Chapter 13
13
A rcher didn’t care what Travis said. He was going to the site where his brother was being held captive. No, he wouldn’t do anything fool-hearted like go running in the woods like a bull through a China shop. He would use common sense and his knowledge of the area to his advantage.
Beau was already heading toward the door with Hudson beside him.
“Tell us where to meet up, or do you want us to follow you?” Hudson asked Archer.
“Wait,” Travis said. “Let’s all settle down for a minute so we can come up with a plan.”
“We’ve wasted enough time.” Archer couldn’t disagree more. He had no idea how much time Owen and Becca had left. Just because they were alive right now didn’t mean the situation couldn’t turn on a dime. The other possibility was the picture had been manipulated.
“Should I ask about the drop?” Annalee tugged at his arm. “Keep communicating. Because I’m afraid it might seem weird if I go dark now.”
“Can you go ahead and like the message?” Archer asked.
“I can do that.”
She did. “Now what?”
“We can talk about it in the truck.”
“Is there anything I can say to make you guys wait a few minutes?” Travis asked.
“Can you guarantee waiting will save Owen and Becca’s lives?” There was no other reason Archer would consider sticking around another minute.
“You know that I can’t.” Travis sounded resigned. “Except that I care about what happens to Owen and Becca, too. I might not know Annalee’s mother personally, but Owen is my brother-in-law.” Travis walked over and stood directly in front of the door. “The last thing I want is to let Chloe or any of you down, least of all Owen. One thing is certain. If we work together, we have a better chance of getting those two out alive.”
“Then, follow us. Be part of it.”
“I made an oath and have to follow through proper channels.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.” As long as they didn’t cost lives, Archer would prefer to ensure the people responsible spent the rest of their lives behind bars in addition to getting his family back in one piece, alive. “The barn is on private property, and you have our full permission to investigate the case as needed. You’re welcome to scour the land and any buildings there. Is that what you need to move forward? Because I can get the entire family to consent if you need to hear the words from us individually.”
“I stand with Archer,” Beau said. “I give permission.”
“Same here,” Hudson chimed in. “I give full permission.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Travis finally said, looking resigned to work with them instead of against them or allowing them to go by themselves. “Let’s go get Owen and Becca back safely.”
After a two-minute deliberation about where on the farm road to meet so the suspect didn’t hear their vehicles pulling up, everyone scattered like buckshot to their vehicles. Travis said he would update Chloe on the way over, and that she could bring Kade up to speed.
Archer helped Annalee into the passenger seat of Kade’s truck. He immediately came around the front and claimed the driver’s side.
Hold on. Should he walk Annalee straight into the mouth of the beast?
“I can drop you off at the main house,” he said to her as he backed out of the parking spot. “That way you’ll be safe while we go after the bastard.”
“No way, Archer. I need to go as much as you do.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you, of all people, would understand that I couldn’t walk away right now if I wanted to. To be clear, I don’t want to.”
“I only made the suggestion to give you an out,” he said. “The last thing I want is for you to walk into danger or have something happen to you.”
If luck was on their side, they would wrap up this case in a matter of an hour or less and bring everyone home safely. Could he have a conversation with her afterward about where they should go from here? Did she want to have next steps with him? Or had she been caught up in old times when they’d kissed? Because he’d been damn certain she’d felt every bit of the electricity pinging between them, heating the room better than a stove.
All this time, he’d been holding out for the real deal. What if he’d found it at seventeen?
“Life never issues guarantees, Archer.”
“No, it does not.”
“I think it’s about time ‘something’ happened to me,” she continued, throwing him off track. So much so, that his mouth dropped open. “I’ve been so worried about being hurt that I’ve never allowed anything good or bad to happen. I can see that so clearly now.” She paused while he was trying to regain composure. “I shut myself off from the world and created this little bubble around myself, like I wrapped myself up in bubble wrap or something.” She bit back a yawn. “I’m so tired. Am I making any sense?”
Archer couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been doing the same thing. “Perfect sense.”
“Good, because it made sense in my mind, but I wasn’t sure it came out of my mouth in the manner intended.” She bit back another yawn.
“We have half an hour between here and the meetup spot. Why don’t you lean back and close your eyes? See if you can grab a catnap. They work wonders if you can actually fall asleep.”
“I’ve heard of those coffee naps where you drink a coffee really fast and then lie down for twenty minutes. Think it’s too late to work in this case?” she asked.
“Can’t hurt to try.”
Archer needed to focus. Allowing himself to be distracted with the kiss last night could have cost them both their lives. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Annalee leaned her seat back and then closed her eyes. Being able to help her relax, even for a few minutes, gave him an unparalleled sense of satisfaction on a primal level. After hearing a little bit of what she’d been through over the years, he couldn’t hold it against her that she’d walked away even though the move had broken his young heart. After experiencing Beaumont for a father, Archer understood growing up under a messed-up parent. The only reason any of the Sturgess kids had turned out all right was most likely because of Kade. At the very least, he’d given them someone to look up to. Older siblings had more of an impact on younger ones than they probably realized.
Plus, Archer’s stubborn pride wouldn’t allow him to follow in Beaumont’s footsteps. Becoming like him had been out of the question. There’d never been a doubt in Archer’s mind that he would walk the opposite path. In fact, he’d walked away from family money, content to live in a bunkhouse and work a ranch like the other hands. No one had ever known that Archer was a Sturgess, except the owners. Archer had sworn them to secrecy, wanting to be treated like everyone else who worked the ranch. It was the only way to gain the other cowboys’ respect. Owen felt the same, so it had been easy to move on from the family business.
The thought of Owen, who was now being held captive on family property, nearly gutted Archer. The image of his brother bound and gagged caused Archer to white knuckle the steering wheel. They’d suffered enough abuse on that land. Now that Beaumont was gone, the torture and horrific memories needed to die, too.
Avoiding the legacy would do no good. Besides, Archer had resolved never to hide from pain a long time ago.
Time to change the present. Make a better tomorrow for the future Sturgess generation—a generation that had already started being born. Archer let the thought sink in. The idea of having kids of his own suddenly didn’t sound so bad, which had a helluva lot to do with the person beside him.
He’d been lost in thought for half an hour, he realized, when he pulled up to the meetup spot. Travis caught up to Archer from behind. They parked beside each other. Having law enforcement onboard would make it easy to arrest the bastard responsible on the spot.
Annalee sat bolt upright. She sucked in a breath, grabbed hold of the console and a spot on the passenger door.
“It’s alright,” he soothed. “You’re okay. I’m right here.”
She plopped back and blinked her eyes a couple of times. “Sorry. I just forget where I am and freak out until I get my bearings again. I’m good now. Won’t happen again.”
Archer reached over and covered her hand with his. “It’s okay.”
“Don’t do that, Archer.”
“What?”
“Make me want to rely on you,” was all she said before she unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and hopped out.
The conversation he needed to have with her would have to wait.
Annalee couldn’t say what made her freak out and make a hurried exit from the truck, except she would have to say there was no keeping her guard up for too long around Archer. One way or another, this nightmare situation was about to end. The two would go their separate ways. And she would have to find a way to heal for a second time. The reason she’d cut off all contact years ago had been because she hadn’t trusted herself not to take his calls. How many times had she wished she could hear his voice one more time?
Too many.
And right now, neither could afford the distraction of torn emotions when their full attention had to be on saving their loved ones.
He kept a distance as they joined the gathering at the fence.
“Follow me,” he said, his voice was gruff. “I know the quickest way to Henry’s old place. Follow me. Keep quiet. I’ll signal when we get close and then we can form a circle. The place is surrounded by live oaks and is thick with ’em.”
Heads nodded in unison.
“How do you want to pair up?” he asked Travis.
“The two of us should stay together.”
Travis and Archer together meant Annalee would have to partner with someone else. The thought of being apart sent an icy chill down her spine. Archer had been keeping her alive. It was the only reason for her body’s reaction.
“I’ll take Beau and Annalee,” Hudson said. “They don’t know the way.”
Archer nodded. “She’ll slow us down.”
If she’d expected him to argue for the two of them to stick together, she would have been dead wrong. In fact, he couldn’t wait to dump her off on someone else. It was good to know where they stood.
As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t force herself to make eye contact. Impulse had her wanting to look into those gorgeous browns to see if he’d truly meant to hurt her with the comment, or if he was just creating a necessary distance between them. Being together over these past hours had affected her, too. Made her want things she knew better than to expect, like real peace and a small family of her own.
Either way, she intended to respect his wishes. She turned to Hudson, her back to Archer. “Ready when you are.”
“I think he meant once we get close,” Hudson said, unaware of the emotional turmoil going on between her and Archer.
“Now is good.”
Hudson stood there for a long second like he wasn’t sure what his next move should be. Archer must have signaled, she wouldn’t know while her back was turned, because Hudson gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before motioning for her and Beau to follow him.
No matter how tempting, Annalee didn’t turn around to get a final look at Archer. She drew on all her willpower to keep her head down and her gaze forward.
With each step deeper into the thicket, her pulse kicked up a notch. Hudson turned around at one point and made a show of silencing his cell. Good idea.
Annalee did the same thing. She assumed the others followed suit. Looking at Archer would be too hard right now. She couldn’t force herself to do it when they were about to get closure on the situation, so she made herself think about how incredible it would be to get her mother back. Could they repair their relationship? There was still time, right?
She’d never broached the subject with her mother. She’d never told her she was dissatisfied with the current state of their relationship. Would it make a difference?
Suddenly, it felt important to try.
However, getting her mother to sit down in one place long enough to have a serious conversation might be a trick not even Annalee could pull off. Surely, this near-death experience would have Becca contemplating what was important in life, too. This would be a good time to have the conversation with her mother that was long overdue in Annalee’s book. For one, no more getting blitzed on holidays. Annalee wanted a sober Thanksgiving and Christmas with her mother. They could cook together, for once. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d done anything remotely mother-daughterly. The image of the two of them baking cookies together would make her laugh under normal circumstances. That might never happen. But throwing together a meal might be a good place to start. Hell, she’d settle for takeout and a holiday movie. No boyfriend allowed, especially not the lowlifes who had been dragging her mother down for years. The wear and tear were visible in Becca’s eyes. The woman looked tired, like she needed to sleep for a month.
Would Becca let Annalee take care of her? Help her straighten out her finances? Hadn’t her mother said she was in debt up to her eyeballs after the last jerk had run up the one credit card that still worked?
Annalee was no financial wizard, but she managed to pay her bills on time, keep a roof over her head, and food on the table.
Maybe they could rent a little house together?
Hudson stopped.
Far in the distance, in between the trees, she saw it. The double-wide trailer. Weeds threatened to overtake the building propped up on cinderblocks. Vines twisted and tangled around fence posts and everything else.
There it sat. Right next to the double-wide.
The barn.