The Heart the Cowboy Broke

by M J Andrews

  “Parker, Brant has Lexi and I need all deputies, but on shift and not at the McGuire Ranch right now,” Sawyer barked into the phone.

  “Yes, sir!” Parker responded.

  “Did Lexi tell you much about Brant and his profile?” Phillips questioned.

  “She told us some stuff about the trial and his crimes, but I don’t recall a profile being thrown out there,” Jack replied as he paced a hole in the floor in front of the couch.

  “I’ve spent the last eighteen months learning everything I could about Brant. Like many serial killers, he has a routine and structure about how he kills and in what time frame. If Lexi told you about his crimes then you know that he holds his victims for approximately a week before he finally ends their torture,” Phillips continued.

  “So, we have a couple of days to find her?” Finn asked.

  “If he sticks to his routine, yes. But he has gone off-script with Lexi. She’s special to him for some reason. Probably because she challenged him and doesn’t back down,” Phillips added.

  “In the meantime, he has her and is doing God knows what…” Sawyer took a deep inhale to calm himself, “I can’t think about that. We need her back now. How can we use the profile to narrow down a location where he could be holding his victims around Silverton?”

  “I got a map here,” Jack said, entering the house with a distraught Remi closely on his heels.

  “She’s gone?” Remi bellowed. His emotion was wild and manic. Sawyer knew how much his family cared for Lexi. She’d been the little girl that had visited on Sundays after church and the one they took turns pushing on the tire swing in their front yard.

  Jack spread out the map on the long wooden dining table as every man surrounding it. Phillips took his time to examine the land around the town.

  “Are there any old abandoned building or ranches around? Anything that would be isolated enough that someone wouldn’t accidentally come upon it, but close enough to flee if needed?” Phillips asked.

  “You’re asking something there. We have a lot. Many of the ranches in Silverton and surrounding areas have suffered losses. There are hundreds or thousands of acres abandoned,” Remi countered.

  Parker and his other deputies arrived and quickly fell into the conversation.

  “He would need somewhere he could confine people. Lock them in. Brant also liked a sterile environment to do his work. He was meticulous about cleanliness and ensuring that the only connection we had to his victims was his acknowledgement of the crimes,” Phillips said, pacing back and forth with his hands on his hips. He’d taken off his blazer and had rolled up his white dress shirt.

  “A barn would be too much open space. Especially if he wanted to keep her segregated. He hasn’t had enough time to make any elaborate changes to the environment,” Finn replied.

  “We have noticed that he has made some mistakes since killing in Silverton,” Sawyer mentioned.

  This stopped Phillips in his tracks.

  “What kind of mistakes?” he asked.

  “We found DNA on one of the bodies that confirmed Brant as the killer. His letters have all been addressed to Lexi, whereas before he didn’t address it to anyone. He simply took ownership of his “works”,” Parker used his hands to provide air quotes to the word “works”.

  “From what I hear, we have a couple of options to begin searching,” Remi commented, “if a barn is out of the picture, then we need to look at farms that had bunkers or places under the houses in case of tornados.”

  “No one would be able to hear her if she was deep underground like some of the old bunkers,” Sawyer sighed.

  “We have a make and model for the car Lexi was last seen in and a description of the fake Phillips. Sawyer, you should get your deputies tracking down all town cars in the area. Including rentals…If we can locate his accomplice then we might be able to break him,” Finn said logically.

  Sawyer turned to the ten deputies all lined off in his living room. Some were dressed for duty and others had come in from their time off. He nodded to Parker and instructed them to follow Finn’s direction. All members left to their tasks.

  “I need him alive!” Sawyer yelled from his steps as he watched his employees fill into their different cars.

  “Sawyer, do you have the key to the gun safes?” Remi asked, coming to stand next to him as he watched the cars fly down the road in a cloud of dust.

  “Please tell me you didn’t tell Aubrey,” Sawyer asked.

  “No, but she will eventually find out and then she’s going to redden my hid. I filled in Jordan and she and Daisy are going to go stay with her and check in on the Scotts.”

  Sawyer didn’t respond. Remi must have recognized the pain on his face because he clapped his brother’s shoulders before turning to face him.

  “We’re going to get to her, Sawyer. You had my back when Aubrey was in trouble and we have yours now. I don’t care whose ass I have to kick, we’re bringing home our Lexi, okay?”

  Our Lexi

  She was a part of the family and a part of the ranch. Sawyer couldn’t look at anything in the house or on the property that didn’t remind him of her. She’d touched every aspect of his life and he had been blind. Nothing would be the same without her. Sawyer took one last glance at the tire swing that was held by the large oak tree his grandfather had planted. He could still see her smiling, innocent face as she threw her head back and laughed. Her long hair blew in the wind and the freckles prominent on her face from being in the sun.

  He nodded and pulled the gun safe keys from his pocket. He waved it in front of his brother.

  “Let’s go get our girl,” Sawyer announced before walking into the house with Remi and making his way downstairs to the gun safe.

  He’d get her back by any means necessary.

  Chapter 22

  Lexi / Sawyer

  Lexi was roughly jolted out of her sleep by the sound of the metal door slamming shut. She quickly went on alert and pushed herself up against the wall. Standing before her was the man she had believed to be Agent Phillips. He’d disposed of the fancy suit and was wearing simple jeans and shirt. He glared at her from his post in the doorway.

  “What do you want?” Lexi snapped.

  Lexi saw his jaw grind in anger. He wasn’t used to people talking to him disrespectfully. Well, screw it. If she was going to kick the bucket, she was going out her own way. Her sadness and grief had quickly morphed into anger. The man slammed a metal tray on the desk.

  “So starvation is Brant’s limit?” she scoffed.

  “Eat,” the man grunted before he turned and slammed the door behind him.

  Lexi was starving, but she wouldn’t put it past Brant to poison the food. She needed to get out of the shackles that were binding her to the room. If she could get free, perhaps she could catch one of them by surprise when they came back for the tray.

  Lexi eyed the tray to see what had been included and whether anything to help with her goal. There was a plastic mug which held what looked to be water, a plastic plate with a knife and fork. Also plastic, but Lexi though that she could get it to a point. If she could perhaps it would inflict some harm.

  Butter.

  There was butter. She quickly opened the small package and spread the butter across her wrist. The grease coated her skin and despite the bleeding and wounds, she kept trying to get her wrist free. She exhausted herself in her attempts to free her hand with butter. All she succeeded in doing was greasing her arm.

  Lexi knew that her thumb was the issue. She could easily fit her slim fingers through the shackle if her thumb bone wasn’t as prominent. She slid down against the wall, frustrated and angry. She knew she would have to take drastic measures to get herself out of the situation she was in. But she also knew that she wouldn’t leave Carly.

  Carly.

  Lexi hadn’t heard her scream for a while now and she was concerned that Brant had ended her torture. She couldn’t think about it or she would lose all will to get ou
t of this hell. She needed to get out. Lexi eyed the desk and noticed that it hadn’t been bolted down. She needed out of the shackles. She was at Brant and his accomplice's mercy as long as she was confined.

  Lexi closed her eyes and sighed. A sob formed in her throat and she choked it back. She knew she needed out of the chains and the only way to do that was to break a bone or two in her hand. She took a deep calming breath. She ripped a part of her shirt and rolled it as a gag for her mouth. She wouldn’t be able to hold back a scream from the pain. She hoped the fabric would help muffle the cry she knew would escape her body.

  She shuffled over to the metal desk and as quietly as possible moved it closer so that she could get a better handle on it. The desk was heavy and she was sure that Brant selected heavy furniture in hopes that she wouldn’t be able to lift it. Using the one-gallon bucket designated as her toilet, she flipped the desk on its side slowly and using the bucket perched it in between the desk and the floor, so it was holding the desk and she could kick the bucket out and have the slam down on her hand.

  She placed her hand under the opening and hoped that with enough momentum to break the bone in one drop. Lexi put the cloth in her mouth and prepared her foot for the kick. She said a silent prayer and thought about Sawyer. She needed to get out there for him. If nothing else, she couldn’t let him find her the way the other victims had been found.

  Lexi closed her eyes and took a deep breath before kicking the bucket. Pain radiated through her arm and she bit into the cloth as tears flew from her eyes. She looked down at her hand and saw the bone protruding at an odd angle. With some additional pain to get her hand out of the shackle, Lexi grimaced but pushed through until she got her hand free.

  She spat out the cloth and wrapped up her hand the best she could. She knew she’d need to put everything back where it was for when the lunch lady came back. Lexi took the metal tray and sat next to the chains on the wall with her injuries hand hidden. She’d use the tray to hit him over the head when he came to collect.

  She needed to fight for her life. She needed to get out and get help for Carly.

  The lock on the outside of the door clicked and Lexi moved into position and thanked her father and brother for their tips on fighting. Lexi knew her legs were the strongest part of her body now since her left hand was damaged.

  Psychopath number two moved toward her and bent in front of her to collect the tray. Once he was closed enough she did exactly what her father taught her. She went for the family jewels. Striking out with her right hand she punched those suckers with all her strength. He groaned before he fell to the floor. Lexi rose and made a run for the door, but he grabbed her ankle and yanked. She fell to the floor but kicked out with her legs and managed to get a solid hit to his face. She heard a crunch and he released his grip on her leg. She flew to her feet and scrambled out the door, closing it shut behind her.

  Now, where the fuck was she?

  The fluorescent lighting was harsh and caused her to squint as she got her bearings. She took a chance and went left in hopes of getting out of whatever cell or bunker she was held captive in. Running as fast and as quietly as possible, she worked her way around the halls until she found another door. Behind the door was a ladder that led to an opening hatch in the roof. Using one hand she climbed the ladder until she got to the top and turned the wheel to unlock the opening. She heard the click and struggled to push the latch open. She heard footsteps approaching as she climbed out of the hole. She must have tripped a silent alarm when she opened the latch.

  Getting to her feet, she found herself in an open field. She didn’t recognize the area. She took a breath and hoped that the cover of darkness would help her if Brant ran after her. And she was sure he would. She fled as fast as she could to the tree line. The glanced over her shoulder to see Brant lifting the latch.

  “LEXI!” he bellowed. She kept running and refused to look back again as she heard his footsteps behind her.

  She needed to getaway.

  Sawyer

  Night had fallen and the knot in Sawyer’s gut was wound uptight. They were doing everything that they could to locate Lexi and bring her home. He sat in the living room as Phillips talked with his superiors, Remi and Finn checked and re-checked the weapons they had. Finn had been a sniper when he was in the Rangers and could shoot from at least five hundred yards. He would keep a level head in a crisis and that’s what he needed covering his back.

  The rear door slapped open and in walked t Aubrey with his two sisters in tow. Aubrey immediately moved towards Sawyer and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I’m so sorry Sawyer,” she sobbed into his neck.

  Sawyer wrapped his arms around his sister in law and rubbed her back. His heart broke into a million pieces. Aubrey was a strong woman and she knew how to hold her own, but she felt things deeply. Sawyer eyed his brother from over her shoulder and glanced at him for assistance with his wife.

  Remi gentle pulled Aubrey from Sawyer and sat on the love seat with her in his arms as he comforted her.

  “We’re going to find her, firecracker,” Remi said holding her face in his hand gently. Aubrey let out an unladylike sniff before she hugged her husband and placed a kiss on his lips.

  “I love you, but if you don’t come back to me I’ll resurrect you just to kill you myself, got it?” Aubrey said firmly jabbing her little finger into his chest. Remi just grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.

  “There is nothing in this world that could keep me from you. But Lex is family and this is what we do to protect the ones we love,” he assured her and she nodded before giving him another passionate kiss and rising.

  She pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered, “I need you to come back too. I wouldn’t be able to cope if we lost the three of you.” Tears welled in her eyes as she moved to kiss Finn before heading out the door.

  Daisy stood firm while Jordan kissed her family and headed out after Aubrey.

  “I’m coming with you,” she announced.

  “No fucking way!” the three of them bellowed in unison.

  She rolled her eyes but shot them a glare that said there was going to fight. And that she would do whatever the hell she wanted, so it was best to just give in.

  “I’m going. It’s not up for discussion. So you can either have a come to Jesus moment about my involvement and accept it, or someone handcuffs me and locks me in a room,” she offered.

  “Phillips, you got a spare set of cuffs?” Remi questioned. Within minutes Remi had them in hand and was making his way to Daisy.

  “Do you think I’ve never gotten myself out of handcuffs before?” She challenged with a smirk.

  Finn shook his head and made a sour face, “Jesus Daisy, no one needs to know about your fucked up fetish shit.”

  Sawyer sighed as he pulled his sister into a hug, “Dais, I know you want to help and I get it. But my head is barely functioning now at the thought of what Lexi is going through. I can’t have you taking up space there too. I need to know you’re safe, Daisy Duke.”

  Daisy glanced away from him and he knew he’d pulled on her strings. She melted into his hug and sighed.

  “Okay…” she hesitated, “go bring our girl home, Sawyer.” With that, she kissed and hugged them and told them she loved them before returning to Remi’s home by the lake.

  “So, that’s settled…” Phillips said, “let’s go over the plan and teams. We have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time.”

  Everyone gathered around the map and it was agreed that Sawyer and Finn would team up given their training and Remi would go with Phillips and Jack.

  Finn got his sniper rifle and a handgun, which he slipped into his shoulder holster. Sawyer did the same and he had to repeatedly rub his chest due to the void his heartfelt.

  They started with the old Johnson farm. The family owned a cattle farm years ago, but when the elders passed away the children had no interest in the place or the life. The land sat unoccupied for yea
rs. They parked on the side of the road and made their way to the main structure.

  “I think Billy Johnson said that his parents had a nuclear bunker in the basement from the 60s,” Finn said as they walked the surrounding structure. They pushed the back along either side of the door before Finn reached over and opened the door. Sawyer moved in flanked by Finn. Finn headed to the hayloft and Sawyer cleared the main area of the barn.

  “Clear,” he shouted.

  Sawyer’s phone chimed in his pocket. They had exchanged numbers to check in when they cleared a location.

  Parker: A resident ID’d the car heading north on Route 86 this afternoon.

  Phillips: We’re on the other end and just cleared the Thompson location. Moving to the empty glass factory now.