Legacy of Lies

by Jillian David

  Zach had a death grip on her shirt, and every inch of his thin frame quaked.

  “Oh, no. You’re not leaving, Sarita,” Hank said.

  “Are you taking him home, then?”

  “Nope. He’s going to do that himself,” he snickered.

  “Come on, Hank. He’s a child.” She tightened her arms around Zach.

  “He’s a Taggart. He can walk home.”

  Even Wyatt’s jaw dropped. “Hank, you can’t be serious.”

  She glared at Hank. “No. He can’t be out by himself. It’s dark. It’s snowing.”

  Hank snorted. “He’ll be perfectly fine. It’s not that far. I’ll even point him in the right direction.”

  She whispered, “No, Hank. He’ll die.”

  “Not by my hand, he won’t.”

  Oh God, he had lost his mind. “What?”

  “I’m not okay with this,” Wyatt said.

  “Get out.” Hank’s voice boomed across the room, unnaturally loud. His eyes bulged, and for a second, they glowed red.

  Sara and Zach flinched at the sound.

  His brother sputtered. “No, I’ll stay and help, but don’t make that kid walk home.”

  “You’re done here, Wyatt. One day you’ll understand the commands from the Great One. For now, get in your truck and go home.” Holy moly, Hank’s eyes had turned a weird reddish black. “Now!” The walls shook.

  As if controlled by a puppeteer, Wyatt snapped his feet together, spun around, and marched stiffly out of the shack. Moments later, the distant sound of a truck engine roared and then faded into the night.

  Hank reached for Zach.

  When Sara tucked him deeper into her arms and didn’t let go, Hank held the knife over Zach’s head and grinned.

  “Step away now, or I’ll gut him.”

  Mother of God, he meant it.

  “Ms. Lopez?” Zach sniffed, not releasing his desperate hold around her waist.

  “You know what to do, Sarita,” Hank crooned, his singsong voice making her blood curdle. “Young Zach has one chance to survive, and you holding onto him isn’t it.”

  She knelt in front of the boy and put a shaking finger under his chin. Somehow, she held herself together, projecting a calm she did not feel. “Listen to me, Zach. You keep going until you get home, understand? Do not give up. Don’t stop. You hear me?”

  His voice quavered. “Okay, I’ll be brave and strong like Dad always says.”

  That one statement broke her heart. Zach wanted to make Garrison proud, even in this untenable situation. Garrison. Hank was using Zach and Sara to get back at Garrison. The worst part? There was nothing she could do.

  “Let’s go, boy.” Hank grabbed Zach’s upper arm and dragged him out the door and into the night.

  Sara followed, trying to dislodge Hank’s cruel hand on Zach, but Hank backhanded her. She came up spitting snow and blood. Her cheek throbbed. Scrambling to her feet, she stopped short as he held his hand up.

  “If you want this boy to live, don’t come any closer.”

  She didn’t move.

  Hank pulled out a compass, dialed it in, and turned Zach to face downhill, into the thick forest. “You want to go home?”

  “Yes, sir.” Zach sniffed and closed his mouth on a sob.

  “Walk that way. For about fifteen miles.”

  “You’ll rot in hell if you do this, Hank!” Sara called out.

  His grin flashed like a deranged jack-o’-lantern. “Why yes. Exactly. That’s the point.”

  “What?”

  He ignored her and growled in Zach’s ear. “If you don’t get out of here now, I’m going to hurt your nice teacher. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.” Zach took off into the forest. The snow came halfway up his legs. His thin frame faded into the night.

  “Oh my God, you just sent that kid to his death. He’s not going to last, wearing sneakers. He doesn’t even have a coat.”

  But when she stumbled toward Zach’s retreating figure, Hank yanked her into his chest and dragged her back to the shack.

  “That’s no longer your problem, Sarita. I am.”

  • • •

  Ripping the classroom door open, Garrison rushed inside and scanned inside his son’s locker.

  A backpack and coat still hung inside the metal box.

  At Zach’s desk, supplies littered the surface, like his son had stepped away for a moment and planned to return to finish the worksheet of multiplication tables.

  Garrison’s mouth turned into a desert.

  He searched the rest of the room. At the teacher’s desk, a coat still rested on the back of her chair. Her planner open on the flat surface. Opening the drawers, he blinked. Why was her purse still here? Her car keys? It made no sense. Unless she had some involvement in Zach’s disappearance. No, that didn’t make sense either.

  And what about her message? Maybe she had taken off with Hank.

  Why hadn’t he jettisoned his ethics and used his power on her in the first place? Or second place? Or third? Hell, he had ample opportunity to catch her lying, and he’d held back on his power out of misguided morals. Stupid decision.

  Butch Brand jogged down the hall toward him, out of breath. “What the hell are you doing, Taggart?”

  Son of a bitch, wanted to punch every Brand guy, including this oldest brother, with his thinning hair and paunch and all. By some miracle, Garrison kept his hands at his sides.

  “Look, man. Zach’s gone.”

  “I know. The superintendent called a few minutes ago.”

  “Your psycho brother is behind my son’s disappearance.”

  Butch rocked back on his heels. “Whoa, there. Let’s not go throwing stones.”

  “Who’s throwing stones? Hank called me and threatened Zach’s life.”

  “He did not.”

  “Are you kidding me? Don’t you think he’s been acting weird lately? He’s nuts.”

  Butch stared at the ceiling for a moment. “He’s a little vindictive and driven, but not crazy.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Garrison repeated the interactions with Hank over the past few days, which culminated in the phone call a half hour ago.

  Butch smoothed strands of hair away from his sweaty forehead. He might be only ten years older than Garrison, but he looked much older than that. “My God. If you’re correct, we need to find them, fast.” He shook his head. “I never thought he’d do anything like this.”

  “So you knew he wasn’t acting right?”

  “I chalked it up to him being super focused on a project recently.”

  “Project?”

  “Hank’s been cooking up a new scheme to get rich or something like that. He hasn’t let me in on the details, though. Ever since I took the job here as principal five years ago, I haven’t been on the ranch as much, so I don’t see my mom and brothers and sister as often as I used to.”

  “He wants to get rich?”

  “Well. Not in as many words. Mining for ores. I presume for gold or silver. So I figured that meant he was trying to make money. Kind of obsessed by it over the past year. Why? What else would they be digging for?”

  “You tell me.”

  “No idea. But right now, we need to find Zach.” He tapped on his cell phone and put it to his ear. “Nope. No answer from Hank. Went straight to voice mail.”

  “Did he mention anything to you recently? Anything that seemed ... different? A clue?”

  “I haven’t seen him for a few weeks. A while back, he’d gotten wrapped up in a long-distance relationship that went south six months ago, so he was off in Salt Lake City a bunch with his lady friend. He’d been seeing her since around this time last year. After that, he mumbled some about a mission or a calling. Like he found religion. But not exactly.” He rubbed his jowls. “I’m sorry, Garrison, I had no idea he’d do something stupid like this.”

  “Pardon me if I don’t believe you, Butch.”

  Garrison grabbed the man’s wrist and unleashed the power of
his surreal lie detector. The power burst out of him, harder and more determined than it ever had manifested. Butch stiffened as Garrison’s mind invaded, expanding like a bubble to surround the other mind. Then the sphere shrank and confined the essence of the man. As Garrison hijacked the man’s thoughts, an animal groan slid out of the man’s gritted teeth. Butch in pain? Couldn’t care less.

  He pushed past the polite veneer that formed Butch’s public persona and looked at the inner self. Only a bright red aura, truth tinged with anger. No blackness, no deception.

  Butch Brand had nothing to do with Hank’s actions. That was a good start.

  “What the hell was that?” Butch rubbed his temples.

  Garrison mirrored his movement. “Nothing, man. Forget it. How are we going to find Zach?”

  “Well, we need to contact the police. It’s getting dark. God knows where he is. We need to start a search.”

  “Agreed. But where should we start looking?”

  Butch rubbed his forehead. “Heck if I know. Listen, I’ll call the police and get things moving. Then I’ll run home and see if my family knows anything else that would help us find Hank.”

  Find. They had zero direction to begin a search, and by now, Hank could be many miles away from Copper River.

  Garrison snapped his spine straight.

  Find. That was the key.

  The Taggart family might just have a miracle for this situation.

  “Fine. Do that, Brand. I don’t have time to stick around.”

  Garrison stormed out of the school, flung himself into his truck and flew back to the ranch, where he parked the vehicle and pounded up the stairs and into the house.

  “Shelby! I need you now! Help! Shelby!”

  The sound of multiple running footsteps on the floor and down the stairs preceded everyone’s arrival. Shelby paused at the bottom to catch her breath, her shoulders folding over with jagged coughs. When Eric raised his eyebrows, she glared at him until he scooted over to a wall and crossed his arms, a hand clenched over his opposite bicep.

  Their father shuffled from the living room and leaned on the banister. A stiff breeze could blow him over.

  Kerr entered the foyer last but hurried in his own way. Christ, his brother looked like he’d just woken up to an Afghanistan ambush. A twinge of guilt sliced through Garrison, but damn it, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

  Shelby coughed into her elbow, then lifted her head. “What is it?”

  He filled them in on what he knew.

  “Zach’s out there?” she said, her lips whitening.

  He nodded.

  “What about Sara?” she asked.

  “We’re done.” The words tasted sour. “She left a message saying it’s over. Which was weird, because when I went to the school to look for Zach, her purse and coat were still there, but I never saw her. Maybe she was just avoiding me until I left.”

  Kerr absently rubbed his right thigh. “What time did she call you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a minute after Hank called.”

  “Don’t you think that’s kind of a coincidence?” Kerr asked. The gold glinting in his eyes hardened.

  “Oh, shit.” Ice poured through Garrison’s veins. “You don’t think he’s got her, too?”

  “Hank’s crazy enough to do anything to cause us grief,” Dad mumbled.

  “You actually thought that Sara left you for good? Or that she was callous enough to break up with you on voice mail?” Shelby said, her mouth twisting into a grim half-smile. “Which is it? Are you blind or deaf? Because it’s gotta be one of those problems with you.”

  He wanted to sink into the floor. Shit. How had he completely missed the point of her call? The stress in her voice. How could he have placed so little faith in Sara?

  “Stop it, Garrison. Please.” Shelby winced and pressed her thumb and third finger into her temples.

  “Yeah, cut it out,” Kerr said. “Even I’m getting feedback from Shel.”

  Eric frowned. “What are you two talking about?”

  Shelby glared at Kerr and Garrison. “Nothing. Just sibling talk.”

  Garrison clamped down on his emotions. “We have to find them. There’s no telling what Hank’s going to do, but it won’t be anything positive.”

  “Good God,” his father whispered. The circles beneath his eyes gave him a haggard appearance. He rubbed an arm and leaned on the banister.

  Grabbing her arm, Garrison begged, “Can you find them, Shel?”

  “I don’t know, but I can try. But not here. You know.” She lifted her chin sideways at Eric and then back to Garrison.

  “Fuck it, Shel,” Garrison gritted out. “I don’t care if Eric knows your secret. We need to get to Zach and Sara before they die.”

  “What secret?” Eric said, pushing away from the wall he held up. “The one where you can find people?”

  “How do you know?” she gasped.

  “Guessed it a while back.” He tapped his temple. “Geezus, I knew there was a reason why your search-and-rescue success rates were so high”

  Her mouth dropped open. Fury painted her cheeks red and made her scowl deadly.

  Eric shook his head. “So will that trick help us find Zach and Sara?”

  “Damn you.” Shelby glared at Garrison while Kerr winced. That crazy twin link again. “Thanks for outing me. That was a secret.”

  “Don’t care. We’ve got people out there to rescue.” Garrison turned to Eric and shrugged. “Yeah. It’s true. Shelby can find anyone, anywhere.”

  “So you’re good at hide-and-seek?” Eric’s brows furrowed.

  “I’m actually the one who can hide. She seeks.” Kerr raised a hand. “Long story. But I also never get lost, as you may have noticed from my fabulous trip leading without using a map. Shelby can find anything. Mom used to call us Lost and Found.”

  Shelby shoved her hands into her hair, like she was trying to hold her head in place. “Damn you all, okay? That’s personal stuff.” She spun toward Eric. “Yeah, so I’m a mental freak. Keep it to yourself. No one’s supposed to know.”

  Eyes wide, Eric shut his hard jaw closed with a snap.

  She glared twin holes into Garrison and Kerr. “And you two, shut the hell up, please. No more secrets. You’ve done enough damage for one night.”

  Garrison cleared his throat.

  She rounded on Garrison. “All right then. Fine. Which one?”

  “What?”

  “The radar only works on one person at a time. Which one do you want me to find?”

  Son of a bitch. He had to choose.

  She waved her hand. “Close your guppy mouth. I’ll work on Zach.”

  “Hurry.”

  “It takes as long as it takes. Stop talking and let me concentrate.”

  Garrison ground his teeth. She needed to hurry. But she was right—her power worked at its own pace.

  His father swayed on his feet, and Garrison motioned to Kerr, who pressed his mouth into a hard line and guided their father into a seat in the living room. It was a testament to how bad his dad felt when he didn’t protest the help.

  Shelby hung on to the bottom of the stair railing, her eyes closed as her body rotated from side to side, like a human dowsing rod. Garrison would catch hell later. She had never told anyone outside the family about her powers. Until he spilled one of her most guarded secrets.

  Didn’t care. He’d use any tool at his disposal to find Zach and Sara and get them out of harm’s way.

  The ones he cared for.

  Of course he loved Zach. He’d move heaven and earth to get his son back.

  The image of Sara’s sweet, smiling face with that cute dimple on one cheek, rose up. The sounds of her enthusiastic passion, the depth of the trust she’d placed in him.

  Yep, he cared for her, and possibly more, but this wasn’t the time to examine his defective emotions.

  And Hank was going to use Garrison’s feelings for Zach and Sara to inflict the greatest pain.

/>   Shit.

  With her back ramrod straight, Shelby’s right arm lifted, as if of its own accord. Although her eyes were open, they had gone unfocused as her index finger pointed a path that led directly into the national forest and up into the mountains.

  “That way.” She whispered, putting her hand on the top of her head again, as if holding it together through the pain.

  He’d find a way to make it up to her later.

  If they found Zach and Sara.

  “How far?” he asked.

  “Never can tell. All I can give you is direction, dude. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Good enough.” He’d ride in that straight line for as long as it took to get to his son.

  “Let’s go,” she said. Then she stumbled, legs buckling.

  Eric snagged her under her arm, his frown deepening.

  She moved away from him and took a few breaths.

  His hand dropped. “Okay, come on. This is stupid. Shelby, you have to stop.” He stared over her bent head at Garrison. “She’s not going anywhere. She’s obviously not healthy.”

  With a weary smile laced with pain, she spun back to Eric. “Look, I’m going to track them. End of discussion. Capisce?”

  “It could be dangerous,” he said. “Hank has it in for this family. Anyone in this family.”

  “You don’t get it. I’m the only one here who is a freakin’ bloodhound. I have to go.” She laughed, then went into a wheezing spasm until she bent over, clutching her chest.

  Garrison said, “Shel, I agree. You shouldn’t be out there.”

  “You asked for a tracker, you got one. Don’t try to dictate how I use my ability, okay? We have to let it run.” She rubbed her temple and grimaced. “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

  The sound of her footsteps receding up the stairs and down the hall was followed by another coughing fit.

  Eric’s dark blue eyes turned grim as he stared up the stairs and shrugged. “I got nothing for that, man. I tried to keep her from doing something stupid.”

  “Not your fault. She’s pissed that I outed her, but she’ll wait to rip me a new one until after we find Zach and Sara. I have a reprieve for a while. So, you up to coming with us? I might need some help.”

  “You bet. Let me get some things.” He ran out the front door. The sound of a truck gate opening and closing filtered back into the house.