by Janet Dailey
Stella was given a key to the unit on the far end. She backed the car up to the door and got out to open it. Before unlocking the trunk she took the Smith and Wesson .38, the gun she’d used to kill Clay, out of her purse. Before today, when someone needed killing, she’d always paid or manipulated others to do the job. Until she’d fired at the man and seen him fall dead, she hadn’t known what a powerful rush it could be. She wouldn’t mind feeling that rush again, maybe soon.
The girl was alert but quiet. Stella thrust the pistol toward her face. “Behave yourself and you can come inside. But no tricks, understand?”
She nodded. Stella had parked at an angle to keep the inside of the trunk out the office woman’s line of sight. It took some maneuvering, with the back door open, to make it appear that she was getting someone out of the backseat. She blocked the view with the blanket while Erin got out of the trunk. Then, without freeing the girl’s ankles, Stella wrapped her in the blanket, jump-walked her inside, and shoved her onto the bed. “Stay,” she ordered, taking a moment to step out and close the trunk, then lock the door. “I’ll cut your legs loose so you can use the bathroom, but you’ll have to do it with your arms taped. And the door stays open. I’m not taking my eyes off you, hear? And don’t you make a sound. Right now, I’ve got a phone call to make.”
* * *
It was coming up on midnight when Beau got the call. Will and Tori were on their feet at once, crowding close as they tried to make sense of the half-heard dialogue. Only after he’d ended the call did they get the full story.
“They’ve found where Erin is,” Beau said. “This woman in Eagle Pass, who checked them into a motel, saw the AMBER alert on TV and called it in.”
“They’re sure it’s Erin?” Tori felt faint.
“She said the woman gave a different name, but she had red hair and claimed to have her daughter with her. The girl went inside wrapped in a blanket, so she wasn’t seen. But the license plate on the car is a match to Stella’s. It’s got to be her!”
“Have they got Erin yet?” Will demanded. “What’s happening down there?”
“The local police have the place surrounded, but they’re holding off, waiting for the FBI hostage negotiator to show up before they move in. They’re all hoping the situation won’t turn into a shoot-out.”
“Lord, we can’t just sit here and wait!” Will paced as he talked, his hands clenching into fists. “If we can get there, we might be able to help, or at least let Erin know we’re there!”
“But the border’s hours away,” Tori said. “If we have to drive . . .” She shook her head.
“I know,” Beau said. “That’s why my friends from the FBI are stopping by to pick us up in the chopper. Get your coats on. We’re meeting them at the school athletic field in twenty minutes.”
* * *
Using the toilet with her hands taped behind her back was tricky, but after two hours in the motel room, Erin was getting the knack of it, even in the dark. She sat with the bathroom door open, in full view of Stella, who was sitting in a chair with her back to the door and the pistol resting in her lap. Through the drawn curtains the streetlamp outside cast long shadows into the unlit room.
Erin’s hopes that the woman would fall asleep, so she could carry out her escape plan, were fading. It was a good plan, she thought—lock the bathroom door, break the water glass, and use one sharp edge to cut through the tape, then unlatch the bathroom window and climb out. She’d seen it done in the movies. There was no reason it couldn’t work in real life. But Stella, watching her every move with those cold green eyes, showed no signs of nodding off.
Erin tried not to think about how scared she was. Stella would enjoy seeing her fall apart and cry. But she wouldn’t give the red-haired witch the satisfaction. She wouldn’t let the woman see the terror that lay like a coiled reptile in the pit of her stomach.
“Aren’t you getting hungry?” she asked, sitting on the bed. “Maybe there’s a vending machine outside. We could at least get a couple of candy bars.”
“Shut up, you little bitch!” Stella snapped. “Nobody’s going anywhere till my friend comes to pick you up. After that, you won’t be my problem anymore.” She stiffened, as if hearing something. One hand moved the window drape aside far enough to see out. “Maybe that’s him now. It’s—Shit!” She dropped the curtain and sprang to her feet. “It’s the cops. One peep out of you, girl, and you’re dead.” She pointed the gun at Erin. “Lie down on the floor—over there, on the far side of the bed!”
Erin did as she was told, trembling in spite of herself as Stella bound her ankles again, then taped her mouth. Through the curtain she glimpsed headlights moving beyond the window, then nothing. Unable to cry out or get up, she could only lie still and wait.
* * *
Tori clutched her shoulder bag as the helicopter swooped in over the lights of Eagle Pass. FBI agent Forbes, an experienced hostage negotiator, had told them not to bring any weapons. But until now, Tori had forgotten about the nine-millimeter Kel-Tec Will had given her to carry. Her fingertips traced the small pistol’s outline through the purse’s leather folds. She didn’t plan to use it, of course. But it gave her a measure of comfort to know it was there, loaded and ready.
Will sat silent beside her. She could feel the tension in his body, see the determination in his face, and she knew he would do anything to get their daughter back. But he was afraid, too, just as she was. Anything could happen down there, in the dangerous dark.
The helicopter touched down in an empty parking lot, where a local police car was waiting for them. Agent Forbes climbed in front with the driver, leaving Tori, Will, and Beau to crowd into the backseat. They listened while the driver gave Forbes an update.
“It’s not looking good. Somebody made a move too soon and the woman got wind of the police. She’s threatening to kill the girl if we don’t back off.”
“Just get me there.” Forbes spoke calmly, but Tori could feel her heart in her throat. How many times on the news had she seen hostage situations where both the kidnapper and the hostage ended up dead? Right now, it appeared that Stella was using Erin as a bargaining chip. But if the woman was facing certain capture or death, it would be like her to kill her enemy’s daughter as a final act of revenge.
Lights flashing and siren blaring, the police car sped to the scene. They found three other black-and-whites parked with headlights glaring on the door and curtained window of the end motel room. The officer in charge ushered Tori into the backseat of one of the cars, while Will and Beau were given bulletproof vests to wear. No doubt in the officer’s mind, a mere woman was best kept out of the way.
Seething with anxiety, Tori rolled down the window and strained to see what was happening. Forbes was speaking through a bullhorn, evidently trying to set up communication with Stella. An officer in protective gear walked to the door and laid a phone on the stoop. As he backed away, the door opened a few inches and the phone disappeared.
Somewhere beyond that door, helpless and terrified, was Erin. It was all Tori could do to keep from leaping out of the car, rushing to the door, and screaming to be let in.
A young policeman, perhaps assigned to keep an eye on her, stood nearby. Tori caught his attention. “What’s going on?” she demanded. “That’s my daughter in there.”
He stepped forward to listen, then reported back. “The woman’s demanding half a million dollars in cash and safe passage to the border. Once she’s across, she’ll release the girl.”
“She won’t do it,” Tori said. “I know her. She’ll kill Erin before she lets her go. Tell them that.”
“Don’t worry, Agent Forbes knows his job,” the young officer said. “I’ve worked with him before. If anybody can get your daughter back, he can.”
If anybody can . . . Lord, what if nobody could?
Through the open window she could hear Will arguing vehemently with Forbes. His words tore at her heart.
“Listen to me, damn it! I’m the o
ne Stella wants. Let me go in. Maybe I can trade places with Erin, or at least be inside to protect her.”
“That’s not the way we do things, Mr. Tyler,” Forbes said. “Now stand back and let us do our job.”
“Stand back, hell!” Will growled. “I’m going in. If you don’t back me, damn it, I’ll do it without your help.”
As Forbes relented, Tori forced herself to breathe. Will would lay down his life to save Erin. Right now, she had no choice except to let him—even if it meant she could lose them both.
Her frantic hands twisted in her lap. How could she just sit here and wait? There had to be something she could do. Will would be unarmed. But she had a gun. She barely knew how to shoot, but if she could make a difference she had to act—and act now.
With everyone’s eyes on Will, Tori took the small pistol out of her purse and pulled back the slide to chamber a bullet. Then she slipped out the far side of the police car. Ducking low and keeping to the shadows, she cut around through the darkness, heading for the back of the motel.
* * *
Erin had rolled onto her belly and managed to inchworm her way across the linoleum floor. Now she was just a few feet short of the door. Stella, gripping her pistol and intent on the danger out front, had yet to notice her. What now? She couldn’t use her hands or her feet. She couldn’t cry out. But if the chance came to make her move—any move she could—she had to be ready.
As she lay there, tense and waiting, she heard a voice outside—her father’s voice.
“Stella! I’m unarmed and I’m coming in! I’m the one you want, not an innocent girl! Take me and let Erin go!”
Stella opened the door a few inches. Lying behind her, Erin could see her father standing in the bright light with his hands up. He was wearing a bulletproof vest, but his head was unprotected. As Stella raised the pistol, Erin knew that was where she would aim. At close range it would be an easy, and fatal, shot.
Erin had to do something.
As Stella tensed to fire, Erin flung the last of her strength into a lightning-fast tuck-and-roll that slammed her curled body into the back of Stella’s legs. The pistol roared. Through the partly open doorway, Erin saw her father reel and drop to his knees. A red stain flowed down the sleeve of his jacket.
Stella staggered to one side, caught off balance. Pushing to her knees, Erin head-butted her out of the way, shouldered the door open, and tumbled out onto the stoop.
As the police rushed forward, she heard the door bang shut behind her and the click of the lock. Stella was still inside, but now she was alone.
* * *
Tori had heard the gunshot from the rear of the motel. As she made her way through the overgrown oleander bushes, she could only pray that the single bullet hadn’t struck any of her loved ones.
She’d guessed that in an old motel like this one, there would be a bathroom window in the back of each unit. If she could get in that way, she might be able to catch Stella by surprise and rescue Erin. Now she saw that she’d been right about the window. But it was high and appeared to be latched from the inside. Never mind, this plan was her only option. Somehow she would make it work.
She was glancing around for something to climb on when the window slid open. Tori raised her pistol as a dark shape, barely lit by the moon, squeezed out through the opening and dropped five feet to the ground, landing with a grunt of pain.
As the figure pushed to a crouch, the moonlight fell on an upturned face. Eyes as fierce as a cornered puma’s glared at Tori. It was Stella.
She’d dropped her pistol as she hit the ground. Keeping her own gun leveled at the woman, Tori kicked the heavy .38 into the bushes, out of reach. Blind rage swept through Tori as she leveled her weapon. “Hands up, Stella!” she snarled. “You don’t know how much I’d enjoy pulling this trigger right in your ugly face.”
Stella’s laugh was pure evil. “You don’t have the guts to shoot me, lawyer lady. As soon as I can get my legs under me, I’m going to get up and walk away.” She pushed partway to her feet, grimaced, and lowered herself to the ground again. She’d landed hard. Tori guessed that she might have broken something—her ankle or even her leg—but despite the pain Stella kept that cruel smile on her face.
“Too bad about your daughter. She was a pretty little thing. She’d have fetched a good price if she’d lived, but she was dead by the time you showed up. Too bad about your ex-husband, too. One shot, and he went down like a load of bricks. At least you can have the pleasure of giving them both a nice funeral.”
Shock and rage blotted out Tori’s grief for the moment. It didn’t matter what she did now. Without both Erin and Will, her life was over. She’d have nothing to live for. At least killing this evil monster of a woman would give her some satisfaction.
Stella was still grinning when Tori raised the pistol. White-hot fury blurred her vision as her shaking finger tightened on the trigger.
“Stop, Tori!” Beau’s arms clasped her from behind, forcing her gun hand down. She struggled, fighting against him, wanting nothing more than to destroy the she-devil who’d taken her loved ones. “Let me go!” she muttered. “She killed Will and Erin! I want to make sure she never hurts anybody again!”
“It’s all right, Tori!” Beau’s grip tightened. “Stella’s lying! Will’s only wounded and Erin is free! They’re waiting for you out front now.”
The pistol dropped from Tori’s fingers. Too drained to speak, she began to tremble. Beau, her lifelong friend, laid an arm around her shoulders and guided her away as the police closed in to arrest Stella.
“It’s over, Tori,” he said. “Will and Erin are waiting for us. Let’s go home.”
Together they came around to the front of the motel. There, in the glare of headlights, she saw Will sitting up on an ambulance stretcher while a paramedic tended his shoulder wound. Bruised and disheveled, Erin stood in the clasp of his free arm, sobbing as she clung to her father.
Breaking loose from Beau, Tori ran toward them. An instant later, she was holding them close—the two people she loved most in the world. Her family. Whatever happened, she never wanted to be separated from them again.
EPILOGUE I
Tori would remember that Christmas on the ranch as the happiest ever. There hadn’t been time or money to put many presents under the tree. But just having the ranch family together had been reason enough for joyous celebration.
The best part of it had been waking up next to Will and seeing his sleepy face on the pillow beside her. They’d been married a few days earlier in a small, private ceremony. This time everything felt right. For Tori, it had taken almost losing her precious daughter and the man she loved to realize that they needed to be a family again. They would be a family forever.
That morning they’d looked outside to find the land blanketed with soft, gently falling snow. While the men trooped out to do chores, the women had gathered to start preparations for Christmas dinner—dressing the turkey, mixing the rolls, and setting the table with the elegant china and silver that had belonged to Will and Beau’s mother. They chatted and laughed, enjoying the time together. Lauren, her pregnancy no longer a secret, was planning her wedding. Now that she and Natalie were both expectant mothers, they’d become fast friends.
The exterior of the barn was finished, and there was other good news for the ranch as well. Days ago, a big outfit in Montana, the Triple C, run by the Calder family, had made a generous offer on twenty of the best young colts. The money would pay off the bank loan with enough left over to buy all the winter hay they needed.
When they sat down for dinner, Tori looked around the table, thinking how much she loved everyone there—crusty old Jasper and patient Bernice, Beau and Natalie, Sky and Lauren, her own dear husband, Will, and the daughter they shared. Lives would change as the years wore on. But this day was one to hold and remember for always.
EPILOGUE II
Three months later
Gatesville Women’s State Prison, Gatesville, Texas
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Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, her hair fading from red to gray, Stella walked into the prison lunchroom, where she would likely be eating for the rest of her life. It wasn’t the Ritz. But, thanks to a good lawyer, at least she wasn’t spending her days on death row.
She missed the old times, especially the Blue Coyote, which she’d sold to Abner Sweeney at a bargain price to pay for her defense. It tickled her to imagine Abner running the bar. His straightlaced wife had probably thrown a fit. But at least the bar made good money—better than a county lawman’s pay.
As a new prisoner here, she was still finding her place in the pecking order. She would keep her head down at first. But once she knew the ropes, she’d be on her way up the food chain, all the way to the top.
Goading Tori Tyler into killing her would have been a mistake. She enjoyed taking on life’s challenges, and even here, behind bars, there would be opportunities to win. Stella knew human nature, and she knew how to make her way. Another six months here, and she’d be running the place.
After going through the line, she took her tray, filled with the slop that passed for food, to an empty table and sat down to eat and watch. You could learn a lot about people from who they sat with and the way they ate. She was learning more every day.
She had nearly finished when she heard a footstep behind her. A tall, familiar shadow fell across the table. Stella’s pulse jerked. Her gaze traveled upward to the stringy black hair, and the narrow face with its slashing scar.
The crooked mouth smiled. “Hello, Stella,” said Marie Fletcher.
Keep reading for a special preview of Christmas on My Mind, from New York Times Bestselling Author Janet Dailey.
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The future looks merry and bright…
