by Rita Herron
Cabe stood. He had to take action. Every second that passed meant Tolbert was getting farther and father away with Jessie.
JESSIE SLOWLY ROUSED back to consciousness, but her head throbbed and nausea clogged her throat. She wiggled, determined to escape, but her hands were tied behind her back, and she was gagged.
The police car hit a bump, and pain ricocheted through her skull as the car rumbled across a road that had to be dirt and gravel. How long had he been driving? How far were they from Comanche Creek?
How would Cabe ever find her?
Despair clawed at her chest, and tears pooled in her eyes. Cabe had no idea Shane had killed Marcie, much less kidnapped her. He didn’t even know Linda was still alive.
Had Shane killed her, too? If so, where was her body?
Feeling panicky, the urge to sit up and scream at him, to beg and plead with him to let her go, drummed through her. Yet what good would that do?
She blinked back tears, frantically struggling for control. She had to stay calm, try to talk to Shane, stall.
Wait for an opportune moment so she could escape.
The past few years of her life flashed back in vivid clarity. Her college years where she’d held herself back from relationships. Her pride in earning her degree.
The fights with her mother.
Her vow to be different, not to be led around by a man, or to lose her heart. But it was too late for that.
She had lost her heart to Cabe.
But he had rebuked her. Didn’t love her.
Her chest clenched as her dreams died. Secretly she had wanted stability. Her mother’s love. Her father’s. The family that had been broken years ago.
And she wanted it with Cabe.
But that would never happen.
Still, she would survive. She had to.
Her father needed her.
The car swerved, then spun right, the terrain growing even more rocky and uneven. Gravel crunched beneath the tires, and she focused on the sounds outside, hoping for a clue as to where Shane was taking her.
The river…she heard the river raging over rocks. It had to be the Colorado River, which wasn’t too far from Comanche Creek. Shane slowed slightly, and her heart raced as she glanced up at the hulking trees and realized the place was secluded.
Suddenly the car bounced over another rut, gravel spewed, and he screeched to a stop. The movement jarred her, and she almost rolled off the seat and onto the floor, but caught herself with her foot.
Shane climbed out, then jerked the back door open, and grabbed her arm. She tried to remain limp, pretended to be unconscious, but he shook her as he dragged her from the car.
“Come on, Jessie, you should be awake by now.”
His icy, harsh voice sent a shiver up her spine, and she opened her eyes and gave him a hate-filled look.
With a vicious yank, he dragged her across the rocky terrain. “You know too much now.”
Jessie gulped back fear, visually assessing her surroundings. They were in a secluded spot by the river, and an old log cabin sat near the bank, shrouded by bushes and trees. The place looked run-down, and weeds choked the front porch as if no one had been here in years.
The isolation of it made her tremble in blinding panic. Even if Linda had survived and mustered up enough courage to go to the police, Cabe would never know to look for her out here.
She tried to speak to him, but the gag caught the sound. Shane cursed, then pulled it from her mouth and threw her up against a tree.
“Where are we?” Jessie asked in a ragged whisper. The rough bark bit into her back and arms, the vile stench of a dead animal wafted around them.
“My father’s cabin,” Shane growled. “But don’t get your hopes up. No one knows this place even exists.”
“Your father does,” Jessie cried. “Do you think he’d want you to do this? To kill me?”
“My father loved me. He’ll do anything to protect me.”
“That’s right, Ben is in jail now, isn’t he?” Jessie snarled. “All because you’re a murderer.”
Shane raised his hand and slapped her hard across the cheek. Perspiration trickled down Jessie’s back, the sting of the blow making her ears ring. “You’re good at beating women, aren’t you, Shane?”
“Shut up, Jessie. You should have stayed out of this.” Shane pressed the gun to her temple. “Now tell me where Linda is.”
Hope budded in Jessie’s chest. If Shane wanted to know Linda’s whereabouts, she must still be alive. Determined not to reveal how terrified she really was, Jessie jutted up her chin. “I don’t know.”
“She called you?”
“Yes,” Jessie said. “She told me what you’d done, that you killed Marcie.” Jessie sucked in a sharp breath. “Why, Shane? Because she broke up with you?”
“She loved me,” Shane said in a sharp tone. “She loved me and we should have been together.”
“But she discovered that you’re a brute,” Jessie said. “That’s why she left you. But you couldn’t stand that, could you? You were a bully, and she was so scared of you that she faked her own kidnapping and death.”
His hand connected with her face again, this time even harder. Despite her bravado, tears stung her eyes and escaped. She clenched her jaw to keep from screaming.
Shane pressed the gun to her temple. “Tell me, Jessie. If you don’t, I’m going to kill you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Jessie whispered.
A leering, evil look flickered in his eyes, a maddening look that made her heart thunder.
“I have nothing left to lose, Jessie,” Shane bit out. “So either tell me where to find her, or you’re a dead woman.”
CABE CALLED HARDIN IN TO the front office, introduced him to Linda, and explained what had happened.
“You saw Marcie fake her kidnapping and death?” Sheriff Hardin asked.
Linda nodded miserably. “But Shane came after me and I ran. I was…so scared.” She swiped at tears rolling down her cheeks. “Maybe if I’d come forward then, these other murders wouldn’t have happened.”
Cabe almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
But Jessie was in the hands of a madman now, a dangerous cold-blooded killer.
Hardin propped his hip on the edge of the desk. “Hell, Livvy’s going to have a fit. She was the one who figured out that Shane’s prints had been planted on that gun.”
“It’s not her fault. Shane intentionally cleaned the gun, then planted just enough prints to confuse us and force you to release him,” Cabe said in disgust.
Hardin pulled at his chin. “I hope she sees it that way.” He turned to Linda. “Did you see Shane kill Marcie?”
A pained look crossed her face. “Yes. After she disappeared the first time, we connected. We came back here to make things right, but Shane found Marcie in the cabin. I ran outside and hid in the woods, but then he shot her.”
Cabe scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “We have to find Shane before he hurts Jessie.” He turned to the sheriff. “You know Shane better than anyone, Hardin. Do you have any idea where he’d take Jessie?”
“To his place maybe?”
“I doubt he’d be foolish enough to do that, but why don’t you check?” Cabe suggested. “I’ll call Lieutenant Colter and brief him, then question Shane’s father and see if he might know.”
“I’ll put out an APB for Shane on my way to Tolbert’s place and alert the county deputies to watch out for his car.”
“Check out Ben’s place as well as Charla’s,” Cabe said. “He might hide out in one of those.”
“Right.” Hardin gestured to Linda. “Come on, Linda. I’ll drop you with Ranger Hutton, so I can make sure you’re safe.”
Cabe punched in Wyatt’s number and gave him a quick update.
“Son of a bitch,” Wyatt muttered. “I never did trust Tolbert.”
“We have to find him fast,” Cabe said. “He’s already killed. He won’t hesitate to take another life.”
“I’ll see what I can dig up on him. Maybe he owns some other property where he might take Jessie.”
A place where Shane might dump her body. The unspoken words hung between them, making Cabe’s pulse pound.
“Let me know if you find anything,” Cabe said, already heading to the back of the building toward Tolbert’s cell. “Ben’s still here. I’ll see what he knows.”
“I doubt he’ll cooperate,” Wyatt said. “He’s protected Shane at every turn.”
“He’ll talk,” Cabe said through clenched teeth.
Wyatt started to say something, but Cabe cut him off and disconnected the call. He didn’t give a damn right now about protocol or Tolbert’s rights or his job.
Jessie’s life was all that mattered.
He grabbed the keys to the jail cells, praying it wasn’t already too late.
Rolling his hands into fists, he stalked down the row of cells. Charla was hunched on the cot, her eyes glazed as she stared at her hands. She looked pitiful, dazed, in shock, as if she’d slipped into a catatonic state.
She and Shane were friends. If Ben didn’t cough up something useful, he’d question Charla.
Ben sat up from his cot when Cabe approached, his face haggard, his hair disheveled, his eyes filled with anger.
Cabe unlocked the cell and stepped inside. “I need to talk to you, Tolbert.”
“What the hell do you want?”
“We have a witness who says that Shane killed Marcie. Now your son has kidnapped Jessie Becker at gunpoint.”
Ben lowered his head into his hands and muttered a curse. “Dear God…”
“You’d better be praying,” Cabe said sharply. “And you’d better be talking. Because if Shane kills Jessie, I’m holding you responsible, too.”
“I don’t care about myself,” Ben muttered. “All I care about is my son.”
“What about Jessie Becker?” Cabe growled. “She’s an innocent woman, Ben. How can you not help us?”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Ben said in a brittle tone. “He won’t hurt Jessie. He won’t.”
Cabe jerked him by the collar. “He killed Marcie, and maybe Daniel and Billy. What’s one more death to him?”
Ben snapped his head up, his expression pained. “No…Shane is not a killer.”
“Shane is a murderer. And if he kills Jessie, I’ll make sure he receives the death sentence.”
“No, you can’t do that,” Ben hissed.
“I can and I will,” Cabe ground out. “Murder during a kidnapping is a capital offense. And Texas has the highest rate of executions in the nation.”
“You son of a bitch—”
“Where would Shane take Jessie, Ben?”
Ben’s eyes bulged with fear. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Ben.” Cabe tightened his grip on the man’s collar, choking Ben. “Do either of you own a cabin or property other than your houses in Comanche Creek?”
Ben’s weathered face reddened as he struggled to breathe. “I can’t let you hurt my son.”
“But you’ll let him kill an innocent woman and go to death row,” Cabe said. “What kind of man are you?”
Cabe’s cell phone trilled, and he reluctantly released Ben, and checked the caller ID. Lieutenant Colter.
He punched the connect button, one eye trained on Ben in case he tried to escape. “Navarro.”
“Cabe, Ben owns an old fishing cabin on the Colorado River. It’s about a half-hour drive from Comanche Creek.”
Cabe gritted his teeth. A half an hour? It might as well be days away.
“I would send a chopper to see if his car is there,” Wyatt continued, “but it’s too remote and there’s no place for it to land.”
“I’m on my way.” Cabe jotted down the GPS coordinates, then turned to Tolbert. “I know about your cabin,” he said in a lethally calm tone. “And if I’m too late, then you and your son are going to pay.”
He slammed the jail cell door shut, and jogged outside. He had to hurry.
Jessie’s life hung in the balance.
Chapter Fifteen
“Shane, please don’t do this,” Jessie cried. “You need help.”
“What I need is to know where Linda is.” He jammed the gun at her back and shoved her toward the porch. She stumbled over loose rock, and nearly tripped as she climbed the steps, but he caught her arm with clawlike fingers, yanked open the screened door, and pushed her inside.
Muttering a curse, he threw her down on the floor. Jessie’s knees slammed into the wood floor, pain rocketing through her bones as she struggled to catch herself. But with her hands tied behind her, it was impossible, and her shoulder slammed into the corner of the rickety pine coffee table.
She frantically glanced around the cabin for an escape route, a weapon, anything to use to defend herself. But the room was bare except for the worn plaid sofa, the stuffed trout on the wall, the photos of Shane and his father when he was younger on a fishing trip.
“Think about your dad, Shane,” Jessie pleaded. “Would he want you to do this?”
Anguish darkened Shane’s eyes. “My father is in jail because he was trying to protect me from going to prison. Getting arrested would kill him now.”
“You think he wants you to murder again?”
“I think he wants me to stay free, and that’s what I’m going to do.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her up, then shoved her into one of the kitchen chairs. She stiffened as he retrieved a piece of rope dangling from his pocket, and began to tie her to the chair.
She kicked at him, but he slapped her across the face again, and she tasted blood.
“This is what we’re going to do,” Shane said with a mad look in his eyes. “You’re going to tell me how to contact Linda, then she’ll come here and we’ll all have a big party.”
“I don’t know how to contact her,” Jessie said. “She called me.”
He ran to the car, then returned a minute later with her cell phone, and Jessie gritted her teeth as he scrolled through her phone log.
“Dammit, I thought you said she called you.”
“She did,” Jessie said. “But I don’t know where she was when she called.”
Shane paced, waving his gun and scraping his hand through his hair, obviously desperate.
Jessie’s phone buzzed, and her stomach clenched. What if it was Linda or Cabe calling?
Shane grabbed the phone and glanced at the caller ID. A menacing smile curved his mouth as he punched the connect button.
“Hello, Ranger Navarro.”
Jessie’s heart raced.
“Yes, Jessie is here with me. Why don’t you join us?”
Cold fear slid along Jessie’s spine. If Cabe showed up, he’d kill them all.
She loved Cabe too much to let him die.
“And if you want to see Jessie alive,” Shane said in a sinister tone, “then bring Linda with you.”
“No,” Jessie cried. “It’s a trap, Cabe. Stay away!”
Shane slammed her phone shut, then stalked over and whacked the gun against her temple. The impact sent her head flying backward, and stars danced in front of her eyes.
She tried to fight it, but once again the darkness swallowed her.
CABE CURSED A BLUE streak at Tolbert’s demands.
He had no intention of going back for Linda. He’d been in law enforcement long enough to know that Shane was out of control, desperate, and that he wouldn’t let Jessie, Linda or him go.
Not alive.
Better he protect Linda and save Jessie.
If he had to kill Shane to do it—hell, he would have no qualms. The man deserved to die.
The Jeep ate the miles to the cabin, the sun fading and night creeping on the rugged terrain. Limestone bluffs and scrub brush dotted the horizon, the more populated area disintegrating into isolated dirt roads and cabins scattered occasionally along the Colorado River. He checked the coordinates and turned onto a side road that had never been paved, sweat bead
ing on his forehead as the Jeep bounced over the ruts and ridges.
The quiet normally would seem peaceful, but tonight it only served to remind him that Jessie was out here alone in the hands of a killer with no way to call for help.
And no one to hear her if she did.
Before he left the vehicle, he called Hardin in for backup and gave him the coordinates. But he couldn’t wait. Every minute that passed gave Tolbert time to kill Jessie.
Needing the element of surprise on his side, he crept down the dirt road, weaving around the curves and through the tangled trees, slowing a half of a mile from the place where the cabin should be. He pulled to the side of the one-way stretch, cut the engine, then slipped from the Jeep, making sure he eased the car door closed so as not to make a sound.
Images of Jessie tormented him as he slowly crept along the edge of the woods toward the cabin. Jessie riding up to him on that horse wearing her Stetson with her gorgeous red hair flying in the breeze. Jessie scrunching her nose when she’d argued with her brother at the town meeting. Jessie shivering after she’d nearly been shot and killed.
Her rosy lips parted and inviting, plump and sensual, so ripe he’d had to have a taste. Her fingers diving into his hair as she dragged his mouth closer for a kiss. Her tongue flickering out to meet his, her body quivering beneath his touch. Her skin glistening with the moisture from his tongue. Her nipples hard and thrusting upward in need of his mouth.
But another image replaced those sensual ones—Jessie tied and bound, Shane Tolbert’s gun pressed to her head. Shane pulling the trigger and killing her just as he had Marcie, Daniel and Billy.
Panic threatened to immobilize him, but he inhaled sharply and wrestled with his temper. He had to shut out the images. Stay sharp and focused.
Save Jessie, or he wouldn’t care if he lived to see another day himself.
Shadows flickered off the giant oaks as he scanned the riverbank in case Tolbert had decided to lay a trap.
Or in case he’d already killed Jessie and planned to dump her body into the Colorado River.
Fear and fury raged through him at the thought. If he had killed Jessie, he’d not only arrest the bastard, he’d make him suffer first.
