Chapter Twenty-Seven
Shayna could barely see through her tears as she trudged up the trail. Why hadn’t she trusted her instincts? She’d known something wasn’t right about that car.
She’d noticed it when she turned onto the road from the ranch. It’d been parked a little way past the entrance to the driveway and it pulled out to follow her. It looked like it might be an unmarked police car, so she’d watched her speed. She’d discovered on her errands that it was all too easy to go ten or more above the speed limit before she even noticed on the empty roads around the valley.
She’d kept an eye on the car the whole time. Police car or not, it was following a little too close for comfort. Her heart had sunk when she saw blue and red flashing lights appear. She’d thought it was weird that they ran along the top of the windshield on the inside, but then she had no clue what was normal for unmarked cars out here.
She slowed right down and pulled over at the next safe spot – which happened to be the entrance to a forest service road. She’d reached over to the glove box for the truck’s registration – Ford had shown her where it was kept along with the insurance card. By the time she had the registration and her driver’s license ready, she’d turned to find that her door was being pulled open. She had a moment of horrified understanding – the man who opened her door was no policeman, he was Carey Duncan – and then, everything went black. From the way her cheek and the side of her head were throbbing, she knew that he must have hit her.
When she came around, she’d been lying on the back seat of the truck, and he was driving up a bumpy road into the trees. When she struggled to sit up, he’d stopped the truck and turned to point a gun at her – a freaking gun!
She glanced over her shoulder – he was still pointing it at her now as he followed her up the trail that was taking them higher and higher, deeper into the trees that covered the foothills.
“Keep going, Shay. We’ll be there soon.”
She turned back around and stumbled on, hating the sound of his voice, the way he said her name.
She had to do something; she couldn’t just let him march her up into the forest and rape her, and probably kill her afterward. She had no idea how he’d found her, but she knew damn well that if she didn’t do something, there was no way Ty would be able to find her.
She reached for the back pocket of her jeans, hoping …
He laughed. “You really think I’d leave your phone in there? It’s gone, Shay. You have no way to contact him. No way to contact anyone. It’s just you and me now.”
She stopped walking, and he raised the gun higher. “Go! We need to get there before dark.”
She stared at him. She didn’t feel brave so much as stubborn. If she kept going, she was walking to her death, she just knew it.
“Go!” he screamed.
When she still didn’t move, he stepped closer, and the sneer on his face made her whimper in fear. The moment the sound left her lips, he smiled and grabbed for her.
“That’s right, Shay. You scream. No one can hear you out here.”
All her breath caught in her chest when he closed his arms around her and tried to kiss her. She ducked her head away from him and couldn’t hold in a scream.
“Yeah, baby!” He grasped her ass with one hand and ground his erection into her stomach. “Scream for me.”
She was shaking all over, but one solid thought formed in the panic inside her head – he wanted her scared. He got off on it. She had to find a way to be brave – to make him think that she wasn’t afraid.
She forced herself to go limp, even though she wanted to throw up when he held her hips and ground against her.
When he noticed her reaction, he stepped back. “You know what I’m going to do to you?”
She nodded.
“Then fucking scream!” Spittle flew from his lips as he yelled.
His hand flew through the air, and his open palm knocked her sideways when it hit her face. She staggered away as a fresh wave of pain exploded in her head.
She sucked in a ragged breath but refused to make any sound.
“Fuck!” He glared at her. “I knew I should have waited until you had the kids. I was in too much of a hurry. You’d scream for me if I had them here.” He smiled, and Shayna could see the crazy in his eyes when he said, “Maybe I’ll go get them after all. They’ll scream while they watch me fuck you. And I know you will when you watch me …”
He didn’t finish. Shayna couldn’t keep in a whimper of terror at what he might do to little Mateo and Maya.
“That’s more like it, baby.” He grabbed at his crotch and adjusted his pants. “You keep thinking about it while we walk. Get good and scared and think about those little faces.”
She turned and hurried up the path away from him. She’d rather march herself to her death than have him go back down the mountain looking for the kids.
As they trudged on in silence, she was beginning to think that it was hopeless. Ty would never find her up here. She’d thought that maybe her phone would help – maybe Amelia would be able to find her that way – Shayna had no clue how that worked, but she knew it happened in movies. This was no movie, though. Her phone couldn’t help her. She stopped when the trail split in two. Even if Ty made it this far, how would he know which way they’d gone?
She reached into her pocket. All she had was a Kleenex. She dabbed her eyes with it before turning back to Carey. “Which way?”
He pointed to the right. She bent down as if trying to catch her breath. He came alongside her, and when he prodded her to start moving again, she dropped the tissue.
“No, no!” Carey picked it up and waved it in front of her. “Don’t litter in the mountains, Shay. Don’t you know the slogan? If you pack it in, you pack it out.”
Her blood ran cold when he laughed, and she had to wonder if that meant that he didn’t plan to pack her back out again.
Her hand came up to her throat when it hit her that she was more than likely going to die out here. Ty … Tears started to run down her cheeks again. Ty would be so sad. She sniffed. He’d be better off if he’d never met her. She couldn’t regret it, though. She wouldn’t take back the short time they’d had together.
She remembered the first time she’d seen him at the airport in Salt Lake. She’d felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Her fingers curled around the beehive charm on her necklace.
She glanced over at Carey; he was walking beside her now, seeming less worried that she might try to make a run for it – with good reason. There was nowhere for her to go, the trees were thick on either side of the trail; she wouldn’t get far. And there was no one to hear her shout. They were completely alone up here.
She tugged on the charm and felt a little piece of her heart break along with the chain when it snapped. She lowered her hand, hoping that he wouldn’t notice what she was doing. She let the chain and the charm fall to the ground. It was probably pointless. If Ty somehow managed to track them this far, he probably wouldn’t see it – and even if he did, it might be too late.
~ ~ ~
Ty stared at the ranch truck. He was still trying to take it all in. While Kolby drove up East River Road, he’d called Cash to ask him if Amelia could track Shay’s phone. Someone – he didn’t know who, he was just grateful that his family had his back – had already called. Cash had answered with a laugh and told him that Amelia had already located her phone, and she must have a flat because she was stopped just off the road halfway up East River.
Ty had known that he wasn’t going to find her there. Every instinct he had was screaming that she was in big trouble – and Cash had soon sobered up when he told him that.
Now, they were here, standing next to the truck, which had been abandoned at the first locked gate on the forest service road. There was no sign of Shay – only her phone, lying smashed on the passenger seat – as if that bastard had left it as a message. Her backpack sat in the footwell, and her keys in the cupholder. He picked them up and ran his fingers over the keychain he’d given her in Salt Lake.
He jumped when his phone rang.
“What have you got?” he answered.
“I talked to Alexis,” said Cash.
Ty didn’t speak. There was nothing she could do for them from California.
“I had to, squirt. She’s on her way.”
Ty closed his eyes. He could only hope that by the time Alexis arrived, it would be for a joyful reunion. He wouldn’t allow himself to think that there was any other possible outcome.
He pulled himself together. “It has to be Carey Duncan. He must have found her.”
Cash blew out a sigh. “Sounds that way.”
“Why – what do you know?”
“I don’t, but think about it. He was asking around about her – beat her little brother up over it. Booker knew not to say anything, but I guess other people in town know where she went – someone must have let something slip without realizing it.”
Ty punched the truck. He should have thought of that – should have made sure that people knew not to talk about where Shay had gone. April knew where she was, and April worked in a damn coffee shop – anyone could overhear what she said in there.
“Ty? You okay?”
“No.”
“What was that noise?”
Ty looked down at his bloodied knuckles. “Nothing. I’m going to follow the trail – see if …”
“Make sure you stay in pairs. We’re on our way.”
“Thanks.”
Ty looked up at the mountains. Shay was up there somewhere, and he had to find her. He couldn’t think about what kind of shape she’d be in when he did.
Kolby grasped his shoulder. “Luke’s already called it in. Deacon’s sending some men, and …”
Ty shrugged and stared up the trail into the mountains. “What can they do? We know who has her. I just have to find him.” He went back to his truck and took his pistol from the glove box.
“Do you want to stay here and tell the others what’s going on? I’m going to …”
“You know better than that. Wade can organize everyone – Frankie’s in town, so she’s going to pick the kids up – but we need to wait and coordinate with them before we head up there. We’re not going to get a signal once we get a few hundred yards in.”
Ty started walking. “You coordinate whatever you want. Catch up with me or don’t.”
Kolby caught up with him a couple of minutes later. “I told them we’re freelancing this one.”
Ty nodded. There was no way he was going to wait around when Shay was out there somewhere, no doubt scared, possibly hurt, and … he shuddered; he couldn’t think about the rest.
They jogged for half an hour, mostly in silence. Ty’s mind was running wild. Images of Shay flooded his head. The first time he’d seen her in Salt Lake – he hadn’t been able to believe his luck. The way she looked with a smear of sauce on her cheek while she devoured her In N Out burger. The sadness in her eyes when he’d left her to catch her flight home. The way she’d run to him at the airport in Summer Lake. All the love in her eyes as she rode him hard just yesterday morning before they went to work. He blew out a sigh and stopped.
He sucked in a big breath, then bellowed, “Shay!”
Kolby froze beside him when they heard her voice. “Ty!” The sound bounced around, echoing all over, seeming to come from above then from their left, then the right.
“Shay!” he shouted again, but this time only silence echoed in return.
They both stared up the trail ahead of them, then Ty started to run. He didn’t stop until the trail split. He skidded to halt, frozen by indecision. He wanted to shout again, but he knew that he’d screwed up badly by doing that.
That asshole would now make sure that she couldn’t shout back – couldn’t give away their position.
Kolby caught up with him and panted, “You take right, I’ll take left. No more than 300 yards. Then we meet back here. Promise me, Ty! You meet me back here and we compare notes.”
Ty nodded curtly and started running up the path to the right. He ran 300 yards, seeing nothing. No sign that anyone had been this way. He wished he was more of a tracker – there could be plenty of signs, but he wouldn’t notice them while he was running this fast. He slowed to a walk; he needed to go just a little farther before he could make himself turn around.
He kept his eyes on the ground, wishing that it was mud season, or that there was snow on the ground, and he’d be able to make out fresh tracks. There was nothing like that, just dust and … He frowned. That looked like the heel mark of a boot. He carried on slowly – he could just be fooling himself. Kolby might have found signs that they’d taken the left fork. He could be waiting for him, wasting time … A shaft of sunlight filtered through the trees and something glinted, catching his eye. He hurried forward and fell on his knees when he saw the chain – and the little beehive charm.
He grabbed it and held it close to his heart. “I’m coming for you, Shay,” he whispered. “Just hold on, sweetheart.”
He turned when he heard Kolby approaching. “I knew you wouldn’t … What’s that? Did you find something?”
Ty nodded as he got to his feet. “It’s her necklace. She came this way.”
~ ~ ~
Shayna’s heart had soared when she heard Ty shout her name. She shouted back at the top of her lungs. He was closer than she would have thought possible. She’d set out early to go get Mateo and Maya, thinking that she’d be able to sit and read in the truck for half an hour before they came out of school. She’d thought it’d take ages before Ty figured out that something was wrong.
All the hope that she’d felt when she heard him had been dashed when Carey had closed his hand over her mouth. He’d stood behind her, his other arm around her waist and whispered next to her ear.
“You shout again, I’ll shoot you now. I can get away by myself and leave your body for him to find.”
She hadn’t dared to make a sound since. He was dragging her deeper and deeper into the forest and she was stumbling more and more often. She fell once, and he dragged her back to her feet, pushing her forward so that she almost fell again.
The next time she fell, he stood over her and pointed the gun at her head. “You’re not worth it. You wouldn’t scream for me when you could – and now we can’t risk them hearing you.”
As he held her gaze, she wanted nothing more than to scream long and loud, but she didn’t dare.
He grabbed her arm and yanked her back to her feet, turning as he did. A red-hot bolt of pain shot up her arm when she slammed into a tree. She bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming.
“Shit!” He glowered at her. “You’re too fucking fragile. I thought you were tough enough to take a pounding. Here, let me see – is it broken?”
He pulled her arm, and the pain was so intense that she saw black dots behind her eyes.
“Fuck!”
Everything went black, and the next thing she knew she was opening her eyes, lying on the ground.
Carey was sitting a few yards away, his pistol trained on her as though he was contemplating whether to pull the trigger.
He confirmed that impression when he said, “I should just off you now. Don’t want to fuck you if you’re not going to scream for me – and we can’t risk the noise.”
Shayna swallowed and tried to speak, she had to wet her lips and clear her throat before she could make her voice work.
“Wouldn’t they hear the shot?”
He stared at her for a long few moments before letting out a short laugh. “You’re right. They would. Can’t have that now, can we?”
He looked her over, making her skin crawl. “Maybe I should just leave you. You won’t make it through the night out here by yourself – there are wolves and bears around and all kinds of animals who’d love to eat you.”
Her skin crawled as he let his gaze travel over her. “Wanted to tie you up and eat you myself. I was in too much of a hurry. I might have to leave you and make a better plan. If they find you, I’ll know.” He smiled, seeming to warm to the idea. “Yeah, that might be fun. If they find you, I’ll come for you again when I’m ready. I’ll take my time, and that way you’ll have to live your life looking over your shoulder – knowing that the day’s going to come. Next time you see me, you’ll scream. I guarantee it.”
Shayna was starting to feel a glimmer of hope. If he left her, she stood a chance. She’d worry about next time if she survived this time!
She could see the crazy in his eyes when he smiled. “We can’t make it too easy, though. I’ll hang around. If he comes for you, I’ll shoot him.” He brought his finger to his lips and laughed. “So, you best stay quiet.”
She couldn’t stop shaking as he came closer. She was terrified when he reached out to touch her hair.
“I want you so bad, but I needed to hear you scream.”
She closed her eyes – he wasn’t going to rape her because he couldn’t afford for anyone to hear her scream?
Or maybe he was saying that he was going to – and she’d have to stay quiet? The way he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh made her want to throw up. This was it; he was going to … Then he ran both hands back down her leg until he was holding her foot – one hand gripped her toes, the other wrapped around her heel. He grinned. “Remember – stay quiet, Shay.”
She bit down on her bottom lip and waited. Whatever he was going to do, this was it. Just when she thought he was going to take her shoes off so that he could take her jeans down, he twisted her foot hard, making blackness swim before her eyes again. Her ankle and her knee both felt like they exploded.
“Don’t want to make it too easy for you to get out of here, do we?”
He got to his feet. “So, here’s the rules till I see you again. You stay quiet. If he comes for you and he finds you, I might still be here watching – ready to put a bullet in his brain. When you want to shout for him, remember that you might be killing him.” He laughed. “Or I might be long gone – you just won’t know. But will you take the risk? If he doesn’t find you, who knows if you’ll make it through the night? Maybe I’ll come back in a day or two when they give up looking.” He licked his lips. “Then you’ll be able to scream for me.” He sighed. “If they find you and get you out, you keep one eye open at night, Shay. I’ll be coming for you – and you’ll never know when.”
All she could do was stare at him.
He leaned in close, and she tried to scramble away, but he cupped the back of her head and covered her mouth with his. His other hand slid between her legs, his fingers probing – she’d never felt so grateful for thick, denim jeans in her life.
He lifted his head and started to unfasten her zipper, but shouts rang out in the forest below them, and he scrambled to his feet.
“Next time, baby,” was all he said before he turned and disappeared into the trees.
Shayna stared at the place where he’d been standing – he was there one moment and gone the next. She gulped in big, gasping breaths of fresh air. He was gone! But how far? Had he waited just out of sight to see what she’d do? Would he come back and shoot her if she yelled?
She closed her eyes. Would he wait for Ty to come – and shoot him? She’d rather die than let anything happen to Ty. She closed her eyes and cradled her arm as tears streamed down her face. She needed to think, but her arm hurt so badly she couldn’t. She knew it had to be broken. Her knee and her ankle throbbed, but she hoped they were only sprained. Either way, she didn’t know how she was going to be able to get to her feet, let alone find her way back to the trail.
She closed her eyes. Getting back to the trail would be her best hope – Ty might find her then, but she had no idea which direction the trail was in. And even if she could find it … She wiped the tears from her face with her good arm. She couldn’t go back to the trail – Carey might follow her and wait until Ty came …