“I’m praying the message is from the kidnappers, but I’m scared it’s them, too.”
Caleb tensed. “Whatever’s on that phone, we’ll deal with it.”
Her gaze locked on to his as she held up the cell and listened.
“What’s wrong with the boy? You have twenty-four hours to help me figure it out and get me the file. I’ll call back with instructions. No more games. Think about it. Tick. Tock.”
Click.
Caleb took the phone and scanned the log. “Private number.” He looked at Coleman. “There any way to trace this call?”
“Doubt it. They’re probably smart enough to use a throwaway. We’ll check anyway.” Coleman scribbled fresh notes. “You mentioned the file before. Has anything come to mind since we last spoke?”
Katherine shook her head. “I’ve been guessing they mean a computer file, but I’m not positive. It could be anything.”
Outside, gravel spewed underneath tires. Caleb moved to the window. Two dark SUVs with blacked-out windows came barreling down the drive. “Sheriff, you tell anybody you were coming here?”
Coleman shook his head. “Didn’t even tell my dispatcher.”
Katherine’s eyes pleaded. She wrapped the blanket around her tighter, clutching the stuffed rabbit Jimmy had handed her. “I don’t have the first clue what file they’re talking about. As soon as they realize it, they’ll kill us both. Don’t let them near me.”
“Dammit. They must’ve followed someone here. The sheriff can cover for us.” Caleb pulled Katherine to her feet as she gripped her handbag. He moved to the kitchen door, stopping long enough for her to slip on her sandals before looking back at his men.
“Can you cover me?”
Chapter Four
Caleb’s arm, locked like a vise around Katherine’s waist, was the only thing holding her upright.
The barn wasn’t far but any slip, any yelp, and the men would barrel down on them. The lightest pressure on her leg caused blood to pulse painfully down her calf. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, slowly, trying to keep her breaths equal lengths and her heart rate calm.
Could the darkness cloak them? Hide them from the danger not a hundred yards away?
Katherine squinted.
The glow from lamplight illuminated the parking pad. There were two men. Dark suits. A wave of déjà vu slammed into her like a hard swell.
They weren’t close enough to make out facial features. Only stature. They looked like linebackers. Had the man with the jagged scar etched in his overly tanned face come back to kill her? He would haunt her memory forever.
Her pulse hammered at the recollection. “Even if you have a car stashed here somewhere, they’ll never let us get past them.”
“Don’t need to.”
“If you have another plan besides trying to barrel through them, or sneak around them, I’m all ears.” She glanced at her bad leg and frowned.
“You still have your keys?”
She nodded, tucking the rabbit into her purse.
“Then we’ll take your car.”
“How will we do that? It’s too far. I doubt I could get there unless you carried me.” He seemed perfectly able to do just that.
“Won’t have to. You’ll see why.” Caleb leaned her against the side of a tree near the back door of the barn. “Wait here.”
She didn’t want to be anywhere else but near him.
A moment later he pushed an ATV next to her. A long-barreled gun extended from his hand. A rifle? Katherine wouldn’t know a shotgun from an AK-47. She only knew the names of those two from watching TV.
“This’ll get us there.” He patted the seat.
She glided onto the back with his help.
He slid a powerful leg in front of her and gripped the bars. “I think we’re far enough away. The barn should block some of the noise. Hang on tight just in case they hear us.”
Katherine clasped her hands around his midsection. His abdominal muscles were rock-solid. Was there a weak spot on his body? She allowed his strength to ease the tension knotting her shoulders. His warmth to calm her shaking arms.
“Why would they come looking for me? They said I had twenty-four hours. Why come after me before that?”
“Might be afraid you’ll alert the authorities, or disappear. Plus, they must’ve figured out your nephew needs medication since they asked what was wrong with him.”
“How did they find me?”
“There weren’t many places to look other than my ranch.”
“Good point.” She hated the thought of putting Caleb and his men in danger. At least the sheriff was there to defend them. He would have questions for the men in the SUV. He’d slow the plans of any attackers and keep Caleb’s crew safe. A little voice reminded her how the kidnappers had warned her about police involvement. She prayed Sheriff Coleman’s presence didn’t create a problem for Noah.
The trip was short and bumpy but allowed enough time for her eyes to adjust to the dark. Caleb cut the engine well before the clearing as she dug around in her purse for the keys.
“They might be watching your car, so we’ll need to play this the right way.” His earnest brown eyes intent on her, radiating confidence, were all she could see clearly in the dark.
A shiver cycled through her nerves, alighting her senses. It was a sensual feeling she was becoming accustomed to being this close to him. It spread warmth through her, and she felt a pull toward him stronger than the bond between nucleons in an atom. His quiet strength made her feel safe.
Caleb’s powerful arms wrapped around her, and she wanted to melt into him and disappear.
Not now.
She canceled the thought. Noah needed her. No amount of stress or fear would make her shrink. She would be strong so she could find him. Sheer force of will had her pushing forward.
“Wait here.” Caleb moved pantherlike from the tree line. Stealth. Intentional. Deadly. His deliberate movements told her there wasn’t much this cowboy had faced he couldn’t handle.
Katherine scanned the dark parking lot. She couldn’t see far but figured even a second’s notice would give Caleb a chance to react.
There was no one.
Nothing.
Except the din of the woods behind her. Around her. Surrounding her. A chilling symphony of chirping and sounds of the night.
Silently she waited for the all-clear or the telltale blast of his gun. For a split second she considered making a run for it. Maybe she could give herself up and beg for mercy before it was too late? Maybe the men would take her to Noah, and she could get his medicine to him now that she had her purse back?
Maybe they would take what they wanted and kill her?
They’d been ruthless so far. She had no doubt they would snap her neck faster than a branch if given the chance. Without his medicine, Noah would be dead, too.
All her hopes were riding on the unexpected hero cowboy, but what if he didn’t come back? What if he disappeared into the night and ended up injured, bleeding out or worse?
Caleb was strong and capable, but he had no idea what kind of enemy they were up against. A bullet didn’t discriminate between good and evil.
When the interior light of her car clicked on, she realized she’d been holding her breath. Caleb’s calm voice coaxed her.
Another wave of relief came when she slid into the passenger side and secured her seat belt. He put the car in Reverse and backed out of the parking space. The sound of gravel spinning under tires had never sounded so much like heaven.
“You did good.” His words were like a warm blanket around her frayed nerves.
“Thank you. Think it’s safe to call the ranch?”
He nodded, stopping the car at the edge of the lot. The phone was to his ear a second later. He said a few uh-huhs into the receiver before ending the call and getting on the road. “Everyone’s fine. Two men showed up, asking questions.”
“What did they want?”
“They flashed badges. Said they were government investigators following a lead on a corporate fraud scheme.”
A half laugh, half cough slipped out. “Leann? She didn’t even have a normal job. She worked at a coffee shop.”
“They didn’t ask for your sister. They asked if someone matching your description had been seen in the area.”
Fear pounded her chest. “Me? Corporate fraud? I don’t have the first idea what they’re talking about. I’m a scheduler for a software company. That’s a far cry from a spy.”
“Coleman took their information and plans to follow up through proper channels. Maybe the trail will lead somewhere.”
“I hope so. Where do we go in the meantime?”
“Your sister’s place. What’s the address?”
Katherine scrolled through her contacts and read the details while he programmed the GPS in her car.
“We can check her computer and talk to her friends. Maybe we’ll find answers there.”
“Or just more questions. I told you. Knowing my sister, this won’t be easy. I’m not sure who she hung around with let alone what she might’ve gotten herself into that could lead to this.”
“Maybe the sheriff will come up with something. Good thing he was there. Might make these men think twice before they do anything else.”
“Or...” She could’ve said it might make them kill Noah but didn’t. No police. They’d been clear as day about it. Had she just crossed a line and put her nephew in more danger? Damn.
“They won’t hurt him,” Caleb said as though he read her thoughts.
“How can you be so sure?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. His jaw clenched. His gaze remained steady on the road in front of them. “We can’t afford to think that way. First things first, let’s get to Austin. We’ll take the rest as it comes. Send Coleman the photos you took of Noah earlier.”
“I almost forgot I had these.” She scrolled through the pictures from the pumpkin patch. Noah smiled as he climbed on top of a huge orange gourd and exclaimed himself “king.” Tremors vibrated from her chest to her neck. A stab of guilt pierced her. She scrutinized other details in the picture. Nothing but yellow-green grass and brown trees. A frustrated sigh escaped. “No good. I can’t make anything out on the small screen except him and a couple of large pumpkins.”
“Look up the last number I dialed, and send Coleman every shot you took today. He can blow them up and get a better view.”
Her heart lurched as she shared the pictures one by one. When she was finished, she shut her eyes.
Caleb took her hand and squeezed. Warmth filled her, comforting her. When was the last time a man’s touch did that?
She searched her memory but found nothing. No one, aside from Caleb, had ever had that effect on her.
“Think you can get a little shut-eye?”
Katherine was afraid to close her eyes. Feared she’d relive the horror of seeing a screaming Noah being ripped from her arms over and over again. “Probably not.”
“Lean your seat back a little.”
She did as she watched out the window instead. Interstate 35 stretched on forever. Every minute that ticked by was a reminder Noah was slipping away. Waco came and went, as did a few other smaller towns. The exhaustion of the day wore her nerves thin. Sleep would come about as fast as Christmas to June, but she closed her eyes anyway, praying a little rest would rejuvenate her and help her think clearly. Maybe there was something obvious she was overlooking that could help her put the pieces together.
Had Leann said anything recently? Dropped any hints? Given any clue that might foreshadow what was to come?
Nothing popped into Katherine’s thoughts. Besides, if she knew one thing about her sister, Leann could keep a secret.
Sadness pressed against her chest, tightening her muscles. Leann must’ve known something was up. Why hadn’t she said anything? Had she been in trouble? Maybe Katherine could’ve helped.
Katherine tried to remember the exact words her sister had used when she’d asked if Noah could come to Dallas for a week. Katherine could scarcely remember their conversation let alone expect perfect recall. How sad was that?
Her sister was dead, and Katherine couldn’t even summon up the final words spoken between them. Guilt and regret ate at her conscience. Wait. There’d been a tornado warning, which was odd for October. When she joked about not being able to trust Texas weather, Leann had issued a sigh.
Katherine sat upright. “She knew something bad was going to happen.”
“I figured it was the reason she sent Noah to stay with you.”
“That means everything she did was premeditated. Maybe she’d gotten mixed up in a bad deal she didn’t know how to get out of. But what?”
“Drugs?”
“No. She might have been a handful, but she didn’t even drink alcohol.”
Caleb shrugged. “My mind keeps circling back to the father.”
“I guess it could be. I can’t think of anyone else who would have so much to lose. Then again, I didn’t know my sister very well as an adult. I believe she realized something was about to happen. That’s as much as I can count on.” Would Leann have blackmailed someone? Didn’t sound right to Katherine. Her sister had always been a bit reckless, but not mean-spirited.
She was untrustworthy. Katherine had never been able to depend on her sister. A painful memory burst through her thoughts....
Leann was supposed to watch Katherine’s dog, Hero, while Katherine had been away on a school trip. Leann had sneaked him to the park off-leash to catch a Frisbee after Katherine had said no. He’d followed the round disc far into the brush and never come back out. The whole time Katherine had been gone, she’d had no idea her dog was missing.
He’d been gone for three days by the time Katherine returned home. She hadn’t cared. She’d looked for him anyway. She’d searched the park, the area surrounding the open field, and the woods, but he was nowhere to be found.
Losing Hero had delivered a crushing blow to Katherine.
It was the last time she’d allowed her sister around anything she cared about.
She sighed. When it came to Leann, just about anything was possible.
“We don’t have any other leads. It’s a good place to start.”
She wanted—no, needed—to believe her sister wasn’t capable of spite. Leann had always been a free thinker. She was Bohemian, a little eccentric, not a calculated criminal. Especially not the type to hold on to hate or to try to hurt someone else.
Desperation nearly caved Katherine.
“We’ll find the connection and put this behind you.” Caleb’s words were meant to comfort her. They didn’t.
They would be at Leann’s place soon and there had to be something there to help them. Get to the apartment. Find whatever it is the men want. Exchange the file for Noah. Mourn her sister. Try to forget this whole ordeal happened.
If only life were so easy.
The hum of the tires on the highway coupled with the safety of being with someone who had her back for once allowed her to relax a little. Maybe she could lay her head back and drift off. Adrenaline had faded, draining her reserves.
She closed her eyes for at least an hour before the GPS told them to turn left. “Destination is on the right.”
Katherine’s heart skipped. In two hundred feet, a murderer might be waiting. Or the ticket to saving her nephew. Oh, God, it had to be there. Otherwise, she had nothing.
Caleb pulled his gun from the floorboard as he drove past the white two-story apartment building.
The GPS recalculated. “Make the next legal U-turn.”
He pressed Stop. “We better not risk walking in the front door. We don’t know who might be waiting on the other side.”
Good point. “There’s a back stairwell. We can go through the kitchen entrance.”
Even long past midnight on a weekday, the streets and sidewalks teamed with college students milling around. Activity buzzed as groups of twos and threes crisscrossed the road into the night. Music thumped from backyards. Lights were strung outside. It would be easy to blend into this environment.