by Norah Wilson
“I’m on it, Boss.” With a “hiyah!” Trey was off.
“Let’s go,” Cal said, spurring Sienna.
“Wait!” Lauren grabbed at his reins.
“What is it?” Sienna tossed her head and danced anxiously.
Lauren looked at the sun. In half an hour, maybe less, it would have sunk to that critical stage above the horizon, flushing the sky pink. The killing time. Dear Lord, she was going to have to tell him.
“There’s no use riding north. He didn’t take her there.”
“Of course he did. We’ve got an eyewitness.”
“He may have faked a start in that direction, but he’s got another destination in mind.”
He looked at her sharply. “What are you saying?”
“He’ll take her to Sunset Ridge.”
His eyes narrowed. “How do you know this? Another hunch?”
“More than a hunch,” she said, watching him struggle for patience.
“Tell you what. If this doesn’t pan out, we’ll come back this way. Okay? But right now, daylight’s burning. Come on.” He wheeled his horse again.
“It’s not a hunch, it’s a fact!” she shouted. “I know it.”
He brought Sienna back around. “How exactly do you know this?” All attempts at humoring her had evaporated. Now he just sounded angry. “Huh? You got a telepathic link with Brady?”
“Actually, it is something rather like that.”
“Oh, Jesus.”
“No, just listen, Cal. Eight weeks ago, on the other side of this continent, I had a vision. I saw Marlena strangled to death through the eyes of her murderer. It’ll happen on that ridge.” She pointed southwest. “And it’ll happen in about thirty minutes’ time just as the sun starts to sink, so we don’t have much time.”
He looked positively sick. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding. I’m very sure. I’ve had the same vision five times—three times back east and twice here.”
“No. That’s impossible.”
Cal’s mount was backing away. Whether he was conscious of it or not, he’d commanded the mare to reverse. Lauren’s heart faltered. Garrett had backed away too.
“Five times,” she reiterated. “And you were with me one of those times. Remember the night you thought I’d had the seizure?”
“You told me it was a seizure.”
“That’s what the doctors call it, but I don’t tell them the things I see.” She rolled her shoulders. “Technically maybe they are seizures, but it doesn’t change the fact that what I see is going to happen. I know it will, because it always does. And that time I said I had the migraine and sent you away? I had the vision again that night.”
“This is—” He shook his head. “No, I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it.” The words came out brittle. “That night, as we lay in my cabin, I watched Marlena’s life choked out of her as though I were inside the murderer’s head looking out.”
“Christ on a bike!”
Lauren’s eyes burned. It was just the way it had been with Garrett. Cal wasn’t buying any of it either. She should stop right now, but somehow she couldn’t. She had to get it all out.
“I was helpless to do anything. You see, I couldn’t be sure it was Brady because I couldn’t see him. I could see everything but him. You understand? It was like actually seeing out of his eyes. It felt like—”
She sucked in a breath and exhaled shakily. Beneath her, Buck jittered and trembled with the vibes he was getting off her. Cal stared at her as though she’d grown a second head.
“It felt like I was doing it myself, squeezing Marlena’s throat with my own hands…”
“Stop it. Just stop.” Immediately he seemed to regret his words. Urging Sienna closer, he grabbed the nervous Buck’s reins and leaned toward her. “Look, I’m sorry, honey,” he said soothingly. “That must have been horrible for you. I think you should talk to someone about it. The visions, I mean.”
Okay, it was official. He thought she was certifiable. Pain seared her throat. It shouldn’t hurt this much, she told herself. You knew it was coming.
But it did. It hurt like hell. She smiled grimly. “I know you don’t believe me. I know you think I’m crazy, but I’m right. And I could use your help, Cal. I’m riding over to that ridge.”
Cal straightened in the saddle, his face twisted with the conflict she knew must be flaying him. Marlena’s life was on the line. Though he no longer loved Marlena, Lauren knew he’d feel responsible for her, for the fact she was here at all, for the fact that Brady’s life would be ruined if he weren’t stopped.
Not to mention Cal’s reluctance to substitute anyone’s judgment for his own. He was used to relying on himself, on what he could hear and see and feel.
“I’m sorry, Lauren. I’ve gotta ride in the direction they were seen going. I don’t have any choice.”
“Of course.” Unshed tears burned the backs of her eyes. She wheeled Buck around and spurred him to a gallop. When the tears spilled a moment later, she blamed them on the wind.
Cal watched her for a few precious moments. Dammit, dammit, dammit! He had a bad feeling about this. He should have kept her with him, or sent her home.
Maybe he should ride after her?
No, he’d lost too much time already. She’d be all right. Sunset Ridge would be deserted because Brady had dragged Marlena into the coulees to the north. McLeod had seen them.
Feeling as if he was being torn in two, he turned Sienna to the north and urged her into a dead gallop.
Five minutes later, he reined his mare in and cursed. He couldn’t ride away from Lauren. What if she was right?
Okay, it was a stretch. More than a stretch. But what if these visions were for real? What if he’d let her go riding into the scene she’d described to him? Would she try to stop Brady? Would she become an incidental casualty of the disastrous triangle Marlena had created?
But what if she was merely confused? Mistaken? Oh, hell, what if she was plain crazy? Could he live with himself if he turned back to hold Lauren’s hand, leaving Marlena to face the consequences of her own folly?
Dammit, he was going to ride back to Lauren. Marlena would have to take her chances that old Burkett could talk Brady down.
Suddenly he was shivering in the eighty-degree evening.
Then he remembered—he’d felt this same chill in bed that night when Lauren had her seizure, or what she now claimed had been a vision.
“Sweet Mother of God.”
With a jerk of the reins, he turned Sienna again and streaked back toward the ridge.
That’s when he saw McLeod. Maybe a mile away, he was heading toward Sunset Ridge too, approaching on a tangent that would get him there a lot sooner. And his distinctive palomino was definitely not lame. It was flying like the wind itself.
How could that be? Unless he’d faked a lame mount? But why would he do that?
Then the other shoe fell. It wasn’t Brady they needed to catch up with, it was Harvey. Harvey must have made the call to lure Marlena out here. But why would he want to kill her? He didn’t care about her. Cal would stake his life on it. He was only toying with her to try to bait Cal.
Oh hell, none of it made sense. But it didn’t change the sick conviction in his gut. Harvey was riding to the ridge to do murder, and Cal had sent Lauren right into it, alone.
Cal crouched low over the mare’s neck. “Come on, girl,” he urged. “I need everything you can give me.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lauren spotted Marlena the moment she topped the ridge. Oh, thank goodness, she was alone. She stood exactly where Lauren had seen her in the vision, a few yards from the lookout where Cal’s guests had watched the sun set so many times. Marlena’s mount, a sorrel gelding, was tethered to a nearby sapling.
A radiant Marlena turned expectantly toward the sound of approaching hoofbeats, but her expression turned ugly when she recognized the rider. Lauren pulled up beside her, vaulting
out of the saddle even before Buck had stopped.
“What are you doing here?” Marlena’s voice was incredulous as she took in Buck’s lathered coat and heaving sides. “And what have you done to this animal? You’ve run him into the ground.”
“You have to get out of here.”
“I don’t think so. I’m meeting someone.” Marlena laid a hand on Buck’s sweat-soaked neck, lifting his mane. “Poor baby.”
“Look, I don’t have time to explain, but he’s coming here to kill you.”
“What?” The word was an ugly squawk. “You’re crazy. Why would Harvey McLeod want to kill me?”
Harvey? Her date was with Harvey? Lauren’s mind reeled. It must have been Harvey who’d called. Harvey, not Brady!
“You’re the one who has to get out of here, sugar. I’ve got business to transact.”
“Business?”
“Hmmm. Harvey’s going to pay off my little debt so he can take me back to Calgary with him without having to worry about my safety.”
Lauren scanned the eastern edge of the plateau anxiously. No rider yet. “It’s a trap. He won’t give you anything. He only said that to lure you out here so he could kill you.”
Marlena narrowed her eyes. “You are crazy. Does Cal know you’re out here?”
“Listen to me. I don’t know why he wants to kill you, but he does. He’s planning to strangle you. And he’ll be here any minute. You have to leave now.”
Marlena laughed harshly. “Stand him up? Kiss off ten thousand dollars? I don’t think so.”
“He’s not bringing any money.” Lauren fairly shouted the words. Then, more calmly, “Is the prospect of ten thousand dollars really worth dying for?”
“Why should I buy this story?” Marlena demanded. “And if I leave now, how do I know he was planning to kill me? How will I know I didn’t miss the chance of a lifetime?”
She had a point. If Harvey was foiled in this attempt, what would stop him from setting up another assignation? Lauren had to go home sometime. She couldn’t babysit Marlena indefinitely.
No, he had to be made to show his hand.
“Okay, fine. But take this.” Lauren withdrew the Swiss Army knife that she’d grabbed from the utensil drawer back at her cabin. It wasn’t the best weapon, but it was better than nothing. “If he makes a move, stick him with it.”
Marlena’s lovely eyes widened. “Are you crazy? I’m not stabbing anyone.”
“Take it!” Lauren thrust it into Marlena’s hands. “You’ll change your mind when he’s choking the life out of you.”
Fear tinged Marlena’s eyes. “You are one crazy bitch. I thought you’d be good for Cal, but I can see you’re defective in the head.”
Lauren glanced back over her shoulder. Still no rider. Thank God! But the sun was dropping fast. “I don’t care what you think, but I’m not crazy. I’ve seen this time and time again in a vision. It will happen. My visions always come true. He’s going to be wearing a blue chambray shirt and he’ll have gloves on. Standard-issue work gloves like Cal stocks for his wranglers. He’ll grip you by the arms, still with his gloves on, and while you’re vamping for him, he’ll slide those hands up your arms and seize you by the throat. It gets ugly after that, so don’t let him get that far.”
Lauren swung back up into the saddle.
“Wait!” Marlena cried. “Where are you going? You’re not going to leave me here, are you?”
So she’d made an impression on Marlena after all. Good.
“I’ll be watching from over there.” Lauren nodded toward a small copse of trees and low brush a short way off. “Remember—keep that knife at the ready.”
“This is crazy,” Marlena muttered, but Lauren could see the fear that had crept into her eyes. She also saw that Marlena had opened the blade. Good.
Lauren wheeled the sweat-soaked Buck and, with one last look over her shoulder at Marlena, urged him to a gallop toward the poplars. It seemed to take an eternity to make the cover of the trees. Once there, Buck wasn’t anxious to enter them. She had to dismount and lead him into the brush.
Once satisfied that they were concealed, Lauren mounted again, ready to come surging out. Split seconds could mean the difference between life and death for Marlena. Poor Buck’s sides were still heaving from the hard ride. She stroked his neck and murmured an apology. Maybe she should have taken a moment to switch mounts. But no, Harvey would never believe Marlena would choose to take the steady gelding when Cal had a stable full of more spirited animals. It might have raised his alert level.
She glanced at Marlena. If the other woman still harbored the fear Lauren had tried to implant in her, she was a good actress. From here she looked like the same sultry, confident seductress she always was. She stood right where Lauren’s vision always put her, some twenty feet from the lip of the ravine, looking out over the exquisite tableau of the sun setting over the foothills. With a jolt, Lauren realized the sun’s position was perfect. Any minute now she’d hear the approach of hoofbeats.
Her stomach churned sickly.
If only Cal had come with her…
Cal. Her heart squeezed. The way he’d looked at her, backed away from her. He’d acted just like Garrett. She’d known it would be like that, so why this crushing disappointment?
Because somehow, sometime during the last weeks, she’d recklessly, stupidly come to hope that he loved her. But how could he when he didn’t know who she was? The visions were an integral part of her, a part she’d never be able to share.
Snap out of it, she scolded herself. You need to keep your wits about you.
That’s when she heard the rider approaching. For a wild moment she thought it might be Cal. Maybe he’d changed his mind and ridden after her. But when she craned her neck to peer around the foliage, she saw it was indeed Harvey McLeod. And he was riding the palomino, and it was definitely not lame. How had he pulled off fooling Cal’s cowhand?
Her nerves thrummed as the rider drew closer to Marlena, the cadence of the hoofbeats slowing. Then they stopped a few dozen feet from Marlena.
Marlena looked very calm when she turned to face him. Quite a feat when Lauren’s own heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. Beneath her Buck twitched and shook his head. She knew she was communicating her agitation down the reins, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She watched Harvey swing out of the saddle.
She heard the rumble of his deep, well-modulated voice, but was too far away to hear what he said. Marlena said something in reply, followed by a laugh.
Then Harvey stepped forward and gripped Marlena’s arms. On his hands were the work gloves.
Lauren didn’t wait to see anything more. She spurred Buck out of the trees and urged him toward the couple. And oh God, he had his hands around Marlena’s neck now and was choking her! Jesus, it was happening. She dug her heels into Buck’s flanks, bent low over his neck, and urged him faster.
Where was the knife? Why hadn’t Marlena used the knife?
Then Harvey reeled back. “You bitch!” he screamed, holding a gloved hand to his side.
Marlena brandished the knife, which looked impossibly small.
Harvey took off his Stetson and used it to slap the knife out of Marlena’s hand with one powerful swipe. Marlena screamed for help and stepped backward. She didn’t move fast enough, though, to escape Harvey’s blow. His roundhouse connected with her face and she went down heavily. When Marlena didn’t pop up again, Lauren screamed, “No!”
Harvey turned, his dark eyebrows soaring up beneath his white hair at the sight of horse and rider bearing down on him. When it became obvious that Lauren wasn’t going to haul up, he started running, but Lauren corrected the sure-footed quarter horse’s course. Buck’s shoulder struck Harvey and sent him sprawling. Lauren pulled Buck up and wheeled him around. Harvey lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Good.
She dropped the reins and leapt off of Buck.
“Marlena?” she called.
&nbs
p; No answer.
Keeping an eye on Harvey, she took the half-dozen strides necessary to carry her to Marlena. A quick check proved she was still alive, but unconscious. Carefully—damn, she hoped Marlena didn’t have a neck injury—Lauren rolled her onto her side and arranged her limbs in the recovery position. There. That would have to do for now. She had to deal with Harvey. She needed to tie him up quickly, before he recovered consciousness.
But with what? If Cal were here, he’d have rope. He always carried rope.
Her belt! She whipped her leather belt off and approached Harvey, who still lay there unmoving. A few more steps and she was at his side. Looking down at him, she bit her lip. What if he came to as she was doing it? He was a big man. He could probably overpower her, even groggy from having been knocked out.
Man, she could have really used Marlena’s help right now.
Or Cal’s.
Dammit, if only Marlena were conscious! They could mount up, grab the palomino’s reins and ride away, stranding the bastard out here for the police to retrieve. She thought briefly about slinging Marlena’s unconscious body across her mount and transporting her that way. Except given the way Harvey had snapped her neck back with that punch and the uncontrolled fall—she could easily have a spinal cord injury. No way could Marlena be transported like that. Not without risking paralysis or death.
So it was back to tying Harvey up.
What she needed was a weapon. The knife had gone flying Lord knows where, but she could improvise. A rock or a stout stick…
She glanced around. There! Someone had gathered up rocks and built a fire pit. She hurried over to it, selecting a rock that was sort of oblong in shape and relatively easy to grip. It was light enough to wield but heavy enough to crack a skull. Perfect.
She turned to see Harvey on his feet now. And in his gloved hand, a pistol.
Shit! He must have had the gun on him. She should have searched him. But if he’d been that close to recovering consciousness, he could have grabbed her. Or maybe he hadn’t been unconscious at all.