Texas Twin Abduction

by Virginia Vaughan

  The image disappeared and Ashlee cried out and reached for the computer screen, but it was blank.

  Sobs racked her and she fell to the floor as she realized what must have happened. They’d mistaken Ashlee for her, they’d kidnapped the wrong twin in an effort to get back at Travis. She wiped away tears, her first instinct to go to Lawson and show him this video.

  She stopped before she even got to her feet.

  He would insist on turning the video over to his brother. The cell phone, too. Not to mention, Josh and the others would never allow her to return the money to the kidnappers.

  Getting her sister back alive had to be her one and only priority. She couldn’t risk it by not following their instructions. They’d told her to come alone and that was just what she was going to do.

  The package had been addressed to Ashlee and her sister had called her by that name—that meant she hadn’t told them anything. They didn’t yet know they had kidnapped the wrong twin.

  She shut down the computer and slipped the cell phone into her pocket. She had to do this alone, knowing that it was the last thing Lawson, Josh and the others would advise her to do. But Lawson would thank her once this was all done and she’d returned his Ashlee to him, reuniting him with his one true love.

  She stood and walked to the window, catching sight of him outside the barn. He’d told her he was falling for her, but he’d been fooled into believing she was someone else when he’d said that. She couldn’t hold him to those words. They’d been spoken when he’d believed she was someone else. If he’d known she was Bree and not Ashlee, he would never have said them, never even would have considered expressing those feelings for her.

  Seeing her sister on that video had shaken something loose inside her. Maybe it was the shock of seeing Ashlee that way and knowing for certain that she was in danger. Maybe it was the difference between looking at a picture and having video, hearing her voice. For whatever reason, memories were beginning to return—jarring and incomplete, but there. She wiped away the tears as they flowed and knew what she had to do.

  She still wasn’t sure why they had her or what she’d done to get into this situation, but she would do whatever it took to rescue her sister from these people. She didn’t even know who to trust...except for Lawson, whom she trusted completely. But she couldn’t risk her sister’s life on the captors’ dangerous games.

  She was going to get her sister back even if she had to take her place or die doing so. And that meant doing it alone, without Lawson or his brothers interfering.

  But first she had to figure out a way to get her hands on the money.

  EIGHT

  With nothing to do but wait, Lawson continued taking out his frustrations by cleaning the stalls. His mind was rolling over and over the situation and the options seemed bleak. While the fingerprint situation confused things on the surface, he was pretty sure they all believed that it was Bree with them, not Ashlee. He could just see Bree getting arrested and giving her name as Ashlee, leading to those prints ending up in the system under the wrong name. This meant they still didn’t know where the real Ashlee was. Wherever she was, she was in trouble. That much was obvious to anyone with two eyes. Bree’s actions had brought down a world of trouble on her sister.

  He took some comfort in the physical work even though it was a struggle, but couldn’t shut off his brain or stop himself from trying to fix the situation. Why would God give him a desire for a simple, physical life as a rancher when he needed to be skilled in law enforcement to save Ashlee from a drug ring? He didn’t understand it and so far, God wasn’t responding to his questions.

  “Hi.”

  The voice from behind him stopped him, but he quickly got himself together and continued to work. He couldn’t deal with her right now. He wasn’t ready for that. Why hadn’t she just remained inside and left him alone?

  He ran a sleeve across his forehead to wipe away the sweat that was flowing. “What do you want?”

  “We should really talk about this, Lawson.”

  He knew she was right—but he wasn’t ready for that conversation. “Now isn’t a good time.” His brain was still trying to find a way to work through all of this. Patience and determination were the answers. They always were, but mustering either one right now had him stumped. He’d never thought much of Bree in the past, but he had to admit he’d never really taken the time to get to know her before, either. Now, during her time here on the ranch, he’d grown to care about her more than he wanted to admit.

  He heard her footsteps approaching. All he wanted from her was distance while he figured this thing out, but she wasn’t even going to give him that.

  “Lawson, please.” She touched his shoulder and he shuddered.

  Her touch still had the power to do that and he hated it. An angry, hurting part of him hissed that she’d drawn him in, tricked him into falling for her, let him believe she was someone else. He knew he wasn’t being fair—for starters, he truly believed her amnesia was real—but he couldn’t be bothered about fairness just now.

  “Can’t we talk about this? Let me explain.”

  He turned to her and saw differences now, things he’d been blind not to see before. He’d chosen to ignore the clues that she wasn’t who she’d said she was. “What do you mean you want to explain? Have you started to remember?”

  She shrugged. “It’s coming back, a little at a time. Not how I ended up in that car or where they’re holding her, but who I am, my past.”

  He tossed the shovel against the wall and slipped off his gloves and hat, slinging them away, too, as he confronted her. “Your past. So you remember why your prints came up as Ashlee’s?”

  Her face reddened and she lowered her head. But he was determined now to make her face up to what she’d done. Maybe if Ashlee had held Bree accountable for her actions back in the past, they wouldn’t be in this mess now. “No, don’t look away. You wanted to talk, so let’s talk. I want to know why those prints came back as your sister’s.”

  She glanced up at him, resignation in her face. “Because I used Ashlee’s name once when I was arrested. I said I was her and they believed me. They eventually figured it out, but I guess it was never fixed in the system.”

  He’d figured as much but, at the confirmation, anger washed over him again. “You pretended to be her then just like you’re doing now.”

  “I wasn’t pretending, Lawson. I promise you. I didn’t know. I never meant to deceive you. I certainly never meant for Ashlee to get hurt, even though I know you blame me for landing her in this situation.”

  “Who else is there to blame? Your ex-boyfriend who decided to overdose instead of saving your sister’s life?”

  “I’ve made mistakes. Travis was a mistake, a huge mistake, but I had left him before all of this happened. I was trying to get my life together. Ashlee was helping me.”

  He picked up a rake and leaned against it. “And look where that got her.” He turned away and started raking up one of the stalls. He didn’t like letting his anger release, but he’d needed to say those things. He couldn’t look at her, because the truth was that he had started to care about this woman—not just as Ashlee, but as herself. In all honesty, he’d come to appreciate all the little things that were different from Ashlee. He’d liked her nurturing touch and her eagerness to help. She had the ability to live in the moment and laugh without the need to strive for perfection. He’d liked that, too. It was so unlike the Ashlee he remembered that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen the differences. And whether it was true or not, it felt like she’d tricked him into falling for her.

  “I can’t change what’s happened,” she said. “All I can do is say I’m sorry and try to make it better.”

  “There’s nothing you can do. Leave this one to the professionals.”

  “I don’t know if Ashlee ever told you or not, but our parents used to fi
ght all the time. It often got very frightening, especially when we were kids. There were a couple of times when our mom was helping your mom with some church stuff that I came here with her to Silver Star. I remember how peaceful it was. I felt safe here then. I think that’s why this place felt so familiar to me when I first arrived.”

  He didn’t recall them ever coming to the ranch, but he’d been young then, too, and probably had forgotten. But her words about their parents stung because Ashlee hadn’t told him about their fighting. He was beginning to realize there was so much she hadn’t shared with him.

  “I’m going to bring her home to you, Lawson,” she told him. “I promise I’ll make it right.”

  He was glad when she turned and left. He didn’t want to acknowledge the sincerity in her voice any more than he wanted to acknowledge the draw he still felt toward her. He wanted to remain angry, to hold on to that bitterness. It was the only thing that was keeping him going.

  * * *

  She had to act fast. That cell phone in her pocket could ring at any time and she had to be ready. After brainstorming ways to get her hands on the money the sheriff’s office had confiscated, she’d determined it wasn’t possible so she’d had to come up with a plan B. Now to execute it before that phone rang with the ransom demand and she ran out of time.

  She walked back into the house and feigned a headache in front of his mother before telling her she was going upstairs to rest. The woman gave her a knowing look and Bree was certain Diane knew she was faking the headache, but she probably thought Bree was doing it because she needed time away from Lawson.

  She locked the door to the bedroom, then pulled out the fire escape ladder she’d found under Kellyanne’s bed, positioning it toward the window. She sat and watched the barn, silently praying for Lawson to hurry up and go inside. She couldn’t act until she was certain he was out of the way.

  She shouldn’t have tried to see him one last time. That had been a mistake. He would never forgive her for not being Ashlee, but if her plan worked, he would soon be reunited with the woman he loved.

  Bree didn’t yet remember all of the circumstances of the canceled engagement, but she was sure that once Ashlee and Lawson were reunited, they’d find a way to overcome the past. It was clear Lawson still loved Ashlee, and he deserved to have everything he wanted. And as for her sweet sister... Ashlee deserved nothing but the best. And that was Lawson, no question.

  The phone buzzed in her pocket and her heart stopped. She pulled it out and looked at it, glad to see the message wasn’t from the kidnappers, not yet. She still had time. She texted her coconspirator that she would be there to meet him soon.

  Finally, Lawson entered the house. She heard the front door slam, then the sound of his footsteps on the stairs as he went to his bedroom or possibly to shower. This was her time to act. She carefully lowered the ladder so that it made almost no sound, then climbed down to the ground and hurried to the barn.

  Careful to not alert anyone, Bree.

  She quickly saddled up the horse she’d ridden before and led it outside. She was fortunate most of the family was gone this afternoon, but that still meant she had to be careful to sneak away without being seen or heard by Lawson or his mom. Both were inside the house. She led the horse to the back of the barn and caught a reflection of herself in the window. This woman she’d become here at Silver Star was the woman she wanted to be—but that life was gone from her now. She climbed onto the horse and it led her away from the barn. She would circle around to the road once she knew she wouldn’t be seen.

  She reached the end of the field by the back gate and turned back to look. No one was coming after her. She’d made a clean getaway, but it wouldn’t take long before Lawson realized one of the horses was missing. He would certainly notice that before he noticed she was gone.

  Once she was in an open field, she pushed the horse into a gallop and hurried toward the road. It didn’t take long to find a silver car waiting for her. She slid off the horse, crawled under a bar on the split-rail fence and walked up the embankment to the road.

  The driver’s door opened and Jake Stephens got out. He ran to her, sweeping her up into his arms. “Ashlee! I’m so glad you called.”

  She let him hug her, but didn’t return his embrace, which he didn’t seem to notice. She did stop him when he tried to kiss her.

  “Did you bring the money?”

  He pulled away, then walked to the car and handed her a bag. She unzipped it and saw stacks of bills.

  “Twenty-five thousand dollars. It wasn’t easy to get in cash so quickly. That’s a lot of money, Ashlee. Are you going to tell me now why you need it?”

  She stood to face him. She had kind of pulled him into her scheme under false pretenses. It was time to come clean. “I’m not Ashlee. I’m her sister, Bree. Ashlee is in trouble. She’s been kidnapped. The money I was found with was her ransom money, but the police confiscated it.”

  His eyes widened in shock. “Surely, they’ll release it if you need it to rescue her.”

  “No, I can’t tell the police what I’m planning—and you can’t tell anyone, either. I know these people who are holding Ashlee captive. They’ll kill her if I don’t do as they say.”

  He stared at her for several long seconds. “Well, I’m coming with you.”

  “I can’t allow that. They told me to come alone. If they see someone with me...”

  He nodded grimly. “They’ll kill her.”

  “Yes.” She saw the confusion and worry in his face. It was obvious he truly cared for her sister. “I will get her back, I promise. Give me your keys, then wait at the hotel until you hear from me.”

  He handed the key ring over and she hopped into his car. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sped down the road, and she wiped them away. There was no use crying over how she’d never see Lawson again. All that mattered now was getting to the kidnappers and getting her sister back safely. It didn’t matter what happened to her. Ashlee was the good one, the one everyone loved and cared for. She deserved to live a safe, happy life. Meanwhile, Bree was the one who’d gotten them all into this mess. She couldn’t escape her past. She’d been a fool to ever believe she could. No matter what she did, she would always be the one who’d endangered them all.

  She glanced at Jake in the rearview mirror. He could find his own way back to the hotel. She had the money. Now she only needed to know where to take it.

  * * *

  A text message instructed her to drive to Milner’s Grocery Store and wait for further instructions. She glanced in the rearview mirror. No one was following her. Did the Averys even know she was gone yet? In this case, Lawson’s cold shoulder worked in her favor, but she couldn’t resist typing a text message to him telling him how sorry she was for everything and asking his forgiveness.

  Not just for the last few days, but for all the years in the past that had dragged his opinion of her so low.

  It was more than she deserved, but she hoped for his sake that he could forgive her. She didn’t want him to carry the burden of bitterness and anger after she was gone.

  Once she pulled into the parking lot, she was dead. It was only a matter of time until the deed was done and she was only existing until then.

  She’d told him about why she’d felt safe at the ranch, but she hadn’t shared why he’d seemed so familiar to her even without her memories. She’d been enamored with him since the first day she’d stepped foot on Silver Star as a child. She’d fallen off a fence while playing and he’d rushed over to help her, igniting a schoolgirl crush that hadn’t faded even when he’d started dating her sister.

  She pulled into the grocery store lot and parked under the streetlamp as instructed. At the side of the building, headlights came on and a car pulled forward, stopping alongside her. She hit Send on the text message, then reached for the bag with the money, locked the doors and got out, dropping
the keys onto the ground beside the car. The back door of the other car opened and a man got out. “Did you come alone?” he demanded, flashing a glimpse of the gun tucked into his belt.

  “Yes. This isn’t a trick. I only want my sister returned safely.” She was alone, truly all alone.

  “What’s in the bag?”

  She held it out to him and he jerked it from her hand and opened the case, then motioned for her to get into the backseat.

  “Where’s my sister?”

  “She’s with the boss. Everything goes right, you’ll both be home in time for supper.”

  She didn’t believe him, but she didn’t have a choice but to comply. They’d promised to release Ashlee and she was holding them to that. Whatever happened to her happened. She had no illusions about making it out of this mess alive.

  She crawled into the backseat. The man shoved at her when she didn’t move quickly enough and she bit back a retort about how she was moving as fast as she could. She had to play it safe until she found Ashlee, until she ensured her sister’s survival and release.

  The driver put the car into gear and took off.

  Bree glanced back at the rental car and silently whispered a goodbye to Lawson and the future she’d been hoping to have with him.

  * * *

  Lawson exited the house after supper and went out to do the final night checks on the horses. Ashlee had stayed upstairs in her room. His mom had said she’d been upset when she’d come inside earlier, and shame had filled him. He’d been too rough with her, taken out his frustrations over this entire mess on her.

  He didn’t blame her. He wanted to, but he knew as well as anyone how someone’s past could come back to bite them. If he was truthful with himself, he was more mad that he’d allowed himself to fall for her without realizing she wasn’t Ashlee. He’d chosen to ignore all the contradictions, wanting to believe that Ashlee had changed—that things were different now. But of course they were different. She was a different person.