Crazy for Her (23 page)

“Who’s there?” Joe said, his voice trembling.

“Me, I’m the good guy. It’s the devil behind you that you need to worry about.”

Their heads swiveled. Logan sighed loud enough for them to hear. “Are you boys just stupid or what? My gun’s aimed right between the eyes of one of you. The question is, which of you is going to die first?” That had the desired effect. “Now, here’s how we’re going to do this. While you stand there all nice and quiet, my friend’s going to step up behind you. All you have to do is remember the rule. You move, you die.”

Decourdeau slid behind them like a thief in the night. Both men startled when he put a hand on each of their shoulders and gave them a demonic laugh. Richard peed in his pants. Andre confiscated the rifles and put them on the ground, then pulled plastic ties out of his pocket.

Once Joe and Richard were bound, gagged, and tied to separate trees, Logan called Buchanan, gave him the GPS coordinates, and told him to send two men to retrieve the dumbasses. Taking the rifles
with them, he and Andre started up the mountain. When they were a short distance away from the prisoners, Logan pushed the busted rifle underneath a fallen tree.

“That was too easy,
mon ami
. You gotta let me have a little playtime before we’re done.”

“The night’s not over yet, my friend. Where do you think Eli’s headed?”

“Got no idea where the boy and your woman are. It’s the dogs I’m tracking.”

“I don’t follow.”

“The kid took his Dobies with him. Smart thinking on his part. If he’d left ’em behind, they would’ve led everyone right to Eli and your woman.”

What was Eli up to? He’d stolen Dani, and Logan wanted to hate him for it, but he was Evan’s twin, raised in a warped environment. Until he found out whether he had been brainwashed, he’d give Eli the benefit of a doubt. God help him if he so much as put a scratch on her.

“How do you track the dogs?” Logan ignored Decourdeau’s rolling eyes. It was a good question. He saw nothing that indicated the passing of any canines.

“I can smell ’em.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“I shit you not, and you take one more step,
mon ami
, you’re gonna smell ’em, too.”

Logan looked down at where his foot hovered. Right, dog shit. He stepped carefully around the pile. “Consider me a convert. Lead on, spooky man.”

Andre grunted and took point.

Dani tripped over a dead branch. “Sorry,” she said when Eli caught her arm, keeping her from falling on her face. She searched behind them, but all she saw was the outline of trees.

Eli had said the dogs were agitated, which meant someone was probably following them. She’d considered leaving a trail, breaking off branches, dragging her feet whenever they were on dirt, anything to make it easier for Logan to find her. That would also lead the men from the compound right to them, so she’d discarded the idea.

“I think it’s okay to rest for a minute,” Eli said.

Thank God. She started to lean back on a boulder, but he stopped her.

“Wait. Let me check for snakes.” He pulled a small flashlight out of his back pocket and holding his hand around the light, he squatted and surveyed the crevices of the rock.

Right. Snakes
. Just one more thing she hadn’t thought to worry about.
Note to self. No leaning against rocks, no sitting on rocks, no turning one over to see what crawls out.

Eli finished his inspection and turned the light off. “It’s safe.”

Ha. Those suckers were good hiders. He could’ve missed seeing one. “No thanks. I’ll just stand here.” The Dobermans sat in a circle surrounding them. If anything long and sneaky crawled out, the dogs would surely warn her.

He shrugged, then started unbuttoning his shirt. Okay. Time out. Why was he stripping? Granted it was summer, but once the sun had set, it had turned a little chilly. “What are you doing, Eli?”

His fingers paused on a button. “I’ve got something for you.” He pushed his hand into his shirt and pulled out a cell.

Squinting, she leaned forward to see better. Hers? Dani grabbed it. Hot damn, it was. “Awesome.” Logan better have his phone on him. She flipped it open and the disappointment of seeing no bars was almost too much to bear. “No service. Maybe if we go higher?”

“I don’t know, maybe. I’m sorry I got you into this mess, Irish. Somehow I’ll make it up to you.”

“Just get me back home, that’s all I want.”

“I’m gonna do my best.” He reached into his shirt again and brought out her wallet. “Papa Herbert would’ve noticed if your purse was gone, so I took out the phone and wallet. I didn’t think you’d want them having your credit cards or personal information.”

That was an understatement. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

Back his hand went, this time pulling out a bottle of water. “Don’t drink it all, it’s the only one we have.”

“Jeez, you’re like a magician. You going to pull out a rabbit next?”

That got a grin. “That’s it, nothing else. Wish I’d thought to grab some cookies or something.” He held up her wallet. “You want me to hang on to this for now?”

“Sure, but I’m keeping the phone. Do you have a particular place in mind, or are we just going to keep moving all night?”

“I’ve got a place. It’s not much farther. Hold on to the back of my belt and I’ll pull you the rest of the way up.”

“Did you know you’d make a wonderful tour guide, Eli?” She grabbed ahold of him. “Let’s get to it, then.” Curious about his change of mind, she said, “You surprised me when you agreed to take me out of that place. Why? I mean, one minute you’re going to take me to that evil man you call a stepfather and the next we’re running for our lives.”

Not slowing his uphill jog, he glanced over his shoulder at her. “Did you know I’d never watched TV until I went to Asheville to find you?”

“There’s no way I could have known that, Eli, but what does that have to do with now?”

He stopped, grabbed her hand, and pulled her alongside him. “Hard to talk when I’m running, so we’ll walk the rest of the way. I’m not sure you’ll understand, but when you grow up the way I did, closed off from everything, I had no reason to doubt Papa Herbert. Then all of a sudden, I’m out in the world for the first time and things aren’t the way he said. At first, I didn’t know what to think. Was the whole world a lie and Papa Herbert the truth, or was it the other way around?”

Dani couldn’t imagine how it must have been for him. “Are you saying you learned the truth from watching TV?”

“Papa Herbert says TV is the devil’s instrument, so at first I didn’t turn on the one in my motel room.”

“And then you did?”

The same grin she’d seen on her husband’s face so often appeared on Eli’s. “And then I did. Have you ever been to Disney World, Irish?”

“Yeah, it’s a fun place.”

“I watched a show about it one night. I want to go there sometime.”

Although he’d veered off track from what she wanted to know, Dani couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. “You get me back to Asheville, and I’ll take you there.”

“Promise?”

“You have my word. I still don’t understand, though, how TV made you see the truth.”

“I guess things Papa Herbert said just started not adding up. Have you ever watched Dr. Phil?”

Dani stumbled over a root and he steadied her. “Thanks, didn’t see that. I have. Why?”

“One day, he had this girl on who had been raised in a cult. She was confused and sad, and I saw myself. Some things Dr. Phil said got me to thinking. There were other shows, too, that made me wonder if Papa Herbert had been lying all these years. Aside from all that, it was what you said about Evan, that he’d want me to protect you. I thought Papa Herbert meant for me to marry you, but he lied about that, didn’t he?”

“Yes, Eli, that was just another one of his lies.”

He stopped, and troubled eyes turned to her. “I don’t want you to hate me, Irish. Even if Papa Herbert’s a liar, I still believe in God and heaven. That means my brother’s looking down on me, needing me to do right by you.” His eyes watered. “I’m sorry I made such a mess of everything.”

If the men in her life didn’t stop breaking her heart, Dani thought she just might join a nunnery. “Oh, Eli,” she said, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “When we get out of this, you and I are booking a flight to Disney.”

“Without your soldier? He won’t like that.”

Dani laughed. “I daresay he’ll insist on coming with us. Come on, brother, let’s haul ass.”

Dani held the flashlight Eli had left her and scanned the small cave for snakes and bats. Leaving two of the dogs behind to guard her, he’d gone out with the other two, telling her he wanted to scout around and make sure no one had followed them. Keeping up hadn’t been easy as they’d climbed the mountain. Even in tennis shoes, her feet were screaming in protest at the trek he’d forced on them.

Once her vermin search was satisfied, she checked her phone for the sixth time. Still no signal. With nothing else to do, she curled into a corner and waited for Eli to return. The dogs, Luke and John, she thought, came and sat in front of her, their eyes focused expectantly on the entrance to the cave. She’d seen Eli give them a hand signal. He must have told them to guard her, and she had no complaints with that.

She was dozing off when low feral growls from both dogs had her pushing up against the rock wall. She shone the flashlight on them, saw the razor-sharp hair on their backs, and raised the flashlight to illuminate the entrance.

Mean Eyes slowly grinned. “Well, well, what have we here?”

Smirk Face poked his head around his companion’s shoulder and smirked. “Hello, little girl. Blessed Son’s not very happy with you right now.”

The dogs stood and bared their teeth. Mean Eyes pulled the rifle off his shoulder and lifted it, aiming the gun at Luke, or was it John? It didn’t matter, she refused to give him the chance to hurt either one. Dani scrambled forward and grabbed their collars, pulling them in front of her. “You shoot one of them, you risk shooting me. What’s BS going to say about that?”

Mean Eyes slipped farther inside the cave, Smirk Face following closely behind. “Let them go, and I won’t hurt them,” Mean Eyes said.

Liar. “No.”

A smile so evil it sent shivers through her formed on his face. “I was hoping that’s what you’d say.”

It was only by sheer will that she didn’t allow her gaze to flicker to Eli creeping up behind them.

“You touch her or the dogs, and he dies,” Eli said.

Mean Eyes turned and lifted his rifle. Eli held Smirk Face close, his arm pressing on the man’s throat and a pistol pushed tight against his head. “Go ahead, Eli. Shoot him. Because as soon as you do, I’ll shoot you, and then where does that leave the woman? Blessed Son wants her, and he’ll get her no matter what you do.”

Eli’s gaze flicked to her, uncertainty in his eyes. Oh God, he didn’t know what to do. She glanced at the Dobermans. They stared at Eli, their skin rippling as they waited for instructions. Mean Eyes had his back to them and would never see them coming. She caught Eli’s gaze, then looked pointedly at the dogs and gave a slight nod. Would he understand?

It appeared he did. Keeping his pistol pressed against Smirk Face’s head, he lowered his other hand to his side and made a motion with his fingers. Luke and John were on Mean Eyes before Dani could blink her astonishment. Flying past Eli, the other two dogs went at the man from the front.

Mean Eyes’s rifle went off, and both Smirk Face and Eli crumbled to the ground.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

T
he sound of a gunshot echoed across the mountain, followed by a scream so primal the hair on Logan’s arms stood on end. He took off, his attention fixated with single-minded focus on the direction from which he’d heard Dani’s cry. Another shot sounded, then another.

“Slow down,” Decourdeau said, coming up next to him. “We have to assess the situation before we go blundering in.”

Reason returned—somewhat. “Right.” He slowed and took a deep, calming breath. “I estimate they’re about a half mile away.” He started up the hill. “They better pray they’ve not hurt her.”

Five minutes later, the Iceman stood at the entrance to a cave and surveyed the scene. One man lay on his back, obviously dead. Eli, crying and covered in blood, slumped against the rock wall, one Doberman sprawled over his lap, the other three surrounding him and baring their teeth at Logan and Decourdeau.

“Tell them to stand down, little brother, so we can help you,” Andre said softly.

Eli lifted a cloudy gaze to Logan. “I tried to bring her back to you. He said he’d kill her if I didn’t call the boys off. I did, but he shot Matthew anyway. Then he shot me. Why’d he do that?” He looked at the dogs. “They got him pretty good, though, so he’s hurt and bleeding. You can follow his trail, can’t you, and get Irish back?” He coughed and blood trickled down his chin.

Logan was transported back to another time and place when he’d held a dying man in his arms who looked just like this one. “Don’t you dare die, Evan,” he whispered.

“Easy,
mon ami
,”
Andre said, giving Logan’s shoulder a firm grip. “Eli, listen to me. We’re here to help you, but you have to tell your boys to stand down. Do it now.”

Eli made a hand signal. “Friends,” he said, and then closed his eyes. “It hurts.”

Andre eased toward Eli, and Logan followed, careful not to startle the dogs. Logan picked up the flashlight from the floor next to Eli and shone it on his GPS. While Andre saw to Eli’s wound, Logan called Buchanan, gave him the coordinates, and told him to get a medic and several men up to the cave.

Finishing his call, he squatted down. “It doesn’t look good,” he said quietly.

Andre nodded. “No, not so good.”

Eli jerked his head up. “I’m sorry. I thought . . . I was confused. I’m sorry.”

“Where’s Dani?” Logan asked.

“Samuel has her, but he’s hurt. His legs, the boys got his legs. Go. I’ll be okay. Just go get her.”

Logan exchanged a look with Decourdeau. Eli wasn’t okay and they both knew it. “You stay with him until help arrives.”

Logan left the cave and started down the mountain. He’d been a step behind since they’d taken Dani. When he got her back, he was going to install a tracking device on her, not that she was going to need it because he was never letting her out of his sight again.

“Ow. You’re hurting my arm.”

Logan stilled at hearing Dani’s voice.

“I told you to shut up, Miss Danielle. One more word and I’ll gag you.”

Logan eased forward, careful of where he stepped. There, at the edge of the tree line. His men would stop them before she could be taken back into the compound, but he didn’t know the man, Samuel. Would he keep his cool? He’d already killed his partner and had seriously wounded Eli. Logan darted left, and using the trees for cover, made his way to Dani.

Just as Logan started to show himself, Ballard stepped out from behind a large rock. “I see you found my wayward bride, Samuel.” He looked around. “Where are Eli and Peter?”

“Eli shot Peter, and then he turned on me so I had to shoot him.”

“That’s a lie,” Dani said.

Logan clenched his jaws to keep from yelling at her to shut up.

Samuel shot her a glare before clasping his hands in front of him and bowing his head. “She’s upset, Blessed Son, and doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

Logan studied the man who claimed to be the Son of God. He had no weapon unless he was hiding one under his white robe, but this was the kind of man who let others do his dirty work. Logan turned his attention back to Dani. She’d slipped a few feet away from the men. Good girl.

“I’m upset, all right, but you two can argue it out, ’cause I’m outta here.” She turned to leave. Samuel reached for her, but she danced away. “Sorry, guys, just not my idea of a good place to vacation. No offense.” She backed up.

“Such a delight you are, my dear,” the cult leader said, a tolerant smile on his face that Logan longed to wipe off. “Now, Samuel, retrieve Miss Danielle. She has a wedding to attend.”

Over his dead body. Logan stepped forward, his SIG held by his side in one hand and a knife in the other. “Touch her, Samuel, and you die.”

“Logan! I knew you’d come for me.”

“Always,” he said, not taking his eyes off the men. “Come here, Dani.”

Samuel pointed his gun at Logan. “Who the hell are you?”

“Samuel, your language,” Ballard said. “I believe Miss Danielle called him Logan, so that means he’s Logan Kincaid. This does not concern you, Mr. Kincaid. Why you are here, I can’t imagine, but you should go on about your business elsewhere before you get hurt. My people will protect me at the cost of their lives. I should think you have enough blood on your hands as it is.”

A hypnotist had once been a part of a USO show he’d attended in Afghanistan. Ballard’s soft, intimate voice reminded him of the entertainer’s. An owl hooted three times in the woods at the same time his phone vibrated.

“I have a phone call coming in and I’m guessing it will be information you’ll find of interest.” He slowly removed his phone, listened to Buchanan, and then flipped it closed. “You have a few problems, Herbert. One, your man here killed his partner and wounded Eli. Two, the FBI are at your gate with a search warrant. I believe they mean to arrest you on kidnapping charges. After Eli gives a statement, I’m certain they’ll add accessory to murder to the charges against you.”

While he talked, Logan kept an eye on Samuel. The man’s eyes were darting from him to Dani, who was inching her way to him. Logan gave Dani a look, glad when she interpreted it correctly and froze.

“I didn’t kill Peter, Eli did,” Samuel said.

“Eli has lately become very unstable, Mr. Kincaid,” Ballard said. “We’ve been trying to help him, but then he disappeared, and when he returned, he had this young lady with him. When I told him we must return her to her home, he took off with her. I’ve been very worried about her safety, and of course, attempted to find them before he did something rash. I fear we were too late for poor Peter, but at least Miss Danielle is safe.”

Dani opened her mouth, and Logan knew she was going to dispute Ballard’s story. “Well, we’ll just let the FBI sort all that out, then,” Logan said, cutting her off.

“The woman’s going to try and blame me,” Samuel said. His finger on the trigger, he swung his rifle toward Dani.

“Down!” Logan barked, and then threw his knife into Samuel’s throat.
Stupid fool, you should’ve gone for me first, your biggest threat.
The gun went off, but Dani was safely facedown on the ground.

Ballard turned and started to leave. “Oh, I forgot to mention, Ballard,” Logan said. “You’re surrounded, so you’re not going anywhere.”

Three men from Delta team stepped out, along with Bobby Moore, his friend from the FBI. Moore walked up to Ballard. “Herbert Ballard, you’re under arrest for kidnapping and accessory to murder. You have the right to remain silent.”

Logan tuned out everything but Dani. He started to go to her but before he could, she pushed up, flew into his arms, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Logan buried his face against her neck, his heart drumming a ferocious tattoo in his chest.

“Christ, you’re going to be the death of me yet,” he said as laughter overtook him.

She pushed away and looked at him. “What’s so funny? I don’t think anything about this is funny.”

He kissed her soundly, shutting her up. He had no idea where the laughter came from, couldn’t explain it. Leaving Ballard to Moore and his men, he carried her down the mountain. It might be days before he let her walk on her own.

“You did really good, Dani. I was afraid you wouldn’t know I was talking to you when I said ‘down.’ ”

“Hey, ninja man, you said when you gave an order I was to obey without question. I was confident you weren’t telling Samuel to get down.”

“What’s with this ninja-man business?”

“It’s what Detective Langley calls you. I kinda like it.”

“Do you? I liked when you called me ‘babe.
’
” He glanced up at the moon and estimated it was around three in the morning. The temperature had dropped to the high sixties. “Are you cold?”

She lowered her mouth to his. “Actually, I’m feeling a little hot,” she said against his lips. “Must be all that testosterone you’re emitting,
babe
.”

“No doubt,” he said before he backed her against a tree and kissed her senseless. When he came up for air, he rested his forehead on hers. “I’ve never been so afraid in my life.”

“That makes two of us, but I knew you’d come for me.” She put her hands on his cheeks and pushed his face up, looking into his eyes. “I love you, Logan Kincaid.”

Words escaped him, and he was sure his answering grin was a silly-looking one. “Tell me again.”

“I love you, Logan. I love you. Will you marry me? Will you be a father to Evan’s daughter?”

Logan braced his knees to keep them from buckling. “Yes” was all he managed to get past his throat.

She punched him on the arm. “That’s all you have to say? What about ‘I love you, too, Dani’?”

He swallowed hard and nodded. “I do. God, I do.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You do, but you can’t say it?”

“Give me a sec.” She had no idea what her words meant to him. The sound of his men escorting Ballard away came to him. Not wanting her to have to see the man ever again, he pulled her against his chest and left the shelter of the trees.

Logan put his mouth to her ear. “I love you, Dani Prescott, but if you ever put me through something like this again, I’m going to lock you away for the rest of our lives.”

Her laughter was the sweetest sound in the world. “Good luck with that, ninja boy.”

The ambulance sped away, its lights flashing and the siren blaring. Dani stood next to Barbie as it disappeared into the night. “Do you think he’s going to be okay?”

Eli had been unconscious when they’d loaded him into the back. She’d wanted to go with him, but Logan wasn’t letting her out of his sight. She had argued a little, but since she didn’t want to leave his side either, she hadn’t put up much of a fuss.

Barbie wrapped her arm around Dani. “I don’t know, honey. The boss will take you to the hospital as soon as he finishes up.”

Hopefully it would be soon. This place gave her the creeps, and the sooner she was away from it, the happier she’d be. Ballard’s men sat on the ground, guarded by Logan’s guys. Nearby, a group of women huddled together, all their gazes on Herbert Ballard. Did they expect him to talk his way out of this?

Although handcuffed and surrounded by the FBI, the man somehow managed to give the impression his arrest was all just a silly mistake. For a few minutes, she listened to him try and blame Eli and Samuel for everything. Disgusted, Dani turned and walked a few feet away. The sun was peeking up over the trees, and she stopped, took a deep breath of the pine-scented air, wishing it was her mountain air she was breathing. Or the salty breeze of Logan’s ocean. Anywhere but where she was.

Logan finally came to her. She slipped her hand into his. “Can we go to the hospital now? I’m really worried about Eli.”

“The FBI wants a statement from you, but Moore will meet up with us later. He’ll need to anyway because we’re taking his car.”

“I’ve always wanted to steal a car. Is grand theft auto worse when it’s an FBI car?”

“My woman’s nothing but trouble,” he cheerfully grumbled.

Logan held her hand all the way to the hospital, as if he couldn’t bear to let go of her. She closed her eyes, thinking to catch a catnap, but the image of Eli bleeding from his chest was there, as if it had been painted on the back of her eyelids. Had Logan lived with that image of Evan? How did he stand it?