and his wife had lived. All she’d known was that she had to get to her husband and children. She shuddered as she remembered the shock of finding out that everyone thought she’d been dead for twenty-two years—including her husband, Buck, who’d remarried. Her six daughters were no longer young, her twins no longer babies. Only the oldest ones even remembered her.