Burned by Her Devotion (Rogue Vows Book 2)

by Melinda Leigh

  “Where’s Toby?” Seth asked.

  “How the hell should I know? You lost him.” Tierney snorted. “Is that why you followed me down here? You thought I busted Toby out?” He laughed. “I couldn’t care less about that little moocher. At least I worked for the money Chase paid me. His pals just partied on Chase’s dime.”

  Seth pinned him with his gaze. “What are you going to do for money now that Chase is gone?”

  Tierney glared. “I don’t have to answer your questions.”

  Seth had cracked tougher nuts. He recalled the argument in the bar, the one Tierney had sneaked away from, and it all clicked into place. “You outed Brandon, didn’t you?”

  Tierney’s gaze flickered away. “No.”

  “I think you did.” Seth could see the truth in his eyes. No shame, though. Men like Tierney didn’t have any. “How much did you get for the picture?”

  “Enough to pay my bills this month!” Tierney snapped. He held up a hand, his forefinger and thumb pinched half an inch apart. “I’m about this close to bankruptcy.”

  “You’ve changed that boy’s life in a way you can never undo.” Anger congealed in Seth’s gut like cold grease.

  Tierney lifted an indifferent shoulder. “He’ll live.”

  Charlie’s assessment of the agent’s personality had been dead-on.

  “Why were you at Fletcher’s anyway?” Seth asked.

  “Josh and Spider called about the picture. They wanted to find out which photographer snapped the picture and heard they’d been hanging at the bar.”

  “So you went and egged them on?”

  “No!” Tierney protested, but the constant shifting of his weight and his focus on the wall said he was lying. “I tried to talk them down.”

  “But you didn’t tell them the truth?”

  “Of course not. It’ll come out eventually, but the later the better.” Like when Tierney was holed up somewhere private.

  Seth really, really wanted to arrest the man for exposing Brandon’s paternity, but what he’d done wasn’t illegal. Immoral, yes. Illegal, no.

  Damn.

  Using a ten-year-old for financial gain was despicable. If Seth could think of a plausible charge, he’d personally escort Tierney to the county jail. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Seth dug it out and read the display. Phil.

  Seth answered, “Harding.”

  Phil sounded breathless. “The manager of the Wayward Motel found a truck driver bound and gagged in his room. He says his truck was stolen.”

  “Meet you there.” Seth ended the call, turned, and pointed a finger at Tierney. “If I find out you lied to me, I will chase you all the way to Hollywood.”

  Without waiting for a response, Seth returned to his car and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. Dust and gravel scattered from his tires as he left the airport, returned to the main road, and drove to the motel.

  The Wayward Motel was a single-story structure with rooms that opened directly onto the parking lot. Phil was already parked in front of an open door when Seth pulled into the lot at the motel. He slid into the spot next to the county cruiser and got out of the car.

  The manager, Charlie, stood on the concrete outside the open door.

  Seth peered through the doorway. A skinny man in boxers and a white undershirt sat on the edge of the bed, drinking from a bottle of water.

  “The people in the next room reported a crash.” Charlie scratched his belly through the thin fabric of his white undershirt. “The Do Not Disturb sign had been on the door all day, so the maid didn’t go into the room today. I knocked, and I heard some weird muffled noises. So I opened the door and found the guest tied up and gagged on the bed.”

  “Thank you.” Seth moved past Charlie.

  Phil stood back and gestured to the man on the bed. “Mr. Clark is a long-haul driver.”

  Moving forward, Seth introduced himself. “Can you give me your name?”

  “Earl Clark.” The man rubbed hard at a spot on his temple.

  Seth pulled the chair from the desk, turned it around, and sat facing Clark. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  Mr. Clark pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked hard, as if trying to clear his vision. “She was such a pretty thing.”

  She?

  “Can you describe the woman who tied you up?” Seth asked, even though he already knew what Mr. Clark was going to say.

  He bobbed his head, then stopped, swallowed, and held his temples with both hands. “She was little. Blonde. Dressed all in pink. Cute as all get-out.”

  Seth pulled out his phone and selected the photo of Cyndee that had been circulated through the department. He showed it to Mr. Clark. “Is this her?”

  Clark bobbed his head. “It is.”

  Cyndee was back.

  Damn it.

  “Her name is Cyndee Sykes,” Seth explained. “She’s wanted for arson and attempted murder. So you’re lucky to be alive.”

  If Cyndee had been in a different mood, Clark could have been barbecued instead of merely restrained.

  Clark’s eyes widened. He stared at the photo, then back at Seth. “That sweet little thing? She was all sugar.” Then his face fell as the realization hit him that he’d been played by an Oscar-worthy performance.

  In Cyndee’s case, looks were extremely deceiving. Cyndee had nearly roasted five people in two separate fires. She was insane and evil. Thinking of the danger she’d put Brianna in, Seth had to breathe through a burst of rage. On top of all that, she’d traumatized and neglected her own daughter. The child had been terrified when Carly had taken her into custody. And while Cyndee was all dolled up in her Legally Blonde ensembles, she’d dressed her child in rags. She’d also left the little malnourished girl alone in an insecure trailer in the middle of the woods. In Seth’s opinion, people who hurt children deserved no quarter.

  “When did you meet her?” Seth asked.

  “I don’t know exactly. Last night. It was way after midnight. I was at the bar across the way, already half-lit, and she came cozying up to me.” He sighed as if enjoying the memory. “We had a couple of drinks. By this time I was feeling no pain, if you know what I mean. So when she suggests we get a room, I didn’t argue. Usually I sleep in my rig, but a guy like me doesn’t get that many opportunities with a woman who looks like her. So I sprung for the room.”

  His face fell, as if he’d just remembered that she’d stolen his truck and made a fool of him.

  “Anyway. We bought a six-pack at the bar and brought it back here. I drank one beer, and the next thing I knew, it was morning. I was tied to the bed. She’d put duct tape on my mouth. Eventually I heard people in the room next door. I managed to shake the bed enough to knock the headboard against the wall.”

  “I suspect she slipped something in your beer,” Seth said. “You need to go to the hospital and get checked out.”

  “You think she roofied me?” Mr. Clark shook his head in disbelief.

  “That would be my guess,” Seth said. He asked some additional questions, took down Mr. Clark’s contact information, and then stood. “There’s a deputy on his way to take you to the emergency room.”

  Mr. Clark scrubbed both hands down his face, his eyes still fuzzy. “How about my truck?”

  “We found it. The damage appeared minimal. Dented grille and fender.” Donovan’s cruiser had been the crumple zone in the collision. “The vehicle has to be processed by forensics before we can give it back to you.”

  “All right.” The man nodded, as if the return of his truck intact was a better outcome than he’d expected.

  Seth went outside and called the sheriff to let him know the searches could be combined. No one had broken Toby out of custody. Cyndee had kidnapped him.

  “What now?” Phil asked.

  “Local, county, and state offices are stepping up efforts. The sheriff is holding a press conference to get pictures of Cyndee and Toby out to the public. The interstates are being monitored.”

  “She
won’t use any major roads.”

  “No, but eventually she’ll need to get gas or food, and someone will see her. I need to stop at Fletcher’s and get a copy of the surveillance tape from last night. Maybe Jake can give us more information.” Seth drove to the front of the bar and parked the car. Phil followed in his cruiser.

  In the fading daylight, Fletcher’s looked every inch the dive it had always been. Jake hadn’t gotten around to improving the bar’s curb appeal. The light in the letter F of the neon sign was dark, leaving the name lit as letcher’s.

  Seth and Phil went inside and crossed to the bar. Seth signaled for the bartender. “Jake, did you see a small blonde cozying up to a truck driver last night?”

  Jake scratched his head. “The bar was packed last night, and we’ve had plenty of strangers this week. I can’t remember one particular woman.”

  “She and this trucker left together sometime after midnight, probably more like one or two in the morning,” Seth said.

  “I’m trying to make improvements, but this isn’t a fine-dining establishment, especially at that late hour.” Jake raised a shoulder. “Hooking up is what happens here. Nothing unusual about that.”

  “I need the surveillance videos from last night and today.” Seth might as well get evidence on the fight from that afternoon while he was at it.

  “Sorry,” Jake said. “It isn’t working. The guy is supposed to be out to fix it this week.”

  Seth and Phil went outside.

  “I have to call Carly and let her know Cyndee is still in town.” Seth punched the speed dial on his phone. She didn’t answer. He left her a message, then shoved the phone into his pocket.

  “So Cyndee Sykes left town and then changed her mind?” Phil asked.

  “Oh, she left. I think she deliberately drove a few hours, gave us some nice clear images of her in very public locations, then doubled back.” Seth’s face hardened. “We need to find her. She has Toby. Alex is out there too.” Alone. “She’ll be trying to find her mother.”

  The last thing Seth wanted was a child in the middle of a hostage situation.

  And holy hell, someone had tried to steal dynamite earlier that day. Had it been Cyndee? She was certainly crazy enough, and she liked to send things up in flames.

  They got into the car.

  “If Toby is injured, they have to be hiding somewhere,” Phil said. “A cabin. A vacant house. A campsite.”

  Seth drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “We impounded her trailer.” He glanced out the windshield. Thousands of acres of forest surrounded the town. “Do you know how many hunting cabins are out there?”

  “Too many,” Phil agreed.

  “Cyndee is used to roughing it. She won’t be driving her pickup. She’s too smart.”

  “No doubt she stole a car,” Phil said.

  Seth nodded. “I asked dispatch to notify me if they get any reports of stolen vehicles.”

  “But now that she has Toby, why is she still here?” Phil asked.

  Seth scanned the parking lot. Beyond the blacktop thick woods loomed. “She won’t leave without Alex.”

  Carly had said that in the beginning, and she’d been right. Cyndee wasn’t the sort of woman to give up anything she believed was hers.

  “We need to find Alex or Cyndee before they reconnect,” Seth said. “If you were her, what would you do once you found your kid?”

  “Then I’d get back to my original plan, whatever that was. Why did she take Toby? What does she plan to do with him?

  “He killed her idol. She wants to punish him. Considering the crimes she’s committed to get him, it has to be something big.” Seth started the car.

  “Once I did whatever it is I’d planned, I’d want to get the hell out of town,” Phil said. “She can’t evade capture here forever. Every cop in the state of Oregon is looking for her and Toby.”

  But it wasn’t Toby that Seth was most worried about now that he knew Cyndee was close by. It was Seth’s job to find Toby, but right or wrong, a killer ranked well below an innocent thirteen-year-old girl in Seth’s mind. Alex was in real danger, and if Carly found the girl, his wife would be at risk too.

  Seth’s gut issued another warning. “Cyndee’s violence has escalated over the past few days. She could be breaking down. I don’t want Alex anywhere near her mother when she goes over the edge.”

  “But why would Alex go looking for her?” Phil asked. “She must know the woman is nuts.”

  “Because Cyndee is her mother, and that crazy life is all Alex knows.” But how long before Alex gets hurt or killed in her mother’s schemes? Seth dialed Carly again. “She’s not answering.”

  Nerves churning, he called his mother-in-law. She answered on the first ring. “Seth? Have you seen Carly? She was supposed to be home an hour ago, but she isn’t here and she isn’t answering her phone.”

  A cold ball of fear rolled through Seth’s belly.

  Where’s Carly?

  CHAPTER TEN

  The plastic zip tie bit into the skin around Carly’s wrists. Alex stepped backward, guilt heavy in her eyes.

  Carly mouthed, “It’s all right” back at the girl.

  She didn’t want the girl to think any of this was her fault. A cool, damp breeze lifted Carly’s hair. Goose bumps rose on her arms. Cyndee was unpredictable. What was she planning, and how could Carly protect Alex?

  Cyndee lowered the gun. Her eyes brightened as she looked at her daughter. “You did good. I’m real proud.”

  Alex’s entire demeanor transformed. A smile broke out across her face. Her posture elongated. She swept her hands out to her sides and bowed. Innocent waifishness gave way to dramatic flair. “That acting webinar really paid off.”

  “Honey, you could have won an Oscar tonight.” Cyndee beamed, then laughed at Carly. “See how shocked she is?”

  Carly felt her jaw muscles slacken.

  Alex had been playing her?

  Why was she so surprised? When Cyndee first arrived in town, she’d convinced Stevie that she really was Chase Ryan’s girlfriend. Like mother, like daughter.

  But Carly felt like a fool. Her gullibility and the betrayal stung. She’d done everything in her power to protect Alex, and the kid had turned on her. No, worse. The teen had totally manipulated her.

  “Did you really pee your pants?” Cyndee gave her daughter a one-armed hug.

  Alex nodded with enthusiasm. “I thought it was a nice touch.”

  “Probably unnecessary.” Cyndee’s lip curled with distaste.

  Alex lifted a wounded chin. “You a have to commit to a role.”

  “You’re right.” Cyndee nodded with respect. “I’m so proud of you.”

  Alex beamed. “I was better than last time? Really believable?”

  “You fooled her.” Cyndee gestured toward Carly with the gun. “Hell, you almost convinced me, and it was my plan.”

  A genuine smile spread across Alex’s face. “I’m going to change my jeans.” She skipped away.

  Carly digested the deception.

  Cyndee Sykes.

  The woman who’d put Brianna in danger was here, not running away from Solitude.

  Alex came back in a fresh but tattered pair of jeans.

  Cyndee gestured with the gun toward the dirt lane. “Let’s get moving.”

  “Should I bring the four-wheeler?” Alex asked.

  “Yes. We might need it.” Cyndee took the overloaded backpack from the daughter. She tested its weight. “I’ll put this in the car.”

  “I got everything we need.” Alex went to the ATV and started it.

  They trudged down the lane, Alex zipping ahead on the four-wheeler.

  Carly walked slowly. Someone would come out to find them when Kenny didn’t answer the radio.

  A Buick sedan was parked behind the Solitude police car. Cyndee opened the trunk. “Get in.”

  Carly hesitated. Getting into the trunk would leave her helpless, and once they left this clearing, no one would k
now where she was.

  Cyndee rapped her on the head with the butt of the gun. The blow spiked through Carly’s head in a shower of tiny sparks. It wasn’t hard enough to do major damage, but it left her stunned and unbalanced. Cyndee shoved her into the trunk. Carly fell in, butt-first, landing with her legs splayed at awkward angles. She tried to kick out at Cyndee but missed.

  Alex pulled the ATV up to the car.

  “Hold this, sweetie.” Cyndee handed the gun to Alex, then bound Carly’s ankles with another zip tie. She slapped a piece of duct tape across Carly’s mouth, dumped her legs into the trunk, and closed the lid.

  The pain in her head and the smell of rubber turned Carly’s stomach. She swallowed a surge of bile. The sedan bounced as it navigated the rutted dirt road. She could hear the ATV’s high-pitched engine behind the car. A few minutes later, the ride smoothed out. The main road? She searched for the trunk release lever but didn’t see it.

  The taillights!

  Curled on her side with her back to the opening, she couldn’t see them. Nor could she get her feet into position to kick them out. The trunk was too tight.

  Carly tried to count seconds and memorize turns, but was quickly disoriented. The car began to jostle her again. Another back road?

  Thankfully, the ride wasn’t long, and the car came to a stop in what Carly estimated to be about ten minutes. They couldn’t be too far from the clearing.

  The trunk opened. Full dark had fallen, but Carly’s eyes had adjusted in the trunk. They were in another clearing, and the dark outline of a cabin blocked the night sky.

  “I’m going to have Alex cut the ties on your ankles. But if you try anything, I’ll kill Toby.” Cyndee jerked the gun toward the cabin. “He’s inside.”

  Carly nodded.

  Alex had parked the ATV next to the cabin. She used a folding tool to cut the zip ties around Carly’s ankles, then helped her out of the trunk. The girl was stronger than she appeared. On her feet, Carly blinked as her head swam for a few seconds. Something trickled down her face. Blood? The blow to her head must have torn her skin.

  “Let’s talk inside.” Cyndee jerked her head toward the cabin.