His dad called again.
“Dad, what is it?” Colton practically yelled at his father.
“Colton, we just got a call demanding money for a woman named Elsie. We told them we don’t know any Elsie’s, and they told us to call you.”
“Dad, she is very important. I’m assigned to keep her safe.”
Colton kept driving until he reached the ranch house. “What do they want?”
He ran up the porch steps as his father said, “They want fifty million dollars or they say they will kill her.”
How can this be happening? “Dad, I will call you back. I have to report this to my commander.”
The commander picked up after one ring.
“Sir, we have a problem. It looks like the men after the gold have turned to another source of money—my family.”
“What are you talking about, Colton?”
He relayed the latest. Colton sat down on the porch from pure physical exhaustion. He waited to see what his commander would do.
“Colton, I am going to run this upstairs and see what we have. I will get back to you in half an hour.”
Colton called his father back. “Hey, Dad, my commander is checking with his superiors to see what the government is going to do here.”
“Why is this happening, Colton? We are in the dark here.” His dad, Skip Reed, sounded frustrated.
“It’s on a need-to-know basis here, but what I can tell you is the military has been protecting three people from a crime that took place in the war years ago. These kidnappers were looking for a big pay out, and when they found out there wasn’t going to be one, they turned to you for money.”
“Why in the world would they think I would give them money for this person?” His dad was sounding more and more perplexed.
“I have a relationship with her. I was supposed to be protecting her, and if anything happens to her, I will never forgive myself.”
“Ah, now we are getting somewhere.” Skip sighed a big, satisfied sigh. Colton knew the wheels in his father’s head were turning. They had been trying to get him married for the last six years. Colton believed they might actually pay the fifty million if they thought Colton would end up married. He couldn’t help the wry smile that showed up on his face.
He loved his parents. His father was a good-looking man, and he’d always remained loyal to his mother. Sometimes he caught an expression of deep sadness on his dad’s face. Sometimes he’d heard his mother crying as he walked past her bedroom. He had tried as a child to intervene, but that only caused more animosity between them. That’s what had sealed his decision to never marry. If his parents couldn’t be happy, then what chance did he have?
Chapter 16
Elsie started coming out of the effects of the tranquilizer, but she kept perfectly still, her breathing even. The last thing she remembered was jogging down by the river.
Her hands and feet were tied, and she was on a bed in a room by herself. She could hear voices in the next room and didn’t know if she was under surveillance. The door opened, and a man came over and peered down at her. He walked back out, leaving the door ajar. “She is still under. Do you think the Reeds will pay?”
That’s Richard, she thought, recognizing his voice. Elsie strained to hear a second, unfamiliar voice.
“They will. I am not leaving here with nothing. I’ve had my eye on this payload for years.”
That man sounded dangerous. He seemed to be running things. If she could somehow identify him, the military would have their man. Elsie had complete confidence in the military’s ability to get her out of this. She knew they were working on it right now. She just hoped Colton wasn’t too worried about her.
Her face softened as she thought about him. She was sorry she’d left her room and put him into this horrible situation. His commander would be unhappy he hadn’t provided the proper protection for her.
She knew it was her fault, but the commander would not see it that way. She barely opened her eyes and looked around the side of the room she was facing. There were no cameras that she could see. She didn’t hear any city noises, so she must be in the country still, which was good. She might even be close to the ranch.
Carefully, Elsie started flexing her muscles, one appendage at a time. She knew she could get herself out of the zip ties they’d used. They had practiced this in training, and she was out in less than sixty seconds every time. But letting them think they had her could work to her advantage for now.
Mr. Robertson spoke. “I am not in favor of killing her. If they don’t come up with the money, we should just leave the country and start over.”
“See, your weakness is why I am running this operation and you are not. She will be able to identify us. If we don’t get the funds we need, I’ll punish them. I’ve a mind to use those explosives we brought. We will set off explosives in subways, business centers and hospitals before we leave this country. If I had the A-bomb, I would use it. And that beauty in the next room will be our life insurance until we are in the air, at which time I will gladly push her out.”
Elsie squeezed her hand into fists. This man was crazy.
At least Mr. Robertson didn’t want her dead. That fact helped her odds a lot. She couldn’t imagine that Richard wanted her dead either. Even if their friendship was a fraud, there had to be moments over the years when true feelings were exchanged. Elsie started an inventory of her options. If the military could not find them, then it was up to her to stop this man. What must Colton’s parents think? Would they cooperate? They had no idea who she was.
The man’s deranged voice grated on her nerves as he raved on and on. What he said didn’t lift her spirits either.
At 2 a.m. Elsie needed to sleep to maintain her strength. She went to her happy place, imagining being at the cabin with her grandfather. He flew kites, often lying on his back in the grass. She remembered one particular summer she had been frustrated, running around with the kite sailing behind her but never getting it into the air. She looked over and her grandpa was lying in the grass. His kite was far above his head in the sky, diving and swaying in the wind.
“How do you do that, Grandpa?”
“Come lie by me, Elsie, and I will let you take over.”
She took the kite string from him and felt the joy of accomplishment as she flew the kite on her own.
“I want you to remember this, Elsie. Each new generation of this family passes the baton to the next with confidence that they can do it.”
The warmth and security of her grandpa’s love filled her, and soon she was sound asleep.
Colton was waiting to hear from his commander when his phone rang. “Mom, did Dad tell you what is happening?”
“Of course he did, Colton.” His mother’s voice softened. “Your dad says she’s a good friend. Is that true?”
“Mom, please, this is not the time to have the marriage talk again!” Colton was completely exasperated.
“Colton, we are flying in to an executive airport close to you and then helicoptering to the ranch. Dad has been talking to Mr. Dugan, and it’s all arranged. We should be there within a couple hours. I hear there is a very nice spa there. No use just sitting around being nervous.” His mother told him she loved him and hung up.
“Well, this is just great!” Colton said out loud to himself. He hadn’t expected his parents to come up with the money—he certainly hadn’t expected them to fly in. What he had expected was his commander to come up with a plan to rescue Elsie with Colton in the vanguard.
His commander finally called. Colton found Henry and put the call on speaker as directed. “Okay, Mr. Dugan, Colton, we want to use this situation to our advantage. From what we have found out, this group has been involved in several terrorist plots. The organization gets its funding from the drug world. The men we have here do not have direct contact with the leader, but they say the Robertsons do. They must be getting desperate to try this kidnapping. Colton, how do your parents feel about getting involved in
this?”
“They are on their way here as we speak, sir. They should arrive before morning.”
The commander added, “We need to move fast.”
“They will call tomorrow to make arrangements to collect the money. They’ve threatened to kill Elsie Warner if they don’t get it.” Colton could barely say those words. They stuck in his throat and burned holes in his heart. The thought of Elsie under the power of those men raised his blood pressure to dangerous levels. Every muscle in his body was tense and ready to fight.
“We will be there tomorrow, 7 a.m.” His commander hung up.
“Don’t worry, Colton, they are going to find her.” Henry patted him on the shoulder. “She is smart and very talented. She has trained for times like this. She’ll be okay.” Henry looked at his tablet. “I finished the arrangements for your parents and for Chip and his wife to stay at the ranch. We have plenty of room; most of the guests have checked out.”
“What about Elsie’s parents, have they been notified?”
“Well, when Elsie went off to college, her parents took a trip to the Far East to help serve where the tsunami hit. They were killed when a building collapsed.”
“Her parents must have been amazing people.”
“I would imagine so, we just read about it in the papers. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked with Chip or his family. Mary and I are really looking forward to seeing them again. We hope your parents will be comfortable here as well.” Henry got up to leave.
“Thanks, Henry. One day I plan to return here and actually have a real vacation.” Colton smiled.
“I hope Elsie will be with you then.” Henry winked. “If so, your vacation will be on the house!”
“Man, you really are a matchmaker, Henry, and you don’t quit.” Colton laughed.
“Finding someone so suited for you is rare. You remind me so much of another couple we had here. Stet and AJ. They finally got together, and we got to attend their wedding. It was a happy day for me.”
Colton sighed. “To tell you the truth, I am scared I may never have that chance. I just need to get her back safe and sound.” Colton settled back on the sofa to catch whatever sleep he could.
Colton had been watching Henry and Mary. Even at this time of their lives, they were obviously in love. Henry had said it was all about choices. “Can you just choose to stay in love?” Colton asked himself. What about his parents, could they choose to find love again? These questions finally got his mind to a place where he could drift off to sleep.
Chapter 17
Elsie jumped from her sleep as she heard a gunshot in the next room. It was early morning, she could hear birds outside, but it was still dark. Someone came running down the hall and yelled, “You killed him! He has been loyal to you for decades.” It was Richard’s anguished voice.
“We had a disagreement about the plans. Now, are you going to be a problem as well?” Elsie now referred to him as the demented man.
There was a long pause.
“I’ll take his body outside to the barn and cover it with hay.” Elsie could hear Richard dragging his father’s body down the hallway and out the door.
She couldn’t help feeling sorry for Richard. She had grown up playing with him. She remembered the tree fort in the back property where they spent hours during her summer vacations. They wrote down project plans in a journal. Each time they climbed the knotted rope swing to the fort, the first thing they did was check the journal.
Her grandparents had a beautiful property backing up to a forested creek. She and Richard had climbed most of the trees. Elsie’s favorites were the tall pines where she could climb almost to the top and sway in the wind. And the shaded grove provided a perfect place to cool down during those hot summer days.
Richard had insisted that if he went along with her projects, then she had to play what he wanted to as well. So they played army. When he pretended to shoot her, she had to lie perfectly still, hardly breathing, when he came over to check if she was dead. If she burst out laughing, which she did often, he would storm off yelling that she didn’t know how to play army right.
One of their projects had been to dam up the creek and make a swimming hole. Richard went along with it but told her many times it would never work. Elsie was sure it would. They used their wagons to collect rocks and started piling them up at a narrow point in the creek. Before long, they had a swimming hole about a foot deep. Elsie smiled remembering Richard’s incredulous look when she got in and lay down in the water, pretending to swim.
Her three brothers were much older than she was, so Richard had been her only playmate on these trips to visit her grandparents.
How could a life go from those happy, carefree days to this?
As the outside door opened again, the demented man called to Richard. “Check on that girl. And if she is stirring, give her another shot of that tranquilizer.”
If they gave her another shot, she’d lose any chance of escape. She had to stop it from happening.
Richard came into the room and knelt down close to Elsie. He whispered, “Elsie, listen, I’m sorry, you are in real trouble here. I am not going to give you this shot, but you have to pretend you are out. Can you do that?”
She gave him a tight smile. “It’ll be just like playing army.”
Richard injected the shot into the bed and squeezed Elsie’s shoulder before he got up and left.
Elsie breathed a sigh of relief. If no other options presented themselves, she would make a move tonight.
Richard had shut the door to her room. She tried to eavesdrop, but only got bits and pieces of the conversation as the demented man was yelling.
Chapter 18
Colton’s couch on the porch was not too comfortable, but he had fallen into a deep sleep anyway. He jolted awake to his mother’s voice as she climbed up the porch stairs. “Colton, my dear, it’s so nice to see you.”
He stood, and she wrapped her small arms around him. “We are very sorry for these circumstances, but your father assures me this problem can be solved.”
Colton embraced his mother and father. “Thanks, Mom and Dad. I am sorry you got pulled into this mess. It’s my fault. If I had been more vigilant in my duties, this never would have happened.”
“We are prepared to do whatever is necessary.” His dad rested his hand on Colton’s shoulder.
“You’re not thinking of paying the money? This group would think nothing of killing her anyway.” Colton had to admire his father. When he made up his mind to do something, he did it thoroughly. He was in his sixties, healthy, and looked great. His father was always ready to help, whatever the situation was. He and his mother made a great-looking couple. No one would know they didn’t get along.
“Commander Buckner will be here in an hour to wait for the call. We’ll try to trace the call and get their location.”
Henry and Mary joined them on the porch and insisted they all come in for breakfast. Commander Buckner arrived a short time later with his men, who also joined them for breakfast at the Dugans’ insistence.
Colton’s father was in the corner, having quite a heated discussion with his commander. Colton walked over to smooth things over. His father could be very pushy, and with his fortune, he could probably back up whatever he was telling the commander.
Commander Buckner said, “We appreciate your help, but I can’t recommend you hire Blackwater in this situation.”
“Commander, I already have. It’s my fifty million on the line here. I don’t want to pay it and have a dead girl in return. I will have these men share whatever they find with you, and if we have success, you can take the credit.”
Colton winced. His dad might as well have just slapped the commander in the face.
“Dad, Commander Buckner is held in high regard. He doesn’t need someone else’s credit.”
“Hold on, Colton, I can defend myself.” He laughed. “Mr. Reed, we would appreciate any information you can give us, and we are grateful for
your help.”
Skip Reed nodded. “Here’s the phone number of the mission leader. His phone is encrypted. They are instructed to share whatever they have with you.” Colton’s dad handed him a card.
Chip Warner and his wife Cathy arrived. Henry and Chip embraced. Introductions were made, and everyone went into the lounge to discuss plans and wait for the call. Colton’s mother, Janice, came over and sat next to Cathy. Colton noticed they were having a very friendly and animated conversation. Pretty soon Mary was over there with them, laughing and talking excitedly. Colton knew his mom probably had a plan of her own going on, and it was obvious these women loved it.
He was reminded of his senior prom. He hadn’t had a date, and frankly, he hadn’t really wanted one. He would much rather head out on his horse to go camping than go to a dance. But his mother was having none of that. She loved the fanfare of the prom and insisted he go. She had a friend in Hollywood whose daughter was making movies. His mother sent the company jet over to pick her up for the night. Then she hired a popular band and sent out written invitations to the whole school to attend an after-party concert.
To be honest, looking back, he could see how cool that night had been. But he also remembered being so embarrassed he’d hoped he would never see any of those people again. He hated being in the limelight.
Colton turned to see Henry and Chip, the two men who had started this whole thing, sitting with his father and his commander in serious discussion.
He didn’t like that he was being kept out of the conversation. They’d said he was too close to the situation, but in his opinion that was a plus. He would be the most motivated to get the job done.
The phone rang. Once all the equipment was set up for a trace, Colton answered.
“Do you have the money?” The man’s voice felt evil.
Her Billionaire Protector (Texas Ranch Romance Book 2) Page 7
