Chapter Fourteen
Harlyn
Finn pulled my pickup to a stop at the corner of an alleyway off Maple in Lannigan and switched off the motor.
“Why are we in Lannigan?” I asked Finn, grateful we’d made it safely.
His driving had been erratic and for the hundredth time since he’d arrived at the ranch, I questioned if he was under the influence of drugs. I’d never known him to take them but there was always a first time. Had he become an addict? Was that why he’d lost everything?
“Shut the fuck up and don’t move,” he snarled before climbing out of the vehicle.
He opened the door where I sat and pulled his jacket aside, revealing the gun tucked into his waistband.
“One wrong move and you’re dead,” he threatened.
I stepped from the pickup, almost collapsing to the ground when my injured ankle gave way. Finn grasped my upper arm and pulled me upright, the action causing a loud pop in my shoulder and I shouted out in pain. Finn hurried me into the alley and slapped me across the face, causing me to reel back.
“Shout like that again and I’ll put a bullet in you. Are we clear?”
I nodded. Tears streamed down my face and I held my arm to take pressure from the shoulder I suspected was dislocated.
Finn slapped my face again. “Are we clear?”
“Yes,” I sobbed.
He took the gun from his pants, pressed it against my side, and dragged me to the end of the alley.
Turning the corner, he pushed me through the door, causing a bell to announce our arrival.
A man in his fifties, or so I thought, of stout build, with gray hair and hazel eyes, appeared in the reception area.
“Can I help you?”
Another man, around the same age, tall and lean with a bald head and brown eyes, made his appearance seconds later.
“Take me to your office,” Finn ordered.
The men opened their mouths to protest but when Finn pointed the gun in their direction, they both backed up.
“What do you want?” The bald man asked.
Finn waved his gun around with one hand while keeping a firm grip on my arm with the other. “Lock the door.”
The man did his bidding and then we were all led to an office off a hall behind reception. “Whose office is this?” Finn demanded to know.”
“Mine,” the gray haired man stated calmly.”
“Sit at your desk.” While he did as he was ordered Finn instructed me and the bald headed man to stand off to one side and he moved behind the man now seated.
“I want you to draw up a legal document giving everything Harlyn owns to me,” Finn ordered.
“Why would I do that?” He looked at me. “Is this what you want? I assume you’re Harlyn?”
“I am, and no, it isn’t what I want but Finn will kill us if you don’t do as he asks.”
Ignoring Finn who was becoming more agitated by the second, the man continued to speak to me, “My name is Unley…Brad Unley. I heard you had inherited Bill’s ranch. Didn’t you have an agreement drawn up by John Kostas in Grantin giving shared ownership of your estate to your men?”
Why the fuck was…ah, now I understood. I didn’t have one but Finn wasn’t privy to that information.
“Yes, I organized an agreement not long after I arrived giving them co-ownership of the ranch and they inherit if anything happens to me. Ranches are dangerous places and I thought it best to be well prepared, I didn’t want it going to just anyone.”
“So there are four co-owners who will become beneficiaries?”
“Yes. My estate is co-owned with the foreman and hands at my ranch.”
What I was saying was all lies but Finn didn’t know that and I believed that’s what Brad Unley was counting on if he was leading me in the direction I suspected he was.
Brad looked to Finn. “Regardless of what you demand, since there is a legal agreement involved, giving equal ownership to four other men, nothing you force me to write here will be legal. You won’t receive a cent or even a nail from the ranch.
It would have to be agreed upon, and signed off on, by all owners of the ranch.
I’m afraid your threats and terrorizing of this young lady are pointless. ”
Finn’s face turned beet-red, he screamed in anger, and cracked Brad across the skull, causing him to pass out.
He pointed the gun at my chest and started to approach, screaming mostly incoherent words.
I had never been more terrified in my life.
I wasn’t ready to die. I didn’t want to leave Jensen… the love of my life.
Seconds later all hell broke loose and within a minute or so, Finn lay in a crumpled heap, dead on the office floor. A bullet fired by one of the men dressed in an official law enforcement uniform had pierced him dead center between the eyes.
“All okay?” One of the men asked, it was the last thing I heard before my world turned black.
My eyes blinked open and the world slowly came into focus.
I felt disoriented, my senses dulled by pain and a horrendous headache.
When I tried to move, I winced and looking down saw that my left arm was in a sling and my right foot was bandaged and elevated.
What had happened to me? Panic gripped me until I felt a gentle hand on mine.
I looked to the side of the bed where Jensen was seated, his eyes filled with worry and relief.
"You're awake," he whispered, his voice a soothing balm to my troubled soul. "You're safe now, darlin’."
I tried to speak, but my throat was dry and I was barely able to manage a faint croak.
Jensen reached to the table at the side of the bed I was in and offered me a sip of water, holding the glass to my lips with tender care.
As the cool liquid eased my thirst, memories of the terrifying ordeal flooded back.
The confrontation, the gun, Finn's rage, Brad's courage, and finally, the shot that ended it all.
"Brad...is he...?" I managed to murmur, fear twisting my stomach.
"He's okay," Jensen reassured me. "He suffered a concussion but he'll recover. The men who saved you were Doug Blast…the sheriff, and his deputies, Phil Gaze and Chester Eroid. It was Phil who fired the shot that killed Finn when he saw Finn was about to shoot you."
Tears welled in my eyes, some from relief, some from the overwhelming emotions swirling within me. Jensen brushed them away gently, his touch grounding me.
"I thought I lost you," he confessed, his voice breaking. "I was crazy with panic."
"You didn't," I whispered, my voice stronger now. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. How did you find me?"
“Cash and I heard the gunshots and went to investigate. We found blood in the stables and saw your pickup was missing. After speaking with the sheriff in Grantin, Cash and I decided to check out Lannigan but I can’t give you a reason why. It was just a gut feeling, I guess.”
“Thank fuck for your gut feelings. I honestly thought Finn would kill me.”
“Greg…Brad’s partner said Finn wanted your estate. He said you did good figuring out that Brad was getting you to say you already had co-owners and men appointed to inherit so Finn would think he had no hope of stealing from you.”
I nodded. “I assumed that’s where he was leading and it worked but Finn was enraged that he couldn’t get his way. I was sure he’d kill us all. I was terrified I’d never see you again,” I confessed as fat tears rolled down my cheeks.” I love you so much, Jensen.”
Jensen’s face lit up in a smile filled with love. As he leaned in to kiss my forehead, I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth and love of the man who had come after me. Despite the pain and fear, I’d survived, and with Jensen by my side, I could face whatever the future held.
“Harlyn Johnson?” A tall man, wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard, asked as he approached. He was obviously a doctor.
“That would be me,” I smiled.
Jensen pushed his chair back, giving the doctor room to stand at the side of the bed.
“I’m Doctor Raines, has anyone explained what has happened since you were brought in?”
“No, I only just woke up and you’re the first to come in that I’m aware of.”
“Okay. I’m the surgeon who operated on your ankle.
We removed the bullet and I pinned the bone to keep it stable.
You’ll need to stay off it for the next six to eight weeks.
An MRI showed your shoulder was dislocated and it has been manipulated back into position.
Your arm will need to stay in a sling for two to six weeks.
I’ll have you come back in two weeks and we’ll reassess both injuries.
You have quite the black eye but nothing is broken or badly damaged. It should heal fine. Any questions?”
Close to tears, I shook my head. The doctor patted my hand. “You’re a lucky woman from what I’ve heard. Do you have someone at home to help you? We could release you in forty-eight hours if you won’t be alone.”
“I’ll be with her around the clock, Doc.”
My head snapped to Jensen on hearing his comment. “You can’t be with me all the time, you have a ranch to run,” I said before breaking into sobs.
The doctor held his hand up. “And with that, I’ll be leaving you two to sort it out. I’ll call on you again tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” I managed to squeak out before he left.
Jensen folded me into his arms, careful not to injure my shoulder, and kissed the top of my head.
“I’ll organize my men and yours and between them they’ll manage.
I’ll help out by mucking the stables and doing some farmyard feeds at your place as long as you’re okay for a couple of hours.
I’ll hire Sheba to keep an eye on you, although she’ll probably lie at your feet and sleep,” he laughed.
“She’ll have to have a run, Jensen, she’s a working dog and can’t be expected to lie around.”
“Elijah or Cash will take her out. She’ll be fine. Can I get you anything?”
“No, sit with me for a while. What’s the time?”
Jensen glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Just gone eleven.”
“You need to sleep!”
“It’s eleven in the morning, not at night.”
“Where the hell did yesterday go?”