Jo’s hands looked like they were shaking as she sat in front of a monitor that flashed from one camera angle to another, for a total of three. She hit a few keys on the keyboard and the image stopped at the camera view outside the front entrance.
“She left close to ten,” Megan said.
Jo studied the screen. “I’ll back up the footage.”
The images whirled backward until Jo stopped it at 9:45. She forwarded the tape slowly as they all stared at the screen.
“There.” Megan pointed to the screen. “I see her coming out.”
Gage’s chest felt tight as Jo backed the tape up just enough to see Tess walk through with a man’s arms around her shoulders. A man with a hoodie hiding his face.
Jo stopped the tape, sucking in her breath.
“Oh, my God.” Megan’s voice trembled. “That man’s taking her.”
Jo looked over her shoulder at John and Gage. Her face seemed paler than ever. “It looks like she’s really leaning into him. Like she can’t hold herself up.”
“She looks drugged,” Gage said as his gut churned.
“Are you certain it isn’t anyone she knows?” John asked. “Maybe she was going to his place.”
A growl rose up in Gage’s throat and he wanted to slam his fist into the building. “She wouldn’t go home willingly with another man.”
John looked at Gage. “Are you dating Tess?”
Gage gave a nod. His heart was slamming against his breastbone.
John returned his gaze to the monitor. “Move it forward frame by frame.” They watched and then he said, “Stop. Back it up a couple.”
Jo backed it up two frames.
The camera had caught a portion of the man’s face. Everyone leaned closer.
“Can you enhance it any?” John asked.
Jo enlarged the image, centering it on the man. Gage gritted his teeth. It was almost impossible to make out the man’s features.
“Do you recognize him at all?”
Megan and Jo each shook their head, as they both replied, “No.”
Jo added, “But it’s hard to tell with it being so grainy.”
Megan pushed her hair behind her ear. “And with his face partly covered by that hoodie.”
Gage wanted to slam his fist into something repeatedly. “Do you have a camera covering the parking lot?”
Jo looked over her shoulder at Gage. “No, damn it.”
Gage pinched the bridge of his nose. “We need to get the police and sheriff’s departments looking for her.” He looked at John. “Don’t give me any bullshit about it needing to be twenty-four hours for an adult.”
“It’s Tess we’re talking about,” John said, his expression grim. “And it looks like a possible abduction.” He turned to Jo. “I need to take all of your security tapes in and we’ll examine them. Maybe another camera got him.”
“The bastard planned this.” Gage said the words slowly. “That’s why he’s covering his face.”
Megan’s throat worked. “He must have put something into her drink.” She met Jo’s gaze. “When that man passed out. Everyone was looking in his direction.”
Gage frowned. “Someone passed out?”
Jo nodded. “Tess left after I went to check it out.”
“Maybe the guy in the hoodie slipped that man something so that he could draw everyone’s attention away from Tess,” Megan said.
“Yes.” Jo added, “In order to drug her without anyone noticing.”
“I want you both to come down to the station,” John said to Megan and Jo. “You can probably identify some of the locals in the security tapes. We need to question everyone who might have seen her leave with someone.”
Jo gathered the tapes. “Let’s go.”
Gage had never felt so damned helpless as he did at that moment. Someone had Tess. Someone had the woman he loved.
They had to find her and fast.
Chapter 33
Tess moaned. Her head ached and throbbed and her limbs felt stiff and sore. She felt like her mind was shrouded in fog and her mouth was dry. The last thing she remembered was drinking a chocolate martini. She must have had too many and passed out.
She tried to shift in bed but found she couldn’t move her arms or legs. For some reason she was lying in her bed spread-eagled. She tried to move again and felt something hard bite into her ankles and wrists.
What?
Her lids felt heavy as she tried to lift them. Gradually she was able to open her eyes and she squinted at an unfamiliar gray ceiling. Concrete. From the ceiling hung a large hook.
A chill went through her and she started to tremble as her body went cold.
The last thing she remembered wasn’t the martini.
It was Harvey.
She’d been looking up at him.
From inside a trunk.
A scream rose inside her as awareness slammed into her like an icy wave.
“You’re awake.”
Tess cut her gaze to the left where the voice had come from and saw Harvey. He was walking down a wood staircase, smiling at her.
“Help!” She screamed as loud as she could as she struggled to pull her limbs free. “Help me!” She looked at her ankles and wrists and saw that metal cuffs and chains bound her from each metal bedpost. “Help!”
Harvey’s smile broadened as he continued down the steps. “No one can hear you, baby.” He gestured at the walls. What she saw was concrete. “We’re belowground in a nuclear shelter.”
She felt blood drain from her body as if seeping through the mattress she was lying on. She swallowed hard as her body trembled.
“Let me go, Harvey.” She tried to keep her voice calm but she failed.
He reached the bottom of the staircase and she watched him as he walked toward her. He sat on the edge of the mattress and reached out to brush her cheek with his fingertips. She flinched away from his touch, tearing her gaze away from him.
When she looked back at him, he brushed his knuckles down her neck before sliding his fingers around her throat. His fingers tightened as she swallowed.
He relaxed his grip and moved his fingers down to her neckline. She realized she was still wearing the same dress she’d had on last night.
Was it just last night?
“How long have I been here?” Her mouth felt dry as she spoke.
“I’ve had you here a while.” He raised his hand and ran her hair through his fingers. “I’ve always wanted to touch your hair.”
She swallowed again. “Why did you kidnap me?”
“I wouldn’t call it kidnapping.” He pulled on a lock of her hair so hard it made her eyes water. “I just wanted your attention.”
She tried breathing in and out slowly. Panic was going to get her nowhere. “You’ve got it. What do you want?”
“You.” He smiled. “I know you were attracted to me before Gage came along.” His smile turned into a scowl. “I could tell.”
“I knew Gage a long time before I met you,” she said.
Harvey narrowed his gaze. “But you weren’t dating him. Or did you lie to me when you said you hadn’t been seeing anyone because of your dead husband?”
“I didn’t lie.” She took a deep breath. “Please let me go, Harvey.”
He shook his head. “Not until I know you’ll stay with me always.”
She pulled on her bonds. “Please let me up.”
He put his hand on her thigh. “I figured this would make you feel right at home. Considering how you like bondage.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I watched you while you were with him.” Harvey’s eyes seemed to go dark. “I saw how you begged him to tie you up and fuck you.”
Heat burned away the chill inside her. “You watched us?” She remembered the night that she and Gage had played tie-up games and they’d heard the noise. Gage had said he’d found a footprint beneath the window.
“You want bondage, baby,” Harvey said, eyes narrowe
d. “I’m going to show you what real bondage is all about. I’ve been at it a long time.”
“No,” she whispered. “Please, Harvey.”
“You will love me, Tess.” His hand tightened on her thigh. “I think you already do.” He squeezed her thigh so tightly that his fingers dug into her flesh and she knew he’d leave a bruise.
“I will never love you.” She felt a part of herself snap. “You’re delusional.”
His expression went dark and he gripped her thigh hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. “Delusional,” he repeated slowly and by the look in his eyes she knew she’d made a big mistake. “Don’t ever call me that.”
She cried out from the pain in her thigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
Before she even realized he’d raised his hand, he slapped her hard. Her cheek stung and a tear rolled from her eye, down the side of her face.
His jaw tensed and he looked like he was holding himself back from hitting her even harder. “Look what you made me do.”
She tried to calm him down while attempting not to cry. “I’m sorry,” she said again.
“I’m sick of your mouth.” He stood and strode toward a set of shelves along one wall. It looked like canned goods and other supplies were on the shelves.
On the far side was a pile of what looked like leather and various objects. She couldn’t tell what they were from where she was laying. He pulled something red and black from the pile and her throat constricted when she realized what it was. It was a ball gag with a red ball and black straps.
Her heart thumped as he reached her. “No.” Her words came out in a rush. “Please don’t. I’ll be quiet, I promise.”
He ignored her and pressed the ball against her lips and forced her to open her mouth then shoved it inside. She made a muffled cry behind the gag when he pushed so hard that he cut her lower lip on her teeth. He not so gently raised her head and fastened the straps.
“That’s better.” He rested his hand on the side of her face and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Now just listen to me and let it sink in. I do know what you want. Better than Gage.” A contemplative look came into his eyes and he spoke as if to himself. “Trying to kill him didn’t work. This will be better.” He smiled as he looked at her again. “Killing two birds with one stone so to speak. I get you and I get my revenge on him.”
Her eyes widened. Harvey had been the one to try and kill Gage?
Harvey abruptly got to his feet. “Are you hungry?”
She started to shake her head then realized he’d have to take the ball gag off. Maybe he’s even let her go upstairs and she could think of some way to escape. She nodded.
“Good.” He headed toward the stairs. “I’ll make sandwiches. Do you like egg salad? It will be easier to eat while you’re in bed.”
Wasn’t he going to let her up? Panic rose up in her again like a flock of birds. Don’t leave me here, she cried out in her mind.
“I haven’t even begun with you.” He paused at the foot of the stairs and gave her a long look. “I have so much to teach you yet.”
He turned and started up the stairs.
She made muffled whimpers behind the gag and tried to move as if the cuffs and chains might give way.
He ignored her and walked up the stairs to a door. Beside it was a keypad and he punched in numbers or letters—there was no way to tell from where she lay. The door swung open and he stepped outside.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Tess turned away and looked up at the ceiling as tears rolled down the sides of her face. By now they would be looking for her. How was Jenny? Her sister and friends must be beside themselves.
And Gage.
Please find me, she whispered in her mind. Please find me.
Chapter 34
Gage drove down to the police station, with Jo and Megan following in Jo’s car. When they got to the station, John set them up in a room where they could examine the tapes. Gage helped with identifying people they knew who were at the club that night. Each person they recognized was called down to the station to be interviewed.
The entire time Gage felt wound so tightly he might explode. It was going so damned slow and he had no idea where to start looking. If someone showed up who had seen the man in the hoodie or had witnessed the man taking Tess, and recognized him, then they’d have something to go on.
And they’d have a tough time keeping Gage from killing the bastard if Tess had been hurt one damned bit.
Because they’d both lived in Prescott for their entire lives, Jo and Gage recognized several people. Megan and Tess had lived in the town for less than two years, but due to running a restaurant and bar part-time, Megan was able to identify a few individuals whom Jo and Gage didn’t know.
Detective Reese McBride, another one of Gage’s cousins, stepped in with his partner, Detective Kelley Petrova. Reese was as big and tall as Gage and the rest of the McBride men while Detective Petrova was a petite woman, a lot like Tess.
Reese allowed Gage, Megan, and Jo to listen in on the interviews through the one-way glass, and Gage’s frustration grew as almost everyone who was interviewed stated they hadn’t even noticed the man in the hoodie. A couple of people remembered seeing him, but hadn’t recognized him.
As he listened to each person speak, Gage continued to push away thoughts of the tremendous ache in his thigh and shoulder.
A cowhand named Casey Daniels arrived at the police station in the afternoon. The man leaned back in the chair, arms folded, as he studied the tapes. When he saw the image of the man in the hoodie, Casey nodded.
“Yep,” Casey said when John pointed him out. “That’s Harvey Norton—I got a good look at his face when I bumped into him. Was surprised to see him. I thought he was still in prison.”
Everyone went silent and cold rushed through Gage.
Harvey.
The name echoed in Gage’s head as thoughts flashed through his mind. He remembered the night he’d thought he’d seen Harvey watching him and Tess out in the parking lot of Nectars.
“Find out where Norton lives,” Reese said to one of the police officers, Pablo Suarez, who nodded and headed out of the observation room. Reese turned to James Taynor, another officer, and instructed him to obtain a search warrant.
“What about an arrest warrant?” Gage asked as anger burned through him like raging flames.
“All we see is a man in a hoodie walking out with Tess,” Reese said. “And Casey Daniels can’t know for sure that the man leaving with Tess is the same man he ran into. Harvey. We can’t arrest him based solely on that.”
Gage balled his hands into fists. “What if he hurts her before you get your damned search warrant?”
Reese looked grim. “We’ll head on out there now to question him, and hope that we get the search warrant not too much longer after that.”
Clenching and unclenching his hands, Gage said, “I’m going, too.”
“You’re going to stay out of the way.” Reese eyed Gage steadily. “Let the police handle this.”
Gage narrowed his eyes at his cousin. “Tess is my woman.”
“That’s exactly the reason why you’re not going.” Reese’s expression was hard. “I don’t want you going off half-cocked.” He nodded to Gage’s shoulder. “Not to mention, with your injuries, you’ll just be in the way.”
“I’m going with you.” Gage barely kept his voice calm. “And you’re wasting time arguing with me.”
Officer Suarez walked back into the room. “He’s renting the old Anderson place.”
“Let’s go.” Reese arranged for two cruisers to head out to Harvey’s home as backup. Reese turned to Gage who started walking out with them. “You,” Reese said, “can ride in our car.” He nodded to Detective Petrova. “That way I can keep an eye on you.”
Gage winced from the pain in his body as he started following the two detectives out of the room. Fine by him—one way or another, he was going.
They heade
d outside to the detectives’ unmarked car and Gage folded his large frame into the back. He gritted his teeth as Reese drove to the place that had belonged to the Andersons before they’d moved to Texas.
Emotions rushed through Gage like a summer storm, his gut clenching with every thought. Fury with Harvey beyond anything he’d ever felt. Fear for Tess.
Did Harvey have her? Was she at the Anderson place? Had the man hurt her?
The dirt road to the house Harvey was renting wasn’t well maintained but the car they were in handled the ruts well. When they reached the house, Gage saw that an old truck was parked out front. All of the shutters, curtains, and doors on the house were closed tightly.
“Running the license plate,” Detective Petrova said as they closed in on the house. The two cruisers were behind them. Reese parked the car and they waited a heartbeat before Petrova said, “The truck is registered to Harvey Norton.”
“Stay in the car,” Reese said to Gage. Gage ignored him and climbed out of the vehicle when the two detectives did. Reese blew out his breath. “So help me, Gage. If you get in the way I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Just worry about Harvey,” Gage said in a low growl.
Pain continued to work its way through Gage’s shoulder and leg as he followed Reese and Petrova. His pace was stiff and he gritted his teeth in frustration.
He waited about fifteen feet behind the detectives as Reese knocked on the front door. “Prescott Police Department,” he said as he banged on the door a second time.
A few moments later, Gage heard the sound of a bolt lock being opened and then the knob was turning. The door swung open and Harvey stood in the doorway.
He looked at the officers and gave one of his good ol’ boy smiles. “What can I do for you?”
“Hello, Harvey,” Reese said. “If you don’t remember me, I’m Detective Reese McBride.” He turned to Petrova. “And this is Detective Kelley Petrova.”
“Of course I remember you, Detective.” Harvey’s smile broadened. “How’s life treating you?”
Fencing You In Page 16
