Barriers were erected on side streets and lights were whirling and flashing over the crowds of people spread over the immediate vicinity. Sirens blew out warnings while shouts mingled with loud conversation and even the sound of laughter.
Without Ripp by her side, she would have never been allowed into the chaotic mess of people and lawmen doing their best to interrogate and prevent anyone from leaving the area. But eventually, after a bit of explanation and Ripp’s identification, they were allowed to walk to the rodeo arena to find Lucita’s family.
Matt was waiting near the entrance with Juliet and Gracia standing closely behind him. Juliet looked dazed with fear, while Matt looked outright furious. But it was Gracia that caught Lucita’s attention. She was crying openly and glancing around the restless crowd as though she was hoping beyond hope that her little cousin would reappear.
“Any news?” Ripp asked Matt as the other man enfolded Lucita in a brief embrace.
“We’ve not heard anything, other than being told that no one is allowed in or out of the park. But I guess you could see all the roadblocks.”
Grim faced, Ripp nodded. “As we made our way in here, I talked to a couple of Victoria County deputies. They didn’t have anything new.”
Standing in the curve of Matt’s arm, Lucita tried not to let her panic show. “Do any of you have an idea how long Marti has been missing?”
Juliet glanced at her watch. “The moment Gracia came running back to us was about nine-thirty. That’s a little more than an hour ago.”
Trying to sniffle back her tears, Gracia remorsefully shook her head. “It’s all my fault, Aunt Lucita. I shouldn’t have gone to the restroom and left him standing there alone. If I’d stayed there he wouldn’t be—he might not be—no one could have taken him!” she finally finished with a broken sob.
Stepping away from her brother, Lucita wrapped her arms around her niece. Gracia was obviously torturing herself with unwarranted guilt, but the teenager couldn’t be feeling nearly as guilty as Lucita was at that moment. While someone had been kidnapping her child, she’d been in Ripp’s arms, practically begging him to make love to her.
The whole idea was obscene. If anything happened to her son, she’d never forgive herself.
“Gracia, don’t be silly. If anyone is guilty around here, it’s me. I should have never allowed Marti to come here tonight. Not with the threat that’s been hanging over our head.”
Matt frowned at his sister and his daughter. “Now isn’t the time for self-recriminations from you two or any of us,” he said sharply. “It’s pointless. We’ve got to focus on finding Marti.” He looked at Ripp. “What happens now? We can’t get a damn bit of information from anyone around here!”
Ripp had to force himself to concentrate on his friend’s question. “Everyone is busy trying to do their part, Matt. But I can tell you that a missing child alert has already been sent out over the airwaves. And obviously the immediate area is being searched. If Marti isn’t found here, I imagine the Rangers will widen the investigation until he’s found. Meanwhile, we wait and see if anyone comes forward with demands.”
Matt’s expression was murderous. “For money. A child for money! If that bastard Derek has done this, I’ll kill him myself!”
At that moment Lucita’s legs gave way. She would have fallen to the ground if Ripp’s quick reflexes hadn’t grabbed her and steadied her in the circle of his arm.
Looking up at him, she pleaded tearfully, “Take me out of this crowd, Ripp.”
Hours later, Lucita was sitting in the back of a patrol car as night turned into morning. The huge crowd that had attended the rodeo had eventually dwindled to a few stragglers. Some of those had volunteered to stay behind and search the banks of the Guadalupe, the deep river that curved through the city park.
Lucita wouldn’t allow herself to think about Marti possibly being in the river. The idea was too horrendous for her to comprehend. Besides, logic told her that if the kidnapper’s intention was to use Marti as leverage for money, then the child would be far more useful alive than dead. It was a thought she mentally repeated to herself over and over.
By midmorning Lucita was numb with exhaustion and the shock that her child was well and truly gone from her grasp. Ripp, who’d quickly slipped into the role of deputy once he’d settled her inside the patrol car, had been tied up with duties, but eventually found time to return to the car where she’d been waiting.
Bending his head, he peered into the open window. “Where’s Matt?”
“He was needed at the ranch—some emergency with a cattle buyer,” Lucita explained. “He didn’t want to go, but I made him.”
Ripp nodded in approval. “It’s time I took you home, too. There’s nothing more that you can do here, Lucita. And from what I can gather from the Rangers, they want to set up a listening device on your home telephone. You’ll be more help there.”
He opened the door of the squad car and extended a helping hand down to her. For one brief moment as Lucita curled her fingers around his, she recalled another time not so long ago that he’d helped her out of a wreck. But this time the crisis wasn’t a car crash; it was the life of her son.
“I’m afraid to leave, Ripp. I keep thinking he’ll come walking up and that this whole thing will be just a horrible joke.”
Not caring that there were others around to see, Ripp gathered her against his chest and stroked her hair. “I’m afraid this isn’t a joke, Lucita. But everything is going to be all right. I promise.”
Tilting her head back, she searched his face. “You can’t make a promise like that, Ripp. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Stroking his fingers against her temple, he said, “No. Maybe not. But I have faith. And you should, too.”
Somehow Lucita made it back to the Sandbur without falling asleep, but later when Ripp insisted she lie down on the couch while he made coffee, she slipped off into a fitful doze and didn’t rouse until she heard voices coming from the foyer.
After that, the house immediately filled up with lawmen, who quickly took control of her home and every communication device that she owned. Two Texas Rangers interrogated her, even though she’d already spent hours answering questions while she’d waited in the patrol car back in Victoria.
Thankfully Ripp stayed at her side throughout the questioning and his reassuring presence lent her the strength to give them the complete answers they needed. But the experience left Lucita feeling like a bug under a microscope and even more stupid for allowing Marti out of her sight in the first place.
By midafternoon, the whole ranch was being searched and employees questioned. Lucita had been ordered to stay put, and though she wanted to race out and start combing every mile between the Sandbur and Victoria, she realized the best way to find Marti was to get some sort of contact from the kidnapper.
It came that night. Lucita was sitting in Marti’s room, her troubled gaze on her son’s favorite books and videos, his baseball and glove, and the handmade spurs that his grandfather had given him on his last birthday. Would he ever be home to enjoy riding over the Sandbur range with Gracia again? Or was yesterday the last time she would ever see her son?
No, she scolded herself. She couldn’t allow her thoughts to go in that ghastly direction. She had to keep hoping. Keep praying that she would soon have her son back in her arms.
A brief knock on the door had her turning to see Ripp entering the small bedroom. She stared at him numbly.
“Did you hear the telephone ringing?” he asked.
She had. But there had been numerous calls throughout the afternoon and none of them had been more than friends and acquaintances wanting to express their concern or offer their help. Some calls had even been marketers trying to sell their wares and after a while Lucita had forced herself to ignore the phone. Otherwise, she was going to fall apart each time it rang.
“I did. Is someone wanting to speak to me?” At the moment she didn’t think she could summon enou
gh energy to hold a conversation with anyone.
“No.”
He stepped forward and she thought she recognized a spark of hope on his face. Instantly, she crossed the room to him.
“What is it?” she asked urgently.
“Matt just talked to the kidnapper.”
His blunt words were so unexpected and frightening that her legs threatened to buckle and she used both fists to snatch a hold on the front of his shirt.
“Are you—how can you be sure? The caller could be playing a cruel hoax.”
“Matt spoke to Marti. Only for a brief moment. Just long enough to hear his voice, but it was enough to tell us that he’s alive and well.”
“Oh God! Oh, thank God for that much!”
The deluge of relief rushing through her was so great that her body began to melt and slide down the front of him. Quick to react, Ripp gathered her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed.
After he’d set her on the edge of the mattress, he wiped a hand over her pale face. It was clammy and he frowned as he realized she’d come close to fainting.
“Lucita, you need a doctor! I’m having Matt call your cousin or her husband.”
Bending her head, she gulped in several long breaths. “No, I—Nicci’s pregnant. Ridge needs to keep her home and out of this chaos.”
Seeming to collect herself, she reached for him and Ripp sat next to her. Her fingers wrapped around his forearm and clung as though he was the only thing keeping her afloat. The idea filled his heart with bittersweet emotion. From the moment he’d met this woman he’d wanted her to need him. And now that she did, he realized he’d cut off the very arm she was holding to get her son back and make her happy again.
With a shake of her head, she met his gaze. “I’m all right now. Just tell me. Everything. What does this person want? Could Matt tell who the caller was?”
He grimaced. “The voice was disguised. Something had apparently been wrapped around the receiver of the phone to muffle the voice. Whoever the caller, he or she is demanding that two million dollars be dropped at a certain location tomorrow night at eight o’clock. Once this person picks up the money, he or she will leave instructions as to where to find Marti.”
She stared at him and he could see all sorts of questions and scenarios clicking through her head.
“Two million! That’s different from the extortion note.” A deep furrow appeared between her brows. “Maybe this is someone entirely different, Ripp. Someone else wanting money from the family!”
Ripp shook his head. “No, it’s the same person. The caller said he upped the amount because you didn’t comply with his first request.”
“Bastard!” Lucita muttered through clenched teeth. “If this is Derek and we find him, I’m going to get one of Daddy’s rifles and blow a hole right through him! He’ll wish to hell he’d never crossed me!”
The fire and vengeance burning in her eyes told him that Lucita wasn’t as meek and delicate as she appeared on the outside, but that hardly surprised him. The Sandbur families had a reputation for being tough. Lucita was born from ancestors who’d fought Comancheros, Santa Anna’s Mexican Army, and even cattle rustlers to settle this tough land. She had a fighting spirit bred in her genes and now that her son was in danger, it was coming to the surface.
“I feel the same way, Lucita. But forget that kind of talk. Derek, or whoever—once the person is caught he’ll be punished for this in a court of law, I promise.”
Her lips pressed together and then tears spilled onto her pale cheeks. “God, you must think I’m awful, Ripp. I’m so sorry you’re seeing me like this—I’m not a murderer. I’m just furious and frightened. And I can’t bear to think of what might happen to Marti. What am I supposed to do?”
Stroking a soothing hand down the side of her hair, he said, “I could never think you’re awful. You’re a strong and wonderful woman. And right now Matt, Lex and your father are discussing plans with Sheriff Travers and the Rangers. Are you up to joining them?”
Nodding, she started to rise, then, still gripping his arm, she paused long enough to press a kiss to his cheek.
“You won’t leave me, will you?”
Her whispered question puckered his brow. “Why would I do something like that?”
Shrugging, she glanced away from him. “I understand it’s your job to help find Marti. But it isn’t your duty to be here with me—like this. I’m afraid that—this is all so ugly, Ripp. And I—”
Taking her by the shoulder, he turned her upper body so that she was facing him. “We’re going to get through this, Lucita. Together. And when it’s over you and I are—”
“I can’t think about that—us, now, Ripp,” she interrupted. Her eyes were shadowed and pleading. “You understand, don’t you?”
Of course he understood. Still, it would have been nice to hear that no matter what happened in the next few days, she considered him a part of her future. Smiling wanly, he said, “Completely. Now we’d better go see what’s being planned.”
Ripp helped her up and in a matter of moments they entered the living room. At the moment the space looked more like the innards of a police precinct than someone’s home. A long, portable table had been set up and was now covered with laptop computers, phones and other technical devices that Lucita didn’t recognize.
At the moment, her brother, father and cousin Lex were in deep discussion with Sheriff Travers and the two Rangers who’d been on the case since Marti had gone missing last night.
“I don’t think we have a choice here,” Lex was saying. “The money is nothing compared to getting Marti back. I’ll call our banks and see what I can do about gathering the cash.”
Mingo nodded in agreement. “I have the money. And I want my grandchild back. No matter what the cost.”
Sheriff Travers, a tall, dark-haired man with a rough-hewn face, spoke up. “Mingo, this person was smart enough to get phony ID, set up an untraceable bank account and track Marti to the rodeo. We’ve got to assume he’s smart enough to know how many large bills it would require to make two million dollars. I’m thinking we could use counterfeit bills wrapped beneath a few real ones. That way if something goes wrong all wouldn’t be lost.”
Matt instantly barked a protest. “Why take that chance? If this maniac takes the time to count the money and realizes we’ve duped him, who’s to say he might not kill Marti in retaliation?”
“Who’s to say he might not kill the boy anyway?” Dale, the older of the Rangers, put in. “In cases like this, there are always risks we, as law officials, have to take. We’ll fit the money, real and counterfeit, into two bags and pray the bastard doesn’t stop to count it. “
Feeling as though they were discussing some crazy movie plot rather than the recovery of her son, Lucita joined the group of men.
To Matt and Lex, she said firmly, “We’re going to do exactly what these lawmen tell us.” She turned to Sheriff Travers and the Rangers. “Where do I fit in?”
Jeff, the younger Ranger, politely inclined his head toward Lucita. “Ma’am, you’ll be dropping off the money.”
“What?”
The one word from Ripp exploded in the room. He didn’t care if it looked unprofessional; he curled his arm protectively around Lucita’s shoulders.
“It’s one of the kidnapper’s demands, Ripp,” Travers answered. “We might get by with fooling them on the amount of money, but apparently this person knows Lucita and can recognize her. We don’t want to get that close and then blow this whole thing.”
“I still say no!” Ripp argued. “She’s not trained and anything could happen!”
“We don’t intend to let Ms. Sanchez make this drop alone,” the elder Ranger spoke up. “Even though the kidnapper expects her to be alone, someone will have to be hidden in the vehicle.”
“That someone will be me,” Ripp said before anyone else had a chance to speak.
Lucita could feel Ripp’s hand tightening on her shoulder while she watched
Matt and Lex exchange knowing glances. What were her brother and cousin thinking? That Ripp’s protective attitude toward her meant more than the concern of a dedicated lawman?
Maybe it did, Lucita thought, and maybe at this moment she needed to believe that Ripp actually cared for her as a man cares for a woman; that he would stand at her side, supporting her as a husband would.
But he wasn’t her husband, she sadly reminded herself. And he’d not given her any hint that he ever wanted to be. This whole mess had reminded her that one mistake in matrimony was all she ever intended to make.
The following day passed in an anxious blur for Lucita. She tried to eat and rest. She tried to put up a brave and positive front in front of her family. But underneath it all, she was shaking with fear, her mind whirling with all the things that could go right and wrong with the evening ahead.
As for Ripp, she’d not seen him since he’d left the house last night and today as she’d waited for time to pass, she’d caught herself watching out the window for him to appear and wondering how he’d become so essential to her.
“Sit down, Luci. Relax. It will be a while yet before things go into motion. You need to be rested and mentally alert before you and Ripp head out tonight.”
This advice was from her cousin, Nicci. In spite of her fears and anxiety, it made Lucita’s heart glad to see her. The woman was seven months pregnant and wildly in love with her husband. God only knew the suffering Nicci had gone through during those years she’d been married to Bill. He’d been a cheater and a user, and Lucita didn’t know how her cousin had ever found the courage to give her heart to another man. But maybe Nicci had known in her heart that Ridge was the right man. Still, once upon a time Lucita had believed Derek was the right man for her. Instead he’d stolen her money, abandoned her and their son, and could possibly be behind the nightmare going on now.
Rubbing her sweaty hands down the sides of her jeans, Lucita glanced over at Nicci, who was sitting in an armchair with her feet propped on a matching footstool. The two of them were in Lucita’s bedroom, trying to find a spot of privacy amidst the troop of law officials that continued to swoop around in the house.
Her Texas Lawman Page 11
