Her Desert Treasure (Entangled Ignite)

by Larie Brannick

  Jake walked over to the machine and took in the details around him before coming back to the parking lot where he saw a half empty water bottle near the machine. Reaching for it, he found the bottle was still cold even though it was already heating up outside. He looked around for any other signs and noticed a plastic bag lying in the gravel a few feet away. He snatched it up and caught a whiff of…what was that? Holy shit. Ether?

  The bottom dropped out of his stomach, and he ran over to Alex’s pickup. “I think we have a problem,” he told the sheriff grimly.

  …

  It took him a while to convince Alex that someone had snatched Megan. Finally, he slammed his hand on the hood of the truck. “Dammit, Alex, someone’s got her, and when I find the bastard, I’m going to take him apart.”

  Alex examined the bag and the water bottle. “It is pretty unusual, I’ll give you that, Jake. But before we go crazy, let’s ask a few more people if they saw anything.”

  “How can you be so calm?” Jake asked hotly. “She’s gone! I’m not waiting around another minute.”

  Alex placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Take it easy, buddy. You’re no good to her going off all half-cocked. Where would you head off to anyway if you were this guy?”

  Jake’s gut clenched, the fear taking hold and threatening not to release him. He pushed his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. “Everything inside me says she’s at Dolly’s Draw.

  …

  What the hell? Why did her head feel like a bowling ball and her mouth full of cotton? She couldn’t seem to make her eyes open, and her arms didn’t appear to be working, either. Something buzzed underneath her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on the sensation. She was being jostled around and realized she must be in a car.

  With a Herculean effort, she managed to peek out through one eye. She was in a car, but she didn’t recognize the driver. He was so intent on the road he wasn’t paying attention to her, but he was muttering something under his breath. Something about the little princess? Why did that ring a bell? Daddy had always called her his little princess.

  The thought brought a smile, but something continued to nag at her. The air conditioning blew directly at her face and helped her head to clear as the gravity of the situation hit her. Someone—the driver?—had drugged her and was taking her somewhere in his car.

  She peeked again, trying to recognize something, anything, that would tell her where she was being taken, but all she could see was blue sky through the windshield. The driver threw the car into park as they jerked to a stop and jumped out of the car. Meg kept as still as possible to conserve her energy. Her arms and legs tingled, and she tensed her thigh muscles and flexed her hands to keep them loose in case she got a chance to run.

  Something dug into her hip, and she remembered her cell phone in her pocket. The buzzing she’d felt earlier. Someone had tried to call her, but she couldn’t answer. All of a sudden, her thoughts flew to one person. The man she knew would come for her.

  Jake.

  …

  Jake nearly lost it waiting for Alex to question the clerk at the convenience store next door to the tire shop. He wanted to be going, didn’t want to wait any longer for Alex—everything inside him screamed that Meg was in serious trouble, and if he didn’t get to her soon…

  It had taken a few minutes for the clerk to remember how to play back the security tapes for him and Alex, but finally she pushed enough buttons, and an image came up on the screen. The camera was positioned at the store’s back entrance, but there was a fairly good view of the alley and the side of the tire shop. She told him the tapes looped back over each other every twenty-four hours, so anything recorded that morning would still be there.

  Alex fast forwarded until he reached the approximate time Meg had arrived at the service station, then he and Jake watched the grainy video intently. A nondescript sedan pulled up and parked next to the garage, and the driver got out, leaving the passenger door open. Moments later, he held something over Meg’s face, then dragged her limp body to the car. Jake went rigid at the sight, feeling as though the air had not only been sucked from his lungs, but from the room as a vise squeezed his heart so tightly he thought it would explode.

  “Jake? Hey, you still with me, buddy?” Alex shook him, and Jake snapped his head up. “Is that her, Jake?”

  Unable to speak, Jake only nodded. When he finally found his voice, he said with cool determination, “I’m going after her now. Don’t try to stop me.”

  Nodding in understanding, Alex stepped back and let Jake go. Then he was on his radio with dispatch asking them to run the plate number on the kidnapper’s car.

  …

  Meg tried to remain limp as her abductor pulled her from the car. He was none too gentle, letting her fall when he got her out of the seat.

  “Okay, Princess, time to rise and shine.” He nudged her with his foot, and she stirred slightly. “Come on, I didn’t use that much stuff. Get up.” He kicked her again, harder this time, and she turned over to look up at him.

  “Who are you?”

  “Ah, she speaks. Get up, and I’ll tell you a story, Princess.” He walked to the picnic table and sat on one of the benches.

  Meg rolled up on all fours to get her balance and realized they were at the cabin. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. “Why do you keep calling me that?” Her gut told her who he was, but she wanted to hear him say it. She brushed the hair from her eyes and stood slowly. He motioned her over to the table.

  It was then she saw the gun.

  “Have a seat, Megan.”

  She walked the short distance and sat across from him. “Do I know you?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “We’ve met. A long time ago, but you don’t remember me, do you?”

  “What’s your name?”

  “When we spoke on the phone, you called me Monty, but my name is Philip. I’m your cousin, Philip Montgomery. And you have something that belongs to me.”

  …

  Jake sped along the highway, not caring about anything but getting to Meg. His cell phone rang, and he snatched it up, praying it was her. It was Alex. “Jake, hold on. We’ve got a name off the plates. Does the name Goldstone Holdings mean anything to you?”

  “That’s who filed the petition with the court.”

  “And you said Monty Anderson was the guy she talked to?”

  Jake strangled the steering wheel the way he wanted to strangle Meg’s kidnapper. “He’s the son of a bitch that took her?”

  Calmly, Alex said, “That’s the name on the rental contract, but there’s more. We did a little more checking and that name is an alias for a guy named Philip Montgomery. He’s a wicked one, Jake. You wait for me to get out there.”

  “And leave Meg alone with him? Are you nuts?”

  “I just don’t want him to go off the deep end and hurt someone. Do you understand me? If you go flying in there and surprise him, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

  “There’s no telling what he’ll do if I don’t go in, Alex. Listen, there’s another gate into the property about a mile further to the west. I’m going in that way so they won’t see me. You go to the main gate.”

  Alex tried to argue, but Jake ended the call and sped up. The bastard had his woman. Jake wasn’t certain what he might be able to do to free Meg, but he wasn’t leaving without her.

  …

  “Philip.” Meg nodded slowly, keeping her voice low and non-confrontational. “I remember Aunt Marge bringing you with her for a visit once, but that was a long time ago. Why are you doing this?”

  Philip gave her a leering grin. “You really haven’t figured this out yet? I had you pegged as a smart one, maybe I was wrong.”

  “You’ve gone to all the trouble of bringing me out here. Why don’t you just tell me?”

  Philip leaned across the table and sneered in Meg’s face. “You’ve got my money, bitch. And I want it back.”

  Meg stared at his cold,
hard eyes, trying to find any trace of her family in their depths. There was none. The fog had finally completely lifted from her head, and she assessed her surroundings to see if she could find a way out of the situation. Returning her attention to Philip, she lifted her shoulder in the barest of shrugs.

  “What money are you talking about?”

  Grinning nastily, he stood, motioning with the gun for her to do the same. “Let’s take a walk, and I’ll lay it all out for you.”

  Taking hold of her arm with his left hand, he shoved the nose of the pistol into her side with his right. Then he guided her along the trail that led to the survey site and spat out, “My mother always had a soft spot for you. She just loved her little brother’s pretty little princess. She always gave me a hard time growing up, but after you came along, that’s all I heard about. How sweet you were, what a good girl you were. It made me sick. You can imagine what a slap in the face it was to come home after a month in juvenile detention to find she’d decided to write me out of her will.”

  “So you killed her.”

  It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t deny it. He simply shrugged. “I was sick and tired of her riding my ass all the time, but that was the last straw. They sent me to prison for a few years after juvie, but nothing I couldn’t handle, and when I got out, I decided to get back what was rightfully mine.”

  A chill ran down her spine. This guy is a whack job. She swallowed hard and tried to keep him talking. “I didn’t know anything about that until a week ago. I didn’t even remember I had a cousin until my grandfather’s attorney told me about the inheritance.”

  “Yeah, right. Well, it’s all I’ve been thinking about for over twenty years, and soon, I’ll have it back.”

  Meg let him rant, glancing around for anything she could use as a weapon or a chance to get away. She calmed herself by thinking of Jake, picturing him in her mind, feeling his arms around her. All this time, she’d been telling herself that she didn’t need to depend on anyone else, to keep her distance and stay behind her walls. But now she knew. Jake had torn down those walls, and she’d gladly let him inside.

  Suddenly, she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it every day. She loved him. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, probably the first minute she’d drowned in those chocolate brown eyes, but she’d fallen in love with him, and now all that mattered was seeing him again. With that goal in mind, she straightened her spine and gathered her strength. She had to find a way to get back to him.

  …

  They passed the hillside where Meg’s cave was hidden, and Philip pushed her harder, his grip tightening on her arm. “Quit dragging your feet, Princess, you’ve held me up long enough already.

  They rounded the outcropping of rock near the blast site, and Philip pulled her to a stop. “So what does my grandfather’s land have to do with Aunt Marge’s will?”

  “Nothing, directly. But everything Mommy Dearest left you is tied up in the estate.” Meg stumbled, and he jerked her arm. “Quit stalling.”

  “I still don’t understand why you want the land. If you want the trust fund, you can have it. I didn’t even know it existed. It’s not like I stole it from you.” Meg was trying to make sense of what he was saying.

  “Consider it interest on the money that’s been kept from me all this time.” Philip pointed to the survey site and the area that had been blasted away. “Do you know what all this is, Meg?”

  “You’re obviously looking for something.”

  “Very good. Are you aware that there are several old gold mines in this area?” Meg shook her head, and he continued. “When I first learned about this land, I started doing some research and found that it sits right in the middle of some very good deposits. I’m sure your grandfather knew about it. Anyway, I brought some crews out to do some exploration, but what we found was even better than I imagined.”

  “There’s really gold here?” She was stunned. She’d always thought her grandfather had just been collecting rocks.

  His grin turned sinister. “Black gold. The preliminary seismographic tests show huge oil reserves, and my investor is getting impatient waiting for the confirmation.”

  Meg could only stare at him. Oil? Gold? Had her grandfather really known what was tucked beneath this land?

  “I can see by the look on your face that this is all news to you. Sorry you won’t be around to see how it all comes out.”

  The sick feeling in Meg’s stomach worsened, and she tried to pull free from his grasp. “What do you mean?” She could barely get the words out.

  “See, Megan, I could’ve waited around for the courts to hear my argument and hope they’d give my trust fund back to me. But I’m not willing to risk leaving it up to some old, stuffed shirt with a superiority complex.” He gestured to the wide expanse of land. “All this exploration wasn’t cheap and, unfortunately, my backer doesn’t give extensions, so I needed a sure thing.”

  “A sure thing?”

  He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Turns out, I don’t have to wait”—he turned his cold stare to her—“if I’m the last man standing.”

  “What good will it do will it do you if I’m dead?” Fear threatened to overtake her, but she drew in a deep breath and tried to stop shaking.

  “As your only other living relative, the court has to rule in my favor.”

  …

  Jake skidded to a stop in front of the second gate and sprang out of the truck. Jumping the fence easily, he started running, watching the hills for any sign of Meg and her captor.

  He didn’t have to go far before he saw the pile of rocks that had been blasted from the side of the mountain and the rock face that had a dozen or so holes drilled into it. Slowing for a better look, he stopped short at the sound of voices. Silently, he crept behind a large boulder and chanced a look around the side. The conversation between Meg and her cousin held his attention. He nearly lost control listening to Philip Montgomery’s plans to kill Meg. No way in hell could Jake let that happen.

  Another quick glance showed him that Philip stood in front of Meg, his back toward Jake. If he could catch Montgomery off guard, he might be able to take the man down from behind and hold him until Alex got there.

  Taking one careful step at a time, he settled his feet and got ready to act.

  …

  Out of the corner of her eye, Meg caught a splash of color behind a large boulder. Her heart sped up. Jake had come for her.

  Trying to keep Philip’s attention on her, she said calmly, “That’s a great plan. Only there’s one detail you’ve overlooked.”

  Philip narrowed his eyes. “What detail?”

  “You’re not my only living relative.”

  Good girl, Jake thought. Smart to keep him talking, honey.

  Her cousin laughed outright. “That’s not possible, our parents had no other siblings, and we’re both only children. They’re all gone, Meg. What are you trying to pull now?”

  “I’m not pulling anything. It’s just that my husband might have something to say about you trying to take his inheritance.”

  Philip’s face turned red, and he began to shake. “Your what?

  “My husband, Jake. We’ve only been married a short time, but I still think that counts in the eyes of the law. Whatever is mine is his.”

  Jake almost missed a step when he heard her call him her husband. A rush of pleasure ran through him, and all he wanted was for it to be true. He’d take care of that after he got them out of this.

  He took another step and planted his foot then launched forward and tackled Philip, knocking him to the ground. Philip grunted in surprise, but quickly recovered and twisted, rolling to one side. Freeing an arm, he swung a fist and caught Jake on the chin, but it wasn’t a solid hit, and Jake shook it off. Propelling himself forward, he pushed Philip onto his back and pinned him with his legs.

  The other man struggled to free himself, thrashing under Jake’s weight. Looking at him through a red haze of rage, Jake
used his fists to make Philip pay.

  Bastard would think twice before he tried to do anything to Meg again.

  …

  Meg’s heart nearly stopped when she saw Jake flying toward them, arms outstretched. The fury in his face shocked her, and she yelped in surprise when she saw the pistol drop from Philip’s hand. Quickly, she ran and picked it up.

  She turned back to the men and watched in horror as Jake took a solid blow to the chin. Stunned, he lost his balance, and Philip wrestled him to his back then began to punish him with blow after blow. Without conscious thought, she cocked the pistol and pointed it at her cousin. “Stop!”

  Astonishment distorted Philip’s face when he saw his gun in Meg’s hands.

  “Don’t think I won’t kill you. Get off him. Now.”

  Her voice was calm, but her fingers shook around the butt of the pistol. Jake took advantage of Philip’s position and shoved himself free, tossing the other man to his stomach and wrenching his arms behind his back. He wiped the blood from his mouth and turned to grin at Meg.

  “Hey, Rambo, thanks for saving my ass.”

  …

  Tears streamed down Meg’s face and, after making sure Philip was down, Jake took the gun from her clenched fingers and wrapped her tight, drinking in the feeling of having her solid against him. He pulled back and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

  “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  Meg shook her head. “He didn’t hurt me. I’m fine, just a little shaken up.” She touched her fingers to the bruise that was forming on his chin and winced. “Are you all right?”

  Jake kissed her palm and grinned. “Never better.”

  The sound of moaning brought their attention back to Philip, who was struggling into a sitting position. Jake trained the pistol on his head. The sound of distant sirens and the plume of dust on the road signaled the arrival of the authorities. Relief flooded Jake.

  “You might as well sit back and relax until the sheriff gets here. You’ll want to save your strength for the trip back to jail.”

  Philip dropped his bruised and bloodied face to his knees, his shoulders slumped. He muttered something about jail being better than having to face his investor and then went quiet.