It took a bit, but Kayla convinced her mom that it was safe enough for her to travel back to Cody and pick up Oliver. She missed him terribly, and since the Marshals deactivated her phone, she wasn’t able to get in contact with Isabelle.
Somehow, not only did they cut off service to the phone, they rendered it completely useless. It wouldn’t turn on and she couldn’t access any of her contacts. A few times she considered calling the ranch directly to check on Oliver, but she still didn’t want to blow Mitch’s cover. He was still in danger. Probably. She didn’t know, because that guy from the FBI hadn’t come around to talk to her again. What was his name? Bronze? No – Silver.
Her flight to Wyoming went much more quickly compared to when she flew to Albany to see her mom. She was even able to sleep a little bit. Her plan was to rent a car for the trip back and drive to Albany; initially she wanted to fly, but she didn’t think that Oliver would do very well on a plane. His anxiety would be uncontrollable. He kind of reminded her of her mom in a funny way. Maybe that’s why they got along so well.
When she got to the ranch, she half expected the Marshals to swoop in and tell her that she had to leave. Luckily, nothing like that happened. The ranch was unchanged. Guests milled about, the sun shined, and a handsome wrangler addressed a new group of horseback riders. Kayla didn’t recognize him, and she had enough trouble with handsome wranglers, so she decided to avoid any introductions.
She walked past him and onto her cabin; she couldn’t wait to see Oliver. When she opened the front door, though, Oliver wasn’t there. His crate remained, along with his bowl and his toys, but there was no sign of him.
After checking the stables, she went to the lodge to look for Isabelle, but she wasn’t around. Kayla asked the person manning the front desk where Isabelle was, but they didn’t know.
Maybe Isabelle had taken Oliver for a walk. Kayla decided to go back to her cabin and wait on the porch.
Two hours later, there was still no word of Isabelle or Oliver. She didn’t want to overreact, but she was starting to get worried.
Finally, after waiting for three hours, she caught sight of Isabelle.
“Hey!” she yelled from the porch.
Isabelle excused herself from the group of guests that she was talking to. She ran over and threw her arms around Kayla’s neck. “I’m so glad to see you! Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Kayla said, hugging her fiercely. “My mom is okay. She had a heart attack, but she’s home now and doing well. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch – my phone is broken and things have been a little crazy.”
Isabelle beamed. “That’s okay, I’m just glad that your mom is okay and that you’re okay.”
“Thanks. I went to my cabin to look for Oliver, but he wasn’t there. Did you have to move him? Was he being destructive?”
“What do you mean? I thought that…” Isabelle’s voice trailed off.
Uh oh. “You thought what?”
Isabelle covered her mouth with her hand as the color drained from her face. “I can’t believe I’m so stupid. George said that – you know.”
Kayla felt her heart rate beginning to quicken. “George said what? Does he have Oliver?”
“I think so? He stopped by yesterday and said that you’d asked him to take Oliver to meet you.”
“To meet me where? I haven’t talked to George since I left. Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” Isabelle’s round brown eyes started to fill with tears. “He left in a hurry, he said there were some problems at home and that he was going to meet you on the way. I tried to call you, but your phone wasn’t working.”
Of course. George must’ve left town, realizing that his scheming days in Cody were over. And no doubt he must’ve figured out who was responsible for his demise. Kayla felt her knees grow weak; would he really be so awful to steal her dog to get back at her?
“Kayla? Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I think I just need to sit down.” She turned back to the front steps of her cabin.
Isabelle followed. “I’m so sorry! Why would George lie about that?”
As much as Kayla wanted to explain it to her, when she opened her mouth, all that came out was a sob. She started crying hysterically. Her mom survived a heart attack, and she survived being kidnapped. Could Oliver survive being dog-napped by George?
Maybe he dropped him off at an animal shelter. Or maybe he dropped him off in the middle of nowhere. How would Kayla ever find him?
After crying for a good ten minutes, Kayla calmed down enough to tell Isabelle about George’s criminal record.
Isabelle kept apologizing, but Kayla interrupted her. “No. It’s my fault. I thought it was safer not to tell you, so the police could handle it before he did any more damage. But of course I should’ve told you. He was working here, you deserved to know. It’s my own fault that he was able to get away with Ollie.”
A few tears slipped down Isabelle’s face. She wiped them away impatiently. “Well, he can’t have gone far. We’ll get a search party together and go looking for him. Let me call Mitch, I’m sure he’ll want to help too.”
“No!” Kayla said quickly. “I don’t – I can’t see him right now. I’d prefer we just gather some people to look for Oliver.”
Isabelle gave her a funny look but didn’t ask any questions.
They were able to pull together a group of almost thirty people; some, including Kayla, were on horseback. They combed the area around the ranch until dark, but they had no luck in finding him.
Kayla checked with the local animal shelters, but no dogs matched Oliver’s description. She spent the next five days looking for him to no avail. She was heartbroken, devastated and full of bitter guilt.
On her sixth day in Cody, Kayla woke up early to get ready for another long day of searching. She was just about to leave her cabin when she heard a knock at the front door. She peeked through the window – it was that Silver guy.
“Good morning,” she said as she opened the door.
He tipped his hat. For some reason he was now wearing a cowboy hat. “Morning Kayla. Do you mind if I come in?”
Her first thought was that yes, she did mind and she didn’t want to deal with any more strangers that might kidnap her. Then she realized that if he wanted to kidnap her, he probably wouldn’t have knocked on her front door. “Sure, why not.”
He walked in and took a seat on her couch. Kayla sat across from him.
“How can I help you?” she asked. “Did the FBI find my dog?”
He pursed his lips. “I wouldn’t be privy to that information.”
She drew back slightly. If this guy wasn’t FBI, who was he?
As though reading her mind, he said, “I’m not with the FBI. But I am on your side.”
“Is that right?” Kayla felt the muscles in her body tighten. “Because I have no idea who you are.”
He smiled. Did he find her amusing? She certainly wasn’t amused by him.
“I come in peace, I swear,” he said, holding his hands up. “I was hired by your friend – Mitch? Is that what he’s going by now?”
“What? Why would Mitch hire you?”
“To keep you alive,” Silver said flatly.
She crossed her arms but didn’t know how to respond.
Silver continued. “Didn’t you wonder how the police knew the exact moment that Colin kidnapped you?”
Kayla shrugged. Truth be told, she assumed the Marshals were watching Colin and saw what he was doing or something.
“I figured that he got caught because he was an idiot,” she offered.
Silver chuckled. “He was an idiot, but that didn’t stop him from almost succeeding in his goal. No Kayla, my team and I have been watching you from the moment you stepped off the plane in Albany.”
“What! There’s no way. I would’ve noticed.”
“I spent thirty years of my life working for the CIA. I got bored of my retirement and decided to put together
a team with specialized skills, one of them being surveillance and protection. Do you really think you would’ve noticed being watched by us if you didn’t even notice Colin following you?”
Kayla frowned. He had a point. “I guess not.”
Silver clapped his hands together. “Exactly. No offense to you, it’s just not a skill that you’ve ever had to work on before.”
That did make her feel a bit better. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“I’ve known Mitch for a long time. Almost his whole life. His dad and I go way back. So when he called me and asked me to protect you, I didn’t hesitate.”
Kayla’s eyes grew wide. “Why did he want to protect me? I thought he would hate me for leaving Wyoming.”
Silver stared at her for a moment before responding. “I don’t believe that’s the case. He spared no expense to make sure that you were safe. And clearly, you needed it.”
Kayla pinched her lips. She didn’t exactly like this Silver character. At the same time, though, the fact that Mitch wanted to protect her made her feel hopeful. Could that mean that he didn’t actually hate her for what she did?
If Mitch hadn’t gotten help for her, she may have actually been kidnapped. Her heart sank. She should’ve listened to him about how serious this all was. She should’ve listened to him about a lot of things.
Silver went on. “And now, he is one day away from testifying in court against his father. And you’re not there to support him?”
“I – ” She stopped. The timing made sense, but she never knew any details about the trial. She didn’t even know Mitch’s real name. “I had no idea.”
Silver stared at her.
She felt pressured to speak again. “And I need to find my dog. This guy George stole him, and I don’t know what he may have done to him.”
“That is unfortunate,” Silver said with a nod. “And we’ve also been looking for your dog. We had no choice, since we’re still following you around. Which you also didn’t notice.”
She really was bad at knowing that she was being followed.
“Well – thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. That dog isn’t around here, though. You’re going to have to find George Walters himself to get your dog back.”
Kayla’s heart sank. She was afraid that might be the case. “Oh.”
“And if you get on a plane in the next eight hours, you’ll make it to Mitch’s testimony. But if you don’t…”
She let the silence hang in the air. Kayla took her eyes off of Silver; his stare made her uncomfortable. It felt like he was looking into her soul. It was not a pleasant feeling.
“I can’t just leave Cody and abandon Oliver to the grizzlies.”
Silver stood up, straightening his shirt. “Who said anything about abandoning? Like I said, it’s highly unlikely that your dog is here. You’re wasting your time. And quite frankly, ours.”
Kayla stood to follow him. “Is it even safe for me to appear at the trial? Isn’t that kind of like a turkey walking into Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Nope. We took care of all of your enemies. I mean – they’re going to jail, not that we – uh, you know, did anything to them. They’d be fools to approach you now. Anyway, it’s too late.”
Kayla winced. She didn’t like this crime stuff. “Right.”
Silver put his hand on the door. “Think about it. I’ll be seeing you.”
And with that, he walked out of the door and into the bright morning.
Kayla stood there stunned. What was she supposed to do with all of this information?
Chapter 23
They were stuck in a stare off.
Agent Simmons let out a sigh. He looked at Marshal Perez; she said nothing. Neither did Mitch.
He sat across from them, arms folded over his chest. Mitch was never the kind of person to insist on getting his way. For most things, he was very easy going. He never needed to be the one to pick the restaurant or the movie when he spent time with friends. Never in his life did he ask to speak to a manager or file a complaint.
This was different. It was something too important to let slide.
Mitch stretched his shoulders as though he were settling in for a long wait. Finally, Perez spoke.
“Even if we could find George, there’s no guarantee that we’ll have him apprehended before the trial today.”
Mitch leaned forward. “If he’s located, and there is a plan to arrest him, I will testify.”
Simmons abruptly stood up.
“Where are you going?” asked Perez.
“I’m going to get a good team together. The clock is ticking, and I need to catch a cowboy.”
Perez watched as he left the room. She took a sip of her coffee before throwing the disposable cup into the trash. “I guess I better get to work too, then.”
Mitch nodded. “Thank you.”
Even though he was refusing to testify unless Oliver was found, there was no need to be impolite about it. He watched as Perez left the room.
The night before, Silver sent Mitch a disguised email to let him know that Kayla was safe and that she was staying in Cody. He spoke in code, so it was a bit confusing, but Mitch was able to figure out that Oliver was missing and the culprit appeared to be George.
His first instinct was to fly back to Cody and find Oliver on his own. Yet he knew that Kayla, and subsequently Silver and his team, looked for Oliver for days with no luck. Clearly, George left the area. The FBI lost track of him, too, before they were able to arrest him for his history of scams.
If there was one thing that Mitch knew well, it was crooks. He knew that George wouldn’t be able to lay low for any significant period of time. He’d think he was smarter than everyone looking for him and that he could set up his scheme in another town without being detected.
Mitch knew that there was a ranch or farm somewhere that just gained a new employee, and he insisted that the FBI find out where. Immediately after getting Silver’s message, he told the agents his new demands.
At first they said no, which Mitch expected. He was fully prepared to follow through on his threat and planned to take matters into his own hands. He was confident that he’d be able to find George eventually.
He just knew that the FBI would be able to do it a lot faster. And honestly, better. Mitch was impressed with how they worked; he found himself fantasizing about a career of catching crooks instead of selling insurance.
He spent the next five hours pacing in his room. They didn’t provide any updates about their search and Mitch was half tempted to start his search for George early.
With only thirty minutes before he had to leave for the trial, Simmons walked in the door with an update.
“We found him,” he said breathlessly. “We tracked him to a farm in Montana.”
A smile broke across Mitch’s face. “I knew you could do it.”
He pulled out a surveillance photo. It was clearly George, though his hair was dyed black.
“This was him one day ago at a gas station one mile from the farm. We confirmed with the owner that they hired him and he started this week.”
“He works fast, doesn’t he?”
“Not as fast as us,” Simmons replied with a smile.
“Does he still have Oliver?” asked Mitch.
“We’re not sure yet,” Simmons said slowly. “But we have a team of agents flying to Montana right now. They’ll initiate the arrest, and if Oliver is there, we’ll bring him back.”
Mitch frowned. That wasn’t ideal.
Simmons sensed his hesitation. “It’s the best we can do right now. The agents will land in five hours. Please tell me that you’ll go testify.”
“Oh,” said Mitch with surprise. “Yes, I will. Of course. I’m just thinking…if Oliver is there, he’ll be terrified of the agents. Maybe Kayla can go with them?”
Simmons shook his head. “Sorry, she can’t. Since she was removed from witness protection, we can’t take her with us.”
; “Then can I go? He trusts me a little bit.”
“Sure. Whatever it takes to get you to testify today. As soon as you’re done, we’ll get you on a plane.”
Mitch extended his hand. “Deal.”
The Marshals transported Mitch to the courthouse in a bulletproof van, then snuck him through some underground hallways to get him into the courtroom unseen. They told him they were confident that his most dangerous foes would soon be in jail for their role in kidnapping Kayla, but they didn’t want to take any chances. He stayed with two agents in a small room until it was time for him to make his big debut.
When Mitch walked into the courtroom, he couldn’t help noticing how drab it looked compared to the courtrooms on TV. It was so ordinary – just a large room filled with people. It didn’t have the grand wooden banisters and tall judge stand that he’d seen on Law and Order. Yet still, the judge seemed quite intimidating.
He tried not to think too much about that as he walked to the front. He made eye contact with his dad – he looked well and smiled at him as he passed.
Mitch felt a pang of guilt, but reminded himself that his father didn’t blame him for what he was doing. The stubborn man refused to take a plea deal, though, just as he refused to turn in any of his business associates.
Mitch reached the front of the courtroom and turned around. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. There was a woman towards the back who looked just like Kayla. But it couldn’t be.
He squinted, trying to get a better look at her. She smiled and did a little wave.
It was her. He felt his breath catch in his lungs – he never thought that he would see her again. He smiled back.
For the first time, he was glad that he made it to this trial.
Chapter 24
Did he see? Kayla thought that Mitch looked right at her.
She felt her cheeks flush. Why did she decide to wave? What an awkward thing to do. Did that make him smile, though? It made it feel like her stomach was full of jello.
He must’ve seen her.
Doctor's Date with a Billionaire Page 15