Every Vow She Breaks (35 page)

“Do you think I liked hurting you?” He slammed his fist down on the padded nylon surface. “All I wanted was for you to keep your word. We made a vow.”

Cold shivered through her, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Obviously her old pal had completely lost it. “What vow?”

Where in the name of God was she? A glance in any direction revealed only thick forest. They were in some type of shelter made of branches and moss surrounded by tall ferns. No sign of his van. Nothing but endless redwoods and Douglas fir, rhododendrons, huckleberries and thimbleberry bushes. They might be two miles from civilization…or twenty.

Did he carry me here?
The man might look as scrawny as a scarecrow, but she didn’t weigh much.

“You honestly don’t remember?” Hurt reflected in his eyes. “Even after all my reminders?”

Don’t piss him off.

He didn’t seem dangerous, just sad. Surely the somewhat pathetic guy she’d known for years didn’t intend to hurt her?

He already has. Keep your guard up.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t. Maybe you could simply tell me instead of playing games.”

“I wanted
you
to come to
me
. I wanted you to
believe
we were meant to be together.”

“Preston…”

“You’d had a few drinks that night, but you weren’t drunk. Maybe that’s why you don’t—”

“How many?” She winced and held her head. “Uh, I’ll take those aspirin.”

He pulled a standard white pill container from the front pocket of a backpack leaning against the shelter wall and shook two tablets into her palm before handing her a water bottle. She swallowed them, drinking slowly, then splashed a little water on her face. Wherever they were, the place was well equipped with a camp stove, cooking gear and a second sleeping bag. Her gaze slid away, and her stomach lurched.

“How many what?”

“Drinks. How many drinks did I have?”

“Three.”

Her eyes widened. “Three! And I didn’t pass out? I
never
have three drinks. I’m a total lightweight when it comes to alcohol. No wonder I don’t remember anything. When was this?”

“You didn’t seem that drunk to me.” He shrugged. “Ten years ago. We went to a bar after work. You’d just had it out with Ross and dumped his sorry ass. Remember that?”

Recollection stirred. Sitting at a booth in a dimly lit bar across from Preston, drinking strawberry daiquiris in an attempt to drown her sorrows. Ugh. Maybe that’s why she never touched rum. She’d been madder than hell at Ross, and depressed. Really, really depressed. Lonely. Thinking she’d never find a decent man who’d treat her right. Who would love her and only her. Preston had bumped into her when she was leaving the office and offered to buy her a drink and let her vent. The rest was a blur.

“What happened?”

“You cried a little. I held your hand. Then we made a promise. We agreed if we were both still single in ten years we’d find each other and get married. It was a solemn vow.”

He’s been stalking me for ten years because of a drunken promise?

“Surely you didn’t take a vow like that seriously?”

His eyes clouded, and the mobile mouth twisted into something ugly. “You swore. I kept my end of the bargain and found you. Now you need to keep yours.”

“You want me to marry you because of something I said in a moment of grief-induced stupidity aided by way too many daiquiris?”

“It wasn’t stupid. I’d wanted to ask you out for a long time, but you were with Ross. After your breakup, I didn’t want to be just a rebound guy. I wanted forever. You haven’t been in another serious relationship, at least not engaged or anything, since Ross. I know since I’ve kept up with your life.”

Anger simmered. “Taking pictures of me when I didn’t realize anyone was watching is your idea of keeping up?”

His scowl deepened. “Not for the first five years, I didn’t. After that, I could see you were waiting for me, too. I didn’t want to push, so I stayed in the background. I bided my time until the ten years passed.”

She clenched her fists at her sides. “I’m in a relationship that matters now.”

“Too late. Time was up before you met Lafferty.” He pushed to his feet to stand outside the entrance to the shelter. His shoulders rose and fell in a long sigh. “Anyway, he’s not good enough for you. He doesn’t care about you the way I do.”

“This won’t work between us. I love Jed.”

He spun on his heel, eyes flashing. “Does
he
want to marry you?”

She bit her lip.

“Ha. I didn’t think so. The guy’s a player, just like Ross. Soon you’ll realize the truth. Once I convince you, once you understand how happy we’ll be together, we can go back to your house.” A wide grin stretched his lips. “Everything’s going to work out just the way I’d hoped. I’ll get the photograph I need to get my job back, and I’ll have you.” Worry lines marred his brow, and the smile slipped. “Is that too much to ask?”

She scooted against the rear wall of the shelter and pulled her knees tight against her chest. “No, it isn’t. I see your point. You’re the one I should be with, not Jed.”

“Don’t lie to me!” His voice rose in a screech. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know you don’t believe me yet, but you will. You will.”

Her head throbbed, painful enough to make her whimper. She pressed her lips tight to hold back the sound. This wasn’t the mild-mannered, goofy man she’d known for years. This man just might hurt her—again. It wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge…

She searched for something non-threatening to say, something to bring him back from a sheer drop into madness. “I’m hungry. Do you have any food?”

His eyes cleared. “Sure. We can make breakfast. Pancakes? Eggs?” He smiled. “I went shopping and have everything you could possibly want. Just name it.”

* * * *

Kane slammed the door of his Jeep and crossed the yard toward the house. Jed met him halfway. The grim expression on his brother’s face didn’t promise good news, but he asked anyway.

“Did you learn anything?”

“The chief updated me, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot to tell. Ian Rutledge is in the clear. The idiot tripped and fell, slicing his arm open on a tent stake yesterday. He spent most of the night in the emergency room down in Fort Bragg waiting to be stitched up.”

Jed let out a slow breath. “So the son of a bitch who has Claire is definitely Preston Meyer.”

“Looks like it. The police got a warrant and tracked his financials for the last six months. He made charges to his credit cards that match times and locations when Claire’s stalker was busy snapping pictures of her. They put an APB out on his van.”

Jed clenched and unclenched his fists before stuffing his hands in his pockets. “That broken-down relic should be easy enough to spot.”

“You’d think, but so far there’s been no sign of the vehicle.”

He stared up at a seagull circling in the clear blue sky and did his best to rein in his temper. “The freak could have taken her anywhere! What if he parked the van in a garage or an old barn? Or left the area completely. Hell, they could be in Oregon or Washington by now, or on their way to Mexico.”

“He’d have to pay for gas.” Kane rested a hand on his arm. “No new charges on his cards since yesterday at the grocery store here in Shady Bend. No cash withdrawals from his accounts, which are mostly overextended. My guess is he’s holed up with Claire somewhere close.” He pointed toward the forested hills rising along the Eastern horizon. “Somewhere out there in the redwoods.”

“Hell if I’ll wait for them to run out of food to come into town. I don’t want Claire spending another night with that bastard.” He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand through his hair. “If he touches her…”

“Look, you said her stalker wants to marry her. He’s living in some fantasy world of his own making, but he won’t hurt her unless—” He turned, eyes shadowed with worry.

“Unless what?”

“Unless he’s pushed. Unless he has no other choice. If Claire plays it cool and doesn’t aggravate him, she should be okay. At least for a while.”

“Claire’s smart. She won’t do anything stupid. She knows Meyer, and she’s good at decompressing tense situations.”

“Then trust in her ability to keep herself safe until we find her.”

“How’re we going to do that?” He flung out an arm. “There are hundreds…no
thousands
…of acres out there. How the hell are we going to search them all?”

“We’ll start with what’s accessible from old logging roads and trails. He had to park the van somewhere. The chief is organizing a search.” Kane nodded toward Scoop. “You think the dog could sniff her out if he got close enough?”

Head buried in a gopher hole, Scoop dug furiously, tail wagging.

Jed frowned. “I don’t know. Claire said there’s a little hound in him. I don’t know if it’s
bloodhound
, but it’s worth a try.”

“Bring the mutt and a backpack with water bottles, energy bars if you have them and a couple of flashlights. I don’t know how long we’ll be out searching. We’ll start wherever you think best. You know the area a lot better than I do.”

Jed nodded. “I’ll be ready in a couple of minutes. Make sure you bring a jacket. If the fog rolls in, we’ll freeze our asses off.”

He collected his gear, hands shaking as he loaded his pack. They had to find Claire. He drew in a ragged breath. He couldn’t live without her. Didn’t want to. Blinking back scalding tears, he wiped a hand across his face, wishing he’d told her that the last time he saw her.

When he returned to the yard, Kane gestured toward the Jeep parked beside Jed’s SUV. “We’ll take mine. That thing can go pretty much anywhere. Load up the dog.”

“Fine.” He held the door open for Scoop. “Let’s start near the Bigfoot camp. Meyer spent a lot of time out there, and it only makes sense he’d choose someplace familiar.”

“Now you’re thinking smart.” His brother’s blue eyes held compassion. “Keep it together. We’ll find her. First, though, I have to eat. I missed breakfast and lunch, and I need fuel. My guess is you do, too.”

“I can’t stomach food right now.” His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears. “I don’t want to waste time.”

“We’ll grab sandwiches to go.” Kane’s tone was firm. “Tell me where to get them.”

“Shit.” He closed his eyes and rested his head against the seatback. “The market in town has a deli counter in back. Turn right at the second stop sign.”

Jed waited in the Jeep with the dog panting over his shoulder while Kane hurried inside the store. When a knock sounded on the window, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Dallas stood beside the vehicle. Pushing open the door, he stepped onto the sidewalk.

“I saw you drive by the hardware store. Is it true Preston Meyer kidnapped Claire?”

Jed crossed his arms over his chest. “How did you find out?”

“Hell, half the town probably knows by now. Where’d he take her?”

He shrugged. “The police aren’t sure. They think he’s holed up in the woods somewhere, so they’re setting up a search. My brother and I are heading out to look for her as soon as he grabs something to eat.”

Dallas tipped his head to stare down at the cracked cement. “I might know where he’s holding her.”

“What!” Jed grabbed his arm. “Did you tell the cops?”

“No.” Dallas shook him off. “I want to help Claire, but…”

“But what? Jesus. That freak could be doing
anything
to her.”

“Look, I saw Meyer out in the woods once. He was coming out of a shelter that was damned hard to see, and I dodged behind a tree because…”

Jed stepped closer. “I swear to God, if you don’t—”

Dallas raised his hands, palms out, and scowled. “I was the one messing with the equipment those pansy-assed, pseudo-scientists set up, okay. I don’t want their type here. What do you think would happen if they actually caught a Bigfoot on film?” His chest heaved. “All hell would break loose, that’s what. Officials would try to capture one and put it in a zoo or study it or some other asinine crap.” His eyes darkened. “I saw one once. I say leave them in peace since they aren’t hurting a soul. Keep the mystery alive.”

Is everyone crazy?
Jed took a breath. “I don’t give a
damn
about what you did to the equipment or about the ultimate fate of Bigfoot. I just want to find Claire.”

“If you’ll keep your mouth shut, I’ll take you to the spot. I just need to get my truck.”

“Then get it.” Jed turned away as Dallas ran down the street.

Kane headed toward him carrying a paper sack. “Who was that?”

“A friend of Claire’s. Good news.” He let out a whoop and slammed his hand down on the hood of the Jeep. “Dallas knows where to find her.”

What next?

Afternoon had settled in, warm and sunny. A rarity in the redwoods, but Claire couldn’t appreciate it. The breath squeezed from lungs that tightened painfully as she thought about the night ahead. How long would Preston be content to play the part of her good buddy? He’d certainly tried to bring
normal
to a situation fraught with tension. All she could do was follow his lead.

As if I have any other choice.

He’d made a major production of pulling a long, shiny hunting knife out of the sheath at his hip to sharpen a stick he used to toast a bagel over the camp stove flame. The dull gleam in his eyes told her he wouldn’t be afraid to use it if she did something stupid. Escape was still a possibility, but not one she’d risk unless pushed.

“Rummy.” He slapped his hand over her discard. “You aren’t concentrating, Claire.”

She dropped her cards. “Sorry.”

He scooped up the rest of the deck and tapped them into a neat stack. “Maybe we need to find a new way to occupy our time.” Sliding closer, he pressed his leg against hers.

Her heartbeat quickened. “Cards are fine. I’m tired after…everything that’s happened, but I’ll try to pay more attention.”

“Let’s talk instead. Did you like the gifts I left for you?”

Do I engage him in his lunacy or shut him down right now? Come on, Claire, think. Steer him in a different direction. Use your head. Don’t make him angry.

His cheeks flushed as his gazed dropped from her eyes to her breasts beneath a thin T-shirt. She reached for the jacket she’d removed when the shelter heated beneath the midday sun.