Colton and the Single Mom

by Jane Godman

  Frowning, the implication of the words only half registering, Esmée looked up from the screen. Lulu was driving with her right hand on the wheel. Her left arm rested across her body and in it she held a gun. It was pointed at Esmée.

  “Now.” Lulu took a second to look away from the road so she could nod at the cell phone. “Throw it out the window.”

  Esmée weighed her options. And decided she didn’t have any. The gun was inches from her abdomen. If she tried to grapple with Lulu in a moving vehicle, she risked being shot. The very best she could hope for was that she would cause them to crash. Even if the car didn’t have central locking—and she guessed it did—they were traveling at a high speed. Throwing herself from a moving vehicle wasn’t an option she liked.

  She needed some thinking time, but her mind was racing in time with her heartbeat. Trying to stay calm, she took a second to switch her cell to silent. Using the button on the door to release the electric window, she watched Lulu out of the corner of her eye.

  “I guess we’re not going to the tire shop?”

  To Esmée’s surprise, a single tear slid out from beneath the expensive shades and tracked its way through the heavy makeup on the other woman’s cheek. “He has my baby.”

  Esmée held her breath as she dropped her phone between the passenger seat and the door instead of out the window. Lulu appeared not to notice. That first inhalation as she started to breathe again was painful. Slowly, she raised the window. “Are you talking about Roper Keene?”

  The gun wobbled slightly and Esmée kept her gaze fixed on it. “He came to my apartment first thing.” Lulu’s voice cracked and she struggled to get it under control. “Snatched her right up out of her crib.”

  “Lulu, we can call the police right now...”

  The other woman shook her head, her improbable curls bouncing wildly. “If I don’t take you to him in the next hour, he’ll kill her. He said if he saw any sign of the police my baby girl would be dead and then he’d come after me.” The note of anguish in her voice increased. “You didn’t see him. He held her head in one of his hands, talked about how he could crush her skull without even trying...”

  The tears were coming faster now, pouring down her face, and she lifted the hand that held the gun to her face and swiped the back of her wrist under her nose. Esmée figured that keeping her calm might be more important than trying to persuade her to call Brayden. Given her history, Lulu wasn’t going to be inclined to trust the police to rescue her baby and she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to listen to reason. Esmée tried to put herself in the other woman’s place. If Keene was holding Rhys hostage, would she be capable of rational thinking?

  No, just like Lulu, I would be out of my mind.

  It looked like Esmée would soon be swapping places with little Venus Love. While getting the baby out of Keene’s hands had to be the priority, the thought didn’t fill her with confidence. She checked the time on the dashboard display. They would be expecting her at the Double C Ranch about now. When Esmée didn’t show, Quinn would call her cell. Hopefully, when Esmée didn’t respond, Quinn’s next step would be to call Brayden.

  Instead of trying to engage Lulu any further, she concentrated on the route. They were traveling away from the town, and, as the road began to climb toward the hills, their destination became clear. They were headed toward the Eagle’s Nest.

  Chapter 17

  When Brayden’s cell buzzed as he left the training center, he jerked it out of his pocket, hoping it was Esmée. He’d called and messaged her several times, but she hadn’t replied. Although his heart sank when it wasn’t her, he was pleased to hear Dr. Wilson’s voice.

  “These are initial findings. My full report will take longer.”

  “Anything you can tell me that will help the investigation is appreciated.”

  “Okay.” He could hear papers rustling. “Dental records have confirmed that the body is that of Richie Lyman. Although the corpse was badly mutilated, I was able to ascertain that the cause of death was a broken neck.”

  “Roper Keene.” Clearly, Richie had ceased to be useful to his friend the Neckbreaker.

  “Pardon?” He could hear the confusion in Dr. Wilson’s voice.

  “Sorry. Just thinking aloud.”

  “The other injuries, the cutting wounds, were postmortem. As I told you at the scene, it looks like the person who killed him wanted to chop the body up and dispose of the pieces. When he failed, he buried the remains.”

  “Was he killed at the same place he was buried?” Brayden asked.

  “I’m waiting for the results of further tests.” Her voice was cautious. “But on the evidence I have now, I’m going to say he was killed elsewhere and moved to the burial site. There were limestone deposits on his body that are not consistent with the area in which he was found. I also found pine needles and soil that suggest he may have been buried elsewhere first.”

  Brayden pictured an indentation in the earth beneath a fallen tree trunk, in the place below the Eagle’s Nest. The place where Esmée had found the bloodstained knife. He remembered Esmée shivering as she said it looked like a shallow grave. Could that have been the first place Richie was buried? If so, why had Keene decided to move him?

  Since Dr. Wilson didn’t have any further information for him, Brayden thanked her before ending the call. He needed to update his report on the body. Then he would need to get out to Lulu’s place and break the news to her that Richie was dead. His cell buzzed again as he was contemplating that unpleasant task.

  “Quinn?” Brayden heaved a sigh of relief when he heard his sister’s voice. “Ask Esmée why the hell she isn’t answering my calls and messages.”

  “I’m calling to ask you the same thing.” His sister’s voice was slightly higher-pitched than usual. “Esmée isn’t here, Bray.”

  “What do you mean? Did she leave already?” Tell me she left already.

  “No, she never got here. We were expecting her at least half an hour ago—”

  “If she turns up tell her to call me immediately and then stay put at the Double C until I get there.”

  Some extra sense told him Esmée wasn’t going to show up at the ranch. As he ran across the training center parking lot with Echo at his heels, he called Sarah. “Is Esmée still with you?”

  “No, she left to meet Quinn at Serena’s place.” He heard her sharp, indrawn breath. “Oh, dear Lord, Brayden. Is everything okay?”

  “I hope so.” Three inadequate little words that didn’t come close to what he was really feeling.

  His first thought was that something must have happened to her. That Keene had gotten to her. He told himself he could be wrong. There may be any number of reasons why she hadn’t made it to the Double C. Car trouble. Maybe she even got lost. What if she’d actually found Demi?

  Hope. It was a tiny flicker, but he had to nurture it. If he didn’t, the fear that was gripping his insides would paralyze him. If his gut instinct was right and Keene did have her, then he had to rely on what he knew of Esmée. On her strength, her positivity, her determination. His Esmée was a fighter.

  His Esmée. Why the hell hadn’t he told her about that when he had the chance? When he saw her again, he wasn’t going to waste another precious minute. Esmée was going to know exactly what she meant to him. The thought propelled him into action. He tried her cell again as he gunned the engine, but it went to voice mail. Driving out of town, he took the obvious road Esmée would have to drive along to get from Sarah’s place to the Double C.

  And there it was. The very thing he didn’t want to see. Her car was on the side of the road...with two flat tires. Two. It was possible that was bad luck, but given everything else that had happened just lately, it was highly unlikely.

  Brayden slammed his open palm against the steering wheel. Where had she gone? She wouldn’t have walked into town from here
—the distance was too great and she knew she was in danger with Keene on the prowl. So why hadn’t she called him, or Quinn, or Sarah for help? The answer was obvious. She had gone with someone. And the fact that he hadn’t heard from her meant that person was holding her against her will.

  He got on his radio, hardly recognizing his own voice as he gave his call sign. “Missing person. Name—Esmée da Costa. Age—twenty-seven.”

  As he went through the routine of providing Frank Lanelli with the details he needed to alert all officers, Brayden’s mind was racing ahead. He had to dredge deep inside himself to find his usual focus, but it was there. Although his feelings for Esmée threatened to drown out everything else, he managed to regain control and do what he did best.

  Think. What did he know about Keene? He wasn’t staying in town. He’d already shown a preference for the Coyote Mountains. It was where Esmée had first encountered him, and where he had disposed of Richie’s body. It was also where the Angel Cave, the deadly limestone cavern, was located. Dr. Wilson had said Richie’s body showed he was killed somewhere that left limestone traces on his body. Keene was a survival specialist who was unlikely to be put off by the dangers of the cave. And he’d moved the body from its first burial site because he didn’t want it right outside the place where he was staying.

  Was he prepared to gamble Esmée’s safety on a hunch? Right now, his intuition was all he had. In the darkness of his despair, the only ray of light he had was this tiny hope that he was right about where Keene had taken her. If he acted on it, at least he would be doing something.

  He spared a few minutes to call Shane. “Get over to Sarah Mull’s place. I think the guy who’s been after Esmée has taken her, but I don’t want to take any chances. It could be a double bluff. Keep Rhys safe until I get back.”

  This time when he called the dispatcher, his voice was firm. “I’m heading out to Angel Cave.”

  * * *

  Lulu parked her car at the farthest point from the public restrooms. “Don’t try anything. I promised I’d bring you to Keene. I can still do it, even if you have a bullet in your knee.”

  As Lulu exited the vehicle, Esmée moved fast. Her fingers were trembling so much she wasn’t sure they would work properly, but she managed to undo her seat belt and lean down. She snagged her phone and jammed it into the back pocket of her jeans. When Lulu pulled open the passenger door, Esmée was shaking so badly with nerves, she could barely move.

  “Get out.” Lulu waved the gun at her.

  “You don’t have to do this.” She figured she had nothing to lose by giving negotiating one last try.

  “I’m not going to stand here talking about it.” Lulu’s voice was almost a shriek and she took a moment to get it back under control. “I need to get Venus back.”

  She grabbed Esmée by the wrist and hauled her out of the car, slamming the door closed after her. Even if Esmée had wanted to draw attention to herself, there was no one else around. Any thoughts she may have had about making a run for it soon ended when Lulu linked an arm through hers and jammed the gun in her ribs.

  “He wants you alive, but I’ll hurt you if I have to. Don’t make me choose between you and my baby.”

  Keene wanted her alive. It was an interesting piece of information. The person who had set fire to Jack’s apartment and the driver of the SUV had certainly appeared to be trying to kill her. Could he have been trying to frighten her into leaving town? Now it seemed things had changed. Esmée had something Keene wanted. But what? She had no idea. Soon she would be face-to-face with the Neckbreaker and he would know that. He would soon discover she was no use to him. At which point, she was very much afraid the scare tactics would end and he would no longer want her alive.

  They walked in silence down the steep track. So much had happened since the last time Esmée was here, it was hard to believe such a short time had passed. She still struggled to believe her first encounter with Keene was anything other than chance. If he had followed her and Rhys up to the ridge that day, why would he have waited until she found the knife to confront her? He’d had the advantage over them the whole time. Setting aside the fact that he was a giant, he had been armed. While they had been enjoying a picnic under the trees followed by a game of hide-and-seek, he could have attacked them at any time.

  That was why Esmée believed he hadn’t followed them on their hike. No. The truth was so obvious, she could have laughed out loud. If there hadn’t been a gun in her ribs, she probably would have. He was here all the time. Keene had been hiding out in the cave when she and Rhys had walked right into his front yard. No doubt they had disturbed him with their laughter and he’d started spying on them. When they’d discovered the hidden knife, Keene had been forced into action.

  They were on level ground now, and Lulu marched her along the bottom edge of the cliff toward the distinctive rock structure that looked like angel’s wings. If Esmée could turn back time, she would have chosen a different place for their picnic. But then, she supposed, the series of events that had led to her getting to know Brayden wouldn’t have happened. Would she change that? The thought brought a rush of tears to her eyes and she blinked hard to get rid of them. No matter how they had reached this point in time, she had fallen in love with Brayden. She would never turn the clock back on that.

  And I will see him again. She had to hold on to that thought.

  A faint sound reached them, making Lulu gasp. It was a baby’s cry.

  “If she’s crying, she’s alive.” Esmée said it for her own sake as much as for Lulu’s. The thought that Keene had snatched a baby to get at her was sickening.

  Although Lulu had a gun trained on her, the woman was being blackmailed into it. Would she have dealt with things differently if Keene had taken Rhys and told her the only way to get him back was to kidnap someone? She didn’t know. The only thing she knew for sure was that Lulu wasn’t the bad guy.

  “Yeah.” Lulu gulped hard, as she moved faster. “She’s alive.”

  When they reached the angel-wing rock, Lulu shifted their positions so that Esmée had to go ahead of her around the rock and into the entrance of the cave. The sudden gloom was hard on Esmée’s eyes and she took a few moments to adjust. The baby’s cries were louder here, echoing in the rocky depths.

  “Keene? I brought her...just like you told me.” Lulu’s voice quavered desperately.

  There was a sound—boots scuffing on rock—and Keene appeared. Esmée had told herself he couldn’t be as big as she remembered, that her imagination had made him into a caricature. She was wrong. He was bigger. He towered over her and Lulu, making them look like children in comparison to his bulk.

  I missed the self-defense class about how to deal with a giant in a cave.

  Keene was holding Venus Love awkwardly in one arm. In his hand, he held the strange rattle Esmée had seen at Lulu’s apartment. Although the baby was red-faced and screaming, she didn’t appear to have suffered any harm.

  “Please.” Lulu choked back a sob. “I did what you asked. Let me take her.”

  “Give me the gun first.” Keene’s smile took in Esmée’s face then Lulu’s. He placed the baby’s rattle on a waist-high rock. “I don’t want the two of you getting any ideas about female bonding.”

  With a shaking hand, Lulu held out the weapon. Keene took it and gave her the baby in exchange. With a cry that went straight to Esmée’s heart, Lulu seized Venus and clutched her tight to her chest.

  “Get out of here.” Keene used the gun to gesture toward the cave entrance. “And remember... I know where you live.”

  “I won’t talk. I swear.”

  Lulu reached for the rattle, but Keene shook his head. “Leave that here.”

  It was an odd instruction, one that triggered a question in Esmée’s mind. Since she had more important things to think about it went unanswered. Nevertheless, it lingered. Why would Keene wa
nt to keep the baby toy?

  As Lulu dashed from the cave, Keene turned his attention to Esmée. “It’s just you and me.”

  “What do you want from me?” She was pleased with the way her voice sounded. Calm and controlled, it gave no hint of the churning of her insides.

  He placed the gun next to the rattle and cracked his knuckles purposefully. “Information.” Esmée’s gaze dropped to his hands. He was reminding her of what he could do with them. The scare tactics were working. “And I suggest you give it to me.”

  * * *

  When Brayden arrived at the Eagle’s Nest rest stop there were only a few other vehicles in the parking lot. It was about what he’d have expected on a weekday morning in April. As he opened the rear door of his own car to allow Echo to jump down, one of the vehicles at the farthest end of the lot caught his eye. It was impossible to miss Lulu Love’s bubblegum-pink Mustang.

  That had to merit further investigation. Lulu didn’t strike him as an outdoor girl, and even if she had suddenly changed her ways, would she come out here with a newborn baby? There was a chill wind blowing and the forecast was for rain later.

  Brayden put in a quick call to Frank. “Her car is here at Eagle’s Nest, but get someone to check out Lulu Love’s apartment.”

  The dispatcher responded with his usual calm efficiency. “I’ll have a unit stop by there right away.”

  Brayden made his way down the incline with Echo at his heels. He had nothing belonging to Esmée, so he couldn’t send the dog ahead to seek her out. He decided against sending Echo on an air-scenting search. The problem with that type of trail was that his partner would alert to any human he found. Brayden didn’t want distractions. He was certain Keene was hiding in the Angel Cave and, if he was right, that meant Esmée was with him.

  As he reached the bottom of the slope, a figure came running toward him. Before Brayden could reach for his gun, he recognized Lulu. Clutching her baby and sobbing wildly, she was only a few feet away when she noticed him.