Sympathy curled Sophie’s lip. “I understand. I’m married to a Lodge, remember?”
“Yes, I know. But Quinn and I aren’t married. Heck, we’re not even talking.” Sure, he’d mounted her like she was a prize mare the previous night, but without talking, there was no intimacy. “I could just shoot him.”
“Been there, seriously considered doing that.” Sophie took a deep drink of an herbal tea before grimacing. “Shooting Jake, I mean. I never wanted to shoot Quinn. Until now.” Loyalty lifted her lips in a sweet smile.
“I’ve probably broken enough laws lately,” Juliet said wryly. “I’ll be right back.” She headed to the restroom, filing through the room filled with several people she’d seen at the bar the previous night.
She reached the door, and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Slowly turning around, she already knew who she’d see.
“Morning, JJ,” Freddy said.
She took a breath to scream and halted as he drew a gun. A shiny, almost too big for his hand, silver gun. It wavered.
“You have a choice.” Freddy glanced toward the busy restaurant. “Either come nicely with me, or I’ll take both you and your pretty friend. Please, JJ. I just wanna talk to you.”
“Go where?” She edged toward the bathroom. If she could get inside, maybe there was a lock.
“My partner would like to discuss the missing millions with you.” Freddy grabbed her biceps. “Please. It’ll just take a minute.” Desperation creased his forehead.
“There’s no money.”
“Nobody is stupid enough to give away that kind of money.” He swung her around and dug the gun into her ribs. “If you want, you could make a lot of money with us. You’ll need to relocate and start over, but hey, you’re good at pretending to be someone you’re not.” Kicking a back door open, he pulled her into the chilly morning air.
“Fine. I’ll go with you.” She could scream and struggle, but there was a good chance the gun would go off. Even if the idiot didn’t shoot her, he might shoot somebody else. It’d be a lot easier to jump out of a moving vehicle when he drove past the police station.
“Thank you. I promise, you’ll be happy you did.” He dragged her around the corner to the alley. “I can’t believe how clean the alleys are in this stupid town. Who has clean alleys?”
“I think it’s a county ordinance.” She stumbled over a puddle, splashing mud on her jeans. “You know the sheriff is going to skin you alive for this, right?” Quinn might not like her any longer, but a woman kidnapped in his county would truly anger him.
“Jesus, JJ. The guy fucks you, and you think he’s invincible?” Freddy’s hold tightened. “He’s a stupid hick—one who’ll end up dead if he comes after you.”
“Who’s your partner, Freddy?” She eyed the end of the alley. Maybe she could trip him and make a break for it.
“Oh, you’ll meet him. He’s got some real good ideas for making money.”
A black SUV slid into the alley, and a man jumped out. Much bigger than Freddy, the guy wore guns in a shoulder holster, leg holster, and at his waist. He reached them in two strides. Dead blue eyes stared into hers. “Where’s my money?”
The moment changed from an irritating one with Freddy to a deadly one she wasn’t likely to escape. Her mouth went dry.
A truck sped by the other end of the alley.
The guy tugged something from his pocket. He grabbed her hands and zip-tied them, pulling too tight. She bit her lip to keep from giving him the satisfaction of knowing he’d hurt her.
Getting in the car would be disastrous. She jerked away and opened her mouth to scream. He manacled her around the waist and yanked her into his body, slamming a hand over her mouth. She struggled, kicking and twisting, but he hauled her to the car and tossed her in the back, where she smashed into another man. The first jumped in beside her. “You drive, Fred.”
“No problem, Luis.” Freddy lifted himself into the front seat and put the truck in drive.
Trapped. Her hands bound, she sat between two large men. Screaming seemed like a good idea. She sucked in air—
“If you scream, I’ll have to knock you out,” Luis said calmly.
She paused. If he rendered her unconscious, she wouldn’t be able to get away. She glanced at the man on her right. Several scars lined his face, and he kept his gaze on the buildings outside. Guns and knives were tucked into his pants and leather vest. A man in the front passenger seat was similarly armed and also keeping watch of the world outside.
She swallowed. “You guys going to war, or what?”
Luis chuckled. “No. We have a shipment coming in and like to be prepared.”
Freddy drove through the archway to town and turned the vehicle toward the mountains. The safety of Mineral Lake disappeared behind them.
Chapter Nineteen
Juliet twisted her wrists. The damn zip-tie dug into her skin, holding tight. Luis had pushed her into the cabin and chair thirty minutes ago, and her arms had gone numb. So much for her big escape plan.
A chill from her wooden chair swept up her spine, and she eyed the small area. The place was more of a shack than a cabin. A rough fireplace set into one wall, a dingy kitchen the opposite. In the middle sat a round table with four rickety chairs. One wall held doors to what looked like a small bedroom and bathroom. The final wall showcased a medium-sized window that probably had a decent view of the mountains behind the soiled blue blanket covering the panes. Her laptop perched on the table, humming softly.
Luis nodded to Freddy. “Go scout the south perimeter while I chat with your sister.”
Dread settled in Juliet’s gut.
Freddy stilled and then eyed Juliet. With a sympathetic grimace, he nodded and dodged outside, shutting the door.
Luis grabbed a large envelope off the table and twirled it with long fingers. End over end. Again, end over end, his gaze on her, thoughtful and somehow more menacing than if he were angry. “Where’s my money?”
“The money I found in my trunk is long gone.” She met his dark scrutiny without flinching.
He drew a picture from the envelope to toss in front of her. The photo depicted Quinn standing on the steps of the sheriff’s station, his eyes narrowed, his body alert.
“I believe the sheriff has excellent instincts.” Luis pulled out another picture. “He apparently felt me watching. However, had I decided to shoot him, his instincts wouldn’t have helped.” With a twist of Luis’s wrist, the next photo landed on the table.
Juliet barely kept from gasping. The new picture showed Leila and Sophie walking hand in hand out at Sophie’s ranch. “You spent some time taking pictures.”
“I like to be thorough.” He yanked out several pictures to throw on the table. Pictures of Juliet, pictures of townspeople, pictures of her friends. “I could’ve ended the life of any one, or all, of these people at any time. And I will.”
“I believe you.” She slid her most polite smile into place.
“Good. Where’s my money?”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
He drew a wicked-sharp knife from his back pocket. “You have a very pretty face.”
“That’s kind of you to say.”
He grinned. “While I enjoy a complete smart-ass, I will cut you.”
Her stomach knotted, but she kept his gaze. “That doesn’t change the fact that the drug money is long gone.”
His eyes hardened. He skirted the table and slid his hand around her throat, lifting her head and squeezing just enough to make breathing difficult. “I’m losing my patience.”
She swallowed through the constriction. If he moved a little to the left, she could knee him in the groin—she’d have one shot. So she focused on him and…winked.
He blinked. Admiration slid into his gaze. “I’m really regretting we couldn’t go into business together, Juliet.”
Surprise slid through her. “Freddy said you have another plan to use me as a front.”
Regret twisted
Luis’s lip. “You were set up perfectly in Maverick to front my operation. Unfortunately, when you went clean with the sheriff, you destroyed any chance of our working something out.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “So if I tell you where the money is, I’m pretty much finished.”
“You’re a lot smarter than your brother.”
“The doorknob is smarter than Freddy,” she muttered.
Luis threw back his head and laughed, the sound slightly maniacal. “I like you. A lot. So here’s the deal. Tell me how to find my money, and this will go smoothly.” He leaned in, his minty breath brushing her skin. “If you don’t cooperate, I’ll hurt you like you can’t imagine.”
Bile rose up her throat, but she shoved it down. Her smile hurt. “I’m not that tough, Luis. I promise.” If she gave him the file in her computer that showed where all the money had gone, he’d kill her. If she didn’t give it to him, he’d torture and then kill her.
His hold loosened. “I’ll help you decide. If I have to work at getting the information, when I’m finished with you, I’m going to start on the people in those pictures. Probably with pretty Sophie Lodge. I usually prefer blondes.” He tucked his face into Juliet’s hair and took a deep breath. “Though maybe I’ll switch to redheads.”
She gagged.
He backed away, irritation bracketing his mouth. “Tell me the truth.”
Her mind scrambled for a way to stay alive. “Did you kill the two men on the outskirts of the county?”
Luis shrugged. “They tried to steal from me, and a man does have to keep control of his employees.”
Luis liked to talk, and for some reason, he seemed to enjoy talking to her. She had the oddest feeling he wanted to impress her. Well, before he tortured her. “Did you kill them with that knife?”
His smile flashed sharp teeth. “Juliet, you don’t seem to understand that there’s no need to gather evidence for your boyfriend.”
The mention of Quinn pricked tears at the back of her eyes. “I was just curious.”
He slid the knife closer to her face. Light glinted off the sharp blade. “Yes, this is the knife.” His voice dropped to a croon. “Isn’t she pretty?”
Wow. Whackjob.
The door banged open, and Freddy stalked inside with a tall, skinny man who had more pocks in his skin than freckles. And he was seriously freckled.
“The first shipment is here.” Freddy glanced at Juliet, his shoulders relaxing.
Had the moron been worried about her? Not worried enough to stop Luis, though. Juliet glared at the weasel.
Luis jerked his head toward the bedroom. “The money’s in the green duffel.”
Freddy hustled into the bedroom and returned to hand the duffel to the freckled guy. “It was a pleasure.”
The man left without saying a word.
Freddy rubbed his hands together. “One more shipment, and we’re out of here.”
Juliet cleared her throat. “You know, Fred, I’ve noticed Luis doesn’t seem tolerant of employees screwing up.”
Freddy frowned. Luis smiled. Juliet tried to keep from puking.
Freddy eyed Luis and then focused on her. “And?”
“You screwed up. You lost his money, and now you lost his chance to use my gallery as a front. Frankly, I’m shocked you’re still standing.” She tilted her head toward the deadly knife. “Something tells me you’ll be rather intimate with that blade in the near future.”
Luis chuckled. “I swear to God, Fred, I think I’m in love with your sister.” He twirled the knife like a gunslinger playing with pearl-handled pistols. “Look at her try to cause a riff between us. She’s stalling, and I find it’s adorable.” His gaze raked her down to her boots. “Though if she doesn’t tell me where the money is, I’m going to kill her.”
Freddy stilled. “Tell him, JJ. He promised not to hurt you if you just told him.”
Juliet shook her head. “You’re such a moron. He lied to you.”
Freddy’s mouth opened and shut like a guppy out of water. “No, he didn’t. You’re safe. I promise.”
“He’s going to kill you, too, Fred. Get a grip.”
Luis tucked away the knife and drew a gun, pointing it at Freddy. “I’m done. Tell me where the money is, or I shoot him.”
“What the hell, man?” Freddy backed away, both hands up.
Luis flipped off the safety. “I’m counting to three.”
Juliet’s brain scrambled.
“One,” Luis said calmly.
“T-tell him, JJ,” Freddy sputtered.
“Fine.” She didn’t want to see Freddy’s brains splattered all over the wall. “I kept track of where the money went. The document is called ‘Robin Hood’ in my laptop.”
Keeping the barrel aimed at Freddy, Luis punched keys with his left hand. His eyebrow lifted as he seemed to read. “You gave all of my money away…to Lost Cats of Spokane?”
She shrugged. “I only gave them ten thousand. But those cats needed catnip, Luis.”
His eyes widened, and his pupils narrowed. Shifting his aim from Freddy to her, he drew back his lip. “You’re going to pay for this in ways I can’t even imagine right now.”
…
His back to a Ponderosa Pine, Quinn shook his head at his brother. “We can’t wait for backup.”
“I know,” Colt said grimly, yanking off his work gloves. “You armed?”
“No—except for a pocket knife in my boot.” Quinn eyed the shotgun secured in a holster on Colton’s horse. “I think that’s it for guns.”
Hawk shoved through the brush to the secluded area. “There are four men patrolling, plus whoever’s in the cabin.” Nodding to a ridge to the north, he rubbed his chin. “That area has vantage over the valley—should take me five minutes to be in place. I’ll need Colt’s shotgun.”
Quinn took a deep breath to keep from running full bore toward the cabin. “Hawk, we’ve never talked about—”
“I’m a sniper. The best.” Hawk’s odd-colored green eyes darkened.
That’s what Quinn had figured. “Okay. Take the northern ridge.”
Jake shoved his way past the bushes, a wicked knife in his hand. “I took this off the guy patrolling to the east.”
“Is he dead?” Quinn asked calmly.
“No. Out cold.” Jake tucked the knife at his waist. “I sent Sophie back to town, although she wanted to stay and help.”
The little blonde had seen Juliet kidnapped and had followed in her car, calling the guys on her cell phone. Quinn’s gut swirled. “Thank God we were working on the northern pastures.”
Hawk tilted his head. “I’m heading to the ridge. Give me five.” He loped over to the tethered horse and yanked the shotgun free. With a grim look at Colton, he broke into a jog and disappeared from sight.
Quinn peered around the tree at the quiet cabin. A heated ball of dread slammed him. Was Juliet all right? What if they’d hurt her? His legs trembled with the need to storm the cabin.
Jake grabbed his arm. “Give Hawk a moment to get into position.”
Quinn grunted. “She thinks I’m still mad at her.”
“You are.” Colton removed his jacket.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t still love her.” Sure, he’d been a complete asshole and should’ve worked things out after he fucked her by the side of the road. But he was a stubborn bastard, and his anger had kept him silent. If anything happened to her, he might as well shrivel up and die.
“Get it together, Sheriff.” Jake’s eyes darkened with concern and anger. He cared about Juliet, too.
Drawing on years of experience, Quinn shoved emotion out of the way. Cold, methodical, he came up with the plan to save the woman he loved. It was risky, and chances were somebody would be shot, but it was all they had.
“Let’s go,” he said grimly.
…
Juliet eyed the man who wanted to harm her. Her mind buzzed, but her shoulders relaxed. Maybe this was what shock felt like.
Luis twirle
d the knife. “The good news is that I’m not going to kill you right now. The bad news is that you’re coming with us, and I’m going to take my time with you tonight.” His eyes lightened to a creepy leer.
Juliet lifted her chin regally. The longer she stayed alive, the better the chance of escape. “Sounds like a lovely plan.”
The window shattered, and a large mass crashed through the blanket. Quinn! The door banged off its hinges a second later, and Jake slid into the room followed by Colton.
Luis pivoted and shot toward the window.
Juliet screamed.
Quinn rolled into a somersault and cut Luis off at the knees, knocking him down. The gun spun across the floor. The men grappled, their punches landing hard.
Jake grabbed Freddy and shoved him face-first into the wall.
Colton viewed the bedroom and bathroom. “Clear,” he said.
Blood flowed from a wound in Quinn’s right shoulder. Luis shoved his knuckles in the injury.
Quinn hissed and elbowed Luis in the nose, following up with a cracking uppercut.
The drug dealer shook his head, snot and blood pouring from his nose. He punched Quinn hard in the wound.
The sheriff grunted, his face paling. His damaged arm hung limp by his side.
Luis smiled through bloody teeth and yanked back his fist.
Quinn dropped his head forward in a classic headbutt. Luis’s nose broke with a terrible snap. He howled in pain. He grabbed Quinn’s arms and fell onto the floor, throwing the sheriff over his head.
Quinn landed with a muffled curse.
Juliet’s gaze darted to Jake and Colton, where they calmly watched the fight. What the hell was wrong with them?
Quinn rolled to his feet and came down hard on Luis, banging the man’s head on the floor. With a grim smile, the sheriff flipped Luis onto his stomach, straddled and cuffed him.
“Are you all right?” Quinn turned toward her, his eyes hard and assessing.
She nodded, unable to speak. Tears swelled and blurred the room.
Quinn yanked Luis to stand and pushed him toward Colton. “Secure them in the back of the gray truck.”