Love Rescued Me

by Debra Kayn

  God, he couldn't wait until this job ended. He needed to capture Morgan, get rid of Dickerson, and tell Samantha the truth. Afterward, he planned to spend a lifetime making up for the lies he'd told her and proving to her, once and for all, that not every law enforcement officer came from the bottom of the barrel.

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Tonight's the night, Dickerson."

  Chuck Morgan curled his lip. Five months of planning and setting up every little detail of tonight's delivery came down to this, and Morgan worried. It didn't help that he'd tolerated the yokel of a sheriff the whole summer and his patience with the man was running thin.

  Sheriff Dickerson informed him of every move the narcotics investigators on his tail made, but he already knew how they worked. He'd been an investigator himself. Or, at least, he used to carry that title.

  Now he wore a bounty on his head and a sentence for life in prison if Thornton and his men caught him. That's what happened when you got sloppy.

  He'd previously thought out every possible scenario that could go down and planned for everything that could go wrong. If he could remain two steps ahead of everyone involved, he'd finally close the case. All his players were accounted for, his game plan sound.

  "Thornton is out for your blood." Dickerson chewed on the end of a toothpick.

  That news didn't upset him. Thornton had proved a thorn in his side even prior to Kevin’s murder. He'd meant to kill Thornton, but that idiot Kevin had stepped between the two men.

  Thornton led the investigation that had brought Morgan down and ended his career. He shook his head and spat on the sheriff's office floor. Back in the day, he had a sweet deal working for the Bureau and using the criminals they arrested on drug charges to get his foot in the door with their suppliers. If not for Thornton, he'd still be playing the double role.

  "I can take care of Thornton."

  "You might not have to. He spends a lot of time with the new vet lady. He might just be tied up, enjoying that little morsel and not paying attention to what you're doing."

  Morgan stared out the window. A brilliant idea came to him, and he turned to the sheriff. "He's still seeing the redheaded woman, right?"

  "Yep. From what I see, Thornton can't keep his hands off her. Almost had her myself yesterday, but the fucking bitch got away." Dickerson scratched his balls.

  Morgan told Dickerson his plan.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Samantha and Charlene hurried over to Luce's Café for lunch in between scheduled appointments. She couldn't wait to tell them about her and Bobby being back together, but wanted to save it for the moment her two best friends could hear the news together.

  Samantha settled down at the table and sipped her diet soda to cover the smile threatening to come out. After keeping the good news to herself the last couple of days, she couldn't wait any longer.

  "Okay, Samantha. You've driven me crazy all morning with your secretive smile and good mood. What's going on?" Charlene asked.

  "I bet her and Bobby got back together." Luce nodded at Charlene. "I can see the happiness written all over her face."

  Samantha pushed her drink away and cleared her throat.

  "Yes. We had a long talk, and we both think what we have is something special. I love him." She grinned and bounced in her chair. "We've even talked about the future and are excited about being together."

  All three ladies shrieked. Samantha accepted hugs all around the table. Later she hoped her two best friends might accept her offer to stand up with her on her wedding day.

  "When did you two get back together?" Charlene asked.

  "Ugh, long story. The short version is, I was having a bad day, and Bobby rode to the rescue. He explained why he'd acted the way he did, and promised that we'd talk through everything in the future. I can see now that I jumped to the wrong conclusions in typical Samantha fashion." She flipped her hair. "We still have a lot of things to discuss. Things he said he'd tell me later, but I know together we can work it all out. We love each other so much."

  "I just knew you'd wise up. Bobby's a great catch, and you, my dear, are a great person," Charlene said.

  "I'm so happy for you both." Luce clasped her hands together.

  "Bobby has some business to finish up, and then we're going to have a serious talk to find out how to move to the next step in our relationship." Samantha shrugged. "Right now, I'm happy to have him back in my life. Whatever happens later is just the icing on the cake."

  "I'm so glad Bobby told you about the business he's doing. I kept telling him that he'd better let you in on the undercover job." Luce reached over and squeezed Samantha's hand. "In fact, we had words and I about kicked his butt for keeping it a secret from you."

  Charlene nodded. "Me too. It was so hard for me not to say anything, especially when you two had your little spat. Darryl says that the man Bobby is after is dangerous, and I didn't think it was fair of him not to tell you."

  The room closed in on Samantha. The voices of her friends blended into one long, drawn-out roar, and she stared at the table. Undercover? A dangerous man?

  Luce and Charlene glanced at each other in that "uh-oh, we spilled the beans by accident" way. She stared at the two of them, shocked, and found herself being pulled into the kitchen. A cold, condensation-covered glass of water appeared in Samantha's hand. She didn't bring it up to her lips and drink. She'd choke if she attempted to swallow anything.

  "What the hell is going on?" Simple words, but Samantha forced them out of her mouth with difficulty.

  Undercover.

  Business.

  Dangerous man.

  Is Bobby a policeman and not a forest ranger?

  "Oh, sweetie, I wouldn't have opened my big mouth if I knew Bobby hadn't told you himself. I figured you two getting back together meant that he'd told you why he was here in Skamania."

  "Maybe we should go get Bobby, and he can tell you himself," Charlene said, moving to leave.

  "No!" Samantha shook her head.

  Still holding the water glass in a death grip, she narrowed her eyes and waited for them to start talking. If they knew what was best for them, they'd start spilling everything they knew and not stop until the whole story came out.

  Her two friends talked. Luce told her how Bobby was working undercover for the federal government, and Charlene filled in the rest about how he was only pretending to be a forest ranger. Detached and emotionless, Samantha sat on the chair, her gaze on the floor. Bobby had lied to her.

  What in the world did undercover mean? Did he work for that pervert, Sheriff Dickerson? Was he another dirty, liar of a cop?

  What about all those forest fires he claimed to fight, and the times he ran off because his work called him? Did anything he shared with her even come close to the truth?

  Without a word to Charlene and Luce, she walked out of the café. This whole town disappointed and disgusted her. For weeks, Charlene and Luce had pretended and lied to her, yet the whole time they'd remained loyal to Bobby and kept his secrets. What kind of friends did that?

  Now she was stuck in a small town, mixed up with an undercover cop, struggling to keep her clinic afloat, and no better off than she was when she lived in Portland. Sheriff Dickerson would probably cause trouble for Parker the moment she brought him home and then proceed to run them both out of town. Oh, Parker, I screwed up big time!

  "Excuse me, Dr. James. Dr. James," a voice called.

  Samantha stopped.

  An unfamiliar man jogged toward her from the clinic door, waving his arms madly. "Thank God I found you! I don't know what to do. I have a horse that went through some barbwire and is bleeding something awful. Can you come with me and help her?"

  The man pranced from one foot to the other, bending his baseball cap back and forth in his hands. "I think she's going into shock."

  Samantha hurried toward the clinic. "I can come out, just give me enough time to leave a note for my receptionist to cancel my afternoon appointments."
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  Glad to have an excuse to get away from the clinic—she couldn't bear being in the office with Charlene right now—she scribbled a note and left it on the desk, grabbed her new bag with her medical supplies, and hurried out the door.

  "It'll be faster, Doctor, if you ride with me. I can have one of the ranch hands bring you back to town when you're done." The man placed his hand on her back and urged her forward.

  "How long ago did the horse get hurt?" Time played such an important part in treating horses that they often died from shock rather than the injuries they suffered from.

  "About an hour ago. She got out of our pasture and ran into the fence the neighbors keep their goats contained in. She must have spooked, because the fence is down and she's covered with cuts from her head down to her legs." The man shook his head. "It kills me to see her that way."

  She knew what kind of damage barbed wire could do to a horse. They got tangled up in it, panicked, and ended up causing more injuries to themselves in their struggle to get free.

  The man drove the truck down a dirt road overgrown with weeds and brush for miles. They traveled for at least half an hour in what appeared a very rural area, without any houses in sight.

  Suddenly, the truck stopped. She frowned. No barn or house came into view. Surely the man had stabled the horse while he sought help.

  "Why did we stop—" Samantha's chest tightened, and her mouth fell open. She dared not move a muscle.

  The man, who moments ago had appeared worried about his injured horse, pointed a gun directly at her.

  "Get out of the truck. Nice and slow." He waved the gun to get her moving.

  Samantha opened the truck door. The pistol aimed at her crushed every thought of disobeying. She stood stock-still next to the truck; only her head moved to follow the gun that never wavered off its intended target. She raised her hands, whether in an attempt to stop his advance or prove she posed no threat to him, she didn't know.

  This whole thing didn't make sense to her. Why did he have a gun aimed at her? Where was the injured horse that needed a vet?

  The gunman dressed in ratty clothes typical of a farmer; his dirty hands, whiskered face, and uncombed shaggy hair didn't stand out from the other citizens who populated Skamania. Most folks living in this area were landowners running some type of farm or working at local logging companies. No, this man didn't appear any different, except for the weapon held on her.

  The man gazed over Samantha's shoulder, and the gun wavered. Turning her head, she found what had brought on the nervousness from the gunman. Sheriff Dickerson and another man sat on a fallen log about twenty feet away, smiling in her direction. Oh God.

  Samantha's gaze moved back and forth between the man with the gun and the other two men. Her brain screamed for her to run, to go far away and hide, but she'd never outrun a bullet, and that realization kept her cemented to the spot out in the woods with three men who scared her to death.

  Sheriff Dickerson ambled over to her, slapped her ass, and threw his head back in great guffaws at the way she jumped. Her hands fisted at her sides, and she steeled herself against the abuse she knew him capable of dishing out.

  The man who sat on the log stood up and joined the sheriff beside her. He walked around her, rubbing his chin. The calculated expression in his eyes sent her backward, but the truck halted her retreat.

  At first glance, the newer jeans, buttoned shirt, and short military-cut made the man appear like any other ordinary, well-groomed man. But upon closer inspection, a black evilness in his soul could be seen in his eyes and proved to her that he was someone she didn't want to mess with. The overconfident sneer on his lips boasted how much power and control the man believed he possessed.

  "So..." The man ran his finger gently down Samantha's cheek. "You're Thornton's woman."

  He stopped in front of her, standing close enough that she could smell the tangy aroma of his breath. She stared back at him, afraid if she broke eye contact with him he'd hurt her.

  Without lowering his head, he gazed down at Samantha's chest. "I have to admit, in spite of how much I hate the man, Thornton has great taste in women." He licked his lips.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. "I...I don't know anyone named Thornton. You've got the wrong person. I'm only the vet in Skamania. Ask the sheriff, he knows me."

  The sheriff slapped his knee, and the burst of laughter expelled the toothpick out of his mouth. Samantha shook her head in denial. Why didn't he back her up? This was a terrible mistake.

  "Darling, you know him better than you think. Our man Thornton goes by another name." Sheriff Dickerson wiped his mouth. "Maybe you've heard of him?" He paused. "Bobby Thorn ring a bell?"

  Samantha hunched over, her arms circled her middle, and she struggled against the verbal sucker punch that threatened to empty her stomach. Bobby...a friend of theirs?

  No.

  No!

  Samantha shook her head. Her hair covered her face, and she fought the nausea rolling up in the back of her throat. A hand grabbed her under the arm and forced her to stand. Her cramped stomach screamed at the movement.

  "I'm going to have the sheriff take you on a little road trip while I deal with your boyfriend," the well-dressed man said. "We have some long-overdue business to conduct."

  "No...please." She grabbed his arm. "Let me go!"

  "You'll be begging me, please." Sheriff Dickerson elbowed the man who controlled Samantha.

  She struggled against the man to escape the sheriff. He'd already shown her that he had no problem abusing women and animals, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

  "I swear, I won't tell anyone." Samantha's hands shook, and tears trailed down her cheeks. Her only hope was to convince the man to change his mind. "Bobby and I broke up. I don't even talk to him or see him anymore." She threw the arm that remained free up in the air. "I found out what a lying, two-timing leech he really is, and haven't seen him in a while."

  Sheriff Dickerson walked over to Samantha and laid his arm around her shoulders. His dank, sour body odor attacked Samantha, and her stomach spasmed.

  "Let's get you back in the truck, and we'll have ourselves a nice chat on the way back to my farm. You remember my farm, don't you?" Sheriff Dickerson tightened his hold on her shoulders and laughed. "I'll treat you as nice as I treat that horse of mine. Just be careful, darling, that you don't misbehave." He slapped her ass.

  Chapter Twenty

  Perched on a tree limb twenty feet in the air, Bobby sat in position with his back braced against the trunk, ready for the night ahead. He practiced his relaxation exercises to keep the blood flowing to his legs and his fingers limber. He wanted nothing to go wrong tonight.

  With his men planted in concealed areas up the mountain, he planned to take down Morgan at the meeting point that had been leaked to his men earlier in the day. Only two hours remained, and he kept his mind clear and sharp. Any wrong move he made would put the operation at risk, giving Morgan the chance to flee.

  A tingling sensation came from his pocket and not his legs that dangled over the limb. He wrapped one arm around the tree trunk and dug his cell phone out of his pocket with his other hand.

  Call Charlene. Emergency.

  Bobby read the message three times. He pushed the buttons and held the phone to his ear without a second thought to the danger he was putting himself in. If Charlene called and there was an emergency, it involved Samantha.

  He quickly dialed Charlene's number. He rotated his shoulders, waiting for her to pick up. His body wobbled, seeking balance on the branch. Please let it be nothing.

  "What's wrong?" Bobby scanned the ground underneath him.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and listened to Charlene explain what had happened. The news he received came at the worst possible time.

  "Keep looking for her. I can't come. Find her and explain what's going on. I'll talk to her later." Bobby paused. "No, it's all my fault. Just keep her with you, I'll try to be there
soon."

  He returned the phone to his pocket and adjusted his position in the tree. He wanted to jump down and find Samantha himself, but the only way to work things out with her was if he finished this job. Afterward, he'd quit his job, if that's what she wanted.

  He should have told her the truth the night she'd confessed her hatred toward anyone sporting a cop uniform. Hell, he shouldn't have even gotten mixed up in a relationship while on assignment.

  She'd scared him the night she threw him out of her apartment. He thought he'd lost her. He'd told her to trust him, and he could only hope that would keep her safe until he was finished tonight. Hopefully, she'd only left for a walk or maybe had driven to the prison to see her brother. Damn, Sammy, it's almost over. Don't give up on me.

  Caught up in his worries over Samantha, he jerked at the pinprick sensation of tiny bugs crawling up his legs. He shook his legs and changed position, disgusted with himself for losing focus.

  Underneath him, the shadows filled the ground between the trees, and Bobby shifted on the branch. He didn't have much longer to wait before the lowlife ex-investigator would wish he'd never ran after killing Kevin.

  Trained for day and night invasions, he had no problem seeing in the dark. His men had already drawn a bead on the guards who protected the guru that had set up the meeting to hand over the drugs to Morgan. Any time now, he'd launch and follow through on the plan of attack.

  The longer Chuck Morgan walked around free, the longer Bobby's life got pushed to the back burner. He owed Kevin this, and the son of a bitch who had taken everything away in one ugly afternoon would soon pay.

  ***

  The ropes Sheriff Dickerson used to bind Samantha's wrists cut into her flesh and burned. Not only did he tie her arms behind her, he also tied her ankles to the kitchen chair she sat in at his house.

  The sheriff had driven away no more than ten minutes ago after mashing his lips against hers and promising to come right back. Her mouth throbbed, and she ran her tongue along her dry, swollen lips. She'd used the time to try and untie the ropes, but so far, nothing worked.