by Diane Leyne
“There’s not enough money in the world for me to want you back, Lance. You disgust me.”
He grabbed her to him and ground his mouth on hers and his cock against her belly. “And your disgust turns me on. Maybe I’ll fuck you once for old time’s sake.”
She didn’t hear anything, but the phone must have been on vibrate. Lance dug into his pocket and answered.
“Yeah, I have her. No, I don’t have the dog yet, but I will soon. I think I know where he’s hidden. I’ll need her to lure him out. He won’t go with me unless she orders him to.”
He backed away from her. She looked around for weapons, but nothing was nearby, and his gun, still pointed at her, never wavered. She strained to hear as he spoke quietly into the phone for a few minutes before hanging up, laughing.
“Well, well. It seems they’ve raised their offer. They just lost a major shipment and desperately want Murphy’s expertise, and I’ve managed to convince them that he’ll work much better for you than for me. They’ve offered me five million for you two as a package deal. Now let’s get going.”
“You are crazy. Besides, you don’t know where Murphy is.”
“He has to be at your boyfriend’s ranch. Where else would he stash a dog?”
Jess knew her face gave it all away when he laughed triumphantly and started dragging her towards the door. She tried to make herself go limp, to make it harder for him, but he just dropped her to the ground and kicked her in the side.
“Get up, bitch. You’ve caused me enough trouble. Well, you have no idea how much trouble I can cause your new friends here. They are pretty close to the border. I can send some of my friends up to make their lives miserable. It seems like a nice little town, if you like that sort of thing, but we’ll see just how nice it is when cattle start getting poisoned and the drug gangs move in and start dealing in the high schools. Crime will rise. Break-ins, rapes, murders. Pretty soon you won’t recognize the place.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Try me. I dare you.”
Jess sagged. He had her. She couldn’t let those things happen, and she knew that he meant every word he said. He was a sadistic bastard.
She tried to struggle to her feet, an act made difficult with her hands bound behind her. Lance laughed, recognizing her surrender, and dragged her up by her hair.
“It’s up to you. Murphy will obey you. He’ll obey me, but he loves you, and if you aren’t around for an extended period, I’m worried he might balk. But with you around, he’ll cooperate to please you and you’ll do it to save this damned town because you are weak like that.”
“You can’t sell a person.”
“Oh, babe. How little you know.”
He shoved her in his truck and buckled her in, arms still bound behind her, and then put the car in gear.
“You’ll spend the next five or ten years, or however long Murphy is productive, down in a private compound, and when he’s too old to work or stops being effective, they’ll take him out and let you watch as they shoot him and then sell you to one of their brothels. You’re a bit old for the sex trade, but they’ll find a place to take you. Working conditions won’t be great, but that’s not my problem.”
He reached out and grabbed her breast, squeezing tightly until tears came to her eyes. “You always did have nice tits, babe. Maybe they’ll let you service me when I visit the compound? Would you like that, babe?” He changed his grip so that he was pinching her nipple. “We could fuck for old times’ sake. Although, I’m sure you’ll also be servicing the other men there, too, so maybe I won’t want to fuck you, by then. We’ll have to see.”
He finally released her nipple and patted her cheek.
“You never were very sexual. It was like pulling teeth trying to make you come. But not to worry, babe. They won’t care if you come on not. They just want what’s between your legs, when you aren’t making them rich by working with Murphy.”
“But I don’t know how to work with Murphy. I’m not an expert on drug dogs. Did you tell them I was?” She laughed. “They’ll kill you when they find out you lied.”
“Nice try. You did that whole article on drug dogs. That’s how you met Murphy. You know exactly how he was trained, and I’ll give you a refresher. And you’ll find that you are inspired to do well. If Murphy fails, they’ll kill you both, and they won’t be pleasant deaths.”
“You are such a bastard, Lance.”
“Yes I am.”
* * * *
Cole could see that Candy was going to be fine, other than a headache. There was no sign of Jess. The men looked at each other as Aaron checked over Candy. Apparently he was a man of many talents.
“Where do you think he took her?”
“Murphy’s ranch.”
“Excuse me?”
“I was unconscious at first, but I came around when he made Jess tie me up. She made it clear that I’d better pretend to still be out so he wouldn’t hurt me anymore. I heard the whole thing. He sold her dog to a drug cartel to sniff out drugs. If they can pack the drugs so that Murphy can’t find them, then they know they are safe to transport into the United States.
“They tried it in Chicago to prove that it worked, but now they want the dog down at their compound somewhere south of the border. I think that the cartel guys are coming to the ranch to pick up Dent.”
“Shit!”
“It gets worse!”
“How could it get worse?”
“He’s arranged to sell them Jess as well!”
Cole felt like his whole world was dying. This was all his fault. If he had made sure she got safely to the ranch.
“Buddy, don’t beat yourself up.”
“But if—”
“If you’d gone in with her to the ranch?” Cole nodded and Murphy continued, “You know Jess. She’d probably have stolen a truck or a horse and gone back to Candy’s for the money.”
“Thanks, but I still feel like shit.”
“You’ll feel better when we get her back.”
“Do you think we can?”
Tait and Aaron walked over to them. “I have satellite confirmation that they are approaching your ranch. And there’s a helicopter, a big one, headed this way from El Paso. We’re pretty sure it’s owned by the cartel. They are probably planning on using it to transport her and the dog across the border.”
“What’s the ETA?” asked Cole, a cold ball forming in the pit of his stomach.
“Forty minutes.”
“Then we have time,” declared Cole.
“But for what? You guys need to keep back and let the pros do their job.”
“She’s ours, and we’re getting her back. You can’t keep us out of it.”
“She’s my sister. Do you really think I’m going to let them take her?”
“Once they have her and the dog…” Cole’s voice trailed off.
“But they won’t have the dog,” Murphy said grimly.
“What do you mean? You took him out to the ranch, Murphy.” Cole’s tone was puzzled. “If he’s not at the ranch, where is he?”
“I meant to. I never did get a chance to mention that I ran into Doc Adams on the way home. The dog’s with him.”
“So he’s headed out to the ranch and he’ll find that nothing that he wants is there.”
“Yeah.”
“He’ll be furious. Especially with the cartel guys on their way.” Cole had an idea. “Dace, do you still have Dent’s number?”
The lawman nodded. “It’s in my cell.”
“Can I borrow it?”
Dace punched a few buttons and then handed Cole the phone. Cole noticed Aaron and Tait whispering and then Aaron leaving the room, but then Dent answered and he forget everything except Jess.
Cole put the phone on speaker after motioning the others to stay silent.
“Hello, Sheriff. What can I do for you?”
“It’s what I can do for you, Dent.”
“Ah, the boyfriend, or rather one of them.
Is this the rancher or the blacksmith I have the displeasure of talking to?”
“The blacksmith. I know you have Jess and why.”
“And the point of this call?”
“I know you are heading towards Murphy’s ranch. You must be there now or close to it.”
“As it happens, I’m just pulling into the driveway now. I saw the pickup trucks with your ranch logo on the side and full of cowboys heading to town at a fast clip a while back. It’s twenty minutes’ drive to the ranch tops. You’ll never get here in time to stop me. My friends are in a helicopter. They’ll be here soon. You, on the other hand, are still back at the police station, and before you ask how I know, three letters, GPS.”
“Fuck your GPS. Your friends may be on their way, but they aren’t there yet. Take the dog. I don’t care. Take the money, whatever. I just want Jess back.”
“Yes, well, I’ll shortly have all of them, so what you want doesn’t matter, does it?”
“I’m afraid it does,” Murphy interjected. “You see, you’ve guessed wrong. You may have something I want, but I’ve got something you need.”
Chapter 17
Jess could only hear Lance’s side of the conversation clearly, but she could pick up part of the other side. It sounded like Cole and Murphy. Whatever they were saying was making Lance very unhappy, and he was getting angrier and angrier.
“Liar!” He got out of the car, jamming the phone into his pocket, and then came around to the passenger side, opening the door, undoing the belt, and pulling Jess out.
She fell to her knees, unable to brace herself.
“Call the dog. Call him!” Lance’s face was red and a vein was pulsing in his forehead. She hesitated, and he pulled out his gun. “Call him.”
“Murphy, Murphy! Here, boy!”
She heard the sound of happy barking, and her stomach sank. And then she saw the black-and-white bullet heading straight for her. It was Ren who knocked her over with her enthusiasm and then started licking her face.
Lying on the ground, she started laughing up at Lance.
“Unless you think we’ve got Murphy disguised as a border collie, then you’ve lost, Lance. Without Murphy, you’ve got nothing they want. Better to take off before the helicopter arrives to find you empty-handed.”
“Damn you.”
He fished the phone from his pocket. His demeanor changed from anger to icy-cold rage.
“I guess we are going to have to do a trade, Dent. You have something we want. We have something you need, that is if you don’t want your cartel buddies to kill you.”
“Where’s the dog?”
“Someplace safe. We just want Jess back. You want the dog.”
“What are you proposing?”
“A trade. I’m assuming you are at the ranch? I’ll get the dog and bring him with me. We’ll do a trade.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“How do I know I can trust you? Look, Dent. Look around. No one can get close without you spotting them. I won’t have a weapon. I’m the one taking the risk. You might try and kill me and take the girl and the dog and everything else.”
“Yet you are willing to take that chance. She’s not that great a lay.”
“Take the deal or leave it, Dent. The way I see it, getting the dog is a life-or-death proposition for you.”
“You’re with the sheriff. No way he’s agreeing to something like this.”
“Dent, this is Sheriff Lowe. Take the deal, Dent. I’ve agreed to hold off calling the feds about the kidnapping, but only for one hour. Take the deal. Candy’s fine. If we get Jess back in one piece, I’m willing to forget it ever happened.”
“Now why don’t I believe you, Sheriff?”
“You don’t have a choice. You want the dog? You give us back the girl. That’s the only deal I’m offering, and it runs out in about thirty minutes. After all, what do you need her for? She’ll just be in the way.”
Jess looked up at Lance. The sheriff didn’t know that Lance had sold her to the cartel, too. It was going to be a double cross. She had to tell him.
Lunging towards the phone, she yelled, “Don’t believe hi—”
* * * *
Murphy stared at the phone as it went dead. He hit redial, but no answer, once, twice, and then it picked up.
“God damn it, Dent. She’d better be okay or I’ll rip you limb from limb.” Murphy had to concentrate to stop his voice from shaking. Thank goodness Dent didn’t know that they knew about his deal to sell Jess to the cartel. Maybe this crazy plan had a chance.
“Bitch is fine. I’ve had to gag her. She’ll have a few bruises, nothing more.”
“We’ll give you whatever you want. We just want her back.”
“Fine. Come alone. Just you, Murphy. And the dog Murphy.” He chuckled. “Murphy and Murphy. Sounds like a cheap law firm. Take Jess’s Jeep. That old Wrangler is nice and open so I can tell if you’ve been a bad boy and brought reinforcements. You’ll pull up, but not too close so I can get a good look inside. You’ll get out and tie Murphy to the post and then you’ll back away. I’ll come out and check to make sure that it’s really him and you aren’t trying some kind of trick. If it is, once the chopper lands, I’ll board with the dog and you can take the girl and do whatever the hell you like with her. Twenty minutes.”
“No, wait. I need more time to go get the dog.”
“Thirty minutes. That should be enough to get anywhere in this Podunk town. Don’t be late. Oh, and bring handcuffs. Three pair, and not those stupid flexicuffs. I want the real deal.”
The line went dead.
“Do you think he bought it? He really doesn’t know that we know about the deal he made with the cartel for Jess?”
“But what does that get us? You know he’s never going to go through with the deal. He’ll kill you, Murphy, and then he’ll still take Jess.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it!”
Murphy turned, startled. He’d almost forgotten about Tait and Aaron, they’d been so quiet. He hadn’t even noticed Aaron’s return.
“Are you willing to wear a wire?”
“What?”
“A wire. We need you to get Dent to spill his guts. He’s an arrogant son of a bitch, and if he thinks he’s won, he’ll sing like a canary. We want you to get it all on the record before we take him down.”
“You’ve got a plan, I presume,” Murphy stated flatly.
“Can we trust him, Murphy?” Cole’s tone was unsure.
“It’s his sister. I think we have to.”
“What do you have in mind, Tait?”
“Did I ever mention that my buddy Aaron here is a man of many talents?”
“Such as?”
“Such as a sniper. Can you get him in close?”
* * * *
Murphy realized that he was sweating bullets as he pulled off the road and started up his driveway. Cole, sitting beside him, looked just as nervous. They weren’t sure about defying Dent like this, but Tait assured him that he’d be expecting them to try something.
“This would reassure him, as it would show that he’d read you right. It’ll make him overconfident and he’ll relax. He’ll have something to rant and rave about. He needs to feel superior, and being able to berate you for trying to defy him will add to his feelings of grandeur. He’ll be expecting the two of you, and when you both come, he’ll think he’s smarter than you are, because he was expecting you to do this.”
“You had better be right. Jess’s keys are in her purse. I saw it around here.” He looked left and right wildly. It was Candy who found it and suggested that a gun or three in the glove compartment might not be a bad idea. She also pointed out the compartment behind the tailgate.
“You ever think of a career in law enforcement?” asked Aaron admiringly.
“Naw, one in the family’s enough, right Dace?”
“Husband?”
“Brother.”
“Hi, I’m Aaron”
&nb
sp; “Candy.”
“For real?”
“Candace, actually, but everyone calls me Candy, or sometimes, Candy Apple.” She smiled, and Aaron smiled back.
Murphy rolled his eyes and turned to Dace. “You got any firepower we can borrow? All of my weapons are locked up tight at the ranch.”
“No need,” interjected Tait. “Our SUV’s fully equipped. We’ve even got cuffs, although I’m not sure if we have three pair. Mostly we use plastic flexi-cuffs nowadays.”
“If you need extra, I’ve probably got a pair or two lying around.”
“Candy!” Murphy exclaimed sharply.
“Candy!” Dace rolled his eyes, used to his sister’s ways.
“Caaannndddyyy!” Aaron’s tone was admiring.
“Aaron! Aren’t you headed to the airfield near Kinsdale?”
“Yes, boss.” He stood and then turned as he headed for the door. “Damn, I love Candy. Once this is over, I think it’s time I came looking for Satisfaction.”
“I’ll be waiting for you, lawman!”
“Aaron, leave. Candy, ice your forehead. Murphy, where’s the dog?”
“Vet. His office is on the way to my ranch.”
“Good. You call him and make sure he’s waiting for us. Cole, come with me. We’ll get the Jeep loaded up.”
“What can I do?” asked Candy, no longer joking.
“Pray. And have breakfast waiting when we get back.”
* * * *
Jess sat watching Lance pacing back and forth, Ren at her side. He checked his watch and made a quick call. Hanging up, he smirked at her.
“Helicopter’s fighting headwinds. Might be a few minutes late. That just gives me that much more time to torture your boyfriend. Or maybe boyfriends. You think they’ll both come riding to your rescue? I hope so. That would be delicious, don’t you think?
“Nothing to say for yourself? I didn’t think so!”
Jess glared at Lance. That was all she could do since he had gagged her. He was in one of his manic phases, pacing back and forth. He thought he was king of the world and smarter than everyone else. He usually worked hard to keep this side of himself undercover, but now he thought he was on his way to a five-million-dollar payday and he was stoked.