by Lori Whyte
No. He hadn't solved anything that night. And neither had she. She'd stayed away from him, resigned to admiring him from afar. Then Edna died. Killed herself they'd said. No one seemed too upset about it… except maybe Viv.
From that point forward, his primary goal seemed to be getting out of Sanctuary Lake. And he'd succeeded. Viv used to crow with pride about his accomplishments. He'd conquered every obstacle that had crossed his path.
Except perhaps this one.
What would Mason do in this situation? Probably whip out his cell and organize his own rescue. Well. That wouldn't be happening. Her phone was in her purse… in the car with Mason.
She lay back on the filthy floor. For now, her only option was to conserve her energy and hope another opportunity would come soon. They continued to travel in silence for several long minutes. Where was he taking her? She should have paid more attention to how many turns he had taken. She didn't even know which direction they were going anymore.
The truck stuttered to a stop and Harry killed the engine.
This was it. Her chance for freedom.
NINETEEN
By the way that the light was dappled across Harry's face, Anna guessed they were close to some trees. But that was a rather sucky clue. There were trees all around the area.
She braced, ready to act as soon as he came for her.
He didn't.
He just sat in his seat. The tune he'd been humming was still on repeat. He didn't even get through the song from beginning to end, he just repeated the same refrain over and over. No other sound entered the truck, so they weren't in town. That was the only thing she knew.
He still hadn't looked at her.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"I have a surprise waiting for you."
Great. The last thing she needed was another surprise from Harry. One surprise was more than enough for one day.
She struggled to sit up.
"Now, now. Just relax there for a bit longer." He tsked. Then he put his foot on her shoulder and pinned her upper body to the floor. She thanked every heavenly being she could think of that he hadn't stepped on her aching right side.
But the message was clear. He was in control.
She dropped her head to the floor again.
They stayed like that for an eternity. Then she heard another vehicle's engine. Harry sat forward and hooted. He started the truck and removed his foot from her. Then they were on their way again. A minute later, maybe two, he stopped and killed the engine again.
"We're here." He grinned down at her.
Fan-fricking-tastic. She could hardly wait to discover what hellhole he'd taken her to.
When he jumped out, leaving her alone for a moment, she searched frantically for anything to grab to use as a weapon. Nothing. She reefed at her bound arms and legs, but they didn't budge. Several long minutes later, the passenger door opened and fresh air replaced the stench of the truck. In all that time, she'd made no progress.
"Come on," he said. His grin had transformed to an eager smile.
Dread squeezed her stomach.
He yanked her up by her bound wrists with one of his hands. In the other, he was holding a gun… It looked a lot like Viv's rifle.
As soon as she was upright, she looked around. Her jaw dropped. They were at the inn. Harry freaking Miller had taken her home. The door to the apartment was gaping open. He had gone in and stolen her gun. How did he even know where they kept the key?
But he'd been married to Viv, hadn't he? The key had been stored in the same spot for as long as Anna could remember. God. What other surprises did he have for her?
He tugged her out of the truck. She teetered on her bound legs.
"Here you go," he said as he waved to a wheelbarrow.
"What do you want me to do with that?"
"Sit in it. I'll take care of everything else."
She hopped in the other direction. She only got two hops away when Harry grabbed her elbow and steered her where he wanted her. When they reached the wheelbarrow, he thrust her back, so she landed with a thud in the metal bowl. Her shoulder jolted painfully. She yelped.
"It would have been better if you'd just done as I asked the first time," he said. "If your lover lives past today, I can easily kill him later. Especially if he is in the hospital. Do you know how easy it is to slip into those places? You should remember that."
Then he grabbed the handles and wheeled her toward the inn.
***
Mason groaned. What had happened? Christ. He felt like he'd been hit by a Mac truck. Every bit of his body ached.
Wait…
Where the hell was he?
He blinked.
"Stay still," Grady shouted at him. Why was he yelling?
"Shut up," Mason muttered and lifted his hand to his pounding head.
"I said… Stay. Still."
His body lurched. He braced and reached for something to grab onto. His fingers slipped on white fabric… An air bag? Then it all came rushing back. The orange truck. The oncoming vehicle.
"Anna!" He flung his arm to the right and found nothing but air. "Where is Anna?"
He fought with the air bag and his seatbelt as he turned to the passenger seat. His heart seemed to fall right through his body. The car moved again and a litany of curse words flew over him. Grady's hand slammed into his left shoulder, pinning him against the seat.
"Don't move, Mason. Seriously." There was a desperation in his tone that Mason hadn't heard since the police arrested Jake for George's murder.
He gripped Grady's hand. "Where is Anna?"
His brother shook his head.
She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't…
"We don't know."
Did he not understand the question? "Where is she?"
"She wasn't here when we arrived. The passenger door was open when we got here. Aiden and Drew are looking, but they've been up and down the slope and haven't found her yet."
"He's taken her."
Grady's grip tightened. "So this wasn't just an accident?"
"Hell, no." He scowled. Like anyone could think he'd lose control like that… drive so recklessly as to put Anna in jeopardy.
"The other driver only saw you."
"The orange truck. Had to be Hookah. I couldn't see his face, but it had to be him. It looked like the same truck that was in his barn." He pushed at Grady's hand. "Let me out. We need to go. We need to get her."
"For once in your life, you have to just sit there and take orders," Grady said. "Your vehicle is one bad move from tumbling down this slope and into the lake."
When the words sank in, Mason let out a deep frustrated growl. He scanned the view through the splintered glass. There was nothing but blue sky. He swung his gaze to the left and the right. Fuck. His front tires must be dangling in the air, based on the slope on either side.
Grady was right. This didn't look good. If the car shifted or whatever it rested on broke, then he would be riding this all the way to the bottom of the slope and into the water. How deep was the lake here? He couldn't remember. But would it matter anyway? The likelihood of surviving the roll—because there would be rolling—had pretty shitty odds.
They didn't have time for this. God only knew what Harry would do with her. He had to get out of here. He unbuckled his seatbelt. If they could swing open the door, he might be able to jump out in time.
"The door won't budge. It's smashed from the accident," Grady said, as if reading his thoughts. "First thing we tried."
Sonofabitch. He pressed his head against the headrest. He wanted to bang it, but Grady would probably try to strap his head to the seat if he did. There was a solution to this. He just had to figure it out.
"Just sit. We'll get you out in a minute. A tow truck is on its way. As soon as we get the vehicle secured we'll pull you out."
That solved one problem.
"What else do we know about Anna?"
"Drew found the e-mail. It was Harry.
The same IP address was connected to other e-mails that we know came from him. He'd e-mailed both Viv and Anna a lot in the last few months. "
Mason growled. When he got his hands on that bastard… "Did Aiden find anything?"
The deep rumble of an approaching diesel engine came at them next.
"Don't know. He'd just returned to the inn when one of the neighbors called him about the accident. We didn't have time to get into it."
How long had he been out? Had Aiden gone all the way to the other side of the lake to get his truck and bring it back to haul him off this perch? But it didn't sound like his brother's old beast. "Did Aiden get a new truck?"
"Ryan was closer, so Aiden came with us," Grady said.
Mason twisted in his seat to see the big truck roll up.
"Just sit still, will you? We'll have you out of this in no time."
A beep announced that the vehicle was backing up. He glanced to the side to see what was happening through his side mirror, but that part of the car was gone, obviously ripped off in the accident.
"How do you feel?"
"I'll be better when we have Anna back."
"Broken bones? Bloody parts I can't see from here? Do your toes move?"
"This is your attempt at first aid, really? Bloody parts?" He might mock Grady's bedside manner, but he did an internal assessment anyway. His neck muscles were stiff and his head pounded, but he'd live.
"Well? Do you?"
"No. No. Yes."
Grady nodded. "Good."
Metal scraped metal. Then there was a clunking sound from the rear of the vehicle.
"He's just hooking you up to the tow truck."
The vehicle shuddered.
"Be careful!" Grady yelled.
The squeal of the hoist came next, followed by another lurch.
"We're good. It's not going anywhere," Ryan shouted. "Get him out."
TWENTY
Anna scanned the face of the inn. Where were the cameras Grady was supposed to be installing? She couldn't see them.
She rolled her eyes at herself. What did it matter? She could say without a shadow of a doubt who the stalker was now. And it looked like Mason had been right all along.
As Harry wheeled her to the front door, she registered a million different completely unimportant things. The sky was so pretty. Not a cloud up there from horizon to horizon. The lake was calm today. A good day for a canoe trip for any of the visitors who might be around. The exterior of the inn needed a coat of paint. But they'd have to power wash the old paint off first.
But none of that mattered. Not if she was about to die here.
Then the Randalls would never be able to sell the place.
He dumped her out on the lawn by the front step. She grunted. Pain once again radiated up through her right arm and shoulder.
"Come on, beautiful," he said. "I'd like to carry you across the threshold, but that might have to wait until next time."
He bent down and removed the cord from her ankles. Her feet tingled as blood rushed back into her toes. Before she could run, he seized her right arm and twisted it. She screamed.
When the red faded from her eyes, she realized he'd been paying more attention than she'd thought. He knew she was injured. He hauled her toward the front door.
This was it! Her opportunity. The wood was so rotten it was bound to collapse under their weight. She stomped her feet as she followed Harry.
The surface crunched menacingly underfoot, but it didn't give way.
She slammed her foot down harder. Nothing. The one time she'd have happily had something break at the inn and it failed her. He kept one hand on her arm and used his other to fish out a key from his pocket.
He slipped it inside the lock and turned it.
Sonofabitch. It worked.
How had he gotten a key to the inn?
He winked at her and opened the door. He waved her forward with one hand. When she didn't move, he yanked her through the threshold. As soon as he shut the door, she screamed for everything she was worth. That sound bounced off every wall in the place. Someone would come running. He had no idea that the inn was teeming with Randalls.
"They aren't here."
"Who?"
"Anyone." Harry chuckled. "They all left about ten minutes ago. Ripped out of here like a cheetah on speed."
He tugged her toward the old elevator. She hated that thing. Avoided it whenever possible. It got stuck more often than not.
The door glided smoothly as soon as he pressed the Up button. They went inside. Okay. New plan. Maybe it'd get stuck. Let it get stuck. Let it get stuck.
Sure, she'd be trapped in the elevator with him, but he couldn't get away then. Then when someone got here—
The doors opened on the third floor.
This inn was going to be the death of her. As soon as the thought hit, she winced. God, she hoped it wouldn't.
"You were just in the honeymoon suite a few hours ago. Probably still stinks of sex in there. But it's where we belong."
"How would you know where I was?"
"I saw you," he grinned. "Oh, Mason. Just like that. Yes. Harder. Faster."
Her stomach turned. "You watched us?"
"Right from the hallway. Thank you for leaving the door open by the way. It let me see what I'll be getting ahead of time."
"I'm not going to have sex with you." She pulled against his hold, pain be damned.
"If you can spread your legs for that animal, you can let me in too. You'll see. We were meant for one another. You and I are going to be so happy here for the rest of our lives."
***
Mason dropped to the rocky ground with a thud. His body ached everywhere. He pushed upright and nodded.
"Let's go," he said.
"Can we at least make sure you don't have any injuries that might kill you?" Grady muttered.
"We already talked about this. No bloody parts, remember?"
An ambulance screamed up. They stopped at the car in the ditch. One EMT ran to that driver and the other rushed to them. Mason scowled and kept walking away from the scene. Where was the damned car his brothers had come in?
Then he saw it behind the tow truck.
Behind him, he heard Aiden talking to the EMT, explaining the situation. He didn't care. He had a plan and it didn't involve paramedics. It started with ripping Harry's house apart board by board until he found her. And then he was going to tear the bastard apart for presuming to touch her. For scaring her.
Mason cursed. He'd promised he would keep her safe. He'd failed.
He ground his teeth in frustration. How had he let this happen? If he'd taken a different route, then Harry wouldn't have been able to push them off the road like that. He should have known better.
Grady came running up to him.
"The bastard took her to the inn."
Mason stopped and turned. "What are you talking about?"
"I have the video feed connected to my phone. I just checked it. They are at the inn."
"Let me see."
That didn't make any sense. Grady had to be mistaken. They replayed the video. Cold, clammy beads of sweat pricked over his back and forehead as he watched Harry haul her into the inn. Her face was contorted in pain. She looked scared.
But she was alive.
"Anna…" he whispered. Then he looked at Grady and they rushed for the car. Drew and Aiden, as if sensing the urgency, were sprinting for it too.
Ryan ran up to them and grabbed Mason before he could jump in the car.
"I was just going to ask where you want me to haul this…" Ryan frowned as he waved to the car, which he had now hoisted onto his truck. "But what did you say about Anna?"
Mason looked Anna's brother right in the eye. He had the right to know. And they might need the help. "Get in. We don't have time to explain everything here."
Ryan piled into the car with them, abandoning the tow truck on the side of the road. Then they sped off toward the inn.
He onl
y hoped they weren't too late.
TWENTY-ONE
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Mason urged. Bits of gravel hit the underside of the car like a percussion band on steroids, but they needed to go faster.
Every second that Harry was alone with Anna was like an eternity. They'd filled Ryan in on the details and the more they talked about what had happened, the more Mason felt like he was the most incompetent idiot in the world. How could he have let Hookah grab her?
"You love her, don't you?" Ryan asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything."
"It's not like my feelings make a difference one way or the other," Mason said. "We'd be going after Harry either way."
"Of course. He loves her," Aiden said.
"Sorry we were so hard on you before," Grady said. "You should have said something."
Drew sucked in a breath. Mason glanced in the rearview mirror at him. They locked gazes. "She's good for you," Drew said.
Mason clenched his teeth. His love had done fuck all for her at this point. "We never should have provoked him like that. Not with Anna. She never should have been used as bait."
Grady frowned, but didn't say anything.
The entrance to the inn came into view. Please let them be in time.
Grady slowed the car and took the corner at a snail's pace.
"Fuck, Grady. Getting there two hours from now isn't the plan."
"We don't want to announce our arrival. Surprise is all we have going for us at the moment. And when we get out… No one shut the car doors. Leave them open."
Finally Grady threw the car in park. Before he'd even killed the engine, Mason was out the door and running for the inn. He scanned the windows as he ran… There. A shadow moved. Up on the third floor.
Ryan and his brothers were on his heels. He pointed to the window, but didn't look back to see if they understood. They slowed only when they arrived at the front step.
"Walk on the joists," Mason whispered.
He reached for the door. It was unlocked. Why leave it unlocked? Why come to the inn? What the hell was Harry's endgame?