Unraveling Him: A Small Town Family Romance (The Bailey Brothers Book 3)

by Claire Kingsley

  Where was Evan right now? Did he even know something was wrong? I’d stormed out and left. He probably assumed I was still mad.

  I pictured him working on the Pontiac. Leaning over the engine or sanding the body, his back muscles rippling, his big hands making magic. Was he so focused on the car that he wasn’t even thinking about me? Or was he out looking because he had realized I’d been gone too long?

  My sense of time was skewed. It was hard to tell how long I’d been here. My guard—I was calling him Stoneface in my head because I didn’t know his name—hadn’t left once for a break. It seemed like eventually he’d have to eat or pee or something. But he just sat there, messing around on his phone, like this was the most boring job he’d ever had in his life.

  I was trying not to take that personally. But couldn’t he at least put in a little effort? Sure, I was lying on the ground with my wrists and ankles tied, but he didn’t have to act like I was completely helpless.

  “Do you get a signal out here?” I asked. My voice sounded odd in the hollow space.

  His eyes flicked to mine, but he didn’t answer.

  I sat up. I’d been changing positions once in a while and as long as I didn’t try to stand—which I wasn’t sure I could manage anyway, given the tie around my ankles—Stoneface didn’t say anything. Sitting wasn’t comfortable either, but nothing was comfortable right now.

  If I’d ever considered a little bondage with Evan, that was probably off the table at this point.

  Assuming I ever got out of here.

  I was going to assume that. I was getting out of here. Somehow.

  “You must be playing a game. Maybe one of those puzzle games or that quest one. That one is so addictive.”

  He looked at me again. Still silent and expressionless.

  “I’m just saying, you don’t strike me as a social media guy. I doubt you’re sitting there scrolling through Instagram. Although you never know, people are often surprising. Or maybe you’re reading the news. You’d need a signal for that, but you might need a signal for a game, too.”

  “Shut up.”

  Rude.

  Although what did I expect? The guy was armed, guarding a helpless tied-up girl in a cave. That didn’t exactly scream manners.

  A noise echoed further down the passage. Then silence again. Felix hadn’t been back since he’d taken my picture. He’d obviously sent it to my dad. Apparently I was either collateral or bait. Maybe both. But I assumed he was still here somewhere. I hadn’t seen any other people, but I’d heard footsteps a few times.

  But that sound had been different. Stoneface seemed to think so too. He looked up from his phone, pausing like he was listening.

  There it was again.

  Did I smell something? I inhaled through my nose, trying to place it. It was different from the dusty gravel scent. Almost like smoke.

  A second later, it was gone. I’d probably imagined it.

  But I hadn’t imagined the sound. Stoneface had heard it too.

  Footsteps echoed from around the bend in the passage and Stoneface stood.

  It was another guy with a gun. He wore a plain t-shirt and jeans and had a beanie on his head. I decided his name was Hatterson, because hat.

  Stoneface and Hatterson. Not my most creative names, but I was in a crisis here.

  Okay, this meant Felix had at least two henchmen.

  I almost laughed at myself. What was I doing, taking inventory? One guard or ten, it didn’t really matter.

  That scent tickled my nose again. It did smell like smoke.

  That wasn’t good.

  Stoneface walked a few feet further away and lowered his voice, but I could still hear him. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “I don’t know. Do you smell that?”

  “Yeah. Where’s Felix?”

  “Out in the fucking car.” Hatterson cast a glance down the passage, toward the direction he’d come from. “It’s stronger this way. Maybe a brush fire outside?”

  “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Gallagher should be here any minute.”

  “Doesn’t matter? A fire means firefighters.”

  “Out here?”

  “We’re not far from a town. And someone could see the smoke from the highway.”

  “Is there a lot of smoke out there?”

  “I don’t fucking know. But maybe we need to up the timeline.” Hatterson glanced at me.

  A renewed jolt of fear shot through me. The acrid tinge of smoke in the air was unmistakable now, but a fire—wherever it was—wasn’t exactly my biggest concern.

  “Go ask Felix,” Stoneface said.

  “You go ask him.”

  I heard a faint rumbling sound, like the noise of faraway traffic.

  Hatterson glanced back again. “Must be Gallagher.”

  A single blare of a siren echoed off the walls, the muffled whoop startling me.

  “Cops?” Hatterson asked.

  “Not unless they’re stupid cops,” Stoneface said. “Come on.”

  “What about her?”

  Stoneface glanced at me and picked up his lantern. “She’s not going anywhere.”

  The two men disappeared around the bend in the passage, plunging me into darkness.

  This was not better.

  The smell of smoke grew and faint noises I couldn’t place seemed to bounce around me. I swallowed hard and bit the inside of my lip. It was so dark, I could barely see my hands in front of my face. Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought against the disorientation, willing my stomach to stay steady.

  More noises. Was that coming from the other direction? I couldn’t tell.

  “Fiona.”

  My eyes flew open at the barely audible whisper behind me. Oh my god. It couldn’t be.

  Evan.

  I whipped my head around, but before my brain had time to catch up, he was cutting through the bonds with a pocketknife. A bewildering mix of relief, elation, and heart-squeezing love exploded inside me, driving out the fear. With my ankles free, he sliced through the tie at my wrists, then cupped my face.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you so much. Are you okay?”

  I nodded and he surged in, quickly pressing his lips to mine.

  Another voice. “Let’s get her out of here.”

  Evan took my hands and helped me to my feet. Asher stood a couple feet away, holding a flashlight.

  Asher? Was this even real?

  Without a word, Evan scooped me into his arms, picking me up off the ground. I held on around his neck, vaguely wondering if I was hallucinating. Because Evan Bailey couldn’t be carrying me through a pitch-black stone passageway, following the beam of his brother’s flashlight.

  But the warmth of his body and the feel of his thick arms around me were very real.

  Faint voices reverberated in the passage behind us. Evan carried me as if I weighed nothing. I had a million questions—starting with how on earth had he found me—but the answers could wait. For now, I just held on.

  We followed the beam of Asher’s flashlight through what seemed like a never-ending maze of tunnels. Asher stopped at a turn and he and Evan quietly conferred, checking a map on Asher’s phone. My sense of direction wasn’t great on a normal day and waking up down here—wherever this was—had left me totally disoriented. They agreed on a direction and we kept going.

  A man’s voice shouted somewhere behind us, and Evan’s arms tightened around me. I had a feeling Stoneface had just realized I was gone.

  Asher slowed, glancing over his shoulder.

  “Keep going,” Evan whispered.

  Fast footsteps echoed, getting closer. He was going to catch up with us.

  “He’s armed,” I whispered.

  “Yeah,” Evan said without stopping. “Can’t go too fast or we’ll get lost.”

  The footsteps grew louder. Stoneface was running. My heart beat so fast I thought it might burst.

  “Wait,” Evan said, and Asher turned. “Let me see the map.”
<
br />   Asher held out his phone. A second ticked by. Two. Three.

  “That way.” Evan gestured with a nod of his head. “I think there’s a shaft leading down a level. Hopefully it still has a ladder.”

  Without hesitation, Asher followed Evan’s lead. We rushed down the dark passageway until we came to an old wooden barrier in front of a wide hole. A ladder led down into the darkness.

  Asher went first, then we heard his confirmation from below. “Go.”

  Evan set me down gently and I scrambled over the side. The rungs of the ladder were cold and hard. Firmly telling myself not to worry about what was down there—if there were rats or bugs, Asher had to have scared them away—I quickly made my way down.

  Asher helped me off and Evan climbed down, jumping before he reached the bottom. He threw his arms around me and caged me against the wall while Asher doused the light.

  I slipped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest. The darkness was consuming, but the sound of his heartbeat kept me calm. He held me against the rough wall as if to shield me from harm, putting himself between me and danger.

  Oh my god, I loved him so much.

  The sound of footsteps came from somewhere above us. Voices shouting. We held still and silent in the dark. I scarcely dared to breathe.

  Finally, the shouting receded. Evan didn’t move. The noises above grew fainter. Then silence.

  Only then did Evan step back. Asher turned on his flashlight.

  “Let’s go,” Evan said.

  Asher went up the ladder first. I climbed up next and he helped me at the top. Evan was right behind me. I was about to tell him I could walk—although I was barefoot—but he scooped me into his arms again.

  He and Asher conferred with nothing but a few head nods and flicks of their eyes. Then we were on our way again.

  The tunnels seemed endless but finally it felt like the ground sloped upward. That had to be a good sign. The passage widened and it grew lighter. We turned a corner and I squinted, seeing daylight.

  Holding me tighter, Evan ran.

  We burst out of an opening in the hill framed by thick timbers. I couldn’t see anything but pine trees and dry brush, but Evan seemed to know where to go. He darted through the trees, debris crunching beneath his shoes.

  His car came into view. I’d never been so excited to see a Camaro in my entire life.

  “You drive,” Evan said. He rushed to the passenger side and opened the door. Without letting me go, he ducked us both into the car, and I wound up in his lap, his arms still around me.

  Asher was already in the driver’s seat. Evan jammed a hand in his pocket and tossed him the keys. A few seconds later, the engine roared to life. Asher hit the gas and the wheels spit dirt behind us.

  Evan held me against his chest, breathing hard as the car bumped along the rocky ground. Every muscle in his body was tense, his arms hot steel around me.

  “We have her,” Asher said. It sounded like he was on the phone. “We’re clear.”

  Evan loosened his grip on me, but only enough to lay his palm across my cheek. His eyes searched my face, his dark brow furrowed. “Are you hurt?”

  “Not really. Just bumped my head. I think I wrecked my car. Where are we? What happened? How did you—”

  He silenced me with a hard kiss, then rested his forehead against mine. “I love you. I should have said it before. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Fiona, I’m so sorry—”

  It was my turn to silence him with my lips. “I’m sorry, too. It’s over. We’re fine.”

  The car jolted and we pulled out onto the road.

  Evan’s arms wrapped around me again and I settled against him. His chest rose and fell as he took a slow, deep breath. I didn’t know how he’d found me, but he had. He’d saved my life.

  Maybe all that love I’d sent out into the universe had actually worked.

  I’d loved him before, but right now I loved him so much it burned inside me, hot and bright like the sun. I was banged up and bruised, my wrists and ankles chafed, and I had to pee so bad my bladder was probably going to have permanent damage. But I hardly felt a thing. Just the love I had for this man, and his love for me, answering right back.

  43

  Evan

  Fiona sat on the couch in Gram’s living room, wrapped in a dark blue afghan. Or more accurately, wrapped up in my arms on my lap with an afghan tucked beneath her chin. She was clinging to me like a baby koala, and I couldn’t get enough of her.

  I’d hardly stopped touching her since we got here. Hell, since I’d found her in the old mine. I’d let her go once out of necessity, so she could use the bathroom, but I’d kept her in my arms ever since.

  Which was where she was going to stay.

  Gram brought her a steaming cup of tea. “Here you are, Cricket. Are you sure I can’t get you anything else?”

  “No, I promise I’m fine.”

  Gram smiled and shifted the corner of the afghan to make sure Fiona’s toes were covered. She went back to the kitchen and came back with her own mug of tea, then settled into an armchair.

  Asher had driven us straight here. I didn’t know how Gram had known what was happening, but none of our story surprised her. And she’d made fresh muffins this afternoon, as if she’d had a feeling we’d descend on her house after a bizarre crisis involving armed men in an old abandoned mine.

  Grace arrived and flew into Asher’s arms. I could hear him gently assuring her that everyone was fine. Sasquatch came in with her and immediately ran to sniff Fiona, checking to make sure she was okay.

  “Hi buddy,” she said, reaching out to pet him. “It’s good to see you too.”

  “Where’s Gallagher?” I asked.

  Grace’s eyes flicked to Fiona, her face full of sympathy. “There was a warrant out for his arrest, so Jack took him in.”

  “It’s okay,” Fiona said. “Unfortunately, that’s what needed to happen.”

  “I’m sorry,” Grace said. “But I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “Did Leo go home?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he had to get back to his family.”

  “I don’t know how to thank him,” Fiona said. We’d given her the basics of how we’d found her, and how Grace’s brother Leo had helped. “In fact, I don’t know how to thank any of you.”

  I squeezed her, careful so she didn’t spill her hot tea.

  Asher put his arm around Grace and when he spoke, he met my eyes. “We’re family. It’s what we do.”

  Not for the first time today, I had to breathe through the tightness in my chest. But I didn’t shy away from the emotions buffeting me. I felt them. I’d gone from gut-wrenching terror to overwhelming relief to heart-bursting love and gratitude. And it was worth the agony. She was worth it.

  She was worth everything.

  A vehicle pulled up outside and a few seconds later, the chaos of my younger brothers crashed through the front door, all three of them talking at once.

  “Fiona!”

  “That was insane.”

  “So glad you’re okay.”

  “Do I smell muffins?”

  “Calm down,” Gram said, her soothing voice carrying over the ruckus. “Everyone’s fine now, and there’s plenty for all of you.”

  “Thank god. I’m starving.” Levi went straight for the kitchen.

  “That was, hands down, the coolest thing we’ve ever done,” Logan said.

  Gavin’s eyes were wild, glittering with excitement. “It so was. What a rush.”

  “What did you guys do?” Fiona asked.

  “Evan and Ash needed a distraction, so we made a distraction,” Logan said. “We got a fire going not far from the mine entrance. It wasn’t very big, but we made it good and smoky.”

  “You’re not telling it right,” Gavin said. “First we stole a fire engine.”

  “Borrowed,” Levi said from the other room.

  “Fine, borrowed, although stole so
unds more exciting,” Gavin said. “We left Chief a note. I’m sure it’s fine. Anyway, Levi drove us out there in the engine, then Logan and I went ahead on foot to start a big brush fire.”

  “Controlled burn,” Levi called.

  “Sure, controlled burn, whatever. So we got it going, and Gram, you’ll be very proud of me: I had lots of ideas to make it bigger, but I was totally a grown-up and very responsible with my use of fire.”

  “He was, actually,” Logan said.

  Gram’s lips twitched in a smile.

  “Once the smoke looked convincing, Levi drove up and blared the siren once, just to get their attention.”

  “It was crazy. Guys with fu—” Logan stopped himself before he finished saying fucking in front of Gram. “Guys with guns came out. One of them started to run up the hill, like he was going to confront us or something, but another guy stopped him. So we just acted like we were there to put out a brush fire.”

  “But that’s not even the best part,” Gavin said. “We got the call from Leo that Fiona was safe and he said the FBI were on their way. But the bad guys obviously figured out Fiona was gone because they came out like they were going to pile in their SUV and get away. So we turned the hose on them.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked.

  Gavin started laughing so hard he couldn’t finish.

  “Yeah, we actually did,” Levi said, coming in with a half-eaten muffin in his hand. “We didn’t hit anyone directly, just kind of herded them back to the mine entrance.”

  “So they didn’t get away?” Fiona asked.

  “Nope,” Gavin said, obviously feeling very proud of himself. “We held them back until the FBI showed up.”

  “Well, you have had an exciting day,” Gram said. “Good thing I made so many muffins.”

  Gavin let out a long breath. “Best day ever.”

  “Wait, how many of those have you eaten?” Logan asked Levi as he popped the last of a muffin in his mouth.

  “Four,” he said around his bite.

  “That’s it, brodentical, if you ate the last one, I’m destroying your face.” He wound his arm around Levi’s neck, trying to get him in a headlock, but Levi slipped out, twisting Logan’s arm behind his back.