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  Ben felt Mary Pat’s hand close over his arm. “Have you told Finn?”

  “Yes, Dad. He’s not far from there. He’s driving the back roads, hoping to see anything that might indicate a cabin hidden in the hills.”

  “Let him know we’re on our way, Ben.”

  “I will. Is Sam there with you?”

  “He’s driving a second truck, with Penny, Zachariah, and Becca.”

  Ben’s voice sharpened. “Becca? What’s my wife doing there?”

  “She was having a cooking lesson with Penny, and refused to be left behind.” Mac cleared his throat. “We’ll keep her close to us. I have Mary Pat, Otis, and Roscoe with me.”

  Ben’s voice softened. “Thanks. Stay safe, Dad. And tell Sam the same. I’m on my way, and should meet up with you in the next hour.”

  “I’ll tell him, son.” Mac paused. “And, Ben?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I know you’re doing all you can. But there’s something we can all do together.”

  “What’s that?”

  Mac glanced at Mary Pat, who nodded her approval.

  “Pray.”

  “Right. I will, Dad.”

  The line went dead.

  Wayne’s truck followed a dirt trail that climbed into the heavily wooded hills for several miles. Suddenly he veered off, driving between two towering evergreens and into a dense forest.

  Jessie peered through the tangle of branches, hoping to find some landmark to note for possible escape. She could see nothing except woods.

  It wasn’t until the truck halted that she could make out a small cabin, nearly invisible because of the trees that surrounded it.

  Wayne suddenly opened the driver’s door and dragged her across the seat with such force, she fell to her knees.

  “Get up.” He yanked on the handcuff, forcing her to her feet. “And be quick about it.”

  In order to keep from falling again she had to run to keep up with his long strides.

  He shoved open a door before calling, “Honey, I’m home.” He chuckled at his little joke.

  As Jessie’s eyes adjusted to the gloomy interior, she could make out the figure of her aunt, lying unmoving on the floor across the room.

  For a moment Jessie’s heart nearly stopped.

  But then Nola’s eyes widened, a sign that she was alive.

  Seeing it, Jessie felt a wave of gratitude. Her aunt was alive. But her mouth was covered with a filthy rag, and as Jessie was hauled closer, she could see that Nola’s hands and feet were bound.

  Jessie’s moment of relief turned to horror as Wayne reached out and stripped away the gag before saying, “Look who came to call.”

  Nola’s face revealed her terror. “You gave me your word you wouldn’t hurt her. You know I only cooperated in order to spare my niece.”

  “Lesson learned, Nolinda.” Wayne sounded positively cheerful. “Never trust the words of the world’s best con artist.”

  When Nola broke into tears, Jessie felt her own heart break. In her lifetime she had never seen her strong, brave aunt cry.

  Wayne’s voice turned to a snarl. “Shut up or I swear I’ll give you something to really make you cry. I’ll be happy to kill your niece right now and make you watch.”

  Jessie had to stand by helplessly as her aunt struggled to stem the tears.

  Wayne leaned down and cut the ties binding Nola’s wrists. Before she could rub the feeling into them he removed the cuff from his own wrist and snapped it onto Nola’s, binding Nola and Jessie together.

  Jessie dropped to her knees on the dirty rug that cushioned her aunt’s body and gathered her close, feeling the tremors coursing through Nola’s body.

  “Aww. Hugs.” Wayne’s voice rose on a note of sarcasm. “I’ve got no time for this.” He gave Jessie a rough shove and she fell forward, nearly crushing her aunt.

  Wayne grabbed her feet and twisted her until her body was beside Nola’s. Then he bound Jessie’s ankles in the same way Nola’s were bound.

  Nola lifted her hand and stared at the cuffs that bound the two women together. “Oh, Jessie. There was no way to warn you. Wayne was holding a gun to my head when we talked. I never meant for you to be caught up in this, honey. I tried so hard, but…”

  “Shh.” Jessie glared at the monster who hovered over the two of them, laughing at their pain. “Don’t you know that anything that affects you affects me, too? We’re family, Aunt Nola. You’ve been so good to me my whole life. Our lives are intertwined. How could I not be involved?”

  “And now you’ll suffer the same fate as…”

  Jessie closed her free hand over her aunt’s and whispered, “As long as we’re alive and together, there’s hope.”

  Wayne’s voice, as cold as steel, broke in. “Sorry to break up this little love fest. Enjoy what time you have left. As soon as I tie up some loose ends here, you’ll have an eternity to be together.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Finn answered Ben’s call on the first ring. “What’ve you got for me, Ben?”

  Ben’s voice was quietly confident. “The state police ordered the bank manager to transmit the security footage of Wayne Stone. They ran his image through their system and have found a match. Only the name in their records is Clint Sawyer. When I checked with your operative, Basil told me that name matched one that he found in his search of wealthy widows who died shortly after marrying. Now the state police are putting the full force of their security team on this case.”

  “That’s good news. I only hope it isn’t too little too late.”

  “Finn, it’s only a matter of time before they crack this.”

  “We don’t have the luxury of time, Ben. This guy has been one step ahead of us all the way. Now that he has control of Nola’s bank accounts, he doesn’t need Nola or Jessie. There’s nothing to stop him from getting them out of the way.”

  Recognizing his brother’s note of despair, Ben chose his words carefully. “We’ve come so far, Finn. We can’t let this guy win.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” After a moment of silence, Finn added, “I know one thing. I intend to find Jessie, or I’m going to die trying.”

  Jessie lay beside her aunt, absorbing the tremors that rocked the older woman.

  She looked at Nola with concern. “Wayne said you’ve been fighting a virus.”

  Nola glanced at the man seated at a table in the far corner of the room, poring over dozens of pages of documents, before whispering, “He gave me something that made me sick to my stomach.”

  “He said he spoke to your doctor.”

  Nola nodded. “He wanted it on the record that the doctor said the only thing he recommended for a virus was rest and plenty of fluids.”

  “On the record?”

  “So that the authorities wouldn’t question him later about why he never took me for medical treatment. He could say he was simply following doctor’s orders.”

  “Aunt Nola, are you feeling any better at all?”

  Nola shook her head. “If anything, I’m growing weaker. But I don’t know if it’s what he’s giving me to drink, or from a lack of exercise. I’ve been bound and gagged and confined to this bed since he brought me here.”

  “Does Wayne feed you?”

  “Only liquids, which he forces down my throat. And though I’m terrified that he’s poisoning me, I’ve grown too weak to fight him.”

  Jessie looked around the sparse cabin. “I don’t see a bathroom.”

  “There’s an ancient outhouse in back of this shack. Even there, Wayne gives me no privacy. He insists on keeping the door open, even though I’m so weak, I’d probably fall before I managed even a few steps.”

  A tear slid from the corner of Nola’s eye and rolled down her cheek. “I’ve been such a fool. I swallowed every line he used on me, like a lovesick teen. And even when he insisted that we keep our wedding a secret, I agreed, until we were on our way, and I realized I needed to share my happiness with you. Later, when the m
arriage documents were signed and we were alone, I had the first taste of his temper. He became another person. One to be feared. And now you’ll suffer the same fate as…”

  With her free hand Jessie wiped away her aunt’s tears and grasped her shoulder. “We’re not going to let him win, Aunt Nola. We’re going to find a way to get free.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry I brought you into this horrible nightmare.”

  “You didn’t bring me. I forced my way in. And I’m not going to rest until I find a way out for both of us.”

  “You don’t understand just how vicious he is, Jessie. Once I became his prisoner, he openly boasted of the valuable land and ranches he’s accumulated, thanks to the vulnerable women he calls stupid, lovesick old cows.”

  Jessie sucked in a breath at the desolation in her aunt’s tone.

  “In truth, Jessie, I’ve become resigned to the fact that I’m never going to leave this place. And maybe Wayne is right. I deserve to die after falling for the lies of a monster like him.”

  Jessie lay beside her aunt, feeling the way Nola’s frail body shook with quiet sobs. And all Jessie could do was press her hand over Nola’s, willing her aunt her strength.

  The hopelessness of their situation weighed heavily on Jessie’s mind. If only she’d fought against getting into Wayne’s truck. But she’d already felt the sting of Chief Tyler’s disapproval, and knew she would only add to his belief that she was a greedy ingrate if she’d resisted.

  None of this had gone as she’d hoped. She’d had visions of Finn arriving in Arvid, only to find the police chief and bank manager proudly proclaiming how foolish she’d been for suspecting a fine, upstanding citizen like Wayne Stone. A successful businessman who was going to provide jobs for the needy ranchers in the area. Those two men had been practically drooling over the thought of Wayne’s wealth being spread around their town. Was Finn being subjected to a lecture by Chief Tyler? Was he, even now, waiting patiently for her to call? Or worse, had he been persuaded that this had all been overblown and returned to his office in Haller Creek?

  She closed her eyes, fighting a wave of absolute terror at the thought that she and her aunt might be alone in this nightmare, while Finn was blissfully unaware of the truth.

  If that was the case, she knew she would have to be strong enough for both of them. No matter how desperate the odds against them, she had to be ready to fight to the death for Aunt Nola. She owed her life to this good woman. She wouldn’t go down without a struggle.

  Mac turned his cell phone on speaker as Ben’s voice flooded the interior of the truck.

  “The state crime team has come up with more on Wayne Stone. This is apparently one of many aliases he’s used over the years. But the photographs in their file are all different. They have an expert going over the photos now, to see if they’re all the same man, or if he has accomplices.”

  “What about Finn?” Mac asked. “Where is he now?”

  “Finn’s in a pretty desolate area of high country. Dense woods, and no sign of civilization. So far he’s found no trace of Wayne Stone’s truck, and hasn’t spotted any deserted cabins.”

  Mac sighed. “For all we know, this Wayne Stone, or whoever he really is, could be taking Jessie miles away in another direction. Does Finn have any sense that he’s getting close?”

  Ben’s voice revealed his frustration. “I think Finn’s running on pure adrenaline. And if he doesn’t soon find some trace of Jessie, he’ll go a little crazy.”

  “Finn needs to know we’re all with him.” Mac shared a glance with Otis and Roscoe in his rearview mirror, and saw the two old men nod their heads. “I’ve tried calling him and get no service. When you talk to Finn again, let him know we’re almost there.”

  Thunder rumbled overhead, and Finn found himself thinking about the storm that had driven him and Jessie to seek shelter, only to spend the most memorable night of his life in her arms. A little cabin in the woods had become their heaven on earth.

  How ironic that even now she could be imprisoned in similar woods, in a house of horrors.

  He’d been driving for what felt like endless hours, back and forth through a forest crisscrossed with tracks that ambled over hills and through streams, but led nowhere. All of them so far had taken him back to where he’d started.

  According to Ben, the vicious storm that was now breaking overhead had been the cause of the state police helicopters being grounded. And now, though they were probably cleared for takeoff in their part of the state, this area would be off-limits until the worst of the storm blew over.

  As he followed yet another dirt trail, a blinding flash of lightning knifed the sky, illuminating something in the distance.

  A light?

  The reflection of lightning on glass?

  Finn turned off the truck lights and slowed his vehicle to a crawl just as the skies opened up with a torrent of rain.

  Maybe, he thought, the rain was a good thing. The sound of it would mask his truck’s engine.

  While Wayne read the documents before him and scratched notes on a sheet of paper, Jessie used the time to study the little cabin. As far as she could tell, other than the door they’d used to enter, there was no other way in or out of this place.

  That meant that unless she found a way to overpower Wayne, she would never be able to get her aunt, weakened by such cruel treatment, safely out of here.

  She looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Except for the filthy rug and the scarred wooden chair and table Wayne was using, the shack was empty.

  They were so far from civilization, nobody would ever come here. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The remains of dead animals littered one corner. This had no doubt been a deserted shack until Wayne had come upon it. It was the perfect place to carry out his evil deeds knowing nobody would pay a surprise visit.

  When Wayne began folding the documents into a manila envelope, Jessie experienced a moment of sheer panic.

  Hadn’t he said that when he finished his business here he would be done with them, as well?

  She reached over with her free hand to touch her aunt’s face. “Do you know how much I love you, Aunt Nola?”

  “Not nearly as much as I love you, Jessie, darling. You filled my life with such joy.”

  Jessie had a sudden thought. “Tell Wayne you want to use the outhouse.”

  Nola’s eyes widened with absolute terror. “What are you planning?”

  “I have no plan. But we have nothing to lose by trying something. Whatever I do, just agree with me and follow my lead.” She squeezed her aunt’s hand. “Promise?”

  Nola gave a barely perceptible nod of her head. “Promise.”

  The older woman gathered her strength before giving a loud moan.

  Wayne turned toward them with a dark look.

  Nola’s voice was barely more than a croak. “I need to use the bathroom. Now.”

  He swore as he picked up the manila envelope and turned toward the rug. “Woman, you’re more bother than you’re worth.”

  “I’ve been on this dirty rug for hours.”

  His sly grin was quick. “Soon you’ll be there for an eternity. I think I’ll just let you lie there in your own filth.”

  “Please, Wayne.”

  “Please?” His lips turned into a chilling smile. “I see you’re finally giving me a little respect.”

  He drew a knife and walked closer. In that moment Jessie had to swallow back a knot of fear that he intended to kill them now. He stooped and drew the blade through the bindings at their ankles before yanking Nola roughly to her feet, knowing that Jessie, still bound to her aunt by the handcuffs, would be forced to keep up with them.

  Wayne opened the cabin door and continued holding on to Nola as they walked through the pouring rain to the tiny outhouse behind the cabin. The little structure tilted at an angle, and the door swung back and forth in the wind and rain.

  As the two women stepped inside, Jessie reached for the door.

&
nbsp; Wayne’s hand was there ahead of hers.

  “Uh-uh. We don’t bother with privacy here.” He gave a cruel laugh. “This door stays open. Don’t even think about trying anything stupid.”

  “Go ahead, Aunt Nola.” Jessie made a great show of shielding his view of the older woman by standing in front of her. With her back to Wayne, she mouthed the words scream as loud as you can.

  When Nola let out a piercing scream, Wayne made a move to shove Jessie aside.

  In that instant Jessie kicked him in the groin with all her strength.

  With a grunt of pain he fell backward and Jessie, with Nola cuffed to her, was on him, pounding him about the head and face with their handcuffs.

  With her free hand Jessie managed to wrestle the gun from him and fired off a shot.

  Now it was Wayne’s turn to scream as the bullet grazed his arm. But as his outrage and adrenaline kicked in, he swept his hand in a wide arc and dislodged the gun from Jessie’s hand.

  Seeing him rummaging about in the wet grass for his pistol, Jessie pulled her aunt to her feet and began dragging her along, hoping to escape.

  Nola, too weak to keep up, stumbled, pulling Jessie down with her.

  Wayne was on them like a dog, venting his fury by kicking them both as they lay in the mud.

  Taking aim with his gun, his words were a hiss of supreme confidence. “Now you two fools are going to pay for all the grief you’ve given me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Finn was speaking to Ben on his cell phone when he caught another flash of light and saw, through the thick brush, the outline of a shack looming up before him.

  “This has to be it.” Adrenaline kicked in and he wasn’t even aware of stashing his phone in his pocket.