Chapter Six #2
“I won’t lay a finger on your precious niece.
As long as she coughs up a large sum of money, I will be on my way.
I read about her inheritance, and I want what’s due me.
She owes me for all those wasted years, and I plan on collecting, one way or another.
” His smile was mean, and Lorna shivered.
He looked like someone who would do anything to get what he wanted.
How did she miss that the first time that they met?
He seemed so harmless. She even invited him back to her home for coffee. God, she was a fool.
“She doesn’t owe you anything! You will rot in jail again before you get anything from my family.
” He took two steps across the kitchen and smacked her so hard across the face that the chair she sat in tipped over.
She landed on her side and heard her shoulder crack as it hit the floor.
She instantly knew that she had either broken or dislocated her shoulder; the pain was almost unbearable.
She felt her world spinning, and the last thing she remembered was Joe standing over her body laughing at her as her world went black.
Sawyer felt bone-tired after his long day.
He spent most of it running around with Piper so that Tag could spend time at his store, doing inventory.
Piper was on a mission to find the perfect gift for Tag, which meant that she dragged Sawyer to every store within a hundred-mile radius.
He hated shopping more than anything, but he did manage to do some of his own.
He found the perfect engagement ring for Lorna at a little antique store.
She loved old jewelry, and he loved the beautiful London blue sapphire ring that he found in a display case in a corner of the store.
Hiding it from Piper proved challenging, so he had to tell her about it.
He tried to keep it from her so he wouldn’t burden her with a secret she struggled to keep.
Piper was smart, and she admitted her faults, so she easily accepted her biggest flaw of not being able to keep a secret.
Sawyer just needed to find a good hiding place to stash the ring until he planned on giving it to Lorna on Christmas morning.
When he finally got home, he was surprised that Lorna wasn’t there.
It was his night to cook, so he hid her ring in his old room since she never went in there.
He headed back into the kitchen to prep dinner and checked their answering machine—no messages.
He pulled out his phone to text Lorna. Something felt off.
He knew she wasn’t at the shop or Sunny’s—he was just at the bakery with Piper.
After fifteen minutes and no reply from Lorna, he decided to check the library.
He called over, but they said she was in hours earlier.
He hated to worry Tag or Piper, but he had no choice. He was starting to worry about Lorna.
“Hey, Sawyer, what’s up?” Tag sounded like he was running a marathon.
“Shit, did I interrupt your and Piper’s alone time?” Tag chuckled.
“Alone time? Dude, you can say sex. I know you’ve heard of it. Hell, I’m betting that you’ve actually had some.” Tag was joking around, but Sawyer was getting more antsy by the minute.
“So, if you and Piper are having sex, then I’m assuming that Lorna isn’t there,” Sawyer said.
“Eww, fuck no! God damn it, Sawyer, now you’ve ruined my focus,” Tag complained.
Sawyer huffed out a breath, starting to get frustrated by Lorna’s disappearance.
“She’s not there? Maybe she just ran over to the shop,” Tag offered.
Sawyer wasn’t sure where to try next. She wasn’t at the shop—hell, she didn’t seem to be anywhere.
He checked with just about everyone in town.
“I’m worried, man. I can’t find her anywhere,” Sawyer said. Tag was rustling around on the other end of the call.
“I’m getting dressed now, and I’ll drive into town,” Sawyer sighed.
“Thanks, man. Bring Piper with you. I don’t want her to be alone up there. Something isn’t right, and I just can’t put my finger on it.” Sawyer hung up and paced their small kitchen. He decided to call Lorna’s phone instead of texting. It rang four times, and then she picked up.
“Thank Christ, baby. I’ve been worried sick. Where are you?” Sawyer’s hair stood on end when he heard a man laughing into the other end of his phone.
“Aw, I’m touched that you were worried about me, but I’ve been around.
I’ve been watching you and Piper for weeks now.
Man, you don’t let her out of your sight, do you?
She’s well-guarded between you and that mountain of a husband she’s with.
But you dropped the ball on guarding poor, helpless Lorna, didn’t you?
” Sawyer felt sick. Joe was watching them all this time?
“Do you have her, Joe? If you lay one finger on Lorna, I’ll fucking murder you,” Sawyer growled. Joe made a tsking noise into the phone.
“If you want your girlfriend back in one piece, you’ll do what I tell you.
Try to be a good listener, Sawyer. I want a face-to-face with little Mrs. Piper.
I want to tell her all about how she destroyed my fucking life.
Then, she is going to go with me to the bank to withdraw five million dollars to pay me back for the years that I was in prison.
She owes me at least that much—probably more, but I’ll take five million as a start. ”
“Not going to happen, asshole. You aren’t getting anywhere near Piper.
She owes you nothing. You and your scumbag brothers took her parents from her—she was just a little girl.
I’m going to find you and I will tear you apart.
” Sawyer knew that he was making Joe angry, and that could end badly for Lorna.
He needed to keep Joe on the phone to try to figure out his location.
“If that’s the way you want to play this, Sawyer, I’m game.
I’m not sure how much poor Lorna will be able to take.
Maybe after I spend some special alone time with your woman, she’ll change her mind about you.
You have one hour to call Lorna’s phone and give me the time and place for my meeting with Piper.
Otherwise, I like to get a little rough with my women.
Does Lorna like it rough?” Sawyer felt helpless.
He could hear Lorna crying in the background and imagined that she was terrified.
The thought of Joe touching her made Sawyer sick.
“Let me talk to her, Joe. Let me hear that Lorna is all right, and I’ll contact Piper with your demands.
” Sawyer just wanted to hear Lorna’s voice.
He would do anything to keep her and their baby safe.
His phone chimed with a text. Joe sent a picture of Lorna tied to a kitchen chair with duct tape over her mouth.
Her face was bruised, and she looked terrified.
Joe was going to pay for every mark on Lorna’s body.
“You have your proof that Lorna is alive, for now. You give Piper a call and get things rolling. I’ll talk to you in one hour.
” Joe ended the call. Sawyer was torn about what he should do.
On one hand, Piper was his assignment, and he needed to protect her.
On the other hand, Lorna was the love of his life and was carrying his baby.
He would do anything to keep her safe, but at what cost?
He looked at the picture, trying to find some clue as to where she was being held captive.
Nothing looked familiar, though. He had no choice. He needed to call Tag and Piper.