Tears welled in her eyes. “Half-brother, but yes, we’re related.”
“He scares you.”
“Well, hell, Finn, of course he scares her if he runs around kidnapping people.” Jimbo stood right behind them. Finn thought briefly about shoving him back, but he had other fish to fry.
“I think he’s perfectly capable of doing everything he says.” She leaned in a little. “But then I’m scared of that Julian person, too.”
Finn bet she was. “And what paper did you say you worked for?”
A pause. “The Dallas Morning News.”
Her eyes had flared briefly. Finn knew he had her. It was time to make her a little afraid of him. A little lie was called for, but then a good lawyer always knew when to lie and when to tell the truth. “Really? Because that’s not what you said this morning.”
He watched as she tried really hard to think. She finally bit her lip and clutched at her phone. “No. I said it. I know I did.”
“Because he told you to say it?”
Again, a brief flaring of her wide eyes. Finn bet she couldn’t play poker to save her life. If he’d been watching her closely this morning, he would have seen this, but he’d been distracted.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Finn turned to Jimbo. “Jim, I need you to contact The Dallas Morning News and ask if they employ one Patricia Walker.”
Now her hands shook. “No, don’t. I don’t work there. I work for a little suburban newspaper. I write a pet care column, but I do have press credentials because sometimes I cover dog shows. Jeremy made me call. He said it would cause chaos, and this Julian guy hates chaos. He made me say it. He took someone very precious to me. I have to get her back.”
Finn didn’t care. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He’s been in the area for days. He doesn’t tell me anything. He just calls me on this phone, and I do what he says. I don’t even know how to contact him.”
And Finn believed her. He took the phone from her trembling hands. He turned to Jimbo, who was watching avidly. “If you were going to take someone someplace very secluded, where would you go? It has to be someplace fairly close.”
One big shoulder went up and down. “Damn, Finn, there’s a ton of places outside of town. This is east Texas. We have woods and swamps. You could hide for a long time in places like that.”
Tricia sniffled. “He wouldn’t like that. He’s not an outdoorsman.” Her tears were flowing freely now.
“Yeah, but there are plenty of hunting shacks…oh, fuck, Finn, I think I know where they are.” Jimbo’s breathing became ragged. “I think he might be holed up on my land.”
“Do you know how to get there without alerting them that we’re coming?” Finn glanced around the station house. There was just the deputy left and the secretary. All in all, he would rather go in alone. He didn’t trust Andy.
“Hell, yeah, I know those woods like the back of my hand. But I’m telling you, if you get Andy or the sheriff involved, they’ll go in with guns blazing. I can be a hell of a lot quieter than either of those two.”
“I agree. I would call Leo, but I don’t have his number. I think we’re it.” Finn couldn’t wait. He had to get to them. Every second he waited something could happen to them. “But, Jim, I’m going to need a gun.”
A wide smile split Jimbo’s face. “I think I can help you out there, Finn.”
Finn ran behind Jimbo. He held the only way for Tricia to talk to her brother firmly in his hand. She wouldn’t be able to warn him even if she wanted to.
As Jimbo pulled out of the parking lot, Finn sent out a silent prayer. Keep them safe.
Whether they liked it or not, he was the only cavalry they had coming.
Chapter Eighteen
Julian saw him the minute he put the sedan in park. Jeremy stood in the doorway to a small structure, his thin frame seemingly too gaunt to cause any real damage.
How wrong he had been.
Jeremy smiled as he jogged down the steps. He looked excited, as though Julian were a welcome guest, not a victim. Everything seemed oddly normal except for the oddly shaped gun in Jeremy hand. God, was Danielle already dead? He wouldn’t accept that possibility.
“Welcome, Julian.” Jeremy stopped feet from him. Far enough that Julian would have to jump to get him. Far enough that he would have time to shoot him.
“You wanted to get me here. Well, I’m here. Now, you will let Danielle leave here unharmed, or we will have trouble.” He used his darkest voice, the one assured to get every sub in a five-mile radius on his or her knees.
And he could see the impulse written on his face. Jeremy wanted to do just that. Unfortunately, it looked like he’d tamed his impulses. Jeremy pulled the gun out, and now Julian could see it was no ordinary gun. He braced himself because he had the feeling this was going to hurt. He cursed himself for not keeping a gun in his car. If he survived this he was applying for a concealed license, and the next time someone freaked out on him, he would just shoot the bastard.
Jeremy held the gun level to Julian’s torso. “I don’t think that works for me, Sir. I think I would rather give you a dose of your own medicine and see how you like it.”
A spark flared from the end of the Taser. The darts shot out of the end of the Taser and lodged into Julian’s chest. He lost all control in an instant. He hit the ground, knees first, his chest falling after, and he shook. There was no control at all, merely the random spasm of every muscle in his body. He tasted dirt as his muscles shook violently for what seemed like forever. Julian tried everything. He commanded his body to do his bidding, but in the end he had no control. Pain screamed along his nerves until finally, blissfully, the pain ceased, and he was left quivering, all his strength sucked away.
“You’re so big, Julian. I didn’t want to get too close. These darts can get you from fifteen feet away. I had to modify the output. I upped the ampage.” Jeremy reached down, and Julian felt the pull on his dress shirt. His body flipped over at Jeremy’s command. The darts from the Taser were still in his skin. Jeremy began to pull him. “You’ll forgive me, but I didn’t think you would actually cooperate with me.”
Julian tried a snappy comeback. Tried to tell the fucker he’d never cooperate, but he couldn’t seem to make his limp noodle jaw move. He was pulled along the ground like a sack of shit, and his only vision was of the sky above him. It was blue and pure, so unlike his situation it was perverse. He should be lying out by the pool at the ranch, Danielle and Finn at his side. Again and again he tried to make his arms move. His frustration boiled. What good was he to Danielle? He’d intended to trade himself for her or at least throw his body in front of hers and take whatever came their way. He was useless like this. His eyes burned with the knowledge that he’d gotten her into this.
“Don’t bother,” Jeremy said, a malicious glee in his voice. “With the electricity you just took, it should be awhile before you get function back. By then I’ll have you nice and secure. You like bondage, Julian. I couldn’t use metal cuffs, but I think you’ll like the ones I bought for you.”
“Ffffuuuckkk offff,” Julian managed to stutter. He was finally able to clench his fists. He rotated his feet in a very deliberate manner. Yes, he was getting control back. In a moment, he would pull the Taser darts out of his flesh. He would reach out and grab the little fucker’s legs. He would pull his ass down and beat him until he was dead, and then he would get Danielle, and he was never going to let her go. He would wrap her up in the tightest contract he’d ever written. He would never, never tell her how much of his heart she and Finn held. He would be their Master, their lover. He would never, ever let them go, but he couldn’t love them. He couldn’t afford to love them. To love them was to ache the way he was aching now. Why couldn’t he just let them go? He wished he could, but they were essential now. Somehow, they had wormed their way in. How could he handle it? People died. People left. They all left in the end. But if he wrapped them up, he could keep them. He could hoard them, like gold. They were precious. He’d gotten them into this position.