Chapter 30
30
Hardy didn’t know where to take Timothy. His original plan had been to take him to Carter’s. The house was enormous and there was a section near the kitchen that could be secured.
Between him and Carter, Timothy wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble. Plus, if needed, they would be able to take advantage of Beverly’s relationship with the kid. He might not remember her, but Bev sure remembered him, and also knew a few other guys that had joined the gang. And his sister was great with those kids. At the very least she could advise Hardy about what to say to Timothy.
On the other hand, he didn’t want Stephanie to see or hear him at all. He still wanted to protect her. Protect her body, protect her heart. He wanted to do whatever he could to make this awful situation more bearable for her.
If that was even possible.
Even if Stephanie did end up seeing Timothy again, at least Hardy would be close by.
But now that he and Carter had separated and at least two gang members had followed Timothy to the ranch, there was no way Hardy was going to do anything to put the women in danger.
Therefore, he elected to take Timothy to the cabin where Stephanie had first stayed on the ranch. It was out of the way, which would keep Timothy isolated on the off chance that everything went wrong and somehow Timothy got the best of him. That was unlikely, but Hardy had seen lots of the best-laid plans go sideways when he was in the military and on patrol.
One of his guys used to say that the best plan was Plan D, because that meant that there were three other plans to go through first.
At the last minute, he decided to park behind a different cabin. It was a risk to take. If he needed to get to the main house or meet Carter somewhere, he was going to have to run fifty yards to get back to the truck.
On the other hand, he wanted the area to look vacant in case the gang members on foot spied his truck.
Now all he had to do was get Timothy inside without screaming for help or putting up a fight.
The zip ties would likely keep him from being too difficult, but he wasn’t gagged. Yet, he mentally added. He wasn’t gagged yet . He could absolutely take care of that if it was needed.
When he parked the vehicle, he turned off the lights. The darkness enveloped them. That, with the rain and wind continually pelting the vehicle, made it feel like they were completely isolated.
When he turned around, Hardy could barely make out Timothy’s face. However, he did see enough to meet the kid’s eyes. They were filled with stress and dread and exhaustion. The kid had been through the wringer and was out of both hope and faith. It was very obvious that he didn’t expect to be alive in the morning.
All of his will seemed to have faded from him as well. Timothy simply stared. Not daring to say a word.
It was time to get going.
“Here’s what we’re going to do, Timothy. I’m going to get out, go get you, and then together we’re going to walk to that cabin over there.”
Timothy nodded.
“I’m carrying my favorite gun. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve much. You’ve already taken a man’s life and shot at an innocent woman.” He barely refrained from mentioning how perfect Stephanie was and how wrong it would have been if Timothy had snuffed out her life.
He took a breath and continued. “In addition, your continual need to focus on only yourself has caused everything that’s happened. Your ex is in danger. So is Stephanie. So are you. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the people who were affected by your actions.”
“Then what?” Timothy scoffed, suddenly throwing attitude. “What are you going to do to me when we get out of this truck?”
“We’re going to talk.”
A grimace passed over Timothy’s face.
Hardy reckoned Timothy was imagining a whole world of possible scenarios, none of them good. But, if he had to bet, he reckoned Timothy believed he was about to be interrogated. If their positions were switched, that’s what he would have been thinking.
“Do you understand?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to gag you.”
“Whatever, though it ain’t necessary. I came to you, remember? If I wanted the other guys to find me, I wouldn’t be here.”
“All right then. We’ll go without the gag.”
The kid’s eyes widened. “You believe me?”
“I have so far, right?” When Timothy turned silent again, Hardy figured there was nothing left to say. After yet another burst of lightning flashed overhead, he opened his door and got out, opened Timothy’s door, and then guided him out of the truck.
And then they started walking.
No fifty yards had ever felt so long or foreboding. The land underfoot was soggy and slick.
Beside him, Timothy kept pace, though his steps were a little wobblier, on account of his hands being tied and being unable to balance himself.
He had to stop when a fierce burst of wind tore through the field, pelting them with cold raindrops and debris. If the temperature had been a little warmer, Hardy knew he’d be watching the sky for funnel clouds.
Only when they reached the cabin did something occur to Hardy. Timothy never said how he found Stephanie. Only those on the ranch and the sheriff knew she was here.
And just like that, everything he’d believed that was true was tossed on its side again. Timothy got his information from someone. And that someone was still out there, working against him.
That idea stuck in his throat like a piece of meat that he hadn’t chewed enough. Threatening to choke him.
Only with years of training did he refrain from mentioning it while he unlocked the door and ushered them both inside. “Stay here,” he ordered.
Timothy’s eyes widened at the new tone, but he didn’t say a word.
Instead, he barely moved. Dripping on the little rug that Stephanie had placed next to the door when she’d told Hardy that his boots were bringing in mud and grass onto her cleanly swept floors.
Practically hearing her chide him for not taking off his boots, he walked farther into the tidy, compact cabin and then quickly pulled down the shades. Needing at least a little bit of light, he lit a candle before returning to stand in front of Timothy.
To his surprise, the kid had been leaning against the wall and his eyes were closed. Was he so comfortable that he was able to fall asleep?
Or was he so weak and exhausted that his body was taking any opportunity to recharge?
Or had Dan been right, and the kid was jacked up on something?
“What is going on with you?” he bit out.
“You know.”
“No. All I know is that you never told me how you knew the Amish girl was here. Who told you?”
“No one.”
“I want the truth, Timothy.”
“Fine. Bev once told me about this ranch. She’d joked that it was so big that someone could hide on the property for weeks. I started thinking that maybe she’d told the girl about it too.”
“And you knew what ranch she was talking about?”
“No. I mean, not at first.” Fresh agitation entered Timothy’s eyes. “I started asking around. Turns out everyone knows about this ranch and all the people who work here. I left my car on the road and then walked to the guard gate.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Timothy shrugged. “It don’t really matter what you believe. It’s the truth. My car’s out there for anyone to see.”
Hardy doubted it. “I’m thinking that maybe you got your information from someone on the ranch’s payroll. And maybe you’re thinking that Carter Russell was an easy target. That he had a ton of money and not enough people to keep trespassers off the property. Maybe you decided to take advantage of that fact.” He lowered his voice. “Or that maybe we wouldn’t turn you over to the sheriff after we learn what you plan to do with the Amish girl.” He didn’t bother to hide his contempt for the kid. “What are you planning to do, Timothy?”
“Nothing!” he screamed. “I’m not planning anything! I never meant to shoot her in the first place. The gun went off.” He shuddered. “Then everything went sideways and I was in trouble.”
“Well, yeah.”
“No. It was because a group of the Arrows were there, hiding.” Glaring at him, Timothy raised his voice. “They were there to watch me get money owed to Stew from some drug dealer. It was my initiation.” He released a ragged sigh. “But I messed it up. I killed him when I wasn’t supposed to. And I didn’t get the money. I messed everything up and I’ve been in trouble ever since.”
“You should’ve gone to the police.”
“Yeah, right. Like they would have believed anything I said.”
Hardy was getting tired of listening to Timothy’s excuses. “You were a prospect. They would’ve listened to a lot of things you had to say about the Arrows.”
“It doesn’t matter now anyway. I didn’t go to the cops, and Kane gave me my orders. I had to find that Amish girl and make sure she didn’t talk.”
“So. Why do you want to go into police custody now?”
“Because if the police are involved now, they can help Audrey. I love her. I don’t know what the Arrows will do to her, I don’t want to think what they’ll do! No matter what happens to me, I need her safe.”
Against his will, Hardy felt sorry for the guy. Not much, but he knew enough about growing up around a bunch of bad kids with no future that he could sympathize. “Maybe it’s an empty threat.”
“It’s not. They’ve done stuff to other girls.” Tears filled Timothy’s eyes. “Kane made her talk to me on his phone. He said she’s being watched too. Audrey can’t get away. It’s all on me.”
“If you need my help, why did you set us up tonight?”
“I didn’t.”
“Come on. You didn’t distract me and Carter just to get those other guys on the property?”
“No. They ... they got there on their own.”
Something wasn’t ringing true. “Timothy. I can’t help you stay out of prison, but I can help you stay alive.”
“Don’t you understand what I’m saying? My life is already ruined. It was bad before I joined the gang and it’s a whole lot worse now. Someone from the Arrows is going to make sure I die. If not tonight, then in prison. And if there’s some reason that I’m not either tied up in this cabin or in a jail cell, someone else from the gang will track me down before the sun comes up.”
“And you believe them? You think they’re that powerful?”
Timothy looked at Hardy directly in the eyes. “I believe them enough to be standing here talking to you.”