Chapter 17
Cassie couldn’t keep walking. She’d been on her feet for hours. Her shoulder hurt like hell. She could feel her heartbeat in the wound. She veered a little off the road when she heard the sounds of rushing water. A creek?
A cool breeze provided her with some reprieve from the sweltering temperature.
Clearly, she’d acted on impulse instead of thinking this through.
She could get lost out here…and then what?
She could die if infection set in her shoulder wound.
She had no phone and no medicine. Food was scarce, and she had just enough water to last the day, and maybe the night, based on how fast she was going through it.
And then there was the whole issue of predators at the ready that were more than willing to pick at her carcass if she became too weak to keep going. Yeah, this was a bad idea. She missed Hudson so much her heart ached.
Could she turn back to the house? Find her way to him?
The way she’d left without a word wouldn’t sit right with his pride. Could she have written a note and at least let him know how much he meant to her?
And then what? Disappear from his life forever?
That sounded cruel when she really thought about it. No, she’d done the right thing. Why was the right thing also the hard thing more often than not?
Finding the creek almost made her smile.
She rolled up her pants, slipped out of her shoes and socks, and stepped into the rush of water.
The cool liquid was heaven on her feet. The Texas sun could be deadly.
Heat exhaustion was a real threat. Being born here, she should be used to it, but she’d never been the play outside all summer type.
Some foster families had forced her to “take advantage of the sunny day” and go outside.
Definitely not her jam. She’d rather be inside with a book or a video game than frying in the sun.
Both were luxuries rarely afforded. Some had given her outside chores to do in the sweltering summer heat.
Those families were real treats and easy to walk away from when the inevitable mistake had pushed them over the edge.
Cassie had learned not to get too comfortable anywhere.
A thought struck like stray lightning. Had her past taught her not to get attached to anyone?
Was that the real reason she’d bolted from Hudson instead of the lie she’d told herself that she had to do this alone?
She didn’t take putting his family in jeopardy lightly. Shame and guilt threatened to suck her under every time she thought about Nikki being abducted from outside the family home. It screamed determination on Jarek’s part. Or was it desperation?
Did Jarek want her or something else? The money? Had taking the dirty money put him in the hole with someone?
In that case, could she arrange to return it in exchange for him leaving her alone?
Lost in thought, the footsteps coming up from behind didn’t immediately register.
“You bitch.”
Panic set in the second she heard that voice. His voice.
Cassie wheeled around in time to duck and throw up an arm against the rock inches away from her head. Jarek cursed and quickly regrouped before a second attempt to nail her with the baseball-sized rock in his hand. The jagged edges cut into the skin of her forearm.
She dove into Jarek’s midsection, knocking him back a step as the rock nailed her left shoulder blade. The tripping injury from a few minutes ago started bleeding again. Another jolt of adrenaline kicked in, giving her a boost of strength. Would it last?
“Not this time, Jarek.” She pushed off of him as he tried to slam the pointed edge into her backside again. He missed just shy of her ear.
“You won’t get away this time.” Jarek’s mouth curled into a tooth-baring sneer. He chucked the rock at her head.
She ducked right. The jagged edge grazed her ear.
And then she took off running. There was no time to grab her shoes. Twigs and sharp edges stabbed her feet with every step. She stumbled. The pain slowed her down. A sharp object stabbed her right arch. She faltered, dropped down to her knees before immediately popping up again.
She would have to turn around and fight. Shit.
Stuck behind a slow-ass tractor.
This text from his brothers came as Hudson arrived at the meetup spot. He shot a response asking how long it would take them to get there.
Not sure. At this rate, a while.
He couldn’t afford to wait, so he headed into the thicket without them.
He wasn’t alone out here. His other siblings were making their way toward him, or would be soon.
The clock ticked on. He’d learned the hard way that time waited for no one.
Cassie needed to be found. She needed to know his family was willing to make sacrifices to keep her safe.
And she needed to know how he felt about her.
Then, she could decide what she wanted to do next once she had all the information.
Everyone had walked away from her. Every single person in her life cast her aside the minute she didn’t fit their ideal or when she made a mistake.
With him, was she always waiting for the shoe to drop?
She needed to know that he wouldn’t walk away.
If she let him in, she would never have to be alone again.
Would it matter to her to hear those words? Or would she write them off as empty promises?
One way or the other, Hudson had to tell her how he felt. Otherwise, he would always wonder what could have been between them.
A bigger problem loomed. He had to find her first and get her to safety.
A commotion to the east caught his attention as he zipped through the thicket. He diverted course, heading toward the screeching noise normally reserved for horror movies. Panic tightened the knot in his chest.
Was it Cassie?
All hope he might have found her died when he entered a small clearing. A pair of raccoons fighting over food was responsible for the sounds. With no time to waste, Hudson cursed under his breath and moved on.
At this hour, she would likely be closer to his family home. He backtracked and prayed he could find her.
Hudson checked his cell for texts. There were no bars out here, no cell coverage. He had no way of receiving a message from Marcus, which meant Cassie could have been on the receiving end of the mountain lion attack, and he wouldn’t know it.
He bit back an expletive and pushed forward.
Cassie searched the ground for anything to use as a weapon. A sharp stick. A heavy rock. Anything.
It was impossible to see clearly through the thick underbrush. Could she drop down and feel around before Jarek caught up to her?
The answer came in the form of him taking a fistful of her hair and yanking her backward.
She hit the ground hard, flat on her back.
Hard enough to cause air to whoosh from her lungs and for her to see stars.
Jarek was on top of her in the next second, with his hand over her mouth and nose so she couldn’t breathe.
Cassie bucked with enough force to shake him. She capitalized on the moment of confusion with a knee to his groin.
“Bitch!” Jarek rolled onto his side and curled into the fetal position. She felt around for a rock or anything sharp but came up empty.
Scrambling onto her knees, she screamed for help. It most likely wouldn’t do any good, but she had to try. After being surrounded by Hudson’s family, she’d never felt more alone. It dawned on her that she had real feelings for him, and now he might never know.
Pain screamed through her body as she got to her feet. Her shoulder was now bleeding in two places. She felt a cool liquid run down her side and immediately realized her shoulder blade was bleeding.
She grabbed onto a tree trunk to steady herself as a wave of dizziness crashed into her. She blinked a couple of times and gave herself a mental slap to snap out of the fog. Trying to lift her arm caused more pain.
Maybe she could grab her shoes. On a deep breath, she pushed off the tree to make another run for it. Two steps in, Jarek’s hand caught her by the ankle.
Cassie hopped on one foot, trying to shake off his grip. No use. Jarek was too strong.
“What’s going on here?” came a familiar male voice, breaking into the moment and catching Jarek off guard.
Marcus?
She used the moment of shock to her advantage and kicked her foot out of Jarek’s grip.
In the next second, he was behind her with an arm around her throat. His grip was like a vise.
“Take one more step, and I’ll snap her neck,” Jarek warned. He was five-feet-ten-inches with a runner’s build and surprising hand strength.
Marcus put his hands up, palms out, in the surrender position. “Let’s just chill for a few seconds. Okay? Let’s figure something out where no one gets hurt.”
“I’ll kill you before I let you walk away with him,” Jarek whispered in her ear as he tightened his grip.
Something cold and blunt pressed against her back just below her last rib. A jagged rock? Or a knife?
Hudson stopped every few minutes to check his cell for bars. Frustration nailed him. Cassie was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t getting any updates, and he could be out here for hours before finding cell coverage again.
Up ahead, someone slipped behind a bush.
Jarek?
Had he seen Hudson? Or heard him?
If not, Hudson would have an advantage. The element of surprise would give him a leg up. With the stealth of a predator tracking prey, he slipped behind the nearest tree. He could make a big circle to attack the person from behind.
He needed to assess the situation once he got there. See what type of weapons this person carried. See what he was up against.
If Hudson had been seen and the person had a gun, he would likely be dead already.
Hudson still had the shotgun on him. He could do some serious damage with it.
Though shotguns weren’t exactly known for accuracy.
He’d have to get up closer to get off a good shot and let the buckshot do its job spraying anything in range.
Slowly and with precision, he closed the distance.
“I’m serious,” Jarek seethed. There was so much hatred and venom in his voice. How had she missed the warning signs early on in their relationship? People show you the side they want you to see, a voice in the back of her mind pointed out.
Could she throw an elbow? Catch him off guard? Spin around and bring up her knee again? She’d done it once. He might expect it now. And then what?
She didn’t have a plan.
“Toss your gun down onto the ground, near me, or I’ll kill her right now,” Jarek said. She had no doubt he’d killed before and would do it again in a heartbeat.
She mouthed a no.
“Let’s talk about this first,” Marcus said, arms still in the air. “You kill her, and I’ll have no reason not to draw my weapon and shoot.”
“I’ll stab you next,” Jarek sneered. “This is bigger than you, wildlife boy. Leave right now, and I’ll forget I ever saw you. Stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, and my people will come after you and everyone you love.”
Marcus shook his head. “No, dice. I can’t walk away, but we can talk. We might come up with a solution that works out for everyone.”
“Ever hear of The Dixie Syndicate?”
Marcus’s gaze widened. His mouth fell open slightly. Behind her, she could have sworn she heard a horse snort.
“When I say ‘my people,’ I’m talking about them,” Jarek said. “Do you still want to play the hero, little man?”
“You’re an asshole, Jarek.” Cassie needed to think fast.
The cold blade was on her neck in the next second. “I die and evidence will be mailed to the district attorney, exposing you and all your friends.”
“I don’t believe you. I’ll slit your throat too and not think twice about it,” Jarek threatened.
Would someone who’d wanted to possess her be able to kill her? Could she make a move? Duck out of his grasp? Would that give Marcus enough time to draw his weapon? Or would he just chicken out based on the crime syndicate name being thrown around?
Cassie was about to find out.
Hudson had read the situation wrong. The person who’d moved behind the bush was likely trying to hide from him, not surprise him. He was injured. There was blood. A lot of blood.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Hudson said on approach. He still had the shotgun ready, just in case. “I just don’t want to surprise you.”
The man waved Hudson over. Was it a trick? A way to surprise him? Catch him off guard?
There was only one way to find out.
“What happened?” Hudson asked five feet out from the large male.
“Mountain lion,” he said.
“What’s your name?” Hudson asked, unsure if he would get an honest answer.
“Franco.”
“What are you doing on my land, Franco?”
“Hunting.” Franko’s response didn’t add up. Sure, he was wearing hunting gear, but where was his rifle?
“Are you aware it’s illegal to hunt on my family’s land without permission?”
“I thought this was public land,” Franco said.
Up close, the man’s skin had paled.
“How long have you been here?” Hudson asked, not getting too close.
An injured person backed against a corner could be deadly.
Franco, if that was his real name, was solidly built with thick arms and legs.
He didn’t fit the description of Jarek that Cassie had given him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t associated with him.
“A while.” Franco shifted position, revealing a serious wound to his left side. His cargo pants were ripped, and a hunk of flesh was missing from his outer thigh.
He must have been the one to report the attack.
“Is this where it happened?”
Franco shook his head. “I left the scene thinking I could make it to my vehicle, where I have first aid supplies. Wanted to dress this wound myself and find cell coverage.”
This indicated that Franco had reported the attack out of concern that he might not make it out of the woods on his own.
However, now, help would arrive at some point, and he would survive.
The fact he’d left the reported attack site meant he didn’t want to be found if he was able to make it out of here alive on his own.
“Were you afraid they’d ask too many questions about why you’re here?” Hudson asked.
Footsteps from behind caused him to turn around.
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Kade said as he and Owen approached.
Owen held up his phone. “These are practically useless out here.”
Their gazes shifted to Franco.
“What the hell happened here?” Kade asked.
“Meet one of the asshats who works for Jarek,” Hudson said.
Franco’s shocked reaction told Hudson that he’d hit the nail on the head.
“We’ll take care of him,” Kade said.
“Get him to Travis,” Hudson said.
Owen nodded. “On it.”
“Marcus is looking for you,” Kade said. “He contacted us when he couldn’t reach you. He was looking for the mountain lion over by the creek and said he found a pair of women’s shoes.”
Tension tightened in the pit of Hudson’s stomach. An icy chill raced down his spine.
“You got it covered here?” he asked, already taking steps backward.
“Yes, go.”