Taking Heart

by T. J. Kline

  “What are you going to do?”

  He tucked the gun into his waistband, and she wondered how quickly she might be able to grab it. Evan squatted down and quickly picked up a roll of duct tape he’d left on the stoop. “Put your hands in front of you.”

  He ripped off a piece and slapped it over her mouth before she could protest. The sickly sweet scent of the tape filled her nostrils, and her hands automatically drew up to yank it off.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” He shoved her against the door, her back slamming against the hard wood and knocking the breath from her lungs. “You don’t want to piss me off, because then I’ll have to punish you. Don’t make me do that.” His voice sounded almost parentally sympathetic. “Remember what happens when I do that?”

  How could she forget losing nearly a week of her life in an induced coma, and two more weeks recuperating from the swelling in her skull? She heard the click of Tango’s nails on the tile flooring in the hall. He’d heard the commotion and read her emotions, even from this distance. He could smell her fear and would ignore her command in order to help her. His loyalty was going to get him killed. Julia thrust her hands in front of her and gave a muffled grunt from under the tape.

  Evan smiled and wrapped tape around her wrists. She winced as he jerked it painfully tight and pushed her toward the back gate.

  “See how much easier it is when you cooperate? But if you even think of running or calling for help, I’ll shoot you before you can take more than one step.” The grin fell from his face and he pushed her into the woods, leading her down an old pathway she used to walk the dogs. “I’m not going to hurt you, Julia.” His voice held a sickening-sweet note, and her heart raced. “We are finally going to be together.”

  DYLAN RAN A hand over his head and rubbed the back of his neck as Roscoe bumped against his leg, looking up at him with his sad brown eyes. “I know, I miss her, too.”

  The dog sighed and flopped to the dingy carpet at Dylan’s feet. The Crazy 8 Motel was nothing more than a place to crash for the night, and he was feeling cooped up. He couldn’t wait to head out to the park and work the dogs. Calling Julia this morning had been a mistake, but he was tired from not sleeping the night before and pulled up her number, never intending to call. His fingers dialed and, before he realized what he was doing, she’d answered.

  She sounded tired, and hurt. He hated what he’d done to her, both physically and emotionally. There was no way to make an easy transition from lovers back to colleagues. He needed to get as far from Julia Hart as he could, as soon as possible. His self-control would last only so long.

  “Ready for breakfast?” Gage entered carrying two bags of crappy takeout that smelled as if it had been dipped in old grease. “At least the coffee is hot.” He set the cup on the nightstand.

  Dylan took a tentative sip and grimaced. “How long was this sitting in the pot?” He looked into the bag and quickly decided that the coffee would be more than enough bravery for one day. He debated feeding Roscoe the meal but doubted even he’d eat it and dished him up dry kibble instead. Roscoe looked up at him, pathetically.

  “See? Even he wants to know why we are doing this.” Gage picked at his food. “We could be drinking a fresh cup of coffee and eating Julia’s pancakes in the kitchen while we listen to Justin and Chase talk football.”

  Dylan didn’t bother to look at him. Gage knew exactly why they were doing it. If he didn’t, the nightmare Dylan had last night that had brought the manager banging on the door at three in the morning should be enough of a reminder. He was too dangerous and unpredictable to be around Julia.

  “Did you take your meds this morning?”

  “Do I look like a child? You don’t have to remind me,” Dylan snapped.

  Gage held up his hands. “Whoa, I see the happy pills haven’t kicked in yet.”

  “Shut up, Gage.” Dylan rose and headed for the door. Roscoe jumped up from the floor and followed him. “We have to meet Julia at the park in a few hours.”

  “We’re meeting her here in town? Why? How do you even know that?”

  “I called her this morning.”

  Gage’s brows jumped toward his hairline. “You what?” He rose from the bed and began pacing the small room. “Do you really think that was fair? You told her last night you were walking away.”

  “We are still going to see each other while we work Roscoe. I’m not disappearing.” He reached down and patted the dog’s head as he looked up at his name. “You were right. He’s helping, or I wouldn’t have been able to come out of the episodes as quickly as I am.”

  “I just don’t see where it’s fair—” Gage was cut off as his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen then at Dylan. “It’s Chase.” Gage answered the phone, and his face fell as he immediately paled.

  A shiver ran down Dylan’s spine before he could push it aside.

  “Okay, we’ll be right there,” Gage said, hanging up.

  Dread took up residence in his chest, turning it cold and hollow. “What’s going on?”

  “Julia’s missing. She went out to feed the dogs, and they found Tango scratching at the back door of the kennel, howling.” Gage didn’t bother to temper the news.

  “She wouldn’t leave Tango behind.” Dylan reached for his wallet and Gage’s keys, opening the door.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m driving and I’m going to find her. You can either stay here or you can get in the car with me.”

  Gage ran toward the door, tucking his phone into his pocket. “At least let me lock the door.”

  Dylan opened the back door of the Camaro and Roscoe jumped inside. He revved the engine as Gage climbed into the passenger seat, barely getting the door shut before Dylan peeled out of the parking lot and headed back to find Julia, trying to remember why he’d ever thought leaving her was a good idea.

  “WHAT THE HELL are you good for, Chase, if you can’t manage to keep her safe in her own house?”

  Dylan knew he sounded like the world’s biggest ass, but he didn’t care. Julia was missing and there could be only one reason for that. Evan had her.

  He should have been here to protect her instead of trusting her safety to a small-town deputy. “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “It was around seven this morning. Justin came over for breakfast, and she got irritated with us and went to feed the dogs.”

  Justin paced the kennel, aggravating the dogs into a frenzy of barking. “I knew I should have come out here before I left for the clinic. If I’d have checked on her, we’d have known sooner.”

  “Then what?” Dylan didn’t want to hear their excuses. He needed to get the facts straight so that he could begin searching for her. When he found Evan, he was going to murder him where he stood. “What time did you find Tango?”

  “When she didn’t come back in right away, I assumed she was cleaning out here and wanted to be alone. She was pretty upset this morning.” Dylan didn’t miss the barb Chase cast his way. “Justin went to work, and I waited another hour or so before I decided to go out and check on her.”

  Dylan’s hands balled into fists at his side. “She was out here over two hours. He could have her clear across the county by now. He could have hit the airport with her and be anywhere.”

  “I found this on the ground.” Chase handed Dylan a cell phone and a roll of duct tape. “Tango was doing everything possible to get into the yard. I’m betting that’s where he took her.”

  “My phone?” Dylan stared at the phone, now in a zipped plastic bag, dumbly. “I left it out here?”

  “Maybe.” Chase pushed the home button through the plastic and showed him the last text received on the phone.

  “That son of a bitch,” Dylan muttered as he stared at the phone. Staring up at him was a text from Julia’s phone that simply read: She’s mine. Let’s play.

  “It was sent thirty minutes ago. He’s toying with us.”

  “He won’t take her far,” Dyl
an supplied. “He wants to prove he’s smarter than we are.” His hand found the back of his neck and rubbed the tight muscles there. “In the meantime, Julia is somewhere with a man who nearly killed her once. Who knows what he’ll do this time?”

  “I’ve got an APB out. If he’s still in this area, we’ll find him.”

  Dylan’s gaze shot to Gage. At this point, he didn’t trust these guys to find their way out of a wet paper bag without help. Chase didn’t have answers. Justin didn’t have a clue. Gage was the only person he trusted right now to help him find Julia. And he was going to find her. “You couldn’t find him before, what makes you think you’ll find him now? Gage, can you find Julia’s cell? Let’s put those tech skills of yours to good use.”

  THEY WALKED FOR several miles through the woods before Evan turned her to head back toward the road. When they reached a beat-up sedan, he shoved her against it, knocking her off balance as she hit the door and stumbled. He reached up and ripped the tape from her mouth, taking skin with it. Her bound hands flew to her lips, and she couldn’t stop the yelp of pain as it slipped out.

  Evan smiled, his teeth crooked and yellowing. “I’m sorry. I probably should have warned you before I did that.” He took a step closer, pressing her body between him and the car. The smell of his sweat, like old clothes and hospitals, made her gag. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

  Evan leaned down and tried to kiss her. She turned her head to the side, trying to keep down the bile that rose in her throat. He grasped her chin roughly and forced her to look at him. “What? Now that you’ve got a new boyfriend, I’m not good enough for you?” He shoved her away from him, and she lost her balance, falling to her knees on the asphalt. “We’ll see about that.”

  Opening the back door, Evan dragged her up from the ground and shoved her into the backseat of the car before climbing into the front. “We’re going to go for a little drive, and you’re going to stay nice and quiet.”

  Julia clenched her jaw and struggled to get into a seated position in the car. Her wrists ached, and she knew if he left the property with her, the chance of her returning in one piece would be slim.

  “Where are we going?” she whispered. She wanted to stall him as long as possible, hoping her brother or Chase would realize she hadn’t returned to the house, or that one of them might come looking for her in the kennel. Evan had already confiscated her cell phone from her pocket, but if she could get him talking, maybe she could figure out some way to get out of the car.

  He looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. “You’ll see. And the best part is that no one will have any clue where to look for you. You’ll be right under their noses, and they won’t even know it.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as if he was smiling, but she couldn’t see the lower half of his face in the mirror. Julia looked out the window, trying to gather her wits enough to piece together her whereabouts in case she could get away.

  “And, Julia, guess what?” Evan called, his voice singsongy. Her eyes shifted back to the mirror. “Come here,” he waved for her to lean forward toward the front seat. When she didn’t move, he frowned. “I said, come here.” His arm snapped backward and fisted a handful of her long hair, dragging her to the front seat. He looked back over his shoulder as she tried to pull away from him. “Tsk, tsk, fighting is only going to get you hurt.”

  She saw his right arm swing around just before it connected with her temple.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  DYLAN COULDN’T SIT still any longer listening to Gage and Chase talk about how they needed to form a plan. He was with Justin this time. Sitting around talking wasn’t going to find Julia. They needed to do something. He paced her kitchen while Chase called the station in town to see if anything suspicious had been reported. This was ridiculous. They weren’t going to just spot Evan waiting for them.

  The phone on the table rang, and all of them looked at it in surprise. Julia’s number showed as the phone vibrated on the table.

  “Don’t take it out,” Chase ordered.

  “Are you kidding? I’m not wasting a chance to find her. You do your job, and I’ll do whatever I have to.” Dylan left the phone in the baggie but punched the button on the phone and turned the speaker on, holding a finger to his lips.

  “Well, hello. Who is this?” Evan’s voice held a note of mad humor.

  “Who’s this?”

  “Dylan, I was hoping to talk to you again.” Evan chuckled as if they were old friends. “You know, I’m not too fond of sharing, but since you two are no longer an item, I suppose it’s all working out the way it should, with the better man getting the girl.”

  “Where is she? If you’ve hurt her—”

  “She’s right here.”

  “Let me talk to her.” Dylan was finding it difficult to control the rage that was rising in him like a destructive tide.

  “I don’t think so. Soon, but not yet.” Dylan could hear the sound of traffic in the background. “Who else is there with you, Dylan? I doubt you’d try to handle this alone. What with all your issues.”

  Dylan clenched his jaw, not willing to admit that Evan was right. He couldn’t handle this alone.

  “Please tell me that our local deputy is with you.”

  “I’m right here, Reece. Why don’t you just give up while you can? I can recommend leniency if you let Julia go now.”

  Evan began laughing into the phone. “Oh, Deputy, that’s a good one. You have no clue where to even start looking for me.” He laughed again before his voice suddenly grew serious. “I took Julia right out from under your incompetent nose, you worthless hound. What do you think you can do to me?”

  Dylan glared at Chase as he opened his mouth to speak, cutting him off. “You’re right, you win. You are far smarter than any of us.” Justin started to blow, and Dylan looked at his brother. Gage quickly took control of Justin, quietly warning him to shut up or leave the room.

  “Don’t try to patronize me or stroke my ego. I’ve outwitted all of you.” He laughed quietly as Dylan heard a muffled groan of pain in the background. If that was Julia, he was going to kill the man without blinking an eye in remorse. “But, I will give you one chance to save her, if you can.”

  “What do you want?” Dylan didn’t believe the madman for a moment. He had no intention of letting Julia go. This was nothing more than a game to him. He wanted to terrorize her and would do the same with them. But, as long as they were playing his game, he was likely to keep Julia alive.

  “You’d like to believe you and Julia are soul mates, right? That what you have is true love? That means the two of you should have some sort of connection, right? Let’s put that to the test.”

  “What sort of test?” There was another groan in the background and he cringed. Julia was somewhere nearby, and he had no idea where to start looking for her.

  “I want to see if you can sense when she is near. As her soul mate, it should be no problem for you.”

  Dylan could hear the mockery in his voice. Evan didn’t bother to hide the venom, and Dylan prayed he wouldn’t take it out on Julia. There was no reason for him to stay close, but Dylan’s gut told him that Evan was just cocky enough to do it, to prove that Dylan wasn’t the man for Julia.

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “Because you don’t have any other option.” The phone disconnected and the four men were left staring at the phone on the table.

  Chase reached for his cell phone and called the station, glancing at Dylan. “I’m calling to see if they can hook up a trace on Julia’s phone. If the GPS is enabled, the cell company should be able to track it.”

  “Unless he was smart enough to turn it off,” Gage pointed out.

  “Or ditch the phone now that he’s used it,” Justin added.

  Dylan kept his mouth shut. They were both right. Not to mention that it would make more sense for Evan to keep driving with Julia and get as far from them as possible. It wouldn’t take much longer for him to hit the airport a few
towns over, and then he could be anywhere. But the arrogance in his voice, the smug disdain he’d had for Chase and Dylan, made Dylan believe Evan would keep Julia close, if only to prove his superiority. For now, they needed to play into Evan’s ego. His arrogance would prove his downfall.

  Tango whined at the back door, and Dylan rose to go to the dog. “You miss her, too, boy.” He rubbed the top of the dog’s massive head. “We’ll bring her back to you.” He opened the door, and Tango immediately bolted for the kennel. He hurried after him with Roscoe on his heels.

  “Where are you going?” Chase yelled after him. Dylan looked back but before he could answer, Gracie ran to the door and barked at Chase.

  “She wants to follow, so get out here.” Maybe the dogs knew something they didn’t.

  JULIA CAME TO and stared up at the dingy, water-stained ceiling. She had no idea where she was, and how she’d gotten there was a blur. She slowly turned toward the only light she could see, coming from a partially opened orange-and-brown curtain in the room’s only window. She tried to piece together anything that might make sense. The door was only a few feet from where she lay, prone, on a lumpy mattress that smelled like a musty basement.

  “Good morning, darling.”

  Evan’s voice was piercing in the darkness, making her heart race as memories flooded back with blinding intensity. She tried to scramble away from him but found her arms tied to each corner of the top of the bed.

  He laughed quietly and rose from his chair in the corner, standing over her and looking down at her immobile frame. “You were always my beautiful Julia when you were sleeping. Do you know how many times I watched you sleep?”

  Anger and disgust welled up in her chest as her memory cleared.

  “Ah, so you remember?” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek in an awkward tenderness. She cried out in pain when he touched the area near her eye, and she recalled that he’d hit her. “There it is.” He grinned. “Your eyes turn yellow when you’re angry. It’s like watching fire ignite.”