Goodbye Girl (Hidden Lane Ranch) (12 page)

“Where do you
want me to go?” I asked, my eyes on the road, trying not to panic. Seth was
sitting right next to me with a gun. I couldn’t help but think for a minute
Clint had been right all along that Seth would come for me. Next time I’ll
listen to him…if there is a next time. I bit my lip and fought back the tears
at the idea that I may not see Clint or his family again.

“Just drive,”
he mumbled, taking out his phone. He looked up, squinting into the distance. “Get
off on the next exit and go to the first hotel. I have a room there for us.” He
grinned at me and my blood went cold. What did he have planned for me?

“I’ll give you
your money,” I whispered as I turned off the highway. “Please just let me go.”

He laughed. “Oh
no, my dear. You’re going to give me more than that money. You’re going to go
back to that little farm you’ve been living at and get my money and all of your
other stuff. Then you’re going to come home with me and become my wife.” I
winced as he reached out to touch my hair. If he laid his hands on me I was
going to be sick. “You know there once was a time you liked my touch.”

“That was a
long time ago, Seth. You’ve changed.” I replied. “We both have.”

“You’ll love
me again, you’ll see,” he said smugly.

I shook my
head, a tear falling down my cheek. “No, I won’t.”

“Oh you will,”
he sneered. “You will come home with me and love me or I will kill your cowboy
along with his family.”

I gasped and
turned to look at him. I shouldn’t be surprised. He was a monster when I left;
I guess I had no idea he would stoop so low. My body started to shake.

“You
wouldn’t,” I mumbled, wondering what would happen if I drove off the highway. Would
we survive? It might be worth a try if it kept my new family safe.

“Oh but I
would,” he chuckled and nodded towards the hotel I was approaching. “Turn in
here.”

I turned into
the parking lot, wondering how I was going to get out of this. I figured the
only way was to go back with him. I couldn’t let him hurt Clint; I’d do
anything to keep him safe.

“You need to
let me get back to the ranch, Seth. Clint will be looking for me. I’ll go get
the money and bring it back.” My eyes were filled with tears. “Please don’t
hurt him,” I whispered.

His green eyes
flashed darker with anger. “Let him come.” His finger ran along my cheek. “Maybe
he’d like to watch what I plan to do to you.”

“Seth,” I
pleaded, my voice cracking. He was so different from the boy I first met, the
boy that took me in and took care of me when my mom died. He never left my side
that whole time and despite the way he was now, I would have been lost without
him throughout that whole ordeal. “Please…for old time’s sake. Trust me.”

He clutched
his gun tighter. “Are you serious, you bitch? Trust you? You fucking left me
and took my money! And I’m supposed to trust you? Fuck that.” He reached for
the car handle. “Get the fuck out.” He opened the car door and got out,
slamming it hard behind him.

I took a deep
breath and got out of the car. He’d come around to my side of the car and
grabbed my elbow as soon as I stood up. He dug his fingers into my flesh as I
winced. “Seth, you’re hurting me,” I managed to whisper.

He laughed. “I
haven’t even begun.” He led me to the hotel door on the side of the building
and pulled his key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door with one hand, never
letting go of the vise-like grip he had on my arm. Once he had the door open,
he started dragging me down the hall, walking so fast I could barely keep up.

My mind was
going a million miles an hour. How had he even found me? When I got rid of my
old phone I thought for sure he would never be able to track me. How did he
know about Clint and the ranch? I had to get him out of here before he hurt
him. I couldn’t let anything happen to him or his family. Even if it meant
going with Seth back to Buffalo, I would; whatever I had to do to protect them.

I took a deep
breath as we approached the room at the end of the hallway. If I was going to
get out of here, I had to keep my wits about me and not panic. I couldn’t let
him see my fear; he would feed off of it and only torment me more.

He unlocked
the door and pushed me inside. “Get on the bed,” he ordered me, putting his gun
back in the waistband of his pants. I crawled onto the bed and turned around,
sitting up against the back. I gasped when I saw a couple of guys sitting at a
table in the corner of the room around a pile of what I assumed to be cocaine. When
I left him months ago, the only thing he’d been selling was pot; what else had
he gotten into.

He must have
noticed me watching them. “Do you want to try some?” He sneered at me.

I shook my
head frantically and turned away from them. He came over to sit by me on the
bed. “Maybe I will get you hooked on heroin and send you back to your cowboy. I
bet he’d love to have a junkie girlfriend.” He put his hand on my thigh,
gripping it tight when I tried to pull away. “Or maybe I’ll sell you off as a
sex slave. I know a few guys that would pay some top money to do some pretty
fucked up shit to you.” I swallowed hard, fighting back the bile that was
rising in my throat. He laughed at my reaction and stood up. “Nah, I won’t do
that.” He fingered my hair before pulling my head back hard to look up at him. “You,
Rachel, belong to
me
.” He let go of my head and walked away from me,
heading over to the table.

I brought my
knees up to my chest, hugging them tight and resting my forehead on them. I was
torn; on one hand, I hoped Clint was looking for me, but on the other hand, I
didn’t want him messed up with Seth. He’d clearly gotten more dangerous since I
last saw him and there was no telling what he was capable of. I would never forgive
myself if anything happened to him.

I looked up
when I heard the click of the door. The other guys had left, leaving me alone
with Seth. My heart started pounding in my chest; now what?

“I have to
admit, Rachel, farm living agrees with you,” he said, walking over to grab his
gun. “You look good.”

“It’s not a
farm,” I muttered.

He waved his
gun in the air. “Whatever.” He rolled his eyes.

“How did you
find me?” I asked.

He grinned and
sat down on a chair near the bed. “Rachel my dear, when you were home, I kept
close tabs on you. I think you knew that.” I nodded; I’d had my suspicions. “In
addition to checking your phone closely and having you followed most of the
time, I had GPS put on your car.” I opened my mouth and gasped. He sat back and
put his hands behind his head, looking pretty damn proud of himself. “I’ve
known where you were all this time. I was just doing my homework and watching
you, waiting for the right moment.”

I tried to
wrap my head around what he’d told me. All this time I thought I was safe here
in the middle of nowhere and he knew the whole time. He’d been watching me and
learning about Clint and his family. I swallowed back the tears.

He stood up
from the chair and kicked it back. “I think you should get undressed for me.” He
leered at me and walked back over, standing near me. I could make out the
outline of his erection through his jeans. “Or maybe I should make you suck my
cock.” He reached down and rubbed himself over his clothes. “You always were a
good little cocksucker.”

I didn’t say
anything; I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of reacting to his
threats. If he wanted to hurt me that way, let him. He could do whatever he
wanted to me as long as he left Clint and his family alone.

He walked
away, shaking his head. “No reaction, huh?” He turned back around. “I remember
more than a few times you begged me to fuck you. Remember the night at the club
when you were so hot you couldn’t even wait until we left. You went down on me
in the ally and then let me fuck your ass right there. You lifted your skirt
like the slut you are and begged me to stick my cock in you.”

I shuddered,
remembering the night. Seth and I had a pretty amazing sex life. We couldn’t
keep our hands off of each other until he started the drugs and dealing. A lot
of times he couldn’t even get it up to even have sex. We started to grow apart,
having sex less and less.

“Now you let
that cowboy fuck you, don’t you?” I looked up at him, not saying a word.

He snorted in
disgust. “Figures, you slut. I bet you don’t let him fuck your ass though. Do
you?” He glanced down at my legs. “Maybe I should remind you how much you enjoy
it.”

I made a sound
deep in my throat and he smiled. “Later. Not here. When we get home I’m going
to fuck you and do things to you so you won’t be able to get out of bed for
days.” A feeling of dread came over me and I wondered if maybe I would be
better off if he sold me to someone.

He clasped his
hands together, making me jump. “Now how are we going to get that money so we
can get the fuck out of here. I hate all this nature.”

“I’ll go tell
Clint I’m leaving, that I can’t be with him. Then I’ll bring you your money,” I
pleaded with him.

He shook his
head. “I don’t think so. There’s no way I can trust you not to tell him the real
reason you’re leaving and him coming after you. I can’t have that. I have a
feeling he won’t let you go so easily.”

I shook my
head, but deep down I knew Seth was right. If I told Clint I wanted to leave,
he wouldn’t accept that. Despite our fight this morning, things between us had
been really good lately. For me to just up and leave would raise suspicion. How
could I get Seth what he wanted without endangering everyone I loved? There had
to be a way.

“Let’s go,” he
said and pulled me from the bed, dragging me to the door.

“Where are we
going?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

“To get my
money. The sooner we get that, the sooner we can get the fuck out of here.”

“What do you
mean?” We walked back out of the hotel and out to my car.

He looked over
at me as he unlocked the door and shoved me inside the passenger side. “What
the fuck do you mean ‘what do I mean’?” He looked down at me and grinned. “You’re
going to take me to your cowboy’s ranch. You’re going to tell him you’re going
home with me.”

I shook my
head and he slapped me. I brought my hand up to my face and fought back the
tears. The asshole wasn’t going to see me cry. He slammed the door and stomped
around to the driver’s side. He got in and started the car before turning to
look at me. “You will not tell me what you are and are not doing again. Next
time, I will do more than slap you.”

I turned to
look out the car window, trying to keep it together. He reached over and cupped
my cheek in his hand. “Got it, bitch?”

I bit my lip
and nodded.

He let go and
backed the car out of the stall. “Good. This will go much easier if you do what
I say.” He tore out of the parking lot of the hotel. “Let’s do this!”

“I need to
stop for gas.” We’d dropped off Eliza at her truck and Wyatt and I were heading
back to the ranch. I was beyond frustrated at this point, finding no clues at
all that brought us any closer to where Rachel was. Ma had called to find out
if we had found her, only confirming that she wasn’t safely back home.

“Are you sure
you don’t want to call the police? I think at this point they would listen. It’s
been hours.” Wyatt urged as we pulled into the gas station.

I nodded. He
was right. It was time to involve the authorities. “Fine. While I’m filling up,
call the sheriff and have him come out.” I parked the truck next to a pump and
hopped out. “I’m going to grab a water too when I’m done. Want one?”

He nodded and
pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Sure.”

I shut the
door and walked over to start filling up my truck. As I waited, I leaned back
against my truck and closed my eyes with a sigh. We had to find her soon. If
Seth had her, what would he do with her? He wouldn’t leave without his money
and so far, Ma had said no one had even been there. Besides meeting with the
sheriff, that’s the other reason I wanted to go home; I had a feeling it
wouldn’t be long before Rachel showed up with or without Seth to get his money.

The pump
clicked when it was done and I put the cover back on before heading inside to
pay. I went to the back of the store and grabbed two waters before walking back
up to the counter. I set the waters on the counter and reached into my back
pocket for my wallet.

“Hey Clint,”
the cashier said with a grin. It was a girl I’d gone to high school with, Marcy.

“Hey Marcy.” I
gave her a half-hearted smile. “I was on pump six.”

“Got it.” She
scanned my waters as she popped her gum. “I saw your pretty little girlfriend
in here earlier this morning.”

“What?” I gave
her my full attention. “You saw Rachel?”

“That’s her
name!” She snapped her fingers together. “I couldn’t remember for the life of
me.” She put her hand on her hip. “Sure is a cute little thing.”

“Did she say
where she was going?” I asked, feeling hopeful as I swiped my card through the
machine.

She shook her
head and finished my transaction. “No, but I happened to glance up and noticed
some guy by her car when she came out. I’ve never seen him before, but he got
into the car with her.”

Seth! Shit, he
was
here and he had her! “You didn’t see what way she went when she
left, did you?” I asked hopefully.

She shook her
head. “No, we had a flurry of customers come in then and I was busy.”

“Thanks so
much Marcy!” I flew out of the store before she could even answer me. I ran out
to my truck and flung the door open. “He has her! He’s here!”

Wyatt looked
up from his phone. “What? How do you know?” He asked, looking confused.

“When I paid,
Marcy said she saw Rachel this morning. She saw her with some dude she didn’t
recognize. He rode away with her.” I was breathless as I started up the truck
and tore out of the gas station parking lot.

“Fuck!” Wyatt
said. “Good thing the sheriff is coming out to the ranch. Are you going to tell
him about the money?”

I sighed. “I
don’t know. I might have to. I will do whatever it takes to get her back.”

We rode the
rest of the way in silence. This time I didn’t care about speeding; all I cared
about was getting back to the ranch. I wanted to make sure Ma and Eliza were ok
and talk to the sheriff. If I happened to get pulled over now, that would be a
bonus, getting me in touch with the law sooner.

When we got to
the ranch and drove up the driveway, Eliza was back at home and the sheriff was
already there. I was eager to talk to him and have him begin looking for Rachel.
Now that I knew she was with Seth, my nerves were even more on edge.

We went into
the house and found him sitting at the table with Ma and Eliza, drinking
coffee. We joined them and I filled him in. I decided to tell him everything,
even about the money.

When we were
done, we stood up and I walked him to the door. The sheriff reached out and
shook my hand. “Don’t worry, Clint, we’ll find her.”

I nodded. “I
know. Thank you so much for coming out here.”

We walked
outside and he opened up his car door. “I’m going to head to the gas station
and talk to Marcy. Maybe she can give me some more details. Maybe we’ll start
checking motels too.”

“I appreciate
it. I have no idea what he’s capable of, so please be careful,” I warned him.

“Will do. Keep
an eye out here for a phone call or in case she shows up. For right now, the
best thing you can do is stay close to home. I know you feel helpless, but I
think it’s best right now. If he’s as dangerous as you think, it’s not safe.” He
sat down in the car and shut the door.

I watched him
drive down our long driveway and was about to turn around to head back into the
house when I felt a hand on my arm. “We’ll find her, son,” Ma whispered behind
me.

I turned
around and gave her a nod. “Ma, I’m so worried. He’s dangerous and I don’t even
want to think about what he might do to her.” My eyes filled with tears.

“Shhh…Don’t do
that to yourself; don’t think about it.” She took my hand. “Come inside and
I’ll make you some tea.”

We went inside
where Eliza was sitting at the table on her laptop, trying to distract herself.
Wyatt was pacing around. “We have to go look for her, Clint. I feel so helpless
just waiting here.”

“Sheriff said
it was best if we stayed here in case she called or showed up.”

“What if
he
shows up?” Eliza asked softly, looking up from her computer. Everyone was quiet
for a minute.

“We should get
our guns,” Wyatt suggested.

I didn’t say a
word but walked over to the gun cabinet in the corner of the living room. I
unlocked it and got out a couple of guns. “Ma and Eliza, can you get your
handguns and keep them nearby?”

They each
nodded and went to their rooms to get them. We didn’t usually allow loaded guns
in this part of the house, but this was definitely special circumstances. Honestly,
if I saw that fucker, I wanted to hurt him with my bare hands; I wasn’t going
to let him get away with a quick and easy death.

Wyatt went
outside to sit on the porch. Sitting still wasn’t his strong suit and he was a
bit of a hot head at times. This sitting around and waiting had to be killing
him. I sat down on the couch and reached for the TV remote but set it back
down. There was no way I was going to be able to concentrate enough to watch
something.

“Clint! Get
out here!” Wyatt yelled from the porch. “I think I see Rachel’s car coming up
the drive.”

I got up and
quickly walked out to the porch. I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked
toward the drive. Sure enough, there came Rachel’s car. As she got closer, I
realized she wasn’t driving and there were two people in the car. I went inside
to Ma and Eliza.

“Listen to me
and don’t ask questions,” I told them, speaking quietly and quickly. “Rachel’s
here but she isn’t alone. I’m assuming Seth is with her. I want you guys to go
back to my room and hide in the bathroom.
 
Take your guns and Eliza, take your phone. Call the Sheriff. Not 911.” I
handed her the card he’d given me earlier. “Tell him what’s happening but to be
careful coming out here. I don’t want sirens and stuff to spook him so he does
something stupid.”

The two women
nodded at me, their faces as white as sheets. I couldn’t recall a time that
Eliza had ever been so quiet. They took the card, phone, and guns and scurried
down the hall. Wyatt called for me again and I went outside, trying to remain
calm. It wouldn’t do any of us any good if I lost it right away.

I assumed Seth
was driving the car when it pulled up and parked right by the steps to the
house. Rachel got out of the car, her cheek bruised again where he must have
hit her. I clenched my fists by my side, trying to control the fire burning
deep inside. He got out of the car, his gun pointed at Rachel. My heart broke
into a million tiny pieces from the fear that was plainly written all over her
face.

“So this is
your cowboy, huh?” He muttered and I looked at Wyatt. His eyebrow was twitching
and I was willing him to remain calm.

She nodded and
winced as he got closer and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck. “Go
inside and get my money.” He glanced over at me. He was a punk in his all-black
clothes and black mohawk. He was covered in tattoos and piercings. His eyes
looked wild, the pupils dilated and I wondered if maybe he didn’t sample what
he was selling.

“Let her go,”
I said firmly.

“Awwww, aren’t
you sweet?” He pushed her so hard she stumbled and fell to the ground. “Go get
my money, bitch!” I moved to help her up but he pointed his gun at me now. “Don’t
move. She can get her ass up on her own.”

She stood up
and brushed the dirt from her knees. “Please, leave them alone,” she pleaded
softly. “I’ll go get it and then we can leave.”

I looked at
her confused. “We?” I asked.

She couldn’t
look me in the eye and he laughed and nodded. “Yes, cowboy, ‘we’. She’s coming
back to Buffalo with me. We’re going to get married and live happily ever
after.”

I saw a tear
slide down her cheek. “She doesn’t exactly look like someone that wants to go
with you. If she did, you wouldn’t have to be holding a gun to her.” I couldn’t
help opening my mouth. This jackass was getting on my last nerve and the
thought of him forcing Rachel to leave and marry him made me want to vomit.

He lunged at
me and hit me across the face with the butt of his gun. Rachel screamed as I
crumpled to the floor. “Shut up fucker!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her
against him, kissing her hard. I could see his tongue try to invade her mouth
and he swore when she bit it.

“Bitch!” he
said and back handed her. She fell to the ground and he straddled her. He
raised his fist to punch her when Wyatt came flying from the porch and knocked
him off of her. He knocked the gun from his hand and the two of them began to
roll around on the ground.

In two long
strides I was at Rachel’s side. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, tears streaming
down her face.

“Babe, don’t,”
I replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Get inside. Ma and Eliza are in
my bedroom. Join them. Do not come out for anything, got it?”

She nodded and
ran inside. Once the door was firmly shut behind her, I turned my attention to
the tussle on the ground in front of me. I lunged for Seth’s gun and kicked it
well out of his reach before I pulled him away from my brother. He looked at
me, his eyes dark with anger.

“You’re an
asshole. There are so many things I want to do to you right now for laying a
hand on her,” I roared, trying to maintain some level of control when I really
wanted to have Wyatt hold him while I beat the shit out of him. He wasn’t worth
it though.

“Do it,” he
said and spit in my face. I held his shirt in one hand and pulled my arm back
with the other. One punch wouldn’t hurt. My fist hit his face and I heard the
crunch of his nose breaking. He screamed like a little girl and I threw him on
the ground, flexing my pounding hand.

“You are a
coward…nothing but a little bitch,” I said, looking down at him. I put my boot-clad
foot on his chest, pinning him down to the ground. Wyatt was up now a few cuts
on his face. “Thanks, brother.”

He nodded and
brushed the dirt from his shirt. “No one fucks with our family.”

We pulled Seth
up from the ground as we noticed the Sheriff’s car coming up the drive. Once he
had him safe in cuffs, the girls could come out. Until then, they were better
off away from this jackass. I hoped he was locked away for a long time and
never bothered us again.