“Linda, you can’t just sit back and let him do this. He’s going to kill us.”
“You don’t get it. Without him, I have nothing. I’m nobody. I’m sorry, Shanna. I really am. But it’s either you or me.”
Tears burned Shanna’s eyes. She didn’t want to believe Linda thought so little of herself. She didn’t want to believe her friend only felt she had worth if she saw it reflected in Barstow’s eyes.
She couldn’t help thinking of Jace. He’d made Shanna feel special, too. But it was so much more than that. He’d made her feel smart. Confident. Powerful. And most important, she’d always known those qualities were coming from inside her. That if he suddenly disappeared, her strength wouldn’t go with him. That no matter what happened, those things that made her special were hers to keep.
How tragic that Linda didn’t have that. How tragic that Shanna and Emily would have to pay the price.
“What are you girls talking about?” Barstow’s voice boomed from behind them.
Linda raised her chin. “Nothing important. I was just setting Shanna straight.”
“Good girl.”
Shanna ground her teeth together. Coming from Barstow, it sounded like praise for a loyal dog.
Barstow circled around and stopped in front of them. They were close to the canyon now. Too close.
Shanna held on to Emily’s shoulders. She shot Linda one last pleading look.
Barstow stepped up beside her. “Okay. Enough of this. Why don’t we get this over with?”
He grabbed her arm and wrenched her hands from Emily.
“Mommy!”
“Take the girl,” he shouted to Linda.
Linda grabbed Em. Tears rolled down Em’s little cheeks and gurgled in her throat with each scream. “Mommy!”
“It’s okay, baby. Linda will take care of you. Everything will be all right.” She gave Linda a pointed look, hoping beyond hope that her friend would find it inside her to fulfill the promise Shanna had just made.
Emily continued to scream, not hearing. Or maybe just not believing her assurances.
Mr. Barstow pulled her by the arm, closer and closer to the edge of the canyon. “I’m sorry I have to do this, Shanna. I sincerely wish there had been another way.”
Yeah, right. She struggled to break free of his grip. At least she didn’t have to make it easy. Despite her efforts, the canyon’s edge loomed closer and closer.
Something caught her eye. A movement on the prairie behind them. A man, approaching from the mine road. A sheriff’s coat and silver belly hat.
A sob clogged Shanna’s throat. She might be able to fight Barstow. At least postpone the inevitable. Hurt him on her way out. But the sheriff, too?
It was over. All over.
Barstow shoved her.
She twisted her body to the side, instinct taking over, stopping her momentum before she went over the edge. She sprawled headfirst into a clump of sage and clung.
“Gable?” Mr. Barstow called. “What the hell you doing here?”
The man raised his head, looking straight at them. He raised a rifle.
Not Sheriff Gable.
Jace. It was Jace.
“Barstow? Drop the weapon.”
Barstow brought the rifle up.
Shanna scrambled to her knees, to her feet. She threw herself at Barstow. She plowed into his side. She reached her hands up, clawing at his arm.
A crack split the air. Loud, from Barstow’s gun.
Cursing, Barstow regained his balance. He raised a fist and brought it down like a hammer, hard on her shoulder.
She grabbed his leg, punched as hard as she could at his groin.
His fist came down on her a second time. A third time.
She folded under the force of his blows, lowering herself to hands and knees.
He hit her again.
Shanna fell flat to the ground.
Barstow drove his steel-toed boot hard into her ribs.
Air exploded from her lungs. She gasped for breath. Dust filled her throat, making her choke.
She heard yelling; Jace’s and Barstow’s, followed by more rifle shots. By the time she caught her breath, the gunfire had stopped.
Barstow still stood over her, tracing the edge of the cliff through the rifle’s scope. “Dammit.”
“Jace?” Shanna raised herself to hands and knees, looking in the same direction Barstow had been. “Jace?”
“Shut up.” Barstow kicked her again.
“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!”
Emily’s shrill scream ripped through the pain fogging Shanna’s mind.
“Shut her up, too,” Barstow barked at Linda. He turned back to the canyon, leaving Shanna in a gasping heap on the ground. “Okay, cowboy. Come on out here right now.”
“No, Jace. Don’t,” Shanna said in a choked voice.
“I said right now, unless you want two deaths on your conscience.”
Two deaths.
Shanna looked up from the ground and met Linda’s eyes.
Linda looked away. Emily wriggled in her grasp.
“Okay, have it your way,” Barstow’s voice rang out over Hell’s Half Acre. “Linda? Shoot the girl.”
From where Shanna lay, she could see Linda’s face go even whiter.
“Please, Linda. No,” Shanna begged, her voice croaking through the dust.
“Do it,” Barstow said. He scanned the canyon with narrowed eyes. “I’m not messing around with this crap anymore.”
Shanna pulled in a breath. Her ribs screamed, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was Emily. All she cared about was making her friend see what was happening before it was too late. “Please, Lin.”
Mr. Barstow’s boot lashed into her again.
Agony doubled her over. Darkness narrowed her vision. She lifted her head. She had to see Em. She had to reach Lin.
Linda’s gaze focused on Shanna. She raised her chin, then she looked at Barstow. “You said Emily wouldn’t get hurt. You promised me.”
“Do it.”
Linda paused. She scooped in a deep breath and wrapped her arms tight around Emily’s tummy. “No.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JACE SKIRTED THE EDGE OF the canyon, keeping low enough so he wouldn’t be spotted from above. When he’d arrived at Hell’s Half Acre in the sheriff’s SUV and seen Barstow marching Shanna and Emily toward the cliff, he hadn’t thought about anything but saving them. He’d panicked and rushed in like a damn amateur. If it wasn’t for Shanna jumping Barstow, he’d be dead right now.
He had to play this smarter. He had to think. If he got close enough, he could rush Barstow. He could reach the bastard before he had the chance to level his rifle on any of them.
Voices rode the wind. Angry. Urgent.
Jace tried to breathe. His foot slipped. Rock clattered down the craggy cliff and dropped to the canyon floor.
He held his breath, waiting for Barstow to appear above him. Waiting for the bullet.
It didn’t come.
Jace resumed his creep along the edge. He had to get closer. A few seconds were all he had. He needed to be on Barstow before the man knew he was there. He couldn’t charge in this time. If he got himself killed, he wouldn’t be able to save anyone.
A shrill scream pierced the air.
Emily. Oh, God. He couldn’t be too late. God, don’t let him be too late.
He kept moving. Closer. Closer.
He could see Barstow’s legs now. Dark trousers. A dusty pair of boots that probably cost as much as Shanna made in a month. The man was looking the other way.
Jace got into position. He secured his footing, ready to spring. He rose slowly, watching Barstow.
Shanna lay at his feet, curled into the fetal position, hugging her middle. She spotted him. Her eyes grew wide.
Gritting her teeth, she hoisted herself up in one motion. She slammed her fist into Barstow’s groin.
Barstow bellowed. He brought the rifle down, trying to get a bead on Shanna.
Too late.
Jace plowed into him from behind. He kept his legs driving like a fullback.
The gun went off.
Jace braced himself for the slug’s impact. The shot went wild.
He grabbed the rifle. He shoved a knee into Barstow’s gut and wrenched the weapon from the CEO’s hands. He plowed a fist into Barstow’s jaw.
Barstow staggered back.
Jace brought the rifle around. He leveled it on the man. “You can’t buy your way out of this one.”
Barstow spun. His boot skidded. He went down. He took one last lunge, trying to right himself….
And fell over the cliff’s edge.
______
Jace raced down the hospital corridor as fast as his boots could take him across freshly waxed tile. He hoped to hell he wasn’t too late. It had taken him far longer to reach the hospital in Pinedale than he’d thought. He should have left his ranch earlier, but he’d had so much to do to get ready, he’d barely fit it all in.
But now he was here. Now he had everything prepared. All he needed was Shanna and Emily.
He reached the room number the woman at the front desk had given him. Gut as jittery as a high school boy at prom, he stepped through the door.
Empty.
Damn. Where could she be?
Had he missed her in the elevator? Had they crossed in some kind of parallel hallway?
He made his way back down the hall. He’d only been able to talk to her in snatches on the phone since he’d rushed her to the hospital after Barstow had fallen into the Hell’s Half Acre canyon. Enough for her to explain the shell game Barstow had played with Talbot. Enough for her to tell him her mother was coming from St. Louis. That she’d take care of Emily for the couple of days the doctor insisted Shanna stay in the hospital. But her mother had to be back at work tomorrow. He sure hoped she hadn’t taken Shanna and Emily with her.
He bounded down the stairwell to the first floor, not wanting to waste a second waiting for the elevator. He spotted a woman in a wheelchair near the front window. On her lap sat a little girl.
“Shanna.”
She turned carefully toward him. A smile lit her bruised face.
A thickness lodged in his throat. She was so beautiful. So strong. So alive. She had to listen to his idea. He could only pray she’d like what he had in mind.
“Jace!” Emily sprang off Shanna’s lap and raced to him. She flung her little body into his arms.
He scooped her up into his arms and hugged her close, taking a long, slow breath of strawberry Jell-O and little girl.
She looked up at him, her big green eyes bright and shining, so like her mother’s. “Do you have your Ranger?” She brandished her plastic woman, the pink one this time.
Jace dipped his hand in to the pocket of his coat and pulled out his red plastic man. He held it up for Emily. “I sure do.”
She beamed. “Let’s play!”
He braced her on his hip and looked into her little face. “We’ll do that. But right now, I need to talk to your mommy about something. Something important.”
“But I want to play Rangers.”
“We will. I promise.”
Her mouth turned down.
God, she was cute. And if Shanna went for his plan, he was in for some real trouble. Already Emily had him wrapped so tightly around her little finger, he felt guilty for not sitting down right there in the middle of the corridor and playing action figures. “Here. You take my guy and get started. I’ll join you as soon as I talk to your mommy.”
She eyed the red Ranger, then took the toy from his hand. “Okay.”
Jace had no more than set her on the ground and she was talking in a falsetto voice, bobbing the pink Ranger with each word.
Jace let out a sigh. Emily seemed to have dealt with her traumatic run-in with Barstow faster than any of them. He only could hope that eventually he and Shanna could catch up.
He walked to where Shanna watched him from the wheelchair. He knelt down beside her. “Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey.”
Jace combed his gaze over her bruised face, her bandaged ribs and finally looked down at the chair.
“I don’t need a wheelchair. They just insisted I use it until I’m outside the hospital doors.”
He let out a relieved breath. Shanna had been pretty battered by Barstow. At least she hadn’t received permanent damage.
“Your hair is growing out. I’m glad.”
He tilted his hat back and ran his fingers over the stubble. “You don’t like this look? I’m kind of fond of it. Sure makes showering easy.”
She laughed deep in her throat. A beautiful sound. Her smile faded. “I heard from Linda.”
He raised his brows. “She’s in jail, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she say?”
“She apologized.”
He didn’t know how Linda could ever be sorry enough for all she’d done. He supposed she’d have to reconcile that with her own conscience. She’d have plenty of time to do it while she was behind bars. “You heard what happened with Gable?” Shanna had been questioned ad nauseam while in the hospital, as had he during the past days. But sometimes the police were better at finding out information than providing it.
“You mean, his confession? It was all over the news.”
“Of course. Cable news. I’ll bet it was a big story.” He couldn’t help but smile. Amazing that justice had prevailed, despite the power of money. At least it had for Barstow, Gable and Linda. And even for Shanna and him this time. But the people of Palmer weren’t faring so well. “Talbot is going into bankruptcy.”
A cloud moved over Shanna’s face. “I heard. So many people have lost everything.”
Jace happened to know that Shanna had lost everything, as well. At least financially speaking. She’d been able to save what mattered most. “I have an idea I want to run by you.”
She gave him a smile. “What?”
The jittery feeling seized him again, running from sternum to belt buckle. “I’m thinking of expanding my ranch.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I’d like to buy Roger’s land and take over his outfitter operation. Dude ranch, trail rides and hiking in the summer. Maybe a little hunting in the fall, too.”
“That’s a great idea, Jace.”
“There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not very good with numbers. I think I need an accountant to make the business work.”
“You want a recommendation?”
He smiled. It probably hadn’t occurred to her that she was out of a job. Maybe she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Maybe she was still trying to catch up to everything that had happened. “No, I know just who I want.”
She let out a sigh. “Jace…”
“Shanna, I know we haven’t known each other long. And maybe you can’t forgive me for giving you those sleeping pills and taking that key, but I love you. With everything I have, I do. And I’d really like to see if we can build something together.”
She watched him for a moment. “Will you forgive me for selling you out?”
“You mean, for directing Gable to the cabin next door? For giving me a chance to jump him?”
“I’d intended to give you a chance to escape. I should have known that wouldn’t be your choice.”
He cupped her hands in his. Her skin felt so soft, her bones so delicate. Yet he knew how strong she was. And everything he knew made him want her more. “What do you say? Will you come home with me? Will you let me take care of you and Emily? Help you get back on your feet?”
She looked down at their hands and threaded her fingers with his. When she raised her gaze back to his face, tears sparkled in her eyes. “I love you, too, Jace.”
He leaned down and kissed her. Tender. Sweet. Full of love and promise and trust. “I don’t want to pressure you. But I cleared out my office. Set it up as a bedroom for you and
Emily. You can stay until you feel better, until you get your feet back under you, until you figure out what you want to do.”
Shanna laughed again, the sound soft and strong and happy. This time the smile on her lips didn’t fade. “I know what I want, Jace. And I can’t think of a place Em or I would rather be than with you. But…”
His stomach hitched. “But?”
“But I need to take this a little slower.”
“How much slower?”
“My mom is getting the car. She’s taking me back to my apartment.”
“I can drive you, if she needs to get home.” He paused, searching her face. “Too fast?”
“No. That should work.”
“And then?”
“And then you’ll stay, make us dinner, and play action figures with Emily.”
“Sounds like a plan. And then?”
“Then we’ll take it one day at a time. You’ll have some driving to do, back and forth to your ranch.”
“In Wyoming, anywhere you go takes lots of driving.”
“And I’m not sure how long I’ll have in my apartment. Maybe only until the end of the month.”
“And then?”
“Then you’ll have to help us move.”
“I can do that. And where will you move?”
“Not sure. We’re taking things slow, remember?”
“But I can spend every day with you? That kind of slow?”
“That kind of slow.”
Jace smiled. “Then that kind of slow sounds great to me. In fact, that seems about perfect.”
______
THANK YOU
THANK YOU FOR READING MANHUNT, the first book in the Rocky Mountain Thriller series. If you enjoyed the book, please consider writing a review on Amazon.com and Goodreads to let other readers know about the series. Authors are nothing without readers, so if you like the books, please help spread the word!
To find out about each new Ann Voss Peterson story as they are released, sign up for her newsletter here. Or visit her at http://annvosspeterson.com!
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THRILLERS are fast-paced novels with a dangerous edge. Each stand-alone story is set in the brutal and beautiful Rocky Mountains and contains intrigue, romance, and break-neck action. Read all three!
Manhunt (A Rocky Mountain Thriller Book 1) Page 17
