by R. C. Ryan
Battling feelings of rage, of hopelessness, of helplessness, he walked out of the room and beckoned his family to follow.
Once in the great room, he closed the door and turned to face them.
His voice, low with passion, had them gathering around to hear every word.
“I know we’re supposed to just wait here and hope for the best.” His eyes blazed with the fire burning inside. “But we know this land better than these so-called experts. I’ve hiked those hills with Annie”—his voice nearly broke, but he forced himself to go on—“and I believe my only chance of saving her is to leave now and find her before her abductor can carry out Lender’s orders.”
Brand put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m with you, bro.”
Casey nodded. “Me too.”
“Now, you listen to me, boy.” Ham’s voice had them all turning.
Jonah was already shaking his head in denial. “You’re not going to talk me out of this, Ham.”
“Is that what you think, boy?” The old man gave him a steady look. “I was about to say, you’re not leaving here without me.”
“But…”
Bo turned to his father, and Egan spoke for both of them. “We’re in, too.”
Chet nodded toward Liz and closed his hand over hers before saying, “Count us in.”
“And us,” Meg said firmly. “Avery, Kirby, and I refuse to be left behind just because we’re women. We’re smart and strong and…”
Billy turned away from the food trolley to join the others. “I’m not staying behind. We’re family, and that’s what family does.”
“And what about me?” At Des Dempsey’s voice, they all turned. “Annie’s my niece. And as Billy said, this is what family does. I’m in.”
Jonah swept them a look of love and gratitude. “Then let’s not waste any time. We’ll go up-country with horses, trucks, and ATVs. We’ll come in from all directions. And if we’re quick enough…” He left the rest of his thoughts unspoken.
As they headed toward the barn, Jonah felt a faint thread of hope coursing through his veins.
They had to make it in time. They had to.
The words played through his mind like a prayer.
If they didn’t…
He brushed aside the quick ripple of fear. It was impossible to imagine his life without Annie in it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Annie heard Park’s howl of pain and outrage echoing in her ears.
She chanced a quick look over her shoulder. In his drunken state, he had picked up the shovel, carrying it with him, until he seemed to realize the foolishness of it and tossed it aside.
Even that brief moment gave her a chance to put more distance between them, and she raced headlong into the thick foliage that she hoped would slow him even more.
Her feet, accustomed to the cushion of heavy socks and hiking boots, protested every step she took. Despite the pain, she never slowed her pace.
When she came to a steep drop-off, she skidded to a halt. Sticking close to the edge, she followed the rim until she’d circled halfway. Dropping into some underbrush for cover, she paused to catch her breath and to watch and wait.
Within minutes, Park raced up with fire in his eyes. It might have been his fury, or possibly the effects of all the whiskey. Whatever the reason, he failed to see the drop-off in time and went crashing through tree branches and thorny vines, screaming and cursing all the way until he came to a painful landing below.
Then there was only silence.
Annie darted away, hoping against all odds that she was headed in a direction that would lead her to safety and not deeper into the wilderness.
After dividing up their cache of rifles and handguns and deciding on the general location to head toward, Jonah, Chet, and Liz set out on horseback, while Brand and Avery, and Casey and Kirby commandeered two all-terrain vehicles. Bo drove a truck with Des and Hammond in the front passenger seat and Meg, Egan, and Billy in the back seat.
Jonah gave a thumbs-up to Chet and Liz before urging Thunder across a meadow. Once he’d traversed the field of tall grass and wildflowers, he started up a steep incline into high country.
Though Jonah was relieved to finally be doing something, he couldn’t keep the troubling thoughts from invading. How was Annie handling this terrifying situation? Had she been drugged? Worse, was she injured or harmed in any way? Was her abductor a brute? Was she feeling alone? Abandoned?
He swore and struggled to find something hopeful to cling to.
The Annie he knew was a strong woman. Hadn’t she defied Arlen and taken her story to the authorities?
Feeling better, he thought again about the things she’d revealed on their night together. She was smart. She’d been born to wealth and comfort, and yet she’d worked hard to get to the top of her profession.
Smart and strong.
Hadn’t she hiked these very hills enough times to have some sense of where she was?
He tried to put himself in her place. If there was the smallest chance of escaping, he knew he would risk it.
So, he knew, would Annie.
The thought came through so clearly he almost smiled.
The Annie he knew, his Annie, wouldn’t give up without a fight.
He urged Thunder into a gallop. He had to reach her in time. Had to. Or his life going forward would be nothing but an empty shell.
Noble Crain strode down the hallway toward the great room. Following in his wake was Agent Johnson, who was actually smiling for the first time in hours.
Noble opened the door and exclaimed proudly, “We have a lead on Arlen…”
He stopped so abruptly, Mavis Johnson bumped into his back, shoving him forward.
Seeing the room empty, Agent Johnson shot him a look of surprise. “Where are all the Merricks?”
Noble Crain huffed out an exasperated breath. “I guess I should have assigned them a guard.”
“A guard? In their own home?”
“As you may have noticed, the Merrick family doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do.”
She arched a brow. “I thought Jonah handled the phone call exactly as we’d suggested.”
“Yes, he did. But when you determined Annie’s location, you may have noticed that he was all set to go find her, until you said he needed to step back and let the authorities handle things.”
“You think that’s what he…?”
Noble nodded. “Not just Jonah, but his entire family, and Des Dempsey, too. I’d be willing to bet my year’s paycheck they’ve already taken matters into their own hands. Unless I miss my guess, they’re probably halfway there already and about to meddle in things better left to the professionals.”
Mavis Johnson’s hand went to the weapon at her hip. “We have to stop them. They could make a mess of the entire operation.”
“It looks to me like we’re too late to stop them. But if we hurry, we might still be able to join up with them.”
As the agent made a dash for the team in the other room, Noble stood watching, a half-smile curving his mouth.
Leave it to the Merrick family to meddle. In all the years he’d known them, they’d always done things their own way, and to hell with the rules.
After making her way through the thickest part of the woods, Annie paused for a moment to look around and get her bearings.
Behind her were the towering peaks of the Tetons. Spread out before her was the high meadow where she and Jonah had seen the spectacular herd of mustangs that had brought her close to tears.
A feeling of hope surged through her, spreading warmth through her veins. She knew this place. Had hiked here. Despite the lack of proper gear, she could do this.
On one of her first solo hikes, Jonah had told her how to look for familiar landmarks. The first and simplest was the Tetons. As long as they were behind her, she was heading in the right direction.
She started across the meadow at a run, desperate to get as much distance as possible from Park. If he m
ade it out of that ravine, he would be more dangerous than ever. If the fall hadn’t caused any serious injuries, it would have surely sobered him. And she feared that a sober yet incensed Park could be an even more dangerous adversary than a drunken Park.
Annie’s abductor had been forced to waste precious time escaping the ravine. Using vines and branches, and carving footholds in the earth, he’d finally crawled up the steep incline and lay panting in the tall grass. A look in all directions convinced him that the damned female was long gone.
He wasn’t about to give up. He knew that his only chance of surviving Arlen’s fury was a photo of her dead body in the grave he’d dug back there, and then a final photo of the shack on fire.
Without those, he’d signed his own death warrant. Arlen Lender wasn’t a man who accepted dissent among his team members. And he certainly never accepted failure.
Seeing bright sunlight up ahead, Park pushed himself to move faster. Once he cleared these woods, it would be a simple matter to spot Annie Dempsey in an open field. She may be smart, and fast, but she was unarmed. One bullet would end this chase.
With any luck, he could still be on the road within the hour.
Jonah, astride Thunder, had been moving steadily upward. As he rode, he kept a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
Even so, he nearly passed the tumbledown shack that blended into the foliage. But then he caught sight of the Range Rover hidden in a stand of trees.
In a flash, he was out of the saddle and racing toward the vehicle. Finding it empty, he made his way to the shack, his heart pounding.
When he stepped inside the empty shack, he saw the hole in the ground and his heart nearly stopped.
Peering over the edge, he was relieved to find it empty as well.
Looking around, he dropped to his knees to touch a hand to the dark, wet stains in the dirt.
Dear God. Blood.
He retrieved his cell phone and dialed Chief Crain. When he heard Noble’s voice, he said, “I found the Range Rover and a shack in the northwest corner of Devil’s Door woods. I believe Annie’s abductor was digging a grave when she may have escaped, since both of them are gone. Send some of your men here. I’m heading south, to the high meadow.”
He hung up before Noble Crain could issue a protest. Then, as he mounted Thunder, he phoned Chet, followed up by a call to his father and a text to his brothers to alert all of them to the change in plans.
Annie could no longer feel her feet, though she kept doggedly running.
Behind her, Park found it a simple matter to follow the bloody trail in the grass.
Every once in a while, he would stoop to feel the droplets with his fingers. Still warm and wet. Even though he couldn’t see her, he knew she was just minutes ahead of him and, with those bare feet torn and bloody, slowing down with every mile.
It was only a matter of time now.
Though his bleeding head was spinning from that assault with the shovel, he was pushing through the waist-high grass when he thought he spotted something. Pausing, he caught sight of a figure up ahead, dark hair flying, and then suddenly she dropped out of sight.
She’d fallen. He picked up speed, running now as he felt success almost within his reach. The bitch would pay for messing with him.
At a signal from Kirby, seated behind him on an ATV, Casey cut the engine and waited until Brand pulled up alongside him. Avery was sitting behind Brand and waving her hands.
With both engines off, the sudden silence was shocking.
Avery pointed to her cell phone. “We got a text from Jonah.”
Kirby retrieved her phone from her pocket and saw the same text. “Change of plans. Jonah’s heading this way.” She looked over and gave a little gasp.
“What is it?” Casey demanded.
“I think I just saw something up there.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a man’s head. Maybe just a bird on a tree branch.”
Brand looked at Casey. “We have to check it out, especially after Jonah’s text. But let’s go on foot so our engines don’t give us away.”
The others nodded their agreement, and they all climbed off their vehicles to start walking through the tall grass.
Across the meadow, Bo hit the brake and put the truck in park while he explained to the others what Jonah had said.
“Jonah found the Range Rover and a shack with a hole big enough to be a grave. Both were empty. He said he’s heading this way and wants us to wait here.”
They opened the doors of the truck and everyone stepped out, spreading apart and keeping watch for anything that looked suspicious.
Minutes later, Chet and Liz rode up and dismounted. After a whispered conversation, the group agreed to form a semicircle and begin walking toward the highest point in the meadow.
Annie had fallen face-first in the grass and lay for a moment, feeling light-headed.
Pushing herself to a sitting position, she took in several deep breaths and managed to stand.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught a blur of motion and turned to see Park racing toward her. Panicked, she turned and started to run. Before she’d taken two steps, he hurled himself at her, taking her down. The full force of his bulk knocked the wind out of her and she lay struggling to breathe.
“Finally.” He rolled off her and got to his feet, standing over her with his pistol drawn. “Did you really think I was going to give up and just let you go?”
“Why not? You have nothing to gain by chasing me down.”
“Nothing to gain? You heard Arlen. I’m going to bury you and then burn that shack over your grave. And that’s me winning, bitch.”
“You’ll still lose, Park. I heard Arlen’s voice. He doesn’t like stupid mistakes. And you made a big one by not finding my cell phone.”
“He’ll get over it. You know that call I was making?”
“When I escaped?”
His eyes narrowed on her. “That was Arlen’s partner, and my bed partner, Jolynn Carter.”
“The banker who introduced Arlen to me?”
“Just the way Arlen coached her. I told her I’d take care of everything if she’d smooth things over with Arlen.” He waved the pistol. “Now, let’s get moving. I need to finish my job here so I can get back to the city.”
A terrible wave of fury swept through Annie. She’d come so close. And now this monster was about to deny her the freedom she’d fought so hard to earn. As he gave her a shove, she let out a mighty scream and swung her arm, slapping aside the gun.
Caught by surprise, he watched as it tumbled to the ground. With a vicious oath, he dropped to his knees to retrieve it.
As he straightened, she picked up a thick tree branch and swung it against his head. He staggered, shaking his head to clear it.
With a furious string of curses, he started to get up and she swung it a second time, hitting the back of his head with as much strength as she could muster.
Moaning, he fell to his knees.
“I’m not going back to that grave. You hear me? I’m not going.” For good measure, Annie hit him a third time, leaving him lying motionless.
As she reached around him to retrieve the gun lying in the grass beside him, his hand shot out, covering hers.
Like a feral animal, he was on his feet and standing over her, the gun pointed at her head.
“You’re right, bitch. You’re not going back to that grave. You’ve saved both of us a long walk. I’m going to kill you right here.” His finger tightened on the trigger. “Right now.”
Chapter Thirty
Reflexively, Annie closed her eyes, bracing for the explosion that would end her life. Then, refusing to take the cowardly way out, she opened her eyes to face her executioner and saw, from the corner of her eye, sudden movement.
Jonah and Thunder came racing up from behind Park. In a blur of motion, Jonah leapt from the saddle, landing on Park and taking him to the ground.
The collision c
aused the gun in Park’s hand to fire wildly, the bullet landing in the grass nearby.
The report of the gunshot echoed and re-echoed across the meadow, bringing all the family running toward the spot.
Before Park could fire off another shot, Jonah’s fist landed in his face, breaking his nose and sending a fountain of blood streaming.
With a roar of pain, Park swung the hand holding the pistol, catching Jonah on the side of the head and knocking him almost senseless.
With his ears buzzing, Jonah shook his head to clear it.
When Annie saw Park taking aim and realized that Jonah was too dazed to react, she picked up a rock and heaved it at the gunman’s head.
With a grunt of pain he turned, aiming his gun directly at her.
“No!” Jonah swung out his arm, knocking the pistol from Park’s hand before pummeling him until the gunman doubled over in pain.
When Park dropped to the ground, his fingertips brushed cool metal nestled in the grass.
Snatching up the gun, he got to his feet and with an evil smile aimed it at Jonah. “Say goodbye, cowboy.”
Annie was filled with an overwhelming sense of outrage. She’d come so far. Had fought so hard. And now, Jonah would be forced to pay the price.
Desperate, she came at Park like a wild creature, her fists pounding his head. When he turned to defend himself, she raked his face with her nails.
He lifted the gun.
Before he could fire, he saw a crowd of people in his peripheral vision and then a man’s gruff voice called, “Drop it right now or we’ll kill you where you’re standing.”
Park looked over to see a line of men and women circling him and half a dozen guns and rifles aimed directly at him.
“Okay. Don’t shoot.” With blood streaming down his face from Annie’s nails and from his broken nose, he looked more like a victim than an attacker.