Way Out West (15 page)

Callie just sat there,
staring at the ground. Should she believe what she’d just heard? Tyler was certainly far from honest, yet why would he make up a story like that? And he
seemed so sure that she already knew.

If what he said was
true, it explained a lot about Rand. His frequent visits, his popularity in
town, Becky’s and the Sheriff’s loyalty. Most of all it explained his pride in
everything about the town. How could she have been so blind?

“Are you gonna get over
here or do I have to drag you by that pretty blond hair?”

She looked in Tyler’s direction and remembered how Rand had stared him down in the saloon.

Rand, honey, if you
can call his bluff, so can I. And if I get out of this alive, you’ve got a lot
of explaining to do.

* * *

The stallion breathed
hard as Rand pushed him the three miles into town. It was just after noon and
he was pleased with all he’d accomplished in the short time he’d been gone. Rand now had to find out Tyler Thornton’s role in this scheme.

Slowing his horse as
they reached town, he trotted straight over to the saloon. He burst in, surprising
poor Smitty who nearly dropped the glass he’d been wiping.

“Smitty, where’s Miss
Callie?”

“Don’t know, Rand. I haven’t seen her this morning. Say, what happened to your mustache?”

“It got in the way.” He
looked around. “Anyone about?”

Smitty nodded. “Becky’s
in her office.”

Rand
walked briskly over to the door and knocked,
entering before she could answer. “Becky, where’s Callie?”

Becky looked him up and
down, taking in his changed appearance. Finally, she muttered. “Haven’t seen
her. I assume she’s still in bed. What happened to your mustache?”

Without a word, he
turned and dashed up the stairs, two at a time, the rustle of Becky’s dress
close behind him.

“Rand, honey, you can’t
go up there.” She huffed in her hurry to keep up. “In case you haven’t noticed,
my girls work late hours. They deserve to sleep in.” Rand went immediately to
the second door. Shocked, Becky asked, “Hey, how did you know which room?”

Ignoring her, Rand opened it, took a step in and knew immediately Callie wasn’t there. The bed was
rumpled, her dress from the night before was still on a chair. He turned to
Becky and grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes opened wide, surprised by his
intensity.

“You haven’t seen her at
all today?”

“No. Rand, what’s
wrong?”

He let go of her
shoulders and hit the wall with his fist.
How could I be so stupid?
Turning, he headed out the door. He had to find her.

“Where are you going?”
Becky pleaded. “Will you please tell me what’s going on? Why isn’t she here?”

From the haze of
confusion enveloping his mind, only one thought focused. If Tyler had her, then
he had the advantage in this deal. He would use her as his wild card knowing
that Rand wouldn’t gamble with her life. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

Running from the saloon,
he went straight for his horse. Becky caught up just he mounted.

“Rand, I had no idea she
was missing. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I
shouldn’t have left her alone.”

“Where are you going?”

“To get Clayton to help.
I have a pretty good idea where I can find Tyler and, hopefully, Callie.”

Her face dropped. “I
think Clayton’s out rehearsing with the posse. He stopped by earlier asking
about Callie and I told him she was still in bed. I’m so sorry.”

Rand
nodded solemnly. “He was checking on her. I’d
sent word that Tyler was known to possess firearms.”

“Oh, Lord, Rand. You
have to find her.”

He rode quickly to the
Sheriff’s office and burst through the door of the empty room. “Clayton?” He
opened the door leading to the single jail cell. “Clayton?” Emotion caught in Rand’s throat. He was losing valuable time. Every moment lost added to Callie’s jeopardy.
He’d have to do it alone.

Rushing back into the
office, he went directly to the locked cabinet where Clayton kept the guns and
ammunition. Picking up a nearby chair, he aimed the hardwood legs at the
cabinet, smashing against the door with an angry force. The panel eventually
gave way, splintering into pieces. Rand reached in, opened the door, and
removed a handgun and bullets.

He strapped on a spare
holster and was about to leave when he spied a shiny tin badge on top of the
desk. Grabbing the star, he pinned it to his vest and was on his way.

Callie, honey, I’m
coming.

* * *

“Ha, ha! Yes, yes, yes.”
Tyler stood up from digging on his side of the ditch and danced a silly sort
of jig.

Callie leaned wearily on
her shovel. “What? What is it?”

“It’s my gold mine,
baby.”

She looked down where he
had been digging and saw he had uncovered something black. It looked like a big
fat wire. How could a wire be a gold mine?

“I don’t get it,” she
said, wiping her perspiring brow.

“You don’t need to get
it. You just help me with this equipment and Kyle will take care of the rest.”

Kyle? Was his brother
coming here? If she’d had any hopes of escaping this lunatic, adding his crazy
brother to the scene would pretty much dash them.

Tyler
went to the boxes he’d so carefully set aside
when they arrived. He patiently unwrapped the contents, peeling back layers of
bubble wrap, and lifted up some sort of instrument with connecting wires and
pads. It resembled the machine doctors used for electrocardiograms.

“What is that thing?”
she asked, beginning to question Tyler’s stability.

“This is our homing
pigeon.”

He made less and less
sense. But that could work to her advantage. While he was preoccupied with the
equipment and his discovery, maybe she could slip over to the horse for a
getaway.

But then, her record
with horses so far was zero. She looked around, searching for something she
could stand on, anything that would help her get on that horse.

Nothing. If she was going
to do it, she’d have to make a run for it and hope for the best. With her eye
on Tyler, who’d disappeared into the ditch, she backed away, inch by inch. She
carefully placed every step so as not to crack a twig, disturb a rock, or
stumble on a cactus.

She watched Tyler’s head bob up and down as he threw more shovels of dirt out of the ditch, mumbling
to himself with an occasional chuckle. Callie chanced a glance behind her. Only
a few more feet and she’d be at the horse.

Mapping in her mind how
she’d get on the beast, she knew the left side would be her best bet. Although
the right was the side hidden from Tyler, should he start shooting, she doubted
her awkward coordination could handle a mount from the right. No. She’d take
her chances with the left.

A couple more steps and
she heard the animal breathing behind her. This was it. She’d have to turn
fast, grab the reins, step into the stirrup and jump as high as she could.
Putting her foot back for the last step, she saw Tyler’s head pop up and look
around.

“Hey! What do you think
you’re doing?”

As though shot from a
cannon, she grabbed the reins and ducked around to the other side of the horse.
She fought with her long nightgown trying to lift her leg high enough to reach
the stirrup. When her boot slipped in, she grabbed the saddle horn with both
hands and pulled and pushed as hard as she could. She could hear Tyler’s heavy footfalls approaching fast.

As she finally got high
enough to swing her leg over the horse, a hand grabbed her foot on the other
side and held. She looked down to see the barrel of his gun aimed at her face.

“Now here I was starting
to think we understood each other. And what do you do? Try to run out on me
just when things were getting interesting. Don’t you want to see the thank you
gift we have for your boyfriend?”

“Please let me go. I
promise I won’t tell a soul what you’re doing. In fact, I don’t understand any
of it.”

His loud, menacing laugh
rang through the desert. Even the horse got spooked and backed up. Callie’s
mouth opened. Oh dear! How did she stop him from going backward?

Before she could think, Tyler pulled hard on her arm and she came sliding off the saddle right into his sweaty
chest and arms. His toothy grin mocked her foolish attempt.

“Don’t think I believe
that innocent act for a minute. I saw the two of you ride into town together.
You probably know everything about his businesses and all his little secrets.
Is this how the two of you get your kicks, playing dress up and acting out your
western fantasy? What gives? Are you working for him? Does he pay you to keep
him company?”

Before she could stop
herself, her hand came up and slapped his scruffy, ugly face. He grabbed her
hand and his mouth twisted into a nasty, twitching snarl.

“
That
is going to
cost you, bitch!”

Chapter Twelve

Clutching a fistful of
hair at the back of her head, Tyler half-dragged, half-pushed Callie to the
ditch, then turned her to face his offensive breath.

“You have been a thorn
in my side for the last three days, you and this stupid warped town. I’m sick
of washing with cold water, drinking warm brew, and choking on dust.”

She gasped as he shook
her head and tilted it back while he pressed his face even closer. She didn’t
like the way he looked at her mouth.

“And I’m real tired of
seeing you kiss up to that high and mighty Randall.”

Before Callie could
answer, Tyler covered her mouth with his. She tried pushing him away, but he
had her bent backwards and off balance. When he finally lifted his mouth, she
choked on the disgusting taste and feel of his humiliating kiss. With the back
of her hand, she wiped the lingering effect from her mouth while hatred boiled
inside her.

Tyler
snickered. “Now, you’re going to get in that
hole and do exactly as I tell you.” He gave her a shove and she stumbled into
the waist deep trench. With his gun trained on her, Tyler pulled a paper from
his pocket and began reading.

“Okay, take a red and
black connecting pad coming from the same cell and attach them to one side of
the cable. Use this.” He tossed her a roll of duct tape from the box near his
feet.

Still shaken by his
lecherous kiss, Callie blinked at the crazy contraption before her. She had no
idea what it was or what to do with it but she had to do as he said.

Reaching down, she sorted
out the wires attached to the pads and bent to follow the instructions he’d
read. She noticed some lettering on the buried cable and deciphered it as some
sort of communications cable. Recalling how Rand had explained the process of
obtaining spending money in town, she realized this must be the link between
the teller machine at the bank and the main office at the way station.

A sinking feeling
grabbed hold of her stomach. Tyler was trying to tap into the system. For
whatever reason he and his brother sought revenge, they had obviously gone to a
lot of trouble. And now she was helping them.
Rand
, forgive me.

She tore at the duct
tape, placing a patch on each pad and pressing them onto the cable after
brushing away the dirt.

“Okay, now take a red
and black pad from the second cell and attach them to the other side.”

Callie struggled with
the tape. Hunger, heat, and the enormity of what was happening all combined to
sap what little strength she had left. A tear spilled from her eye. How badly
would this hurt Rand? Was Way Out West just for his amusement or would his
entire business empire, however far it extended, crumble because she couldn’t
figure out how to stop this?

Would he hate her? For
that matter, did he love her?

That’s really what
bothered her the most. Without knowing his true identity, she’d come to love
this man who’d offered her a ride on his horse, who’d treated her like a lady.
The man who courted her like a gentleman.

No man had ever been so
kind, so giving, so understanding. He’d taken a dark, desperate moment of her
life and turned it into something beautiful. Way Out West had been a means for
her to earn a living and escape, but as it turned out, she didn’t even care if
she got paid. She only wanted to be with Rand.

If she got out of this
mess, it wouldn’t matter to her if he were rich, poor or in between; she’d love
him anyway.

“Hurry up!” Tyler yelled.

“I can’t tear the tape,”
she sniffled.

“Gimme.” He grabbed the
roll and tore off two pieces.

When he handed them to
her and she bent to attach them to the pads, one piece folded over onto itself.
She pulled to unstick it, then stopped. What if she didn’t unstick it? What if
it didn’t make a good connection? Maybe the contraption wouldn’t work the way
it was supposed to.

With her back to Tyler, she placed the tape on the pad, turning it under so it didn’t make a clean
connection. She finished the other pad and stood up.

“Is that it?” she asked,
her tone bristling with contempt.

“Yeah, I just need to
adjust these dials.”

“Can I get out?”

“No. You stay where I
can keep an eye on you.”

He fiddled with the
dials while reading the instructions. Then he set a small receiving device on
top of the box.

“I don’t get it,” she
said, hoping to distract him. “What does this do?”

He snorted. “If this
works right, my brother will be sitting in his living room at his computer,
downloading all the personnel files and records of the employees and guests of
Way Out West. He’ll have access to credit card numbers, bank accounts. You name
it. He’s a genius.”

“Seems to run in the
family,” she mumbled under her breath.

Tyler
flipped a switch and a light went on on the
machine. A low humming noise increased to a high pitch.

“Okay, here we go.” He
hit a button and waited. Frowning at the instrument panel, he looked back at
the instruction sheet. “This dial is supposed to move. What the...?”

Like an amateur
engineer, the moron banged the delicate machine. Still nothing happened. “Did
you do everything the way I said?” He looked from the paper to the cable
connections, then jumped in the hole to get a closer look.

Callie held her breath.
If he saw the folded tape, she was dead. She backed to the farthest corner of
the ditch, ready to make a run for it, though she knew she’d never get away.

“Aha,” he announced.
“This tape isn’t connected right. It got—“ He suddenly stopped and turned to
look at her cowering in the corner. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“No! Did what? I don’t
know what you’re talking about.” She had her hands on the banking behind her,
ready to use it for leverage if she had to jump out.

“You really think I’m
stupid don’t you? I’m not as smart as my brother, but I’m smart enough to know
when I’ve been had.” He stepped over the cable and approached her with his gun
drawn. “And I’ve had about as much as I’m gonna take from you.”

Callie saw the blackness
in his eyes and knew that he meant it. She thought about screaming but what
difference would it make? No one would hear. If he was going to kill her, she
might just as well close her eyes and accept it. If she were lucky, it’d be
quick and painless. She could think of a lot worse deaths than that.

She saw Tyler’s arm rise to take aim at her head. Closing her eyes, she prayed for it to be over.
But the only thing she could see in her mind was Rand, his handsome face
smiling, his black mustache turning up. Yes. She would meet her death thinking
of the man she loved.

The sound of pounding
horse hooves broke her concentration and apparently distracted Tyler. Endless seconds passed. The sound grew louder. Unable to resist, she finally opened
her eyes to see Tyler squinting against the sun, watching the advance of the
horse and rider.

Then the expression on
his face changed to a cynical smirk. He seemed pleased to see the rider.
Callie’s heart sank when, in slow motion, Tyler turned the gun away from her
and aimed it in the direction of the rider. Her gaze followed the gun until it
settled on Rand atop his big black stallion.

Or was it Rand? Gone was the black suit and hat. Gone was the black mustache. She wondered for a
moment if he were only a figment of her imagination. But as she stared hard at
the figure bent against the wind, she knew it in her heart. There was no
mistaking that build, those wide shoulders, the strong arms. As he got closer,
she noticed the determination in his dark eyes, eyes that had drawn her in with
their desire.

Now they held something
different. Fear. Hate.

Before she could cry out
to him, Callie froze at the sound of Tyler cocking the hammer. A scream caught
in her throat as she watched his finger gently squeeze the trigger. She’d
feared for her own life before, now she feared even more for Rand’s.

She couldn’t let him die
while she just stood there doing nothing. Adrenaline flowed. Blood rushed in
her ears. With all her strength, she threw herself against Tyler. “No-o-o!”

The gun went off as they
both fell against the banking. But even worse was the heavy thud she heard in
the distance as the stallion whinnied and ran off. Callie lifted her head from
behind Tyler to see Rand on the ground holding his knee and scrambling to get
behind a boulder. Tyler shot again, hitting the rock as Rand, dragging his leg,
disappeared behind it.

Crazed with the thrill
of the hunt, Tyler yelled, “Come on out you coward! Let me see that perfect
face of yours so I can put a bullet between your eyes.”

When he didn’t answer,
Callie thought the worst.  What if he couldn’t move? What if he was dead? It
was all her fault. He’d come to save her and she hadn’t been able to stop Tyler.

Suddenly, Tyler turned and grabbed her by the hair again. He dragged her up with him and held the
gun to her head.

“Hey, Randall! Maybe you
would rather I put a bullet in your girlfriend’s head. It’d be a shame to mess
up this pretty face, though. How much are you willing to gamble now?”

Rand
poked his head over the top of the boulder. His
gun, too, slowly appeared, ready to shoot.

“Tyler, you no-good
low-life, if you hurt one hair on her head, I swear I’ll tear you apart with my
bare hands.”

Tyler
laughed. “Whoa, that’s real scary talk coming
from a stiff-shirt, sit-behind-the-desk executive like yourself. You’re
starting to believe this tough western stuff aren’t you?”

“Try me,” Rand provoked, taking aim through the gun site.

Tyler
pulled Callie closer. “Nah. I’d rather try your
girlfriend.” His fingers lifted some strands of hair, letting them fall
delicately. “This sure is beautiful hair, Randall.”

Somewhere inside Callie
something snapped. He’d taken the liberty of manhandling her. He’d insulted
her. He’d forced her to do things against her will. But she was not going to be
treated like some kind of merchandise any more. She’d had enough of that from
enough men in her life.

 She took a breath,
gathered her strength and shoved upward against his arm that held the gun. As
soon as his hand went up, she heard a loud bang and the splintering sound of a
bullet hitting its target. Tyler fell to his knees, yelping in pain, his bloody
hand held out in front of him.

She scrambled from the
ditch and retrieved the lost gun, turning it on Tyler.

He choked out a mocking
laugh. “You can’t even ride a horse. You expect me to believe you know how to
shoot a gun?”

Hatred pumped rapidly
through her veins. This venomous man had abused her verbally and physically for
the last time.

“No, but I can have fun
learning. And you’ll be my target practice.” She raised the gun with two
shaking hands. The slick piece of steel weighed heavy in her sweaty palms.

“Callie! No!” Rand’s voice called in the distance. “Callie, listen to me. He’s not worth it.”

Tears blurred her vision,
but she didn’t take her eyes off Tyler. “No, he’s not worth it,” she yelled.
“That’s why I’ll be doing society a favor by getting rid of him.”

“Callie, please. Look at
me. I came here to get you because I love you. I don’t want to spend the rest
of my life loving you from the other side of a jail cell.”

A sickening sound
gurgled in Tyler’s throat. “How touching,” he remarked and spat on the ground.

“Shut up!” she shouted.

Her thoughts became
jumbled. Killing Tyler would quell her thirst for revenge, but Rand’s desperate words rang true. What good would it do to kill him and lose her freedom?
And Rand loved her! He’d said it. Up till now, she’d only hoped it could be
true. Despite his changed appearance, could this be the real Rand? The one that
she would love no matter what?

“I need you, Callie. Please
drop the gun and come here.” Rand’s voice strained with emotion. And pain. “I
need you.”

She finally turned to
look at Rand. He’d crawled out from behind the rock, his gun still aimed at Tyler. He’d shot the creep in the hand, and Callie knew he’d shoot again if Tyler made a move. She felt safe. What’s more, she felt loved.

She lowered the gun and
ran to Rand. The lines of his face were etched with pain. His knee was torn and
covered in blood. A lump stuck in her throat. He’d been shot, and here he was
being the strong one, trying to calm her down.

“Oh, Rand.” Dropping the
gun, she clutched his head to her chest as she knelt beside him. “What have I
done?”

“You didn’t do anything,
sweetheart. This was my fault. I never should have left you.” He gasped for
breath. “Take my shirt and tie it tightly above the knee to slow the blood.”

She quickly removed his
vest and brushed her hand across the tin star. “When did you become a deputy?”