Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
K elly tried to keep her shaking under control. She wasn’t stupid. Sam wouldn’t have shot down that drone if it hadn’t posed a danger. Maybe a direct danger to her. What if the person on the other end of that device was Nathan or one of his men? What if they were looking for her?
Sam didn’t rush faster than she could keep up, but certainly faster than they’d come. He seemed in a hurry to get back to the house. Zeus kept at her side, though she couldn’t recall Sam telling him to do that.
“Is everything all right?” The question sounded stupid to her ears. Why was she always asking the obvious?
“I just want to make sure you’re close to more protection. I don’t know who this device was after. Could be any one of you, or none of you. A few guys came yesterday who are a lot smarter than I am when it comes to gadgets. I’m hoping they can figure out what this thing was looking for.”
Now she understood why Sam had only shot one of the propellers off and waited for it to crash, instead of shooting the center of the device. “Do you think you can get information off of it?”
He shrugged, but pressed forward at a rapid pace. “Not sure. That isn’t my thing. I train dogs. I don’t have anything to do with drones.”
Other than being an excellent shot at them. She shoved her hands in her pockets, suddenly chilled to the bone. If Nathan or one of his men had been controlling the device, they’d probably seen her. That thing could’ve been flying in the air for a while before Zeus noticed it. She hadn’t heard it until one of the propellers was missing, making it weave around until it crashed into the ground.
Kelly moved a little closer behind Sam. Having him right there and the giant dog at her side gave her a small measure of security. The tall barn came into view ahead and her dread warred with her fear inside her. All those buildings had given her a feeling of being watched before. Yet it had been when she’d given up her fear that something bad had actually happened.
Her initial feeling was to question herself, yet that hadn’t helped her so far. Sam said she would learn new ways to handle life without so many questions. That meant she had to look at what she’d been through recently to start making decisions, not what she’d been through before coming to Wayside.
“I’m safer there, in the cabins and buildings, aren’t I?”
Sam took a moment to look at her, and those gentle hazel eyes melted some of the frost around her heart.
“I believe so, but I didn’t think I’d be putting you in danger by taking you for a walk or I wouldn’t have.”
She hadn’t meant to accuse him. “I didn’t think you would. But the barn and big house kind of scare me. Connor scares me.” She hadn’t admitted that to anyone but herself.
“Only small measures of learned trust will help you feel better. You won’t immediately trust anyone, and that’s a good thing.”
Except she had immediately trusted him. Even after he’d walked away from her, hurt her in what had felt deeper and more personal than any other things she’d been through, she’d still trusted him. She’d tried to blame him at the time, but coming face-to-face with him, she’d felt deeply like the divide between them was her fault. It always would be.
“Distrust is a good thing,” she repeated. She’d never learned that before.
“Distrust is self-preservation until you can relearn body and facial cues that give us clues about who is trustworthy and who isn’t. When all else fails, trust your gut. God gave it to you for a reason.” Sam came up short as a car pulled up the drive. He reached out and tugged her behind him. Zeus lowered his head, and a soft growl came from his chest.
“Who is that?” There was something familiar about the vehicle or maybe the driver. The car came to a stop and the engine shut off.
Nathan emerged from the car and Kelly gasped, burying her face in Sam’s shoulder. Zeus took her cue and his growl deepened as he moved into a protective stance.
Connor’s voice came from her right, and she peeked over Sam’s shoulder.
“Can I help you with something? Are you lost?”
Nathan laughed and she recognized it as fake. Would Connor? “I’m looking for my girlfriend. She was kidnapped a few months ago. I got a tip from the police to check at a halfway house. They told me she was somewhere out here. Any idea where I can find Kelly Chambers?”
Sam inched her closer to the barn, holding her in place behind him.
Connor answered, keeping Nathan’s attention. “I don’t know a Kelly Chambers.”
Nathan looked their way and his gaze dropped to the drone in Sam’s hand. “I think you’re lying.” He strode toward Sam.
Kelly’s legs turned to jelly, and she couldn’t move, couldn’t run. Nathan would take her away. He’d take her somewhere no one could find her. He’d kill her and he’d brag about it to whoever would listen, back where he was safe from police.
“Stop right there. If you come any closer, I’ll call the police,” Sam said, his hand moving to his pistol.
“Call the police? What are they going to do? We’re at least twenty minutes from town. I just want my girlfriend back. You might think you’re doing the right thing, but she’ll trick you. She’s wily like that. Let me take her off your hands. You want to come back with me, don’t you Kelly?”
Sam moved his hand out, preventing her from going even if she’d thought about it. She hadn’t planned to, but the protection was something she wasn’t used to.
Connor stomped off the steps, his footfalls heavy and intimidating. He stood more than a head taller than Nathan. “I think it’s time you get off my property. If your girlfriend decides to return to you, she’ll ask to go. Until she does, consider yourself unwelcome here.”
“You’ll pay for that drone you destroyed.” He pointed at Sam’s hand. “You don’t have any clue who you’re dealing with.”
Connor laughed. “I think we do. Tell Evie that Kelly isn’t going anywhere.”
She heard Nathan’s gasp and peeked from behind Sam’s shoulder. Nathan scowled at her, his eyes as cold as ice. “This isn’t finished. I’ll be back.”
“Bring the police with you next time. Otherwise, you’re not welcome here,” Connor said. Sam shifted his position in front of her and she felt momentarily exposed. In that second, Nathan stared at her.
“You owe me. I’ve done so much for you, given you food and a roof over your head, protected you when everyone kicked you to the curb, and this is how you repay me? Did you try to send the police after me? They didn’t believe you. No one will ever believe you. You’re nothing but a?—”
Sam turned to cover her ears and the sound of his hands brushing against her thankfully drowned out whatever Nathan called her, but the sentiment hung in the air like smoke.
How could she defend herself? She’d reported his name and where she’d thought she’d been held, yet here he was. Didn’t that prove he was right?
“Kelly, let’s go inside.” Sam tried to direct her steps, but she wanted to see Nathan leave, never mind that her feet were planted and she couldn’t have left on her own if she’d wanted to.
“Want to go out, Kelly? You know you enjoyed it. You agreed the first time. You agreed every time. You liked it.”
“Stop. Right now.” Connor took a few more steps toward Nathan .
“What are you going to do, big man? I haven’t threatened you, so there’s nothing you can do.”
Kelly’s spirit shriveled and all sense of freedom vanished like it had never been there. Nathan was right. They couldn’t do anything, and she would never be free. Worse, now Sam and Connor would believe that she was crude and disgusting, that she wanted the attention she’d had to endure for so long. “No,” she said too quietly for anyone but Sam to hear. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Sam had never been more thankful to see Lacy come running out of the house, though he couldn’t say Connor looked all that happy about it.
“Lacy, help Kelly get back to her cabin.” He looked Kelly right in the eyes. “I’ll come see you in a minute. I didn’t believe a word of that. Just go. She’ll help you.”
He couldn’t leave Connor alone to face Nathan without backup, but that left Kelly in the open until Lacy had come out.
Lacy jogged over to Kelly and threaded her arm through Kelly’s. “Let’s get you back to your cabin, but we’ll take the long way. No one needs to know which one is yours.”
Praise God Lacy always thought ahead. No one said anything until Lacy and Kelly had disappeared into the barn. Sam went over to Connor’s side, so they showed a unified front. This guy wasn’t getting any further and the goal was to get him to leave. Unfortunately, they couldn’t just pull a weapon and make him go until he did something that threatened their lives .
Dominic came out of the ranch house next and stood up on the porch. The man was just as intimidating as Connor, maybe more so because Dominic wasn’t readable like Connor.
“You need to leave now. There is nothing for you here.” Connor crossed his arms and widened his stance. He knew he was intimidating, though perhaps not to a man like Nathan.
“You have something of mine. I don’t plan to go anywhere until I get it back.” Nathan stared at Connor.
“It?” Dominic growled. “What, exactly, do we have that’s yours?”
“I don’t need to tell you anything. If you think herding Kelly off to her cabin is going to keep me from her, you’re wrong. I will see her. Looks to me like you’re keeping her in a little prison here. Wonder how long it will take her to fly your little coop, too?” he snorted.
Sam tensed and though he wasn’t the kind to start a fight, the desire to punch Nathan in the face crossed his mind.
“Just stay here. He’s baiting you. He wants to get one of us to make the first move so he can attack. Don’t give it to him.” Connor raised his head again, directing his words to Nathan once more. “You can leave now, or I will call the police. If you think the police will be on your side, then please call them. I’d like to see what Officer Blake has to say about your story. I’m sure he’d find it as interesting as we do.” Sarcasm practically dripped from Connor’s words.
Nathan snorted again. “I’m not calling the police.” He backed away two steps toward his car. “I can promise you that you will see me again. But if you know Evie, then you already know that. Next time, it won’t be a drone that checks things out first. It will be an army. You have one last chance. Give me what is mine or you will not live to see next month.”
“That sounds like a threat,” Dominic rested his hand over the Glock on his hip.
“It is, but until he makes good on it, our hands will remain at the ready,” Connor said.
“That’s right. Wouldn’t want to make yourselves look bad.” Nathan opened his car door. “I guess I’ll just have to get my property back the old-fashioned way. You won’t win. We literally never fail. It isn’t hard to keep business going.”
Sam’s stomach knotted at the way Nathan could talk about people, human life, as worth nothing. He didn’t care about anyone other than himself. Sam had never met someone so far away from God that being near him actually made the hair on Sam’s arms stand on end.
Nathan got into his car, turned it on, backed from where he’d parked and drove away. Yet the feeling after he left lingered like a stench.
“Those were some big threats,” Dominic crossed his arms as he leaned against the porch railing.
“I understand now why the halfway house was so concerned about tracking, but it’s too late for that,” Connor said.
Sam glanced between the two men. “You don’t really think the halfway house gave him any information, do you? Why would they be so worried about her safety, yet tell Nathan where she was?”
Connor shook his head. “I doubt it. I doubt anything he said was the truth. How he found her doesn’t matter though, he did. Our job is to keep her protected.”
“Do I need to bring in more of my men?” asked Dominic. “If you need, just say the word. ”
“Thank you,” Connor muttered. “I’m not interested in terrifying everyone just yet, but I also want to make sure everyone is safe. I need to notify Nixon and let him know what just happened.”
“We should probably tell the halfway house that all bets are off with our tracking technology. We need to be able to see every inch of Wayside,” Sam said as he followed Connor to the house. He wanted to go see Kelly, but he wanted to give Lacy time to calm her. Women were better about that than men, or at least better than he was.
“One thing I want everyone here to know: if they stay here they are safe. Period,” Connor slammed the door open and stomped into the lodge.