The Colton Bodyguard

by Carla Cassidy

  He considered reaching out once again to grab her hand in his. Would he find it warm or cold with inner fear in spite of the safety of her surroundings?

  She’d been unpredictable by getting out of bed late this morning, by not coming downstairs until after noon and by keeping unusually silent now.

  To be honest, he was just a little worried about her. Maybe all the stress of the past couple of months had finally caught up to her.

  He couldn’t help but think of how fragile Abra had been through the years. Was it possible that Greta was far more emotionally fragile than he’d believed?

  Under so many horrible circumstances she had shown such inner strength, but had those moments been only a show? A bravado she wore for him and anyone else but which crumbled when she was all alone?

  The only thing he could do was watch her carefully as the day progressed, and if he thought she was at a breaking point, then he would pull her away from the family crowd and upstairs for a little quiet time.

  * * *

  Greta had lost all track of time. It was as if she’d been in the box for days rather than for hours. She’d managed to make two more tiny air holes, but she felt as if she was slowly suffocating to death.

  Despite the cold of the day, the box had become hot, increasing the smell of her own fear and the stench from Alice’s clothes.

  Was the family eating the big feast now? Were they all gathered in the basement enjoying a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, laughing and joking with each other?

  Was Alice sitting in Greta’s chair, next to Tyler, laughing at his silliness, enjoying sweet potato pie and stuffing and gravy?

  Apparently, Greta had been wrong. Alice was good enough at impersonating her to fool not only her family but also the man she loved.

  Her heart beat a slow rhythm. She’d long ago stopped fighting to try to get out of the box, finding the lid too securely in place.

  A weary resignation filled her, along with a depth of sorrow she could scarcely absorb. Alice had won. She’d achieved her revenge. She’d apparently managed to impersonate Greta with success, and in doing so, she’d stolen Greta’s family, the man she loved and her very life.

  For Greta it was all over except for the last final breath.

  Chapter 15

  The hum of chaos continued at three when the big group moved from the family room down to the basement. Dainty handwritten placards indicated where each person would sit. Abra and Big J were at the ends of one of the tables, with Jack, Seth and Tracy on one side and Eric, Kara, Brett and Hannah on the other side.

  Tyler and Greta were seated at the second table, with Daniel and Megan and Ryan and his wife, Susie. Both tables were laden with food, and Edith and Maria stood on duty to replenish anything that might run out.

  “I wish I had great news to really make this a day of thanks,” Ryan said as he picked up a platter of turkey and passed it to his wife.

  “Ryan has been working day and night on trying to find Alice,” Susie said. Susie was an attractive woman with blond highlighted hair and pretty features. Tyler also knew that she was a forensic expert and that she and Ryan were planning to sneak off on a honeymoon sometime in early December.

  He only hoped before they left, they managed to get Alice arrested and in jail, where she would no longer be a danger to Greta. He looked over to the woman next to him, hoping the brief chatter about her twin hadn’t upset her.

  She appeared positively serene, if not a little disconnected from the conversation. He leaned close to her. “Are you doing okay?” he asked with a hint of concern.

  She gave him the smile that never failed to shoot a little thrill through him. “I’m doing great. I refuse to think about her. I’m just counting my blessings for being here with my beautiful family.” Her eyes shone more gold than green. “I’m just happy today.”

  “I want you to be happy every day,” he replied.

  “Hey, quit whispering and pass the gravy,” Daniel said to Tyler.

  As they all began to fill their plates, Tyler was surprised by how much food Greta piled on hers. He’d shared enough meals with her to know that while she had a healthy appetite, she’d never been one to make a glutton out of herself.

  She must have seen his glance of surprise, for she smiled ruefully and looked down at her plate. “I know, I’m being a total pig, but I skipped breakfast this morning and I feel like I haven’t had a good meal for weeks.”

  A discordant chime went off in his head, one he consciously ignored. If she wanted to pig out on Thanksgiving, who was he to say anything. His plate was certainly filled with plenty of food. It just seemed out of character for her.

  You’re being crazy, he told himself. He’d seen her first thing this morning in her bed. Her bedroom was on the second floor of the house, impossible for Alice to get into.

  The fact that Greta had made herself a full plate and had been a little quiet today didn’t mean anything. He certainly didn’t want to cause a scene with the family because Greta was a bit off and had piled her plate too high.

  Once the food had all been passed, Abra clicked a fork on the side of her water glass and stood. “I’d like to say a few words before we eat,” she said. “First of all, I’d like to thank my husband, who has loved me through the worst of days, and my children, who have forgiven me for not always being here when they needed me.”

  She paused, her eyes shiny with tears. “I’ve been around the world and back in my lifetime, but I never knew until recently that my true happiness is here with my family. And now, bless this food...”

  “And let’s dig in,” Brett quipped, making them all laugh. Abra sat down and the conversation lowered as everyone began to eat.

  Another alarm rang in Tyler’s head as he watched Greta wolf down the food with little attention to couth or manners. He ticked off everything that had happened with her since the morning.

  She’d stayed in her room ridiculously late. She’d passed up an opportunity to get hold of baby Alex for a quick squeeze of baby love. She’d chosen to dramatically overdress for the day and now ate in a fashion that was totally out of character for her.

  Each incident by itself could be attributed to other things, but as he added them up, his heart beat just a little bit faster.

  Was the woman seated next to him Greta? She looked like Greta. She even wore the same citrusy scent. If it wasn’t Greta, then how in the world and exactly when had Alice managed to take Greta’s place?

  That was the part that stumped him. It seemed absolutely impossible that the impostor was now in the house and living in Greta’s world.

  The food he’d managed to consume so far congealed in the pit of his stomach as doubts plagued him concerning the woman seated next to him.

  Greta or Alice?

  Was he overreacting? Was he overthinking things?

  If she was Alice, then what had happened to Greta? This thought sent a shock wave of horror through him. Nobody else appeared to notice his troubled state of mind. Nobody seemed to see anything in Greta to raise suspicions.

  Was it possible he was going off the deep end? That the stress of trying to keep her protected had him becoming a paranoid fool?

  He frowned thoughtfully. There had to be a way to know the truth. Now that doubts had appeared in his head, he couldn’t just ignore them.

  He leaned over toward her. “How about a game of chess later? You know how much I love beating you.”

  “And you know how much I love losing to you,” she replied.

  At that moment Tyler’s brain exploded inside his head. “Then you’re on,” he replied. He forced a smile and then stared down at his plate, unseeing.

  She wasn’t Greta. He knew now with every certainty that the beautiful woman in pink seated next to him wasn’t his Greta. He waited a frantic few moments to allow the conversation to continue around him and then he glanced across the table at Ryan.

  Tyler’s heart suddenly pounded so hard in his chest he felt as if he were on th
e verge of a heart attack. “Hey, Ryan, could I talk to you for a moment?” Tyler nodded his head in the direction of the stairs. He was grateful that none of his inner turmoil sounded in his voice.

  “Now?” Ryan asked and gazed at Tyler curiously.

  “It will just take a minute. I just thought of something I needed to show you.” Tyler wiped his mouth with his napkin and then stood. It took every ounce of his control to saunter casually to the stairs and wait for Ryan, who appeared a bit irritated by the interruption of his meal.

  When Ryan reached the bottom of the stairs, Tyler looked at Alice, who didn’t appear suspicious and continued to shovel food in her mouth. Tyler motioned Ryan halfway up the stairs to make sure they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “That’s not Greta at the table,” Tyler said urgently.

  “What are you talking about?” Ryan asked.

  “I’m telling you that I don’t know how or when it happened, but that’s not Greta in there. It’s Alice.” Tyler quickly told Ryan about the alarm bells he’d heard ringing in his head, ending with the question about chess.

  “Greta beat me and then she swore she wouldn’t ever play a game with me again. That woman is Alice, and I don’t know where Greta is...” Tyler’s voice broke as he lost control of his emotions.

  “You’re sure?” Ryan asked.

  “I’m positive,” Tyler replied, the frantic beat of his heart not slowing at all.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back. I’ve got my gun and cuffs in my car parked out front.” Ryan raced up the stairs and Tyler leaned against the wall, unable to hold himself up as fear surged up inside him.

  He wanted to be wrong. God, he wanted to be so wrong. But he felt it in his soul that he wasn’t.

  How long had Greta been gone? When had Alice managed to make the switch? How had this happened? He felt as if he couldn’t draw enough air. A sense of panic he’d never experienced before jumped inside him, making him feel half-nauseated.

  He wanted to run back down the stairs and strangle Alice. He wanted to wrap his arms around her slender throat until she gasped and confessed what she’d done with her twin sister.

  His panic mingled with rage and he was grateful when Ryan returned, a determined, steely glint in his eyes. Tyler started down the stairs, but Ryan grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

  “You have to be positive about this,” Ryan said. “I had to place handcuffs on my sister once before and it was one of the most painful things I’ve ever done in my life. If you’re wrong about this, then I swear I’ll cuff you and take you down to the jail for lying to a police officer.”

  “I’m not wrong, Ryan. And we’re wasting time. We need to find out what she’s done with Greta and pray that it’s not already too late.” His own words made him feel sick once again.

  “Let me do what I need to do to make sure about all this,” Ryan said. He tucked his handcuffs in his back pocket and put the gun in the back of the waistband of his pants. “Just sit back down at the table and act natural.”

  Act natural? How could he act natural when he believed he was sitting by a killer? A sick evil twin who wanted to destroy one of the most beautiful people on the face of the earth?

  Tyler followed Ryan back down the stairs and slid into his chair at the table. Alice/Greta gave him a beatific smile. “Everything okay?”

  “Just fine,” he said and forced a smile to his lips.

  “Actually, I was just telling Tyler about the time I locked you in the old outhouse and I didn’t realize there was a big black snake in there with you,” Ryan said to her.

  “That was so scary,” she replied.

  Ryan stared at her for a long moment. “There is no old outhouse on the property and that never happened,” Ryan exclaimed and pulled his gun to point it across the table at her.

  “Ryan,” Susie gasped.

  “What are you doing, Ryan?” Alice half rose, her eyes wide in panic as they shot toward the glass door across the room that led outside and then to the stairs that might provide her an escape.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Tyler said and reached over and gripped her firmly by the arm.

  “What’s going on?” Daniel asked when Ryan left his chair and went around the table and pulled Alice up to her feet.

  “What’s wrong with you two?” Alice asked, obviously attempting to play innocent.

  “Ryan,” Abra said uncertainly.

  “What the hell,” Big J boomed.

  “Where is she?” Tyler asked urgently as Ryan grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back and cuffed her wrists.

  The whole room exploded in an uproar as men jumped to their feet and Abra cried out in surprise. Tyler was focused on only one person, the woman who stood behind him.

  “Where is Greta? Damn you, what have you done to her?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m right here.” She feigned confusion. “Ryan, let me go. Get these cuffs off me.”

  Tyler grabbed her by the shoulders, wanting to shake her teeth right out of her head. “It’s over. We know you aren’t Greta. Where is she?” His fingers tightened as a renewed sense of panic seared through him.

  “You’d better talk,” Ryan said. Even though she was cuffed, he still had his gun out and pointed at her. “You’ve been on my last nerve for months.”

  “If you shoot me, you’ll never know where she is,” Alice scoffed, all pretense gone.

  “Dammit, what have you done to her? Where is she?” Tyler shook her until Ryan physically pulled him away.

  Abra wept softly and all five brothers were on their feet, their expressions grim and bodies taut with the need for action. Tyler felt as if his head might explode.

  He should have said something sooner. He should have questioned her the minute she’d waltzed down the stairs in the elaborate pink designer dress. He should have known the truth before now.

  “You’d better talk,” Ryan said, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “If you don’t talk, then you’re no use to us. A jail cell is better than a grave.” He visibly tightened his grip on his gun.

  “Okay, let’s play a game of hide-and-seek,” she said, her eyes filled with a mad glee. “I’ve hidden Greta and you all have to find her. I’ll give you one clue. She’s someplace here on the property.”

  “I’ll get the men together to search the office and that area,” Jack said curtly and headed for the stairs.

  Daniel was right behind him. “I’ll search the breeding barn.”

  Brett and Eric followed their brothers, vowing to check every outbuilding on the ranch.

  Alice laughed, the sound of her madness ringing in the air. “It’s too late. You’re all too late. She’ll be dead long before you find her. She’s probably already dead.”

  “Unless you intend to tell us exactly where she is, then just shut up,” Ryan snapped. “I’ll call for a patrol car to get her out of here and then I’ll help with the search.”

  Edith hovered near Abra. “They’ll find her,” she said to the weeping woman. “We’ll get our Greta back safe and sound.”

  “I’ll order the maids to check the entire house,” Maria said.

  Tyler was in a momentary state of shock, but Maria’s words jerked him to action. “I’ll check out her room.”

  He raced up the stairs to the main floor and then on up to the second level. Had it been Alice or Greta he’d seen in bed that morning? Had Alice somehow managed to sneak into the house and confront Greta while she was asleep?

  He hadn’t heard any noise coming from her bedroom that might indicate a fight. But Alice had a gun. There probably hadn’t been a fight.

  It’s too late.

  She’ll be dead long before you find her.

  She’s probably already dead.

  Alice’s horrific words had him taking the stairs faster than he’d ever moved in his life. They implied that Greta had been alive when Alice had left her. She had to be still alive.

  Greta’s bedroom door was closed
and he slammed it open and rushed inside. It took him only one quick glance to see that the room was empty.

  Fear drove him into the bathroom, where he checked closets and cabinets, deathly afraid of finding Greta stuffed in some small enclosure, her body bloodied and limp.

  He opened her closet door and walked inside the large enclosure. Once again he opened cabinets to reveal folded sweaters and a shelf of underclothing. He checked the floor behind the long dresses that would make a perfect hiding place for a body.

  No, he wasn’t searching for a body, he thought desperately. He was looking for Greta, an alive but probably terrified Greta. He was about to leave the closet when he noticed the shelf where she always put the dusty boots she wore when working with Sugar was empty.

  He once again looked in all the shoe cubbies and then went to the side of her bed. No boots. No Greta and no boots. Sugar. Had she got up that morning to see Sugar before anyone else was awake?

  He left the bedroom at a run and nearly tumbled down the stairs as he made his way to the side door and burst outside. It was another beautiful autumn day, but Tyler scarcely noticed as he raced to the small corral where the black filly was enclosed.

  Why would she take a chance to venture outside alone? She knew the danger and had been afraid. If she’d come out here, then she must have been somehow lured. Nothing else made any sense.

  It took only a second to see that Sugar was alone in the corral and from there he ran into the nearby barn. “Greta!” He called her name in desperation, hearing her name being called all over the ranch.

  “Greta, are you here?” Nothing appeared to be out of place compared to the last time he’d been inside the barn. He sank down on a bale of hay, the sound of her name ringing all around the property as her brothers and others searched for her.

  It’s too late.

  She’s probably already dead.

  Alice’s words played and replayed in his head. If Alice’s intent all along had been to step into Greta’s shoes and take over her life, then why would she keep Greta alive? In Alice’s mind there was space for only one twin and that twin was Alice.