The Dangerous Gift (17 page)

“I’ll meet you there. I’ve done a little digging of my own, and it seems Ryder has sealed juvenile records from the time of his parents’ death. I have petitioned the judge to get them released. Also, I tried contacting his grandparents, and there’s no trace of them at the contact number they left. I’ve asked the local sheriff’s office to find out what they can. It’s all circumstantial, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this one. I’ve alerted the federal authorities too.” Dan sounded breathless, and Jared guessed he was on the move.

“I’ll see you soon, Dan, and thanks.” Jared severed the connection before Dan could tell him to wait. There was no way he was leaving Jen alone with that man. He floored the gas and headed out into to the starry night, his stomach full of knots.

The dim lights from the Pegasus ranch house twinkled as Jared careered through the gateway. The truck shuddered to a stop just short of the porch, which wrapped around the building. Jared jumped out and pounded up the steps. He thumped on the door and waited.

It was unusually quiet. Maybe Darleen and Ryder were out and he was mistaken about Jen? He’d never checked the stables at the Unicorn. Jen may have slipped out to visit Springtime. She was upset about the horse’s injuries even though there was no lasting damage.

Too late. Before he could go back to his truck, the door opened and Darleen stood in the dimly lit hallway, her gaze less than welcoming. “What do you want, Jared? It’s late.”

“Where’s Jen? I know she’s here.” Jared saw no trace of panic in his former lover’s gaze. Instead, there was a trace of amusement, which deepened the red mist in his head. “If Ryder has hurt her, he’s dead.”

Darleen’s expression darkened. “Ryder isn’t here, Jared, and neither is Jennie. Ryder went to the city this afternoon. He needed to meet with our business advisor. If you’ve lost your latest plaything, that’s on you, not him.” She pushed the door closed.

Jared stopped its momentum with his foot. “Darleen, don’t play games. Has Jen been out here in the last hour?” He wanted to shake the supercilious look off Darleen’s face, but his hands remained clenched at his sides. He wouldn’t touch her ever again, in anger or passion.

Darleen looked at his hands and smiled. “No, I’ve not seen Jennie tonight.”

Jared ran down the steps to his truck. “The sheriff will be out here shortly. Tell him I’m out looking for Jen. You don’t object to me looking for her on your land?”

“Of course not. I hope you find her. It’s not safe out here when it’s dark.”

Darleen shut the door, and Jared gunned the truck’s engine and headed out into the night.

***

Darleen

Darleen waited until Jared’s steps faded and his truck’s engine roared to life before she allowed herself to move away from the heavy, ornately carved front door. She shuddered. That was too close for comfort. Jared hated Ryder and her too, if his brusque tone and complete lack of manners was any indication.

No time to think about that now. She must find Ryder and Jennie before Jared did. She inched open the door and saw Jared’s taillights in the distance, hurtling towards the old barns. She sighed, relieved. If Jared searched the barns, he wouldn’t find Ryder, and Darleen could slip by him unseen.

Convinced Ryder would take Jennie to his “sanctuary,” as he’d described it in the journal she’d found, Darleen had followed Ryder there after Jared came looking for him the last time. The derelict buildings in the centre of Pegasus land were almost impossible to find. This was fortunate. Ryder’s sanctuary wasn’t the only secret hidden there.

***

Jared

Jared waited, his gaze alert for any movement on the track, which was clearly visible from his vantage point at the side of a couple of rundown barns. He was surprised at the neglected state of many of the Pegasus’s outbuildings. Unmaintained, they contrasted drastically with the smart ranch house and yard. It was odd. Maybe Darleen and Ryder weren’t the successful ranchers they pretended to be. How long had he been here, ten minutes? More?

The lights from a speeding vehicle came towards him. Shielded by the barns, his truck shouldn’t be visible. As the silver truck sped by, Jared saw Darleen’s silver-blonde hair. Jared revved the truck’s engine. No headlights to avoid detection. He would rely on the rear lights of the vehicle in front. He eased his truck between the two barns and out onto the track. Driving so fast in the dark was foolhardy but exhilarating. He would risk anything to find Jen.

A few minutes later, the silver truck veered to the right and braked hard. Jared hit the brakes and stopped several hundred yards short of its resting place. Darleen climbed out of the truck and looked around, then locked the truck and walked past it into the darkness.

Jared opened the map app on his phone and waited for the navigator to find his current position. He resisted the urge to refresh the screen, knowing it would confuse rather than expedite the search. Finally, the app pinpointed where he was. He zoomed in and searched the immediate surrounding area. He identified the Pegasus ranch house, the barns where he’d waited earlier, and a cluster of ramshackle buildings due west of his current position. That must be where Darleen was going.

Jared texted the sheriff and included a link to the map showing his position and his intended destination. Hopefully Dan wasn’t a technophobe, or Jared was on his own.

Jared opened the truck door and jumped out onto the track, then shut the door with a soft thud. There was no sign of Darleen as he walked past the empty silver truck, using his map app to navigate to his destination and the flashlight on his mobile to illuminate the rough pathway. He stopped after five minutes and rested the battery. When he restarted the phone, he scanned the path ahead for hazards or places where Darleen could surprise him, if she knew he was following her. He’d repeated this process several times when his ringtone blasted into the silence. Jared pressed the Accept button, looking around to make sure no one had heard the noise. Only the howl of a lonely coyote echoed around him. Darleen must be far enough ahead not to have heard.

He looked at the caller display and saw Jen’s name. When he heard her voice, he immediately forgot his anger at her stupidity.

“Ryder has me,” Jen’s soft, husky voice whispered. “I’m not sure where I am. Can you find me from my mobile? It’s so weird here. I’m sure he’s the—”

“Jen, Jen.” Jared hissed as the call abruptly ended and resisted the urge to smash the phone. Instead he texted the sheriff with Jen’s mobile number and a message.

Me: Can you track Jen’s mobile number? She called me but got cut off.

He ignored the horrific images of what Ryder might be doing to Jen that filled his mind. Anger wouldn’t help and neither would fear. Only rational thinking would find and save Jen. When the text sent, Ryder flicked back to the map app and waited the agonizing seconds it took to relocate him and bring up the map he needed before he continued into the darkness.

***

Darleen

Darleen stopped the truck a little way from the old ranch house buildings. Someone was following her, but there was no sign of her pursuer when she got out of the truck. No one would be able to track her in the darkness. She glanced down at the makeshift map she’d drawn from a visit long ago. Almost there. She tightened her fingers around her phone, imagining they were around Ryder’s neck, and a thin film of perspiration broke out on her skin. Her stupid brother had overstepped the boundaries yet again, and she would have to clean up his mess. They’d been so close to getting the money the oil would bring, but that was an unrealistic aim now. Jennie must be on to them, and she must have shared her suspicions with Jared for him to beat down her door and make such unreasonable demands. She’d masked her feelings and let nothing slip, but maybe Jared was watching the ranch and had pursued her when she left?

The realization that Jared wasn’t searching the barns as she’d hoped but using them for cover to follow her didn’t sit well. Darleen looked over her shoulder but saw no sign of life, not even the jewel-like eyes of the nocturnal creatures. If Jennie survived Ryder’s game, she would expose Darleen and Ryder, and they would have to leave and start again somewhere else.

Darleen shuddered and focused. She could savour her retribution later. First she must collect the documents they needed and find her wayward brother before Jared found them.

She opened the door into the largest of the abandoned buildings and waited. When she heard no footsteps behind her, she wondered if she was paranoid. There was no reason for Jared not to believe her, and he didn’t know about this place, so he would never think to look for Jennie and Ryder here. She closed the door, careful not to let it bang, and walked into the musty, dank hallway.

Light flickered under the doorway immediately in front of her. Now what should she do? Wait until Ryder had enjoyed his new plaything, or interrupt? She still had to find the documents, and Jennie needed to be in a lucid condition to sign them. Practicality overrode her promise to Ryder. There would be time enough for what he wanted when they had the oil-drilling rights. Darleen moved swiftly along the corridor, conscious that there was only silence coming from the room ahead.

***

Ryder

Ryder thought he heard the distinctive creak of the main door but didn’t hear the corresponding thud as it closed, so he decided he must be mistaken. His body ached from his abrupt contact with the hard ground after Jennie’s horse had unbalanced him. It was Jennie’s fault.

The ever-present, persistent ache between his legs focused his attention back to Jennie, who lay sprawled on the cold, dusty floor. Finally, his sanctuary was complete.

She must be hurt, though. He closed his eyes against the wave of panic. How could he hurt her when she was everything to him? He rubbed his throbbing arm, reminded that his anger was justified. Jennie had hurt him when she bit his arm, but his mental anguish at her verbal tirade outweighed his physical pain. He had almost dragged her to his shrine, uncaring of the rough, spiky ground.

Jennie had remained unconscious throughout, unaware of her punishment. Now she stirred and writhed restlessly on the floor in front of him. He stood erect like a guard and waited for her reaction to his unselfish gift, confident she would forgive his rough treatment and be apologetic for her unkindness when she saw how he worshiped her. If she didn’t open her eyes soon, he would shake her until she did. His time with her was precious. Darleen would know where to find him, and when she did, he would have to give Jennie up.

Tears wet his face, but he dashed them away. Frustrated and impatient, he closed the distance between himself and Jennie.

Chapter 16

Jennie

Jennie’s head pounded, her stomach churned, and images of the recent past flooded her mind: Annie and Ralf’s funeral. Her standing alone, tears in her eyes, as she threw the customary handful of earth into the dark grave. Riding away from the lightning tree on Fall with Jared’s body surrounding her, and kissing Jared in her bedroom, half-dressed.

Jennie moved restlessly on the hard floor. She didn’t much like this dream; why couldn’t she be in a nice soft bed? A bright light made her turn her head away, and the images disappeared.

“Stop it, you’re spoiling my dream.” Jennie half opened her eyelids.

“Wake up, Jennie. I have something to show you.” When Ryder’s excited voice flowed over her like a bucket of cold water, she sat up and focused.

It wasn’t a dream, she wasn’t in bed, and the images weren’t in her head but plastered on every available wall space in the dark, dusty room where she sat. Her bottom ached as she shifted on the hard, dirty floor. Ryder’s glazed stare, visible through the strands of white light, chilled her. This wasn’t a dream. This was her worst nightmare.

“Do you like my collection?” Ryder asked. “I hope you’re flattered. I wouldn’t expend such time and energy on just anyone. You’re special. You’re mine, even when you insist on wasting yourself on that no-good cowboy. He won’t make you happy. He doesn’t know how, not like me.”

Ryder came closer. His tall, rangy form blocked out the light’s glare, but in the semidarkness he frightened her. She couldn’t see his eyes, couldn’t judge what he would do next.

Jennie scurried back against the wall. It was dusty, and bits of cracked plaster dropped into her hair. She shuddered and flicked them away. If only Ryder was as easy to get rid of.

“Why have you brought me here, Ryder? To look at your photo collection? They’re good. You have a real talent for the candid shot.” Ryder stood up taller at her compliment. She almost expected him to take a bow. “I never saw you take them. Do you have one of those powerful telescopic lenses like the paparazzi? Is that what gets you off, spying on women when they’re unaware? Not very gentlemanly for a Texan rancher. You’re letting your side down.”

Jennie didn’t hide the disgust in her voice, even though it was dangerous to anger Ryder when he had all the power. Perhaps that was why she did it, to push him over the edge, make him mad at her carelessness.

Ryder looked crestfallen. She’d destroyed his enjoyment. Well, good. Maybe now he would let her go. “I’m leaving now, Ryder. You have no right to keep me here. You’ll be lucky to escape with your life when Jared catches up with you.”

Ryder’s expression hardened at the mention of Jared. “Don’t talk about him here,” he yelled as he stood over her. “Jared isn’t part of this. It’s all about you and me.”

Jennie stood up. Her weak legs ached. Ryder must have pulled her from Springtime’s back as he fell off. Her last memory was of the mare galloping away from her. Did she pass out? Or did Ryder hit her? She touched her tender skull. It was covered with small bumps but nothing to suggest Ryder had knocked her out.

Jennie walked over to the picture-laden wall. Maybe if she pretended to be interested, he would let her go. It was seriously weird to see herself in so many poses, but there were a few photos where she was conspicuously absent. Jennie leaned forward to get a better look. Ryder didn’t move, but she could feel his stare on the back of her head. There were photographs of the white invitation card with its blood-red threat, water gushing from the bunk house, the steps where she’d fallen and Harry had hit his head, Springtime’s saddle and the mare’s punctured back, the ranch kitchen full of smoke with flames licking up the cupboards, the creek with someone thrashing in the water, and the plane in the barn before the accident.

Jennie spun round, too angry to consider the wisdom of her actions. “It was you, all those accidents. You killed Harry, Annie, and Ralf.” She ran at Ryder, who seemed too surprised to evade the blows she rained on his body. Tears flowed down Jennie’s face as the reality of what he had done to her and those she loved resonated.

Ryder didn’t move until Jennie stepped back, exhausted. “Yes, I was behind the accidents. I only meant to scare you. I wanted you to leave the ranch so Darleen could marry Jared. In time, she would have persuaded him to let the oil company drill and we would all have been rich beyond our dreams. But you wouldn’t leave, and Harry saw me at the ranch after the funeral. I couldn’t risk him telling Jared. The plane was unfortunate, but Annie and Ralf were obstacles to overcome. It wasn’t personal. They wouldn’t let the oil company on the Unicorn’s land and they didn’t like Darleen.”

Jennie stepped back and vomited. How could Ryder think murder wasn’t personal? The precariousness of this situation was glaringly obvious, but she needed to hear the rest. “What about Harry? Why did you have to kill him? The doctor said he couldn’t remember anything, so why did you do that to him?”

“I didn’t. I only hit him at the ranch. I never went to the hospital.” Ryder looked confused. Maybe he’d blocked Harry’s murder from his troubled mind. He hadn’t mentioned the plane explosion, either.

A loud noise behind her made Jennie spin round. Ryder pulled her back against him. There was no malice in his action. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn he was trying to protect her. Darleen stood in the doorway, her face devoid of expression.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding. I was worried, Ryder. Why bring Jennie here? You know what will happen. The sheriff will take you away. I can’t cover for you now.” Darleen sounded desolate, and Jennie couldn’t suppress the pang of sympathy. But it was quickly dispelled when she realized Darleen had known all about Ryder’s activities and did nothing to stop them. What did that make Darleen?

Jennie’s horror must have shown in her expression. “Don’t think too badly of me, Jennie. He’s my twin brother. All I have in the world now. I didn’t know he would go so far. When he did, I was in so deep. I didn’t know what to do.” Darleen’s voice trembled, but her poker face didn’t mirror its emotion.

“I want to leave, Darleen. Get me out of here, and I’ll tell the authorities you helped me.”

A calculating look crossed the older woman’s face before quickly being masked. Jennie’s unease returned. She couldn’t second-guess Darleen’s response.

“Ryder, you have to let Jennie go.” Darleen walked towards them, her arms outstretched to her twin.

“No, she’s mine. You promised,” Ryder bellowed in Jennie’s ear.

“I never said that, Ryder. I said Jennie may go out with you when Jared and I married. That’s not going to happen now. You must accept it, Ryder, like I have.” Darleen’s husky voice shook with what seemed like genuine emotion at her brother’s accusations and actions. Close enough to touch them now, Darleen pulled Jennie from Ryder’s arms and flung herself against her brother. “Run, Jennie! Out the door and down the stairs. The cellar leads to the outside. It’s the way I came in. Ryder has barricaded the main door.”

“She’s mine, you promised me she’s mine,” Ryder blubbered like a small child.

Jennie didn’t look back. She ran out the door, down the steps, and into the darkness of the cellar. Her eyes adjusted to the gloom, but she couldn’t see a door, not even a window. The dim light from the hallway upstairs vanished with a thud as the cellar door shut.

Jennie felt her way back up the steps and tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Ryder must have overpowered Darleen and she was once again his prisoner. The creepy art gallery upstairs was preferable to this dark dungeon.

Something scurried over Jennie’s foot. She stumbled down the last few steps and fell full-length onto the cold floor. Her mobile, which she didn’t realize she still had, flew out of her jeans pocket and landed close to her head. Winded, she lay still until she could breathe again. Unsure if her mobile would get a signal, Jennie picked it up and pressed 1, speed dial for Jared. The phone dialed and rang once before it connected.

“Ryder has me. I’m not sure where I am. Can you find me from my mobile? It’s so weird here. I’m sure he’s the—”

The connection dropped before she could finish. Jennie pressed 1 again, but there was no signal. Her hope of being rescued faded. No one could track her mobile if there wasn’t a signal, but she left it on anyway.

Jennie reached out with her fingers, hoping to find a trap door or a tunnel, a way out. Darleen had said she came in this way, so it must be somewhere. Her fingers found something sharp and hard. Jennie traced its contours, and her fingers disappeared into the gaps in the structure. She pulled them back with a scream, scared witless, sure that she was lying next to a human skull. She scrambled onto her feet and ran blindly into the room, desperate to put some space between her and her macabre find. Panicked, she hyperventilated until she swayed from lack of air.

A wall broke her fall, and as Jennie ran her fingers over it, cool air met her fingertips. The way out must be here. Farther along, she found a large, square-shaped hole, and when she pushed her hand inside, she felt a rush of air. It had to be a way out, although it was hardly a door. She levered her battered body up the wall and crawled into the hole.

Thankfully, she wasn’t claustrophobic, but the narrow confines of the exit did make her wonder if she would get stuck. She edged forward and finally felt sand and rough grass under her fingertips. She pushed her way out of the tunnel and lay exhausted on the grass.

A noise echoed from the cellar—voices. “She’s gone, Darleen. You said she would be waiting for me here, and she’s gone.”

Ryder’s petulant rant made Jennie move farther away but not before a second voice echoed into the night’s stillness.

“Let me look, you stupid man. She must be here. There’s no way out of that cellar, as Grandma and Poppa would tell you, if they were still alive.”

Jennie assimilated this new information, aware of footsteps immediately below her. It seemed she wasn’t the cellar’s first prisoner.

Jennie stood up and looked around. They would soon find her if she stayed here, and she knew what would happen if they caught her. The moon shone on a path of sorts in front of her. It was the only way. There was no sign of any vehicles, but Darleen wouldn’t have walked. Her truck must be around here somewhere.

Jennie walked quickly onto the moonlit path, hopeful they wouldn’t hear her footsteps in the cellar and she would have a head start. She breathed a sigh of relief as she put some distance between her and the twins.

A stray cloud blocked out the moon and plunged the rough path into darkness. Jennie put her hands out in front of her and kept walking. When her hands made contact with a warm, solid body, she panicked, kicking out and throwing as many punches as she could, but they made little impact on the rock-hard torso.

“Jen, it’s me, stop hitting me, it’s Jared. Where are Darleen and Ryder?”

The voice’s familiar exasperated tone penetrated Jennie’s panic before she could understand the words. It was Jared. He’d found her and she was safe.

“Jen, it’s me.” Jared grasped her hands until she stopped her violent attack, then pulled her against him, and his warmth and spicy scent calmed her. It really was Jared. Jennie breathed in his essence and wished she could stay enclosed in this rose-colored bubble of safety forever, but she couldn’t.

“How did you get here?”

“My truck’s about half a mile back there. I followed Darleen. I knew she was lying when she denied seeing you and Ryder. How did you get away from him, anyway? No matter, I’m going to kill him for this.” Jared’s face was an angry mask, his eyes shards of ice.

Jennie toyed briefly with letting her champion loose on Ryder, but he was unbalanced and unpredictable, and she would never forgive herself if Jared got hurt or ruined his life by killing Ryder. “Not now, Jared. We need to get out of here. I’ll explain when we’re safe.”

Jared thankfully sensed Jennie’s urgency and retraced his steps, holding her close by his side. As they walked, he reset the map app on his phone. Jennie listened for any signs of their pursuers but heard nothing as she matched Jared’s stride and focused on the small stretch of ground she could see in front of her.

***

Darleen

Darleen pushed past the still-sniveling Ryder and ran up the cellar steps and down the dark hallway, where she pulled the outer door open and stepped out into the darkness. She smiled despite her anger. The girl was so gullible. Jennie had believed Darleen was her rescuer and headed straight to the cellar. Darleen had followed in her wake, careful to stay out of sight and closed the cellar door behind her, but somehow she’d escaped. That was a complication, but they would soon find her. If she thought Darleen was an ally, she would sign the papers in exchange for her freedom. Then Darleen would let Ryder have her. If she survived the experience, Darleen had no qualms about finishing the job. Jared might see her differently if Jennie was out of the picture, and if not, he could follow his “kitten.”

“Ryder, stop blubbering like a baby. I need you now.”

Ryder’s heavy footfalls came nearer as Darleen searched the surrounding area to see if Jennie was hiding nearby. Her brother stood at her side, his heavy breathing punctuated with an occasional hiccup as he tried to suppress the tears he knew annoyed her.