Swiping to answer, Tate said coolly, “Yes?”
Brody looked out at the lake, trying to give him some privacy, but he couldn’t help but listen in.
“Yes?” A pause. “Of course I’ll help. Calm down and tell me what’s wrong.” Tate queried an eyebrow at Brody and mouthed, “Cally’s mom.”
Brody stared at him in confusion. Cally’s mom hated the Jepson brothers, Brody most of all. She thought they were too uncouth to be friends with her daughter. When Cally had ditched all of them for Chicago five years ago, Brody assumed she agreed with her mom; Cally had returned, though, and from what Brody could tell, she might be after Tate instead of Colt now. Interesting.
More time passed, and Brody heard a frantic female voice through the phone, though none of the words were intelligible. Finally, Tate yelled, “Eileen! Who’s taken Cally?”
Whatever the answer was, it wasn’t good. Tate stumbled back to his truck and leaned heavily against it.
Brody hurried to his side and grasped his forearm. “Are you okay?”
Tate only shook his head. “Have you called the police?” he asked a few seconds later.
Police? Brody’s insides turned to ice as a sense of foreboding washed over him. Cally was in trouble. A cloud passed over the sun, and the bright day became almost as shadowy as the pit in his stomach.
“But we have no clue where to look.” Eventually, Tate said, “I’ll try, Eileen, but you have to call the police. Use this cell phone that you’re calling me on.”
Tate hung up. His gaze swung from his phone to Brody, and his jaw was slack. “Cally’s been kidnapped,” he grunted out. He leaned heavily into Brody, who staggered before wrapping an arm around him.
Brody felt like the big brother, like he needed to watch out for Tate and somehow make things right. “What are we going to do?” Brody asked.
“Her mom said no police, but we’ve got to get some help.” Tate paused as if thinking. “We’re going to call Jake at search and rescue and your buddy with the FBI. Do you think he can keep things quiet so the kidnappers don’t hurt her like they threatened her parents?”
Brody nodded. Vance. Great guy. “Yeah. He’s the best.”
“Then you and I are going to find her.”
Brody’s blue eyes widened, but he didn’t dispute it. If she was kidnapped, how would they know where to look and what to do? Cally meant a lot to him too, so he’d do whatever he could to help her, but saying he was concerned about their chances of finding her was like saying Causey Reservoir, a mountain runoff lake, was a little chilly.
Chapter Six
Kaimbrey figured out quick that Jack was the burly blond guy. She never caught the bald guy’s name, as he didn’t say much. After being forced to hike a couple of miles through the forest while listening to Jack’s vile threats about everything from slicing up pretty girls to how he liked innocent girls who had never been with a “real man,” Kaimbrey’s stomach was churning and her back was covered with icy sweat. She’d mouthed off a few times, but she’d fallen quiet when Jack had backhanded her and then threatened to cut her tongue out if she sassed him again.
They finally, mercifully deposited her in a four-man tent on the edge of a clearing in the forest. Her head hurt from the door hitting it and then Jack hitting her. She sat on a sleeping bag with a pad underneath and stewed over how to get free with her hands bound behind her, in the middle of a forest she didn’t know, and with two revolting men outside. At least they’d left her alone for a minute.
Jack had explained that her parents were to leave five million dollars at a spot nearby at midnight. If they failed, he would cut her into pieces. If her parents came through … well, he’d winked and said, “We’ll see what you and I can work out then.” Kaimbrey knew she was as good as raped and murdered. She had to free herself, and fast.
The tent flap zipped open, and her heart raced uncontrollably. She sat straight and glared in defiance. These losers would never know how terrified she was.
A tall, blond lady ducked into the tent and, when she saw her, screamed, “Kaimbrey!”
Kaimbrey scrambled to her feet. Cally. What was her new friend doing in this mess?
A dark-haired man she hadn’t seen before looked between the two of them. “You two know each other?”
Cally nodded. “We met at a party last night.”
“I guess all rich chicks know each other, right?” The man smirked at her.
“Something like that.” Cally rolled her eyes.
He rubbed his hand along Cally’s bare back, and Cally flinched away from him. He smiled and zipped the tent up. Kaimbrey hated how these creeps knew they were in their power. It was as humiliating as it was terrifying. Okay, it was more terrifying, because she knew how despicable men like this could be. Some of her classes in social work had opened her eyes to the depravity people could stoop to.
Cally turned to Kaimbrey, crouching; she was too tall to stand up straight in the tent. Kaimbrey tilted her head, directing her to sit on the sleeping bag with a pad underneath. Cally knelt down, then rotated to her rear, letting out a soft sigh.
“You okay?” Kaimbrey asked quietly.
“Yeah. He didn’t do anything to me.”
“Good.”
“You?”
Kaimbrey shrugged. “The big guy with the blond hair?”
Cally nodded.
“His name is Jack. He’s …” Kaimbrey shuddered. “Disgusting.” The word wasn’t strong enough, but she wasn’t about to elaborate and terrify Cally. “I think he’s in charge.”
Her blue eyes filled with concern. “Did he hurt you?”
“Just lots of threats.” She didn’t need to spell out to Cally how horrific their fate would be if they didn’t escape. Cally was a smart lady and had probably figured that one out on her own.
Cally didn’t respond. Kaimbrey rolled her head around. Her shoulders ached from her hands being tied behind her back. Cally looked even more miserable, since she was barefoot and wearing a darling floral dress. At least Kaimbrey was dressed better to be traipsing through the mountains.
Kaimbrey waited as long as she could stand, then asked, “So what’s our plan?”
“Plan?” Cally’s smooth brow wrinkled. “Well, hopefully your parents like you a lot better than mine like me. There’s no way my mother would waste money on ransoming me. After midnight, I might be in trouble.”
Kaimbrey stared at her. They were both in trouble, no matter if the ransom came. “You said your mother was a brat, but come on. She’d pay for your ransom.”
Cally looked away, and Kaimbrey knew exactly how she felt. Kaimbrey’s mother had disowned her. Would she even respond to a ransom attempt? More than likely, her parents were on some trip and wouldn’t even look at the message.
“But we can’t just wait around to be ransomed,” Kaimbrey said. “You know how men like this are. They’ll get their money and then kill us so we can’t identify them.” No need to share that Jack had confirmed he would do awful things to them either way.
Soft pattering started against the roof of the tent. The day had been overcast, but now it was raining lightly.
Cally scooted closer to Kaimbrey and whispered, “How are your fingernails?”
Kaimbrey tilted her head and said, “Viciously long. Why?”
“I bite mine. So you need to pick my ropes loose first, and then I’ll somehow dig yours off of you.”
Kaimbrey nodded. Their situation was awful, and she hated that Cally was in danger too, but at least she had an ally now. “Then we’ll rip a hole in this tent and escape before those jerks get any filthy money.”
Tate and Brody took their parents’ side-by-side, telling them they were going on a hike by Causey, and started driving the dirt roads through the forest east of the lake. Their momma was worried about the rainstorm that was coming, but they both assured her they’d turn around if it got too nasty. Brody smiled grimly. Momma didn’t know that nothing was too nasty for them, at least weather-w
ise—they’d seen it all.
Vance, his buddy from college who was the FBI agent, agreed to quietly organize with search and rescue so as not to alert the kidnappers. They were going to fabricate a story, even to their own people, about a couple of lost hikers and an escaped convict on the loose so they wouldn’t put Cally in danger but it wouldn’t seem out of line for the FBI to be involved.
Tate was busy in his own head, so Brody stayed quiet, searching the surrounding forest for any sign that someone may have passed through. He thought about Kaimbrey as they drove. He had been drawn in by her funny personality and her beauty, but her ditching him was pretty low. He needed to forget about her, and quick.
Hours passed as they searched each back road and trail, hiking a few trails quickly but coming up empty and scaring a teenage couple who were making out. Each dead end that didn’t produce Cally made Tate more tense and Brody more concerned. He had a sick pit in his stomach, like the deepening gloom of the rain outside was trying to tell him something. He couldn’t imagine what could be more wrong than Cally kidnapped with a five-million-dollar ransom. What if she wasn’t anywhere close to here? The kidnappers could’ve headed for the Mexican border while they fruitlessly searched the empty woods.
“Any word from Vance?” Tate suddenly asked Brody.
Brody pulled out his phone and scowled. “I’ve got no service.”
Tate nodded.
Brody kept searching the woods, saying a prayer in his mind for Cally’s safety. It looked like Tate had more than stepped into Colt’s shoes with Cally. Brody hoped his surrogate big sister was okay. His brother deserved happiness, and so did Cally.
He wouldn’t think about the fact that his chance at happiness had stood him up, and he wouldn’t dwell on the despair that was creeping in. It had to just be this rainy day and the worry over Cally. He couldn’t imagine what else could go wrong.
Chapter Seven
Kaimbrey sat quietly back to back with Cally and picked blindly at the knots. She stabbed her own fingers and Cally’s wrists with her sharp fingernails a few times, but Cally never complained. They both strained to listen to what the men were saying, but only certain words from their low rumbles came through. The tent was sticky hot, and sweat rolled down her neck and back and made her fingers slick. Kaimbrey was getting more and more frustrated; the ropes seemed to be welded onto Cally’s wrists.
Finally, a knot started to budge and the ropes started slowly moving for her. “Yeah, baby,” Kaimbrey whispered. Cally was free.
The ropes fell to the tent floor, and Cally pulled her arms around and rubbed at her wrists. Kaimbrey was jealous of the easy movement and the freedom. She hoped Cally really could loosen her ropes without having any fingernails.
“Thank you,” Cally whispered back. She scuttled behind Kaimbrey to hopefully loosen her bounds.
She could feel Cally picking at the knots with her fingers, but she despaired that they were never going to move. Maybe she should have Cally work on making a hole in the tent and they’d just escape with Kaimbrey’s hands tied, but without Kaimbrey’s sharp fingernails, could Cally even get a hole?
The zipper slid open and fresh rain-scented air oozed in. Kaimbrey’s mouth fell open as horror rushed through her. They couldn’t let the men see Cally’s ropes, or they would both be in so much trouble. Cally slid around to Kaimbrey’s side as Kaimbrey scooted over and sat on top of Cally’s ropes. Cally pulled her hands behind her back as if they were tied.
The dark-haired guy—Cally had called him Bull—bent and shuffled in. He had an open bottle of water in his hand. “You two are as quiet as any women I’ve ever met.” He blew out a breath. “Sheesh, it’s a sauna in here. You want a drink?”
“Yes, please.” Cally’s voice sounded unsteady, and Kaimbrey prayed inside. As hot as it was in this tent, he’d be suspicious if they didn’t take a drink, but if he got closer and discovered Cally’s ropes were off … would he use that knife on both of them, or simply retie Cally?
They tilted their heads back in turn and took long drinks of the cool water. The water was a blessing for Kaimbrey’s throat, raw from screaming when she’d been captured. Her headache had settled to a dull throb that she could mostly ignore.
“Thanks,” Cally muttered.
Kaimbrey was trying to stay calm, but her breath was coming faster and faster.
“You need to pee?” Bull asked.
“I’m good,” Cally said too quickly.
Bull raised an eyebrow.
“I can wait,” Kaimbrey said.
He looked between them. “Never met a woman who didn’t need to pee constantly.”
Cally gave a nervous giggle.
“It’s really hot in here.” He wiped at his forehead. “If you’re all right, then?” His voice carried suspicion, but he obviously wanted to get out of the sweltering tent.
“We’re good. Thanks for the water,” Cally said. She sounded too anxious and like she’d shove him out of the tent if she could.
A few seconds ticked by with Bull’s eyes roving over Cally’s long legs and the V-neck of her dress. Kaimbrey wanted to scream at the sicko to back off, but for once in her life, she held her sassy tongue. Finally, finally, he backed out of the tent and zipped it closed.
Cally blew out a breath, her shoulders rounding.
“Sheesh,” Kaimbrey muttered, trying to calm her own racing heart. “I about peed my pants.”
Cally laughed. She waited a few seconds before turning to Kaimbrey again and working at the knots. They had to escape. They just had to.
Cally lay down on her side behind Kaimbrey. Kaimbrey glanced over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She pushed at the rope with her fingers, then bit at the knot with her teeth and tugged. Kaimbrey wrinkled her nose, not wanting to imagine how that tasted.
For a few seconds, Cally kept going with her teeth and fingers; then she sat up and tugged with only her fingers, and the knots gave way. She pulled the rope from Kaimbrey’s wrists. Kaimbrey whipped around and hugged her fiercely. They weren’t free, but she felt free. They could do this. They were tough chicks and could get away from these perverts and save themselves.
“So disgustin’ with the teeth thing, but you gave me an idea,” she whispered, winking at her friend.
Kaimbrey bent down to the corner of the tent, pushed it together to give it some slack, and then clamped her teeth on it and ripped a hole in it. It tasted like dusty plastic, but she didn’t care.
The tearing of the tent fabric seemed to shriek through the air. They both froze and Kaimbrey’s heart was racing again. Kaimbrey released the tent and whirled around, sitting on the discarded ropes and pretending her hands were still tied. Cally did the same, and they listened and waited. After several tense seconds of hearing her heart thunder in her ears, one of the men started talking, but no footsteps pounded their direction.
Kaimbrey let out a long breath and glanced at Cally. “Let’s do this,” she said. She turned back to the hole and tore it wider with her fingernails. It was slow going, as the tent material was strong.
Cally started working a short distance away, bunching material and then ripping at it with her teeth. They both listened as they slowly either opened a bigger hole or bit through a new one. They worked their way together inch by inch, and Kaimbrey grinned up at Cally as she gave a final yank and a decent hole was formed.
“Go,” Cally urged.
Rain was falling steadily outside now, but their exit was hidden from their captors and the forest was thick around them. They might be able to slip into it quietly and put some distance between themselves and the men. Maybe getting lost in the forest wasn’t a grand idea, but she’d risk running into a bear or mountain lion over being captured by these disgusting men and waiting to see what horrors happened at midnight.
Kaimbrey wiggled through, army crawling across the slick, muddy ground. Once she’d cleared the hole, she turned back and sat up. Holding the hole wide, she waited as her friend started sliding thro
ugh.
Cally froze, and Kaimbrey motioned to her. “Come on,” she whispered.
Cally shook her head and Kaimbrey listened. Footsteps approached the front of the tent.
Pulling back into the tent, Cally whispered harshly, “Go, get help! I’ll distract them.”
Kaimbrey’s eyes widened and her gut churned. “No!” she mouthed.
Cally ignored her. She stood and approached the tent flap as Kaimbrey heard the zipper slide up. No, no, no!
Kaimbrey lay there in the mud. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave her friend. For some reason, her mind flashed back to when she’d been young, maybe eight or nine, riding horses with her older brother. They’d come upon a rattler and they’d both been thrown, the horses taking off. Luckily, the rattler hadn’t struck either of them, but Joseph’s leg had been broken. He’d told her that day, “Run, K. You’re fast. Run home and get me help.” She’d been scared and hadn’t wanted to leave him, but she’d listened.
Right now, she didn’t want to leave her friend, but they would be discovered in the next few seconds and any chance they had for escape would be gone. Jack would cut them up after he took their innocence. Yet what if Jack did that to Cally right now? She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed, and the answer came: Run. Cally’s only hope was for Kaimbrey to get away and by some miracle get help.
She hopped to her feet and started racing through the trees. She had no clue if she was going toward help or farther away into a seemingly endless forest. Her heart felt torn like she’d deserted Cally to the wolves. She prayed constantly in her mind that her friend wasn’t going to be hurt because of her.
Suddenly, she heard shouts behind her and then loud footfalls slamming through the forest, branches breaking, and birds fleeing like she wished she could.
Kaimbrey’s stomach dropped, but she upped her speed and her prayers. Cally’s sacrifice was going to be in vain if she didn’t stay in front of the men. Yet having no clue where she was going didn’t give her a lot of hope that she could get away.
How to Lose a Fiancé Page 4
