by Ciana Stone
Jayce and Bryson were there with their dates. With them were Jesse Nash, Bronson, Jasper, and their children. Bronson swung her up in a hug as soon as he saw her. "You owe me a dance, gorgeous."
"Let me wet my whistle and I'll give you two, handsome."
"Allow me." Jasper volunteered and stepped up to the window.
"Where's JD?" Bronson asked.
"Pete called and said someone ran through a fence on the main road, so he headed home with a couple of the guys to move the stock."
"He should have come gotten us."
"I offered."
"You?"
Jolene put her hands on her hips, pretending offense. "Yes, me."
"You know how to herd cattle?"
"Why yes, I do, Bronson, thanks for asking."
"Seriously?" Bobby, Bronson's twelve-year old asked.
"Yeah."
"She's cool." Bobby said with a grin.
"And hot." His sixteen-year-old brother, Jimmy added.
"You gonna marry Uncle JD?" The middle child, Michael asked.
"You should marry dad," Bobby saved her from answering.
"Well maybe you're right, Bobby." She gave him a smile. "But I'll have to see how things go on the dance-floor first. So, Jesse, what do you think of Cotton Creek?"
Jesse grinned. "Well, it's a bit… brown to the eye, if you know what I mean, but there are some good people here."
"Amen to that." Bronson said. "We're all glad to meet you. Didn't know we had celebrities in the family."
"Hardly that. Just a rodeo cowboy and small rancher."
"Champion rodeo cowboy." Michael pointed out.
"Just got lucky."
Jolene grinned. Jesse didn't have a conceited bone in his body. "I was sorry that Carly couldn't make it."
"Me too. She and Mik have breeding going on right now. They're convinced they're gonna produce the world's best barrel racer."
"I have no doubt that they'll succeed."
"Me either."
Jasper returned with a longnecked beer. "My hero." She clinked her bottle to his and then took a long drink. "God that's good. Okay, handsome, let's see what you've got." She grabbed Bronson by the hand and led him onto the dance floor.
As it turned out, he was quite the dancer. If she hadn't been head-over-heels for JD, she'd definitely be trying to wrangle a date. Then all the Weathers men were sexy as sin, charming and gorgeous. Jolene hoped that with the curse gone, they could find partners to share their lives with. They were all good people and deserved happiness.
They were, in fact, such fun that Jolene completely lost track of time. She took a break to buy a round of beer for everyone and noticed an older man with long gray hair standing by the refreshment hut. She smiled at him and he returned the smile.
"Are you in line?"
"No ma'am."
He wasn't particularly well dressed. His plaid shirt was faded and his jeans looked like they'd seen better days, as had his boots. "Want a beer or something to eat?"
"I wouldn't impose on you, ma'am."
"Nonsense. How about a couple of dogs, some fries, and a beer?"
"That'd be mighty appreciated. But could you make that a bag of Cheetos instead of fries?"
Jolene smiled. "You got it… sorry, I didn't get your name. I'm Jolene."
"Joe."
"Yeah, I go by Jo."
He chuckled. "No, I mean, I'm Joe."
"Well nice to meet you, Joe." She stuck out her hand.
His hand was warm in hers and when she looked into his eyes, she got a curious feeling of peace.
She placed the order and as she waited, she turned to Joe. "So, are you from around here, Joe, or just here for the rodeo?"
"Nope, not from around these parts, but I have friends here I drop in to check on from time to time. Help 'em out if they're in need."
"That's nice of you. The world could use more of that."
"Yes ma'am, I suppose it could."
"Oh, here's our order." She passed the hotdogs, Cheetos and a beer to him, then turned and yelled for Jayce to help her with the beer.
She dug the rest of the cash she had from her pocket and handed it to Joe. "Here. Just in case."
"Oh I can't take that."
"Sure you can. Please. A gift from a friend."
"Well thank you, ma'am. That's real kind of you.""
"It's really nice meeting you Joe and I hope I see you again."
"I imagine you will, Miss Jo."
"I'll look forward to it."
"Need some help?" Jayce said as he walked up.
"Yeah, thanks." She grabbed a handful of the bottles, leaving the rest to him. "Oh, Jayce this is—" She turned to introduce him to Joe, but Joe was no longer there.
"This is who?"
"Never mind. Just a nice man I met."
After the beer, everyone got back to dancing. It wasn't until Briggs tapped Jasper on the shoulder to cut in that she realized the time. Briggs swung her around and she laughed. "Oh, so your fancy footwork isn't limited to the ball field, eh?"
"You got it."
"I'm so happy you and Dawson took home the ribbon. You were amazing."
He grinned. "It's pretty cool. Couldn't have done it if dad hadn't coached us."
"He's pretty amazing, too."
"Yeah, and kinda crazy about you."
"Oh?"
His expression sobered. "I don't think I've ever seen him smile so much. You're not gonna hurt him, are you, Jo?"
"Oh god no. I'd never do anything to hurt him."
"So you're gonna stay? In Cotton Creek I mean."
Until that moment, Jolene hadn't thought about what happened when her six months were up. "Well, I – we haven't talked about that. We just started dating, Briggs, and you know how that goes. I think you're on your second girlfriend just since I've been here."
"Yeah, but that's different. Dad doesn't fall in love. He doesn't even fall in like. But he's in love with you and if you leave…"
"I'm falling for him, too."
"You are?"
"Hook, line and sinker."
He picked her up and swung her around. When he finally set her down his smile was back. "If I was older I'd make you fall in love with me."
"Well, you've already done that, big guy."
Dawson walked up to them just then. "Trying to move in on dad's woman? Hey, listen, I'm gonna ride with Alyssa." He handed Briggs the keys and smiled at Jo.
"Okay, cool. Later, bro."
"Later. Jo, you gonna be over at the ranch tomorrow?"
"I don't know. I'll be at Nellie Mae's most of the day, going through the footage. You want to stop by and watch yourself?"
"Yeah, that'd be cool."
"Great. Anytime, just stop by. And congratulations again. You were amazing."
"Yes, I was. Oh and you too, bro." Dawson gave Jolene a kiss on the cheek. "You're pretty amazing, too."
"Why thank you. Have fun."
"I plan on it."
She and Briggs watched him leave and then she looked around. She didn't see Cody.
"Something wrong?" Briggs asked.
"No, I mean I guess not. I was going to get a ride back to Cody's with her but I guess she already left."
"I'll drive you."
"It's kind of out of your way."
"That's okay. I don't mind."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. Are you ready to go now?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Then let's do it."
They said good night to the rest of the family who were still there and headed out to the parking area. There were still a lot of vehicles and it took a few minutes to locate Brigg's truck. Just as he was opening the passenger door for her, a man stepped up behind them.
"Well, looky here, two for one."
Jolene whirled around at the sound of the voice, her skin crawling. She stepped between Briggs and the man who'd abducted her. "If you're smart, you'll leave now. This place is crawling with people and yo
u'll—"
She fell silent when he pulled the gun from behind him. "Get in the truck. Both of you. You first kid. Don't make me do anything I don't want to."
Jolene turned to look at Briggs and saw the anger stamped on his face. "Just do it, Briggs."
He muttered something under his breath then climbed in the truck. Jolene got in beside him, leaving their captor to sit beside her.
"You're not Johnny Willis' brother." She said as the man slammed the door.
"You're not much of a fucking reporter. Let's get moving boy. At the main road turn right."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jolene asked.
"Simple statement of fact, you dumb cunt. If you were even a half-ass reporter, you'd know that Johnny's my half-brother. Mama married his old man after mine got kilt."
Jolene couldn't believe her team had failed to uncover that tidbit. "So who are you then?"
"Ray Malcom."
"Of the Texas Malcom's I presume."
He moved surprising fast for a man of his heft and belted her in the side of the head. She saw stars for a few seconds and vision blurred. "You gonna watch your fucking mouth."
Jolene cut a look at Briggs and saw the look of fear on his face. She wished she had a way to assure him that everything would be okay, but even if she could find the words, she wouldn't believe them. She had no doubt that Ray Malcom intended to kill her, and probably Briggs as well.
Unless a miracle happened, they were doomed.
Chapter Fourteen
JD had just opened the backdoor of his house when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, noting the caller and the time. Unease tickled his mind. Why would Bronson be calling him after midnight?
"Bronson? Everything okay?"
"Afraid not, JD. I just got off the phone with the police. Someone reported seeing a heavyset man getting into Briggs' truck with him and Jolene."
The fear that stabbed him had JD reaching for support. He held onto the doorframe, feeling sweat suddenly explode from every pore on his body despite a chill that swept over his skin.
"When?"
"About an hour ago. Guy just mentioned it to Jayce as we were leaving the rodeo after-party."
"What are the police doing?"
"Deputy Tom is on his way now and we're questioning everyone who's still here to see if anyone saw anything. Tom said he'd put an APB out on Brigg's truck."
"Where's Dawson?"
"He rode with that new girlfriend. Jasper is calling him now."
"Tell him to go to Pop's now. Wait, is Pop home?"
"He's on his way now. I'll tell Dawson. We're gonna drop the kids off at Pop's and start looking."
"God almighty, Bronson."
"I know. But we'll find him, JD."
"I'll wait on you."
"We'll be there soon."
JD ended the call and turned, looking out into the darkness. Some monster had his son and the woman he loved and JD didn't have a doubt that the man meant them harm. He had to find them, save them. But where the hell did he start looking?
He thought about the last time the guy grabbed Jo. He'd taken her to an abandoned property. Would he be foolish enough to take her to the same place? Probably not.
JD stepped back out onto the porch and sat down on the step. At first, his mind took its normal path, and he beat himself up. He shouldn't have let Jo stay, he shouldn't have let the boys stay on their own, or should have warned them about splitting up. He should have told one of his brothers to keep an eye on them.
His phone rang again. It was Cody.
"Cody?"
"JD, Daddy and I are going out with a couple of the hands here to look for Briggs and Jo. I just talked to Wes Pursell, and he's rounding up every hand they have to start a search party. They're dividing men up in groups. On horseback, ATV's and in trucks. We'll find them, JD."
"Bronson and the rest of the family will be here soon. We're headed out as well. Cody, tell everyone to focus on any abandoned properties. That's where he took her before. He'll be looking for a place that's out of the way, a place they won't be spotted."
"Yep. We're on it JD. Keep your phone handy and tell everyone else to do the same. If you find them let us know and we'll do the same."
"Thank you."
"We'll find them, JD. Talk soon."
JD stared back across the yard, his thoughts as dark as the night. Fear was still there, but it joined by a deadly companion. Rage. Someone had taken his boy and his woman and there wasn't anything that would stop him from finding them and making sure the man paid.
On his life, he vowed it. That man would pay.
*****
Jolene had expected Malcom to direct Briggs to some out of the way, run-down, or abandoned farm. It surprised her that he had Briggs drive them to Rock Ridge, the next town over. They ended up in what would be considered a seedy part of town, populated by rundown strip joints and bars, old factories long forgotten and abandoned buildings.
Malcom had Briggs pull his truck around to the rear of an old brick building. Dumpsters lined the back wall, overflowing with trash and stunk like someone had dumped dead things into them. "Get out." He ordered when Briggs parked. "This side and you try anything funny and I'll shoot. You got it?"
Jolene didn't bother answering. She was trying not to vomit from the smell. Once everyone was out of the truck, Malcom snatched the keys away from Briggs and gestured for them to precede him. They walked up four concrete steps to a pitted cement landing. The old metal door had no handle, but Malcom jerked it open by putting his finger in the hole.
Jolene gagged at the smell when she stepped inside and felt for Brigg's hand in the darkness. A flare of light behind her had her turning, shielding her eyes. Malcom held a flashlight and pointed it in the direction he wanted them to go.
Half rotten crates and piles of trash littered the way through the maze of walls that were half torn down, missing sheetrock or riddled with holes. Finally, Malcom called a halt and gestured toward an open door. Once inside, she heard the slam of the door. She stood there, hanging onto Brigg's hand and jumped when light flared.
An old camping lantern hung from Malcom's hand. He set it on a rickety table. Jolene looked around. Aside from a metal bedframe with a wire mesh bottom and a stained blanket, there was a set of manacles slung over an exposed pipe in the ceiling, a pile of rope on the floor, and the table where the lamp sat.
"Get on the bed." Malcom snapped at her.
"No."
"Bitch don't make me tell you again."
"I said no. Go ahead, shoot me, but I'm not getting on that bed."
Malcom cursed and then abruptly grinned. "Fine, I'll shoot the boy."
"No!"
It was one thing for him to threaten her, but she couldn't let him hurt Briggs. Her mind went into gear, trying to come up with a way to convince him to let them go, or at least let Briggs go free. Nothing came to her, but another possibility popped into her head.
"Just so you know. If it's ransom money you want, hurting us is a mistake. The cable network will pay handsomely for my safe return and you know the Weathers want him back, so it'd be in your best interest to make sure no harm comes to us."
She could tell that until she spoke, he'd not considered ransom. Now he was. She waited, tensed for him to make a sudden move.
"Call 'em."
"Who?"
"Them network people."
"I'm sure they're all asleep."
"Then wake 'em up. And put it on speaker."
Jolene pulled out her phone and found her boss's number. She placed it on speakerphone. It took half a dozen rings before her boss, Devin Richards answered. "Jo? Why're you calling me in—?"
"Devin, I'm in trouble."
"What kind of trouble."
"The kind that is demanding a ransom."
"Jo, what the hell's going on?"
Malcom snatched the phone away from her. "Listen up mister. I want money and I want it fast or I'm gonna carve this Indian bi
tch up and send her to you in pieces. You got that?"
"Yes, yes. How much?"
"How much you got?"
There was a long pause, long enough that Malcom shouted into the phone. "You still there?"
"Yes, of course. I think I can safely say the network would pay one million."
"A million cash?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Well, it is the weekend, so we wouldn't be able to get our hands on that much cash until the first of the week."
"Monday. You'll do it on Monday."
"Yes, yes, it may take a day or so—"
"No. You do it on Monday. I'll call you Monday at 5 and tell you where to deliver."
"You mean where to make the exchange. We're going to need to know that Jolene is safe and unharmed before we give you anything."
"I'll send you a picture. Monday at 5."
He ended the call, looked at Briggs and then at Jolene. "I know you're screwing his old man. Call him."
"You have the phone. Call him yourself."
He snorted and looked through her contacts. She heard the call connect. There was but one ring before JD answered. "Jo, thank –"
"Listen up Weathers. I got your Indian bitch and your boy and if you want 'em back, you'll get your ass to the bank on Monday and get a million bucks."
"Who is this? Where's Briggs and Jo? I want to talk to them."
Malcom held up the phone. "Talk."
"Dad?" Briggs spoke loudly. "Jo's with me. We're okay, but he has a gun."
"And not afraid to use it." Malcom shouted.
"We're okay." Jolene spoke up. "He hasn't hurt us and won't. He just wants the money, Justice."
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Well aside from industrial strength stench, fear of asbestos poisoning and a loathing for the seedy side of town, I'm just dandy."
There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "Mister, I don't know you and you don't know me, but you can know this. If you hurt them you won't live to spend that money. You hear me?"
"You get me my million dollars or I'll chop them into chunks and leave them for the rats."
"Where do you want me to bring it?"
"I'll call you at 5 on Monday to let you know."
