Here Without You [Red Hook, Texas 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  She heard him sigh over the phone. “Okay, doll. I know Gerald is no longer a threat, but we don’t know about these newcomers. One of them was spotted at Helena’s diner, so be careful. Noah is nervous because they haven’t left town.”

  “I promise. You be careful, too, Matt. I love you,” she told him.

  “I love you, too, Holly.” His voice softened. “I promise I will see you tonight. I miss my girl.”

  She hung up and went to find Liam. He was in the kitchen, getting Hope a drink. Faith was on the couch watching a movie with her feet up.

  “You want to take me by my place to grab some clothes?” she asked him. He handed Hope a sippy cup and nodded. “Sure.”

  He picked up Hope and sat her on the couch with Faith. “We will be back in a bit. I am taking Holly to grab some clothes.”

  Faith nodded as her daughter climbed on her lap and snuggled up to her. “Okay, be careful out there. I don’t know what is going on, but Adam sounded worried when he called earlier. He’s been talking with Noah all morning.”

  “I know. Matt, too.” Holly put her hand on her stomach. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that it wasn’t over yet. “I will be. It won’t take me long to run in and grab clothes. Then Hope and I are making dinner.”

  Hope nodded at Holly with a smile.

  Liam led her out to his car. Holly looked out the window. The town looked the same. It was another sunny day, and people walked up and down the street, going on with their daily lives, yet the idea that three drug dealers were out there somewhere making plans to set up shop in this wonderful town was scary. It would bring danger to all these people and she couldn’t stand the thought of that happening.

  “I hope they catch those strangers,” Holly told Liam. “Drug dealers running around Red Hook is not good.”

  “Me too,” he agreed as he drove. “I’m not sure they have any evidence to put Gerald’s death on them, but I hope they do. Otherwise, I am afraid it will be hard to get rid of them.”

  Holly shivered despite the warm day. She stayed silent for the rest of the way, consumed with concern. She had finally called her mom and updated her on all that was going on, including her reunion with Matt. Rebecca was worried and wanted to come to Red Hook right away. Holly assured her it was all under control and almost over. She hoped she wasn’t lying.

  Liam pulled into her driveway. He got out of the car and entered the house first. He did a quick sweep through. “Okay, it seems quiet and safe.”

  “Thanks, Liam. I will be so glad when all of this is over,” she told him. She went into her bedroom and got some clothes out of her closet, then threw them in a large purse. She sat on the bed for a minute and looked around her room. She missed Matt, and she missed sleeping with him at night. How quickly she had gotten addicted to feeling his arms around her.

  A loud thump interrupted her thoughts. She grabbed her purse and stood up.

  “Liam? You okay?” she yelled out, going into the living room.

  Liam was lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from the forehead. Holly dropped her purse on the floor and gasped. She looked behind her. A strange man stood with a gun in his hand. He was dressed in a dark suit and his black hair was slicked back. He was smiling at her.

  “Who are you?” she asked, feeling the tears roll down her cheek. She looked at Liam. He wasn’t moving and that worried her. “Why did you hit my brother?”

  He looked at Liam and shrugged. “I don’t have a lot of time to mess around. The boss wants me to bring you to him.”

  “Me? Why?” She was confused. She had no part of this drug business.

  “Gerald was so obsessed with you that the boss got curious.” The man pointed his gun at her. “Now come with me quietly, or I will be forced to shoot your brother.”

  Holly nodded. She remembered Alicia describing the man with icy eyes, and she had a feeling this man was the same one. She looked into his brown eyes and they were ice cold. She was scared. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. He had his nose buried in her hair. “Mmm, you smell delicious. If the boss doesn’t want you, I’ll keep you myself.”

  He pulled her outside and down her stairs. His black SUV was parked down the block, and she knew all her neighbors were at work. She got in with him and thought of her sister and Matt. Would she get to see them again?

  * * * *

  Noah hung up the phone, looking grim. “That was Faith. Holly and Liam went to Holly’s house. They never came back, and neither one is answering their cell phone.

  “Shit.” Matt stood up, feeling angry. He looked at his watch. “She called me to let me know she was going. That was an hour ago.”

  They all took off running out the door. He heard Noah telling Helen to call Adam to get to his house, and why.

  “You think Novak is responsible?” Tony asked, jumping in the car with Matt.

  “I’d say so. Gerald told him all about Holly,” Matt replied. His gut was tied in knots and he was scared. An hour was a long time. What if they harmed her already? He just got the courage to admit how he felt about her. He couldn’t lose her now. He arrived at her house within minutes with Drake and Noah behind him.

  They found Liam unconscious on the floor. Noah cursed and kneeled by his youngest brother. He put his fingers on his neck and looked relieved.

  “He’s alive.” He pulled out his cell phone while Matt checked Holly’s room. It was empty. Everything looked neat, so he guessed the struggle had taken place out in the living room.

  “Is this her bag?” Tony asked, seeing the pink object on the ground with clothes hanging out. Matt looked at the purse on her floor and nodded grimly. Why take her? Gerald had been the one obsessed with Holly. It didn’t make sense. He said so out loud, and Noah agreed with him.

  “All of her neighbors are at work, so I doubt we’d get any leads there,” Drake muttered, looking frustrated. “These assholes are going down.”

  An ambulance came and took Liam away. Noah was on the phone with Adam, giving him an update.

  “Where would they take her?” Tony wondered, as if thinking out loud. “If they were in town, someone would have reported it by now.”

  “Maybe the outskirts of town,” Drake guessed. “I am having Jack take his ATVs and do a search.”

  “I’ll help him,” Tony volunteered. He looked at Matt and patted him on the back. “I know Holly is a strong woman. Stay strong and together we will find her.”

  Tony left after Matt handed him the keys to his police vehicle. He was going to meet Jack.

  Matt took in a deep breath. His brother was right, he had to stay strong for Holly and think. “What about Gerald’s house? These men had to know Gerald bought it. We put some tape across it, but we haven’t gone back out there in a few days.”

  Noah looked conflicted. “I need to check on Liam.”

  “I’ll go with Matt and check out Gerald’s house,” Drake offered. “I’ll have Greg and Sam canvas this neighborhood. We might get lucky. You go to the hospital, man.”

  Noah nodded and left.

  “Shit, this is a mess.” Drake sighed. “I want these assholes out of our town.”

  Matt followed him out to his car. Drake was speaking into his cell phone. “Just lock up the store, Jazz. Go home with Kate and keep the doors locked. I’ll keep in touch. Yes, we will find her.”

  “We’ll find her, Matt. We all love Holly. Jasmine is hysterical. I don’t want her at the store. Who is to say they’re not in town, lurking around? Look how they walked into the Hacienda and started trouble.” He started his car and pulled away from Holly’s house.

  “I know.” Matt frowned. He prayed that they hadn’t harmed her in any way. He would have no mercy if they did.

  Chapter 16

  Holly stood before Mario Novak, shaking in her tennis shoes. She tried to appear calm, but it wasn’t easy. He was well dressed and handsome as long as you didn’t look into his eyes. They were scary. He had a hard, mean look that was very int
imidating. His light brown hair was slicked back and he had on more gold than she would ever be able to afford.

  “I can see why Gerald was so obsessed with you.” He leaned back in his chair, looking her body over. It gave her the chills, and she was tempted to cover her breasts with her hands.

  They were in some strange house outside of town. Morehead wasn’t far away. She was afraid for Liam. He had been lying so still, and she prayed he wasn’t dead. She knew Faith would get worried when Holly didn’t answer her cell. She had left it lying on the kitchen counter. “Did you know he stole drugs from me and gave them to your would-be kidnapper?”

  “No,” she answered in a low, shaky voice. “I didn’t know Gerald or his brother Pete. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “You’re a nurse, right?” he asked. His two goons sat in the living room watching a baseball game.

  She nodded, feeling nauseous. She wanted to be back at her sister’s house. Why had she insisted on getting clothes? “What do you want with me? I haven’t done anything to you. I don’t understand what any of this is about.”

  “After hearing Gerald obsess over you so much, I was curious.” He shrugged, speaking casually as if they had just met on the street and were exchanging pleasantries. She wanted to shout and yell out, “Are you crazy?” She had to stay calm and think of a way out of this. She hoped they were searching for her but they didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know where she was.

  “I have big plans to take over Gerald’s clientele here in this little town. I find the town charming,” he informed her. The words scared her, but inside, she knew Noah and the others would not stand for this. “I’d like you to be my girl. You’re sexy and quiet, two things I like in a woman.”

  Was he asking her or telling her? “Um, no thanks. I have a boyfriend.”

  He laughed out loud. “Hey, Gilbert, she politely told me no.”

  The other two men shook their heads with amusement and went back to the game.

  Mario Novak stood up and stepped close to her. Her heart started beating wildly. He caressed her hair and she shivered with fear. “I wasn’t asking, darling. I take what I want. When I am here, I expect you to entertain me.”

  What nerve, she thought angrily. She was about to open her mouth and tell him off when a loud buzzing noise filled the air. She jumped with fright, and all three men got still. Novak moved his head and the two men drew guns and went out the door.

  “Seems we have an intruder.” He kissed her cheek, then dragged her to a back room and pushed her inside. “Be a good girl and take your clothes off. We’ll get better acquainted as soon as I take care of this small problem.”

  He closed the door and locked it. Holly looked around. The room was bare, with only a bed in the middle of the room. Like hell was she taking her clothes off. She’d fight him off, but she was not giving in. She ran for the window and found it locked. She looked around. It was daylight. She couldn’t see anyone outside. She unlocked the window and tried to open it. It was hard, but she finally opened it enough to fit through. She pushed the screen until it fell out. It made a noise and she winced, waiting for someone to come and yell at her. When she heard nothing, she climbed out.

  “Ouch.” She let out a curse when she scraped her leg on a rusty nail. She jumped down and landed on her feet. She had no idea which way to run, but she figured anywhere was better than here. Who knew how long they would be gone? Why hadn’t she grabbed her phone? She headed for the thick brush of trees. Please Lord, let Matt or someone be out there searching for me.

  * * * *

  Matt and Drake went one way on the ATVs and Jack and Tony went the opposite way. Matt’s heart was in his throat, but he was determined to find Holly as soon as possible. Noah had called Drake to let them know Liam was awake. He had a concussion and was being kept overnight. The man he had seen sounded like the smartass in the restaurant, Gilbert Munoz. Noah and Adam were on their way to help with the search. Everyone in town knew what happened, and were keeping an eye out for Holly.

  Matt was on his ATV going around a tree when he spotted a male figure running through the woods with a gun in his hand. He spoke through his mic, letting everyone know. He headed his way with Drake going the other way, and they met up in the middle. Matt had drawn his gun out. He recognized it was Gilbert Munoz.

  “Stop right there!” Matt yelled out. Gilbert turned and shot at him. Matt ducked and could have sworn he felt the bullet fly by his ear. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

  Matt saw Drake coming behind Gilbert. He jumped off the ATV and the machine turned over and stopped. Drake surprised Gilbert and jumped him, knocking the gun out of Gilbert’s hand. Matt turned his off and jumped off to help Drake. The two were rolling around the ground punching each other. Matt grabbed Gilbert by his collar, shaking him. He was in no mood to play games.

  “Where is the girl?” Matt growled.

  Gilbert laughed. “Not to worry. The boss is showing her a good time, if you know what I mean.”

  Matt wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not. If Novak touched Holly, he was a dead man. “Where is she?”

  “I plead the fifth, dude. I have rights,” Gilbert sneered.

  “Problem is, we’re not in a court of law,” Drake informed coldly. Matt gave the man a cold look. He punched him in the stomach. Gilbert doubled over in pain.

  “Where is she?” Matt snapped, shaking him. “Next one is in the face. Want to walk around with a crooked nose? It can be arranged.”

  Gilbert looked into Matt’s eyes and his smile disappeared. He seemed to realize the three of them were all alone in a wooded area. Suddenly, he looked more cooperative. “We’re staying in Gerald’s house.”

  Drake spoke into the mic, letting Tony and Noah know. They were much closer to Gerald’s house.

  Drake handcuffed Gilbert. He looked at Matt. “Go find Holly. Noah is headed this way to pick up this asshole.”

  Matt jumped on his ATV and headed to Gerald’s house. When he got there, Tony and John were already there. “The house is empty!” Tony yelled out when Matt turned the ATV off.

  “Back window is broken. I say she ran that way.” Jack pointed to the west where the trees were the thickest.

  Matt felt slightly better that she had escaped, but he was still worried. He nodded and told them Drake had Gilbert.

  “I’ll help you search for Holly. It’s getting dark, and she can easily lose her way and circle her way back here. We still have Novak and Howell on the loose,” Tony said. Jack agreed to help and they took off for the woods.

  Chapter 17

  Holly was tired of running. She had no idea where she was, or in what direction to go. Going in circles and wasting her energy was pointless. She felt like shouting loudly and hoping someone would hear her, but the chance that Novak and his men could find her frightened her.

  She found a log to sit on for a few seconds. She needed to catch her breath and think. Her thought wandered to Liam. He had to be okay. She was really worried about him. She knew Noah and Matt were looking for her.

  She thought she heard a motor and she stood up quickly. Cars couldn’t be out here driving. She stood behind a tree, afraid to peek around the corner. She took a few steps backward and ran into a hard chest. “Umf.”

  She looked behind her and saw one of Novak’s men standing here.

  “Well, it must be my lucky day. The boss is looking for you.”

  “No, please let me go!” she cried. She was not going willingly back to that house with Novak.

  “No can do. I might get a bonus for this.” He gripped her arm tightly and tried to drag her along. She stood her ground and dug her heels in.

  “No!” she yelled. “You all are crazy. You can’t walk around kidnapping women. The sheriff is looking for me already.”

  He laughed. He waved his gun around. “I think I can. The law here is lax. Why you think Novak likes this place?”

  Holly took a deep breath and let out a loud
scream. It even hurt her own ears. Somebody had to be out here. Didn’t people hunt? She had no idea, but she felt herself getting hysterical. She kicked at the man’s shin. She hit him in the knee and he growled with pain.

  “You bitch!” he yelled, dropping his gun.

  She took off running and he grabbed her hair, stopping her. He backhanded her and she fell to the ground. She tasted blood on her lips. She looked around on the ground and found a sturdy-looking stick, then stood up with it in her hands. He bent down to pick up his gun and she whacked him on the back with the stick as hard as she could. He fell to the ground and she made a run for it. She ran as fast as she could. The sounds of a motorized vehicle got louder and closer, but she didn’t care who it was as long as they helped her.

  “Help!” she screamed.

  When she saw Matt on a yellow ATV she almost sank to her knees and cried. She waved her hands in the air and yelled his name. Their eyes connected and she knew he saw her. Then his eyes widened with panic and she got scared. The next second, a hand went over her mouth. She closed her eyes and struggled, feeling the cold metal of the gun on her head.

  Matt got off his ATV and put his hands up in the air. Why was he all alone? Where was his backup?

  “Put the gun down, Howell,” Matt said calmly. “We already have your friends in custody.”

  “That gives me more reason to use this little beauty to get out of here,” Howell sneered. “We’ll just take your ATV.”

  He pulled Holly with him toward the vehicle. Holly looked at Matt’s eyes. He looked at her with confidence, so she knew he must have a plan. She tried to loosen up and let him rescue her.

  Matt stepped in his path. “You are not taking her anywhere.” His voice was hard and icy.

  Howell looked a little nervous. He must have realized Matt was a real threat, gun or no gun. He dug the gun into her head and she winced. She was nervous. She looked into Matt’s green eyes. This couldn’t be the last time she got the chance to stare in his beautiful eyes. She wanted a future with him. The past didn’t matter. She wanted to enjoy the now with him.