Chapter Fifteen
Something didn’t feel right, but Alice couldn’t put her finger on it.
The house felt…odd. Quiet. Too quiet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone in this old house.
Kade and his friend had gone to help Clint, Carson and Jess were at work, Mason at school, Cassie was helping Jillian sort through a large order at the candle shop, and even Brady was nowhere to be seen.
Probably off with Benny or the others. She should have appreciated a little true peace and quiet, but instead she felt nervous, edgy, and she doubted it had anything to do with why she’d had so much trouble sleeping last night.
Emptying the last of the clean silverware from the dishwasher, the back screen gave a soft, uncertain squeak.
Alice didn’t turn right away. Doors breathed all day on a ranch—wind, kids, dogs, life, and yet, she found herself reaching for her phone on the counter.
Maybe a quick call to Clint would settle this uneasy feeling.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
She didn’t have to turn to see who the voice belonged to. She’d heard it day in and day out for too many years. Her hand only inches from the phone, she heaved a deep sigh and didn’t bother to turn around. “Ray.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Sweet. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Morning.” She straightened her shoulders and slowly turned. “You’re trespassing.”
He smiled like she’d told a joke he didn’t mind. “I’m visiting.”
“Unexpected guests bring pie.” She kept her hands where he could see them. And because good manners were free, and she could use a little time for the boys to come back, she forced a smile. “Coffee?”
“Later.” His gaze slid past her toward the hall. “Safe’s still in the office?”
“What does it matter to you?” She lifted her chin in defiance.
“You know damn well what I want. I want my hundred k that you confiscated.”
“Why would I have your money?”
His wry smile turned to a sneer. “You and that stupid ex-con. I thought for sure he’d fit right in with my crew. Turned out to be the most honest convict on the planet. He was so fastidious in caring for this place as if it were his own, just about drove the rest of us nuts.”
At least her faith in Clint had just been confirmed. Not that she needed the confirmation of this conniving crook, but it was still nice to hear.
“I saw you.”
Her heart, already hammering at twice its normal beat, now kicked it up another notch. How could they not have known he’d been here, watching?
“Everybody running around like they’d found the motherlode. And that fat sheriff. Puffing his chest like a damn peacock. Man couldn’t find his own fingers if they were in front of his face.”
She did not like the look in his eyes. Had they always been so sinister?
Suddenly, he barked out an almost maniacal laugh. “You haven’t a clue, do you? You still haven’t figured it out. Y’all were so busy placing new cameras trying to track us, it never occurred to a single one of you that I might have cameras watching you?”
Despite the shock, she tried to keep her expression neutral. The way he kicked his head back and laughed again, she’d probably failed.
“I know everything you’ve been up to.” He shook his head. “How would dear Charlie feel about his wife cavorting with the hired help?”
If she’d been even a little afraid of him, now she was simply furious.
How dare he? It took every ounce of self-control she possessed not to lash out at him, but she was not stupid.
She was nowhere near the gun cabinet and the man had over fifty pounds of muscle on her.
There had to be a way to subdue him until someone came back.
“I want my money,” he spat, all humor gone from his eyes.
“I don’t have your money.”
“Not all of it. Just a hundred grand of it and I want it.” His right hand reached under his jacket and reappeared with a semi-automatic gun. “And I want it now.”
“If you were watching, you’d know the sheriff took the money. Evidence.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? There’s no case. With no case you don’t need evidence. I want my money. Ecuador is calling my name.”
“Ecuador?”
“It’s a country in South America.”
“I know where Ecuador is.”
“Oh yeah.” That sneer was back. “The almighty Alice Sweet is so smart. Did you know Ecuador has no extradition treaty with the US?”
“Why would I know that? I’m not a criminal.”
“No. You’re just Mrs. Charles Sweet, upstanding citizen, legacy rancher. Your family has no idea how hard it is for a working man to save for a spread of his own. Every time you’ve got enough money, the cost of the land goes up and you start all over again. Over and over, year after year.”
Different responses bounced around in her head.
The question at hand, which response wouldn’t fuel his anger with the Sweet family, with her.
At that moment, as she struggled for something to say, the right thing to say, her phone rang.
Only inches out of reach, she took a chance and stepped to the side, closer to the phone.
“Don’t even think about it.” Now he was waving a loaded gun in her direction. What a holy mess.
The phone stopped and she dared to take a half step in retreat. A half step closer to her phone.
“My money,” he repeated. “Then I’ll be on my way to Mexico and then a flight to Ecuador.”
“I told you, I do not have it. The sheriff does.”
Fury fired in his eyes again. “March!” He waved the gun from her to the hall.
Her gaze darted to the phone. No way she could snatch it up without his seeing or without getting shot.
Same with her gun. But did she have a choice?
She must have been staring in the wrong direction too long because in a flash, a bang deafened her and a bullet flew past her, lodging in the wall behind her.
“I want my money.”
He must have left the back door ajar because she could see it easing open, very slowly.
Any hopes of a someone coming to her rescue were dashed when the door was fully open and no one appeared until her gaze dropped to the ground.
Crawling like a plumber under an old house hunting down a leak, Brady was ever so slowly and quietly inching forward.
It had never occurred to her that if Brady had been in the house, his military training would kick in.
Before she could react, Ray turned in the direction she’d been looking.
His whole body turned and arm held straight out, he pointed his firearm at her precious Brady.
“No!” ripped from her lungs as she lunged forward, throwing herself low in hopes of knocking him off his feet before he could pull the trigger.
Slamming hard on the floor, she held her arms forward and shoved at the back of his knees with all her might, the sound of another shot echoing loudly in her ears. All she could think was not Brady. Dear lord, not Brady.
“Come on, Mom. Answer.” Phone to his ear, Kade spat through clenched teeth.
His own phone in front of him as they all ran to the truck, Clint called Benny’s cell, each ring taking an eternity until finally the kid answered. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” Clint hopped into the truck, turning the engine as the others climbed in.
“Replacing the well pump. Remember?”
Damn it. “Yeah, yeah.” He’d forgotten that Benny wasn’t working in the barn today.
“What do you need?”
Running calculations in his mind, even if Benny flew like the wind, Clint and the guys had a more likely chance of reaching the house first by a wide margin. Still, this was Alice he was worried about. “There may be trouble at the house. Drop everything and get back as fast as you can.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Benny?”
“Yes.”
“You’d better bring your rifle.”
The kid breathed for a second before saying, “Got it. I’ll hurry.”
There was no need to say anything else. The kid had been raised on ranches his whole life, he knew that anything could happen and he clearly understood that Miss Alice could be in trouble.
“Don’t worry about speed limits,” Kade ground out.
“That’s the plan.” The truck sailed across the fields and pastures faster than Clint had ever driven.
Several times the rear end of the vehicle went airborne as he flew over a rut or mound.
No one said a word. None of it mattered.
Bruises would heal. Not so much Alice if Ray was really at the house.
As they approached the house, from a distance everything looked deceptively normal. What should have calmed his frayed nerves only increased the acid churning in his gut. Clint didn’t take his eyes off the house ahead. “Try her again.”
Without a word, Kade had the phone to his ear again.
Josh leaned forward from the back seat. “Can’t we go any faster?”
“It won’t do her any good if we flip this sucker over and break our necks.” But he too wished he could go faster.
The sound of a gunshot cracked through the air, clear even at this distance.
“Jesus,” Kade uttered, his face draining of color.
Clint’s knuckles went white on the steering wheel as he pushed the truck faster across the uneven ground.
Horrible visions of Alice lying on the floor in a pool of blood, the life draining out of her, flashed before his eyes.
More ugly thoughts of Alice injured, in pain, with Ray taking advantage of an empty house and no hands around.
Both visions had him hitting the accelerator even harder.
No sooner had the truck skidded to a halt by the back porch then the three of them leapt from the vehicle, greeted by Alice’s voice screaming loudly NO accompanied by another gunshot.
Never had his heart hammered so violently in his chest. Not even when he battled the heat and smoke in a failed effort to save his wife, not even then had he been as terrified of what he’d find as he was at this very minute.
Taking the porch steps two at a time, he was only steps ahead of Kade and Josh.
Crashes and thuds and groans carried from the open door.
Heaven help Ray if he’d hurt even one hair on Alice’s head, Kade and Josh would have to wait their turn.
Clint would easily beat the man within an inch of his life.
With no idea of what he’d find, he held his finger to his lips and took the lead, slowly, quietly inching the already ajar door fully open, rifle in his hand, prepared to shoot to kill if necessary.
Only the sight ahead had him stuttering to a stop, Kade and Josh nearly plowed into his back.
Standing over Ray’s prone body, a string of clothesline dangling from her hands, Alice tore her gaze away from the man out cold on the floor and leveled her eyes with Clint’s. “He was going to shoot Brady.”
At Ray’s feet, teeth exposed under a steady snarl, Brady was poised to take over if the man stirred. To the side of Ray’s head, a cast iron frying pan lay on the floor.
“I couldn’t reach my gun, but after I knocked him to the ground, the frying pan was within reach.” Alice shrugged. “I’m not sure if he’s even breathing, but I figured better to tie him up first and determine if he’s alive or dead later.”
Kade stepped up to his mother, and kissed her temple. “Nice work.”
“Allow me.” Josh relieved Alice of the thin rope, then squatted and put two fingers to Ray’s neck. “I’m sorry to report he’s still breathing.”
Sirens could be heard shattering the eerie quiet. By the time Josh had Ray’s hands tightly bound, with Clint’s rifle trained on their former foreman, the man began to groan and writhe.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you.” Josh actually smiled at the guy. “I don’t think you want to piss off Mrs. Sweet again.”
The front door burst open, and weapon drawn, Sheriff Boyd came through the house, stopping at the kitchen entry. “Well,” he holstered his gun, “looks like you folks had quite a day.”
Alice nodded. “He came for his money. Said he was heading to Ecuador.”
“Not anymore, he’s not,” Boyd replied, kneeling to check Ray’s bindings. “Nice knot work.”
Josh shrugged.
Leaning into his friend, Kade whispered out of the side of his mouth. “Where did you learn to do that?”
Biting back a grin, Josh looked at his buddy, his words barely audible. “Might have something to do with a trick rodeo roper I briefly…uh, dated.”
A burst of laughter erupted from Kade. “Not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.”
Shaking his head, Clint seemed to be the only one who noticed the friends’ quiet exchange.
As soon as the deputy arrived to assist the sheriff, and Ray was securely cuffed and loaded into the ambulance, Alice seemed to deflate, all the fight and fear leaving her at once.
Her hands shaking, Clint inched closer. The minute all the cars drove off, she turned and nearly collapsed against him.
Her face pressed into his shoulder, his arms went around her automatically, one hand cradling the back of her head.
“It’s okay,” he murmured into her hair. “You did good. It’s okay now. ”
Heaving in deep breaths, Alice remained against him as he drew slow lazy circles across her back. “Thank you.” Slowly, she inched back, blew out one long breath, and nodded as if reassuring herself she was indeed all right. “I guess it’s over. Really over.”
Reluctantly, Clint let his arms fall to his side, letting her decide, now that the adrenaline rush was over, where she wanted to be. “There’s more money. They were gathering it up from where Ray had stashed a lot of it around the ranch. It should help a great deal.”
Still standing close enough that he could easily put his arms around her again if he were willing to risk it, she glanced up at him. “I’m going to guess there’s more of it in a bank account in Ecuador.”
“Makes sense. Probably crossed the border into Mexico by car, not a whole lot of records coming and going that way, then flew to Ecuador.”
Taking a surprising step forward, Alice let her head fall against his shoulder again. “I don’t care if he went to Antarctica, I’m just glad I’ll never have to see him again.”
Hesitant, unsure, Clint finally lifted his arm around her, first one, then the other. When she was fully in his embrace, she tipped her hand and glanced up. “I think we’re going to be okay now.”
He nodded.
“Both of us.”
Now he wasn’t so sure if he was following her drift, or if it was merely wishful thinking. Raising one brow, he didn’t say a word, just waited.
A smile bloomed across her lips. “Well, cowboy. Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Two throats cleared, and in the background he heard Kade mutter to his friend, “I think we’re not needed here anymore.”