“They’ll serve a meal and then, after we eat, a band will play and there will be dancing.” Travis leaned over, his breath tickling her ear. The lilt of excitement in his voice made her smile.
Though she looked around, she couldn’t see any signs to indicate where the restrooms were. When she asked Travis, he pointed. “Down that hall on the left. I’ll stay here so we don’t lose our seats.”
“Good idea.” Pushing to her feet, she gave in to temptation and brushed a quick kiss on his cheek. She enjoyed the stunned look he gave her, then made her way through the crowd.
She found the restrooms with no difficulty, and to her surprise, there wasn’t a line. In fact, out of the three stalls, only one was occupied.
Once she’d finished, she washed her hands and assessed her appearance in the mirror. Her color seemed high, but she liked the way the black mask added a hint of mystery. In fact, she felt pretty and sexy—a lot more relaxed and confident.
As she exited the ladies’ room, she went to turn left in the hall. Instead, someone stepped out of the shadows and wrapped a strong arm around her throat, put a large hand over her mouth and dragged her back into the restroom. Choking, she struggled, fighting to breathe, to break free. But her attacker—clearly a tall man despite the mask—was too strong.
“Listen to me,” he rasped, his breath tickling her ear. “Hold still and listen.”
Pushing down her panic, she froze. He loosened the pressure on her throat just enough for her to suck in a huge gasp of air, but kept his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. She nearly retched, but instead she worked on trying to continue to breathe.
“Listen,” he repeated. “This is your last warning. Either you leave town immediately, or you die. Do you understand?”
Shocked, she could only nod. Would he kill her right now if she protested?
“Leave quietly, and tell no one why. If you do, I’ll know.” Releasing her, he shoved her hard, sending her flying into one of the stalls. A second later, the sound of the door closing told her he’d left.
Crying, gasping, choking, she struggled to get herself under control. Grateful for every breath, she touched her hurt throat, wondering if his hands had left marks. When she staggered to the mirror to see, sure enough red welts had already begun to form.
Despite the waterproof mascara, two identical black smudges decorated under each eye and her ruby lipstick had been smeared all over her face.
The door opened again and she flinched. Two women wearing elaborate antebellum dresses came in, chattering happily. Scarlett recognized Kendra and tensed. Perfect, just perfect.
Kendra caught sight of Scarlett and gasped. “What happened to you? Are you all right?”
Scarlett started to nod but then shook her head instead. “Could one of you please find Travis for me? Tell him I’m in trouble and he needs to come get me.”
The first woman nodded and went to grab Kendra’s arm. Kendra resisted. “You go,” she said. “I’ll stay here with her.”
Once her friend had gone, Kendra studied Scarlett. “You do have a penchant for drama, don’t you,” she drawled, looking her up and down. “Though I do have to owe you thanks for talking to my coworker, John Mellon. I really appreciate you being so open-minded about this. I promise we’ll make sure you’re well compensated for your trouble.”
Staring at the other woman, Scarlett couldn’t find any words. Wave Oil and their desire to drill on Hal’s land was the last thing she wanted to worry about right now.
Instead, she closed her eyes and waited for Travis to show up and rescue her.
* * *
Waiting impatiently for Scarlett to return, Travis watched as a short, clearly rattled woman dressed like a belle from the antebellum South rushed toward him. As she drew closer, he recognized her as Sarah something, one of Kendra’s friends.
When she reached him, she tugged at his arm and leaned down close. “Travis, something’s happened to your date. Come quickly,” she continued, slightly breathless. “She’s in the ladies’ room with Kendra...”
That was all he needed to hear. So help him, if Kendra had dared to do anything to hurt Scarlett, she’d be sorry. He’d press charges against her if he had to.
Fists clenched, he jumped to his feet and rushed down the hall. He pushed into the women’s restroom with Sarah close on his heels. Scarlett looked up, her eyes wide and rimmed in mascara. As soon as he caught sight of her and the red welts around her throat, his heart stuttered. Fury and panic warred inside him.
“Come here.” Pulling her into his arms, he smoothed the hair back from her face. “Are you all right?”
She jerked her head up and down in a silent nod. Behind her, Kendra cleared her throat, drawing his attention. She too wore an elaborate gown with some kind of hoop skirt.
“What happened?” he asked Kendra, clenching his teeth hard to keep from lashing out at her.
“I don’t know,” Kendra told him, lifting her chin and meeting his gaze. “Sarah and I were just entering and we found her like this. She asked us to come and get you, so we did.”
Face against his chest, Scarlett nodded, giving confirmation of Kendra’s words. He kept her close, wrapped up in his arms. He eyed Kendra, then jerked his head toward the door. “Leave,” he ordered. “Both of you.”
“But...” Kendra started to protest.
Her friend Sarah grabbed her and tried to drag her away. Kendra resisted for a few seconds, but finally nodded. She and Sarah pushed through the door and left.
Once they were alone, Travis lifted Scarlett’s chin and made her look at him. “What happened?” he asked, keeping his voice soft. A closer look at the marks around her neck had his jaw tightening. “Who did this to you?”
“I don’t know,” she managed. “It was a tall man, wearing a black suit and a mask that covered half his face.”
Since several men attending the ball had chosen a similar costume, that description didn’t help at all.
“Hair color?” he asked. “Was he thin or stout? Any distinctive characteristics?”
Slowly, she shook her head. “He was thin, I think. Other than that, no. It all happened so fast.”
“What did he want?” So help him, if he’d tried to sexually assault her, he’d go ballistic.
“He said I had to leave town immediately or he’d kill me.” She swallowed hard. “I believe he meant it.” Her voice wavered a little bit as she spoke. She used a wet paper towel to remove the mascara and then reached into her little purse and began working to repair her eyes.
He tamped down his rage and took a deep breath.
When she’d finished, she looked normal except for the angry red marks on her throat.
“Amazing,” he told her. Again, he struggled to keep his voice level. “Come on,” he said, gently guiding her toward the exit. “We need to file a police report.” Since the sheriff and several of the deputies were in attendance, finding one who was on duty wouldn’t be difficult. “If we have to, we’ll take this ballroom completely apart until we find him.”
“No.” Scarlett dug in her heels. “I don’t want to disrupt the ball.”
“Why not?” Eyeing her in disbelief, he shook his head. “Someone physically assaulted you. We need to figure out who and if it’s tied in to the other incidents.”
“I’m pretty sure it is.” Her dry tone sounded calm. “I’ll make a police report, but that’s it. Clearly, this ball is something everyone in town looks forward to all year. I refuse to ruin that.”
Frustration warred with admiration as he gazed down at her stubborn expression. “You mean it, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. But promise me you’ll keep an eye on the crowd and if you see him again, discreetly let me know.”
“I will.”
As they wound their way through the throng of people,
Travis caught sight of the sheriff talking to Vivian. As usual, instead of a costume, Sheriff James had chosen to wear his uniform.
Travis smiled at his mother and touched the other man’s shoulder. “Do you mind if we have a word with you? Privately?”
“Of course not.” The sheriff’s gaze sharpened. “Is there a problem?”
Before Travis could respond, Vivian gasped. “Scarlett? What happened to your neck?” Her shrill tone had several people turning.
“Shh.” Scarlett shook her head. “That’s what we want to talk to the sheriff about. Please, we don’t want to make a scene.”
“Come with me.” Sheriff James led them down the same hallway that led to the restrooms. He tried several doors, finally finding an unlocked office.
Once they were all inside, he closed the door and crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”
Scarlett repeated what she’d told Travis. While she spoke, Vivian clutched Travis’s arm.
“Would you recognize this person if we corralled all the men matching that description so you could view them?” Sheriff James asked.
“I doubt it,” Scarlett replied. “Plus, I’ve already told Travis that I don’t want to disrupt the ball.”
“And I told her that’s nonsense,” Travis interjected. “Though I have to admire her for thinking of our townspeople first.”
Eyes narrowed, Vivian glanced from Scarlett to Travis. “I agree with her. Whoever assaulted her has probably already left.”
“We don’t know that,” the sheriff put in. “Since there are a lot of men in attendance with similar costumes, the perpetrator might figure he’d blend in. That’s why I suggested rounding up any likely suspects now, before anyone has a chance to leave. No one who’s bought a ticket ever goes home before the meal.”
But clearly, judging from her stubborn countenance, Scarlett had made up her mind. “I just would like to file a police report and request extra protection,” she said. “Because this person threatened to kill me if I don’t leave town. Since I have no plans to go anywhere, I’m going to need police protection.”
“Fine.” The sheriff sounded resigned. “I’ll need to tape a statement from you later, once I round up a recorder. And I’ll assign an extra unit to drive the area around the ranch, though that’s the extent of what I can do.”
“Perfect.” Scarlett smiled, an utterly false, achingly brilliant smile that shredded Travis’s heart. “Then let’s go back to the ball and pretend nothing happened. I wonder if we still have our seats.”
When she took Travis’s arm as if she expected him to lead her back into the crowd, he almost refused. But one glance at the pleading look in her eyes had him nodding. “Let’s go find out.”
With Vivian trailing along silently behind them, they stepped back into the crowd. Naturally, someone had snagged their table, but Vivian caught sight of Amber and Mark across the room.
“It looks like Amber saved us some seats,” she pointed out.
“That’s great. I picked up her date’s boutonniere for her. I’m sure she needs it.” Scarlett changed direction, slipping through clusters of people with graceful ease.
When they reached the table, empty except for Amber and her date, his friend Mark, Travis saw she’d put little placeholders with the word Reserved on them on every seat.
“Great thinking,” Vivian said. “Where did you get those?”
“I brought them with me.” Amber beamed. “I saw someone do it last year and decided it was a great idea.”
“It is.” Scarlett dropped into her chair, rummaging in her clutch for the last florist’s box. It had gotten slightly crushed, but seemed intact. After handing it over, she exhaled, clearly trying to relax. Travis took the seat next to her, leaving the final two spots for Vivian and Frank.
“Where’s Frank?” he asked, looking around the room.
“Who knows?” Apparently unconcerned, Vivian shrugged and arranged herself in one of the seats. For her costume, she’d chosen a silky fringed dress the exact same blue as her eyes. She’d tied some sort of long scarf in her hair and wore huge dangling earrings. “I’m sure he’ll be along shortly,” she said. “Frank’s never been one to miss a meal.”
After pinning the flower onto her date’s lapel, Amber stood, smiling. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a trip to the ladies’ room. Scarlett, do you want to go with me?”
Wide-eyed, Scarlett only stared. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out. An awkward silence fell. Vivian broke it by jumping back to her feet. “I’ll go with you,” she said. “We need to talk anyway.” And she hustled Amber away.
“I love her costume,” Scarlett mused, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. She leaned across the table and held out her hand to Mark. “Hi, I’m Scarlett.”
Realizing he’d forgotten to introduce them, Travis spoke up. “Sorry. Scarlett, this is my friend Mark. Mark, this is Hal’s daughter, Scarlett.”
They shook hands, murmuring the usual pleasantries. Mark offered to fetch everyone a round of drinks and, since theirs from earlier had vanished, Travis let him.
Once Mark had gone to the bar, Travis turned to Scarlett. Her expression blank, she gazed off into the distance. The instant she realized Travis was looking at her, she blinked and focused.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
For an instant, he thought she would lie. Her lips parted and then she shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m still in shock. I’m hoping once the festivities start, they’ll distract me.”
He covered her hand with his. “I’ll do my best to help,” he promised, hating the way she trembled under his fingers. “I hope you like to dance.”
His words had the desired effect. She stared at him, one corner of her mouth curving. “A man who enjoys dancing. How rare is that? Yes, I love to dance.”
“Good. I call first dance. They start all that after the meal.”
Arriving back from the bar in time to hear Travis’s comment, Mark snorted. “Since when do you like to dance, Travis? In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve only seen you do a drunken two-step once.”
Travis looked his friend directly in the eye. “Ever since I got lucky enough to hold this woman in my arms.”
Vivian and Amber arrived back at the table, cutting off any response Mark might have been about to make. Amber appeared pale, which considering her affinity for goth makeup, meant she’d received a shock. Heck, they all had. Finding out someone really did want to hurt Scarlett was sobering.
By the time the buffet had been set up and everyone started forming a line, Scarlett seemed to have returned to normal. Vivian started scanning the crowd for Frank, frowning impatiently. “Oh well,” she said, pushing to her feet. “I’m just going to eat without him. Whenever he finally shows up, he can fix his own plate.”
Just as they reached the end of the long line, Vivian’s phone rang. She answered, her annoyed expression changing to one of concern. “I’ll be right there,” she began. Then after listening for a few seconds, she tried to argue. “But...no, I think... Are you sure?”
When she ended the call and dropped her phone back into her purse, she shook her head, her expression dazed. “That was Frank. He says he started feeling sick and went outside. He started throwing up, so he took himself home. I offered to go look after him, but he said he’d rather be alone in his misery.”
Travis squeezed his mother’s shoulder. “I can relate. Especially with nausea. Leave him be and try to enjoy yourself.”
Though she made a face, Vivian continued to wait in the line. When her turn came, she began making herself a plate.
“She’ll be fine,” Travis told Scarlett. “I’m surprised she even offered to go, considering how deathly afraid she is of catching someone else’s germs.”
“I heard that,” Vivian snapped, though she was smilin
g.
As they made their way back to their table with their loaded plates, Kendra and a man who must have been her date stopped by. “Do you mind if we join you?” she asked, indicating Amber’s and Mark’s empty seats.
About to say he did mind, Travis smiled when Vivian beat him to it. “Those seats are taken,” she said. “Amber and Mark are still getting their food.”
“No worries.” Kendra flashed an easy smile. Travis looked past her to her date, who appeared fixated on Scarlett.
“Are you okay?” he asked her, balancing his plate in one hand while adjusting his eyeglasses with the other. “Kendra told me what happened to you.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Scarlett said, suddenly preoccupied with arranging her silverware. “Thanks for asking.”
“No problem.” He flashed his easy smile at the entire table before returning his attention to Scarlett. “It was great seeing you again,” he told Scarlett. “Remember our agreement.” Then Kendra dragged him away, leaving everyone staring at Scarlett.
Chapter 15
Scarlett just knew her feelings of guilt showed on her face. Not that she’d actually done anything wrong, but still... She got out her fork and knife and began rearranging food on her plate. Avoiding eye contact with Travis, she looked up, relieved, when Amber and Mark sat down.
“Was that...?” Amber asked.
“Yep.” Vivian grimly cut her chicken into bite-size pieces. “She had a lot of nerve asking to sit with us.”
Travis had gone ominously silent. When she dared to glance his way, she found him as fixated on his food as she’d been earlier. Mark kept shooting him quizzical looks, but apparently knew better than to ask. He probably thought Travis’s sudden quiet moodiness was due to Kendra’s appearance, but Scarlett knew it wasn’t. Travis was wondering how Kendra’s date had known Scarlett.
Texas Ranch Justice (HQR Romantic Suspense) Page 20
