HOLDEN HADN’T EXPECTED he would be the one to escalate things so quickly. He had tossed the heavy briefcase into the air at the man, pulled the gun from his pocket and begun firing. The first shot struck the briefcase. The second went wild.
He didn’t realize that Darius was firing back, even though the air seemed to fill with gunshots. Just as he didn’t feel the first shot that hit him in the shoulder or the next one in his side. He was emptying his gun in the direction the man had been standing. Unfortunately, most of the shots must have been going into the dirt, because when the dust settled, the man and the briefcase of money were gone.
As he fell to the ground, he heard more shots, then the roar of a truck engine that needed a good mechanic. By then, he was looking up at the stars—and Stuart Layton’s face.
“I thought I told you to stay out of this,” he said to the sheriff before everything went dark.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
AFTER HIS ATTEMPT to stop the kidnapper had failed, Stuart felt the rest of the night blur past, starting with a call to 911 for an ambulance to meet him at the turnoff to Suicide Pass. He’d done what he could for Holden, gotten him into his SUV and driven him down the road as the ambulance and EMTs arrived. From there, Holden was airlifted to Billings, while the sheriff made the call to the family.
“And Holly Jo?” Elaine asked after he’d informed her of Holden’s injuries.
“She wasn’t in the kidnapper’s truck,” Stuart said. “He must have stashed her somewhere. I’ve already sent deputies out to search for her in the ransom drop area.”
“What about you? Are you all right?” she asked, no doubt hearing the despair in his voice.
He’d been determined to take Darius Reed alive, afraid otherwise they would never find Holly Jo. He’d shot to wound the man, but unfortunately, Darius had pinned him down with gunfire. He couldn’t be sure that he’d wounded the man before Darius had jumped into his truck and taken off.
“As well as I can be with Holden fighting for his life and Holly Jo still missing,” he said in answer to Elaine’s question. “You’ll let the rest of the family know?”
“Yes. I’m headed to the hospital now,” Elaine said. “Thank God you were there, Stuart. Otherwise... You saved his life.”
That wasn’t the way he saw it. He’d failed, and the ransom drop had gone south. He knew he had to put it behind him. He hadn’t slept since Holly Jo had been taken. Getting so close and letting the kidnapper get away was devastating, but not as much as the thought that Holden McKenna might be dying.
As the sun rose, he knew the clock was still ticking. He had to find Holly Jo and the man who’d kidnapped her before it was too late. Unfortunately, Darius had gotten away with one of the briefcases full of money. He might decide that it was enough and take off, figuring to cut his losses. Where did that leave Holly Jo, if she was still alive?
CHARLOTTE HAD PROVED in her more than half century of life that she wasn’t above lying to get what she wanted. She was ready to do whatever it took to get into Holden’s hospital room short of taking a nurse hostage. But not even that was out of the realm of possibility.
When Elaine had called to tell her that he’d been shot twice, her heart had shuddered to a stop. All breath had rushed out. She’d had to sit down. “Is he—”
“He’s still alive, but he’s in critical condition,” Elaine told her. “He’s been airlifted to Billings. The kidnapper got away with half of the ransom money. There’s been no sign of Holly Jo.”
Charlotte had begun to cry. This woman who had spent years refusing to let one tear drop for Holden McKenna sat down and bawled. All she could think about was the last time she’d seen him. She couldn’t bear the thought that she might never see him again. That he would die with things the way they were between them.
“He’s not dead,” Elaine said, quickly trying to comfort her. “You know how strong he is. If anyone can pull through this, it’s Holden.”
Charlotte knew it was true, but she had to see him, had to tell him how sorry she was, had to beg him to forgive her. She choked back the sobs, wiped at her tears and tried to pull herself together. “How are you?”
“I’m worried about Holden, worried about Holly Jo. Cooper’s at the ranch, waiting to see if the kidnapper calls. If he still has Holly Jo, he might. If he’s greedy enough, he might want to make a deal for the other briefcase full of money.”
“I have to see Holden.”
“He hasn’t regained consciousness after the surgeries to remove the bullets,” Elaine said.
“I’m coming to Billings. I will stay in the waiting room down the hall until he wakes up.”
Her friend sighed, aware how single-minded the woman was. Charlotte was capable of just about anything when she wanted something badly enough. “Take your time driving to Billings. With luck, he will be conscious by the time you get here. But, Charlotte, he might not want to see you.”
Those last words struck like a poison arrow to her heart. “I know. I’ll take my chances.”
“Call me when you get to the hospital. Also, I’ll have a better chance of getting you in to see him if there isn’t a scene.”
“You know me so well.” Charlotte felt a lightness in her chest as she disconnected. She’d never appreciated Elaine’s friendship more than she did at this moment. They’d gotten close over the years, even though their face-to-face time had always been limited. It often amazed her how the friendship had started, let alone grown over the years.
“Hang on, Holden,” she said as she hurried to get dressed for the trip to the hospital. “Don’t you dare die.” She packed an overnight bag, knowing she would stay as long as it took.
BIRDIE OPENED HER eyes and blinked at the bright sunshine coming through the passenger-side window of her SUV. She sat up, confused for a moment about why she’d just spent the night in the middle of nowhere in her car.
As she looked up the road, she spotted Brand walking toward her, carrying what appeared to be a red gas can. Realization dawned. Driving out of this rugged country last night, she’d hoped there was enough gas to get back to town after Brand had changed the tire in the dark. It appeared she’d been wrong.
She climbed out of the SUV and stretched, wondering how far he’d had to hike to the nearest ranch for gas—and why he hadn’t awakened her. Smiling to herself, she walked toward him. She admired the way he moved, that lean, muscular body, those long legs, those broad shoulders and the tilt of his Stetson. She felt a hard tug at her heart again and couldn’t help but remember his kiss. The man was dangerous. She didn’t need her grandmother to tell her that.
Dangerous to her heart, yes, but otherwise, her hero, she thought as he grew closer. He’d supported her yesterday. She wouldn’t have dragged him along if she hadn’t been sure they were going to find Holly Jo. It was a feeling she hadn’t been able to shake after her run-in with the woman believed to be Melanie Baker.
That she’d been wrong made her question what she was doing—not just with Brand Stafford but with this quest of hers to prove the kind of man her father had been and see that his killer and accomplice went to prison. Brand was right. She was too impulsive, jumping in before seeing how deep the water was. She’d told herself that she’d never been a risk-taker when it came to men, though—until she came to Powder Crossing. Before that, she’d done everything that her grandmother would have expected of her, gone to a good college, done well, graduated and gotten herself a good job.
The only thing she hadn’t found was that good man.
Then she’d come to the Powder River Basin and had thrown caution to the wind the first time she’d laid eyes on Brand Stafford.
Birdie was almost to him when she heard something rustle in the morning breeze and glanced in the tall weeds beside the road. She’d heard stories of the size of the rattlesnakes that lived in the badlands.
But to her relief, the sound came from a torn scrap of fabric caught on the top of a weed. Her eyes widened when she saw that the fabric was white with little pink horses on it—except where the dark color of dried blood had left a stain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
AS THE SHERIFF pulled in behind Birdie Malone’s green SUV, he saw that she and Brand had actually listened. They were waiting in the vehicle. They got out as soon as he stopped. By the time he opened his door, they had climbed out as well.
