by Lisa Harris
“Because I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
“I don’t, either,” Caden said, “but there has to be a way to keep both of you safe.”
Caden stared out the window, running through every scenario he could think of. The men had pushed the line when they shot Levi. How hard would it be to cross the line to murder?
“Where are you supposed to meet them?” Caden asked.
“There’s a turn off to a parking lot a hundred feet ahead of us.”
“I going to try and circle around. Take them by surprise. And I need you to do something, as well,” he said to Neil. “As soon as you can, call the authorities and tell them what happened. Try to send help.”
“I will. I promise—”
“Caden…”
He heard the concern in Gwen’s voice as he stepped out of the car, but it was too late. The two masked men he’d encountered in the canyon were approaching their vehicle, weapons pointed at them.
“Get out of the car now,” King shouted.
The three of them exited the car, hands up.
“Now this is interesting. Lover boy here tried to rescue her, but it looks as if your plan didn’t work.”
Neil took a step forward. “I did what you said. You promised you’d let my wife go.”
“You didn’t do what I said. You clearly told him about your wife. I should just shoot both of you.”
“Let them go,” Sawyer said. “They can’t identify us, and we can bring the boyfriend with us to ensure she behaves.”
“Get his wife, then tie them both up—”
“You said you’d let us go,” Neil said.
King stepped in front of him. “You’ll be found. Eventually. But by then we’ll be long gone. So forget trying to do anything heroic, or it will be the end of the line for both of you.”
Sawyer returned a moment later with the woman and a fistful of twine and zip ties. She’d been crying. Mascara ran down her cheeks as she stumbled toward her husband.
“Tie them to one of the trees,” King ordered. “Then we need to get out of here.”
Sawyer hesitated. “I don’t like this—”
“Stop worrying. This will be over soon, and then we’ll be long gone before anyone can find us.”
But despite the confidence in his voice, it was clear that they were working without a plan. And that things were spiraling out of control. The situation was going to come to a tipping point and there was no way to know how they would react. Or what was going to happen if Caden and Gwen pushed them too far.
EIGHT
Gwen tried to pull away from King’s grip, but he simply squeezed her tighter. Pain shot up her arm. The entire situation felt oddly surreal. Part of her still hoped she’d somehow wake up and the past forty-eight hours would end up being nothing more than a bad dream. But there was also a feeling of determination fighting to surface, because she knew this was all too real. She drew in a ragged breath. She wasn’t going to let these men win.
She couldn’t.
She glanced at Caden as they were marched toward the van, praying that someone, somehow, would show up and intervene before they got inside. She’d been certain if Caden hadn’t found her, they still would have tracked her down. But now—now it was starting all over again.
And it was the unknown that terrified her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Just shut up and keep walking.”
King bound her hands behind her with a zip tie, then shoved her into the back of the van. A moment later everything went dark as he pulled something over her eyes, then quickly secured her to something inside the van.
“Stay still, and if you give us any trouble, your friend here dies.”
She knew he was serious about the warning. The only comfort in the situation was that she could feel the warmth of Caden’s body next to her, as if he was still trying to protect her. And now his heroics might very well cost him his life.
She struggled to breathe in the darkness, and for a moment she felt as if she was drowning. Enclosed in darkness, like she had been in the river. Feeling the water pressing in around her with no idea which way was up or how to escape the nightmare.
She forced herself to take in slow, deep breaths and started praying. Her faith hadn’t always been as strong as it was now. The death of her parents had felt like a stab to her soul, as she’d been forced to navigate a situation she’d had no idea how to deal with. At the beginning, most days had felt like she’d stumbled into an alternate reality, where everything she’d known and loved was gone. And she’d blamed God for not stepping in. Getting back on her feet hadn’t been easy. It had been like walking blindfolded on the edge of a cliff, praying every day she didn’t fall off. And while the pain wouldn’t ever vanish completely from the loss, she’d clung to her faith and as the years passed, she’d begun to feel a strength she’d never thought possible.
But what happened when it suddenly felt as if her world was falling apart again? Why was it so easy to blame God for other people’s actions? To hold Him responsible for not healing a loved one or stopping someone’s brutal actions? Faith should never be based on circumstances, but that didn’t always make the journey easy, or stop one’s faith from faltering at times. She’d heard more than once how God was never taken by surprise, but she hadn’t been prepared for this.
I don’t know how to do this, God, but we need a way out of here.
One of the men started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot before starting down the bumpy gravel road. She could feel each bump. Each jostle of the van. She had no idea where they were going or how this would end. The only good thing was that Caden was with her, but even that just instilled guilt within her. He shouldn’t be here.
She pressed her shoulder against Caden, was surprised the men were keeping them together, but escape wasn’t going to be easy at this point. Not in a moving vehicle while bound and guarded by armed men.
Caden leaned closer. “Are you okay?”
His calming voice pulled her back to reality. “I think so.”
Which wasn’t completely true. Her heart was pounding, perspiration beaded on the back of her neck and every muscle in her body ached. But she was alive. They were both alive. Maybe that was all that mattered at this moment.
“I thought they were going to kill me,” she said, barely above a whisper. “Why do you keep coming to save me?”
“I suppose I could have continued downriver. I’ve always loved white-water rafting and never miss an opportunity to hit the rapids.”
“Very funny. I’m serious.”
“So am I. I know you still probably don’t like me, or at the least would rather have just about anyone else as your knight in shining armor coming to your rescue—”
“You know you didn’t exactly rescue me. I mean, I am tied up in the back of a van.”
“Touché. But this is far from over. I promise.”
“Can you get loose?”
“I’m trying, but it’s going to take time.”
“Which is something we don’t have. What happens once they’re done using me to get what they want?”
There was a long pause between them, as if he was trying to figure out how to respond. They were already at a huge disadvantage simply with her being injured, and on top of that, she had little experience with a weapon and didn’t know the terrain well. If anything, she was a complete liability.
“So, do you have a brilliant plan?” she asked.
“I’m working on it. It makes sense now why they weren’t trying to kill you like we thought at first. They need you alive if they want to get to your brother and the money.”
“Yes…”
“Which buys us some time.” Caden shifted next to her as they went over another bump in the road. “Do you know where the money is?”
“Do you know when?”
“No.”
Which meant Caden was expendable. And eventually she would be, as well. He was only someone to make her behave in the meantime, but when all of this was over, no matter how Sawyer felt about murder, she was certain neither of them was going to survive if they didn’t find a way to escape.
And neither would her brother.
All for money.
“We need to get out of here,” she said. They went over another bump and she hit her head on the side of the van.
“Agreed, but at the moment our options are limited. Levi and Bruce will get ahold of the authorities as soon as they can get a cell signal, and someone will find that couple eventually.”
But eventually might not be soon enough.
“How was Levi when you left them?”
“We managed to get the bleeding to stop, but he’s in a lot of pain. They were facing a rough ride down that river.”
Hopefully, they’d already gotten to help, and the authorities were looking for her and Caden, but it could take days to find them. How many people’s lives had been affected by her brother’s actions?
The van slowed down. She could hear the tires crunching on the gravel. Metal hinges creaked like a gate was opening. She estimated they’d been in the car maybe twenty minutes. So they hadn’t gone far. There were dozens of houses on the outskirts of the canyon. Most of them were isolated, which meant a perfect hideout. It would take law enforcement days to search the area.
A minute later, one of the men pulled her out of the van. “Let’s go. Inside, both of you. Now.”
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Your home away from home for the next few hours, but just remember this—the more you cooperate with us, the easier this is going to be. Try to pull something and your boyfriend here is dead.”
Caden’s initial reaction was to try and overpower the men as they stepped out of the vehicle, but he knew it wasn’t a wise move. Not at this point. Not when he’d been unable to undo his hands, and he still couldn’t see. He was going to have to bide his time and wait for an opportunity. The problem was time wasn’t on his side. Once Bruce and Levi called the authorities, he knew they would start a search, but narrowing down their location was going to be tedious. Which meant the men who had captured them still had the advantage.
The men left on their blindfolds as they walked toward the house, and he tried to orient himself. A bird called out and a dog barked, but there was no sound of cars or traffic. More than likely they were still somewhere fairly remote, in one of the surrounding houses. While he always camped when he came here, there were plenty of options depending on how much you were willing to spend. Anything from million-dollar houses with heated floors and spectacular mountain views costing hundreds a night, to small cottages perfect for a romantic getaway. All of them gave you a chance to retreat to a remote part of the state.
One of the men sat him down on something solid, then pulled off the blindfold before quickly rezip-tying his hands to the arms of the chair. Caden blinked at the brightness from sunlight streaming through the windows of the house, then waited for his eyes to adjust.
He glanced at Gwen, who was sitting beside him, and caught the exhaustion in her eyes. The only positive thing about the situation—if he could even call it positive—was that she wasn’t out on the trail anymore, because he wasn’t sure how much longer she could have continued running. But this—this wasn’t the solution he’d been looking for.
Shoving aside his frustration, he glanced around the room, needing to take in as much as possible so he could start making a plan. The dining room where they sat was part of a large open floor plan connecting to the living room and kitchen. A glance behind them showed two-story windows that led to a large wooden balcony with incredible views of the surrounding forests and mountains. Caden frowned. He wasn’t sure how these guys had managed to snag this house, but he had to give them credit for finding something so isolated. And with little time to prepare, they had to have a connection to the owner. But finding them was still going to be difficult and more than likely the nearest neighbor wouldn’t hear a gunshot, let alone a scream.
King stepped in front of Gwen. Caden’s muscles tensed.
“I figure if anything will get your brother to respond, this will.” King held up her phone. “What’s the code?”
Gwen hesitated.
He turned his gun on Caden. “I said what’s the code?”
“Two-two-nine-four.”
“Now was that so hard? Look up at me.”
King snapped a photo. “Your brother’s foolishness is going to cost you your life if he doesn’t follow through.”
“What is your plan?” Caden asked.
“I thought that was obvious. You—her—for the money. You’re just motivation for her to cooperate with us, so her brother will give us what’s rightfully ours. As soon as we can arrange a meeting place, we’ll make the exchange, and this will all be over.” King’s own phone rang. He picked it out of his pocket and frowned. “I’ll be back.”
Sawyer stood in front of them, looking uncomfortable with the situation, something that could work for them. If Sawyer was more sympathetic, they needed to find a way to play off that and somehow gain his trust. And perhaps manipulate his guilt at the same time.
“She needs something for the swelling in her ankle,” Caden said as soon as King was out of earshot.
Sawyer frowned. “I’m not a doctor. What am I supposed to do?”
“Just get her some ice. There has to be something in the freezer. Please.”
Sawyer hesitated, then pulled open the door of the large freezer on the other side of the open counter. He rummaged around for a few moments, then pulled out a bag of frozen peas and held it up.
“That will work fine,” Caden said.
Sawyer propped her ankle on another chair, then set the bag on her ankle.
“Thank you,” Gwen said.
“Anything else?” Sawyer asked.
Caden bit back the ready comment on the tip of his tongue. He could think of a number of things he could use right now, but he needed to tread cautiously.
“No, but I appreciate your help.” Caden glanced toward the entryway, where King was still talking on the phone. “Listen, while your friend’s out of the room, I have to say I don’t know why you’re here. You seem motivated by something different than him.”
“You have no idea what motivates me.”
“Maybe not, but I do know that the rap sheet you’re going to face when caught will be pretty significant.”
Sawyer’s frown deepened.
“I just want to help,” Caden continued. “You don’t seem like the kind of person who belongs here in this situation. Do you have a family?”
Sawyer hesitated. “Two kids and child support.”
His motivation.
“So you’re just looking to take care of your kids,” Gwen said.
“Yeah.”
“I get where you are,” Caden continued, “but you need to put a stop to this for their sake if nothing else. You don’t want your kids to end up with a father in prison for the rest of his life. There are far better ways to earn a living. Trust me.”
“I tried the honest route, and there’s not a lot out there for someone like me. Minimum wage doesn’t exactly pay the bills.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t, but—”
“Stop trying to figure me out.” Sawyer held up the gun, but his hand was shaking. “You don’t know anything about my life or who I am. Nothing about why I’m here right now. All I ever wanted was to take care of my family, but things happen.”
“You still don’t h
ave to be involved in this.”
“In case you didn’t notice, I already am.”
Caden let silence settle between them, then chose his words carefully. “My connections could help. My brother’s in law enforcement. All you’d have to do is call him. We’d tell him how you helped us, and I can guarantee they’d be sympathetic to you. Up to this point, no one has died, but if that changes—if you’re looking at murder—it’s going to be harder to fight something like that. And prison—that will become inevitable at that point. There’s no turning back once you cross that line.”
“We’re not going there, and we won’t get caught.”
“Are you sure?” Caden leaned forward while Sawyer started pacing in front of him. “Have you really thought about what you are going to do when this is over? Try to disappear with your kids? Because the authorities will track you down. And, I’ll be honest, there’s something else that should bother you.”
Sawyer stopped in front of him. “What’s that?”
“Do you really think King’s going to share that money with you?”
“What…? Of course he will.”
“I don’t know. He seems more like the kind of person who wouldn’t think twice about betraying someone. And for all that cash… All I’m saying is that fifty percent won’t go as far as the entire amount. It would be enough to disappear. All he’d need to do is make you disappear first, and this is the perfect setting.” Caden gauged the other man’s expression and decided to push harder. “It would be simple to dispose of a body so it wouldn’t be found for years…perhaps never.”
“Stop!” Sawyer stumbled backward. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, but I promise that I’m not going to be the one whose body will be found.”
Caden backed off at the threat, not wanting to push the man too far. It was clear from his body language he was already panicking.
“What’s going on?” King walked back into the room, then dropped his cell phone on the kitchen counter in front of them. “What are you doing?”
“Her ankle’s swollen,” Sawyer said. “They asked for ice.”