Jake waited until they were alone to pull her against his chest. “Wildcat, you gotta remain positive,” he urged against her temple as he wrapped his hand around her blonde ponytail and tugged her head back so he could see her crystal blue eyes swimming with tears.
“He’s got her, Jake. One of those animals has my baby sister. Again! And now, he’s got Maggie, too! What in the world was she thinkin’ when she insisted on following Honor and that freak to the car?”
“Knowing Maggie, she didn’t want to miss a minute of the action. And she probably knew Honor was terrified and didn’t want her to be alone,” Jake said against Harmony’s forehead. “Fear is much easier to face when it’s shared with another person. Maggie would have never wanted Honor to be afraid and alone so in her typical flamboyant style, she made sure she wasn’t.”
Leaning more heavily against her husband, Harmony’s hands tightened on Jake’s waist. “We’ll get them back, won’t we?” she whispered.
“Baby, Ezekiel Monroe would march straight through the center of Hell to confront the Devil on his throne if it meant bringing home Honor. And Ice… I was there with him when news came in about Honor and Maggie. He looked pissed when we were told that Honor was taken, but when he learned this guy had Maggie, too, I watched that man’s blood freeze in his veins. You’ve seen the way he looks at her when he thinks nobody notices. He’s into her in a big way. Together, those brothers will find a way to get the girls back. I can guarantee that.”
Harmony nodded. “You’re right.”
“Now, I need to go call Abel. He’s over at the courthouse with Patience huntin’ for property in the Watson family’s name. Do you want to stay here or go over to Hooks and Books and see Heaven? That’s where Sunshine and Verlena took all the kids. Melody offered to watch all the kids there since she had the back of the store set up as a children’s play area and book nook.”
“I’ll stay here.”
Jake nodded, leaning forward to plant one last kiss against her forehead. “We’ll find them, Wildcat. I promise you we will.”
As Harmony watched her husband head for one of the spare desks to use the phone, she prayed he was right.
Paradise County Courthouse – 1:40 pm
Abel & Patience
“Did you find anything yet, Hellion?” Abel Turner asked, looking up from his computer monitor to eye his beautiful wife. With her head bent and her hair shielding her face, he couldn’t see her, but he could tell by the hunch of her shoulders that she was feeling the pressure.
“Have you heard me screaming my head off yet, Abel?” his wife replied sarcastically as she tapped the arrow button on her keyboard and kept her eyes glued to her own computer screen.
Seeing that his woman was barely holding it together, Abel frowned. His woman was NOT a crier, but he could see that her cheeks were damp and it didn’t take a genius to know why. “Patience, we’re going to find them.”
“You don’t know that,” she whispered, biting her lip as she fought another wave of helplessness. When she thought about Maggie and Honor facing those fucking pieces of shit alone, she wanted to commit cold-blooded murder. “God, I want to kill these fuckers!” she screamed in frustration, slamming her hand down on the desk where she worked. Burying her face in her hands, she took a deep breath before lifting her head and shoving her hands though her short hair.
“I know,” Abel sighed. “I’m feeling a bit homicidal myself,” he admitted as he scrolled down through another list of properties that Watson Realty officially owned. Most of them were residential homes and businesses in town and easily found. He’d already emailed that list to Deputy Hightower and units were visiting them property by property. So far, the deputies hadn’t found anything. Spotting an odd address on the screen, his eyes narrowed. “Yes!” he exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air as a surge of adrenaline hit his bloodstream. “Gotcha, you son of a bitch! Patience, I think I found something!”
Patience jumped out of her chair to scramble around to the desk where Abel sat, ignoring the stares of the courthouse employees gawking at them. Leaning over his shoulder to scan the screen, she frowned. “What? All I see is a bunch of rental properties.”
“Not this one,” Abel returned, tapping a finger on the screen. “Henry Watson owns a hunting cabin way back on the Skyview Bluff. It looks like it’s been in his family since before his parents died,” Abel announced, jotting down the address on a piece of scrap paper.
Whirling to look at the huge map of Paradise County that was mounted on one wall, Patience quickly located the general area of the cabin. “Abel, there aren’t even any real roads back there so it wouldn’t be accessible by car. Either they’d have to walk or use four wheelers to get on the property. It looks like nothing but wilderness,” she said, pointing at the map.
“It would be a great place to hide out,” Abel grunted as he eyed the map.
Patience nodded as Abel’s phone rang. Closing her eyes, she listened as her husband reported what they’d found. Hopefully, it would be the detail the cops needed in order to locate her sister and best friend. Waiting until Abel hung up the phone, Patience turned to look at him. “Well?”
“Gave the information to Jake and he’s passing it on to Zeke and Ice. They just got to the station.”
“Zeke okay?” Patience questioned. She knew he’d been shot, but Faith had promised her it was only a flesh wound.
“Okay? No. But he will be once he finds Honor,” Abel replied. “The good news is that Diego called in and said he’d traced the vehicle David should be driving. It’s a red Impala with a Titans sticker on the back.”
“The same one Sherry said was there the night Honor got taken,” Patience murmured, shaking her head. All the pieces were sliding into place.
“Yeah,” Abel agreed. “And guess who used to own it? None other than Henry fuckin’ Watson.”
“We need to find that bastard, Abel. Fast,” Patience ground out.
“Everybody that isn’t looking for Honor and Maggie is out lookin’ for Henry. Diego went to the realty office and his employees say they haven’t seen him today. Wrath McKay took a couple of his MC brothers and went out to Henry’s place. Wrath said it looked like Henry left in a hurry - so much of a hurry that he left the door to his wall safe hanging open.”
“He’s not planning on coming back,” Patience whispered.
“They’ve got APB’s out on both men with descriptions of the cars they suspect both are driving. Roadblocks are up at every entry and exit point to Paradise. They’re going to get these fuckers, Hellion. We’re not losing Honor or Maggie,” Abel vowed confidently, settling a hand over Patience’s tense neck.
Turning into her husband, Patience buried her face against his chest. “God, I hope you’re right,” she whispered.
“I am,” Abel replied confidently, hugging her slender body to him as she let the tears she’d been holding back go.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Skyview Bluff somewhere in the Smoky Mountains– 3:30 pm
Honor
“Come on! Keep moving,” David Watson urged roughly from behind them as he dug into the ground with the stick he’d picked up off the ground half an hour earlier. Using it as a cane to help him keep his balance on the steep incline, the women that followed him weren’t so lucky.
Tired and out of breath, Honor held her face up as the wind blew across it, letting the breeze cool her down a little. “We’re trying, David. Really, we are, but don’t you think we could stop and rest? Just for a minute? Please?” Maybe if she could slow him down, people would have a better chance of finding them. And God, she needed Zeke to find her. Maggie had promised her during David’s race out of town that the bullet that had hit Zeke was just a flesh wound and the reason he was unconscious wasn’t blood loss, but rather because he’d hit his head on the corner of the coffee table and knocked himself out.
“We’re almost there,” he informed them, his deep voice almost compassionate as the three of them trudge
d up the steep hill toward a copse of trees.
“Almost where?” Honor heard Maggie retort sharply as the other woman stumbled slightly, her heel sinking into the loose dirt and pulling her off balance.
Reaching out her hand, Honor grabbed Maggie’s arm and tugged lightly, shaking her head at the irritated woman. “Mags, don’t make him angry,” she whispered anxiously. “He’s already shot Zeke! I don’t want to risk losing you, too.”
Maggie flashed her an aggravated look but nodded slightly when she saw the look of sheer terror on Honor’s face.
“There!” the man shouted excitedly, pointing a finger toward the small wood structure under the trees as he held the gun on them with the other.
Honor’s gaze traveled up the hill, and she squinted, trying to find what the man was so excited about. Spotting a lean-to situated between the trees, Honor shivered. God, what did he plan to do to them up there?
“Are you kidding? That’s the spot you picked to hold us hostage?” Maggie growled, dropping her hands to her hips as she stopped walking and stared up the hill at the dilapidated structure. “That doesn’t even qualify as a shack, you asshat! It only has three sides! Do you know how cold these mountains get at night?”
“Maggie, hush!” Honor hissed as she watched David turn to glare at her mouthy friend.
Maggie ignored the censure in Honor’s tone and focused on reaming their kidnapper. “What? He claims he wants to protect you from his brother, right? So, what? He saves you from Henry only to let us both die of exposure out here in the middle of nowhere? Is that your grand plan, you moron?” Maggie barked furiously, swatting angrily at a bug buzzing around her face.
“Lady, you’re pissing me off. I done told you once to quit callin’ me names, didn’t I?” David roared. “I don’t like being called names! It’s mean,” he shouted, stomping toward Maggie and pointing the gun at her chest.
Stepping quickly in front of Maggie before the situation could escalate, Honor shook her head and held up her hands in front of her. “She’s sorry, David. Aren’t you, Maggie? Tell him. Tell him you’re sorry,” Honor begged shakily, her eyes focused on the big black gun the man pointed at them.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sorry,” Maggie apologized softly, biting her lip as she tried to move around to get in front of Honor. “I’m just tired. And rattled. You know how women can be, right? I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Just ignore my outburst.”
“I let you talk me into bringing you with us because I didn’t want Honor to be scared, but how long you stay with us is up to you. Keep running your trap and you’ll find out that it won’t be long.”
Both women nodded as David gestured for them to keep moving.
“Besides,” he began as they began to climb up the grassy incline again. “We’re not staying here. We’re just gonna use the four wheeler my brother left inside the shack to get to the cabin. I’ve got supplies and firewood there. Both of you will be comfortable enough, I suspect.”
Exchanging a look with Maggie, Honor gathered her courage and asked, “How long do you think we’ll be up there, David?”
David shrugged as he lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck. “As long as it takes.”
“Takes for what?” Maggie questioned suspiciously, shooting Honor a confused look.
“As long as it takes me to find my brother and end this.”
Finally reaching the top of the steep incline, Honor fought to catch her breath as she eyed the four wheeler parked underneath the wooden structure. “You’re going to leave us at the cabin while you go after your brother?” Honor questioned nervously as she watched David go inside the garage-like building and begin rolling out the scooter.
“That’s exactly what I plan to do. You’ll be safe up there, Honor. I swear it.”
“Yeah, you’re a real peach,” Maggie spat, eyeing the four wheeler contemptuously. “There’s only one problem with your plan, genius,” she jeered, obviously forgetting to check her bad temper again. “How do you expect us all to fit on that thing safely?”
Glaring at her, David’s jaw clenched. “You’ll just have to hold on tight,” he snapped. “I only planned that two of us would need this ride.”
“Well, now there’s three of us! Have you seen what I’m wearing?” Maggie shrieked, pointing down at her wrinkled outfit. “This skirt is Stella McCartney. Stella McCartney isn’t meant to be worn while hanging on for dear life on top of a four wheeler.”
“Mags,” Honor whispered, her stomach sinking as she watched her friend gearing up for a good, old-fashioned tantrum. She’d seen it before. Maggie could endure a lot, but she became slightly psychotic when someone messed with her wardrobe. She was a small bit obsessive about it.
Looking at Honor, Maggie shook her head. “Look, I didn’t say a word when he tromped us up a wilderness trail and I stepped in what I can only assume was bear crap. My favorite Louboutins are ruined,” she wailed, holding up one foot to show the dirty high heel to the nearby staring man. “But, I kept a stiff upper lip, didn’t I? Yes, I did! But now, this… this… person wants me to hike up this year’s Stella McCartney creation and climb on board his redneckmobile? I don’t think so!”
David flipped off the safety on his gun and leveled it at Maggie. “Okay, would you rather I ruin that fancy looking shirt with a bullet?”
Maggie’s eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously. “You know, I’m not usually a bloodthirsty woman, but I think I’m going to enjoy watching the men in our family tear you apart. And they will, David. It’s just a matter of time before the people that care about us figure out where you’re stashing Honor and me. And then, your whole world is going to crumble. You raped this woman,” she accused, pointing at where Honor stood silently watching him. “No matter who goaded you into it, you still did it! Do you actually think anyone that loves either of us is going to let you live through this? The best decision you could make right now is to get on that four wheeler alone and pray you can run faster than our loved ones.”
“She’s right,” Honor agreed quickly when she noted the spark of indecision in David’s eyes. “Unless you managed to kill Zeke, he’ll come for me. They’ll all come. And when they do, they’ll want your blood. Leave us here and go and I’ll explain to them that you regret your part in what happened to me. I’ll tell them that it was all Henry’s idea… that he pressured you into hurting me. I swear to you, I will make them understand.”
David pressed the hand holding the gun to his head. “No, no, no!” he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “I can’t let you go! Henry wants to kill you for betraying him, Honor. He’ll hurt you.”
“Betray him? How did I betray him?”
“He wanted you for his own. Ever since that night, he’d been waiting for the right moment to take you. Tanner was supposed to help him when he came back to town. My brother was supposed to give our cabin to Tanner for some drug deal he was working on and in exchange Tanner was supposed to give him you. But it all went wrong. He got killed instead of bringing you to Henry!”
“Oh, my God,” Honor breathed as Maggie wrapped an arm around her.
“Then you made my brother even angrier because you kept growing closer to the sheriff. Henry hates him in big way, Honor, and he despised you for letting the sheriff get close to you. He said he was gonna teach you a lesson you’d never forget. Then, he paid some teenager to slice your brake line on your car. After you got out of the hospital, you really crossed the line with him when you let Sheriff Zeke move into your house. My brother went crazy when he found that out. He had a pharmacist friend out of St. Louis that he was buddies with in college get him a bottle of some drug. When he got ‘em, he waited until he knew you were at work to sneak into your house and replace your medicine with his.”
“So, it was all Henry. All the threats and the phone calls and the notes…it was your brother, Henry, the whole time.”
David nodded miserably.
“He’s a bad man, Honor. You’re not even the first one
he tried to kill. When he shot that lawyer lady…I knew he’d completely gone over the edge.”
“The lawyer lady… you mean, Angela Hastings?” Maggie clarified, holding Honor’s trembling body against her side.
David nodded. “Yeah. Her. She called Henry and told him that she was gonna tell the police what we did to you in the woods that night, and my bubby flew into a rage,” he explained, looking sadly at Honor. “I’d never seen him like that. He destroyed his office. Throwing books and turning over the desk. I was so scared. Then, he made me get in the car and go with him to find her. He kept saying that we couldn’t let that bitch narc on us. That all rats deserved to die.”
Shaking his head, David wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “We must have drove ‘round for hours, goin’ all over Paradise looking for her car. We finally found it in the café’s parking lot. I still don’t know what she was doin’ there, but I always kind of thought maybe she was looking for you to apologize for her part in stuff,” he said with a look at Honor. “Anyhow, I begged Henry not to do it, but he backhanded me and told me to stay in the car. I could see the whole thing happening though. He just walked up to the car and knocked on her window, waited for her to roll it down and pressed the barrel to her temple. Then, BANG! Her blood and brain bits went everywhere. One bullet and it was over.”
Honor took several deep breaths as she stood there beside Maggie watching David stare into space. Finally finding her voice, Honor took a small step toward the man with the gun. “You’re not your brother though, David, and I know you’re not going to use that gun on either of us. So why don’t you just put it down so we can all figure out a plan together?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Kitty Cat, but that’s not gonna be possible,” a deep voice drawled from behind them. “I think my brother is done talking. For good,” Henry Watson said as he aimed his gun at his brother’s head and pulled the trigger.
~~***~~
Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4) Page 55
