Chapter Seventeen
Gracie struggled against the ropes binding her hands behind her back. Her ankles were tied as well, and she’d been sitting in a hard wooden chair ever since they’d brought her into the dingy motel room. They’d driven over an hour with her unconscious part of the way and still wearing the black hood when she awoke. Although they’d started out in a southerly direction, they could have changed course while she was out cold, and at the moment she had no idea where they were or how many others might have joined her two kidnappers.
The television set was turned on, the sound muted. Gracie split her attention between the TV screen and the two people who’d been in the car. The blonde woman who had forced her at gunpoint to come with her, and the dark-haired man who had been the driver, were the only two people in the room with her.
“Do you really think Nick Vincent will trade himself for her?” The man jerked his thumb in Gracie’s direction, voice filled with doubt. “He barely knows her, for crying out loud. He hasn’t even slept with her yet. What makes you think he’d give himself up for a piece of tail? I mean, yeah, she’s kind of cute, but he’s never involved with a woman for more than a week or two. She’s just the latest one in a long line of losers.”
“And that’s why I’m the brains behind this operation. You haven’t seen the way he looks at her. Trust me, the man’s totally gone for her. Besides, he’s the Superman type; he’ll want to save the poor damsel in distress, even if it means his life.”
“Which it does. Have you talked with Alex today?”
The blonde nodded. “She’s at the hospital waiting for Uncle Simon’s signal. With the time difference, it’s practically the middle of the night there. She’s in place and ready to execute her end of the plan.”
“You know how she is, cousin. She’s a total klutz and kind of an idiot. I’m telling you, she’s going to screw this up for all of us.” The male stood and started pacing. Watching him walk back and forth was making Gracie dizzy.
“Shut up, Jesse. Everything is going to go off without a hitch. Uncle Simon played his part to perfection. The infirmary doc decided the money was good enough to give Uncle Simon the medications, making it look like he was in a coma. After the fake fight in the prison yard, he got banged up and bruised enough for it to be believable, and the doc pushed for the transfer. After that, it was simple to get him sent to the trauma center, just like we planned. He’s in ICU, in the bed closest to the exit. Alex has the tranquilizer for the guard, Uncle Simon’s special wheelchair, and the helicopter scheduled. We simply need to do our part.”
Gracie soaked up every word, knowing she’d have to remember each key detail to relate to the authorities as soon as she got out of here. And she would. She trusted Rafe and the rest of the Boudreaus, knew they’d be doing everything possible to find her. But more importantly, she knew Nick would come for her.
It was the one thing she hoped and prayed for, and yet she also wanted him to stay away. He couldn’t allow Cassandra and this Jesse fellow to get their hands on him. From the look in Cassandra’s eyes when she talked about Nick, she wouldn’t have a single problem putting a bullet between Nick’s eyes. Cold and calculating, she reminded Gracie of a viper about to strike.
She hadn’t been able to get a read on Jesse. He’d barely spoken while he’d been driving them away from her shop. When she’d awakened, he’d been humming softly, tunes she didn’t recognize, but he hadn’t talked much until they’d gotten into the room.
A splash of color on the TV caught her eye. It looked familiar and she winced when she realized she was back where she’d started.
San Antonio. The city where her family lived. Where her past had been horribly ripped to shreds when she got involved with Jeremy Brewster. She’d cut ties with everybody in San Antonio, first because Jeremy had smothered and isolated her from everyone she knew. Distanced her from her friends, the people she’d worked with at the fast food place. Kept her within his own little world, until he’d become the center of her universe, and then destroyed it.
But there was a bright side. She knew San Antonio, having lived here most of her life. Knew the back streets, the best places to hide. If she could get to Alvarez or the district attorney, they could help her. First though, she needed to get out of this room and away from her kidnappers.
The ropes around her wrists were tight, and there wasn’t any way to reach the knots with her fingers almost numb. Feeling along the back of the chair, she couldn’t find anything to snag the rope. There were no exposed nails or slivers of wood to rub against to try to cut the rope.
“Don’t even think about it.” Cassandra strode over to her and checked the ties on her wrists, pulling hard enough to elicit a scream. The rope scratched against her tender skin, and Cassandra simply smiled. “I considered duct tape, but that’s too easy to break. Don’t worry, I’m sure Nick will do the honorable thing and save you, precious.”
“Stop taunting her, Cas.”
Turning away from her, Cassandra studied the television screen, scowling. “I hate waiting. Jesse, check the tracker, see where Nick is.”
Reaching into a backpack Gracie hadn’t noticed before, Jesse pulled out a laptop and looked at the screen. Trying to see over his shoulder wasn’t easy, because he blocked most of the screen, but what little she could make out showed what looked like a map.
“He’s still at the sheriff’s station.”
“Huh. I figured he’d immediately hop in his car and try to find his girlfriend.”
A muted beep came from the laptop and Jesse did a fist bump high in the air. “Alex has Uncle Simon. They are on the roof, waiting for the helicopter. ETA in less than ten minutes.”
“Didn’t I tell you Alex would do her part perfectly? She’s got as much of a stake in this as us, and knows there can’t be any screw ups.”
“What do you get out of this?” Gracie blurted out the question that had been bothering her ever since she’d overheard Cassandra and Jesse’s conversation. “Taking me, I mean? You’re wrong about Nick caring about me. He hardly knows me. You’re talking about true love when the fact is Nick and I have had one coffee date together and it was totally unplanned. We talked. That’s it.”
Gracie blushed, remembering the kiss when she’d visited Nick at the Boudreau ranch. Truth be told, it had felt like the world tilted on its axis when his lips met hers. The attraction had been there from the start, seeing him in the hospital waiting room waiting to hear about Antonio. He’d intrigued her, bemused and befuddled her, like no one ever had. And when she’d gotten to know the real man beneath the rugged and distant fa?ade, he’d bewitched her into caring.
“Aw, it’s so cute you didn’t realize he’s fallen for you. Like Romeo and Juliet, except out here in the sticks. Do you seriously think Nick Vincent would stick around this one-horse town if there wasn’t something here to draw him? And I’m not talking about his so-called foster family. Nobody who has been tossed aside like a piece of junk by their parents and sent to a home where all they want is the money the government sends them to keep you alive, would keep in touch with them. Not unless they have an agenda, which I’m sure Nick does. Revenge is sweet. I have the feeling Nicky’s feelings for those Boudreaus run far deeper than anybody realizes, and trust me, they aren’t all the warm and fuzzy type. Because Nick doesn’t have a familial bone in his body.”
“I guess you know all about Nick and his feelings. He’s a closed book for me. I guess I’m the fool for not seeing how things really are.” Gracie tossed the words out, hoping that Cassandra would buy them, though the taste of the lies on her tongue was bitter. Outside of his job, Nick had never once lied to her. She believed that with all her heart. She’d hoped there might be something growing between them, true, but uncertainty reared its ugly head, making her question everything she felt.
“There’s nothing about Nick Vincent I don’t know. I’ve studied him. Watched him.” Cassandra leaned in closer until she was almost nose to nose with Gracie. “With what he went through as a child, I’m surprised he’s sane. Nobody deserved to go through what he did, I’ll grant you that. He might be the dirty cop who paralyzed my uncle and put him in prison for life, but it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for him. If I’d endured half of what Nick did, I’d have stuck a gun in my mouth.”
Gracie winced at her words. She knew from the few times Nick let things slip that he’d had a horrible childhood, especially once he’d been pulled out of the Boudreau household. He’d disappeared without a trace shortly after that, though she knew Douglas and Ms. Patti had searched for him. Spent years trying to find him, only to hit roadblocks and dead ends.
“Cas, it’s time. Call Nick and let’s get this show on the road. I want to go home and roll in those piles of money we’re getting when the job is done.”
Money? This was about money?
Straightening, Cassandra walked over to the dresser and picked up her cell phone. “I’m with you, I’m ready to go home. Eight weeks in Texas is eight weeks too many. If I wanted to see nothing but cows and emptiness, I could have gone to visit Grandma. I want to get home and see my friends. Hit the shops. Get a new house on the water, big enough that Alex is jealous.”
“Make her burn that wig, too. It’s eerie when she wears it. I’m used to mousy Alexandra. Seeing her wearing it gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
Cassandra laughed. “I’m going to burn it myself. Either that, or sneak into her room and dye her hair red or something. Of course, she started the whole thing by buying that wig to look like me, and stealing my passport so she could go to Tokyo last year. She got away with it too. I didn’t know she’d used my passport until Uncle Simon told me. I think that’s what gave him the idea, to use us to help get his revenge on Nick. All the lovely money is the added bonus. And once he’s free, there will be more money for everyone.”
“Make the call. I’m going to text Alex, see if they’re on the helicopter.”
Gracie watched the interplay between the cousins, trying to commit to memory everything they said, especially about their uncle. He sounded like the mastermind behind the attempts on Nick’s life. She still remembered how terrified she’d been when she heard about the car bomb, how she’d rushed to the Big House to make sure he was okay.
When Cassandra turned her back, Gracie inched forward on the chair as much as she could, shifting her ankles beneath the rope, thinking if she slid her shoes off, she might be able to get her feet free. She wasn’t secured to the chair by her legs, and her arms—well, she’d work on one problem at a time.
Right now, she had one goal and that was getting free and staying alert, because she knew help had to be on the way. She had faith in her friends, the ones she’d made since moving to Shiloh Springs. They wouldn’t give up on her and she wasn’t about to give up on them.
And she believed in Nick. Knew in her heart, deep in her soul, that he would find a way to come for her. Even if it meant turning himself over to the people who wanted him dead.
Nick paced insidethe limited space of the sheriff’s office. While the others were in the conference room strategizing and waiting for Cassandra to call back, Nick had to escape the confines of the room. His breath caught in his chest thinking about Gracie in trouble. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she was strong enough. No, he was afraid she would stand up to Cassandra and get hurt…or worse.
He knew next to nothing about Cassandra Bishop or Jesse Norville, other than the few facts Destiny had been able to scrounge up that morning. When Norville had been arrested, and even during the trial, none of his family had stepped forward to offer their support. And he’d been too involved with other ongoing cases to pay attention to Norville’s family. Rafe had Destiny gathering all the information she could on the three cousins, which knowing Destiny would be everything down to the brand of underwear Cassandra bought, but would it be in time?
This waiting was driving him mad, which was probably their intention. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t try to figure out their next move, because his every thought was about Gracie. The way her smile lit up her entire face with joy. Her beautiful brown eyes so filled with life and laughter. The way she faced the world head on, no longer afraid, ready to take a stand against anybody who tried to steal away the new life she’d built in Shiloh Springs.
When his phone rang, there was a quick exodus of everyone in the conference room into the hall. Nick stared at the screen, tension radiating through his body. He knew it was Cassandra, recognized the number. Destiny had already determined it was a burner phone, recently activated, and bought in Fort Worth seven weeks earlier.
He pressed the speaker button so everyone could hear and answer. “Hello.”
“Nick?”
“Gracie! Are you okay?”
“Listen carefully. We know you got a replacement rental car. You are to get into your car and drive to Austin. When you get to Austin, head south. Get onto I-35 South and keep driving. You’ll get a call with further instructions. You’re to come alone. Any deviation from these instructions and there will be consequences.”
Nick could hear the shaky tremble in her voice, and fury rose with each syllable she uttered. He knew her words were dictated by Cassandra and Jesse, because there’s no way Gracie was part of their plot. By the end of the day, they were going to pay.
“Gracie, baby, talk to me. I need to know you’re alright. Have they hurt you?”
He heard a loud sigh before a different voice came on. “Nicky, your sweetie is fine. For the moment. Follow instructions and she’ll stay that way.” The line went dead.
Turning to Rafe, he said, “You heard. I have to go.”
“Hang on a second.” He turned to Shiloh. “Find anything?”
“Besides the fact we’re dealing with a bunch of amateurs? There’s a GPS tracker inside the driver’s side bumper. Took about thirty seconds to find it.”
“Probably why they told Nick to drive his rental, so they can track his movements. Bro, can we piggyback on their GPS signal, or put another one on the car so we can follow Nick?”
“Already done. Gimme your phone and I’ll upload the program so you can have his back.” Rafe passed his phone to his brother, and Nick balled his hands into fists. Though they were trying to help, they were wasting time. Time Gracie didn’t have. He needed to be on the road before the cousins did something foolish.
“You know you’re walking into a trap, right? Nick, you’ve got to play things smart. You’re a trained professional. Keep your wits about you. You handle Bishop and Norville. We’ll make sure Gracie’s taken care of.”
“I understand.” He mouthed the words already knowing he’d do whatever it took to keep Gracie safe. No matter what, she deserved her second chance, to find happiness. Whether that was with him or not, he’d make sure she got her shot.
“He’s not going to listen to a word you’re saying, son,” Douglas put a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “You’d be the same in his shoes. When the woman you love is in danger, nothing else matters except saving them. Follow him, provide backup, and be there if things go south.”
“You can’t follow me. If they see you—”
“They won’t see anybody. We’ll track you by GPS the same way they are, and can close in the minute you give the word. Which means, we need to wire you up.”
“No! The second they feel it’s a trap, they’ll kill her.”
“Guys, we don’t have time for this. Nick, you are not going in there without backup. I’ll knock you out and put you in a cell if I have to. Shiloh’s got one of his newfangled gadgets he’s been dying to try out, and you’re the best-case scenario he’s had in ages.”
Shiloh held out his hand, and resting on his palm was a tiny device no bigger than a nickel, slim and flat. “What are you going to do with that?”
“You are going to borrow Rafe’s shiny new Stetson, and this little darlin’ is going to go under the hatband.” He ignored Rafe’s groan of protest. “Suck it up, big brother, it’s for a good cause. Anyway, this is extremely sensitive, so try not to bump it. We’ll be able to monitor everything said within a dozen feet of you. If they frisk you looking for a wire, take the hat off and hold it out to your side, and they shouldn’t find it. I doubt they are sophisticated enough to have an electronic wand with them, but if they do, this little baby should still pass muster. I ran it by mine, and it didn’t detect the bug.”
“Whatever, do it now, because I’m out of here in two minutes.” Nick was getting antsier by the minute. Every second he was still was another second Cassandra had Gracie.
This ended today. No matter what happened to him, he was going to save Gracie. He had to because he loved her.