Chapter 10
10
A nnalee tilted the phone toward Archer. He read the texts, then bit back a curse.
“That’s the reason my mother didn’t show. He got to her first just like I feared,” she said, staring at the screen, still wide-eyed and in shock. “Now, he wants money. A lot of money. There’s no way I can come up with this amount.”
Chloe leaned forward. “What is it? How much.”
“Half a million dollars.” Annalee shook her head. The defeat in her tone nailed his gut. He’d already let Owen down, and now he was letting her down, too.
“What am I supposed to do? Rob a bank?” She picked up the cell and started to type a response.
Archer reached over and covered her hand. “Let’s think this through for a minute,” he said, stopping her from a knee-jerk reaction.
“She stopped texting.” The panic in Annalee’s voice shredded his armor. “She started to say something else and then stopped. That can’t be good, right?”
“Let’s give it a second, okay?” Archer hoped like hell this was the right move. “They haven’t given any other instructions. And, at least now, we believe she’s safe.” He couldn’t say the same for Owen, but hope had seeded at the mention of us instead of me . Who else could Becca be referring to other than his brother?
“Are you sure that’s coming from your mother?” Chloe asked. Smart question. One he should have thought of first.
“Ask a test question,” he said. “Something only she would know.”
“Like my birthday?”
“Choose something that can’t be found on the internet.” What could she ask? It had to be something that wasn’t public knowledge. An idea came to him based on one of their conversations. “Ask where she was supposed to leave the note two days ago.”
Annalee took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes for a second. Then, she fired off the question.
…
Coffee shop
“It’s her.” Annalee pinched the bridge of her nose.
“She must be somewhere in the area.” The gunman had shot at them earlier, so logic said the bastard had to be close. He’d abducted Owen, which made even more sense now. “The bastard wouldn’t likely let her out of his sight. The ‘us’ she referred to must be Owen.” Was it a sweeping generalization? He hoped not. Based on the heads nodding around the table, the others agreed.
“I need to update Travis.” Chloe reached for her phone. “Tell him to come here or meet us somewhere else safe. What do you guys think? Should we wait for him or get the hell out of here?”
Annalee stood up in half a second. “Not here. I’m ready. Where do we go? Her gaze had bounced from the window to the door more times than he could count. Was she planning to split and leave him in the dust again?
The thought was a knife stab to the center of his chest after what they’d been through today. He glanced at his watch. Actually, the sun would be up soon. It was a new day.
“Kade and I will head out together,” Chloe said. “Hudson and Beau should be up by now. We all agreed to take shifts.”
“I didn’t see anything on the group chat about this.” Archer shouldn’t be caught off guard that his family would have come up with a plan on their own. Besides, the plan was logical. And smart. That way no one got so exhausted they missed an important clue.
Chloe shot a look of apology. “We created one without you and Owen. We figured that he didn’t need to know how stressed we were while he was being held captive, and you have enough on your plate without trying to help figure out a workable schedule so we always have a couple of people available to you while searching for Owen.”
It was a protective move, so he wouldn’t complain despite the sting. This must be how Beau felt because he’d been left out of most family affairs until very recently, after he’d proved himself. Since Archer understood his siblings were acting in good faith, he let it go.
This reminded him to offer the damn thank-you that Beau deserved.
“All right then,” was all he said. “Let me know who’s on and who’s off in case I need to make an emergency call.”
“Will do,” Chloe said before standing up and offering a quick hug. She embraced Annalee next and whispered something that Archer couldn’t quite catch. Whatever was said would remain between the two of them. Annalee reacted by embracing Chloe a little harder. He assumed his sister spoke some magic words of encouragement. It was magic he didn’t possess. Words had never come easy.
“I’ll cover for you both,” Archer said, grabbing one of the shotguns before heading toward the door.
Kade fished in his pocket and produced a key before tossing it toward Archer. “Take my truck.”
Archer caught it and thanked his brother, realizing how damn fortunate he was to have a family that rallied around him during a time of trouble. He always had his twin’s back and vice versa, but this was different. This was starting to make Saddle Junction feel like Archer could settle here and be happy despite all the horrible memories of Beaumont.
This felt like a new era was emerging, an era in which he could see himself happy. Did being with Annalee influence his change of heart? Archer wasn’t sure. One thing was certain, the thought of being without her left an ache in his chest. Just like old times.
“We’ll start working on getting the funds together,” Chloe said to them as she gathered her things. “Post any other instructions in the new group chat, okay? I made one without Owen just in case the kidnapper has his phone and will see what’s happening.”
“Will do,” Archer said. “Hopefully, we’ll hear something soon.”
Chloe nodded. “Try to stall. It’ll take time to figure out how to get that kind of money together since our inheritance is still tied up.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Kade motioned for Chloe to give him her shotgun. “Just ask for as much time as you can get.”
“That’ll give Travis time to do his part.” Chloe shouldered her handbag and handed her weapon over. Her tight expression said she didn’t like being unarmed.
Archer didn’t blame her. “I’ve got your backs, Chloe. Plus, the bastard probably fled as far away as possible after the two of you chased him.”
“He’s a slippery sucker,” Chloe said with a small headshake. “We were so close.”
“He’ll turn up again, or Travis will get to him first.” The reassurance felt hollow. Archer repeated it in his mind to cement it, hoping that would make it come true.
Kade surprised Archer with a bear hug, as did Chloe. They hugged Annalee, too, and he could have sworn he saw more of that moisture gather in her eyes.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said to his siblings.
“Who will walk you out?” Chloe immediately shot back.
Kade was already shaking his head. “Grab your stuff. We’ll go out together.”
“Still not sure where I’m headed.” And Archer was out of ideas.
“You’ll be safest at the main house,” Kade said.
The thought of a hot shower and a fresh cup of coffee was too tempting to pass up. Annalee was already busy gathering up their supplies. One look at her said she wouldn’t put up a fight.
“Okay, then,” he said. “To the main house but first we need the backpack since it’ll be safer at the ranch house with so many people around.”
The four of them left Sky’s The Limit after grabbing it from the ceiling and locking the door behind them. Archer made a mental note to make sure the family made payment arrangements for any damage caused while they’d used the place as a temporary sanctuary.
In the truck, Archer started the engine and followed Chloe down the lane. It was better this way. The bastard would think twice before a second attack while they had safety in numbers.
A chopper buzzed by overhead, using a high-intensity searchlight to scan the area. The early morning sun would make an appearance soon, making the search easier on law enforcement.
Annalee’s cell buzzed. She sucked in a breath.
“What does it say?”
“To call off the law right now or they die.”
The call to Chloe took Archer two seconds. Annalee listened as he explained the situation and then ended the call. Not a minute later, the chopper headed back from where it had come.
“Change of plans,” he said, white-knuckling the steering wheel. “We are to meet up at the sheriff’s office instead.”
“Okay.” Trying to process the turn of events while sleep-deprived short-circuited Annalee’s brain. At least it made sense now why her mother hadn’t shown up at the coffee shop. And, more importantly, her mother was alive.
“I’m sorry about your mother, Annalee.”
Those words provided comfort she knew better than to allow because where would they be during the next crisis? And there would be another crisis, knowing Becca.
“You and your mother must be very close.”
“It will probably make me an awful person to admit this under the circumstances, but I’m exhausted by her.”
“That makes you an honest person, not a bad one.”
If only she believed him.
Annalee exhaled. “She gets herself into these terrible relationships with the worst kind of men.”
“That must be hard to watch.”
“It is,” she said. “I’ve tried telling her to leave them, and then she accuses me of not giving them a chance. Says that I don’t see all the good things they do, and that she’s just venting when she complains about them to me.” Annalee bit back what she really wanted to say about the jerks and abusers. “My mother is a magnet for lowlifes and doesn’t seem ready to change.” She exhaled a little slower. She’d never been able to talk to anyone about her mother. Being able to be honest was not just refreshing but allowed her to release some of the pent-up anger she’d been holding in for far too long.
“Trying to help someone who isn’t ready to be helped can backfire,” he said.
“Exactly.” She couldn’t agree more. No matter how delicately she’d tried to approach the subject, her mother had always jumped to the defense of her current beau. “I just wish she could see that she’s better than that. You know? That she deserves to be with someone who will treat her right instead of these asshats who use her for a place to stay and make promises, all the while treating her like dirt.”
“People can be real jerks,” he said, disgusted. Archer had never treated her with anything other than kindness. When the other kids had tried to bully her, he’d defended her. When her mother hadn’t supplied food, he’d sneaked groceries to her door.
This was normal for Archer, like everyone should behave in the same manner, treating others with respect and standing up for those who could use a friend. Annalee had been good at sticking up for herself. At a cost. In order to show a brave face, she’d had to put up defensive walls. Had she built them up so high and so thick no one could ever get past them?
Did she really want to answer that?
Archer.
He’d been the one person who’d chipped away at her defenses. The only one who’d proved that she could trust him.
And how had she treated him?
She’d freaked out, closed up, and cut him out of her world.
So, yeah, getting close to him again would only cause more heartache, even though a little voice in the back of her mind said this time would be different. She was an adult now and could let someone in. Let him in.
Even the thought caused hives to welt the skin of her arms and chest. Panic gripped her like she was being chased by the bastard who’d abducted Owen and her mother.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, people only change when they’re ready, and there isn’t anything you can do to change that no matter how much you might want to,” Archer said, cutting into her thoughts. Had he learned the lesson the hard way because of her?
Annalee wanted to apologize for her past actions and let him know that she’d been running scared and that none of that had been his fault. The words fell short, dying on her lips. Wasn’t he the one who’d once said words were cheap and that actions spoke louder?
“These jerks somehow convince my mother she’d be worse off without them,” she said, forcing her thoughts away from the past and back into the present. “So, she lets them stay, and they’ve gotten her into all kinds of bad situations, from being busted for having drugs on her that she didn’t even realize she was carrying to a Ponzi scheme that almost got her arrested. She fell for a real estate scam by giving my social security number out for some jerkoff to get a shady loan.”
“You’d think at some point she would learn from her mistakes,” he said before adding, “I know I have.”
Was the last bit referring specifically to her?
“I never have to wonder where I got my bullheadedness from,” Annalee said, trying to lighten the heavy mood. “When the woman digs her heels in, she really commits and no amount of evidence can convince her otherwise.” And then she turned the tables on him. “What about you? Considering the kiss we shared, I know you’re not in a relationship. Is there no one around you’d consider dating?”
“I just got back into town.” His voice tightened. “And I don’t do serious if that’s what you mean. Dating is fine. Spending time together is great. But it’s time to have a talk when they show up with an overnight bag and a toothbrush.”
Why did his response catch her off guard? Archer had always struck her as the settling-down type.
“Are you telling me there’s been no one serious?”
“Not in a long time,” he said.
Not since her?