Guardian Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  Sawyer was quiet throughout the meal, consumed by thoughts of the night to come. Would the peeper be so eager to watch Janis again that he’d make an appearance tonight and Dillon would finally get him behind bars? Or would it take days or even weeks before that happened?

  He absolutely hated the very idea of Janis having to stay in a place where she felt unsafe and violated. Unfortunately he agreed with Dillon that this was the only way to catch the creep.

  We’ll talk later. He’d told her he loved her and she’d said they would talk later. There was no way she could convince him that she didn’t care deeply about him. He didn’t believe she was the kind of woman who could make love to him so passionately if she wasn’t in love with him.

  So what did she want to talk about? The question thrummed through him as he showered and dressed. It rode with him in his truck as he headed to the motel.

  Nerves jangled inside him, something he wasn’t accustomed to. Before Janis, he hadn’t had a worry in the world. Now he worried for her and about her. He was concerned about how the night might play out.

  They already knew the peeper had a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it. If Dillon confronted him in the darkness of the bar, would the perp pull out the gun and shoot? And then what?

  His shoulder suddenly ached, as if his worry had coalesced into making the wound he’d received re-open. Maybe Dillon had already planned for just such an event. Perhaps he had another officer who would be in the bar with him when the bar went dark for the night.

  He pulled up in front of her motel room and, even with everything that was on his mind, his spirits lifted in anticipation of seeing her again.

  Getting out of the truck he could only hope that this all ended tonight and that he and Janis could get on with the rest of their lives.

  He knocked on the door and waited, but there was no answer. With a frown, he knocked again, this time harder. Still there was no reply.

  A dreadful disquiet swept through him. He banged a third time on the door. Maybe she was in the shower, he thought. He immediately dismissed the idea. She knew about what time he would be arriving to pick her up; she wouldn’t have planned a shower at the same time.

  So why wasn’t she answering? The disquiet grew inside his chest, pressing tightly and making it difficult for him to breathe.

  He called her phone. It rang four times and then went to her voice mail. He called again with the same result. “Janis, give me a call the minute you get this message,” he said and then hung up.

  Stay calm, he told himself. Maybe Dillon had already come to get her and she hadn’t had a chance to tell Sawyer about the change in plans.

  Once again he pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and punched in the number to connect him to the chief of police. He answered on the second ring.

  “Dillon, is Janis with you?” he asked without preamble.

  “No. I’m at home. I thought you were taking her back to the bar this evening.”

  “I was supposed to, but I’m here at the motel and she isn’t answering the door.” The anxiety that had bubbled in his chest exploded into a full-blown fear.

  “Sawyer, don’t do anything. Don’t even try to enter that room. I’ll be over there as soon as I can.” With that said, Dillon hung up.

  Once again Sawyer banged on the door, even though he knew if she was inside she would have already answered. She wasn’t in there.

  The earth felt dangerously shaky beneath his boots as he walked back to his truck and sat, his cell phone in his hand. Gary. Maybe Gary had taken her back to the bar.

  Even though he knew he was reaching, he called the bar owner. “Sawyer, what’s up?”

  “Where are you?” Sawyer asked.

  “I’m at the bar. I just finished pulling all the tarps out of Janis’s room so it’s ready for her. I even bought a little bouquet of flowers that will hopefully cheer her up.”

  “So, she isn’t with you?”

  “No. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since I took her lunch yesterday.”

  The bottom of Sawyer’s stomach plummeted to the ground. “Thanks, Gary.”

  Where was Dillon? They needed to get inside her room as quickly as possible. Maybe she’d fallen and hit her head and was lying on the floor unconscious.

  Again he got out of his truck, unable to sit still while he waited. He could at least go ahead to the motel office and get the room key. That way, when Dillon did arrive, they could go right in.

  He hurried down the sidewalk to the motel office, his heart racing with a simmering panic he refused to give in to.

  Fred sat in a chair behind the desk, reading a tabloid.

  “Fred, I need a key to room seven,” he said.

  He watched impatiently as Fred carefully folded the paper, set it aside and then stood. “That room is rented to Janis.”

  “I know that. Could I have the key?”

  Fred frowned. “I’m not in the habit of just handing out keys willy-nilly. I only give them to the person who has rented the room.”

  Sawyer fought the impulse to jump over the counter. “Fred, I think Janis is in some kind of trouble. Chief Bowie is on his way over and we need the key to get inside, unless you want me to break down the door.”

  At that moment Dillon’s car pulled up in front of the building. “Will you give me the key now?” Sawyer asked in frustration.

  “I’ll give it to the chief,” Fred said with a self-righteous tone that made Sawyer want to punch the man in his oversize nose.

  “Do you have the key?” Dillon asked Sawyer when he entered the office.

  “I have it right here,” Fred said and passed the key across the counter toward Dillon.

  Sawyer snatched it up and headed for the door, certain that Dillon was right on his heels.

  “I talked to her earlier today and we made plans for me to pick her up and take her back to her room in the bar when I got done with work,” he said.

  They reached her unit and Sawyer’s fingers shook as he inserted the key into the lock.

  “Janis?” he shouted as the two men stepped into the room.

  Her purse was on the table and her suitcase stood by the door as if ready to go.

  Sawyer stalked to the bathroom. The door was open and she wasn’t there. She was nowhere in the room.

  She was gone...but where?

  Chapter 11

  Janis struggled for consciousness against the darkness that filled her head. It would be so easy to fall back into that numb, dark place, but a sense of urgency beat through her veins, telling her she needed to wake up.

  Where was she? A rhythmic sound and motion told her she was in a vehicle. How had she gotten there? And where was she going? It somehow just didn’t matter right now.

  She was so sleepy, simply opening her eyelids felt like too hard a task. The darkness reached out and, with a soft sigh, she plunged into it and knew no more.

  The next time a vague consciousness came to her, she knew she was no longer in a vehicle. The sound and the motion were gone and she was surrounded by stillness and silence.

  So where was she? Damn the grogginess that battled her wits. She stretched out her legs and realized she was in a bed. Had she decided to take a nap? Had she only dreamed about being in a vehicle?

  Wasn’t it about time for Sawyer to come to get her? Tonight they would hopefully catch the man who was obsessed with her. But first she needed to wake up. Why did she feel so...so drugged?

  She drew in several deep breaths and released each one slowly, hoping to clear her head. Finally she cracked open her eyes. She was in a bed, but it wasn’t the motel room bed.

  It was a double-size bed dressed in pale lavender sheets. There was a dark purple spread covering her. Her heart began to beat more quickly. Not her bed. It wasn’t her bed in the motel room and it wasn’t her bed in the b
ack of the bar.

  She slowly sat up, a wealth of horror overwhelming her as she looked around. She was in a large room. There was not only the bed and a nightstand, but also a sitting area with a recliner chair and a coffee table.

  There was a fully equipped kitchen and a kitchen table and chairs. Next to the refrigerator was a stacked washer and dryer.

  But none of those things caused her heart to nearly stop beating and bile to rise in the back of her throat.

  The whole room appeared to be a studio apartment, with everything a person would need to live comfortably. However, the entire area was surrounded by a glass enclosure. And the glass enclosure appeared to be in the middle of a building.

  She was in an oversize fish tank without fish, a terrarium without frogs or lizards. She was the live species within the glass.

  She jumped off the bed, but had to sit back down as a wave of dizziness overtook her. Dear God, how had she gotten here? Who? Who had brought her here? And where exactly was here?

  She squeezed her eyes tightly closed to shut out the sight of her surroundings. Fought against the panic and terror, and instead tried desperately to think.

  She’d been in the motel room watching television as she’d waited for the time when Sawyer would come to get her. She’d just eaten a sandwich for lunch and had turned on the television to pass the time. She remembered the game show that had been playing and the little gray-haired woman that everyone in the audience had been cheering for.

  Somebody had knocked on her door. Who had it been? Who? Her mind remained blank. Why could she remember eating a ham-and-cheese sandwich and the gray-haired woman on the television and yet couldn’t remember who had been at her door?

  Why didn’t she know who had brought her to this nightmare? And it was definitely something out of a nightmare. As the full realization of her situation struck her, her heart nearly beat out of her chest.

  She had to get out. She had to figure out a way to escape. Right now, on the other side of the glass enclosure, she didn’t sense anyone in the darkness of the surrounding building. Once again she pulled herself to her feet. She walked on shaky legs across the room and to the glass.

  She touched it with her fingers, as if needing to confirm to herself that it was really there. It felt slightly cool to her fingertips. She dropped her hand to her side and backed away.

  This was like something out of a sci-fi movie where aliens had placed her under a glass dome to study her. Only it wasn’t the action of an alien. It was a man she knew, a man she worked with, and he had gone to enormous extremes to make sure he possessed her.

  A scream begged to be released but she swallowed it down. Screaming wouldn’t help her now. Tears burned at her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. She needed to keep her head about her and to find a way out.

  She walked to the kitchen table and grabbed one of the iron chairs. She carried it to the closest wall of the enclosure. With all her might, she threw it at the glass.

  The chair bounced back without doing any damage to the glass. So it was some kind of strong Plexiglas and there was no way out through it.

  She wandered around, seeking some hope of escape, but her horror continued to grow. Even the bathroom area was out in the open. There was only one place to hide in the entire structure and that was a wooden pantry in one corner of the kitchen area.

  Still, as she looked at all the food in the refrigerator, as she stared at all the items in the fully stocked pantry, she realized there were enough supplies to keep somebody in here for a very long time.

  It was then that the scream she’d been holding back released.

  * * *

  “Where is she, Dillon?” Sawyer stood in the middle of the motel room with Janis’s scent surrounding him and the taste of fear in his mouth.

  “I don’t know. There’s no sign of a struggle,” Dillon said slowly.

  “But her purse is here. She wouldn’t have gone off somewhere without her purse and her phone. She’s in trouble, Dillon. We have to find her.”

  “Why don’t you head over to the bar to see if she might already be there,” Dillon replied. “Maybe she had a friend pick her up. Meanwhile, I’ll get a few of my men over here to canvass the area to see if anyone saw her leave.”

  As he drove the short distance to the bar, Sawyer prayed she would be there. But he knew there was no way a friend had picked her up from the motel room. There was no way Janis would have gone off without her purse containing her cell phone.

  He thought about the conversation they’d shared earlier. Was it possible he’d freaked her out by telling her he was in love with her?

  Had she run someplace to get away from him? No, she hadn’t run anywhere, not without her purse and her suitcase. His heart, his very soul, told him she was in deep trouble. Whoever had been peeping into her room had taken her and now had her all to himself.

  He pulled his phone out and dialed Clay’s number. Clay answered on the first ring. “Janis is missing. Meet me at the bar,” he said.

  “Got it,” Clay said and hung up.

  Sawyer clutched the steering wheel tightly, his heart pounding a frantic beat it had never known before. Janis... Janis, his heart cried out. Where could she be? Who had taken her away from him?

  The minute he’d seen her purse on the table, he’d known that foul play was involved. The only thing he could hope for was that the man who had taken her didn’t want her dead, he just wanted her all to himself.

  But who was it? Who had her and where had he taken her? He tried to shove away his emotions in an effort to stay clearheaded, but fear clawed inside him like a wild, trapped animal.

  He reached the bar and stalked inside, his gaze shooting around the room. How he wanted to see her in her Watering Hole T-shirt and tight jeans, with a serving tray in her hand. How he wished her bright, loving smile greeted him.

  Gary was sitting in a corner booth with several other men, a pitcher of beer in front of him. He got up the minute he saw Sawyer. “Did you find her?” he asked.

  “She isn’t here?” Sawyer asked even though he knew the answer.

  “No. The room is all ready for her, but she hasn’t been here. Her car is still parked out back.”

  “I want to see her room for myself.” Sawyer went to the door that led to the room Janis had called home. It took only a glance to know that nobody was inside.

  He turned on his heels and spied Annie across the room. He knew Annie and Janis were good friends. Was it possible Annie knew something? He wove his way through the tables to where the young woman stood taking orders from a group of four.

  “Excuse me,” he said to the people at the table. “Annie, have you heard from Janis today?”

  Annie frowned. “No, why?”

  “She’s gone missing.” The words ripped at his insides and tears burned hot at his eyes. He sucked them back. Now wasn’t the time to be weak.

  He had to be strong...stronger than he’d ever been before in his life. Damn it, he had to find the woman he loved.

  “Oh, my God, what can I do?” Annie asked.

  “Right now, nothing. But if you hear from her, let me know immediately.” Sawyer turned on his heels, not wanting to waste any more time talking to somebody who probably wouldn’t be of any help.

  He headed back toward Gary, but before he got there, the door opened and the men from the Holiday Ranch walked in. A large lump formed in Sawyer’s throat at the sight of Clay, Mac, Flint and Jerod. Following behind them he saw Tony, Brody and Dusty.

  These were seven of the men he’d grown up with, men he considered his brothers, and he’d never been as happy to see them as he was at this minute. They’d always had each other’s back and if one of them was in trouble the others helped. He definitely needed their help now.

  “What can we do?” Clay asked as Gary stepped up to Sawyer’s side.r />
  Before he could reply, Cassie flew in the door. “Dillon told me about Janis. If it’s okay with Gary, we’ll make this our base camp until she’s found.”

  “Whatever you need, I’m in,” Gary replied.

  “Right now what we need to do is check out everyone who works here,” Sawyer said, his brain working overtime. Tanner was working behind the bar so he wasn’t a suspect. “Who’s working in the kitchen right now?”

  “Charlie and Denny,” Gary replied.

  “Denny?” Sawyer didn’t know anyone named Denny who worked in the kitchen.

  “Denny Grange. He’s a new hire. Charlie is training him.”

  Sawyer’s brain continued to assess what needed to be done. “Clay, see if you can run down Rusty Bratton. Flint, I want you to check out Miguel Gomez.”

  He continued to assign men to check on anyone who worked at the bar but wasn’t working in the place at the moment. “Tony, I’d like you to check on Myles Hennessy and, Flint...same with Damon West.” The flirt and the widower weren’t really suspects, but Sawyer didn’t want to leave anything to chance. “All of you check back in here as soon as possible,” he finished.

  As everyone ran to the exit, a hollow wind blew through Sawyer. Where was she? Who had taken her away and where was she now?

  He wanted to run outside and go to each and every house in the area. He needed to tear open doors and search all the rooms in Bitterroot. He needed to scream her name at the top of his lungs.

  But he also knew the smartest thing he could do at the moment was to wait for reports to come in. Somebody had to be in charge here until Dillon arrived.

  He sank down at a table and lowered his head as his heart continued to cry out. They should have taken everything much more seriously than they had. And yet, when he looked back, he wasn’t sure what he would have changed or done differently.

  “I’ve made two big pots of coffee.”

  Cassie’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up to see her with two cups of coffee in her hands. She slid one of the cups in front of him and then joined him at the table.