Gurgling with the sound of blood in his throat, his last words went with him as he fell to the floor. Amanda crossed the room watching his body twitch as it pointlessly fought for life. Hunching down beside him, Amanda came closer to her father than she’d felt safe in doing for years.
Finally all the fear and terror evaporated as she stared into his face. She had his eyes, his chin and his coldness buried deep inside.
“You know, I once watched a show where they said people don’t just die. Even after the heart stop, they lived on for minutes, hearing, feeling, clinging to the only world they knew.
“So look at me now, Father, and hear this. I killed you.”
Chapter 53
Cody cracked his knuckles. He couldn’t seem to stop the small motion. A nervous habit that had become a compulsion through the long drive toward Davey’s old house. Jace tore down the highway as fast as the truck could, but they’d had a hell of a time convincing Tony to let them go.
The sheriff believed, rightly, they were lying when they’d all agreed to go home and wait. Fortunately for them, Tony had his hands full with a deputy down, Amanda missing and the DEA lingering at the scene. He’d been called off to wherever Braden’s truck had been found.
Cody assumed her daddy had changed vehicles, probably had Amanda held up at the old house. If the asshole had planned on ransom then he’d made a major miscalculation because the only payment he’d be getting was a beat down.
“Probably should have brought more than a gun.”
Cody voiced the thought that had been circling around his head. Knox kept a gun in his truck, but just a little one. Nothing that would probably influence Davey Johnson into being reasonable.
“We didn’t have time to go back to the ranch,” Knox shot back, pressing into Cody as Jace turned off the highway and down the long drive that led into the plains. A mile away and over the hill, that’s where Amanda waited. They were close now.
“Well maybe you should let me out so I can get the drop on him,” Cody grunted, needing to do something.
“And what?” Knox snorted. “Wait a half hour while you jog the distance?”
“I can run it in five.”
“Bullshit.”
Their conversation got cut off by the squeal of the wheels as the brakes clamped down hard on them. Light suddenly flooded in front of them, blinding any sight beyond the painful white. Blocking his eyes with his hand, Cody banged around into Knox as the truck skidded over the dirt, the rear kicking out as the massive vehicle came to a stop.
In a blink, before Cody could even lower his hand, the truck door flew open and somebody latched on, jerking him out without worry of banging his head on the doorframe.
“Down! Get down!” The shouts echoed from all around him, but they seemed completely pointless to Cody. Being shoved face first into the dirt with a knee in his back holding him there, really didn’t require obedience on Cody’s part.
He gave it anyway, not daring to defy the cool circle of a gun tip pressing right into skull. If these were drug dealers they were dead, but Cody didn’t worry over the possibility too much. Not with his wrist being twisted together with a strip of hard plastic while new shouts, “Clear!”, started to fill the night.
In less than thirty seconds, Cody was felt up and robbed of everything in his pockets. Not particularly a pleasant experience, it left Cody feeling somewhat violated. Still, with a gun pressed to his head, Cody accepted the mauling, keeping his anger repressed, for the moment.
When he got flipped over it didn’t shock Cody at all to be looking up at man outfitted in military gear and wearing a sign over his chest, DEA. Tony was right. They had worse attitudes.
The very reality of these men and their meaning here, blocking the road to Davey’s house, had Cody’s mind spinning. Amanda must be up the road and if he had any hope of seeing her, he’d be keeping his thoughts to himself. Pissing off these men wouldn’t be as fruitful or satisfying as ticking off Tony. Especially not when they might have Amanda with them, safe and sound.
The very hope kept Cody compliant as the man above him jerked him right up to his feet. Shoving him around the truck, he all but tripped Cody to get him back to the ground, ordering him to sit.
Cody managed to save the ungraceful downward fall and land on his ass with only mild discomfort. Pushing himself into line with his older brothers along the side of the truck, Cody joined Jace and Knox in glaring at the men as they tore through Knox’s truck. Another round of “clears” and the crowd started to thin, giving way to a large man who pinned a flashlight on them.
Going from brother to the next, he identified them each. “So you must be Knox Reese and you would be Jace, so that makes you, Cody.”
Since he landed on Cody, he felt compelled to ask for them all, “Where’s Amanda?”
“Well that’s a good question.” The man pulled the light off Cody and crouched down in front of them.
“She’s not up there,” Jace nodded toward the hill.
“Why would you think she is?”
“Would you stop with the fucking questions and just answer!” Cody would have cussed the man out if Knox hadn’t beaten him to it. For all the good it did them. All the DEA agent did was smirk.
“I heard about your temper, Knox. Of course, I ain’t like your putzy little sheriff. I arrest you, it’s not for a night to cool off in a cell, but it’s for conspiring to commit murder just to start. Why—”
“Murder?” Cody didn’t like that word. The very sound of it made him forget all about the guns and the authority as he tried to rear up. “Is Amanda dead? Did that son of a bitch murder her?”
The agent shot to his feet, lifting one up to plant on Cody’s chest and push him back down. Holding him there while Cody struggled, the other man just studied him.
“Stop it, Cody,” Jace snapped. “I get a feeling we ain’t going to get our answers until this man gets his.”
“Stupid son of a bitch,” Cody grunted, giving up the fight, but hating to do it. It took the agent a moment to believe Cody’s stillness, and they shared a hard look as the man released him to step back.
Turning his gaze on Jace, the man smiled. “I heard about you too. They like to say you’re the thinker of the group.”
“Not hardly,” Cody muttered, irritated by the age old reputation Jace had for being the smart one. Hell, Cody had gone to college too.
“Well it’s nice that you know me.” Jace ignored Cody, naturally assuming the role as their spokesman. “But I don’t know you.”
The agent considered it for a second before nodding. “I’m Agent Tagger and that’s the last question I’m answering until you answer mine.”
“All right.” Jace accepted Tagger’s statement as if it had been an offer. “What do you want to know?”
“You,” Tagger’s gaze turned back on Cody, “broke into the sheriff’s house last night.”
“I didn’t break in,” Cody corrected him instantly. “Amanda let me in through the window.”
“And just why did she do that, given your recent estrangement?”
“Who said we were estranged?” Tagger stiffened up at Jace’s question, holding silent in a clear statement. It took Jace a second to sigh and back off. Cody filled in the void by finally answering Tagger, knowing the man wouldn’t move on until he had his answer.
“If you’re asking why Amanda let me in then you obviously don’t know her.”
“No, actually I don’t.” Tagger hunched back down. “Learning anything about Amanda Johnson other than the trivial facts of her life has been next to impossible.”
“You ain’t asked the sheriff?” Knox grunted. “He’s her buddy.”
Tagger’s head snapped in Knox’s direction. “There isn’t anybody closer than the three men who have been sharing her bed, so,” Tagger swung his gaze back on Cody. “What did you talk about last night?”
“I tried to convince her to come home.”
“And she wouldn’t go?”
“She’s afraid whoever is standing next to her will get killed.”
“Well that explains why she went with her dad,” Tagger muttered, smirking slightly.
Cody latched onto the comment, hoping it meant the agent would spill now. “She went with him? So he did that back at the sheriff’s house?”
Tagger’s pale eyes narrowed in annoyance. “You didn’t plan on meeting Amanda out here?”
“No.”
“Then why you here?” Tagger gestured to the field. “How do you even know to be here?”
“When Davey Johnson showed up in town, it upset Amanda. We don’t care for her to be upset, so we had the man investigated.”
“And then paid him off? Or was it paying him to kill Amanda?”
“Are you out of your ever loving mind?” Jace roared while Cody got stuck on shocked.
“What am I supposed to think?” Tagger retorted, calm as ever.
“You’re supposed to think her daddy kidnapped her right out of the sheriff’s house,” Knox snapped. “Given you were watching, weren’t you? You let the bastard take her and did nothing to stop it. If she dies, I’ll—”
“Davey Johnson is dead,” Tagger cut off Knox. “And if you really care about this woman, you’ll tell me where she might have run off to.”
“Amanda killed her father?” Cody repeated, wondering if at any point in this night reality would reset itself to normal.
“Somebody killed him. Only her and him up there in the cabin. Who do you think did it?”
“It’s justified,” Jace jumped in.
“You know that?” Tagger retorted.
“You’ll never get a conviction.”
“And your money will see to it.”
“Damn straight,” Knox grunted.
Cody ignored the by-play between the agent and his brother. His head spun with what Tagger had said about Amanda. It made him sick to his gut, but he had to know. “So you don’t know where Amanda is?”
Tagger stared at Cody for a minute, giving him that silent dare, but Cody didn’t back down. He could understand what the agent didn’t say. “You’re tracking her, but you don’t know where she’s headed.”
“It’d help to know,” Tagger agreed indirectly, his gaze hardening. “That way we might be able to control those bastards in the pick-up following her.”
“You know somebody is following her?” And obviously not the good guys, which meant, “You’re letting them follow her. Why? Why don’t you pull them over now?”
“Because,” Jace answered when the agent failed to. “All they’d be able to get them on is maybe some weapons charges. Not enough to hold and flip them. Isn’t that right, Agent Tagger? You got to wait for them to actually try and kill Amanda.”
“Or Will,” Cody figured it out fast with Jace’s prod. “That’s what this really is all about. You’re hoping she leads you to Will McKinney.”
Tagger didn’t say a word, just smirked and swaggered off, disappearing into the blinding lights of the vehicles surrounding Knox’s truck. Cody watched him go, wishing like hell the two of them were on an even keel.
“I’m going to put that man in the ground,” Cody whispered, “if we have to put Amanda there.”
* * * *
“They don’t know anything,” Tagger sighed, glancing back at the three cowboys muttering between themselves. “We’re going to be late.”
“That we are,” Jack agreed grimly. The sick feeling in his gut never lied. This would be a bloody night.
Lingering deep in the shadows, Jack knew how to be completely invisible despite being one of the largest men on the team. That skill came in handy tonight, letting him get a close-in view of the Reese brothers. What he saw, Jack didn’t like.
“I’m not liking the way things are unfolding.”
“I wanted to be in the lead team,” Tagger muttered to himself. “Even those boys are running behind the clock. Apparently, Miss Johnson knows how to handle a Hog quite well.”
Jack snorted. “Miss Johnson is becoming a looser cannon than anticipated.”
“Who would have figured her for a bolter?”
“Me.” Jack grunted. “I warned Camp that any daughter of Davey Johnson’s should not be trusted. I don’t care if she is a county clerk and goes to church every Sunday, the woman’s trouble. Just look at them men, Tagger.”
Tagger obeyed as Jack muttered on. “We got three intelligent, rich men who could have their pick in life, but instead of living it up like kings, they’re all whipped little boys. Somebody has to get control of this situation, of Amanda Johnson, if she lives through the night.”
It so often disgusted him to see men go down under the wiles of women. Damn evil creatures, but soft and sweet. A man just had to make sure he was in charge.
“You’ll think she’ll make it?”
“Yeah.” If Amanda Johnson was that easy to kill, Jack would be somewhat disappointed. “Given Davey’s body, I think our girl knows how to assure herself a long life. Those Reese boys, though, they’re winding down a short clock as long as they’re stuck on this girl.”
“Well,” Tagger shrugged. “At least they got the sense to ask for help. I heard they’re bringing in Amos Calhan’s team, supposed to arrive tomorrow.”
“Is that a fact?” Jack smiled. That sounded like an opening to him.
* * * *
Amanda knew she was being followed. With the long, flat highways, it was easy to track the headlights making all the same turns as her, even if they stayed well over a mile back. The long gap gave her hope they were cops of some form and not Davey’s friends.
After saying her final goodbye to her father, Amanda had liberated him of his keys and taken off on his bike. The pick-up trucks had been coming down the highway when she’d turned back off his drive. They’d been too far away to get any real look, and she hadn’t waited.
It didn’t matter. This would be less than a five minute stop. If they were cops they’d keep following her, probably hoping she planned to meet up with Will. On the other hand, they could be much more unpleasant fellows. Either way, it behooved Amanda to keep the throttle wide open, letting the bike add to the distance between her and whomever.
The moon helped, being bright enough for her to kill her headlight though it left her feeling even more tense. By the time she cut off the road to bump down a long forgotten path, Amanda had no choice but to give her location away with the running lights. The pitted, dirt road was just too dangerous to travel by moonlight alone.
Nothing marked the spot Amanda looked for, but memories that hadn’t faded with time. The small tree had gotten no bigger over the years and somewhere along the line the pile of rocks her brother had used as a marker had tumbled over, but the stones remained.
The marker lay nearly a mile off the path. It worried Amanda to take the Harley through the untended field, with the headlights making the turn onto the path way back, she didn’t have a choice. This would have gone a lot better with Braden’s truck.
Praying the whole distance, Amanda killed all the lights just because she had to drop her speed. Those boys wouldn’t have to. They’d gain time, but she could steal it back by confusing them…hopefully.
Hope, Amanda had a lot of it, not much else. Except maybe in a minute a few million to escape on. Bringing the bike to a stop with the front wheel kissing the first stone, Amanda left it to idle as she tore into the rocks, looking for her package.
“Come on, come on!” Her chant gained in speed along with her panic as her fingers dug into dirt without any sign of an envelope or bag. Stuck on an inability to accept what her eyes showed, Amanda didn’t hear anybody come up behind her, but the second a hand hit her shoulder she twirled. Cracking her back over the rocks, she had the nine millimeter out and was staring right up the barrel at Will.
“Will?” Breathing out his name with a relieved gasp, she could feel her muscles trembling at the sudden bolt of relief flooding her system. “God, you scared the hell out of
me.”
“Yeah? Well, that gun’s got me a little unnerved,” Will grunted. “You want to, maybe, point that thing somewhere else?”
Amanda blinked, looking at the gun in surprise. The sight of it, the sudden feel of its heavy weight snapped her back to the reality of the moment. Doing as he asked, she lowered the gun as she shot to her feet, demanding to know, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I—”
“Never mind that.” They didn’t time for a conversation. “We got to go. Now. Company is coming.”
Amanda matched her words to actions, taking the few steps to the bike. She swung her leg over before looking up to find Will just staring at her.
“I’m not going.”
“What? Are you insane?”
No jokes, no smart comebacks, not this time. This time Will just shook his head at her. “I can’t get to the money. Not in time to save you.”
“So?” Not about to leave him here, Amanda swung off the bike, intending to drag Will’s ass on to it at gun point if need be. “We’ll run now. We’ll get it later.”
“No.” Taking a deep breath, he stiffened up. “I’ve done a lot of bad in one lifetime, Mandy, but I won’t do this. I won’t be the reason you die.”
“You son of a bitch,” Amanda whispered.
All the pain, fear and anger clenched into a fist, she threw right into this face. Bending down to grip his jaw, Will grimaced as he absorbed the hit, but Amanda felt no remorse. The engine sounds were closing in on them and there wasn’t time. No time to flee, not with Will playing the martyr.
“You want to die?” Pulling the nine millimeter from her waistband, Amanda aimed it right at Will’s head. “I can give you death, if that’s what you’re so anxious to have.”
Not bothering to straighten up, Will didn’t blink as he stared back at her. “Do it.”
A part of Amanda wanted to, wanted to give into the rage, but she couldn’t pull the trigger. Venting her anger with a growl, she lifted the gun to her own head. “Fine. How about this? You want to get on the bike now?”
Kansas Heat Page 50
