Jake (Demented Souls #16)

29

J ake shifted in the saddle, standing in the stirrups to lift himself a little higher as he tried to look over the small ridge between the field where he was checking on the cattle and the road. A plume of dust told him someone was headed up the road and he wanted to know who it was. A red pickup truck that looked older than he was, though it was in excellent shape. It didn’t look restored, just well cared for. Especially since Heather was back at the ranch house with out him.

She’d been asleep when he’d gotten up and had only woken briefly before he’d left. Jake smiled to himself as he remembered her sleepy voice when she’d rolled over and found him gone.

“Where’d you go?” she mumbled.

“I’ve got to go to work,” he said as he pulled up his jeans.

“I’ll get up and have coffee with you.”

“No need.”

“Then I’ll make you breakfast.” She fumbled with the blankets, trying to sit up.

“The prospects have breakfast all ready. Go back to sleep. Get up when you’re ready. There will be food then too.”

“You sure?” She blinked owlishly.

“I’m sure. Get some more rest. I’ll be around later.”

“Okay.” She gave in and lay back down, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Unable to resist, he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“Rest well, Lynnie,” he whispered, then grabbed his boots and gone out into the living space of the trailer to put them on and retrieve his shirt before getting started on the day.

His phone buzzing in his pocket drew him back to the present. He pulled it out and saw Hex was calling.

“Yo, man, how you doing?” he said in way of a greeting.

“Something’s happened. You got trouble.” His old friend sounded worried, but not panicked, but from fifteen hundred miles away, why would he?

“What’s up? What did you find?”

“The Wandering Sons have stepped up the search for your girl.”

“Tell me what you know.”

Tension built in Jake as he listened to Hex outline what he’d found out about the Sons’ search for Heather. His horse, sensing his disquiet, pranced and sidestepped. Jake forced himself to relax, and turned the horse back toward the barn. Unease sat heavy in his stomach.

“What it all boils down to is, they’re not out looking for her, but they want her.”

“How bad?”

“Bad enough to put a reward for her return.”

“A reward?” Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How much and what are the conditions?”

“It’s not good, man.”

“Stop trying to ease me into it and just spit it out.” The gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach got worse.

“The reward is a hundred thousand. And the condition is no permanent injuries.” Hex’s voice told him that he hated having to relay the information. “I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you. Is there anything we can do on this end?”

“Just keep an ear out. If anything changes, let me know. I’ve got to get back to the ranch and make sure she’s still there.”

He rang off and pocketed his phone, then urged the horse faster. The knowledge that someone had just arrived, and he didn’t know who, was like a brick in his stomach.

Heather was in danger. And he didn’t know where she was. Or who was in that strange pick-up.

Jake didn’t know how long it took him to get back to the barn, but it was way too long. He rode into the barn yard, spotted Talon, and tossed him the reins even before he’d dismounted.

“Take care of him, I’ve got to check on Heather. Did you see who was in that truck?”

“What truck?” Talon asked with a frown.

Jake bit back the urge to snarl and yell. It wasn’t the kid’s fault. He didn’t know what Jake had just found out, he couldn’t understand Jake’s desperation to make sure she was safe.

As soon as he was off the horse, he hurried toward the bunkhouse, and her trailer behind it. He’d cleared the barn where the motorcycles and other machinery were kept when he spotted the pickup parked near several other vehicles, empty.

He didn’t see anything amiss, no one seemed disturbed by the new arrival, but they didn’t know what he’d just found out. Jake scanned the area where people tended to gather in front of the bunk house, but he didn’t see Heather there, so he angled himself toward the trailer. He needed to see her first, to make sure she was there and not hurt, then he’d find out who was in the truck and why they were there.

When he reached the trailer, he didn’t bother knocking, but opened the door as he climbed the stairs, already calling for her.

“Heather!” He stepped inside, looked around and stopped. His shoulders sagged with relief. She sat on one end of the sofa, her legs folded beneath her as she sat sideways, facing someone. “There you are.”

“I haven’t gone anywhere, Aaron,” she said with a frown, “Did you see who came to see me?” She motioned to the person on the other side of the couch. That’s when Jake looked at them. He stared for a moment, as it took a moment for it to register, not because he didn’t know him but because it was one of the last people Jake expected to see.

“Iceman.” He stepped forward, holding out one hand. “It’s good to see you man.” This must be who had been in the red pickup. “That your classic pickup I saw out there?” He asked, just to be sure. The last thing he needed was to assume it was, be wrong, and have it belong to someone here to take Heather.

“It is.”

“It’s a nice truck. Restored?”

“No, just taken care of. It was my dad’s, but it spent more time in the garage than on the road, as he had a commuter car he drove more often, still does in fact. It took me a long time to talk him out of that thing, but I’m glad I did. I love it.”

“Looks like you’re taking good care of it.”

“What’s up? I though you were out in the pasture?” Heather drew his attention back to her. He bent and kissed the top of her head.

“I was, but I got a call. It wasn’t a good one, then I saw someone headed onto the ranch and I needed to make sure you were safe.” He grabbed a chair from the dining table and set it close enough he could keep one hand on her, then sat. “What brings you down?” he asked to the other man.

Iceman lifted one brow, his eyes going back and forth between Jake and Heather in a pointed way, then he glanced toward the door before scowling at Jake, as if remembering that he’d come in without knocking first. Jake only met his gaze. He’d already been through this with the other man and wasn’t going to rehash things. Especially not now.

“The Kings got a call,” Iceman said, his gaze going back to Heather. “It seems the Sons, that’s the club Mitch is mixed up with apparently, has put out a reward for your return.”

Jake glanced at Heather to see how she was taking the news. Her eyes had gone wide, and she blinked several times but other than that, she seemed unphased. Jake knew that wasn’t true, rather that she wasn’t ready to let them see what she was feeling.

“A reward? To do what? Kill me?”

“No. Word is that if you’re hurt, they won’t pay.”

Iceman’s expression had gone soft, almost kind as he watched Heather struggle with the news. He hadn’t given her the whole truth when it came to the reward and the conditions, but Jake didn’t blame him for not telling her all of it. Who wanted to hear that she was wanted, and the only restriction was no permanent physical harm?

Hell, he didn’t know if he could tell her that part.

“What was your call, the one that wasn’t good?” She was watching him, waiting. He didn’t know if she sensed it was the same news or if she was looking to distract herself while she processed the news.

“It was Hex, telling me the same thing.” Jake tilted the top of his head toward Iceman, telling her that Hex had told him what her cousin had just told her.

“Huh, and with a truck you didn’t know headed into the ranch. Is your horse all right?”

Jake didn’t bother to try to stop the way one corner of his mouth quirked up. “Yeah. I rode him a little hard coming back, but I wasn’t that far out, and I gave him to Talon to take care of as I arrived. By now he’s probably brushed and in his stall with fresh feed and plenty of water. But I had to make sure you were okay.”

“As if anyone here would let someone take me away.” She reached over and picked up his hand, weaving her fingers with his before giving them a squeeze. “I don’t think there’s anywhere I would be safer.”

“I would like to think so, but they let him in here.” He tilted the top of his head toward Iceman again.

“But he’s not someone who would hurt me,” she said in his defense.

Jake turned to look at Iceman. “Did anyone even challenge you?”

“No. I got directions from Cowboy, and came down once I found out. I needed to see her and wanted to tell her about the reward face to face. But once I got here, I recognized the trailer and came straight here.”

Jake scowled. “That’s why I had to make sure you’re safe. That should never have happened. Someone should have stopped him before he made it in here, if only to find out who he was or what he wanted.” He’d have to talk to Lurch and let him know about it. He didn’t like that Iceman hadn’t been stopped and questioned. It left too many possibilities open for others to make it in and get to her. Perhaps hurt or take her.

It made him want to hurt someone. Preferably whoever was supposed to be watching the gate.