Chapter 4
4
N ight had fallen, and there was still no word from Owen or Hudson. There was no reason not to hope the two were together, somewhere safe, other than the niggling feeling something was bad wrong—a feeling Archer couldn’t shake.
The events of the day had thrown him off balance.
On the flip side, cell connections were lost in plenty of areas out on the ranch. Plus, Owen had a bad habit of letting his battery run down. The man refused, as he put it, to spend the price of a laptop on a new phone no matter how many times Archer had reminded him that it was a business expense. Owen was as stubborn as a damn post when he put his mind to something.
Archer couldn’t fault his brother because he had the same fault. And that same stubbornness had caused Archer to end up back at Sky’s The Limit, searching the area for clues that Black Hat had been Annalee and not a figment of his imagination. He needed to prove that he was right to himself and his family, and this was the best place to find evidence. Plus, he didn’t like the thought of his vehicle and house key sitting on the ground somewhere.
Mentally, he was still off. The shock of seeing her, of feeling that familiar pang of regret, had him shaken up. Then there was the lack of response from his brothers after everyone had reached out to them, eating away at the back of his mind. If Owen or Hudson sent a text in the group chat, everyone would be able to exhale. As it was, all of Archer’s siblings promised to keep looking until the others were found or turned up on their own. Even Beau was pitching in to help with the search.
Until recent events, not much good or bad ever happened in Saddle Junction. As far as he knew, that hadn’t changed in the years he’d lived on a horse ranch in another state. Some folks whispered Beaumont’s death had brought a crime wave to their front door. Growing up here, Archer’s life had been lived under a microscope, which was a big part of why he preferred to be outdoors and far away from people.
Archer ventured away from the parking lot and into the woods. In his youth, he’d spent most of his free time exploring. The woods had been his second home. This particular area might not be as familiar to him, but he could always navigate using his cell, and he knew enough to get back to a road if it failed.
Light beams up ahead caught his attention. The trees were too thick to see what was going on, so Archer jogged to get a closer look.
An abandoned sedan, crashed into a tree, sat five feet in front of him. What the hell?
The driver’s door was still open. The airbag deployed.
He circled the vehicle to get a closer look. At least the windshield was intact, and there was no blood splatter that he could see on the inside of the vehicle. He fished out his cell to report the incident to Travis, then checked the screen.
No bars.
Shit. Where was a cell tower when you needed one?
He immediately walked the perimeter of the area to see if the driver had crawled out and was lying nearby, injured from the impact.
After clearing the area, he returned to the sedan.
At least the camera on his phone worked. He took pictures of the Louisiana license plate before taking a few steps back to photograph the scene. Next, he surveyed the interior of the car. A grocery bag had tumbled onto the passenger floorboard, spilling protein bars and fruit onto the carpet mat. There were roughly a half dozen bottles of water, too.
Were these survival items for someone on the run? From what? The law? An ex? A husband? A stalker?
Why come here unless the person had some tie to Saddle Junction?
Could he find out who the car was registered to? Figure out at least one answer to his mounting questions. The papers should be in the glove box. He didn’t want to leave his fingerprints in case this turned out to be a crime scene, so he was careful as he opened the glove box.
It turned out to be empty. Not one service receipt. Not an insurance card, though many of those were digital now instead of paper copies. The lack of paperwork inside the glove box pushed the theory someone was on the run.
Was it Annalee?
Once he got cell service again, he would text the pictures to Travis so the sheriff could run the plates. In the floorboard of the backseat, he saw something familiar. The Black Hat. Careful not to mix his fingerprints with hers, he picked up the hat and gleaned a strand of hair. Long. Red. It was the color of autumn.
He snapped a picture of the hat before setting it on the backseat. This proved he wasn’t losing his marbles, in his own mind at least. A single strand of hair might not convince the others he’d seen Annalee, but it was enough confirmation for him.
Dammit. He wished he could call the sheriff. Being out of range also meant he wouldn’t know if Owen or Hudson had responded to the panicked texts Chloe had sent in the group chat.
But right now, he had a missing driver and evidence that pointed to that driver being Annalee. All kinds of questions flooded him about what the hell she would be doing showing up incognito. Not to mention what had caused her to run away from The Sky’s The Limit, crash her vehicle, and then disappear. What kind of trouble could she possibly be in that would bring her back here?
Based on the tire tracks, she must have stashed the vehicle fifteen feet back. When he’d followed her earlier, he hadn’t seen any vehicles leave the parking lot. It would have been easy for her to duck behind a car until he went back inside.
Again, why show up? Why run?
The timing of her appearance coinciding with Owen’s disappearance struck him as odd. His imagination might be playing tricks, but it was impossible not to suspect the two events were somehow connected.
But how?
As far as he knew, Annalee and Owen hadn’t communicated. Owen would have said something to Archer. His twin had had a bird’s eye view of the wreckage she’d caused years ago.
Setting those thoughts aside, he refocused on the scene. Based on the crash site, concern that she might be lost in the woods with a concussion, or worse, struck. Or had she been dragged from the vehicle? Had she come to Saddle Junction for refuge or escape? Had she reached out to Owen?
More questions flooded him, but right now, he needed to shelve them and search for Annalee.
The sound of twigs snapping to his left sent a cold chill racing up his spine. The tracks sounded human and like someone was running toward the vehicle. His suspicion that Annalee was being chased resurfaced.
The safe thing to do would be to hide and wait. There were other possibilities besides Annalee coming back. The jealous boyfriend, ex, stalker—whatever—could have hurt her and was running back to destroy evidence before the crash site was discovered by the law.
Until Archer knew what he was dealing with, he needed to move the hell out of sight.
Repositioning so that he could monitor the site while staying out of view, Archer put a safe distance between him and the vehicle. For the second time today, he wished he’d brought his shotgun along.
Since wishes were as useful as trying to bribe a bobcat with a dollar bill, he tucked them away and crouched down low, ready to pounce and subdue whoever came bursting through the trees. Based on the direction of the twig snaps, the person was bolting toward the driver’s side. He’d positioned away from the headlights’ beams and behind a pair of mesquites. This way, he could react to the person before they could get to the driver’s seat, close the door, and lock him out.
If this was Annalee, he would demand answers. If this was her boyfriend, spouse, stalker—whatever—Archer would sit on the individual until the person revealed her location and he confirmed she was physically fine and had a safe place to go after leaving here.
Now, all he had to do was wait. Based on the nearness of the ruckus moving in his direction, he wouldn’t be waiting long.
Annalee bolted through the trees. Branches slapped her in the face and torso, but she had to suck it up or risk being caught. Someone or something had found her, and she wouldn’t get out of these woods alive if she didn’t push. Physically, her stress levels shot through the roof, and it was about more than the current predicament. A volcano had been brimming inside her for too many years and was finally erupting.
An adrenaline spike kept her moving despite the bile rising in her throat. Her body hurt. Her heart ached, and she felt sick. Best to let this storm of emotions roll through her than attempt to fight the emotional equivalent of scorching lava and ash. Fighting would only make the fire burn hotter.
Besides, she was most likely about to be caught anyway. At least she would know the identity of the asshole who’d murdered someone and was trying to erase the evidence before she died. Annalee wouldn’t go down without a fight. Not as long as air filled her lungs.
From behind, she heard a heavy snort. No way could she risk turning around to see what had made the noise. Was it an animal? A human? Hell, if she knew. What little distance separated her from the predator chasing her would evaporate if she glanced back. Based on the sounds coming from behind, the predator was closing in.
Could she get to her vehicle before being caught?
Lights ahead said she was getting close. She most likely never would have found her way back without them, which meant she couldn’t have been gone long. Didn’t they automatically shut off at some point?
The random thought was joined by others, like who was really after her and how in the hell was she going to get out of this alive?
Racing toward the headlights, her heart battered the inside of her ribcage. The pinch in her side was back, along with the fear she would always be running from something or someone. When would it end?
Annalee’s toe caught in scrub brush, causing her to face-plant. Her head landed dangerously close to a tree trunk. Hopping to her feet, there was no time to survey the damage, no matter how much her arm shrieked in pain. She’d been jabbed by something. She could figure it out later.
Arms pumping, she realized she’d left the backpack behind while in her current panicked state. With a curse, she resolved to go back and get it once she was out of danger from the predator chasing her.
The heavy snorts suddenly stopped. Did that mean her pursuer had fallen? Given up? It would be too lucky and too easy if the latter was true.
The lights were close, and she hadn’t been snatched yet despite the fear a meaty hand would grab her and jerk her backward. It was too soon to hope she could somehow get out of these woods without serious injury and still alive. Two thoughts plagued her at the thought of dying. The first was of her mother. What would happen to Becca if Annalee couldn’t deliver on her promise to keep the evidence safe until her mother could figure out a plan? The second was of Archer. A piece of her heart crumbled at the thought of never seeing him again, never being able to rectify the past and tell him how sorry she was for being such a jerk. Would he believe her if she confessed that lying to him had been the only way she could walk away from him?
The man had most likely moved on a long time ago. He probably barely remembered her name at this point.
Gasping for air in her lungs, Annalee used her frustration and anger to fuel her. It gave her the strength to push a little harder and run a little faster.
Until a male figure stepped out of nowhere, blocking her path to the vehicle.
Running smack into him, she hit a solid walled chest and bounced back a step. Strong, familiar arms wrapped around her, keeping her from falling flat on her backside.
“Annalee?” Archer’s deep timbre was as smooth as whiskey over ice, and it caused the skin on her arms to rise in goosebumps.
But she couldn’t focus on the reaction her body was having to this man right now. “We have to get out of here, Archer. It’s not safe.”
“We aren’t going anywhere until you tell me what the hell’s going on,” came the response. His tone said there was no room for argument.
“My life is in danger,” she said, hating that she was practically pleading as she risked a glance behind her. Had he scared off the predator? Or was it regrouping? “And so is yours as long as we’re together.” She blinked at him. “Let me go so I can get out of here. I’m trouble for you, Archer.” She left out, and I always have been.
Archer’s gaze scanned the area behind her. Considering the man’s height, it was easy to look over her head. “I don’t see any threat, so why don’t you come with me, and you can explain why you’re in Saddle Junction.” He was leaving something out. Something he wanted to say to her. She’d always been able to read him when they stood toe-to-toe.
The reason dawned on her.
“Tell me you know where Owen is,” she said.
“That’s the problem.” Archer released his grip on her arms. “My twin has disappeared, and I have a feeling this is somehow connected to you, considering I highly doubt you came back to town to pay respects to Harrison Guidry or Beaumont.”
She gave a small headshake to confirm his theory and considered her options.
Whatever had been chasing her seemed to think better of showing itself now that she was with Archer. The term safety in numbers might apply, and she could exhale the breath she’d been holding now. Plus, she clearly didn’t have the evidence on her.
Annalee needed to take Archer up on his offer. Would he lower his guard? Could she ditch him and circle back to the woods?
Right now, he might be the only thing keeping her alive.
“We can’t stay here,” she said. “Where do you want to go?”