by B. J Daniels
“Calm down. We aren’t going to hurt you.” Alexis recognized his voice and heard the lie. Deputy Terry Cline was one of the sheriff’s thugs who did his dirty work.
But he was right. She needed to calm down. She was panicking, her heart pounding so hard it made her chest ache as she gasped for each breath. Taking shallower breaths, she tried to compose herself and think. Panic did her no good. She had to keep her head. If they were arresting her, they would have cuffed her and taken her down to a patrol car. Instead...
It was the instead that made her heart hammer even harder. She felt herself being lifted roughly and thrown over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes as she was carried down the hill. She could hear Cline breathing hard. There was another man, the one who’d taken her gun. He was busting through the woods behind them. Both men appeared to be in a hurry, making her wonder about the other two men she’d seen. Deputies who weren’t taking questionable orders from Sheriff Garwood?
As Cline came to a stop, she heard a vehicle door being opened, then a sliding door like on an SUV or a van. He dumped her unceremoniously into the back and slid the door closed. She wriggled around trying to free herself until she was breathing hard again and stopped herself. She could hear the two of them climb into the front. The engine started, and the vehicle began to move.
Where were they taking her? What about Culhane? Jana? She listened, but she couldn’t hear anyone else in the back with her.
Bound, wrapped tight and sheathed in darkness under the heavy fabric, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. If they were going to kill her, they would have already. Instead they were taking her somewhere. To keep her out of the way? Or were they taking her to someone?
She tried to get a hand free, but she was bound too tightly. At least she had to try to push the fabric away from her face. She had about the same amount of luck. What if she could bite a hole in it? She leaned back, trying to stretch the fabric out some. Finally she was able to get some between her teeth. She began to work at it, all the time not letting herself believe that the worst had happened to Culhane. If he were dead, she assured herself, she would feel it. Her heart would know. It would break. He had to be alive. But for how long?
The vehicle bumped down the road and finally onto the interstate. She tried to keep track of the length of time it took before they slowed and turned off, even though she felt sick to her stomach. A turn to the left, then another to the left, then one to the right and another to the left.
She had managed to get a small hole into the heavy fabric as the vehicle came to a stop. The engine shut down. Both men climbed out, and an instant later, the side door slid open and she felt hands grab her and lift her out. They carried her into a building and down some steps.
As she was dropped on what felt like a mattress, she caught the smell of fresh paint and sawdust. She lay perfectly still, listening. One of them was still in the room with her. She didn’t dare breathe for fear of what might happen next. She’d never felt more vulnerable, bound the way she was.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and jerked away.
“We aren’t going to hurt you,” Cline said again, making it sound even more like the lie that it was.
She said nothing, knowing that asking about Culhane would be a waste of her time. Just as would asking what they planned to do with her. She didn’t want to believe that Garwood had gone from insurance fraud to kidnapping. Murder wasn’t that far off, she feared. But knowing what he had to lose if the truth came out, she hoped he hadn’t reached that point yet.
“Leave her be,” said a male voice from another room. Deputy Dick Furu, of course.
She said nothing as she listened to Cline’s retreating footfalls. She heard him close and lock the door. She waited until she heard him move away from the door before she began struggling with renewed effort to get free of her restraints.
* * *
CULHANE HELD THE necklace out as he took another step down the mountainside, then another. The falling snow and the deepening shadows of the late afternoon made it hard to read Jana’s expression. She was having a hard time holding the gun in her hand steady.
He dropped the necklace into the snow at his feet. Jana’s gaze followed it to the ground—just as he’d hoped. He moved swiftly, wrenching the gun from her hand and grabbing her around the back, before picking up the necklace from the ground and pocketing it again.
She started to scream, but he quickly covered her mouth. The deputies would be following the sound of the gunshot. They could be on them at any moment. He had to get her out of here, but going anywhere near the cabin would only get them caught. He had to keep Jana quiet. She really thought these men were here to save her.
He stuffed a glove into her mouth and held her down until he could get the supplies he brought from the backpack. As a deputy, he had experience with cuffing squirming perps. Within seconds, he had plastic cuffs binding her wrists behind her. He put duct tape over the glove already in her mouth and jerked her to her feet. Her eyes were wild with fear and anger, but damned if he was going to let her be killed.
Spotting an animal trail below them, he quickly took it and headed higher up into the mountains. Jana fought him, refusing to move, so he flung her over his shoulder and headed up the trail. He could see a rock cliff ahead with an overhang where they could get out of the snow. With luck they would have a view of the cabin below.
He climbed quickly even with the weight of his ex-wife on his shoulder. Below he thought he heard a door slam and movement at the cabin. As he reached the cliff and the rock overhang, he stopped and set her down.
Through the pines, he caught sight of two sheriff’s deputies far below them. They’d come out of the cabin and were looking around. One of them was on his phone. He could hear their voices but not what they were saying. He’d expected this trap would involve only Deputies Cline and Furu. But he didn’t recognize these two deputies.
With luck, Alexis had gotten away, he thought as he forced Jana to sit in a spot where she couldn’t run from him. He had no idea what he was going to do with her. Just keep her alive was his only plan right now, while they waited out the deputies on the mountain below them.
He’d been sitting under the rock ledge high on the mountain for some time when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly checked it, hoping it would be Alexis.
With a groan, he saw it was Sheriff Willy Garwood.
He stared at it, debating whether or not to take it. The fact that Garwood was calling wasn’t good news. He felt his stomach roil, fearing what this was about. Garwood wouldn’t be calling unless they had Alexis.
He hit Accept and took a calming breath. Saying nothing, he waited.
“Culhane? You there?”
He didn’t answer.
Garwood didn’t need him to, apparently. “I think we should meet and talk.”
“Talk?” he scoffed. “I’ll do my talking before a court of law, thanks.”
“I think that might be a mistake on your part. Your ass is in a sling, son. I’m just trying to help you.”
“I don’t need your kind of help.”
“I guess it depends on how much you care about your girlfriend. Not to be confused with your wife.”
The words hit him like fists, one after the other. The man had Alexis—just as he suspected. But he had Jana. Garwood had apparently thought that Jana had gotten away. He looked over at his former wife. Didn’t she realize her days were numbered if she kept making deals with this man? Apparently not.
But Alexis...
“Listen, Garwood—”
“It’s Sheriff Garwood to you.”
“I’m betting that Alexis isn’t in your nice, warm jail right now. I’m betting that you’ve crossed yet another line and stooped to kidnapping.”
“For a man about to be arrested for murder, I wouldn’t throw stones, if I were you.�
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Culhane gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt. Garwood thought he had him boxed in, but below him on the mountainside he could see the deputies packing it in. Which explained why he was calling. The sheriff wanted to know where he was and why he hadn’t been caught in the net.
But Alexis hadn’t been so lucky.
He held the phone in a death grip and said nothing because he didn’t want Garwood to know that he was shaking in his boots. If the sheriff hurt a hair on her head, he’d kill him with his bare hands.
But he held his tongue. The last thing he needed to give Garwood was affirmation of his feelings for Alexis.
“I just thought you might want to know how she is. Things are going so badly for you, I’d hate to see anything else happen.”
It would be dark soon. The only thing that kept the sky light was the white of the falling snow. “What do you want?”
Silence. Then slowly, “Jana Redfield Travis is wanted as a material witness. I guess I was wrong about you killing her before, but now...”
“You know damned well I didn’t kill her.”
“Really? I’m not sure anyone will believe that if she’s found dead. With this storm moving in, I hope she’s somewhere safe.”
He thought about telling him but changed his mind. All it would take was one phone call to the deputies that were leaving and they’d be back searching not just for him—but also for Jana. Garwood was hoping she had gotten away and would freeze to death up here in the mountains. She might have if he hadn’t hogtied her and brought her with him. “I asked what you want.”
“I want the necklace.”
Of course he did. Apparently that was the deal he’d made with Jana. She was to give the necklace to him. “What necklace would that be?”
“Stop playing games. Are you telling me that you didn’t get it from Jana?” He wasn’t telling him anything, he thought. He said nothing as he waited.
“Neither of us have the time to debate this. Also, I’m not sure whoever took your girlfriend will be able to keep her alive that long. So if you don’t have the necklace, then I guess we don’t have anything to trade. What a shame for your girlfriend, though.”
Culhane swore silently, the threat making him ache inside. He had never felt this kind of fury. This man had Alex. This man had the woman he loved. The woman who was now carrying his child.
“I have the necklace,” he said through gritted teeth and hated the relief he heard in the sheriff’s voice.
“Well, then, I could put a couple of my boys on it to see if they could find Alexis before it’s too late,” the sheriff offered.
“You mean your deputies or your boys?”
“Listen, Culhane, you aren’t in a position of strength here. I’d watch your mouth if I were you. Isn’t that why I fired you?”
“No, you fired me because you’re a crooked cop, and I caught you at it.” Silence. He thought for a moment that he’d gone too far. But Garwood was wrong about one thing. He was in a position of power. The sheriff needed Jana. He needed the necklace. Just not as badly as Culhane needed Alexis, but he was hoping Garwood didn’t know that.
“As I was saying,” the sheriff began again, “I might be able to find her, and maybe we could make a trade. But part of the deal is that you drop the lawsuit. I want to see it in tomorrow’s newspaper.”
Culhane said nothing even as his heart pleaded for him to speak. The deputy vehicles were all gone.
Make the deal. Get Alexis back before they hurt her. Just the thought had him shaking inside. But he knew that even if he agreed to the deal, he couldn’t depend on Garwood to uphold his end. He made an oath. He would bring Garwood down or die trying.
But right now, he had to get Alexis back.
“Why would I make a deal like that?” he asked finally. “So you can kill Alexis and continue framing me? I don’t think so.”
“You don’t care about your girlfriend.”
Alexis was all he cared about. Which made him vulnerable. Garwood had to suspect that.
“I should have told you. I am recording this conversation. I think the judge will find it interesting, don’t you, Garwood? Especially if anything happens to Alexis. Do you know what happens to cops who end up in prison? Best make sure your boys don’t hurt her. Otherwise, you’re screwed.” He laughed and disconnected.
For a moment, he couldn’t catch his breath. He’d just taken a huge gamble, one that could cost Alexis her life—and the baby’s. He leaned over, feeling light-headed. He thought he might throw up. Had he overplayed his hand? Garwood was so arrogant he might think he could still get away with killing her.
He turned to look at Jana. She was glaring daggers at him from where he’d forced her to sit back under the overhang of the rocks. She’d heard the whole conversation. She knew how much he cared about Alexis. He shook his head that after everything she could be jealous.
“Come on,” he said, seeing that she was shivering from the cold. He was shaking, too, but from anger and fear. He pulled her to her feet.
The first thing she did was make a run for it, and she tripped and fell face-first into the snow. He went after her, hauled her up and sighed.
Somehow, he got her off the mountain and into his pickup. Seriously, now what was he going to do with her?
He started the engine and prayed that Alexis was somewhere warm and safe and that he would get her back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ALEXIS WORKED A hole into the thick, itchy fabric, widening it with her chin until she could breathe. She lay back, sucking in the fresh air, before trying to force her head through the opening. The fabric tore, and she shoved her head out and managed to push herself into a sitting position, her back against the wall.
Looking around, she took in her surroundings. She was in a room without any furnishings other than the mattress under her. Through a small window over her head, she could barely make out the lower part of a tree in darkness outside. Basement, just as she’d thought. There was nothing on the white walls. Her guess was that it was a new house that was still in the construction stage and she was in a basement bedroom. Earlier, she’d thought that she smelled fresh sawdust. Other than that, she had no idea where she was or how much time had passed.
Sitting there, she listened but heard nothing at first except the lower murmur of voices in the next room. At the sound of footfalls headed her way, she quickly ducked herself back into the fabric and rolled over on her side on the mattress, her back to the door.
She heard the door open. Holding her breath, she listened, knowing whoever was in the doorway was also listening. Then the door slowly closed. She heard it click shut but didn’t move until she heard it being locked again.
“I think she’s asleep,” Deputy Terrance Cline said just outside the door. “How long do we have to stay here with her?” A mumbled response and then, “If it’s going to be all night, then I’m getting some sleep.”
She sat up again, coming up through the hole. As she tried to force her shoulders through the fabric, she could feel the straps binding her arms at her side slip a little. If she could just wriggle out...
But then what? She lay in the darkness. Her struggles to free herself and the past two days were taking their toll, but now that she could breathe freely, she felt better. She fought her bindings a while longer, before exhaustion got the better of her.
* * *
CULHANE HAD GOTTEN away, but now he didn’t know where to go. Garwood had Alexis. He thought about the faux-gem necklace. Garwood needed it—just as he needed Jana. Because of that, he wouldn’t hurt Alexis.
Unless it was already too late.
When his phone rang, he felt his heart bump against his ribs. Garwood with another deal? He’d half hoped it would be. He was ready to take any deal just to get Alexis back. He needed to hear her voice. He desperately needed to know that she was alive.
He tried to hide his disappointment as he took the call. “Al?”
“I’ve got something. Not sure how much it might help. I kept wondering how Jana had gotten involved in all this and why the burglaries were happening in broad daylight. Jana was a housekeeper up at Big Sky. She had the run of a lot of expensive houses.”
What a gold mine for a kleptomaniac, Culhane thought, wondering what else she’d taken. Knickknacks, things that hadn’t been missed? There were just two things he needed to know. “Did she work for Atwater? And do you still have that soundproof music room in your house?”
Forty minutes later, Culhane was on his way to Big Sky sans Jana. She was locked in Al’s music room.
The drive up the Gallatin Canyon to Big Sky took longer because of the winter traffic. He remembered a time when it hadn’t been this busy. But that was before the ski resorts became so popular and the town grew and more people built homes and condos in the shadow of Lone Peak.
He’d found Atwater’s address on his phone. The problem was the Atwaters lived in an exclusive, gated community—much like Lost Sunset Ranch. Culhane drove up the paved road and stopped at the guard gate. Only one guard came out as if they’d recognized the faded Cardwell Ranch printed on the side of the pickup. Everyone in Big Sky knew Dana Cardwell Savage and the former marshal, Hud Savage.
“Who are you here to see?” the guard asked and checked the clipboard in his hands.
“Mr. Atwater, but he isn’t expecting me. I found something of his that I believe belongs to his wife.” The guard looked at him quizzically. “My name’s Culhane Travis.”
Culhane watched the guard go back into the booth and make the call. It was late. Snow drifted down through the darkness, the flakes like fairy lights in the glow of the guard station. He felt the darkness and cold soul-deep, his emotions swinging from an aching fear for Alexis to a murderous rage toward Garwood. He’d gotten into law enforcement because, like Alexis, he’d believed in right and wrong. Justice, he’d known, was much more elusive, but it was something to strive for. Working for Garwood, he’d become disillusioned. He couldn’t see himself ever going back to it.
