Nikki’s stomach knotted up at even the thought of food. “No, I don’t want food, but I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Good God, woman, you got a bladder the size of a thimble. It ain’t been thirty minutes since we stopped. Stop up here at Estelline, but this is the last time. Once you get done, we’ll get on Highway 86 and in an hour and a half, we’ll be at the end of the road,” he said. “Remember the rules when we’re in the gas station. You might as well fill up with gas while we’re there. Once me and the guys divide up the money, I’m going to use this car to go back to Mesquite to get my motorcycle.”
“I thought you were going to use the ransom money for a new bike.” She pulled up next to one of the two gas pumps.
“We’ll all split five ways and won’t see each other for a month until this all dies down. Ten thousand dollars will go a long way in Mexico, and I like my motorcycle just fine, so I’ve changed my mind,” he said.
“What about all that money y’all got by robbing an ephedrine truck?” She looked up into the rearview mirror.
“That won’t last a long time, and besides, me and the boys like adventure, so we’ll get back together after a few months, just like always,” he answered.
Billy Tom had probably been a fairly good-looking kid as a teenager, Nikki thought. He had a square jaw and nice green eyes, but the life he’d chosen had made him hard and downright mean. Now he made her skin crawl. One thing for absolute sure, she would not be spending an hour with him, much less a month. Someone would come get her before that happened. Emily checked on her every day, and Tag would know something was wrong when he found her purse lying on the ground outside the cabin.
“You going to call your thug friends and tell them we’re close?” she asked as she turned off the engine, undid her seat belt, and opened the car door. “Do I go to the bathroom first or pump gas?”
“No, I’m not calling my buddies. They know I’m on the way,” he told her. “Pump the gas and then we’ll go inside.”
That meant she had no way to leave a message on the gas pump for the folks in the car who waited behind her. After she’d filled the tank, Billy Tom got out of the backseat, threw half a dozen empty beer bottles into a nearby trash can, and followed her into the small convenience store.
“Bathrooms?” Nikki asked.
The young lady behind the counter pointed toward the far corner of the store. Nikki felt as if she’d never had a shower or washed her hair as she entered the two-stall ladies’ room. When she left the restroom, an older woman with gray hair passed her in the doorway, but Billy Tom was standing not three feet away with his hand inside his nasty vest.
“Thought I might have to wait in line, judgin’ by all the cars out there, but looks like it’s empty,” the lady said.
“It’s all yours.” Nikki smiled.
“You done good,” Billy Tom growled as he grabbed her arm. “I was ready to pull the trigger and drop that old bag where she stood.”
When they got close to the beer cooler, Billy Tom grabbed a case. “We’ll take the boys a little something. They’re probably spittin’ dust since they can’t go to a store.”
Paying for the beer aggravated Nikki so badly that she almost refused, but then the lady from the bathroom set a candy bar and a root beer on the counter and leaned over the counter to hug the cashier, who didn’t look a day older than eighteen. “How’s things goin’ today, darlin’?”
She stretched over the top of the counter and hugged her back. “Slow, Granny, but it’s a job. The money will help with my college fees this fall. Then it’s on to grad school.”
Nikki paid for the beer with her debit card, hoping all the time that the police were already tracing the places she’d used it. Without incident, they got back on the highway and she made the next turn Billy Tom demanded. He yawned several times, but he kept his eyes wide open for the next hour and a half.
Tag cursed every single one of the 250 miles to Tulia.
“She’s never goin’ to speak to me again,” he muttered to himself. Tag couldn’t blame her if she didn’t. He’d brought all this crap down on her head—Billy Tom might have been the actual culprit, but if Tag hadn’t ever been associated with him, then it wouldn’t have happened.
Guilt lay on his shoulders like a heavy wool blanket every time he even thought her name, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Had Billy Tom hurt her? Why had he even taken her? He could have demanded her car keys and left her alone. He should have thought of all this at the pizza place. He knew Billy Tom and the guys he rode with—that they were ruthless and wild. He should have protected Nikki better.
When he went through Vernon, Texas, it hit him that he’d never told Billy Tom where his ranch was or that he was staying in a nearby cabin, so how did he know where to go?
“Small town living,” he muttered. All he’d had to do was ask someone in Sunset about the Baker boys who’d recently settled there. Everyone probably even knew that he was now staying at the cabin.
He wanted to stop the motorcycle and kick something—a tree, a cactus, even one of those “Don’t Mess with Texas” trash cans along the side of the road would do just fine. But he didn’t have the time to give in to his anger. He had to keep riding until he got to the hideout—and he just hoped he could beat Billy Tom there.
But what if he doesn’t go there? It’s been years since you rode with him. He could’ve changed places.
If that was the case, then Tag couldn’t rescue Nikki. He couldn’t apologize to her, beg her forgiveness, and own up to the fact that this horrible kidnapping was all his fault. One for being such a stupid teenager, the other for getting her into the mess with Billy Tom to begin with.
He was a ball of nerves, anger, and guilt when he finally reached the turnoff to the cabin. He parked his motorcycle under a big scrub oak tree and dismounted, looked around and caught a movement to his right. Matthew came out from behind a big scrub oak tree and gave him a quick hug. “He’s not showed up yet, so you’ve beat him.”
“Thank God,” Tag said. “Are you the only one here?”
“No, there are others, but they’re well hidden. We didn’t want to spook him since he’s got the hostage,” Matthew said quietly. “I’ve got to get in position up on that rise over there. You wait until they’re parked.”
“Y’all goin’ to let me go in first?” Tag asked.
“You armed?” Matthew asked.
“No. I didn’t even think to bring a gun,” Tag answered.
“Good.” Matthew laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “You don’t need one. We’ve got your back, but if you want to try to talk him into surrendering, you can have the job. But don’t worry, we will get her back. Just talk calmly so he don’t hurt Nikki.” Matthew touched the phone on his shoulder.
“Baker here,” he said.
“He’s been spotted turning off to the main road,” a voice said.
“Thank you, Darrin,” Matthew said and then looked at Tag. “That’s my cue to get up on that little rise behind an old log. See you when it’s over.”
“Thanks for letting me be a part of this,” Tag said.
Matthew nodded and disappeared across the clearing and into the trees that led up to a high spot.
Tag took a deep breath and leaned on the old log blocking the path to the cabin, his heart pounding, guilt still filling his heart and soul, and hoping with everything in him that Billy Tom hadn’t hurt Nikki. If he had, Tag wouldn’t need a gun to take care of him.
Billy Tom sat straight up in the backseat and growled, “Make a right at the next gravel road. We’ll go about a mile and then turn into a lane. I’ll tell you where, and, honey, no cuttin’ and runnin’. I’m a damn good shot, and you can’t run as fast as a bullet.”
Nikki drove slowly, hoping that at any minute she’d see police cars behind her, but there were none. A mile of dust boiled up behind them, and then he motioned with the gun for her to make another right turn. There was nothing mor
e than a rutted path from that point on. She’d only driven a couple of minutes when she saw the old tree lying across the road and remembered the story of how Duke died. She braked and brought the car to a stop.
“We’ll walk from here. It ain’t far.” Billy Tom picked up a case of beer in one hand and held the gun in the other.
Nikki got out of her car and caught a movement in her peripheral vision. Then Tag walked out from behind a fallen down log right in front of her. At first she thought she was seeing things, or dreaming, or maybe Billy Tom put a silencer on the gun and she was dead.
No, she couldn’t be dead because Tag had come all that way to rescue her. She had to be alive so she could thank him. Things began to blur around the edges, but she refused to give in to it and faint. She stiffened her back and took several deep breaths so that Billy Tom wouldn’t have the satisfaction of winning.
“I think you have something that’s mine.” Tag didn’t even look her way but locked gazes with Billy Tom. “I want it back.”
What was Tag talking about? A few kisses didn’t make her his.
“You can have her for ten thousand dollars.” Billy Tom leveled the gun at Tag’s chest.
“I don’t think so.” Tag folded his arms over his chest and finally looked Nikki in the eye.
Fear and anger all rolled into one was the message she got, not that she wasn’t important enough for the ransom.
“So she’s not worth that to you? She’s just another one of your bar bimbos after all,” Billy Tom taunted. “If she’s worthless to both of us, I can just kill her right here.”
“I’d give everything I’ve got for her, but that’s not the issue here.” Tag’s gaze went back to Billy Tom. “You are surrounded by men from the Swisher County Sheriff’s Department and the Tulia police. Did I ever tell you that my brother Matthew is a volunteer deputy? He can take the eyes out of a rattlesnake at a hundred yards. If you’ll look to your left, you’ll see the glint from his gun.”
Billy Tom cut his eyes around toward the shiny dot among the trees on the slight hill. His face went gray as the blood drained out of it. “Nobody can make a shot that good.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. You willing to take that chance?” Tag asked.
“You think his bullet can get here faster than mine can get to her?” Billy Tom moved the gun to point at Nikki’s forehead.
“I wouldn’t want to see if Matthew’s can, but maybe one of these other fellers’ will.” Tag held up a hand and motioned.
Uniformed policemen began to circle around him. The one with the sheriff’s badge said, “We have already got your buddies from the old shack back there in custody. We’ve confiscated the money, and you’ve got nowhere to run, Billy Tom. It’s taken us twenty years but this time, boy, you’re on your way to prison for a long time. The Montague County police called me a few hours ago and said you were on the way. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Billy Tom glared at Tag and then at Nikki, his eyes shifting from one pistol to another—all aimed right at him. He must’ve realized he was out of options because he dropped the pistol on the ground, fell to his knees, and put his hands behind his head.
Nikki picked up the gun and, using the butt, hit him square between the eyes. He tumbled backward, squalling like a little girl as he tried to catch the blood flowing from his nose. She dropped the gun in the dirt and turned to see Tag coming toward her, his arms outstretched. She couldn’t let him touch her, not when she still had the stench of Billy Tom in her nose. She shook her head. “Don’t touch me, not until I get this filth off me. Where’s the nearest motel?”
“You can stay at my folks’ ranch,” he offered.
“No, thank you. I’d rather stay in a motel.” Her hands shook so badly that she had to clasp them together.
“I need to talk to you, and we’ve got showers at the jail,” the sheriff said. “I can even get you a set of scrubs if you don’t mind orange.”
“Then I’ll follow you.” She started for her car.
“You shouldn’t be driving alone,” Tag said.
“You’re going with this deputy right here,” the sheriff said. “I’ll take Billy Tom with me.”
“I’ll drive her car,” Matthew offered. “Keys still in it?”
It wasn’t easy to let them make decisions for her, but the adrenaline rush was crashing. She nodded toward Matthew. “It stinks of him and beer.”
“I’ll take care of it, Nikki. You just go with the deputy,” Tag assured her. “I’ll be right behind you, and thanks, Sheriff, for letting me be part of this.”
“Matthew had a lot to do with that. I called him the minute the sheriff from over in Montague County got in touch with me.”
“I need a doctor,” Billy Tom whined.
“Shut up or I’ll tell everyone in the jail that a woman half your size took you down,” a deputy told him as he put him into the back of a police car.
Chapter Fifteen
Tag followed Nikki and the deputy to the squad car and opened the passenger door for her. “I can go with you and send someone for my motorcycle.”
“I’m fine,” she said, but her voice shook.
“Just follow us,” the officer said.
“I’ll be right behind you, Nikki. Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. Define hurt, she thought as he closed the door. It didn’t always mean bruises or cuts. Sometimes it went way deeper than that and couldn’t be put into words.
“I didn’t hear you answer Tag,” said the gray-haired deputy as he took the same route back to town that Nikki had driven. It seemed like hours instead of only minutes.
“He didn’t physically hurt me, but he kept a gun pointed at me for the last five hours,” she said in a thin voice that she hardly recognized as her own.
“I’m sure that was scary,” he said.
Nikki was glad that he didn’t have any more questions because she didn’t want to answer them. Tears welled up, but she refused to let the dam loose. She’d been strong right up to the end, and now she might get fired for having a record. That stunt with the gun might get her charged with assault with intent to do bodily harm—which was the God’s honest truth.
The deputy pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car. Nikki reached for the door handle, but before her hand even touched it, Tag opened it and said, “I’m going with you.”
With Tag on one side of her and the deputy leading the way, they went inside the police station. Nikki took a deep breath, sucking in the smell of cleansers. After inhaling beer and nasty burps all day, she wanted to sit down on the tile and enjoy the scent for hours.
The deputy led the way into an office with his name on the door. “The sheriff is on the way. Can I get you something to drink, Miz Grady?”
She shook her head. “I just want a shower.”
“All in due time. Tag, you can wait outside now. This won’t take long.”
“I’d rather stay,” he said.
“There’s a chair out there.” The deputy pointed.
“I’ll be waiting, Nikki,” he said.
The sheriff entered the room and motioned for Nikki to take a seat across the desk from him. “Can you answer some questions for me?”
She nodded.
“I will record your interview.” He set a recording device on the edge of the desk. “You still look pale. Do you need a few minutes to collect yourself?”
“I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with,” she answered.
“You are a strong woman, Miz Grady. I admire your strength,” the sheriff told her, and then pushed a button on the tiny recorder. “This is Sheriff Lester Roberts taking Nikki Grady’s statement. Now tell me what happened today. Don’t leave out any details.”
His comment about her strength gave her the courage to start talking. “I was kidnapped at gunpoint.”
Matthew carried a second folding chair down the hallway and set it up beside his brother. “You okay?”
“Another thirty minutes and I wo
uldn’t have been there,” Tag said. “I caused this mess. I needed to be there for her when she got out of that car.”
That the two cowboys were related was evident by their clear blue eyes and dark hair, but that’s where the resemblance ended. Matthew wasn’t as tall as Tag, and he’d always been the serious one of the three Baker boys. Tag was the rebel. Hud was the quiet twin. Matthew was the responsible son. Right then Tag wished he had a helluva lot more Matthew in him.
“Is she going to be all right?” Matthew asked.
“She’s tough. Had to be coming from the family she did. It wasn’t like ours.” Tag removed his hat and laid it on the floor beside him. “Crazy mother. Father who left her after her brother died. She was fourteen when all that happened, and she’s made her own way since she was eighteen.”
“Then I expect she’ll be fine. Did he…” Matthew paused.
“I hope to hell not.” Tag took a bandana from his pocket and wiped sweat and dirt from his face. “I really like her, Matthew, but now I’ve got to back away from her for her own safety. Dammit!” He slapped his knee.
“What?” Matthew asked.
“I need to call Emily. She’s been worried sick.” Tag jerked his phone from his pocket.
“I talked to her on the way here. Also talked to Mama and Dad. Now all you’ve got on your plate is her,” Matthew told him. “Never saw you like this over a woman.”
Tag shrugged. “And now I’ve ruined it with my past mistakes.”
“You need to leave the past in the past and move on to the future,” Matthew said.
Tag shook his head. “I’m trying but it keeps coming back to bite me on the ass.”
“Give it a chance. Things will take on a new light when you get back to your ranch.” Matthew patted him on the shoulder.
Tag drew in a long breath and let it out in a whoosh. “I’ve got to talk to her.”
“I’ve got a solution. Ride home with her and leave that damned motorcycle here,” Matthew said.
Cowboy Rebel--Includes a bonus short story Page 14
