by Sofia Hunt
A predatory smile spread across his face. “I’m going to enjoy this, you little cunt.” He ran the knife lightly down her throat to the open collar of her shirt. He grasped the front of her shirt and yanked it open, ripping the fabric and sending buttons flying.
“Oh, yeah. They’re as beautiful as I imagined.” He stared at her heaving breasts, encased in a black lace bra. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine, since you were a little girl. Your daddy promised you to me. Don’t you get it? If you’d just cooperated and done what Daddy wanted, this wouldn’t be happening.”
He slid the knife lower into her cleavage. Mitzi held her breath.
“I’m going to tame you, little lady. I’ll show you what it’s like to fuck a real man, so enjoy it, because it’s the last fucking thing you’re going to get.”
Mitzi shook her head and spat on him. Her saliva landed on his check and ran down his chin. She braced herself for another blow, but it didn’t come. Instead he smiled a predatory smile and wiped the spit from his face.
“I hope you like it rough because I’m riding you until I’ve broken that willful spirit of yours. You’ll be begging for mercy before I’m done.”
* * * *
Riley walked back to the RV parking, cussing a blue streak. “That mule-headed, reckless woman. When I get my hands on her—”
Riley and Jonah stopped in their tracks as Mitzi’s truck barreled past them. They jumped out of the way to avoid being hit.
“What the fuck?” Jonah started to run after it, obviously not thinking.
“Shit, there was a guy driving.”
“Wasn’t that Scott Trimble? Her dad’s foreman.”
“He’s her stalker.”
Together they sprinted toward their truck. Jonah jumped into the driver’s seat. Riley was still slamming the door shut as Jonah accelerated out of the parking lot and burned rubber down the street.
Riley’s heart slammed in his chest. “Come on. Come on! Faster, they’re getting away from us.”
Jonah’s hands gripped the wheel, and he leaned forward. “I don’t see another person in the truck. Maybe she’s not in there. Try her cell.”
With shaking hands, Riley dialed Mitzi’s cell phone. It went straight to voice mail.
“She’s in there. Don’t lose them.”
Jonah ran a red light. He slammed on his brakes to narrowly miss a truck crossing the intersection. The driver honked and flipped them off then took his own sweet time moving past them.
“Oh, shit. I don’t see them now.” Jonah cursed under his breath.
“Keep going to the spot where we last saw them.” Riley’s gaze darted left and right, looking for a sign of the truck down a side street.
Jonah slowed down so they didn’t miss anything. Riley pounded his fist on the dashboard in frustration. They were wasting precious time.
“Call 911.” Jonah spoke through gritted teeth.
“And tell them what? That we think she’s in there and been kidnapped, but we’re not sure?”
“Oh, crap. What if this is decoy? What if we’re following her truck while someone else really has her?”
“That means Trimble has a partner. I don’t think so. We have to keep looking for this guy.” Riley saw a small slice of blue down a side street a few blocks down. “Down there. Turn. Now.”
Jonah cranked the wheel. The truck tires squealed in protest as they skidded around the corner. Riley smelled the burned rubber but didn’t give a shit.
Old warehouses comprised the deserted industrial area, most of them boarded up. Parked around the corner of one building, almost out of sight, sat a familiar blue Chevy diesel pickup.
“It’s hers.”
Their eyes met. Riley’s worry was reflected in Jonah’s eyes. They’d trained for situations like this in Special Forces.
“We need to be smart about this. We don’t know if this guy is armed or what.” Jonah pulled further down the street and parked their truck at the side of the next building behind a dumpster.
“Let’s go.” Riley started to jump out of the cab, but Jonah jerked his arm and pulled him back.
“Riley, don’t go in there half-cocked. Keep your wits about you. Remember your training.”
Riley nodded. His impatience demanded action, but he knew the truth behind Jonah’s words. What a weird reversal of roles. Usually, he calmly analyzed the situation and formulated a plan, while Jonah charged into danger. “Okay, fine. We need to divide up so he won’t realize there are two of us. If anything happens to her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Jonah’s gaze locked with Riley’s, and he knew his buddy echoed the sentiment. “All right. I got your back.”
Riley nodded. “Create a diversion.”
“I will. Trust me. One more thing. Open the glove box.”
Riley opened the glove box and a tense smile spread across his face. A pistol was shoved underneath some papers. “A pistol?”
“Never leave home without it. We don’t know if he’s armed or what.” Jonah’s words sliced alarm through Riley, but he reined in his adrenaline and used it to his advantage.
He pulled it out and checked it. “It’s loaded.”
“Yeah.”
Jonah hung back as Riley crept to the doorway nearest the parked truck. The back door of the truck stood open. Riley tried the warehouse door. The knob turned. He opened it a crack and peered into the darkness of the building. What he’d give right now for a good pair of night vision goggles and an assault rifle.
Glancing back at Jonah hunkered against the building, Riley slid through the doorway. He held the pistol close to his side. Crouching down low, he allowed his eyes time to adjust to the darkness, even though any delay frustrated the hell out of him.
A scuffling sound and a whimper caught his attention. Holding perfectly still, he determined the direction of the sound. Across the room, a dim light sliced through a door standing ajar. Soundlessly, he picked his way around the boxes and garbage littering the floor toward the sound. His pulse rate sped up when voices reached his ears.
“You’ll never get away with this. Never.” Relief flooded through him. Mitzi’s voice. She was still alive. The edge to her tone indicated she still had fight left in her. That was his girl. Tough little cookie that she was. His heart swelled with admiration and pride.
Jonah entered behind him and took a different route to their target by circling around the room in the opposite direction. Resisting the urge to rush, Riley finally made it to the doorway and listened. Jonah signaled to him from several feet away as he knelt behind some boxes.
Riley stood back into the darkness and waited. He wouldn’t shoot unless he had no other choice. He preferred the satisfaction of kicking this jerk’s ass.
Listening, he waited for the right moment.
“—be begging for my cock before I’m done.” The bastard’s threat enraged him. Fury vibrated through every cell in his body. His patience slipped several gears. He held on tight, needing that control now to save Mitzi.
Riley nodded to Jonah.
* * * *
Jonah pushed over several boxes in front of him. They crashed to the floor. Riley hunched down and kept his eyes on the door, waiting for Mitzi’s captor to rush out. The guy didn’t. They might have underestimated the man.
Silence emanated from the room, except for Mitzi’s muffled whimpering.
Crap, now they’d put Mitzi’s life in danger and alerted the guy to their presence. Riley signaled that he was going in. Jonah followed, keeping himself hidden.
“Put the knife down.” Riley spoke in an oddly calm voice.
“I’ll slit her throat if you come any closer.”
“And I’ll drop you so fast you won’t have a rat’s chance in hell of escaping.”
“Maybe, but it’ll be too late for her.” Trimble’s voice held no fear, just cold, hard determination. “Drop the gun.”
Jonah crept closer to the doorway, which now stood wide open. He peeked inside. Riley
had positioned himself in such a way that the other man was turned slightly away from the door. Trimble’s knife rested against Mitzi’s throat, as her captor focused his full attention on Riley. Any movement from Jonah could alert him and set off a chain of events none of them could stop. The two men were at a standoff.
“Drop the gun.” Trimble nicked Mitzi’s neck. A thin trickle of blood ran from the cut. “Drop it, or she gets more of this.”
A muscle ticked in Riley’s jaw as he fought to control his temper. Jonah could almost see those gears spinning in his buddy’s brain. With a frustrated growl, Riley threw the gun to the floor.
“Move away from it.” Trimble gestured.
“You hurt her, and I’ll have your balls and dick served on a silver platter to the hogs.” Riley moved a few steps to the side, farther away from the gun but effectively causing Trimble to turn his back away from the door.
Trimble snorted, not the least bit concerned by Riley’s threats. As the man turned to follow Riley’s movements, he exposed the arm holding the knife to Jonah.
Jonah didn’t wait a second more. He lunged and delivered a quick kick to the man’s arm, sending the knife flying across the room.
“You fucking bastard!” Enraged, Trimble spun around and lunged for the gun. He reached it a split second before Jonah. He swung the gun in an arc and slammed Jonah in the side of the head. As blood ran from the cut, adrenaline rushed through Jonah’s veins. He’d keep the asshole from Mitzi at all costs. Ignoring the pain, Jonah wrestled Scott for the gun. His head swam, but he fought the dizziness.
Riley circled them in an attempt to disarm the man without accidentally setting off the gun and sending a stray bullet God knew where. Jonah grasped Trimble’s wrist, amazed at the man’s strength. They rolled around on the floor like two dogs fighting for alpha status. Jonah managed to pin the guy on his back. At the same time, Riley kicked the gun from his hand. Jonah shot to his feet and grabbed the asshole by his shoulders. He hauled Trimble up in front of him and wrenched Trimble’s arms behind him, not giving a shit if he forced the man’s arms out of their sockets.
“You’re gonna break my arm.” Trimble whined. Just for emphasis, Jonah gave the asshole’s arm a good jerk. The pussy cried out.
Riley ran to Mitzi’s side. Bruised, battered, and more than a little scared, tears ran down her face. He hurried to untie her.
Meanwhile, Jonah extracted his revenge. “Oh, yeah, you’re a big man. You hurt a lady, but you can’t take it from another guy.”
“Fuck you.”
“Oh, yeah, well, where you’re going, they fight over pretty boys like you.”
Riley pulled Mitzi into his arms. She winced when he held her close. “You okay, baby?”
“I’m okay now you’re both here.” She glanced over at Trimble. “Why? Why did you do this? My daddy trusted you.”
“I told you. You’re mine. You’ve always been meant for me. Don’t you understand?” Even now the guy wasn’t giving up. Jonah didn’t feel sympathy, but the guy was pathetic.
“I don’t love you, Scott. I never have, and I never will.”
Mitzi turned to Riley and cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, Riley Backstrom.” Looking over her shoulder, she addressed Jonah. “And I love you, Jonah Yates.”
Only then did Jonah allow himself to breathe.
Chapter 16
“I owe you two my daughter’s life.” Steve Garrison pulled out a checkbook.
Riley said nothing, just stared at the partially open door of Mitzi’s hospital room. His mind replayed the scene with Trimble over and over again, almost as if it was stuck on repeat. He shook his head and attempted to focus on what Garrison was saying.
Jonah stood nearby, wringing his hands.
“I’m doubling what I said I’d pay you.”
Much to Riley’s surprise, he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was the woman lying in the hospital bed.
“Thanks, but we can’t take your money.” Jonah spoke up.
“Of course you can. You did the job.”
“No, it wasn’t a job. We did what we had to do.” The gravelly sound of Riley’s own voice shocked him.
“Nonsense. Regardless of whether or not you’ll take payment, I already paid off the past-due amount on your family ranch, Riley, and made a year’s worth of payments in advance. Go do what you’ve been busting your butt earning money to do.”
“How did you know about that?”
“I make it my business to know about anything which concerns my daughter’s well-being.” For a moment the older man’s eyes clouded over. “I screwed up on this one. I never saw it coming with Scott. Just thought he was a little too forward with women. Shit, I even encouraged him to date my daughter. Thought he’d make a good son-in-law.” Garrison shuddered and shut his eyes for a moment.
“You couldn’t have known. None of us suspected him. Don’t beat yourself up over it. She’s safe. That’s all that matters.” Jonah smiled a wry smile. “Thank you. Both of you. I’ll take care of her from here on out.”
“We can’t leave Mitzi now.” Riley stalled.
“We care about Mitzi.” The expression on Jonah’s face said it all.
Garrison looked from one to the other. “You have no future with my daughter. She didn’t tell you, did she?”
“Tell us what?” The calculated narrowing of Garrison’s eyes shot alarm through Riley.
“Mitzi’s agreed to return to my ranch and learn the business. She’ll be assisting my son and managing the stock contractor portion of the business. With Scott out of the picture, I’ll need her help even more.”
“She never said a word.” Jonah frowned.
“I told her to enjoy her time with you two because once she returned to the ranch, her wild days are over. She agreed to my terms.”
Riley swallowed. The old man finally realized Mitzi’s worth. After all these years of resistance, he’d dumped her dream job in her lap. Ambitious and driven, she’d never turn down the opportunity to do the one thing she desired above all else. Even above them.
Garrison narrowed his eyes as he looked from one to the other. “Now you boys didn’t think you meant anything to my little girl, did you? Mitzi has a wild streak. She likes her entertainment, if you know what I mean.” He chuckled. “But that’s all it was to her— entertainment. Why don’t you make it easy on all of us? Leave now. I’ll tell her you needed to get to the next rodeo. She’s relinquishing her crown to Brooke. She’ll be returning to the ranch with me.” Garrison noted their hesitation. “Do you really want her to sacrifice her dream for you two? She’d resent you forever and end up hating you. Take the decision out of her hands, and do the honorable thing.”
It was over. Riley knew it. By Jonah’s stricken expression, he knew it, too. She’d played them for fools. They never meant a damn thing to her. He found it hard to believe.
An emotional pain greater than any physical pain he’d ever experienced overwhelmed Riley. But a man had his pride. Sometimes that was all he had.
* * * *
“They left?” Mitzi sat on the edge of bed, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Her father insisted she spend the night in the hospital even though she’d been checked over by the doctors and cleared to leave. Along with several bruises, she had a cracked rib and a throbbing lump on her head.
Her father nodded. “I’m sorry, honey, but I paid them what I owed them for protecting you, and they hightailed it out of here. They couldn’t get away fast enough.”
“But, I—” Mitzi gulped and cleared her throat. She would not cry in front of her father. She’d show no weakness. None. “Did they have any messages for me?”
Her father’s brow furrowed. “Messages? No, honey, I’m afraid not. I warned you not to get mixed up with those two cowboys. They used you. Can’t you see that now?”
Mitzi shook her head, still in denial. The tender way they’d held her, the caring in their eyes, their devotion to her, all the good times they’d had
. Didn’t any of it mean a thing to them? It’d meant something to her. She’d let her guard down and let them in. She’d allowed herself to fall in love with them, even assumed they felt the same.
When would she ever learn? Riley and Jonah had made no promises, given her no reason to believe they’d signed on for the long haul. She shouldn’t be surprised. Walking away was Riley’s MO. Why wouldn’t it be his best friend’s, too?
Sitting in the pickup next to her father, she stared out the window as the miles rolled by. The cracks in her wounded heart deepened and chipped off one by one until nothing was left but a soul-deep pain.
Chapter 17
Mitzi stared out the ranch office window. Six months had passed since she’d last seen Jonah and Riley. She’d become somewhat of a recluse, staying on the ranch and working every spare moment. She’d not been on a date even though her father continued to set her up with various friends. She’d have nothing of it.
Her father’s idea of her managing the ranch with her brother turned out to be a disappointment. His views on women hadn’t changed after all. Being trained by her brother consisted of being his secretary, even worse, his grunt. He relegated her to clerical work in the ranch office, filing, answering phones, and doing computer research. The closest she got to dealing with the livestock was handling the registration paperwork.
Her brother, on the other hand, threw his weight around, let other staff do the work, especially her, then took the credit, and basically didn’t do a damn productive thing all day long but get under her skin and everyone else’s. Her father hired a new foreman who sucked up to her father and brother and came onto her every chance he got.
All in all, she hated the position she found herself in. She’d fallen into her father’s trap and placed herself under his thumb, right where he wanted her.
Mark sauntered in about noon and sat his ass on the edge of her desk. “Hey, I need those papers on the bulls we bought last week in Houston.”