Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) (36 page)

“I know you have poison in there and
I know you have Laura. I wouldn’t play games if I were you. Things will be a
lot harder on you if something happens to Laura. As it is, I can press charges
for attempted murder.” Jake gave him a stony stare as he hunched down in front
of Walter. “Where do you and Victoria have Laura?”

“I don’t know what you are talking
about,” Walter gritted out again.

“I got a message earlier, from Laura.
Telling me that you were going to poison my horses and here you are, so don’t
play games with me.”

Walter’s mouth dropped open. “That’s
impossible!” he exclaimed in shock. “It was never sent.” He clamped his lips
together, closing his eyes in horror at his mistake.

“You may as well tell me where she
is. If anything happens to her, you’re looking at one heck of a long jail
sentence. However, if you help recover her safely, I’ll do what I can to make
things easier for you in court.”

Walter looked at him suspiciously.
“You could get me off?” he asked, his eyes taking on a calculating glint.

“I wouldn’t say that, but it may help
you to have a reduced sentence if I’m willing to speak for you.”

“Not good enough!” Walter snarled.

“Then you risk spending the rest of
your worthless life inside.” Jake got up to walk away.

“I’d think about taking his offer, if
I were you,” Dan said softly, drawing Walter’s attention to him. “Would
Victoria stick by you, if the situation were reversed?”

Walter snorted, his expression
sneering. “You can’t turn me against her. Victoria and I are solid. We always
have been. Nothing you can say would ever change that.”

Kerry stepped forward, tugging on
Jakes arm. “Did you say you have Walter’s phone?” she asked him quietly, her
expression thoughtful.

“Yep, what of it?” Jake replied
impatiently, pulling the phone from his pocket. All he wanted to do was pound
the truth from Walter’s irritatingly smug face.

“Did you check the messages on it?”
Kerry plucked the phone from Jake’s hand before he could answer.

“No,” Jake hit his head in disgust.
Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Kerry was already busy checking
through Walter’s texts. “Here it is,” she laughed triumphantly. “The idiot
didn’t take it off his phone straight away. Victoria sent him a text earlier
this afternoon asking him to meet her in town at the abandoned factory. She
tells him she’ll be waiting for him in the old storage building. Bet you
anything you like, she’s still there and Laura will be with her.”

Jake turned back to Walter, his eyes
hard with anger. “It would seem I won’t need to hold back from giving you
everything you deserve after all,” Walter’s head shot up, his face a mask of
hatred. Jake waved his phone in Walter’s face. “Who forgot to delete the
message Victoria sent you to meet her and where?”

Walter’s face went white. “They
aren’t still there,” he hissed. “You’re wasting your time. We moved her. You
still need my help.”

“Oh, I don’ think so,” Jake snapped,
looking at his watch. “I reckon she’ll be expecting to hear back from you right
about now. Isn’t that so?” Walter clamped his lips together, but his face took
on a green tinge. Jake quickly sent a brief text message to Victoria using
Walter’s phone. He prayed he wasn’t making a mistake, but if he could use the
element of surprise to take Victoria off guard, then he would risk it. He had
to get Laura back safely.

He turned to the others. “Wait here
for the sheriff,” he instructed Kerry and Bill. “Will you come with me?” he
asked Dan. “I may need some back up.”

Dan looked surprised, then nodded.
“Of course.” The two men jogged back to the ranch to drive into town. “I’m
coming, Laura. Hold on. I’m coming,” Jake whispered over and over again, as if
she’d be able to hear him and take the strength and courage he was willing to
her.

*****

Lotta smoothed down her dress, her
hair crackling wildly around her. She and Flo had been working hard to monitor
both sides of the situation. So far she’d managed to avert disaster for Laura,
but things weren’t over yet.

Flo popped back into the storage shed,
where Lotta was holding vigil. “How are things here?” she asked, her plump face
red from exertion. “Goodness,” she exclaimed in the next breath, having caught
sight of Laura’s battered face. “What happened here?”

“I know,” Lotta said distressed. “Victoria
went crazy for a while there. I managed to stop her by making a noise outside,
but it was too late to prevent any damage.”

Flo patted her on the back in
comfort. “It’s okay. You did your best. If not for you, who knows what may have
happened.”

Lotta sniffed, appreciating Flo’s
kind words. “How did things go your end?”

“Wonderful!” Flo beamed. “I got right
into the thick of things!” she lifted her wand, waving it around making
sparkles shower about her head. “Who knew that poking your wand up a mortals
butt could hurt so much? It certainly worked on Walter both times!” She gave a
naughty giggle.

Lotta looked shocked. “You mean you
did it again?” She had been stunned the first time Flo had jabbed her wand at
Walter’s rump when he’d been forcing himself on Laura. She could hardly believe
what Flo came up with?

“Of course,” Flo sniffed delicately.
“He was choking Jake. I had to do something. I also added a little bit of oomph
to Jake’s punch so he could knock that villain out cold.” She waved her fist
around as if she was fighting Walter herself.

Lotta took a deep breath. “But are
they coming here?” she asked impatiently, worry creasing her brow.

“Of course.” Flo sounded as if that
were obvious. “They have Walter and Jake is on his way with Dan. Now all we
have to do is wrap things up here.”

“That may not be too easy,” Lotta
exclaimed. She nodded towards Victoria. The woman was humming an odd little
tune as she stared with unblinking, hate filled eyes at Laura. She reached down
and pulled up the leg of her jeans. Still humming her weird little tune, her
fingers wrapped around something sticking out of her boot. Slowly she pulled
out a long, wicked looking knife, twirling it carefully between her fingers.

Both fairy godmothers gulped in
alarm. Things weren’t over yet it would seem!

Jake and Dan took Jake’s truck and
drove quickly into town. Jake parked up in the parking lot, his heart skipping
several beats as he spotted the car he’d bought Laura only that day, still in
the spot he’d left it for her. His mouth went dry with fear, his fingers
gripping the steering wheel hard as he fought his panic. What if he made a
wrong move and something happened to Laura? How could he live through losing
her? Terror gripped him. He couldn’t, he knew he simply couldn’t be without
her.

A strong hand fell onto his shoulder.
Jake looked up into Dan’s sympathetic brown eyes. “We’ll get her out safely. I
have your back Jake.”

It had been a long time since Jake
had felt that dependable bond of trust with Dan, but he knew that in this
situation, Dan wouldn’t let him down. He smiled grimly, nodding his head in
acceptance. They got out of the truck and quickly moved into the quiet street
that housed the abandoned factory. Jake held his finger to his lips, as they moved
silently towards the old abandoned storage shed.

Hunching down, Jake slid forwards,
trying to get a view of the inside of the building. He slowly lay flat out on
the ground, peeping into the cracks of the battered door. The room beyond was
somewhat dim and he could barely make anything out. Daylight had begun to slip
away and shadows were starting to creep along the ground. Someone moved in the
shadows, moving forward to a shape hunched over and lying on the floor.

Jake hissed softly, as he realised it
was Victoria bent over Laura. He couldn’t make out what she was doing, even
though he strained with all his might to penetrate the shadows.

“You may as well come in Jake. I know
you’re out there,” came Victoria’s voice, making him freeze. “Tell Dan to come
in too. I see no point in him skulking around out there. You may as well both
join the little party I’ve set up in here.”

Slowly, dread filling him, Jake got
to his feet and opened the battered door. He glanced once at Dan’s stricken
face, before he entered the building with Dan close behind. Jake gritted his
teeth at the sight that greeted him as his eyes adjusted to the dimness in the
room. Laura’s battered and bruised face made his insides clench in anger and
pain. Her stricken eyes, almost swollen shut, gazed back at him, fear
glistening in their depths. To his horror, Victoria had tied a noose around
Laura’s throat, holding the loose length of rope with one hand, while the other
hand gripped a long wickedly sharp looking knife pressed against Laura’s skin.

 “I am so glad I thought to bring
this baby along,” Victoria smiled cheerfully, holding up the weapon to show
them both how sharp and deadly it was, before placing it back at Laura’s
throat. “I had a feeling I might need it when we caught this nuisance prowling
around earlier.” She pulled on Laura’s hair, forcing her head back. “I picked
it up when I went to get ropes to bind her wrists. Don’t you think I’m
incredibly clever?” Her eyes glinted with her madness as she looked at them as
if she expected their approval.

“Victoria, why don’t you put that
knife down before someone gets hurt?” Jake spoke softly, holding his hands out
to her in a calming fashion. His heart was beating against his ribs so hard, he
wondered if it might come right out of his chest. Whatever happened, he had to
find a way to free Laura. Nothing else mattered.

“But that’s the whole point. I want
someone to get hurt,” she hissed. “Her!” She pulled again on Laura’s hair,
making her whimper in pain. Jake gritted his teeth, stamping down the wild urge
that made him want to race across the room and throw Victoria from Laura’s
side. He knew he’d never make it before Victoria seriously hurt Laura.

“Why are you doing this Victoria?
Laura has done nothing to you. Why don’t you just let her go?” Jake tried to
reason with her.

“No!” she yelled. “I want you to
suffer Jake. I want you to pay!”

“Why?” he asked bewildered. “What
reason could you possibly have to hate me this much? Is it because I rejected
you last night? Is that what this is all about?”

She threw back her head and laughed.
“Oh, it is so much more than that. But I’m not sure I want to explain it to
you. Why give you the satisfaction of an answer?” she seemed to consider it for
a moment. “No I think it’s best to leave you wondering…….questioning. That is
far more torturous than knowing the truth.” Jake’s heart sank, he’d hoped to
keep her talking. Kerry and the sheriff would be on their way once they’d
secured Walter.

“I suppose you have Walter?” she
suddenly asked, as if she’d read him mind. Her eyes glistened with sudden
tears. “Is he hurt?”

“No, he’s fine. In fact, you can see
him if you like. I’ll take you to him if you only let Laura go.” Jake tried to
talk her round again. He couldn’t understand what connection Victoria had with
Walter, but she seemed to care about him a great deal. He would use anything he
could to get her to give up Laura.

“I’m not stupid Jake,” Victoria
snapped, her golden eyes glowing like a fire had been lit behind them. “You
only want this thing.” She glanced down at Laura. “You don’t care about Walter
and you don’t care about me. Not anymore. I don’t understand how I lost my hold
on you.” She sounded like a lost little girl. Jake didn’t know what to say. He
knew trying to fool her that he still had feelings for her could be deadly. The
woman was not an idiot by any means.

“How did you know?” she asked,
switching topics so fast she made his head spin. For a moment he had no idea
what she was talking about. “How did you find out that Walter was heading for your
water supplies with poison? The whole plan was so beautifully laid out. You
should have had no idea at all until it hit you.”

“I got Laura’s message.” Jake saw no
point hiding that from her.

Victoria’s brow crinkled with
confusion. “But we took her phone before she could send it. You’re lying. How
did you know really?”

“I’m not lying. I got her message.”
Jake held up his phone. “You can see for yourself if you want?”

“And have you grab me, I don’t think
so! It doesn’t matter how you found out.” She stared at him with hate filled
eyes. “What matters is where we go from here.”

“Meaning what?” Jake asked,
frightened by the insanity he could see in her face. How had he never seen it
before? How had she hid it from him so well all that time? The pain he could
have saved everyone if he’d only seen through her carefully placed mask. If
something happened to Laura, he’d never forgive himself.

“Meaning that me and Laura here, are
going to go for a little walk. You and Dan are to do nothing to stop us. If you
try, I will cut her throat and believe me when I tell you that I won’t hesitate
even one second.” She smiled evilly at them. “In fact nothing would give me
greater pleasure.”

Jake gulped, his body shivering at
her deadly expression. He had no doubt that she meant every word she said. He
closed his eyes in frustration. “We won’t stand in your way,” he told her
faintly. He looked at Laura, her stricken expression going straight through his
gut. Somehow, he had to find a way to get her safely out of this deadly predicament.

*****

Laura hated to see the despair in
Jake’s eyes. She wanted to reassure him that she knew his hands were tied. It
wasn’t his fault that she was stuck with a madwoman and had not yet found a way
to get herself out of this situation. She tried not to think about the fact
that she may not make it through this alive. Her heart had nearly stopped when
Victoria had produced the long knife she’d been hiding in her boot. Laura had
had no idea she was carrying such a weapon. She’d played with it like a toy,
waiting for Walter’s return.

Unfortunately, patience was not a
virtue with Victoria. She’d become restless when Walter seemed to be taking
longer than she wanted for him to get back to them. If only the woman hadn’t
gone outside to look for him. She’d spotted Dan and Jake driving into the town
and had quickly gone back to the storage shed to wait for them. She’d fashioned
the noose for around Laura’s neck, making Laura feel faint with fear. Then
she’d cut the bonds at Laura’s feet and waited.

Laura had told her just to run for
it, before they got there, but the woman was beyond reason. She wanted to make
Jake suffer. Laura had the horrible feeling that Victoria wanted to take her
with so she could dispense with her. Destroying Jake was all Victoria seemed to
live for. Nothing else, not even her own safety or that of her brother, seemed
to matter. Jail was no threat to her.

Pulling hard on the rope around
Laura’s neck, Victoria dragged her to her feet, almost strangling her in the
process. Gasping, Laura wished her arms were free, so she could loosen the knot
around her throat that was choking her. Laura could feel the sharp cut of the
metal blade as Victoria placed it against her skin. A drop of blood fell from a
small nick the knife made, as Victoria’s hand slipped slightly in her
excitement.

“Get over there,” she ordered,
indicating with her head for Dan and Jake to move back into the shed, freeing
the doorway. Both men reluctantly moved out of her way, Jake’s hard face
promising retribution.

Victoria stepped back slowly, pulling
Laura with her. They moved inch by agonising inch, Laura more and more sure
that she was heading for doom if she couldn’t find some way to get Victoria to
let go. They moved out beyond the doorway, Victoria pulling the door shut with
one hand. She placed an old bolt in its place before she viciously kicked
Laura’s legs out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground. Pain
radiated through Laura’s legs, rendering her immobile. Victoria wasted no time
in tying the noose’s trailing rope to the street light that stood beside the
shed.

Quickly and efficiently, she unlocked
the wheels of a huge mobile metal dumpster standing nearby and pushed it into
place just before the door shuddered from Jake and Dan’s blows inside. She locked
the wheels in place and gave a small smug smile. The door had no room to break
from the inside out. The metal dumpster held it nicely in place. They would
have to rip the door inwards to be able to get out and that would take time.

“This will keep you both where I want
you for a while,” Victoria called out tauntingly. “By the way Jake, your Laura
won’t live to see another sunrise. Think on that while you’re stuck in there!”
She laughed, that terrifying childlike sound ripping through Laura.

Petrified at hearing the confirmation
of her worst fears, Laura stumbled to her feet, determined to fight her every
step of the way. Victoria wouldn’t be denied so easily. She sliced the rope
from the street light and twisted it round her wrist, tightening it slightly as
she did so. Desperate, Laura tried to kick out at Victoria, but she yanked on
the rope, virtually cutting off Laura’s air. Laura coughed and wheezed, trying
to draw more air into her lungs. She froze at the prick of the knife blade in
her back.

“Make a sound or any move to escape
and I’ll kill you right here. It makes no difference to me,” came the chilling
voice in her ear. Laura knew Victoria wasn’t joking. She’d go along with the
woman for now. Every minute she held off the inevitable was a minute closer to
someone potentially rescuing her. She couldn’t give up that hope.

Victoria grabbed the noose and
loosened it slightly. Laura gasped in much needed air, wishing she could rub
her raw throat. “That’s better,” Victoria said softly as she shoved Laura down
a small alley that came out onto the back of the old factory. “I don’t want you
to expire just yet if it can be avoided! It would ruin my perfect plan for
revenge.”

Laura stumbled in fear, wishing she
could find some way to slow this madwoman down. Unfortunately, she was in no
position to do anything. Victoria pushed Laura round the side of the building.
Parked in the shadows was an old battered blue car. Victoria opened the trunk
and pushed Laura in, shoving the door down on top of her.

Laura tried not to panic at the
enclosed space. She heard Victoria get into the driver’s seat and start the
car. Before long, the car was tearing out onto a road. Laura had no idea where
they were going, she only knew that if someone didn’t find her soon, it would
be the end of the road for her.

Praying silently inside herself,
Laura hoped that Jake and Dan could make it out of that shed fast. It was the
only chance she’d got.

*****

Jake pounded at the door, yelling
loudly. He broke off, knowing it would be near impossible for anyone passing in
the town to hear anything this far down the street. He grabbed the rotting wood
underneath the door, trying to break it away. Part of it split, leaving a
jagged edge full of splinters. He could make out the bottom of the barricade
Victoria had stuck in front of the door. Mad, but unfortunately not stupid.

He turned to look at Dan, who stood a
couple of feet away with his phone to his ear, trying to reach Kerry. Well,
maybe she wasn’t that clever after all. She had left them a means of
communication, but then he had to wonder if she thought she could carry out her
plan before they could find her in time anyway. That thought chilled him to the
bone. It meant whatever she had planned for Laura, she was going to strike soon.