Liver Let Die (22 page)

Reaching up to stabilize her body when the car suddenly turned onto what she thought must be the bumpiest road in Texas, she pondered her dilemma. She racked her brain, but the only thing she could come up with was the initial lousy review she’d given his restaurant and the fact that she’d turned down his job offer.

Neither was enough for him to assault and kidnap her. She’d since written a glowing report on the Rattlesnake Pasta, and he hadn’t seemed bent out of shape when she’d declined his freelance writing opportunity. She’d used a phony excuse about the newspaper frowning on extracurricular stuff. But even though he’d smiled, he’d mentioned again that his patience was wearing thin. She had no idea what that meant.

The man gave her the creeps, but she hadn’t realized it soon enough. He’d already said he wasn’t interested in sex, so why kidnap her and drive to God-only-knew where?

What if he was simply a psychopath who enjoyed killing for the thrill of it? She swallowed hard, trying not to cry. She had to keep her senses about her and find a way to get out of this alive.

Her stomach caught in her throat when she realized the car was no longer moving. In the overwhelming silence, she was positive she heard her own heart pounding. When the car door opened and slammed, a fresh set of tears erupted while she waited for Mason to open the trunk.

When he did, her eyes locked on his hand. He had a gun and it was pointed directly at her head.

Our Father, who art . . .

“Get out, Jordan,” he barked. “You and I are finally going to have that chat.”

As she tried to unfold her body enough to lift herself up, he reached in and grabbed her arm.

Yanking her out of the trunk with one pull, he chuckled. “The dealer told me this trunk would hold two large duffel bags comfortably. Guess he lied.”

When her head banged the lid of the trunk, she bit her lip so he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing how much it hurt. Mason appeared to have a sadistic streak, but she had no intentions of adding to his pleasure.

Blinking to refocus her eyes after being in the dark trunk for so long, she glanced around. With night fast approaching, the moon gave off enough light that she made out a row of trees and underbrush edging the boundaries of a field. Probably out in the boonies. “Where are we?”

When he shoved her toward the trees with the butt of the gun, she stumbled, catching herself before falling to the ground.

“Ever hear of Rochester Ranch?”

Oh God!

Rochester Ranch was a place where men from all over the country came to hunt feral hogs for sport and also where they’d found Ducky’s body. Because it was so isolated, it seemed like the perfect place to leave a body, but apparently the hogs had dragged what was left of the man out into the clearing for the helicopter “warriors” to discover from the air. At the thought of Ducky’s demise, Jordan’s hopes of seeing another day took a dramatic nosedive.

“Are we hunting hogs tonight?” she asked sarcastically, praying he didn’t hear the fear in her voice.

He laughed. “Not quite, my dear, although the pigs may have other ideas about that.”

She tried not to react, instead wrapping her arms around her chest. With the sun down, the temperature had dropped, and all she was wearing was a short-sleeved T-shirt with her jeans. When they reached the line of trees, Mason grabbed both arms and spun her around to face him. For the first time, she noticed the thick rope slung over his shoulder.

“Sit down against that tree and reach backward behind it.” He pointed to the biggest tree, sitting in the middle of the grove.

“What do you want, Roger?”

His dark eyebrows slanted in a frown. “It’s just you and me and several hundred hungry pigs out here, Jordan. Save your little innocent act for someone else.”

At the mention of the pigs, she froze, picturing front teeth sharp enough to slice a big dog in half.

Mason tightened the rope behind her back.

She cried out. Rough bark dug into her skin, and the muscles in her arms were stretched beyond their limit.

Apparently satisfied the rope would hold, he walked around and stood over her. “Now’s the time to tell me where you hid them.”

“Hid what?”

His eyes narrowed. Like a snake striking its prey, he pounced, slapping her sideways across the face. “Please. Don’t insult my intelligence. If you think for one minute I bought your little ‘I hate red meat’ excuse, you’re sadly mistaken. I know you went home that night with the foie gras in your purse.”

Still feeling the sting of his hand, Jordan cringed as her mind raced. Surely he wasn’t this angry because she didn’t like a strange French dish. “What does that have to do with anything?”

He moved close enough to her face for her to detect a slight odor of garlic on his breath. “Playing dumb will only get you killed, Jordan. Is the money worth your life?” He paused. “Money you’ll never see, I might add.”

“Roger, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, I swear.” She tried not to panic, but she was totally confused. The realization that this ranch might be the last thing she ever saw hit her like an F-5 tornado.

Roger Mason was a madman who had tied her to a tree in a pasture. No further evidence was necessary. Her chances of making it out alive were not good.

He straightened up and stared for a few seconds. “I’m willing to make a deal. Tell me what you did with them, and I’ll let you live. Maybe even give you a small cut.”

“What I did with what?” she shouted, unable to hide her frustration.

“The diamonds, Jordan. Where are my bloody diamonds?”

This was getting too weird. The man was totally crazed. She prayed her friends had called the cops, hoping somehow they had picked up the trail and were on their way. “Why would you think I had your diamonds?” she asked again.

“Like I said, I never believed red meat was the reason you ordered duck that night,” Mason said. “J. T. said he recommended it, but I don’t buy that. Was he cutting you in on the deal?”

The more he talked, the more confused she became. Why was he talking about J. T.? A horrible thought crossed her mind. “You killed him, didn’t you?”

He glared. “He wanted a bigger cut. Started making threats, and I couldn’t take a chance on him blowing the whole operation. We had finally found the perfect way to bring in the diamonds.”

“So, why kill him in my apartment building?”

Mason shook his head, the confusion showing in his eyes. “I’m talking about Joseph Parker, the guy they found out here last week. The guy who ended up as hog food? He’s the one who decided to put the squeeze on me. Who are you talking about?”

“J. T.”

“Why would I kill J. T.?”

“Because he was coming to my apartment that night to warn me about you.” Okay, that was a long shot, but as soon as she said it, she noticed the change in Mason’s face.

“I should have known he was on to me. He asked too many questions when I approached him about you.”

He turned and fired a shot into the underbrush. Three huge pigs ran out, squealing loud enough to be heard in the next county.

Jordan closed her eyes, imagining how it would feel to be ripped apart by the animals. When she opened them again, the pigs were gone and Mason was smiling.

“One last time. Where are my diamonds?”

Jordan was quickly losing hope that somehow she could talk her way out of this. Why would this man think she stole his diamonds? “Roger, you have to believe me. I don’t have anything of yours.”

He snorted, before his eyes hardened. “So, this is how you want to play it? Need I remind you of the description of Parker’s body your newspaper printed after the pigs were done with him?”

She gasped, recalling the gruesome account.

The twinkle in Mason’s eyes told her he took pleasure in her reaction.

“Did you notice the container in the trunk with you? That’s hog food. When I leave I’ll be sure to scatter it all around you—maybe even on you, like I did with Parker.”

He turned and fired in the air again. This time four pigs ran from the brush, squealing past Jordan before they disappeared into the line of trees.

Although terrified, Jordan still didn’t know why he thought she had his gems. She had to figure out a way to stall him and pray that help was on the way. “How did I get your diamonds?”

He stared, obviously trying to decide what she was up to before a hint of a smile tipped the corners of his lips. “Okay, I’ll play along. Do you think for one minute I believe it was a coincidence you ordered foie gras that night?”

“Foie gras?”

He huffed. “As if you didn’t know that’s how we move the diamonds. I spent the better part of a year working the deal with my Canadian counterpart in the meatpacking plant up there. Every few days we served Parker the duck from specially marked cans. It was the perfect setup until you ordered it, too.” He jerked his body around when another hog ran from the brush and startled him.

“How could I have known I was eating diamonds?” She had to keep him talking. The more time they wasted, the better chance of help arriving.

“I’m guessing J. T. told you after he switched the regular foie gras with the one intended for Parker. He was tight with my old partner before he was tragically killed in the robbery at the restaurant several months ago. Maybe he told J. T. about the diamonds just like he planned to tell the Feds.” Mason snorted. “That’s before I discovered he was getting cold feet and wanted out.” He raised his eyebrows in a pleased-with-himself sort of way. “He got out, all right, just not the way he expected.”

A flashback of Egan on the day she agreed to be the temporary culinary reporter came to her. He mentioned one of the owners had been killed in an after-hours robbery. “You killed your own partner?”

Mason leaned in and whispered. “He wasn’t the first, nor will he be the last.” He pressed the gun to her forehead. “I hope you don’t wait too long to come to your senses, Jordan.”

With her eyes tightly closed, expecting the shot any second, Jordan’s mind raced, trying to connect the dots. “I swear I don’t . . .”

An image of Maggie swimming around in her fishbowl with rhinestones flashed across Jordan’s mind. They’d fallen out of the purse she’d borrowed from Rosie when she’d cleaned out the squishy duck.

Holy crap! Could they be Mason’s diamonds?

Apparently reading her reaction, Mason pulled the gun away from her forehead, a smirk covering his face. “Suddenly remember something?”

Jordan fought off panic. Should she tell him about Maggie, or would that almost assure Jordan a sudden death? Why would he need to keep her around if he got his precious diamonds?

“I might be, but I’d be a fool to hand them over to you with the expectation you’d be grateful and let me go.” She shook her head. “You want your diamonds, Roger? You’ll have to untie me. I’ll take you to them.”

He reached down and slapped her again, this time with more force than the last one. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m the one holding the gun.”

He tapped the barrel against her forehead. “Here’s how it’s gonna work. You tell me where you hid the diamonds, and I’ll drive back into town. After I’m sure you’re not lying, I’ll call the cops and tell them where they can find you.”

After that, I’ll bet you’ll sell me some oceanfront property in Nevada!

“Sorry, no can do. If you want your precious jewels again, you’ll have to take me with you.” She was glad her hands were behind her back because they were shaking like the apartment washer when she overloaded it. “How much are they worth to you?”

“Like you don’t already know they’ll bring in a half million on the black market. Even though that’s small change to me, I stand to lose more than just the money. If my Canadian investors think I’m losing control over the shipments, I might not be in business much longer.” He glared. “You see my dilemma? That’s why I’m giving you one more chance before I leave your fate in the hands, or should I say jaws, of the hogs.”

As terrifying as that was, Jordan knew if there was even the slightest chance of living through the night, her only option was to somehow buy more time. The only thing in her favor was that Mason wanted the diamonds back and couldn’t risk killing her until he found out where they were.

“You can stew out here all night thinking about my offer. I’ll be back in a few hours to see if you’ve changed your mind.”

Her gamble paid off—at least temporarily.

Satisfied she’d outsmarted him if only for a while, Jordan concentrated on slowing her breathing. This maneuver had bought her time. Surely someone would be looking for her.

She watched him slide into the front seat of the Audi and drive back through the opening in the trees. As tears threatened to spill over, she wondered how something as innocent as trying a gourmet food item on a menu had ended up so terribly wrong.

And what if the sparkly things at the bottom of Maggie’s fishbowl really were Rosie’s outdated crystals? Without leverage, there was no reason for Mason to keep her alive. When he came back, would he finish her off or leave her for the hogs?

Those thoughts were quickly dispelled when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eyes and watched a large pig, followed by two smaller ones, emerge from the underbrush and head directly toward her. When she screamed, the porkers turned and hightailed it back into the bushes, squealing like they were the ones tied to a tree and she was the pig with the big-ass front teeth.

Sure they weren’t coming back, she relaxed her shoulders. But she feared the worst-case scenario was true—her friends had no clue where to even start looking for her. Mason had her in the trunk and out of sight before anyone knew what had happened. Taking deep breaths, she willed herself to stay positive. Struggling to break free, she twisted her hands trying to get out of the rope, but the effort only dug the twine into her flesh causing more pain.

Out of options, she hunkered down, believing there would be a miracle and somehow they would find her.

Leaning her head back, she glanced up at the sky. Without the city lights, the stars twinkled overhead like thousands of cell phones at a rock concert. An image of the Christmas manger scene where the brightest star had lit the way for the three wise men flashed across her mind. As ridiculous as that was now, it gave her a little hope.