Chapter 8
8
“I ’ll take the crime scene,” Nikki said to Conrad, figuring he knew the barn better than anyone. Therefore, his risk of getting caught was less than hers. If someone heard her in the building, she could be cornered. Whereas he would know all the ways out and be able to act quickly enough to escape. Being able to act quickly might just mean the difference between escape and capture.
The idea of splitting up suddenly felt bad as she walked away from him. What if he was captured and arrested? Would she be able to make good on her promise to get him out? What if she was “saved” by someone who wanted to cash in on the financial reward offered by her stepfather? She would be returned home unharmed but then would be under scrutiny. Her stepfather had her followed once when he’d thought she was meeting up with her ex. Granted, she didn’t have proof that it had been him, but she’d known down deep thatthe private investigator she’d confronted had been sent by Heath.
Good intentions didn’t always pan out. Sometimes, they hurt others instead of helping. She’d learned the lesson the hard way.
Since her mother was passive, Nikki had most likely gotten her temperament from her father. Her temper was getting the best of her while she was near this man, but the thought of being away from him sent panic shooting through her.
She needed to calm the hell down. Her emotions were heightened from being tired. This wasn’t the time to think about how they’d just traipsed through the woods for the past two and a half hours along with whatever wildlife could have been stalking them.
On second thought, she wished she’d taken the barn. At least she would have been inside and not out here, prey for any predator that might have been tracking them.
Calm down. She took in a couple of slow breaths as Conrad slipped around the corner and out of view.
Not two seconds later, she heard acommotion coming from the barn area, and then came, “Run!”
Nikki didn’t need to be told twice. She bolted back into the woods as Conrad came sprinting around the barn. He was fast. At this rate, he would catch up to her in no time. The thought comforted her.
Until she heard the sound of a bullet split the air.
Oh. God. No.
A quick glance behind to check on Conrad brought the relief she’d been hoping for. It was only temporary because someone had a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it on him. There was no way his family would shoot at him. Would the law?
Conrad hadn’t pulled a weapon, so, no, that wouldn’t happen.
Then who the hell had just fired a shot?
Underbrush caught her by the toe, tripping her. Nikki faceplanted. Sticks and rocks stabbed her forearms and hands. Those hands planting on the hard, unforgiving ground spared her face from actually smacking a rock. By some miracle, her purse contents were still intact.
She sucked in a breath and popped to her feet. Conrad was next to her in a heartbeat, urging her to keep moving.
A floodlight turned on behind them, spotting them through the thicket as they dodged in and out of trees. It dawned on her that Conrad would make those maneuvers to avoid being shot. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, giving her a much-needed energy boost. She pushed her legs harder, faster, in an attempt to put more distance between them and the light coming at them from behind. Whoever was back there could run like a demon.
Branches slapped her face, arms, and torso as she ran. Her lungs clawed for air as more panic shot through her. This could be it. They could be caught. Conrad could end up dead or in jail.
Another shot rang out. A bullet fragment nicked the same tree she used to push forward, hitting a spot three inches from her head.
Did someone want them both dead? No witnesses?
Nikki hadn’t seen anything yet. Her stepfather’s reward could only be claimed by her being brought back alive.
Keep running, said the voice in the back of her head. Whatever else you do, keep going.
Nikki couldn’t keep this pace up much longer despite the extra boosts from adrenaline. Conrad stayed by her side. She was holding him back. His long legs could probably run twice as fast as hers.
“You should go,” she managed to say in between gasps for air.
“No way,” he said with the kind of decisiveness that she wouldn’t normally argue against.
“I mean it,” she huffed. “I’m holding you back.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “Just run.”
He kept the zigzagging up until the light disappeared behind them. Her side cramped so hard she thought she might black out. However, giving up wasn’t an option. She kept going.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably more like fifteen minutes, Conrad slowed to a stop.
Nikki gasped for air like a beached fish. She crumbled onto the ground, trying to catch her breath again.
Conrad was barely fazed. The man had to be in amazing physical condition to pull off a run like that and come out barely winded.
Slow breaths—in through the nose and out through the mouth. Repeat.
When Nikki could speak again, she asked, “What happened back there?”
“Someone was waiting for me in the barn,” he said. “They must have guessed I’d return.”
“Couldn’t be any of your brothers or your sister,” she said.
“No,” he agreed. “They wouldn’t shoot. And neither would any of the ranch hands or our foreman.”
“Then, who?”
“You tell us, and we’ll both know,” he said with a sharp sigh. “All I know is showing my face could get us both killed.”
“My stepfather wanted me back alive,” she pointed out. “Doesn’t seem like this person cared as long as he brought back a body.”
Out of nowhere, an imposing figure jumped out from behind a tree. Before Nikki could react, an arm wrapped around her neck, and hard metal pressed against her temple.
“Anyone moves, and I’ll shoot the bitch,” the attacker ground out. She didn’t recognize the voice. This couldn’t be someone trying to cash out on a reward to bring her back safely. They wouldn’t put a gun to her head, a gun that could accidentally go off and blow her brains out.
Her gaze flew to Conrad. For a split second, she thought he might react. Instead, he stood there with the most helpless look on his face. He wouldn’t risk making a move while the barrel of a gun pressed against her skin.
“I got him,” the unfamiliar male voice called out. “Over here.” He stomped his feet a couple of times. Branches crunched, signaling their location.
“Let her go,” Conrad said. “I’m the one you want. She means nothing to you.”
“Like hell,” the male said. “She’s worth a fortune.”
“We both know you don’t collect a reward if she’s injured,” Conrad continued. “And then, I’ll hunt you down myself. You don’t want to know how easy it will be for me to tear you apart, limb by limb.”
“You’ll rot in jail.”
Two men came running toward them, the spotlight back on and currently blinding her.
“Are you a big guy now?” the stranger asked in a mocking tone. “Now that you’re outnumbered?”
“I meant what I said. You harm a hair on her head, and I’ll come for you. And here’s the thing, I won’t stop. Period. I’ll keep coming until there’s nothing left of you.”
Conrad was going to jail. There wasn’t squat he could do about it now. There was no way he would risk Nikki’s safety by making a move, even though the shooter wouldn’t risk his reward by hurting her. Accidents with firearms killed far too many people. If the safety was off, a twitchy finger could end Nikki’s life.
As one of the men came up behind Conrad, he resisted the instinct to fight back. A few seconds later, he was face down in the scrub brush. Drawing on all his reserves, he summoned enough patience to submit to the assholes.
“Don’t hurt him,” Nikki demanded. “I know who you’re working for, and my stepfather will have your heads on a stick once he hears how you’re treating me and my friend.”
“Nice threats coming from somebody who ran off with a criminal,” Gunman said.
“What do you think you’re going to do with us out here?” Nikki spat out.
“You’re going home, little miss,” Gunman said with a sneer. “And we’re dropping this murderous scumbag off at the sheriff’s office on the way.”
Conrad wanted to reassure Nikki that he’d be fine. He wanted those words to be true. But he was staring down a murder charge along with another count of fleeing arrest.
At least she would be safe.
The thought of being separated from her, even for a few hours or days, sat hard in his gut. Right now, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
“Conrad Sturgess, you have a visitor.” The jailer motioned for Conrad to step forward as he unlocked the holding cell. Hours had passed while he’d been locked inside this cell with half a dozen others. Two of his cell companions were sleeping off a drunk from the night before. One was still drunk and very much awake. He’d mistaken the corner for a urinal and had the added bonus of forgetting to unzip his pants. The others just sat, looking like they’d been here multiple times before. Conrad stood, walked to the door, and then held out his hands so his wrists could be handcuffed. Once he was secured, the jailer looked up at the camera and nodded. The door opened. Conrad stepped into the hallway. The door closed.
The jailer, who was short and wiry with dirty blond hair, led Conrad to a small room that had two doors, a metal table, and a pair of stackable chairs on opposite sides of said table. Conrad took the chair closest to him. The jailer handcuffed Conrad to the table before exiting the room.
Being processed had taken a couple of hours. He’d been allowed to make a call early on in the process, thanks to his last name. Being a Sturgess did carry some clout. There was a flip side, too. The jailer had made a point of dotting every “I” and crossing every “T” in the arrest paperwork and processing. “ Can’t have you getting out on a technicality, ” he’d said with a sarcastic look. The look said it was about time a Sturgess got caught and would pay for their crimes. It was Beaumont, not Conrad or any of the others, that should have to pay the piper. The rest of them were law-abiding citizens with a bad reputation. Wasn’t there a saying about the sins of the father being visited upon children?
As he sat waiting, he half expected—hoped?—that Nikki would come walking in saying she brought bail money. A sliver of disappointment lodged in his chest when it was his older brother Kade instead.
“How are you?” Kade asked. The dark circles cradling red-rimmed eyes gave the impression he hadn’t slept in days.
“I’m surviving,” Conrad said. He’d eaten scrub brush when he’d been thrown on the ground at the ranch, and his pride had taken a hit. But he was physically fine. “Everything okay with Bree and the baby?” Kade had a kid now, which he’d only learned about days before his daughter had come into the world.
It seemed to dawn on Kade that he must look like hell. “They’re good. The baby is sleeping through the night a couple times a week, but that’s not why I’m here.”
Conrad nodded. “Have they charged me with evading arrest on top of murder?”
“I told them you went camping and that the trip had been planned. Technically, you didn't leave Sturgess property, so a good lawyer can get you off fleeing charges.”
At least there was some good news in there. “Thank you for covering for me.” He placed his hands on top of the table and clasped them together. Leaning forward, he asked, “Have you heard from Nikki Guidry?”
“Should I?” Kade asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion, and then it dawned on him. “She was with you.”
“That’s right,” Conrad confirmed. “Have you heard if she’s all right?”
Kade seemed taken aback by the question. “I’m guessing she’s fine, or I would’ve heard something. I haven’t spoken to her, but from what I gather, she’s telling everyone that she was with you voluntarily, and there was no cause for alarm.”
Had she just made herself an accomplice to murder? Dammit. It wasn’t the news he’d wanted to hear, but there wasn’t squat he could do about it while locked in a cell. She was very likely trapped in her own nightmare with her family. Somehow, he believed she would be able to talk herself out of it and make it seem like she was doing everyone a favor by taking off with Conrad—she was that persuasive.
“Hold tight,” Kade said. “I’m working on getting you out of here.”
“Is that an option on the table?” Conrad asked. He’d spent the past few hours expecting to be transferred to a minimum-security prison.
“I hired a hotshot criminal defense lawyer.” Kade shot a hard look and put his hand up to stop Conrad from protesting. “He’s one of the best and is currently making an argument for the court to give you an ankle bracelet device to monitor you until you receive a fair trial. That way, you can stay on the property.”
“Is there a chance they’ll go for it?”
“The attorney warned me not to get my hopes up but said it’s worth taking a shot,” Kade said.
Hope stirred in Conrad’s chest that he might actually walk out of this place and get to see Nikki again. He could explain to her stepfather or anyone else who wanted to know why she’d gone with him instead of doing the smart thing and turning him in.
“Hang in there,” Kade said. “We’re working as fast as we can to get you out of here and back to the ranch.”
Conrad noted his brother didn’t use the word, home. Would the ranch ever be considered their real home after the abuses they’d suffered at the hands of Beaumont? Then again, would Conrad have enough freedom to find out?
“I appreciate everything you’re doing,” Conrad said and meant it. He’d be lost without his siblings, which was a big part of the reason he’d tried to bring Beau into the fold. Everyone might have different opinions, and there might be grand-scale personality clashes, but he’d never doubted for one minute that any one of his siblings would be there for him if he needed help.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Kade said, pushing up to stand. “The next time I see you, I hope we walk out of here together.”
Conrad nodded.
Kade disappeared, leaving an empty seat in his place.
To Conrad’s surprise, the jailer didn’t immediately return to take him back to the holding cell. The officer must’ve been busy with another inmate. Conrad wiggled his hands to see if he could break out of the cuffs. The move might’ve been a bad idea but his mind raced while he sat there, and he needed something to focus on besides what might be happening to Nikki right now. Was she safe? Back home? On her way back?
One question caused an ache to form in his chest. Would he ever see her again?
The door opened. Kade must have forgotten to say something. Conrad looked up.
“Who are you?” he asked the mid-fifties, graying at the temples stranger. The man was roughly six feet in height with a runner’s build and wore a scowl. Was he the new lawyer?
“My name is Heath Alastor,” he said, like that should answer Conrad’s question. “Nikki is my daughter.”