“You never were a very bright one, were you?”
Lacy took offense at the comment, but worse, she was scared. Jeremiah had hurt her. He was acting crazy. She could see Annie thought the same, her eyes hollowed by fear. But surely Jeremiah wasn’t going to do anything serious to them. Why would he?
“Now, you two are going to stand there while I collect a few chunks of my gold, and then you’re going to walk out of here with me.”
“For what purpose?” Annie asked, anger firing her voice back to life.
“Because I said so. And after I’m finished here, you and I are going to have a little talk about this paternity test you keep screeching about.”
Annie’s expression erupted into anger, but she kept a lid on it.
“That’s right,” he said, serving up a nasty look. “You are going to back off that stupid stunt of yours and accept the facts. I’m not paying for your illegitimate kid.”
“You have no say over what I do or don’t do.”
“Don’t I?” He pulled a chisel from his back pocket and walked over to the rocks. Running a hand over the gray surface, he located the strands of gold and paused, gazing at Annie. “Let’s just hope for your sake you don’t need the kind of convincing my friends specialize in.”
“Jeremiah!” Lacy couldn’t take this another instant. He was threatening her sister!
Annie’s demeanor grew remote, colder than the rain on a foggy winter day. Lacy’s pulse scattered as Jeremiah began stabbing away at the stone. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked, whaling on the rock without pause. Chling. Chling. The high-pitched sound echoed through the trees.
With each swing, Lacy raged. “You can’t do that!”
“Lacy.” Annie warned her off with a quick shake of her head.
Lacy willed her sister to understand. He’s stealing the gold! He’s taking it and there will be none left for you and Casey!
Jeremiah kept digging until a nugget fell away. Catching it he smiled, then held it up for them to see. But in the dusky light, it didn’t look like anything but rock. Lacy hoped it was. She hoped Jeremiah couldn’t see what he was doing and all he’d succeeded in taking was rock. Stone. Worthless pebbles. Shoving the piece into his front pocket Jeremiah continued chipping away for what felt like an eternity.
Lacy felt helpless. Annie’s face had emptied of emotion, her eyes lifeless as she watched him chip away at her daughter’s inheritance. It wasn’t right, Lacy fumed. It wasn’t right what Jeremiah was doing and someone should stop him. Deep in her heart of hearts, Lacy knew that if Casey were entitled to the gold, so was Jeremiah. But Jeremiah didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve anything good because all he put out into the world was bad. It was called karma and one of these days his would come around and smack him on the backside.
Wait until Malcolm heard about this—Jeremiah would get his due. Then it dawned on her. Malcolm. Lacy’s spirits fell into her boots. Would he be mad she told Annie about the gold? Of course he would.
Finally, Jeremiah straightened. He slid the chisel back into his pocket and commanded, “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Lacy asked.
“Out,” he replied.
“I don’t want to go anywhere with you!”
He chuckled. “Aw, Lacy, why do you have to go on and hurt my feelings like that? I thought we were friends.”
“You are no friend of mine.”
“Well, isn’t that too bad, because I’ve decided to introduce you two ladies to a few friends of mine.” Jeremiah targeted Annie and said, “Just to be sure we understand each other.”
Annie silently urged Lacy to move. Go. Walk. But it isn’t right, Lacy wanted to shout! They couldn’t give in so easily. Who knew what Jeremiah had in mind. But with no man to protect them, Lacy understood they were helpless. Victims. And it angered her even more. “You’re gonna get what’s coming to you, Jeremiah Ladd!”
With one last look at Jeremiah, at Annie, Lacy reluctantly turned and headed for the main trail. Annie hiked alongside her, a powerful strength emanating from her. She was so brave, Lacy thought. Annie was strong and determined while she on the other hand was unable to shake the feeling of a criminal walking to the guillotine.
Chapter Twenty
Delaney sat rigid in the front seat as Nick drove the last stretch home to Ladd Springs. From the backseat, Malcolm could feel her turmoil. She was a woman of action, yet she was bound to her seat, immobile. Nick had explained to her that he and Malcolm were going out tonight, on business, and she had to stay home. It wasn’t news Delaney wanted to hear. But after a scuffle of debate, the matter had been settled. Nick and Malcolm were going out, she was waiting at home.
Thoughts of Lacy came to mind. Visions of her lips against his, her body beneath him brought visceral pleasure. It turned out to be a good thing she cancelled on him for this evening. Jeremiah was becoming a problem—a problem that needed their immediate attention, putting killer curves and sex appeal on hold. Actually, as much as he relished her body, it was Lacy’s spirit of sunshine and innocence that appealed to him most. Hiking up to the falls yesterday had been fun. It had been an easygoing, spontaneous adventure of frivolous, free-spirited fun with a woman who was the epitome of impulsive adventure. While they never made it to the skinny-dipping, the mere fact it had been an option tickled his fancy.
Malcolm sensed that Lacy was becoming more to him than a passing fancy. Perhaps it was because he was getting older, but he was tiring of the pretentious glamour and superficiality of the dating scene in Los Angeles. He spent much of his time in the company of beautiful women but never felt as if they wanted him for him. It was the prestige of being with an international businessman that appealed to them. The allure of his money, his experience. Malcolm was over it. He was ready for down to earth. He was ready for easy and fun.
Dare he say he was ready for commitment?
Nick turned left, driving over the bridge that was the entrance to Ladd Springs, but Malcolm’s attention had been snagged by a white car parked near the trailhead. “Who’s that?” he asked, as wood planks vibrated beneath the vehicle as Nick’s tires rolled over the bridge.
“Who’s what?” Delaney asked absently.
“That white car, over there by the trail,” he said, his instincts jumping to life.
Delaney’s blonde hair whipped around and she gasped. “What’s Annie doing in the forest?”
“Annie?”
“That’s Annie’s car,” Delaney spelled out for him, her tone rising with irritation. “But she has no business on the trail.” She turned in her seat and asked Nick, “What do you think she’s up to?”
Nick shrugged. “Don’t know, but I’m willing to find out.”
Malcolm had a bad feeling. Lacy knew about the gold. Lacy cared about her sister’s hostility toward her. Did she go back on her word and tell Annie? Nick parked the car, and he and Malcolm leaped from the vehicle.
Delaney picked up the rear, but Nick warned her off. “Stay here, Delaney. I don’t need the complication of your quarrel with Annie.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Stay here. Go up to the cabin. I’ll check in with you before I leave.”
Crossing the field, Malcolm noted the setting sun. It would be dark soon. A woman alone in the forest at night was a bad idea. He picked up his pace, forcing his jog into a run. As they neared the car, Malcolm glimpsed a sight that tore his heart in two. Lacy’s purse on the passenger seat. Chafed by her possible deception, he prayed it was coincidence. Anger warred with concern. If only he could believe in coincidence.
Nick ran the entire way, a fact that suited Malcolm just fine. Heart pounding, legs taxed, he had no interest in delaying the inevitable. If Lacy had gone behind his back and shared the location of the gold with Annie he needed to know—the sooner the better. He was having feelings for the woman and to discover she didn’t deserve them was information better gained now, despite the
fact it would hurt. As they ran past Zack’s Falls, the certainty that Lacy had broken her promise penetrated like a stake to the heart. No woman lied to Malcolm Ward and preserved his confidence.
No woman.
Malcolm pushed forward against his labored breathing, catching a whip of branches as Nick cleared them from his path. As they ran, they continually scanned the forest, the rocks, and the ravine below. Hopefully they’d be at the site within minutes. Thoughts whirred through Malcolm’s brain, logical explanations as to why Lacy was here with her sister and not the cause for the trip. Maybe Annie discovered it on her own and Lacy tagged along out of prurient curiosity. Maybe her sister asked her to come as cover, so she could blame it on Lacy when Delaney came down on her for trespassing. There were a million reasons Lacy could be here with her sister that didn’t include deception. Only Malcolm didn’t believe a single one.
Anticipation thudded in his chest as they passed the rock where he kissed Lacy. Shooting a glance toward the cluster of boulders, the gold vein, Malcolm saw nothing. No one. Ahead of him Nick had stopped. “They’re not here.”
Malcolm hauled up next to his partner and scanned the depths of the forest. Silhouettes moved eerily through the trees, trunks black and massive, bushes still. Nothing moved. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Crickets sawed to life in a slew of noise around them. Misgiving clawed at him. He pulled the cell phone from his pocket and dialed Lacy’s number. Nick watched pensively as Malcolm waited through rings.
“Voice mail.” He ended the call and shoved the phone back into place. Raking a hand through his hair, he glanced around the forest, willing her figure to appear.
Where are you, Lacy?
With a hand to Malcolm’s shoulder, Nick said quietly, “We’ll find her.”
Malcolm nodded but bit back his response. She had been here. Her purse was in the car. Her phone was probably in it. But why had she left it behind?
They had to find her. When they did, what would he learn?
“Back to Plan A,” Nick said.
“Yeah.” Plan A. Jeremiah Ladd.
Jeremiah drove Lacy and Annie to his motel. Sitting in the backseat, Lacy clutched her sister. To her relief, Annie didn’t remove her claw-like grasp, simply held her hand like it was the most normal thing in the world. As they drove, neither woman said a word. They only stared—at Jeremiah, out the window, toward the road ahead. They were headed into town. Jeremiah didn’t say why or where they were going. Simply that they were going for a ride.
In the beginning, Annie had tried to talk sense to him. She’d tried to convince Jeremiah that she and Lacy were of no use to him, and that if he had any chance to reclaim Ladd Springs, it wasn’t by kidnapping them. Oh, but he thought that was funny and laughed and laughed.
“Kidnapping? Who said anything about kidnapping? I’m just taking my two old girlfriends for a drive. To the scenic part of town.”
Lacy shuddered to think what he meant. Certainly not scenic, as in pretty scenery. Through the window, she saw the sky was turning a dusty blue, the fiery orange and red long since melted into the mountain ridge around them. Lamps came on in houses, street lights flickered to life along the lonesome county road. Night was upon them, darkness brewing. As was her fear. Lacy didn’t like Jeremiah one bit anymore and wouldn’t put anything past him these days. Jeremiah had become so mean and unpredictable, Lacy knew trouble would not be far behind. And soon as she could, she was going to tell her friend Loretta Flynn exactly what she thought of the man and advise her to run clear of him. Skedaddle, move on. Run for her life!
Until then she had to think of a way to get away from him. Think, Lacy. Think.
When nothing came, she turned to Annie, imploring her sister with her eyes to do something. We have to do something!
Annie shook her head in that frustratingly calm way and re-hooked her gaze to the windshield. They’d be to town soon. She’d do something then. Lacy stifled a sigh. Something—but what?
Jeremiah’s phone rang. Grabbing it from his pocket, he answered, “What’s up?” Lacy watched his eyes from her corner of the backseat and wondered who he was talking to. “I can’t. I’m busy.” Light brown eyes flicked a glance to the rearview mirror. Catching her looking at him, he sharpened his gaze. “Fine. I’ll be there.” Ending the call, Jeremiah said, “Change of plans. You’re going to my place, instead.”
The motel? Excitement mounted. Loretta would be there! She could help them get back to their car. And, oh, but wouldn’t Lacy help her pack her bag, too. Heck, she’d pack it for her if Loretta would help them get away from Jeremiah!
Fifteen minutes later, Jeremiah dumped Lacy and Annie at his motel. He didn’t drop them at his door, didn’t lock them away inside. He merely pulled over, told them to get out and drove away. “Tell Loretta I’m going out for the evening,” he said, as if Lacy would deliver any such message. Turning the steering wheel of his truck, he glared at Annie. “And don’t forget what I said. Continue with this paternity business and you’ll find yourself convinced otherwise—a convincing that won’t be pleasant.” His eyes skimmed her from head to toe. “It would be a shame to ruin your good looks. And you are a good-looking woman, Annie.” He made a tsk sound with his mouth. “Too bad it didn’t work out between us.”
Jeremiah spun his tires with a loud screech, his truck hitting the road with a bump as he tore off into the night.
“I’m going to call the police, Jeremiah!” Lacy screamed at him then lashed out at her sister. “We have to stop him. We have to call the police. We have to do something!” Annie held her tongue. “What’s the matter with you? How can you stand there and let him go?”
Cool, blue eyes iced the flames licking at Lacy’s heart. A blinking red sign overhead illuminated her expression with a creepy glow. “What exactly do you want me to tell the police? Jeremiah gave us a ride to his motel? He was stealing the gold right before our very eyes?” She narrowed her gaze. “Or better yet, he picked us up while we were trespassing on Ladd springs.”
Lacy blinked. She sealed her lips shut, outrage blasting through the seams.
“You understand, now? We have to work smarter. We have to beat Jeremiah at his own game. Running around like two scared hens won’t solve a thing.”
The imagery punctured her wrath. Beat him at his own game? How were they going to do that? Jeremiah was a snake. He was nothing but a no-good, downright, slithering varmint intent on spewing his venom. Is that what Annie wanted? Did she want to turn hateful toward Jeremiah and kidnap him?
“I’m going to call Candi,” Annie said flatly. “She’ll give us a ride back to my car.”
“But...but…” Lacy stammered, unable to digest the detour her sister made so easily. I’m going to call Candi. Back to my car. Lacy didn’t understand. She didn’t understand how her sister could let Jeremiah go without a fight, without putting him in jail. It was maddening. Unbelievable, she thought, but obediently stomped after her sister.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jeremiah blinked, the light bright, painful. His head throbbed. His jaw ached. One eye felt swollen shut. Lifting his head, he dropped it back down. “Ouch!” he cried, the pain to his scalp quick and severe. Spreading, it began to pound. Miserably. He raised his arm, but dropped it. The effort was too great. What the—?
Rolling his head from side to side, he opened his eyes. Where am I?
He was lying on the pavement. In a parking lot. What the hell happened last night? Jeremiah wracked his brain—his throbbing brain. He’d been downtown, drinking with his buddies...drinking heavily. He blinked. Where had they gone? Bucky’s? Leon’s? He couldn’t remember. He could only feel, and everything he felt hurt. His head was splitting open, his body pulverized. Closing his eyes, he willed the pain to subside.
One thing he did know, this was not a section of town he wanted to be in. Not even in the daylight. But Jeremiah couldn’t move. Not without his brain tearing apart. Had he been hit by a car? A truck? He lifted a hand and forced it to his
forehead. His shoulder was stiff, sore—really sore, like it had been hit with a metal bar.
Images flashed in his mind’s eye. Men, arms, swinging objects. Yes, he’d been hit. Jumped. Jeremiah concentrated on the pictures forming in his mind. There’d been two men. They jumped him from behind...
Yes, one hit him across the back with something hard. The other whaled on him with his fists. Jeremiah groaned. His hand slid from his head, dropped outward to the rough grainy pavement. Damn, if they hadn’t done a thorough job on him.
He couldn’t remember who they were. He’d never seen them before. Didn’t really get a good look at them, either. It was dark. He was outside the bar. Jeremiah opened his eyes and scanned the parking lot where he lay. Was it here? He didn’t see his truck. But then again, he’d been at the bar. There was no bar in sight.
Closing his eyes, it came to him. They probably dumped him here after they beat the hell out of him. But who? Why? That’s what he needed to find out.
Forcing himself to move, he winced, sharp jabs of pain plunging into his side. Son of a bitch— Jeremiah hugged his midsection. Did they break his ribs? It sure as hell felt like it. Rolling over to his knees, he took a second to catch his breath. The pain in his chest was bad, but his head hurt the worst, like someone had slit the thing wide open.
Fury rolled through him. Whoever did this was going to pay—dearly. Only first, he had to recover. Jeremiah noticed his watch was gone. Damn it. Automatically, he checked his back pocket. Then his front. Mother fu—
“Hey, you.” Jeremiah’s heart stopped. The gravelly voice above him was laced with malice. “What are you doing?”
Staring up at the man, he wanted to shout, Can’t you see I’m trying to get up, you idiot? But Jeremiah held his tongue. The guy was a vagrant. Torn pant legs, filthy shirt, missing two teeth. If he hadn’t already been robbed, this man would gladly do the honors. The vagrant glanced over him head to toe, as though checking his person for any valuables.
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