by Sylvie Kurtz
“I don’t want that kind of attention right now.” Tessa pushed her into the empty hall.
“Then why point a gun at me at all?”
When Tessa grabbed a leather backpack off the small table beside the door, Ellen tried to twist out of Tessa’s grasp. Tessa wrenched Ellen’s arm higher on her back, nearly throwing her shoulder out of joint. “Because I want your attention.”
You’ve got it, Ellen thought, biting back a yelp at the sharp stab of pain. “Where are you taking me?”
“You want to know what’s going on with the horses, don’t you? We’ll have a heart-to-heart chat on the way back to your ranch.”
Home. Advantage. Kevin was waiting there. “Have you got the safety on that thing?”
“I didn’t get where I am by being cautious. One wrong move, sugar, and that pretty little neck of yours is going to sport a couple of extra breathing holes.”
They met no one on their way out through the marble foyer. Ellen thought of faking a spill and racing up the turned stairway with the red oak tread and carved balusters. But she would do the horses no good with a bullet in her back.
Tessa must have sensed her intentions. “Don’t even think about it. You’d be dead before you reached the first step. We’ve got plenty of acreage to make you disappear.” Then she chuckled. “Scream if you want. No one will answer. The maid is illegal and Brad has had enough of you for one evening.”
Tessa’s turf. Tessa’s people. Ellen needed to save her energy for her own playing field.
Once in the truck, Ellen’s knees trembled as she engaged the clutch. As she drove, she conjured up and rejected a dozen escape scenarios. She didn’t want to give Tessa any reason to press the trigger. As much as Ellen hated to admit it, she wasn’t strong enough to manhandle the gun out of Tessa’s grip. With the night so thick, she couldn’t attract another driver’s attention—not that they’d come across anyone yet. The headlights swept across nothing but rolling fields and the occasional cow or horse grazing close to a fence. And stopping Tessa by provoking an accident wasn’t the answer either. To help the horses, Ellen still needed answers.
Patience. She’d heard that caution almost every day since waking up at the nursing home. Now she’d have to dig down and heed the warning. Tessa’s eyes were much too determined for Ellen to believe this was a simple joyride.
The realization shot cold dread through her. Kevin was waiting for her. Once he saw Tessa’s gun pointed at her head, he’d do everything to deflect Tessa’s intentions. Hadn’t he already shown his willingness to protect her? Through this whole ordeal with the horses, the one person she could always count on to stand by her, for her, was Kevin. Ellen had no doubt Tessa wouldn’t appreciate his attempt at heroics. As angry as Ellen was with him, she didn’t want to see him dead. What chance did he have against a bullet?
By refusing his help, she’d put them both in danger. She had less than twenty minutes to come up with a solution.
Fatigue and stress took their toll. Ellen had to grip the steering wheel solidly with both hands and still the muscles twitched. Keeping her eyes focused was becoming harder and required much blinking. All she had to do was hold on until they got to the ranch. Bracing herself, she focused on the road—and on the horses.
“What’s so special about RLP–045913Z?” Ellen asked. The mere mention of the code had shaken Tessa enough to bring out her gun and threaten murder. There had to be some clue there.
“Why couldn’t you just let things be?” Tessa shook her head like a disappointed big sister.
Ellen shrugged. The move was jerky, betraying her anxiety. “The horses can’t speak. Someone had to be their voice.”
“If you’d just fed them the oats I sent, you could have avoided all of this.”
“The feed? That’s all it takes?” Was it really that simple?
“The feed maintains them—to a point.”
“What’s wrong with them?”
Tessa sighed, exasperation thick on the exhale. “It’s a combination of things.”
“Such as?”
“Why do you care?” Tessa’s gaze narrowed as she pressed the gun’s muzzle more firmly against Ellen’s neck. Ellen flinched, wondering if the gun would accidentally go off. “They’re not your horses. Tomorrow, I get them back.”
“Because they’re suffering and need someone to care for them.”
“They’re dead. Don’t you get it?”
“How can I when I haven’t got a clue what’s going on?” Ellen bit back her anger. With a gun pressed to her neck and an unstable woman’s finger on the trigger, now was not the time to lose her temper.
Lips pouting, Tessa seemed to consider, then relented. “Why not? They were bred for hardiness and speed. That gave us a good base to start from. The genetically engineered oats trigger certain genes. The problem is that we got a few unplanned side effects.”
“Such as?”
“Anemia.”
Kevin was right. They had known about the anemia and tried to compensate for the symptoms. “Hence the feed blend with the high iron.”
Tessa’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “And high in B12 vitamin.”
“But?” Ellen asked, keeping her tone light, yet dismayed by the unwanted waver.
“That works only short-term.”
“Because…”
“Because eventually bone marrow production is affected, which leads to a form of leukemia.”
“Leukemia!” Ellen wobbled the wheel. The tires hit the shoulder gravel. The truck lurched from side to side before Ellen could get it back under control.
Tessa thrust the gun’s muzzle deeper under Ellen’s jaw. “Keep the damn truck on the road!”
Ellen gulped and shifted slightly to ease the jab of the hard casing. “The horses have leukemia?”
“Which is why a painless death is much more charitable than your ill-advised zeal.”
Ellen’s mind buzzed as it tried to wrap itself around the information Tessa had given her. “How could this happen?”
Tessa dismissed her worries with a jerk of her shoulder. “Every new invention is bound to have a few glitches.”
“The horses aren’t expendable pieces of machinery. They’re live beings.”
“They’re animals.”
Ellen clamped back her retort, knowing it would get her nowhere. “So, is it the feed or the activated genes in the horses that causes the leukemia?”
Tessa seemed to relax a bit. She leaned back against the door, easing the gun’s prod against Ellen’s neck. “The chicken or the egg? That is the question.”
“And what’s the answer?” There had to be an answer. She had to help those horses.
“Triggering the extra growth also causes mutant cells to generate. These mutant cells invade the bone marrow. This disrupts the normal production of red blood cells and platelets. Next they invade organs and tissues, causing them to enlarge. From there it’s all downhill.”
“Surely, something can be done for them.”
“Nothing that warrants the cost.”
Ellen sneered. “That’s what it comes down to for you, isn’t it—money?”
Tessa leaned forward and spoke through gritted teeth. “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s not the money. It’s the payoff for the investment.”
“How does RLP–045913Z fit into this?”
“Zeus is the next generation.”
The powerful Zeus, master of the sky—master of Tessa’s dreams? “Mutation free?”
“So far.”
The horses weren’t headed to the Double B, to a trainer’s barn or to a slaughterhouse on the night of the storm. They were headed for Dr. Warner’s clinic. How far would Tessa go to protect her project? Ellen licked her lips and took a calculated risk. “Why didn’t you take Zeus back when you murdered the Warners?”
In the dim light of the truck’s instrument panel, Tessa’s smile had a sinister slant. “You think you’re so smart.”
Of course Zeus couldn’t leave. That would c
all attention to Tessa, and hadn’t Tessa said she didn’t want that kind of attention. If Zeus was still there, then the murder-suicide scenario played realistically. Ellen pressed on. “Why did you destroy all the paperwork in Dr. Warner’s office?”
“He did that all on his own.” Tessa scoffed. “As if a few pieces of paper could stop this project. Zeus guarantees it will survive.”
“How?” Ellen’s pulse tripped so fast she could hardly hear herself over the sound. They were nearing home and she still hadn’t thought of a way to warn Kevin of the danger speeding toward him.
“He’s the next two-year-old colt Texas Breeders’ Cup champion.”
“Is that something special?”
“Don’t play the innocent. It really doesn’t suit you.”
Ellen shook her head. Think, think, think. “I don’t know a thing about racing.”
“It’s the highest award possible for a Texas-bred Thoroughbred.”
She thinks she can buy respect, but she’s usin’ the wrong currency, Garth had said. Had Tessa switched from sex to racing to reach her goal? If she was desperate enough to kill Dr. Warner to win the championship, she’d do anything.
“The incident in the pasture the day before the judge’s visit, that was you,” Ellen said.
Tessa didn’t answer. She reached inside her bag with one hand and drew out a remote. Aiming at the gate, she pressed the button. The gate swung open.
Ellen snapped her head Tessa’s way. “Where’d you get that?”
Tessa merely smiled. “Watch where you’re going.”
Suddenly too much became clear. “The flood in the barn, you engineered that, too.”
“I needed the horses back,” Tessa said matter-of-factly.
“And the judge foiled your perfect plan.”
“He’s blind.”
“You were going to kill the horses,” Ellen said. The weight of the knowledge bled precious energy from her. “Why?”
“To protect Zeus.” Tessa jabbed the gun’s muzzle against Ellen’s throat. “Park by the house.”
Ellen slowed. She had to attract attention. Kevin and Blue would come running out. When Tessa was distracted by them, Ellen would jump her. There was no time for a more complicated plan.
Instead of reaching for the key to turn off the engine, Ellen leaned against the horn.
Tessa hit her over the head with the butt of the gun.
Ellen’s vision filled with stars.
“WHAT IS WRONG with you people?” Brad Bancroft bellowed when Kevin charged into his office.
Pumped up on adrenaline and worry, Kevin didn’t stop until he reached Bancroft’s desk. He swept the paperwork off the surface and grabbed Bancroft’s collar. “Where’s Ellen?”
“How the hell should I know?” Face red, jowls quivering, Bancroft reached for the phone.
Kevin slapped his free hand over Bancroft’s beefy one and squeezed. “Where’s Ellen?”
“She was here, raised a fuss and left.”
“Just like that?”
Bancroft narrowed his gaze. “What are you implyin’?”
“She came here to talk about the horses. Now she’s missing.”
“As I explained to Ms. Paxton, the horses are Tessa’s project.”
“You were the one barking to get them back.”
Bancroft puffed out his chest. “Tessa thought the judge might be more apt to listen to a man.”
The protocol. Tessa’s desire for what? Success? Power? “Where’s your wife now?”
“In bed where she belongs.”
Bancroft pried Kevin’s hand from his collar. “Do you mind? I’ve got work to do.”
“When did Ellen leave?”
Scowling, Bancroft shuffled the scattered papers. “I heard the truck pull out about half an hour ago.”
Slamming the door, Kevin left Bancroft’s office. He took the fancy stairs two by two and checked every room on the second floor. All were empty.
He couldn’t get the image of Ellen unconscious and bleeding out of his head. He hadn’t been there to save her from Garth’s manipulations sixteen years ago. And now Garth’s quest for success had once again put her in the jaws of danger. He had to find her.
As he went through the front door, something caught his eye. He backed a step. On the dark wood of the door’s frame, a bloody mark like a smeared fingerprint. Whose? Heart thundering in his chest, he rolled Nina’s feather round and round his fingers to calm himself. He had to keep cool. Ellen, where are you?
An unpleasant tingling sensation bristled down his nape. Dr. Warner was dead. Tessa wasn’t in bed where she belonged. Sick horses. Anemia hidden with high-iron feed. All that stood between Tessa and her secret was Ellen.
A sick feeling sank through him, dark and cold.
It all led back to the horses. And the horses were at Ellen’s ranch.
If he’d kept his promise, he’d still be there.
WITH NO ONE AROUND to hear her but the wind, Tessa saw no reason to swallow her curses. She let them tear as she dragged the unconscious woman to the middle of the ring beside the barn and let her flop on the muddy ground.
Things had not exactly gone according to plan. Ellen wasn’t supposed to show up at Dr. Warner’s barn or at the house. That honor should have gone to her ranch hand—with the help of a prodding phone call at just the right time. The plan was to make him disappear as he had sixteen years ago. People expected others to follow perceived patterns, especially a sheriff still mired in emotions over his brother’s cowardly dodge of responsibility. And dear Ellen was to have her physical weakness get the better of her. She couldn’t handle the horses and was trampled by them.
But Tessa was used to thinking on the fly, and when opportunities presented themselves, she knew how to turn them to her advantage. That Ellen had apparently mistaken the Taser for a handgun had only helped Tessa’s cause.
Now time was of the essence to pull off this accident. She’d stuffed the stunned attack dog in the tack room, but she had no idea when the hapless ranch hand would return. She had to be ready to greet him. He would drive her home and then both he and his truck would disappear.
She led the horses from the pasture to the ring. The gray gave her a bit of a hard time, but the lure of grain finally gained her cooperation. The Appaloosa and Apollo had followed her willingly. Those three should cause enough damage. She could count on Apollo to freak with the noise of the close-up function of the Electro-Muscular Disruption weapon. If the sizzling sound didn’t panic him enough, then she’d resort to a jolt of electricity on the rump. The remote function, she reserved for the ranch hand.
The ring was relatively small—not much room for three horses to maneuver. Once Apollo panicked, the others would follow. In their hysteria, they wouldn’t see the woman in the ring.
An unfortunate accident. Sad, really.
But no one could make a connection to her. Brad, the maid, any and all of the Double B’s help would swear to her presence at the homestead tonight. Fear truly was a good motivator for those facing the threat of deportation.
This time, the horses would come home and the project’s integrity would be protected. The judge would have no reason to extend their stay at Ellen Paxton’s rescue ranch.
Zeus would run—and win.
Tessa rubbed the gold locket at her neck, then flicked the oval open. Inside rested the picture of the blond, blue-eyed teenager who’d abandoned her on the steps of the St. Theresa Church thirty years ago.
“I’m almost there, Sheree, almost there.” Soon Tessa would sit as an equal to her mother, the pale imitation of a husband at her side and the two sniveling sons tugging at her expensive skirt.
Tessa would get the respect she deserved—horsewoman to horsewoman; mother to daughter; blue blood to blue blood.
For good measure, she jammed a piece of wood through the gate’s latch. It didn’t hurt to play out all the possibilities. Then she took her post outside the corral fence and aimed the weapon at Apollo.
CLOUDS SHADOWED the moon, cloaking the ranch in a blanket of black. The ground beneath Kevin’s feet seemed to sizzle with energy waiting to discharge. The breeze stirred the air with whiplike pops and snaps, snarling sand in his face.
Using peripheral vision, he saw the lumbering outline of his truck. No light in the house or barn. No Blue to greet him. No chorus of night creatures. Other than the wind scouring the ranch, everything was too quiet—as if the world was holding its breath.
Squinting, he searched the darkness, willing his body to stay still. Rushing headlong into a situation he didn’t understand would help no one. Do something. Don’t just stand there, do something. Help her. The image of Ellen helpless and bleeding filled his mind. His calf muscles jittered. His fingers twitched. His pulse stampeded. He ground his teeth and fought the urge to run.
Ellen, where are you?
His gaze scanned the darkness, took in the house, the barn, the yard between. He stopped at the ring. Horses. Three darker shapes against the black of the barn. Out of place. His whole body tensed.
Ellen, where are you?
Movement. By the back side of the fence. A deeper, denser black. Smaller than a horse. Bigger than a dog. But not Ellen. He would know her anywhere.
He fought off terror as the punch of something evil hit him in the gut. The scent of it was heavy and acrid in the air. It clung to him in sticky cold strands. He opened his mouth to drag in breath. Tessa.
Crouching low, he hugged the edge of the yard, melting into the darker shadows, advancing noiselessly toward the barn. He’d promised Nina to make things right. He’d promised Chance to keep Ellen safe. He’d sworn to himself Ellen would have the dream of her ranch. He had to get this right. Tessa would not get away with whatever misdeed she plotted.
He rounded the corner of the barn. Heart beating a mad race, he carefully peered at the ring. Luci, C.C., Apollo milled around in restless agitation, tails wringing, ears flicking. What he saw next made his mouth go dry, his knees turn to jelly, his gut twist.
Ellen, no. Despair flooded him. Not again. Please, God, no.
Before he could move, the hair on the back of his neck prickled. Icy fingers of dread skimmed his skin.
