Ladd Springs (Ladd Springs, Book #1) (19 page)

“They
don’t. But even so, he manages to cause trouble.”

“How?”

“He’s
been carrying on with some guys the last couple of weeks, playing his music
loud into the night, probably drinking… Momma is none too happy about it, I
tell you.”

“Is
that what they were talking about when I walked in?”

Candi
nodded. Turning to Annie, she rolled her lips together. “Momma wants Daddy to
kick him out.”

“I
thought he already was kicked out.”

“Off
the property, kicked out. She wants Daddy to have his trailer towed.”

Annie
savored the vision of Clem’s rust-pit being towed away, never having to bear
the sight of it again. A nice image. She glanced over again and wished Mr.
Sweeney would do just that. Tow the dang-blasted thing away.

“Daddy
won’t do it,” Candi said.

“He
won’t?” Annie asked, her mind split between Buford Sweeney’s possible reasons
against the idea and the sight of a blonde-headed woman sitting inside Clem’s
trailer. Annie strained to see through the dirty, sliding glass doors of the
trailer.

“I
think it’s because he’s too cheap to pay for the service, but Momma doesn’t
care. She wants Clem out.”

Candi
continued walking. Annie haphazardly kept up, her attention wrapped around the
woman in the trailer. She could see Clem’s figure, standing over her. Annie’s
thoughts stilled. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that was Delaney in
there! Not too many women in this town had long, white blonde hair running down
their back. Not near Delaney’s size and not talking to Clem.
Coincidence
?

Realizing
Annie had fallen behind, Candi stopped. “You okay?”

Annie
kicked into motion. “Yeah, sure,” she mumbled, her gaze stuck on the scene
inside Clem’s trailer. When he noticed her, he rushed over and whipped the
curtains closed.

Could
it really have been Delaney
?

Delaney
hated Clem, maybe even more than Annie. Why would she be in Clem’s trailer? Was
she talking about the property? Trying to scare him away from Ernie? He did
seem to be hanging around there quite often these days...

In
fact, every time she’d stopped by, Clem was there.

Annie
wrestled with her curiosity as Candi waited for her. Hope twirled around her
heart like the floating ribbons of sky-bound balloons. Could this work to her benefit
somehow? Could she convince Ernie that Delaney and Clem were teaming up on him?
Which didn’t make sense. Delaney was queen in her own mind. She thought she
could conquer the world. She didn’t need Clem Sweeney.

Annie’s
brows rose and her pulse sprinted.
Was something else going on
?

Felicity
breezed in through the front door of the cabin. “Mom, I’m home!” she called out
and climbed the stairs to her room. Travis and Troy were riding over in ten
minutes and she had yet to change, but her band coach had stopped her after
class to inform her that she was up for another scholarship. Another
scholarship!

Goosebumps
raced across her skin. She couldn’t believe it. Another one—and this time it
was money she could use for
any
musical cost she wanted. Maybe even a
new flute. Felicity peeled off her good jeans and pulled on a pair of torn,
faded Levis. Riding bareback would ruin a pair of designer jeans faster than
Travis could jump the creek. Pleasure ripped through her. She couldn’t wait. He
said he had a present for her. A present.

For
what? Her birthday wasn’t for three months! What could he possibly have and
why? Buttoning her fly, Felicity rushed into the bathroom. She checked her hair
in the tiny mirror, checked her makeup, her reflection revealing a goofy smile.
But so what? Travis was the only boy she ever cared about. She liked Troy, but
Travis was the one she preferred. Smart, sweet, he always kept her guessing. Troy
was predictable. Outrageous and daring, but predictable in his quest for
attention. Felicity ran a quick brush through her hair than hurried downstairs,
the silken waves in need of a wash.

Travis
had a gift for her? What could it be? Leaping past the bottom stair, Felicity
yelled, “Mom, I’m leaving now!” She swept into her mother’s bedroom, catching
herself at the doorway. Poking her head inside, she glanced about, surprised to
find it empty. The bathroom door was open, the light off. She looked around,
perplexed.

Huh.
Her mom was always here when she arrived home from school. Walking back into
the kitchen, Felicity glanced around the living room, the kitchen, noting
nothing out of place. Everything was as it was when she left this morning.

Maybe
she was already at the stables. Felicity grabbed a green apple from the basket
by the refrigerator and headed out the door. Wait until she heard about Travis’
surprise!

But
when she arrived to empty stables, Felicity became worried. Something was
wrong. Her mom was always here when she got home from school. Always. Sadie
came up to Felicity and nudged her soft muzzle against her. “Where’s Mom,
Sadie?” Felicity asked, absently scanning the woods around them.
No riding
in the woods alone
.

Felicity
grew uncomfortable. “What happened? Was her mom okay?

With
no choice but to meet the boys, Felicity gathered her black mare. Using the
barn stool parked off to the side, she hopped onto her horse’s back. She gave a
brief shake to the reins and clicked her mouth. “Let’s go, girl.”

Travis
would know what to do.

As
Felicity emerged from the trail into open field, she saw Travis and Troy Parker
waiting for her just past Uncle Ernie’s cabin. They sat idle on two
chocolate-colored Quarter horses, bareback as always, the only movement the
occasional swish of a black tail. The day that begun with a nip in the air had
warmed considerably, though Felicity was gripped by a building chill. When she
called her Mom’s cell phone, it went straight to voicemail. It would only do so
if her mother had turned her phone off. Why would she do that?

Felicity
trotted past the main house, looking past the empty rockers for signs of life
inside. Ernie’s truck wasn’t here, but what about Uncle Albert? He never went
anywhere. Had he decided to go somewhere with Ernie?

“Hey
Felicity, hurry on up!” Troy shouted.

She
turned toward the brothers, but her eyes focusing on Travis. As though he could
sense something was wrong, he kicked heels to horse and rode toward her.

Relief
trickled in as she stopped her mare and waited for him.

Travis
was by her side in seconds. Long brunette bangs partially covered his brown
eyes but couldn’t conceal his concern. “What’s up, Felicity?”

“My
mom. She isn’t home.”

Confusion
rippled across his face. “She isn’t?”

“No,”
she replied quietly.

He
shook the hair from his brow, his brown eyes closing in. “Where do you think
she is?”

Felicity
shrugged, but her heart caught at the sight of Nick’s sedan pulling into the
driveway near Troy. Travis followed her gaze. “You expecting someone?”

“No.”
But she was grateful for Nick’s unexpected arrival. “He’s a friend of my
mother’s.”

Travis
probed no further, turning his horse so the pair of them faced Nick as he drove
in and parked. Rising from the vehicle, he pushed the door closed and strode
over, his white polo shirt crisp against navy blue jeans. He checked out Travis
with an almost dutiful paternal once-over and said, “Hey, Felicity.”

“Hi.”

“Is
your mom around?” he asked with a hopeful smile.

She
shook her head. “No.”

Nick
paused, scrutinizing her face. “Everything okay?”

“My
mom isn’t here,” she said, as though he would understand the significance.

He
nodded. “That’s what you said. Any idea where she is?” Nick set hands to hips. “I’d
like to talk to her.”

“No—and
that’s the problem,” she said, her words suddenly tumbling out. “She’s always
here when I get home from school. Always.”

His
brow rose, cutting deep lines across his forehead. “Well I’m sure she’ll be
here soon.” Nick offered an appeasing smile, but Felicity was having none of
it.

“You
don’t understand, Mr. Harris. She’s always here when I get home. Always. It’s
not like her to be gone. She didn’t even leave a note.”

Finally,
the magnitude of her plight seemed to register in his expression. “She’s never
missed a day?”

“No.
Never. I tried to call her cell phone, but it went to voicemail.” Scary shadows
crossed his eyes. “Do you have any idea what could have happened, Mr. Harris?”

Nick
stepped toward them and Travis’ horse took a restless step, his ears pricking
back and forth.

“Where
are you guys going?” Nick asked.

“We’re
going for a ride,” Travis responded, protective steel lining his voice.

Troy
trotted over, casting an appraising eye to the situation. “What’s going on over
here?” Sporting the same brown hair and dark eyes, the brothers were nearly
identical, save for the scar on Troy’s cheek and his more muscular build. Troy
lifted weights. Travis did not.

Felicity
waved him off. “Nothing, Troy. We’re fine.”

But
the Parker boys were defensive that way, always on the lookout for someone
moving in, trespassing. Tempers fired quickly around these parts, and these two
were known for their hard-hitting response time, Troy willing to flaunt his
strength more readily than Travis.

“Felicity,”
Nick prodded, ignoring the interruption. “When was the last time you talked to
her?”

“This
morning when I left for school. Actually—wait—no. I talked to her when I
realized I didn’t have my permission slip for a school field trip. I called her
and she brought it to school for me.”

“What
time was that?”

“About
nine-thirty, ten.”

“And
she brought it to you? You’re sure?”

“Yes.
She left it with the office and I gave it to my teacher.” As Nick digested the
information, Felicity asked, “Why? Did you see her today? Do you know where she
might be?”

“No.”
But he had a funny idea he knew where she was headed. The golden rock. He had checked
his sample with a local jeweler in town, and it was legit. Ladd Springs had
gold on its hands, and he’d bet his life Delaney knew about it, probably
suspected he’d find out, too.

“Should
we get my Uncle Ernie?”

Nick
glanced back to the cabin behind him. “No. Not yet. Let me do a little checking
first.” He looked up at the young man next to Felicity, the boy next to him. These
must be the twins Delaney had mentioned. They were friends of Felicity’s and,
by the looks of them, both strapping and courageous in their own right. Nick
could entrust them with the girl’s safety. No telling what Clem might do if he
found her alone. After all, she was an extension of her mother. “Listen, you
boys live around here?”

Travis
nodded and pointed up the road. “We do. Just up yonder, around the bend.”

Troy
scowled at his brother and asked Nick, “What’s it to you, mister?”

“I
want you to take Felicity with you.” Nick turned to her. “Can you stick with
them while I look for your mom?”

She
nodded. “Do you think you can her?”

“I
do.”

Relief
softened the tension around her mouth. “Okay. Tell her I’ll be at the Parker’s.
She can call my cell.”

“Will
do.”

Chapter Nineteen

Standing
in front of the “golden rock,” Nick scanned the abundance of trees, the trunks
black sticks against a backdrop of sea green. Swells of earth formed walls of red
clay on either side of him, boulders and roots rose free from a blanket of
brown leaves and decaying branches. But there was no sign of Delaney, no clue
to her whereabouts. “Damn it,” he muttered. “Where are you, Delaney?”

Nick’s
gut told him Delaney was in trouble, and the more time he wasted, the more
danger she faced. If she wasn’t here, he had a sneaking suspicion that Clem might
know where to look. He was the only person who had demonstrated a will to hurt
her, he and his pal with the gun. The three men together had it out for
Delaney.

She
was a fighter, he’d witnessed that much firsthand. If it came down to fists,
she’d get away from him. Bumped and bruised for her time, but Nick would put
money on her to walk away the winner. If it didn’t, things didn’t bode well for
Delaney.

Nick
half-ran, half-jogged the trail out of the woods. Once he reached the clearing,
a plan formed in his mind. First stop, Clem’s trailer. If he knew something,
Nick would get it out of him. Beat it out of him, if need be, something that
would give him great pleasure. Then he’d get Delaney, and the two would return to
Felicity. Sadness pricked at his heart. He hadn’t liked seeing the naked fear
in her young eyes. If Delaney was harmed, the bastard responsible would pay. Nick
could only hope that bastard was Clem.

As
Nick jogged through the tall meadow grass, Ernie’s cabin came into sight. His
truck was back, along with another car. A white sedan, unfamiliar to him.

When
Nick reached the gravel driveway, he spotted a woman speaking to Ernie. Huddled
in his rocker as usual, he appeared unhappy to see her. Nick strode over and
heard the black-haired woman demand, “You mean to tell me you’re not the least
bit concerned?”

“I
ain’t.”

Rounding
the edge of the cabin, Nick noted Albert Ladd, peacefully rocking to and fro as
the disagreement heated beside him. Nick shook his head in wonder. The man was
innocuous to a fault.

“Well,
you should be,” the woman snapped. “Those two are up to no good.”

“You’re
the one who’s up to no good.” Ernie looked to Nick. “Along with this one.”

The
woman whirled around. “Who are you?”

“Nick
Harris,” he said, wondering at her identity, as well. The woman was fairly
attractive, with a slim build. Her black hair, all one length, framed a round
face marked by two big blue eyes. Two incredibly beautiful blue eyes. “I’m here
to speak with Mr. Ladd,” he told her.

“Mr.
Ladd?” Annie blinked, as though confused by the reference to Ernie.

Scaling
the steps, he asked, “Ernie, I’m looking for Delaney. Have you seen her?”

“No.”

“Any
idea where I might be able to find her?”

He
scowled and dodged Nick’s gaze. “She ain’t no concern of mine.”

Nick
swallowed the first words that came to mind and said calmly, “Felicity is
concerned about her mother. Says she wasn’t home when came home from school.” This
sparked the first sign of interest in the watery red-gray eyes. “Any idea why
that might be?”

Ernie
flicked a look of annoyance toward the woman standing beside him.

Nick
turned to her. She took a step away from him and pursed her lips. “And you
are?” he asked.

She
brought a hand to her neck and covered her throat, her fingernails painted as
blue as her eyes, coordinated with the blue flowers of her willowy blouse. “I’m
Annie.”

The
name didn’t mean anything to him. “Do you know Delaney?” Nick asked. Ernie had
looked to her when asked about Delaney. There had to be a reason.

“Yes.”

He
stepped toward her. “Any idea where she might be at the moment?”

Annie
brushed hair behind an ear and dropped her gaze to the planked floor.

“It’s
important,” Nick urged. “I think she might be in danger.”

She
flipped her face up to meet him directly. “Danger? What do you mean,
danger
?”

“I
can’t really explain,” he said, feeling certain the woman knew something. “Do
you know where she is?”

Annie
bit her lip back and glanced sideways to Ernie. Nick caught the briefest hint
of acknowledgment in Ernie’s gaze. Were the two discussing Delaney when he
walked up? Were they hiding something? Anger welled. He moved closer to her and
said, “Listen, you must believe me when I tell you her life could be at stake. If
you know something, I need to know.
Now
.”

“I,
I...” Annie cowered away from him. “I’m not really sure.”

Nick’s
patience snapped. “Tell me—”

“I
think she’s at Clem’s but I’m not sure...” Annie darted a glance to Ernie and
sputtered, “But I didn’t see her face, so I can’t be certain!”

Ernie
grumbled and shook his head. He jabbed the pipe into his mouth.

“
You
saw her at Clem’s trailer
?

“Yes,
yes, inside. I think it was her.” Annie thrust her gaze around like a helpless
female in search of miraculous assistance, the kind that would pop out of thin
air. “She was sitting,” she said quickly. “He was standing, talking to her.” Her
blue eyes rounded. “But I’m not sure—I was far away, and he closed the curtains
when he saw me.”

“Why
do you think it was her?” Nick pushed, beginning to doubt the veracity of the
woman before him. She was sketchy, dodgy. When he walked up, it sounded like
she was instigating trouble.

“Her
hair,” she exclaimed. “I saw her hair through the glass doors.”

Nick
had to agree. It was pretty distinctive, even from afar. He turned on his heel,
leaped across all three stairs and hit the ground running. If Delaney was at
Clem’s, he’d have her out within five minutes.

“C’mon,
Dell.” With Delaney’s arms tied behind her back, Clem manhandled her toward his
truck, shoving her inside. “We’re going for a ride.” He slammed the door closed
and walked around the front end, climbing into the driver’s seat.

Struggling
against the ropes cutting into her wrists, Delaney shifted in the seat until
she was sitting upright. The stench of his vehicle was overwhelming, a
combination of cigarette smoke and rotten food. “Where are you taking me?”

“Pipe
down. You’ll know soon enough.” Clem stuffed a lighted cigarette between his
teeth and turned the key in the ignition. The engine started with a loud pop. As
he yanked the vehicle into reverse, Delaney’s body lurched forward then back,
as he jammed his dusty boot to the accelerator. Both of their bodies bounced around
on the bench seat as he pulled out onto the pavement. With a screech of tires,
Clem took off in the direction of town.

As
they drove, air rushed in through the open windows, blowing hair across her
face, her neck, several ends sticking in her mouth. Delaney spit the strands
out as best she could, but at the speed they were traveling, it was no use. More
took their place within seconds.

Clem
rested his elbow on the open window frame and drove as though he didn’t have a
care in the world. His expression was blank as he looked to the road ahead. He
puffed from his cigarette without hurry, the smoke assaulting her nostrils as
he exhaled.

Delaney
remained incredulous to his audacity. He’d actually commanded men to kidnap
her—
kidnap her
—which was nothing short of a felony. She glared at him
from the corner of her eye. It was a federal crime, one she would make sure he
paid for dearly.

As
Clem slowed for a stop sign, Delaney pulled her hands from beneath her rear
end, adjusting her weight to relieve the stress on her shoulders. The bruised
one ached, her hands were beginning to tingle. The seat was growing hot and
sweaty against her back. She needed to make a plan. She needed to be prepared
to escape when the opportunity presented itself.

Delaney
eyed the door handle. There was no way she could grab hold of it, let alone
open it. Analyzing the floor layout, she made note of the hump in the floor of
the center console. Clem drove an older model, a barebones model truck, meaning
the only thing between their feet was the gear shift—nothing substantial she
could brace her boot against for a leap out the window. She glanced outside,
currently a blur of trees and mailboxes. Of course at his speed, jumping out
the window could mean broken bones.

She
turned to him, repulsed by his nicotine-stained fingers, his bony jaw covered
by a scraggly layer of light brown facial hair. “You’re not going to get away
with this, Clem.”

He
snickered. “That’s what you think.”

“They’ll
know it’s you.”

Clem
looked over at her and smiled thinly. Glancing between her and the road, he
pulled a drag from his cigarette, the ashes turning bright orange, then blew
the smoke straight into her face. “Ain’t gonna be me.”

She
struggled not to cough in the cloud of smoke. Wasn’t going to be him? But he’d
sent the men away. Who, then?

The
first sliver of icy fear passed through her stomach. Up to this point, she
believed it was going to be a matter of him and her. A battle between her and
Clem was one she could win. Had she miscalculated? Should she have fought
harder? Delaney dropped her gaze to her boots. He’d taken her gun. He’d taken
her backpack. She could only hope he didn’t have the sense to check her camera.

“Now
what you got to say, Dell?” he chortled. When she didn’t reply, he added,
“That’s what I thought.” And spit a wad of saliva out his window.

Clem
drove toward town but turned off on a country road before making it to the
official town limits. Delaney recognized the mostly rundown area for what
people referred to as the wrong side of town. She wouldn’t be caught dead here
at night. Her pulse fluttered. Actually, she would. That’s exactly what could
happen to her after dark in this neighborhood. She turned and centered on Clem.
He wouldn’t really go that far, would he?

Nick
pounded the empty trailer’s door. “Damn it, where are they!” he shouted. Whipping
his head around, he fought the urge to go back and wring that woman dry for
information. She was a local. She knew the Ladds, Clem—she must have some idea
where he might have gone.

But
he didn’t have time. He only had time to act, to
move
. Nick ran to his
car, jumped in and keyed the engine to life. Heedless to oncoming traffic, he
peeled out of the drive, cutting off a station wagon as he headed toward town. He
was going to the only other place he thought Clem might go.

Clem
stopped his truck outside a wooden shack. A cloud of dust billowed around the
truck and for once Delaney was thankful to be inside. One end of the home’s eave
was collapsed, the front porch hung precariously from the exterior wall. He
honked the horn twice and the screen door opened. The man known to her as Jeb
walked out. He nodded to Clem, held a hand up, his fingers and thumb spread
wide.
Five minutes
.

Clem
nodded he understood. The man disappeared back into the house.

So...she
had five minutes to figure a way out of this mess before the next leg of her
journey began. And she had no doubt it included Jeb, perhaps even his cohort
from the woods. She swallowed, the move doing nothing to lubricate her throat. It
was dry, tight, painfully so. She glanced askance at Clem. Maybe she could talk
some sense into him. Maybe belligerence wasn’t her best option.

Retrieving
a pack of cigarettes from a cubby in his dashboard, a dashboard covered with
white, nasty ashes—Clem pulled a cigarette free and stuck it in his mouth. He
drew a lighter to its tip and flicked on the flame. His cheeks hollowed as he
sucked in hard.

“What
do you want, Clem?”

He
turned to her, his yellowed teeth clutching the cigarette butt as he spoke, “I
got everythin’ I need, Dell.”

“We
can make a deal,” she said. “It’s your find. I’ll give you some rights to it.”

“Some
rights?” He guffawed, and took a long drag from his cigarette. Exhaling, he
smiled. “How about I take all them rights, instead?”

“It’s
Ladd property. I think Ernie would have something to say about that.”

“Ernie
ain’t got nothin’ to say about things he don’t know about.”

“He’ll
find out, Clem. You have to know that.”

He
cocked his head to the side and peered at her quizzically. “And how’s he gonna
do that? By traipsin’ out into the woods?” He laughed and shook his head. “You
really get me, Dell.”

Stupid.
This was stupid and going nowhere. He wasn’t going to listen to reason. She
needed to escape, that was all there was to it. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

His
cigarette hung from his mouth, the smoke curling around his fingers, around his
face, his stringy, greasy hair. He appeared to consider her request, but
replied, “Hold it.”