“We found their cars,” I said.
“Where?” He sounded surprised.
“In Gavin’s garage. We snuck onto the property. There are two cars under some tarps, and cutting tools out on a bench. We also heard thudding noises coming from inside the house. We think he has the girls. Can you get a warrant?”
“Not if you didn’t see the actual cars. A vehicle under a tarp isn’t enough.”
I closed my eyes. Shit. Shit. Why hadn’t I lied?
“What about the noises we heard? He has country music on really loud too—like he’s trying to cover something up.”
“The noise could’ve been anything, even a washing machine out of balance. And if the music was that loud, how can you be sure what you heard?”
“We both heard it.”
“You need to let us do our jobs,” he said. “Putting yourself in danger is not helping. You’re just interfering with the investigation.”
“You’re not finding any fucking evidence!”
“Look. We have to do this the right way. If we force our way onto the property and find something we didn’t lawfully obtain, the whole case could get thrown out.”
“I don’t give a shit about some court case,” I said. “I want my daughter now.”
“Stay away from the Luxtons,” he said. “If you’re caught on the property, they could press charges. I don’t want to have to warn you again.”
* * *
Back in the room, I looked out the window and saw Riley across the street helping a customer.
“We need to talk to Riley again,” I said.
“The police aren’t going to like that,” Dallas said.
“I don’t care. He knows something.”
I’d wondered if Noah was going to be a problem, but as we walked over I could see him through the glass windows of the office, talking on his cell phone, turned away from us. We headed quickly to the shop. Riley was putting away some tools in the garage.
“We need to talk to you,” I said.
He spun around, his hand on a wrench.
I held my hands up. “Whoa.”
“Sorry.” He set the wrench back down, picked up a rag, and started wiping his hands. “What are you doing here?”
“We want to ask you some questions. It’s really important, Riley.”
“I already told the cops everything.” He looked uncomfortable but not hostile. I stepped closer.
“I don’t think you hurt Skylar, but I do think you know something that could help us find her.”
He was shaking his head. “I wish I knew where she was.”
“Years ago, your dad and uncle hurt me and my sisters—and now they’re going to hurt my daughter.” I was going out on a limb saying this stuff but I needed to see his reaction to know if he was part of it.
He jerked back, his eyes wide like I’d hit him. “That’s a lie!”
“There are two cars under tarps in your uncle’s garage—and cutting tools on the bench. Their cars. I’m sure of it. Just look and you’ll see.”
“You have to leave.” He looked angry now, his face red. I saw the resemblance even more between him and Brian and had a flash of fear.
“You know it’s true. Your dad’s violent with your mom, isn’t he? Maybe your sister?”
“Fuck you.”
“What if your sister went missing?” I’d been thinking about the young dark-haired girl but now I realized I’d spoken true words. Skylar was his sister. “What if she disappeared and the one person who could tell you something wouldn’t?”
He picked up the phone.
“If you know what happened and you’re covering for your dad, the cops are going to throw your ass in jail too,” Dallas said. “Your life is screwed.”
“I’m calling the police.” He was dialing now.
“Let’s get out of here.” Dallas grabbed my arm.
“Just look in the garage!” I yelled as she pulled me away.
Riley slid the shop door down hard until it crashed to the ground, almost catching our feet. We walked quickly across the road.
* * *
We’d only been back in the room for ten minutes when my cell rang. It was the sergeant. My breath lifted into my throat, hope and fear tangling up in my head. Please let it be good news.
“I told you to stay away from the Luxtons,” he said as soon as I answered. “Riley says you were harassing him at the garage.”
“He knows something,” I said.
“This is an active investigation. As soon as we have—”
“This is my family. I’m going to do everything I can to find them.”
“I know you’re concerned, but we can’t have you getting involved in the investigation. When you go around talking to people and sneaking onto their property, it makes our job harder. You need to understand—”
“No, you need to understand. They’re going to kill my daughter and sister. So you need to hurry the hell up and find them!”
“Listen,” he said, sounding furious now. “If I see you anywhere near that ranch, or you come within two feet of any of them, I’m arresting you on the spot.”
He hung up. I tossed my phone onto the bed, punched my fist into the mattress a couple of times. “Shit, shit, shit!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
SKYLAR
I paused from kicking the door. “Did you hear someone yelling?”
“I don’t know,” Crystal said. “It’s hard to tell over the music.” She was too weak to kick the door for long, her muscles cramping from dehydration. I’d been kicking at it for a while, still hoping to break through even after I knew it was a lost cause. It was solid wood.
“Maybe we should get back into position,” I said now.
“We’re going to have to go with our first plan,” Crystal said.
I nodded and pulled up my gag, stuck my wrists back together, and loosely coiled my rope around the bedpost.
Just in time—Gavin came in a couple minutes later. He was out of breath, his sweaty skin a grayish green. He had to bend over and rest his hands on his knees, catching his breath. He straightened up, gave me a dirty look.
“Your mother’s becoming a problem.”
My mom had been here?
He was pacing around now, looking agitated. He kept taking his cap off and rubbing his hands through his hair, his face stressed, like he was trying to figure something out. He wasn’t coming close enough for us to put our plan into action, and I was scared we weren’t going to have another chance.
He pulled his cell out of his pocket, punched in some numbers.
“It’s me,” he said. “I caught those two bitches snooping around, think they were looking in the garage.… No, they’re covered with a tarp. We should move the girls soon.… Come down when he’s gone.”
I remembered the yelling I’d heard. Was that my mom, trying to find us? I wanted to cry, thinking how close we’d come to freedom.
Gavin glanced at us. “Just a little longer, girls, then we’re going to set you up somewhere real nice.” He smiled at Crystal, then left the room.
We sat on the floor waiting for what felt like hours. Judging by the heat in the room it was now afternoon. What if Gavin didn’t come alone again? Brian had said they were going to move us in the afternoon. Would we be able to fight both Brian and Gavin? We hadn’t had water or food since the night before. Crystal was weak, and I was losing confidence with every minute that passed.
Gavin finally came in with some bottles of water. He gave me mine, then moved on to Crystal. I watched, my muscles tense, ready to break free of my bindings, but he stopped suddenly and stood straight, looking toward the door.
He walked over to the stereo and turned the music down. I shifted my body so I could see what he was doing.
Now I heard the noise outside. Sounded like a dirt bike or an ATV or something. Gavin leaned back against the dresser, lit a cigarette. He was watching the door, just waiting. It had to be Brian.
“You’re no
t answering your phone,” Brian said, walking into the room.
“I’m sick of you calling me every goddamn minute.”
“We had shit to talk about,” Brian said.
“So talk,” Gavin said.
“Let’s go downstairs.”
“I’m staying right here.” Gavin took a long drag of his smoke, then nodded at us. “We’ve got no secrets.”
“Fine, whatever,” Brian said. “We’ve got to get rid of the cars.”
“I’ve been stripping them.”
“That’s not fast enough. We have to hide them on the property. We can use the backhoe and bury them in one of the lower fields.”
“What about these two?” Gavin gestured in our direction.
“Change of plans,” Brian said, his eyes cold as he stared at me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
JAMIE
We took turns pacing and looking out the window, like the street might reveal something. I couldn’t stop thinking about those thuds.
“We should just go to Gavin’s house with your gun and force ourselves inside,” I said. “By the time the cop catches us, we’ll already have the girls.”
“What if they’re both there?” Dallas said. “What if they’re both armed?”
She had a point. “I know where we can get another gun.”
“Where?”
“Owen—his dad used to keep one hidden under the cabinet, remember?”
“Okay, but he’s not just going to give it to us.”
“Maybe he would. We have to at least try.”
“He could report us.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he would.”
She took a breath and stood up. “Fine.”
* * *
We found Owen working at the bar. I looked around, saw a few people nursing their drinks.
“Hey,” I said. “Have a minute?”
“Sure.”
“Could we talk to you in private?”
Wiping his hands on a towel, he gave me a curious look. Then he called to the waitress at the other end of the bar. “Cover for me.”
We went into his office and he closed the door. Pulling out the chair from behind his desk, he sat. “What’s going on? Did you find them?”
“We’re not sure,” I said. “Look.” I took a breath. “I know you don’t really know us, but we need your help.”
“Okay,” he said slowly.
I glanced at Dallas, who was watching me. I turned back to Owen. “Could we borrow a gun?”
He sat straight. “What?”
“Gavin came by our hotel last night and threatened us. We know the girls are out at the ranch, but the cops can’t get a search warrant.”
“How do you know the girls are there?” He was frowning.
“We found two cars covered by tarps in their garage and we heard thudding sounds from inside the house.”
“And you need a gun because…?”
I debated lying. We could tell him we just needed it for protection, but I didn’t think he’d believe me. “We’re going out there and getting our girls back.”
“We won’t say you gave us a gun,” Dallas said. “We’ll say we stole it.”
He was shaking his head. “Sorry. No. You’re going to get killed.”
I leaned forward. “We are going with or without your help. But if you give us that gun, we might walk out of it alive.”
“Your dad helped us once,” Dallas said. “Remember?”
“We don’t know if the girls are okay. We don’t—” My voice broke and I turned away, trying to get my emotions under control.
“Shit,” Owen said. “Meet me out back in ten minutes, by the silver truck.”
* * *
He came out carrying a hockey bag, looked around before walking over to where we had parked under the shadow of a tree. He had his keys out, put them in the door of his truck with his back to us, dropped the bag on the ground, and reached in like he was getting something from behind the seat. “Put the bag in your car,” he said.
Dallas looked around and quickly put it in the backseat.
“It’s unregistered.” He turned around and met my eyes. “Good luck.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
SKYLAR
“What the hell do you mean, change of plans?” Gavin said.
“We can’t move the girls—and you can’t keep them here.”
“So what are you saying?”
“We have to kill them, bury their bodies on the property, get rid of any sign of them before the cops descend on this place.” Brian said the words so casually that it took a moment for my brain to comprehend what I was hearing. Then it hit. I looked at Crystal, knew she’d get what I was thinking.
Should we go for it now?
She shook her head, just a slight movement. She wanted to wait, but I felt desperate, time slipping away. We had to do something soon.
“Cops need a search warrant,” Gavin said. He took the last drag of his smoke and ground it out on top of the stereo speaker.
“They might be getting one,” Brian said. “You were seen at the bar with her, you idiot. And we don’t know what those other bitches saw today.”
“I told you the cars are covered with a tarp.”
“You caused this, you clean it up.” Brian took a handgun out from behind his back and handed it to Gavin. Blood roared through my head.
I looked at Crystal, who nodded. This was it—we had to go for it. I was about to pull my wrists apart when Gavin hit Brian across the head with the gun, the crack echoing in the room.
Brian stumbled back, his hand to his head. Then he rushed forward and tackled Gavin, slamming him into the closet door behind him.
Locked in a hold, they fell to the floor, rolling around and punching each other. They were partly behind the bed. I could hear grunts, boots against wood, heavy breathing as they struggled. My hands were undone. I looked at Crystal. She was reaching for her rope. I glanced at the open door. Could we make it?
I tried to pull my rope free from the post, but it was caught somehow. I looked at the men, terrified one of them would notice.
They’d moved away from the bed. Brian was on top of Gavin, hitting him in the face, loud smacks over and over. Suddenly there was a shot. The room exploded with the noise, making my ears ring. I couldn’t tell who’d been hit.
I gave my rope another yank. Crystal was beside me now, trying to help.
Brian rolled off Gavin and leaned against the dresser, clutching at his stomach—a bloom of red. He looked stunned, then his body slumped to the side.
“Shit,” Gavin said.
Finally my rope came free. I took off for the door, Crystal following. From the corner of my eye I saw Gavin getting up, gun still in his hand.
“What the fuck!” he yelled.
We were at the door. Now running down the stairs. I heard Crystal stumble behind me and reached behind, felt for her hand, pulling her along.
“I can’t keep up, I’m holding you back.”
“Come on!” I yelled. “We’re almost there.”
We were at the bottom. I heard Gavin trip and fall at the top of the stairs, heard his body hit hard. I prayed it would buy us some extra time.
We ran through the kitchen, heading to the front door. I let go of Crystal’s hand and wrestled with the front door handle, got it open. I glanced over my shoulder to see how close Gavin was and saw that Crystal had stepped back.
I reached for her hand. “Let’s go!”
She pulled her hand free and pushed me out the door. “Run, Skylar!”
“What are you doing—” She slammed the door shut. I pounded on it, heard the lock sliding into place. “Crystal!” I screamed.
“Get out of here!” she yelled.
I ran to the living room window, could just make out her naked form grabbing a knife from the kitchen counter, then I saw Gavin emerging from the bottom of the stairs, the gun still in his hands.
“Crystal!” I yelled, sla
mming my hands on the glass. I looked around, but there wasn’t anything I could use to break the window.
I turned back just in time to see Crystal run at Gavin. They were struggling over the knife, his hand gripping her wrist. I had to help her.
I raced to the back of the house.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
JAMIE
Dallas sped around the corners, almost losing control of the car a couple of times. She slowed down after we nearly hit someone passing on a motorbike coming toward us in the opposite lane. I braced one hand against the dashboard, the other tightly wrapped around the rifle.
We roared up Gavin’s driveway. I was sitting forward in the seat, ready to jump out and run. Dallas pulled her gun out from her waistband with one hand.
Gavin’s truck was in front of the house, an ATV parked beside it. Was it Brian’s? We came to a stop, the car skidding on the dirt. Through my open window I could hear screaming.
“Where’s that coming from?” Dallas said.
“Sounds like the back of the house!” We jumped out of the car and started running. Dallas led the way, holding her gun out in front of her. I had the rifle against my shoulder. We kept to the edge of the house, ducking below the windows. When we came around the side, Skylar was standing on the porch, throwing her body at the door.
“Crystal!” I heard her scream.
“Skylar!” I shouted.
She spun around, and I gasped at the sight of my daughter, the rope around her neck, the stained shirt, the boxer shorts, the tape stuck to her wrists. Her face was streaked with tears and her eyes looked frantic.
“Crystal’s inside,” she cried out, then started sobbing hysterically.
“Where are they?” I said, running up the steps with Dallas.
“Gavin shot Crystal,” she said, crying so hard I could barely make out the words. “I saw through the bathroom window. I saw her fall.”
The air rushed out of my body. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” she said between sobs. “She stabbed Gavin. I think he’s dead.”
Dallas grabbed Skylar’s shoulders. “Where’s Brian?”
Skylar looked like she was in shock, her face ghostly white, her body shaking violently. “He was upstairs—Gavin shot him.”