by Marla Monroe
At first they put her under protection in a safe house until the trial, but the trial got delayed several times and someone else leaked her whereabouts. When the house she was being kept in was attacked, one of the agents protecting her was killed and she barely made it out alive, sustaining a gunshot wound to her hip that merely grazed her but left a scar in its wake.
They relocated her to another safe house in a different city, but that was compromised as well. When they moved her out of state, they assured her no one would find her. Once the trial was over, she’d be free to go on with her life. Though she testified and the two men were sent to prison, her nightmare hadn’t ended there. Less than two months later, while she was eating out with a good friend of hers, someone drove by the restaurant as they were leaving and sprayed the area with gunfire, killing her best friend and wounding her.
The FBI touted it as a coincidence and Shelby had grabbed hold of that with both fists, not wanting to believe that she’d been the reason Andrea had died. Before she’d even begun mourning her friend, she narrowly escaped a car bomb when it failed to explode but kept her car from starting. When the man with the wrecker service had climbed underneath the car to check for placement of the tow line, he nearly broke his neck getting back out from under it after seeing the present someone had strapped to the frame of her car.
Shelby didn’t trust the FBI or anyone in law enforcement anymore. She ran. Every time she settled somewhere, they found her. It didn’t matter if she used fake ID or not, they still managed to locate her. Someone she’d befriended while working an underage dive bar told her to check for tracking devices. He claimed that the government was putting them in all the cars now.
Sure enough, she found a tiny tracking box in the wheel well of her car. She destroyed it and immediately ran again. It took them longer the next time to find her, but they had. Over and over, she ended up running.
Now she wasn’t running any longer. They’d caught her. But they hadn’t won yet. She wasn’t giving up. She didn’t want to die like this. She didn’t want to run for the rest of her life either. There had to be some way to figure out who was trying to kill her and why. She wasn’t even sure it was the bad guys after her anymore. They were too connected and had access to sophisticated gadgets, making her think they were from the government. But why?
Shelby slow sat up and flexed her fingers behind her back. Then she rolled her shoulders as best she could. It took a great deal of effort to push herself upright without the use of her hands in the pitch dark, but she managed. Slowly she made her way around the room, using her hands to feel her way down the walls to each corner, carefully mapping the room out in her mind. There was only one door in the room and no windows. That meant she was either in the center of a building or possibly a basement. The floor felt solid, but she couldn’t miss the cold that seemed to seep into her feet through her shoes.
As she’d moved around, Shelby had discovered something else, the walls were cold as well. They felt like cement blocks from the ridges she could feel with her nearly numb fingers. It made her almost certain she was in a basement. Once she’d returned to the bed, she eased down on the floor and felt around to see what kind of bottom was on the bed. If there were springs, she could possibly break off something to use as a pick or at the very least, a weapon.
After several aborted attempts, she finally managed to get her hands in the right place to explore the bed. To her disappointment, it was solid wood. The mattress was just a good lumpy one that disguised the fact she’d been lying on a board.
Frustration had tears brimming in her eyes. Crying wouldn’t solve anything, Shelby had to figure out a way to escape. Shuffling back around to where the door was, she tried wiggling the door knob in case by some miracle it wasn’t locked, but that was a total bust. Not only was it locked, but the knob didn’t even turn, nor did the door rattle. More than likely there was something on the other side like a deadbolt keeping it secure. That left one other option. She’d have to fight her way out when someone came down to check on her.
With that thought in mind, she returned to the bed and positioned herself on it so that her back was to the door which would make whoever it was come check on her instead of just opening the door and peering in. If that didn’t work, she’d have to try lying on the floor in an odd position to make them thinks she’d fallen out of the bed and hit her head. She didn’t look forward to that one bit. The floor was ice cold.
After what seemed like entire days had passed, she heard something slide in the door, reaffirming her thoughts that it had a deadbolt. When the door opened, a sliver of light appeared on the wall over her. Whoever it was didn’t turn on a light in the room. They carried a flashlight over to where she lay and shown it down on her face.
Shelby fought to remain still and not let her eyelids move with the light shining on her face like it was or they’d know she wasn’t still out of it. She needed them to think she wasn’t conscious and turn their back to her so she could attack and make a run for the stairs while the door was open. She knew it was a long shot and she stood a good chance of getting beaten or even killed, but she had to do something. It just wasn’t in her to lie down and let them kill her without fighting for her life.
The man with the flashlight grunted, muttering something under his breath before the light moved away from her. She heard his footsteps shuffling toward the door and knew this was her only chance. Shelby rolled over on the bed and pushed off to a standing position and immediately raced for the door. Somehow luck was on her side because the man didn’t register what she was doing until she’d already slammed into his back, knocking them both to the ground. The flashlight slid out of his grasp across the floor to shine in the corner.
It took a lot of effort and very little grace to get back to her feet with her hands behind her back. She swore she’d dislocated her shoulder when she fell on top of the man, but she couldn’t worry about it right then. Flying high on adrenaline, Shelby kicked the man in the head twice. When he didn’t move, she raced for the stairs, nearly falling twice as she navigated the steep steps without aid of her hands.
On reaching the top, she found herself in an empty kitchen. She eased the basement door closed and fumbled with the lock until it latched, then she carefully eased across the kitchen until she made it to the outside door. When she checked, the door wasn’t locked. As much as she wanted to find a knife and work on cutting herself loose, she was afraid to wait around in case someone came looking for the man she’d left in the basement.
Peering through the curtain over the window on the door, she saw that it was bright daylight outside and she would have to walk down a set of steps before she would be on flat ground again.
Fear pounded a harsh staccato in her ears as her heart raced out of control. Backing up to the door, Shelby slowly turned the doorknob until the door began to pull toward her. She slowly moved forward, keeping her hands around the knob while she did. As soon as the door was open enough she could get through it without catching on something with her dangling hands, she slipped through and carefully walked down the steps before taking off at a dead run from the house.
Chapter Twelve
“What if we’re too late?” Dalton asked. Bo was driving but he appeared too calm to him.
“We won’t be,” was all his friend said.
“You were right about the bad omen. I wish we’d heeded it and stayed with her. We could have talked to Reed. He’d have switched out with us, I’m sure of it.”
“Stop playing the what-if game. You’re worrying yourself into a frenzy. I need my blood brother, a warrior, with me, not an old woman,” Bo snarled.
“Asshole,” he muttered under his breath, sneaking a side glance at the other man.
If he’d truly been angry with him for calling him an old woman, he’d have cursed in Blackfoot or Crow, but Bo was right. He was whining and carrying on. He should have faith that they would find her safe and unharmed. Then they would convince her to confid
e in them and let them help.
Between him and Bo as well as the twins who’d offered their help, Dalton was sure they could handle any trouble she was in. All four of them had served time overseas and knew five or more ways to kill someone with just their hands. He hoped it wouldn’t come down to that. Taking a life no matter what circumstances it was under was bad for the spirit. It took a lot of cleansing to rid a soul of death.
Bo looked over at him. “What’s the next town on the map?”
Dalton looked down at the map they’d marked and found it. “Looks like a small town called Waterville.”
Bo just grunted. “We need gas, so we’ll stop and ask around. It was a miracle we chose the right direction in the first place. After running around Billings I was beginning to doubt myself.”
“I still can’t believe the waitress remembered her at the truck stop. I guess she stood out since she wasn’t a trucker and the woman said she looked worried and complained of a headache. I hope that’s all that’s wrong with her when we find her.” Dalton couldn’t help but worry despite Bo’s stoic assurances that they would be in time.
He’d come to the realization that he loved Shelby. Something about her sweet smile and the way she had cared about Billy Jean’s fear of horses, taking time to go down to the barn to help the other woman acclimate herself to them over time spoke to his soul. He knew beyond a shadow of doubt that she was meant for them. Now all they had to do was find her before whatever was going on took her from them forever.
“You know she’s too good for us,” Bo said after another few miles had passed.
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t give a damn. I’m not letting her go. Don’t go changing your mind on me, Bo. I’m serious.” Dalton scowled at his friend in disgust. “Remember that you can’t make someone else’s decisions for them. They have to make their own. That’s what Shelby is trying to do now. She’s decided that whatever she’s involved in would be too dangerous for us.”
“What do we have to offer her?” Bo asked, shaking his head. “We’re ranch hands without even a place to call our own. Where would we live? We can’t ask her to live cramped up with us in that tiny apartment on the second floor of the lodge.”
“Stop worrying about things like that. It will work itself out. We don’t have to have much as long as we have each other. She’s not even used to more than what she had back at the ranch and I think she was happy even if she had something hanging over her head. Give it a chance, nis-kun’.”
They rode on in silence until they reached the outskirts of Waterville. It was a little larger than Dalton had expected, but still small enough they should be able to find out if she’d stopped there somewhere. Bo was right. He couldn’t give up hope. Her life might just depend on their believing she was close and locating her.
The first place they stopped to get gas Dalton walked inside while Bo pumped it. The clerk behind the counter wasn’t much more than a teenager. She had a pretty smile but appeared nervous when he approached her.
“W–what can I do for you?” she asked.
“We’re looking for a friend of ours. She worked at a ranch where we work and left all of a sudden like. We’re worried about her. Don’t suppose you were working yesterday where you?” he asked.
“Yeah. I was here all day. We change out at six. What does she look like?” Even though she appeared curious, she had backed a few steps away from the counter.
“She has golden-brown hair she usually keeps in a ponytail and it looks like a curly mess when she does. She’s got the greenest eyes you’ve ever seen and is too thin,” he told her.
“Real pale skin?” she asked, frowning.
“Yeah. That’s her. When was she here? Do you know where she was heading?” Dalton couldn’t believe they’d actually stopped in the same place she had.
“She was here yesterday sometime around six. I remember because I’d gotten here a little early and Andy was real busy so I helped him through the rush. She came in and bought a five gallon gas can then paid cash for gas to fill up her car and the can.” The teenager crinkled her nose and squeezed her eyes shut for a second then started talking again. “After she’d finished that she came back in and asked if there was a hotel somewhere close. Andy sent her over to the one off Main, but I figured she wouldn’t be able to afford it with the way she was counting her money out for the gas and all. I was going to tell her about the one out on the other side of town, but she left before I could get to her.”
“Thanks. That helps a lot. I really appreciate it,” he said backing away from the counter.
“If I read someone looking like her gets killed or anything, I’ll tell the cops about you guys,” she warned now that he was heading out the door and someone else had walked in.
“No problem. We’re trying to find her before something does happen to her.”
When he returned to the truck, Bo was waiting with a scowl on his face. “What took you so damn long?”
“Shelby stopped her to get gas. She also got a gas can and filled it up with gas, too. Then she asked about hotels around here. She probably stayed at one here in Waterville.” Dalton was almost bouncing on the seat, he was so excited. She wasn’t too far away. He just knew it.
For the next two hours they went from hotel to motel trying to find anyone who’d remembered Shelby checking in that night. So far it had been a bust. Dalton was about to suggest they give up and keep going when he remembered the girl back at the service station mentioning a cheap motel on the opposite side of town. He should have asked her where exactly it was.
“There’s another motel that that girl back at the station talked about, but I didn’t get any directions. Only that it’s on the opposite side of town from them. We need to find that motel. She would have chosen something cheap and hard to find,” he told Bo.
His friend nodded and pulled over at a cheap-looking bar. They both got out and walked through the half-open door into the dimly lit room. It wasn’t really all that big, more like a hole in the wall. Still, there were about eight or so men sitting at piecemeal tables and leaning back on spindly chair legs. Three men leaned against the bar chatting with the bartender when they stopped just inside the door.
Without saying anything, Bo approached the bar on the end closest to the door and stood sideways so that he could see everyone and the bartender at the same time. Dalton was always his back up and he just leaned back against it to keep his eye on the door as well as anyone in his sight.
“What can I get cha’?” the grizzled man behind the counter asked without moving in their direction.
“Whatever’s on tap,” Bo said and nodded in Dalton’s direction.
He made sure he could see Bo from the corner of his eye in case he signaled to him for some reason. Between serving in the marines and learning to hunt in their ancestral way, he and Bo could pretty much hold a conversation just using hand and eye signals.
The bartender topped off two mugs of beer and brought them down to the bar to where they stood. Bo paid the man, giving him a generous tip before asking him about where they could find a cheap, out-of-the-way motel.
He nodded and gave them directions to the outskirts of town about twenty minutes from where they were.
“Can’t miss it once you round that corner, but I’m telling you. It’s pretty old. Nothing fancy, but if you just need a cheap place…” He trailed off, shrugging.
“Thanks.” Bo didn’t say anything else. He and Dalton finished their beers and nodded at the patrons of the fine establishment before pretty much backing out of the place.
“Couldn’t you have picked a better place to stop?” Dalton fussed.
“If you want to know about a cheap dive, that’s where you go to inquire.”
Neither of them said anything else until they arrived at the motel, if you could call it that. Dalton doubted there were more than twelve or fourteen rooms and he doubted half of them were even usable. To think that their Shelby might have stayed there made him cringe.<
br />
When they walked into the tiny office area, a stooped old man who had to have been close to eighty stood up and leaned on the counter across from them. He squinted as if trying to bring them into focus before he spoke.
“Need a room?” he asked, his voice cracked with age.
“Looking for someone,” Bo said as way of answering him.
“Doubt I’ve seen ’um. Not many people stop by here anymore.” He shook his head but didn’t turn away from them.
“She’s a pretty thing, golden-brown hair and bright green eyes. Keeps her hair pulled back in a ponytail,” Bo said.
The old man’s face paled. “Ah, yeah, well I’ve got her things what didn’t get taken, but I don’t know where she is now. They pulled out the window to her room and took her in the middle of the night.”
“Who took her?” Dalton demanded.
“I don’t know. Didn’t see them. Didn’t realize anything was even wrong till they tore out of the parking lot, slinging gravel everywhere. Acted like the hounds of hell were after them. I ran outside to make sure they hadn’t done any damage, but I didn’t see anything,” he said shaking his head.
“How do you know they were the ones to take her?” Bo asked.
“Next morning, I walked around to see if the lady had checked out or not and her car was still sitting there, but the window to her room had been cut out and was still sitting against the wall. There were black tire tracks like when a car skids out on concrete so I figure it was them that took her.”
“Did you report it to the police?” Dalton asked?
“Had to so my insurance would pay. They took my statement and looked around, but that was about it.” He sighed and leaned forward on the counter. “I guess you know that in a place like this not much good goes on. I try to keep it quiet and civil, but I’m an old man. The cops didn’t much care. Probably figured it was drug related and wrote it off before they even left the parking lot.”
