Ladd Springs (Ladd Springs, Book #1) (20 page)

“I
can’t. And I don’t’ think you want me messing up your truck.” The hair around
her shoulders and neck was growing warm, uncomfortable as it stuck to her skin.
With no clouds in the sky, the sun was baking the vehicle. “I need to go. I’m
sure they have a bathroom in there.”

He
squinted at her, wary of her motives. “Don’t you go try nothin’, Dell. Jeb
ain’t the friendly sort and he don’t much care for women.” Clem’s lips pulled
the ends of his mouth into an insulting smile. “Kinda like old Jack.”

Delaney
tensed but kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly
agitated, Clem withdrew the short cigarette from his mouth and flicked it out
the window. “Let me go check.” He pushed out his door and traipsed over to the
fleabag of a house and entered. Delaney, wrestling with the rope at her wrists,
her skin burning from the repeated friction, could only imagine what it looked
like inside the rundown shack. Bending her fingers around the rough braid of
material, she fought to loosen the knot to the point where she could slip her
hands free.

Clem
came out of the house and she stilled. Trailing his figure to her side of the
truck, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was letting her go to the bathroom. He
opened her door and instructed, “Get out.” Delaney stretched a leg down to the
running board and sliding the other over, hopped down to the ground. “You got
two minutes and then we’re leavin’,” he said. Wrapping skinny fingers around
her bicep, he propelled her toward the house.

The
place was a dump, the yard littered with beer lids and cigarette butts, a
rearview mirror, a rusted pipe, miscellany of bricks. “What do you plan on
doing with me?” she asked, careful not to trip over the random cement blocks in
her path. Broken in two, it looked as if someone had hurled the thing there and
left it.

“You
ask too many questions,” Clem said. He yanked the screen door open and thrust
her inside. She cringed. The stench was overwhelming. Stale beer and old
tobacco permeated the air. Fast food containers lay opened and abandoned on the
table, the couch, accompanied by shreds of lettuce, bread crumbs and smears of
ketchup-covered paper wrappers. A few empty soda cups sat nearby. Jeb stood by
an olive green refrigerator, downing a can of beer. His skinny friend was in
tow, eyeing her with a lascivious gleam.

Her
insides recoiled.

“Bathroom’s
in there.” Clem pointed to the narrow door in the back. “And hurry it up. We
ain’t got all day.”

Thankfully,
no one questioned how she was going to perform the task. Delaney strode through
the tight quarters and entered the bathroom, reaching tied hands behind her to
close the door. Inside the small confines, the toilet bowl was a burnt-orange
color, the water line blackened by mold. The mirror was a mess of smudges and
stains—whose origins of which she didn’t even want to consider. The pedestal
sink was white porcelain, its drain hole dark and rusted.

Delaney
peered at her reflection and for the first time felt the full brunt of her
situation. Jeb looked like a man with nothing to lose, his friends oblivious to
any consequences of their actions. Clem had always been a loser, and not a very
bright one. Her thoughts veered toward Felicity. For all intents and purpose, she
had already lost her father. Felicity couldn’t lose her mother, too. She dumped
her gaze to the sink. Staring at the grimy tiled-floor, pressure built in Delaney’s
chest. She had to find a way out of this mess. She had to break free. She
couldn’t let this be the way her life ended. She looked into the mirror,
desperation exploding in her chest. Sure as she was standing here, death waited
just outside the door.

Grateful
to find his car in one piece, Nick drove as fast as he could, his speedometer
tapping numbers it had no business touching. Hugging country roads with his
precision vehicle, he almost wished he had a squad car on his tail. Might
prevent him from doing something stupid when he landed in town.

If
Clem and those men had Delaney, as he believed they did, they were going to get
what was coming to them. Whether it came from his hand or not, they were going
to regret the day they ever touched her. Thoughts of her ex striking her
crossed his mind and stirred fury, deep in his gut. Only a weak man hit a
woman. A coward, in every sense of the word. Alcohol didn’t excuse the actions,
it only accentuated them. Delaney might be a fighter, but she didn’t stand a
chance against a man. Sheer mass worked against her. Visions of last night on
her porch pulled at him. The first time she revealed her vulnerability—the feminine
need to be protected and cared for that every woman harbored.

A
need he wanted to fill.

Nick
jammed his foot to the pedal and the car lurched forward. All eight cylinders
rumbled as he gunned the engine to max capacity.

Delaney
jumped at the fist pounding on the door. “Hurry up in there!”

“I’m
almost done!” Heart pounding, she continued to work her hands back and forth
across the radiator pipes, rubbing and tugging against the sharp edges. Her
skin burned from the friction, but the process was working. She could feel the
knot tighten, the fibrous threads tearing apart. She lifted her leg and hit the
toilet handle with her boot. The bowl flush drowned out the sound as she yanked
her hands hard against the rusted metal.

She
could feel Clem’s impatience on the other side of the door. Her time was up. Pulling
her body erect, she backed up to the door handle and opened it, turning to face
Clem as she walked out. She squeezed arms to her back, mindful of covering any
sign of the loosened rope with her fingers.

Jeb
and his cohort were waiting outside. The smaller man opened the passenger door
to a blue truck and gestured for her to climb in. “Where are you taking me?”

“I
done told you, Dell. It doesn’t matter.” Clem scowled. “Now go on and get in
the truck.”

Delaney
stood firm. “We don’t have to do this, Clem.” She glanced at the men, then back
to him. “I won’t say anything about your involvement with the gold. I won’t tell
Ernie. Just let me go and you all can go free.” Jeb glowered but she continued,
“I promise. You can walk away and no one will be the wiser.”

“Too
late,” Clem said, and Delaney thought she detected reservation in his voice.

Could
it be
?
Was he debating the wisdom of this decision
?

“You
don’t have to do this, Clem. You’ll go to prison for life.” Delaney avoided
Jeb’s dark frown stabbing at her from across the faded hood of the truck. “Listen
to me. You won’t get away with it. They’ll find you. They’ll prosecute you.”

The
wiry man holding the passenger door of the truck became fidgety, darting
glances between Jeb and Clem. Silver medallions rimming the crown of his hat
glinted in the sunlight.

“We’ve
got to get on with it,” Jeb barked.

Clem
flinched. “Get in the truck, Dell!” He pushed her and she nearly tripped over a
metal tire rim. She shook the hair from her face and stumbled toward the truck.
An inkling of finality was creeping in. Should she run? Should she wait?

Would
they shoot her in broad daylight? Despair seized her. She glanced at the
cluster of surrounding houses, empty, abandoned. Was there anyone around to notice
what was happening? Eyeing the truck’s cigarette smoke and sweat-drenched
interior, she had no doubt that was not the place to be. From everything she’d
heard—getting into the perpetrator’s vehicle was the
last
thing she
should do.

Clem
shoved her forward. “I’m sorry, Dell. But you left me no choice.”

Climbing
in, she scooted into the middle. Jeb and the other man eased in and flanked her
on both sides. Sitting rigid between them, she felt trapped. Fear peppered her
heart. A looming sense of dread filled her.

Clem
stood beyond the hood. He lit a cigarette and stared at her.

Loathing
filled her. The man was a coward. He couldn’t even do the deed himself. Jeb
gunned the engine to life and pulled out onto the road. As they passed a row of
seemingly deserted houses in varying degrees of neglect and decline, Delaney
saw no one to act as her witness. Like rats in the light of day, no one showed
themselves in the streets. Were they huddled in the slums of their miserable
lives, unwilling to help an innocent woman?
Misery loves company. It’s not
my problem.
Mind your own business
.

As
Jeb picked up speed, Delaney tried to keep from touching the men. Tried to
ignore the smell, the fear rising inside her. Tried to keep her wits about her.
She had to make a plan.

But
getting into this truck may have sealed her fate.

Nick
careened around the corner and drilled the accelerator to the floor. The house
Clem had gone to the other night was down this street. It was the third one
around the next corner. Downshifting, he took the curve with a screech of
tires. The sight of Clem’s truck unleashed a band of rage in him.

Clem’s
exhaust pipe discharged a puff of smoke as the truck’s engine jerked to life. Nick
nailed the accelerator. His car reacting with the power of a jet engine, he
pulled in front of Clem and cut him off with a violent jam to his brakes. Clem jerked
his truck into reverse, but Nick was already out of his car, the gun pulled
from his waistband trained on Clem.

Clem’s
eyes widened in horror.

Nick
pulled the driver side door open, hauled Clem out with one hand and slammed him
against the truck. “Where is she?”

Clem
glanced at a blue truck, four blocks down, then looked to Nick. “I don’t know
what you’re talkin’ about!”

“Where
is Delaney?” Nick demanded once more.

Shaking,
Clem glanced toward the truck again and back to Nick. “I don’t know!” he
shrieked. “I swear!”

Nick
followed his gaze. Taillights lit red, then extinguished as the truck turned
the corner. Delaney. It had to be. “Liar.” He slugged Clem in the face with
everything he had. The man staggered, fell flat on his back. Nick kicked him in
the side, his boot connecting with a thud. Clem curled up into the fetal
position, moaning loudly.

Disgust
rolled through Nick. “You haven’t heard the last of me,” he promised. After a
final kick, he ran to his car, jumped in, and headed in the direction of the
blue truck.

Chapter Twenty

Jeb
took the main road, turning at the first light, the route out of town and into
rural wasteland. A mix of forest and fields, there wasn’t much here. Farms had
vanished, homes abandoned as people had given up wrestling with the land and
moved out. Alarm shredded Delaney’s thoughts. Did they intend to shoot her and
dump her in a remote area? She shuddered. Who would find her out here?

No
one.

Resolve
fired through her. She had to come up with a plan!

Jeb
glanced in the rearview mirror and Delaney felt him tense. He crushed the
accelerator with his massive boot and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“What
are you doing?” the smaller man cried. “You’re gonna cause the cops to follow
us!”

“We’ve
got company.”

Delaney
twisted around and saw the familiar car racing toward them. Relief flooded her.
Nick had found her
.

The
skinny little man looked back and shrieked, “Who’s that?”

“Not
sure.” Jeb looked to her. “You know him?”

Excitement
swelled, but Delaney didn’t respond.

Jeb
looked over her head to his friend. “Hold on.”

Angst
zipped through her. The little man grabbed hold of the hand grip above his
door. Delaney pressed her feet to the floorboard. Not much else she could do as
Jeb spun the steering wheel sharply to the left, sending her into the man beside
her. He sped down the dirt road, the truck’s frame jostling her bones as the large
wheels hit deep grooves and ruts.

Knocked
back and forth between the two men, Delaney, heart racing, craned her head for
another glimpse of Nick. He was following, but it was clear his car could not
handle the uneven terrain like the truck could. Delaney glanced at Jeb. Maybe
he wasn’t as dumb as she thought.

Hanging
on for dear life, the skinny man locked a white-knuckled grip to the hand hold
above as the road curved up ahead. Several tree trunks stood near the road as
it narrowed into the forest. “Watch out, Jeb!” he hollered.

Jeb
barreled forward in determined silence.

Delaney
braced herself. Using her feet and shoulders, she pressed her body into the
seat back. Adrenaline flushed through her. She tried to keep centered, praying
no cars were traveling in the opposite direction.
Was Jeb crazy
? They
could all be killed!

Gone
were the grass and shrubs. Trees and curves dominated now, reducing visibility
to nothing but leaves and tree trunks. It was darker in the shade, the scent of
trees permeating the interior of the truck. She couldn’t tell if Nick was still
behind them or not. This wasn’t Ladd land. She had no idea what lay up ahead.

Did
Jeb know where he was going?

The
truck slowed as they drove deeper into the woods, only because the landscape
was getting in his way. Maybe it would give Nick a chance to catch up. The
truck hit a massive rock, uprooting her from her seat. If his car would hold
up, that is. Nick’s low-lying sports sedan tore at her spirit. This was tough
going, even for a truck. There was no way Nick’s car would make it through.

She
had to get out. Delaney glanced sideways from man to man. Sandwiched between
them, she couldn’t jump out. She surveyed the road ahead. There remained one
option. She had to stop the truck. They were traveling slowly enough now, it
might be possible. And if she could manage to stop the truck, she might be able
to escape into the woods. They could shoot at her, but with all the trees, she
had a fighting chance. Besides, she doubted they’d pursue her with Nick on
their tail. Jeb had already proved he wasn’t completely ignorant. He must
realize Nick would catch up with them, and he knew Nick had a gun.

In
a split decision, Delaney made her choice. Inching her left boot toward Jeb’s
as they approached the curve ahead, she calculated the distance and counted—one
-two-
three.
She
jammed her boot onto Jeb’s and braced against her
seat back, locking her legs into rods of steel.

“What
the—”

But
it was too late. As the truck hit a tree trunk with a sickening crunch, Delaney
drove down into the lap on her right. Her head and shoulders hit the dashboard
with a painful whack, her body bouncing back like a rag doll.

Nick
jammed the brakes to the floor.
Damn it
, there was no way his car would
make it any farther. Not without dropping a chassis—which would be worth it if
he thought the car stood a chance at catching up. But it wouldn’t.

He
jumped out, pulled his gun and took off running. He had no idea how far ahead
the men were, but he would close the distance. He had to. Delaney was with
them.

There
was no way he was going to let them hurt her. Spotting the curve up ahead, he
cut through the forest. Time was of the essence.

Momentarily
stunned, Delaney popped her head up. She gauged the situation. Jeb was slumped
over the steering wheel, his head a sticky mess of red. The scrawny man next to
her shrieked, “What were you thinkin’?”

Waves
of pain rolled through her head, sharp and dull at the same time. Twisting her aching
body, she swung her legs over his bony ones and kicked at the door. Sharp
spasms erupted in her head, her shoulders. “Get out!” she commanded.

Eyes
slanting toward the inert Jeb, he froze.

“Get
out!” she yelled. Wedging the toe of her boot into the door handle, she tried
to pull it open. “Open the door, damn it!” Delaney pulled frantically at the
rope around her wrists.

As
though roused by some unseen force, the little man pushed his hands between her
boots and thrust the door open. Visibly shaking, he slid out ahead of her, his
gaze darting nervously about. Probably checking for Nick’s whereabouts.

“He’s
coming,” she warned him, shock and adrenaline firing her temper. A sweep of
light-headedness made her pause. Shaking the dizziness, she scooted her bottom
along the seat cushion behind him—until a hand grabbed her by the hair. The
pain to her scalp, quick and severe.

“You’re
not going anywhere,” Jeb growled.

Tasting
escape, she fought against Jeb, but he wrenched her head back. Fearing he would
rip her hair out, she scrambled in his direction. Delaney worked to keep the
loosened rope at her wrists concealed as he hauled her free of the vehicle.

She
might still have a chance to use it to her advantage.

Dragging
Delaney to her feet, Jeb snarled, “That was a stupid move.”

Blood
ran down the side of his face. Danger poured from his eyes.

“What
are we gonna do now?” came the bedraggled voice from the other side of the
truck. “That man’s comin’ to get us! He’s comin’!”

“Shut
up, Willie!” Jeb yelled.

Jumping
about, the smaller man cried, “He’s gonna kill us! He’s gonna kill us!”

“I’m
gonna shoot you myself, you don’t shut your pie hole.”

Willie
struggled to remain still, bobbing about as though he needed to pee. Delaney
turned to Jeb. His hand on her arm was hurting, but she had to delay. “He’s
right. But if you let me go, you can walk away. Right now.” Nick needed time to
catch up with them.

Jeb
jerked her roughly. “Don’t take me for a fool. Your boyfriend’s car can’t
handle these roads. He’ll be lucky to make the first half a mile.”

He
wrenched her arm, she cried out in pain.

“Let’s
go, girl. And don’t try anything stupid—I already have orders to shoot you.” Her
heart thwacked. “I’ll do it here if I have to.”

Delaney
managed to keep on her feet as Jeb forced her through the heavy brush. Her head
had dissolved into a dull ache, most of her pain now coming from the hand
digging into her arm. She wanted to work her hands free, but with Willie bringing
up the rear, she feared even a slug like him would take notice and alert Jeb. And
Jeb meant business, of that much she was sure.

He
stopped. She followed his gaze to a small house in the woods and her heart sank.
What a perfect place to dump a body
.

Jeb
plowed forward, an added spring to his step.

With
renewed panic, Delaney struggled for ideas. She couldn’t let it end this way! She
had to fight! Had to escape! Willie looked at her, but quickly averted his
eyes. Seemed he, too, understood what was at hand.

Delaney’s
throat went dry, her lungs filled with pressure. With each step closer to the
abandoned structure, fear shredded her insides. Four cement walls and collapsed
roof, it was all Jeb needed to conceal her body. She tugged and pulled against
the rope. If she could only wrangle a hand free—

Jeb
kicked in the front door and pushed her inside. Dust flew into the air. Delaney
coughed, turning mouth and nose into her shoulder.

“Stay
out here and watch for him,” Jeb instructed Willie.

“Ye-ye-yes
sir,” Willie stammered. He glanced around the woods and looked like he expected
to see a ghost.

A
shot rang out. Delaney dropped to her knees.

Jeb
swore, released her. A second shot nicked the door frame with a piercing
ricochet. She ducked instinctively—thrilled. Nick had found her!

Willie
squealed as he ran into the house. Arms and legs flailing, he slipped and fell,
crawling the rest of the way inside. Like a scared mouse, he scurried for
safety behind Jeb.

“Why
didn’t you say anything?” Jeb yelled, firing off a shot, taking cover behind
the front wall.

“I
didn’t see him!” he wailed. Cowering with hands over his head, Willie looked as
if he were trying to blend into the wall.

Delaney
quickly worked the rope from her wrists.
This was her chance
.

The
next bullet shattered the window, sending shards of glass tumbling across the
floor near Willie

“Let
her go!” Nick called out.

Delaney
jumped up to run, but Jeb grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to him. He jabbed
the barrel of his gun beneath her chin. Cold metal drilled into her skin.

No
one made a move. No one made a sound. She could feel Jeb’s heart pound at her
back. The slick sweat of his arms moistened her shirt, his odor sour.

Jeb
moved Delaney toward the open doorway. Plastering his back to the safety of the
cement wall, he eased his head between hers and the door jamb, breathing hard
against her hair. He searched for sight of Nick.

Trees,
leaves, a dapple of light, but no Nick.

“Last
time,” Nick yelled. “Let her go or I’m coming in after her.”

She
and Jeb looked toward the direction of his voice. Other than the shimmer of
sunlight through the jungle of green, she saw nothing. But he was there. Beneath
the weight of Jeb’s meaty arm, her chest rose and fell with the hope of him. He
was here. For
her
.

“Go
round back,” Jeb ordered Willie. “Run around and act as a distraction.”

The
man glanced up in horror. “What?”

“You
heard me,” Jeb hissed. “Go on.”

Out
back was nothing more than a hole in the wall—an avenue for escape if Willie
decided to take it.

Delaney
seized the opportunity. “Save yourself, Willie. I’ll tell Nick not to shoot
you, if you run now.”

“Shut
up!” Jeb barked into her ear. Delaney winced. Willie remained in place, though
his expression registered the offer. “Go now, or I’ll shoot you myself!” he yelled.

Willie
scrambled to his feet. Wary of Jeb, his gaze flitted in and out of the house. He
looked to Delaney, to Jeb. “I—I’m going out...” he stuttered, backing toward
the far wall. “I didn’t mean to hurt nobody, I
swear
.”

“Shut
your trap—she’s lying about helping you!”

Willie
double-checked with Delaney. “You didn’t do anything,” she reaffirmed, and with
an intent look from her eyes, willed him to run. “It’s not you they’ll want.”

Jeb
jabbed the pistol into the base of her head. She cried out. A bullet clipped
the wall outside. As Willie wailed and dashed out the back, Jeb raised his gun
and shot blindly into the woods out front.

Willie
could be heard hollering “Don’t shoot! I surrender, I surrender!”

Jeb
reeled off another shot and Delaney jabbed the heel of her boot into his knee. She
was finished playing victim. With all her might she pushed away from him, but
he yanked her back. Again, she kicked ferociously at Jeb’s. The time her effort
threw him off balance, and the two of them fell through the front door, landing
in a heap on the ground.

Delaney
kept up her struggle, hoping to give Nick the time he needed to move in. If Jeb
was going to shoot her, now would be the time. She muttered a silent prayer, then
bit into his forearm. Jeb yelped and rolled to his side. With a hand to her throat,
he scanned the vicinity for Nick, and froze. Delaney peered up, coming face-to-face
with the towering vision of Nick Harris, his gun trained at Jeb’s head. “Move a
muscle and I blow your head off.”