by Mayer, Dale
With any luck it would stay that way until they were at Eva’s side. She was a bit of wild card. Swede wanted to be there as soon as he could. It was the only way he’d be able to reassure himself she was safe.
“Too bad it’s too early for food,” Dane said from the back seat.
“We all need a solid meal.”
“Not until we get to Eva,” Swede said.
Mason was driving with Hawk seemingly slumbering in the back, only Swede wasn’t fooled. They all had the ability to doze off yet wake battle ready in a heartbeat.
He wasn’t listening into the conversation but wouldn’t miss anything important.
“Right. So are you keeping her?” Mason asked, the devil in his voice.
Swede snorted and stared out the window.
Shadow sniggered in the backseat.
Swede knew this wouldn’t be going in any direction he wanted to deal with right now, and he slouched down and closed his eyes.
“Let me know when we get there.”
And tried to sleep.
Only sleep wasn’t easy and his mind wouldn’t shut off. Worry gnawed at him. Shit. After ten minutes of trying to sleep he sat up again and opened the truck window for a bit of fresh air. Either asleep or awake but he hated anything in between. When he was on, he was on. And when he was out…? Well it was rare for him to sleep deeply unless he was on days off. That sense of awareness was hard to turn off any other time.
And at times like this it wasn’t going to happen.
“Bet she’s not in the room when we get there,” Hawk said from behind him.
Dane said, “I’m not taking that bet. I doubt she is either.”
“Then where is she likely to be?” Mason asked curiously. “I happen to agree. She’d have seen the military and hidden.”
“Interesting.” Shadow smiled as he added, “But I would too.”
“She’s a smart cookie, and if things don’t feel right then she’ll go to the ground.”
“And what will that mean in this case,” Swede asked. “How much does she know to do?”
“She’ll be outside. Hidden somewhere where she can see what’s going on but not where anyone will easily spot her.”
The men contemplated his words for a few moments. “Then again, that’s what we’d all do too in the same situation, right?”
“Right,” Dane said. “Can’t get pinned inside so outside it is, but she needs us so she can’t go too far.”
Swede smiled. “Sounds like you taught her some things, Hawk.”
“Didn’t need to. Our daddy started that a long time ago and since he died, the two of us had drills we practiced all the time. She was a woman alone and that’s not the safest.”
It sounded like Eva had taken to the basics easily. Swede had already seen she didn’t panic and could hold her own in the worst of situations. She’d been steady through this nightmare and had kept her priorities straight. The horses first then when they were all good, the men she cared about.
Which he already knew he was one of. She’d made that abundantly clear.
Now to lock down what that meant.
Chapter 27
Eva snapped awake and froze. Her back was throbbing, her arms achy at her sides. The skies were still dark, but light was creeping over the horizon giving the world an odd glow. Nice and mellow coloring crept over the land making her feel better except that she was alone.
Had the men come back? Were they planning on it? Could they come back?
With a slight groan she tried to stand up and almost cried out in pain.
Shivers wracked her frame. She rubbed her arms to ward off a chill. Crouching down, she peered through the brush at the parking lot. Had they come? If they had, she couldn’t imagine that they’d not torn the place apart to find her. And if they hadn’t – why not?
They’d been gone for hours. She glanced around. The place was quiet. She’d probably panicked for nothing.
She made a quick decision. She’d go back to her bedroom and lie down on a comfortable bed. Besides, she needed a bathroom. At least she would be where they expected her to be. Using her key, she let herself into the back door and used the stairway to get to her floor. The silence was eerie, yet comforting. She saw no one on her way to the room. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her as she reached for her door knob.
And realized it wasn’t latched.
She swallowed hard. Shit. Had she left it that way? Had the men returned and were waiting inside? No, they wouldn’t leave the door like this. She breathed silently trying to regain control. Gently, ready to bolt, she pushed the door open wide.
She stepped in and turned on the light.
And gasped. The bedroom had been tossed. The bedding was ripped off and thrown on the floor, the drawers from both the dresser and night table were pulled out and lay on the floor on top of the bedding.
Oh dear God. She was sick to her stomach. What could the intruders have been looking for? The hotel room had been clean. Empty. Obviously not occupied.
So why? It made no sense. But it did make her decision easier, she wasn’t staying here.
Closing the door she crept back out the way she’d come. Her stomach churned. She couldn’t forget what she’d seen. What if she’d been in the room when the intruder arrived? Would he still have entered the room? Or had she not latched the door and someone had noticed and came in looking for something worth stealing? But then why toss it? It wasn’t difficult to search an empty room.
She couldn’t stop shaking. Back outside she gulped large mouthfuls of air. There’d been enough death and destruction in her world. She just wanted this over.
The parking lot was calm. She wandered around the cars, hoping for daylight. And really hoping for a damn coffee. Lord she needed one. Was it too much to ask?
A bench was positioned outside the main office door. Groaning, she plunked her butt down. What a brutal night. She’d sit here until the men arrived. She pulled out her cell phone and sent yet another text. “I’m sitting outside the hotel. Are you coming soon?”
And waited.
As the sun slowly rose, she found herself lying sideways on the bench and staring up at the sky.
Harsh voices woke her out of her daze. She froze as the voices came closer. Harsh male voices and several of them were arguing. Once again she wished she understood Spanish. But the tone wasn’t pleasant. And she was a woman alone. Damn it. She lay quiet, hoping she’d be missed.
Instead the voices rose and she could hear grunts and impact sounds as if there was a fight going on. That just made her situation worse. Could she slip away without being seen? She shifted over to the end of the bench and staying low she crept to the other side of the line of vehicles right in front of her and tried to hide.
She was snatched from behind, a thick muscled arm across her throat. A cold dark voice against her ear said, “Well hello there.”
*
“Where the hell is she?” Swede stood in the open doorway and swore silently. The room had been destroyed and there was no sign of Eva. And neither was there any sign that she’d ever been here. There were no bits of clothing or personal items. She hadn’t had much when he’d left her, but she’d had a few things.
“Ha, I win,” Hawk said with a laugh in his direction. “I said she’d be outside.”
Swede cast a final glance at the empty room. “She said she’d be outside the office and she isn’t,” he muttered. He closed the door. No one would be the wiser. All good. As long as they found her.
And fast.
Hawk was already leading the way to the lower levels. Swede followed. He knew Shadow and Mason were checking outside, and Dane had gone to speak to the manager at the office. If the man wasn’t awake yet it was too damn bad – he was now.
Once outside they stood for a long moment in the cool air, Swede’s eyes moving constantly, searching for a hiding place.
There were only the sounds of nature around them. No vehicles on the road.
No people walking. Birds sang gently in the early morning. The sky was clear enough to see in every corner in front of him.
And she wasn’t anywhere.
Dane came running out. “The manager said one of the waiters saw a woman sneaking out of the back patio doors a few hours ago. She was unharmed. They were cleaning up from a private party when she entered and exited without stopping. She mentioned something about having left something behind, but the server didn’t remember seeing her at the party.”
“Right.” Swede considered the options she’d have. “Interesting that she didn’t stay with them. Or ask them for help.”
“But she might not have known she was in trouble. Maybe she thought she was making a big deal out of nothing or worse not wanting to put anyone else in danger.”
Swede nodded. That sounded like her too.
“Let’s split up and find her,” Hawk ordered.
Swede took the outside of the building and quickly did a pass around the back, checking the hedges and trees. There was no sign of her. He met the others in the parking lot.
“Nothing,” Hawk said.
Swede, his heart pounding, hated the thoughts clamoring inside his head. He knew all the bad things that happened to nice people. In this given situation, there were too many scenarios to consider.
“There’s no way to know if she’s been taken without having a witness who has seen something.”
“Then let’s roust them all and talk to them.”
Knowing it was wasting precious time but not having much choice, they quickly started slamming on doors and speaking to disgruntled guests.
The motel wasn’t even close to capacity so that helped.
Swede pounded on a door only to hear violent cursing from inside. He crossed his arms and waited.
“What the fuck do y–” The unkempt man clad only in boxers, stood and stared. Then backed up a step and in a much more polite voice, tried again. “Why the hell are you waking me up at this hour?”
“A girl is missing,” Swede said shortly. “Did you see her at any time last night?” He gave a short description.
“I don’t know, give me a minute.” The man ran his hands over his face a few times as if to try and wake up. Push the hangover back was more likely but whatever worked. Swede didn’t care.
“Yeah, maybe. But it wasn’t last night. It was early this morning,” the guy said. “My buddy and I were drinking heavily last night and got into a hell of an argument.”
“Who is your buddy and where is he?”
The man pointed to the left. “He’s next door.”
“What did you see?”
“I’m not really sure. I think she might have been lying on that bench out front by the office and the parking lot as if she was waiting for someone. Then someone came, and she left with him.”
“Who was the man? What did he look like? What vehicle was he driving?”
The man’s whole demeanor changed now that he realized what was going on. Swede thanked him then went next door to wake up his buddy. The first man came with him and pounded on the door.
“Hey, Chester, wake the fuck up. The cops are here looking for a missing girl.”
Chester, a tall skinny redhead with more beard than he’d seen in a long time pulled the door open. The two men talked but nothing more came out. He hadn’t really seen the girl. Though it was a truck the guy was in. But wasn’t sure. Thought there was a big army rig parked out there but wasn’t sure. Thought maybe the girl hadn’t gone willingly – but of course, wasn’t sure.
“What are you sure of?” Swede asked in frustration.
“I was just so pissed off at Drake here that honestly nothing else really figured in.”
Swede, realizing he’d gotten what he could, turned and bolted to meet Hawk in the parking lot. He passed on his message. The others had reports of the army truck but not the woman. Dane had returned from again questioning the manager. “The army doesn’t rent rooms here. Neither do the rebels. The manager says he’s seen the rebels around but knows to not ask questions. He added that they didn’t get their supplies locally nor did they stop in town. Go through yes, but stop and spend money – no. However, they were here earlier asking about Eva – not by name but by description. The manager told them nothing but they took his keys. He never saw her with them.”
“So we can’t know for sure that she is with them but the other options are rapidly dwindling.”
“The biggest problem is that she could have gone with anyone anywhere. We can focus on the rebels camp, but that’s no guarantee someone else hasn’t snatched her.”
The others nodded.
Swede joined them. “She was here,” he pointed to the front bench, “and walked this far,” he motioned to the side of a parking stall. “She walked on her own two feet. There are tracks,” he motioned to them, “but she isn’t stepping in a natural rhythm.”
“Tied up?” Hawk snapped.
“No, I think someone was behind her and forcing her to the truck.”
“So more than one?”
“She was pushed inside then he climbed in with her. The same tracks do not go around to the driver side.”
“So two men.”
“And a big truck.” Again Shadow pointed to the tracks. “Duallies on the back.”
“So likely army.” Swede glanced at Shadow. “Unless you think we’re talking a big truck like a one ton pickup.”
“No. I’d say longer. The wheel base is bigger.” He walked the distance showing what he meant. “See, it’s big.”
“Right.”
“Direction?” Hawk snapped.
Shadow raced to the entrance onto the main road. Swede was on his heels. The only way to know would be if they took the corner tight or wide on the far side. The pavement had been washed clean but the shoulders were dirt and held the tracks beautifully.
“Here it is,” he called to Shadow on the far side. “He went wide on his left turn and clipped the shoulder with the front tire.” Closer inspection showed it wasn’t actually the shoulder but more dirt on the road here. Good for them. The tracks clearly showed the heavier vehicle coming onto the road from the parking lot and heading back the way they’d come.
“Let’s go,” Hawk said. “They are hours ahead of us.”
Chapter 28
Eva couldn’t believe it. Her brother and his team were after the very same men who were driving her back to the same camp. They had hours of traveling ahead of them. Her mind kept spinning looking for options but came up blank. The men were armed. They were fit. They looked mean as hell. She didn’t know if the passenger in the front seat was the commander or not, but he’d stayed inside when the man had forced her in the back of the truck. So had the driver. She was one against three. Nice odds.
Damn. She slumped back against the back seat. She could open the door and throw herself onto the highway. Likely break something in the process but as long as it wasn’t her head she was good with that. If a broken leg was the price of escape she was also fine with that too. But a broken leg that wouldn’t get treatment if she failed in her escape, and left her damaged and at their mercy…well she couldn’t imagine.
No, she needed to keep her head and look for the perfect opportunity to escape. If they were back at the hacienda, she knew a few hiding places but if they were taking her to the rebel camp…well that didn’t sound like a place she’d have an easy time running away from.
Damn it. Where was Swede and her brother? They were supposed to make sure this didn’t happen to her.
There was light traffic on the road. She racked her brain trying to remember if there were any places she might make a run for it and find someone to help her. She still had her cell phone on her. Interesting that they hadn’t taken it away. She didn’t know if she had reception out here though. And how could she use it to get help without anyone seeing her.
“What is she doing?” the big man in the front seat said in low tones.
“Looking for a way to e
scape.”
Silence. “Then shoot her in the knee if she looks ready to make a run for it.”
She gasped in horror. Oh dear God. Who were these people that they’d do something like that to her.
With her stomach rolling and heaving at his words, she realized with horror she was going to be sick.
She bent over between her legs and cried out as the bile climbed higher and higher.
“She’s going to puke,” the guy beside her said. He then said something in rapid-fire Spanish.
The truck came to a hard stop on the side of the highway. The driver hopped out and opened the door beside her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out. She stumbled to the shallow ditch on the side of the road half expecting to be shot on the spot.
Her nerves gave up the resistance and she bent over and threw up. And threw up. And then again.
There hadn’t been much food to upchuck but her body, reaction, fear, she didn’t know, but it was attempting to empty right down to her toes.
Exhausted at the end, she kneeled on the side of the road and tried to control her breathing. No matter what she did, it seemed like everything was setting the vomiting off again.
She knew what it was. Terror. These men were going to kill her. Given enough time, they’d do what they wanted to do to her first then they’d kill her. She had to stay alive long enough for Swede to find her. Her brother would be lost if they lost her. Only she didn’t know how to help herself now.
She had to do everything she could to stay alive long enough for the men to rescue her.
The man beside her grabbed her by the hair and reefed her head back. She groaned and her mouth filled again. He let her go and danced backward out of the spray.
That was her. She was so dangerous she puked on her attackers. Too bad she hadn’t thought of it earlier. She almost smiled at that. Almost. A vehicle drove by, the driver slowing down as he caught sight of her kneeling. Yeah, they probably thought she was being executed. And she was – slowly.
At the rebels waving them on, the driver picked up speed and drove away. She watched his taillights disappear in the distance. Was that her one chance of escape or had she just saved that man’s life because she hadn’t brought him into this mess. The soldier said something to her in Spanish. She shook her head. She’d picked up a few words over the years but didn’t recognize any that were streaming out of his mouth.