by LENA DIAZ,
Piper gave him a questioning glance. He nodded and she started after their reluctant leader, with Colby and Mindy bringing up the rear.
As soon as they had some tree cover, Colby flipped the dull side of the knife toward Mindy’s throat and leaned down close to her ear.
“Don’t be afraid, Mindy. I promise I won’t hurt you, no matter what your father does or doesn’t do. I’m completely bluffing. I’m not going to make you pay the price for what he’s done. Okay?”
A mixture of relief and distrust stared back at him. He didn’t know if she believed him or not, but he’d at least had to try. The threats he’d made to her father had to have terrified her. And he couldn’t stand the guilt. He didn’t want her scared. He just needed her to help them get away.
He glanced behind them to make sure no one was following, then hurried to catch up with the others.
The trail ended at a parking lot of sorts beside a river. Six cars and two pickup trucks sat at various angles in between trees with camouflage netting rigged overhead so no planes or helicopters would see them.
“Paranoid much, Jedidiah?” Colby motioned toward the netting.
“It’s not paranoia if it’s true, cop.” He gestured toward his daughter.
“You started this. I’m finishing it.” Remembering that the man had directed his lackey to give him the keys to a Charger, he motioned toward the only Charger there. “Start it up.”
His jaw tight, he did as Colby asked, sliding behind the wheel and turning over the engine.
“Get out.”
Jedidiah hopped out and backed away from the car.
That was too easy. Something was wrong. Colby leaned into the car and checked the back seat, then the front again. It was a newer model, the kind that didn’t require a key in the ignition, just a push of a button to start it. And the key was nowhere to be seen. Which meant once he got the car down the road, it would start beeping constantly as a warning. And he’d never be able to get it started again if he shut it off or even put it into Park.
He turned around. “Good try. Toss me the key.”
Jedidiah motioned toward his daughter. “Let her go and you can have the key with my blessing.”
“Piper?”
She raised a brow in question.
“If Mindy tries to run, shoot her.”
Piper’s eyes widened, then her expression smoothed out. He sensed it was taking considerable effort to pretend his outrageous comment didn’t bother her. But it didn’t show in her expression.
“Of course.” She kept the gun trained on the ground, but faced Mindy like a hawk eyeing a field mouse.
Wow, she was good at this. He wasn’t so sure that was a good thing anymore.
“If Jedidiah does anything threatening, shoot him, too.”
“That goes without saying,” she said drolly.
Colby had a feeling she wouldn’t mind executing that order one bit. From the dark look on the other man’s face, he realized it, as well.
“Let’s try this again. I’m the one calling the shots now. Toss me the key.”
The key sailed through the air like a missile. But Colby still managed to catch it. He’d have laughed at the juvenile antics if he wasn’t worried about getting Piper out of there safely. There was no telling how long the rest of the crew would obey Jedidiah’s order to stay put.
He ducked his head inside the car again and was relieved to see that the tank was full. At least he didn’t have to worry about running out of gas. He motioned toward Piper and she backed toward the car. A few seconds later, she yanked the passenger door open and hopped inside, gun still pointed at their captor.
Mindy ran to her father. Colby hopped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door, then floored the gas, fishtailing the car on the dirt and leaves before the tires caught. The powerful engine shot the car forward like a slingshot, propelling them down what amounted to a homemade road of hard-packed dirt with some gravel here and there in the low spots.
Piper reached across him, her face inches from his as he steered them over the bumps and around the curves.
“Seat belt,” she explained, grabbing it and pulling it across his hips, then snapping it closed.
“Thanks.”
“Thank you,” she said as she cranked up the heater. After clicking her own seat belt, she let out a ragged breath. “I can’t believe we’re finally getting off this mountain.” She took another deep breath, then another. “I didn’t think we were going to make it. I thought we were going to die up there. First Palmer, then the rain and freezing and starving, and then... And then—” She covered her face with her hands and started crying.
Colby silently called Palmer and Jedidiah every foul word he could think of. As soon as he got Piper to safety, he was going to pull together every resource the Destiny Police Department had and put them both in prison for a very long time.
“It’ll be okay,” he told her, hating that he couldn’t risk pulling over to hold her in case Jedidiah or his groupies came after them. And the road, which was barely wide enough for the car to pass, required both hands on the steering wheel to keep from ramming the car into a tree. “Just think about getting home to your family. I mean friends. By this time tomorrow you’ll be at your ranch, safe and sound.”
She dropped her hands and gave him a stricken look. “Without Gladiator. I’ve been so worried about you and me that I completely forgot about Gladiator. Again.”
“He’s too remarkable a horse to go unnoticed. Heck, the guys back in Destiny have probably already found him and are holding him for you while they follow leads to hunt down Palmer.”
She rubbed her eyes. “You think so?”
“I do. It’s all going to work out. You’re a strong woman, Piper Caraway. No one else I know could have handled everything we’ve been through as well as you. You rock.”
She sat up a little straighter and offered him a quick smile. “You’re not so bad yourself, Colby Vale. If I was going to lose my marbles and expose myself and practically attack a man I barely knew in order to stay warm, well, I can’t imagine someone else I’d rather do it with.”
He laughed. “Good to know.” He steered around another tree, then slowed for a curve coming up. “Once you’ve got Gladiator back, maybe you could make a pit stop at my dad’s before heading back home. He’s retired now, but he still has a good dozen horses. He’d go nuts over yours.”
“Will you go there with me?”
“Of course.”
“Then it’s a date.” She coughed. “I mean, you know, an, um, appointment, or—”
“A date.” He glanced over at her. “It’s a date.”
Her entire face lit up. “Well, okay, then.”
He grinned.
Her eyes flew open wide. “Colby, look out!”
He jerked around to see an enormous pickup on a jacked-up suspension barrel out of the trees onto the road in front of them.
“Hang on!” He slammed the brakes and twisted the wheel hard right. The Charger slid sideways.
Piper screamed.
The driver’s side slammed against one of the pickup’s monster-size tires.
The inside of the car exploded in a hail of white dust as the airbags deployed. Colby and Piper jerked hard against their seat belts. For a moment, neither of them moved. Everything was eerily silent. The Charger’s engine had stopped, probably because Jedidiah was standing about thirty feet from the car, pressing a button on something that was some kind of kill switch. Or maybe it was just how these newer cars were programmed to respond in a crash. Colby didn’t have any experience with these push-button models. All he knew was that someone was pounding a sledgehammer against the inside of his skull again. And he and Piper were in serious trouble.
He forced his eyes to stay open even though all he wanted to do was curl up in the fetal position and
tell God to take his pain-racked body home. He looked at Piper, and relief curled through his body like a soothing balm when he didn’t see any blood. She was awake, alert and staring at him, or past him, with a mixture of worry and fear.
“Me or them?” He waved an aching hand toward the windshield. Standing on the road, heading toward the car, were the same dozen devils who’d surrounded them last night. And once again they were aiming their rifles straight at him.
“You,” she exclaimed. “Your head cracked the side window. You’re bleeding again.” She unclipped her seat belt and tossed it off her, then climbed over the center console, punching down the airbags to get to him.
“Me?” He pressed a hand against his head. It came away slippery with fresh blood. “Great. We don’t have time for this.”
She shoved his hand away and put her own on top of the wound.
He hissed at the sizzle of pain that shot through his scalp.
“Quit being such a cream puff,” she ordered. “I have to stop the bleeding.”
He let out a bark of laughter, then winced at the pain that caused. “Cream puff? Really?”
“Just hold still.” She pressed the her hand harder against the wound, sending a fresh wave of pain burning across his nerve endings.
He cursed beneath his breath.
“And stop whining,” she added.
He grinned. He couldn’t help it. This woman was perfect.
The passenger door jerked open behind her, and Jedidiah leaned into the opening. “Get out.”
Piper whipped out the pistol that Colby had completely forgotten about and aimed it at Jedidiah’s head.
“Give me an excuse to pull the trigger, you self-righteous, hypocritical, good-for-nothing idiot.”
Jedidiah blinked, then stepped back, holding his hands in the air. “All right. I might deserve some of that, but I’m not sure what the hypocritical part is about.”
“Really?” She waved the gun to encompass the car, while keeping her other hand on Colby’s head. “No technology? No electricity? I’m guessing the bit about not having a phone is a lie, too.”
He crossed his arms. “There are twelve rifles pointed at you. And your cop boyfriend is bleeding like the pig he is. How long do you think either of you will last if we start shooting?”
“Put the gun down,” Colby whispered.
Her jaw tightened. “No. I won’t. I’m done, Colby. I can’t go back there. I just can’t.”
He put his hand on her cheek.
She bit her lip but kept her gun pointed at Jedidiah without looking at Colby.
“Sweetheart.” He kept his voice low. “After everything we’ve been through, this is nothing. A piece of cake. You can do it. You’re strong.”
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered miserably, the gun shaking in her hand. And unlike before, her finger wasn’t on the frame.
It was on the trigger.
Jedidiah was turning white as he watched the pistol shake in her trembling hands.
Colby hated himself for what he was about to do. But he didn’t have a choice. If he let Piper pull that trigger, they were both dead. Twelve guns would open fire, and it would all be over. Their only chance was to give up, for now. And if she couldn’t be strong at this moment, then he’d just have to be strong enough for both of them. Hopefully she’d forgive him later. But if she didn’t, he was okay with that, too. As long as she survived.
He jammed his thumb in front of the trigger and wrenched the gun away from her.
She blinked in shock.
“Forgive me,” he whispered.
Jedidiah grabbed the gun from him and yanked Piper backward out of the car.
“No!” she screamed, fighting like a rabid bobcat.
Colby winced at the sound of her screams but he could no longer see what was happening to her. He was being pulled out of the car, too, none too gently. Two men dragged him across the road to the edge of the curve, which ended up being the top of a cliff. Below, a river roiling with rapids splashed and thundered through the mountain. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard it inside the car. The noise was deafening.
Then again, maybe that was the sound of the hammer pounding inside his skull again. He was woozy. Sharp pain buzzed down his shoulders. His hands were going numb. He didn’t think that was a good sign.
After patting him down for weapons, the men left him sitting there. Apparently, they didn’t think he was a threat anymore. They joined the others with their leader on the far side of the road.
Colby pressed a hand to his head, realizing he needed to stop the bleeding or he’d pass out and couldn’t help Piper. But where was she?
He looked around, trying to locate the little pixie who was fast becoming more important to him than he’d ever thought anyone outside his immediate family could ever be. Without taking the time to analyze the reasons, he whipped his head around, ignoring the pounding.
“Piper? Piper, where are you?”
“Here. I’m over here.”
He whipped back to his left, a ragged breath escaping him when he saw Mindy leading her toward him. She looked unharmed but mad as hell. Good. If she was mad, it would help her stand up to Jedidiah and fight to survive.
She plopped down beside him. “I’m going to make you pay for that.”
“I know.”
She sighed and scooted closer, her thigh pressing against his as they both watched the meeting happening on the other side of the road. Mindy stood not too far from them, holding a pistol.
“Just like old times,” Piper said, giving Mindy a hard look before looking back at the others. “They’re probably drawing straws to see who gets to kill us.”
“Well, you did wreck Pa’s favorite car,” Mindy said.
Piper gave her an incredulous look.
Mindy rolled her eyes and kicked her shoe at the rocks at the edge.
“Let me check that gash.” Piper peeled his hand away. “Not nearly as bad as I thought it was. Probably doesn’t even need stitches. Head wounds always bleed so much, it’s hard to tell how bad they are. The bleeding’s almost stopped.”
“Thanks.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “We’re in this together. I can’t afford to be mad at you right now.”
“But when we get off the mountain?”
“If we get off the mountain—”
“When.”
“—then I’ll figure out some way for you to make all of this up to me.”
“Deal.”
She gave him a weary smile. “All I ask is that before I die, someone please explain to me why Todd Palmer chose me as his victim, then dragged you into it.”
“Todd Palmer?” Mindy called out. “You know Palmer?”
Colby and Piper both turned to look at her.
“You know him?” Colby asked.
“Not exactly,” she hedged. “I may have heard of him, though.”
“How?” they both said.
She shrugged, obviously not keen on revealing anything else about herself or her family. “He did something to you guys?”
“If you call stealing my horse, forging a bill of sale, kidnapping Colby and me, ordering his men to kill us, then leaving us stranded in these mountains without supplies or even shoes for our feet, doing something, um, yeah. He did something to us. And if we ever get away from your psycho family, we’ll both hunt him down and send him to prison, unless I can figure out a way to make an accident happen to him first.”
Mindy’s eyes widened like small moons.
Colby coughed to keep from grinning at her empty threat. By now he’d learned enough about her to realize she could be tough when she needed to be. But she was also honorable and kind. He couldn’t imagine her really doing anything to hurt Palmer no matter how much she wanted to, unless it was to save herself
or someone else. But maybe she really believed what she was saying, because she aimed a glare his way.
He grinned but didn’t dare laugh.
Unamused, she pursed her lips and walked to his far side. She sat down about ten feet from him and Mindy.
“Kind of ornery, isn’t she?” Mindy asked.
“After what she’s been through, I think she’s earned the right. Don’t you?”
The girl shrugged, then cupped her hands together. “Hey, Pa,” she yelled. “These two are on the run from that Palmer fellow. He stole their horse.”
Jedidiah turned around, and his group fell silent as all eyes focused on Colby and Piper.
“Where is he?” Jedidiah demanded.
Colby shook his head. “I have no idea. Probably at some auction house somewhere, selling Piper’s prize Friesian stallion. He didn’t exactly give us a forwarding address when he took off, leaving us in the woods with two gunmen with orders to kill us.”
“He’s your enemy?”
“He’s a suspect and I aim to arrest him and get to the bottom of his crimes.”
“I hope you shoot him,” Mindy said beneath her breath.
Colby looked her way, then jumped to his feet. “Mindy, come away from the edge. The rocks are loose. You could—”
The ground began crumbling beneath her. She cried out, her arms cartwheeling as she desperately tried to keep her balance.
Colby dived toward her but fell short, his fingers just brushing the hem of her jeans. The ledge gave way, sending her crashing into the roiling water below.
“Help!” she screamed. “Can’t swim!” Her pale, terrified face disappeared beneath the surface.
“Mindy!” Jedidiah yelled.
“Colby, don’t!” Piper begged. “It’s too dangerous!”
Colby pushed off the ledge and dived into the river below.
Chapter Twelve
Piper dropped to her knees at the edge of the crumbling cliff and looked down into the treacherous water below, desperately searching for Colby. He’d disappeared beneath the surface and hadn’t come back up.
Jedidiah plopped down beside her. “Where is she? Where’s...” His voice broke and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Where’s Mindy?”