Last Stand in Texas

by Robin Perini

  The city hall clock chimed eleven like an alarm sounding a warning. Faith rubbed her face with her hands. The key to the front door of the library burned in her pocket. She’d taken it from Mrs. Hargraves’s desk. The betrayal ate at her, but she couldn’t ask Zoe to sleep outside again. They’d been lucky last night, but more thunderstorms were coming in from the east.

  They could leave and sneak in after her boss closed up then be gone around daylight. The food she’d packed might last a few days.

  Only one problem left. Giving in to Ray, or tucking her tail between her legs and asking Léon to help.

  Zoe hopped from behind a tree and ran across the sidewalk at full speed, skidding on her sneakers to a halt. She knelt down on the sidewalk in front of Faith, drew a hopscotch board with chalk, then grabbed one of her polished rocks from her knapsack.

  “Wanna play, Mom?” she asked.

  “In a minute, Slugger.”

  Zoe sidled up to her mother. “What’s wrong?”

  Faith clung to her daughter, the warmth of her small body filling her with comfort and hope. “It’ll be fine. You play one round, and I’ll join you.”

  Zoe bounced over to the game and slid the rock along the concrete.

  The library’s front door opened. Mrs. Hargraves stepped out and peered around before catching sight of Faith tucked behind the tree. She made her way down the library steps and over to them. “You’re looking worried.”

  Faith chewed on her lip. “We have to leave.”

  “He found you?” the librarian asked, her eyes dark with concern.

  Faith nodded.

  “Then why aren’t you already gone?” Her boss’s eyes widened with realization. “Your car?”

  “It’s complicated.” She watched Zoe jump through her hopscotch board. Faith sent the older woman a sidelong glance. “Léon offered to help me. I turned him down.”

  “Why would you do a fool thing like that, girl?”

  The incredulity in Mrs. Hargraves’s voice would’ve made Faith smile if she’d had it in her. “I don’t know him. No one offers a handout without wanting something in return. And you know what I mean.”

  Her boss plopped down on the planter next to Faith and crossed one boot over the other. “Ninety percent of the time, you’re probably right. If you’re talking about Ray the auto-moron, you’re definitely right. That boy was a problem from the time he was three. I kicked him out of the library permanently when he turned thirteen. Selling joints between the stacks.” Mrs. Hargraves huffed in disgust, snagged a stone from the ground and flicked it into the adjacent rock garden. “Léon is different. He wouldn’t have told you this, but he works with those boys out on the old Triple C Ranch. They’ve accomplished more than one miracle. If I was in bad trouble and needed someone...special, I’d call them up.”

  “I don’t like relying on other people,” Faith admitted. “I’ve been burned every time.”

  “At least you divorced him, honey. I had to wait for mine to die on me.” Mrs. Hargraves winked.

  Faith couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s a story you haven’t told me.”

  “Oh, it’s not worth telling. He was an SOB and I married him because I was a ninny of nineteen.” The librarian stood up, her spine stiff. “Call Léon.”

  She rounded the front of the library before freezing, her gaze pinned toward Main Street. “Faith, you said you turned Léon down?”

  She nodded.

  “I don’t think he listened.”

  Faith peeked out from behind the tree. Mrs. Hargraves pointed down the street.

  Her hunk-of-junk car headed their way with Léon at the wheel. He pulled in front of the library and stepped out of the vehicle. Ray followed in a large SUV. He parked behind Faith’s car and without a word, hightailed in the direction of his garage at full speed, noticeably panicked.

  Zoe ran over to Léon. “Our car! Look, Mom. He brought it back.”

  Faith’s mouth opened wide. She didn’t know what to say.

  He ruffled Zoe’s hair and strode up to Faith. “We need to talk.” He handed her the keys and glanced down at Zoe. “In private.”

  Mind spinning, Faith gave a quick nod.

  “I’ll watch her, dear,” the older woman said. “In fact, I may join her. You go inside to my office. And be nice. He’s a good boy.”

  He arched his brow at Mrs. Hargraves, but she simply laughed. “You be nice, too, Léon. She’s had a rough morning.”

  Side by side, they walked into the library and headed to her boss’s office.

  “I don’t understand,” she said once she’d closed them inside the small room. “How did you get my car? It was undrivable.”

  “Ray fixed it in thirty minutes. He’s no longer an issue.”

  Faith sank into the chair in front of Mrs. Hargraves’s desk. They could leave, if only for one thing.

  “Did Ray give you anything else?” she asked in a hesitant voice.

  “You mean your $10,000 deal?” Léon hitched his hip on the desk. “That’s a bit of a problem. His business partner wanted double or you wouldn’t get the IDs, and I’ve got to be honest, I doubt they’d pass for authentic.”

  Faith twisted her hands in her lap, denial running through her. “This can’t be happening.” She wrapped her arms around her body and rocked back and forth, her mind awhirl.

  “Am I safe in assuming you don’t have the money?”

  With a sarcastic laugh she pulled a few crumpled bills from her back pocket. “This is it. One hundred bucks. That’s all I have. Ray might as well want a million.”

  Léon plucked Mrs. Hargraves’s chair from behind her desk and sat across from Faith. “Why do you and Zoe need new identities?

  The keys dug into Faith’s palm. She shook her head.

  He took her hands in his and squeezed her chilled fingers. “Who are you running from, Faith?”

  “You don’t understand. His family is too powerful. We have no choice but to disappear.”

  “I may have a solution—”

  She shook her head side to side. She couldn’t listen. “We can’t stay. He knows where we are. He trashed our place last night. I’ll have to find another place to hide until I can raise the money. Maybe if I were closer to Mexico, I could find someone—”

  “Take this.” Léon released her hands and pulled out a thick folded envelope from his pocket. “You’re making a mistake, but here’s your $10,000.” He pressed it into her hand.

  She opened the envelope and peeked inside. “I don’t understand.”

  He shrugged. “Ray realized he wasn’t doing the right thing.”

  She slapped her hand to her mouth. Her eyes glistened. “I don’t think you could possibly know what this means. You’ve saved our lives.”

  Impulsively, she leaned over and hugged him. “Thank you. Again.”

  For a moment he stiffened against her, before folding his arms around her. She’d meant the embrace to be a quick thank-you. Faith didn’t expect the warmth that seeped through her body as he held her.

  He bent his head to her ear. “Let me help you.”

  The breath behind his soft words tickled her ear. Her heart thudded against her chest in an anticipation she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

  “You’ve done enough.” She eased away from him. “You’ve given us hope.”

  “Stop! Leave her alone!” Mrs. Hargraves shouted.

  Faith’s eyes widened. She sprinted to the library door, and Léon raced past her in a full-on run. He slammed the heavy oak open. Faith stared in horror at the street.

  An old Cadillac idled half on, half off the sidewalk. Mrs. Hargraves lay sprawled on the concrete, struggling to get up. A bald man held Zoe in his arms next to the vehicle. Her daughter fought like hell against him, kicking and screaming.

  “Stop!” she shout
ed. “Zoe!”

  Léon sprinted down the steps, but before he could reach Zoe, the man shoved her into the back seat of the car and dove into the vehicle. Zoe fought to open the door, but he must’ve locked it. She pounded her fists against the glass, but no sound penetrated.

  With a shout, Léon vaulted onto the hood and reached around to the driver’s side. The guy twisted the steering wheel hard. Léon grabbed on. The car swerved again. He flew off and skidded across the asphalt.

  Faith raced at the vehicle, but it was no use. The Cadillac sped away.

  Her knees shook. Panting, she bent over and stared down the road. This couldn’t be happening.

  Zoe’s panicked face peered through the back window.

  And just like that, her daughter was gone.

  Chapter Four

  Tar and rock pressed into Stefan’s palms. A wild screech sounded and the Cadillac disappeared around the first corner. He heaved to his feet, and without hesitation, sprinted to his SUV.

  “Are you okay?” Faith rushed over, meeting him at the vehicle.

  He’d love to slam his fist into the jaw of that bald-headed kidnapper. He couldn’t believe he’d been too late. Again.

  This time, though—unlike the Jennings family—he had a chance to save Zoe. He yanked open the car’s door and cranked the key. Faith jumped into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt.

  He didn’t try to argue. If Zoe were his, he’d have done the same thing.

  “They’ll be heading out of town.” Stefan gunned the accelerator and swerved around the corner. “Where’s he taking her?”

  “Dallas,” Faith said, her voice thick with unshed emotion. “That man was following us yesterday. His name is Jerry. I think he works for my ex-husband.”

  “Zoe’s father?” A flood of curses coursed through Stefan’s head.

  “It’s not what you think,” she rushed out.

  A man who’d pay a thug to terrify his child didn’t win any Father of the Year awards. Stefan would figure it out later. First things first. He had to get Zoe back.

  He headed east, but the car wasn’t visible. He had a fifty-fifty chance and needed to up the odds. Stefan grabbed his phone and dialed.

  In one ring he received an answer through his earpiece.

  “Sheriff Blake Redmond.”

  “It’s Léon.” He quickly gave Blake a sitrep. “Best guess is the kidnapper’s headed to Dallas. Can your deputies cut off his exit routes?”

  “Cops?” she whispered, clutching his arm.

  “We don’t have a choice,” Stefan mouthed. He hit the outskirts of Carder and floored the accelerator. The SUV zipped down the narrow road, the flat brush whizzing past. “I’m headed that way now.”

  “I don’t have enough cars to cover all the roads,” Blake said. “I bet he’ll take Highway 113 to 67, unless he knows the area.”

  The squawk of a radio shrieked through the phone. “Deputy Smithson’s patrolling west of town. I’ll head your way.” Blake shouted instructions to inform the other deputies of the situation. Drawers and cabinets slammed. “What’s he driving?”

  Stefan provided the make and model of the car and a description of the perp. “Plates were splattered with mud,” he said. “Contact CTC for a chopper and some men. They’ll give us more eyes surrounding Carder. And can you patch me through to Smithson? I’ve got an idea if he’s not too far from Old Mine Road.”

  “I like the way you think,” Blake said.

  A few clicks signaled the call forward. Stefan glanced at Faith through the corner of his eye. She’d leaned forward in her seat and gripped the dashboard, straining as if ready to catapult through the window.

  “Where is she?” Faith bit her lip, her eyes lined with worry.

  “Not far.” If the guy hadn’t doubled back. Stefan couldn’t push the car any faster. “Is Jerry from Dallas?”

  “He was a bouncer at a bar in Weatherford.”

  “Which means he won’t know the shortcuts.” They had a chance.

  “Léon, what do you need?” The deputy’s voice came through Stefan’s earpiece.

  “A roadblock across 113. I want to force the guy onto Old Mine Road.”

  “The arroyo will box him in.” Sirens sounded through the phone. “How far ahead is he?”

  “I’m doing ninety. He had about four minutes on us.”

  “I’ll set up at the fork on 113. You know it?”

  “Perfect.” Stefan yanked the steering wheel onto a dirt road. Six-foot-tall rows of sorghum nearly ready for harvest lined the route.

  Faith bounced in the seat. “What are you doing? He wouldn’t have gone this way.”

  “Trust me. It’s a shortcut.”

  “What if you’re wrong?” Faith gripped the armrest. “What if he didn’t come this way?”

  “There aren’t that many ways leading out of Carder.” Stefan winced at his reassurance. He’d made mistakes before, but this could be their only shot.

  Within a few minutes a sheriff’s office SUV, lights flashing, appeared on the horizon behind them.

  “It’s taking too long.” Faith searched the horizon around them. Dirt flew from the rear wheels.

  “If Jerry’s taken the fastest way to Dallas, he’ll go through San Angelo. Deputy Smithson’s car will block the road just a few miles as the crow flies. We’ll get him.”

  Stefan’s phone rang.

  “Cadillac in sight,” the deputy said. “He’s slowing down.”

  “Almost there,” Stefan whispered.

  “He turned, Léon.”

  Stefan made a quick right. Deep arroyos lined one side of Old Mine Road. He had to be smart about this. Zoe was in that car. He planted his truck in the center of the narrow road. Like clockwork, over a small rise, the Cadillac sped toward him.

  Faith gasped. “You were right.”

  The car heading straight at them didn’t swerve. Stefan braced himself, his foot hovered over the gas pedal.

  The kidnapper veered at the last minute away from the deep ditch. His vehicle skidded across the dirt and into the brush before shuddering to a halt.

  Stefan didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a rifle from the back seat and rushed to the driver’s side. He aimed at the guy’s head. “Hands on the steering wheel,” he shouted. “Use your elbow to roll down the window and unlock the doors. Don’t try anything.” He tapped the windshield with the barrel. “I won’t miss.”

  Jerry’s hands quaked as he complied. Still holding his weapon on the man, Stefan opened the back door. “Go to your mom, Zoe.”

  The little girl sprinted, arms pumping as hard as they could, to Faith. She hugged her daughter and ran her hands up and down the girl. “Are you okay?”

  Zoe wrapped her arms around her mother and nodded.

  Certain they were safe, Stefan studied his prisoner. Hired hand at best. He yanked the door and it bounced open. “Who ordered you to take the girl? Was it her father?”

  “I can’t.” The man shook his head. “He’ll kill me.”

  Flashing lights screamed toward them. Stefan cursed. He wanted the guy’s name, and he didn’t have confidence Faith would tell him. Come to think of it, he didn’t even know Faith and Zoe’s last name.

  The realization conjured a twinge of admiration. She’d been more than careful. Faith had shown herself to be smart and savvy. More so than he’d given her credit for.

  Deputy Smithson limped over and cuffed Jerry. The guy glared at Faith. “It won’t matter,” he shouted at her. “We’re both dead anyway.”

  “Not yet, I’m not,” Faith countered, positioning herself in front of Zoe. “And I don’t plan on giving you or him the satisfaction.”

  Stefan strode over to her. “Take Zoe to the truck,” he said with a tilt of his head. “I’ll deal with this guy.”

  Faith led her daughte
r away, and Stefan followed her with his gaze. He liked Faith. He liked how protective she was of Zoe. He liked her fighting spirit. He’d also learned a very important detail about the gravity of her situation: Faith’s ex-husband evoked real fear in a man who wasn’t exactly a lightweight. Stefan needed to get the truth out of Jerry—hopefully enough to arrest Faith’s ex.

  Before he could begin questioning his prisoner, Blake Redmond’s SUV rounded the curve and pulled to a stop near Stefan. He exited the vehicle. “Everyone okay?”

  “Zoe is fine. So is her mom. Unfortunately, our friend Jerry, no last name—” Stefan indicated the kidnapper “—doesn’t have a scratch on him.”

  Blake grabbed his phone and ordered the searchers and the CTC chopper to stand down. He pulled out his notebook. “I received a call from dispatch. Mrs. Hargraves is at the clinic. She’s doing well. Of course, she’s arguing with the doctor. She wants to go back to the library, but they’re keeping her for observation for a bump on the head.”

  “Sounds just like her. Faith will be relieved.”

  The sheriff tipped his Stetson back from his brow. “She know who did this?” He stared at Stefan’s vehicle where Faith and Zoe huddled in the back seat.

  Stefan didn’t blink. Blake was a straight-arrow kind of law officer, but he also understood about family, and justice.

  “Her ex.”

  “I hate custody disputes.” Blake’s forehead furrowed in concentration. “What’s your take?”

  “She’s got reason to be scared.” Stefan stroked his jaw. “Can you hold this guy without their statement? At least until I get the full picture.”

  Blake hooked his thumb in his belt loop near his badge. “I should take her in now. You know that.”

  From the tone in Blake’s voice, Stefan could tell he understood. CTC had worked with the sheriff before. He valued the law’s intent—and justice—more than the letter.

  “Give me a day or two, Blake. This is more than a straightforward custody battle. If I’m wrong, I’ll bring her to you myself.”