The Dangerous Gift, page 16
Ryder pushed Jennie onto the mare and let go long enough to vault up behind her. Jennie leaned over Springtime’s withers and squeezed her calves against the mare’s sensitive sides. “Go, baby, go.”
The mare sprang forward, and Ryder cursed as he lost his balance mid-vault. Springtime moved faster, spurred on by the dragging sensation until his weight left the horse. She was free.
Jennie flew backwards through the air; her last image was of a riderless Springtime galloping into the night.
***
Jared
“Jen, we need to go now. I’ve already put the table back an hour, and we’ll lose the reservation if you’re not down in five. What are you doing up there?”
Jared stood at the bottom of the stairs, reluctant to go up them. If he crossed the threshold into Jen’s room, they would never make it to the restaurant. His cock stiffened. The more he enjoyed Jen, the more he wanted her. He hadn’t hidden his disappointment when she refused his offer to join her in the shower. The memory of their previous shower hadn’t left his mind all day, and he was desperate to repeat the experience. Despite this, something kept nagging at him.
Her fixation on Ryder’s involvement in the ranch’s troubles concerned him. He admired her tenacity, but she must step back now and let the sheriff take over. He would use their dinner date to get her ideas for the dude ranch and focus her mind away from Ryder.
He glanced at his watch; ten minutes since he’d last called Jen, and there was still no sign of her. A shadow of doubt crossed his mind. She wouldn’t…
Damn straight, if she wasn’t in her room, when he got a hold of her, he would smack her pretty little butt until it was rosy. Jared ran upstairs and opened Jen’s bedroom door. The drapes swayed in the cool night breeze coming through the open balcony doors. He didn’t need to search her room; she wasn’t there.
He walked to the balcony and scanned the ranch area. No Jen. How had she left without his knowledge? The why was easier—she’d gone to confront Ryder.
Jared ran from the room, pushing the buttons on his mobile as he hurried down the stairs two at a time. “Dan, can you meet me at the Pegasus Ranch? I’m certain Jen’s headed there to confront Ryder.”
“That girl’s a firebrand. Isn’t it about time you tamed her, son?” Jared heard the weariness in the lawman’s voice.
“I’ve made a start, Dan, believe me, but I think it’s a lifetime’s work.” Jared ran through the door and into his truck. “I’m driving there now. Are you coming?”
“I’ll meet you there. I’ve done a little digging of my own, and it seems Ryder has sealed juvenile records from the time of his parents’ death. I have petitioned the judge to get them released. Also, I tried contacting his grandparents, and there’s no trace of them at the contact number they left. I’ve asked the local sheriff’s office to find out what they can. It’s all circumstantial, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this one. I’ve alerted the federal authorities too.” Dan sounded breathless, and Jared guessed he was on the move.
“I’ll see you soon, Dan, and thanks.” Jared severed the connection before Dan could tell him to wait. There was no way he was leaving Jen alone with that man. He floored the gas and headed out into to the starry night, his stomach full of knots.
The dim lights from the Pegasus ranch house twinkled as Jared careered through the gateway. The truck shuddered to a stop just short of the porch, which wrapped around the building. Jared jumped out and pounded up the steps. He thumped on the door and waited.
It was unusually quiet. Maybe Darleen and Ryder were out and he was mistaken about Jen? He’d never checked the stables at the Unicorn. Jen may have slipped out to visit Springtime. She was upset about the horse’s injuries even though there was no lasting damage.
Too late. Before he could go back to his truck, the door opened and Darleen stood in the dimly lit hallway, her gaze less than welcoming. “What do you want, Jared? It’s late.”
“Where’s Jen? I know she’s here.” Jared saw no trace of panic in his former lover’s gaze. Instead, there was a trace of amusement, which deepened the red mist in his head. “If Ryder has hurt her, he’s dead.”
Darleen’s expression darkened. “Ryder isn’t here, Jared, and neither is Jennie. Ryder went to the city this afternoon. He needed to meet with our business advisor. If you’ve lost your latest plaything, that’s on you, not him.” She pushed the door closed.
Jared stopped its momentum with his foot. “Darleen, don’t play games. Has Jen been out here in the last hour?” He wanted to shake the supercilious look off Darleen’s face, but his hands remained clenched at his sides. He wouldn’t touch her ever again, in anger or passion.
Darleen looked at his hands and smiled. “No, I’ve not seen Jennie tonight.”
Jared ran down the steps to his truck. “The sheriff will be out here shortly. Tell him I’m out looking for Jen. You don’t object to me looking for her on your land?”
“Of course not. I hope you find her. It’s not safe out here when it’s dark.”
Darleen shut the door, and Jared gunned the truck’s engine and headed out into the night.
***
Darleen
Darleen waited until Jared’s steps faded and his truck’s engine roared to life before she allowed herself to move away from the heavy, ornately carved front door. She shuddered. That was too close for comfort. Jared hated Ryder and her too, if his brusque tone and complete lack of manners was any indication.
No time to think about that now. She must find Ryder and Jennie before Jared did. She inched open the door and saw Jared’s taillights in the distance, hurtling towards the old barns. She sighed, relieved. If Jared searched the barns, he wouldn’t find Ryder, and Darleen could slip by him unseen.
Convinced Ryder would take Jennie to his “sanctuary,” as he’d described it in the journal she’d found, Darleen had followed Ryder there after Jared came looking for him the last time. The derelict buildings in the centre of Pegasus land were almost impossible to find. This was fortunate. Ryder’s sanctuary wasn’t the only secret hidden there.
***
Jared
Jared waited, his gaze alert for any movement on the track, which was clearly visible from his vantage point at the side of a couple of rundown barns. He was surprised at the neglected state of many of the Pegasus’s outbuildings. Unmaintained, they contrasted drastically with the smart ranch house and yard. It was odd. Maybe Darleen and Ryder weren’t the successful ranchers they pretended to be. How long had he been here, ten minutes? More?
The lights from a speeding vehicle came towards him. Shielded by the barns, his truck shouldn’t be visible. As the silver truck sped by, Jared saw Darleen’s silver-blonde hair. Jared revved the truck’s engine. No headlights to avoid detection. He would rely on the rear lights of the vehicle in front. He eased his truck between the two barns and out onto the track. Driving so fast in the dark was foolhardy but exhilarating. He would risk anything to find Jen.
A few minutes later, the silver truck veered to the right and braked hard. Jared hit the brakes and stopped several hundred yards short of its resting place. Darleen climbed out of the truck and looked around, then locked the truck and walked past it into the darkness.
Jared opened the map app on his phone and waited for the navigator to find his current position. He resisted the urge to refresh the screen, knowing it would confuse rather than expedite the search. Finally, the app pinpointed where he was. He zoomed in and searched the immediate surrounding area. He identified the Pegasus ranch house, the barns where he’d waited earlier, and a cluster of ramshackle buildings due west of his current position. That must be where Darleen was going.
Jared texted the sheriff and included a link to the map showing his position and his intended destination. Hopefully Dan wasn’t a technophobe, or Jared was on his own.
Jared opened the truck door and jumped out onto the track, then shut the door with a soft thud. There was no sign of Darleen as he walked past the empty silver truck, using his map app to navigate to his destination and the flashlight on his mobile to illuminate the rough pathway. He stopped after five minutes and rested the battery. When he restarted the phone, he scanned the path ahead for hazards or places where Darleen could surprise him, if she knew he was following her. He’d repeated this process several times when his ringtone blasted into the silence. Jared pressed the Accept button, looking around to make sure no one had heard the noise. Only the howl of a lonely coyote echoed around him. Darleen must be far enough ahead not to have heard.
He looked at the caller display and saw Jen’s name. When he heard her voice, he immediately forgot his anger at her stupidity.
“Ryder has me,” Jen’s soft, husky voice whispered. “I’m not sure where I am. Can you find me from my mobile? It’s so weird here. I’m sure he’s the—”
“Jen, Jen.” Jared hissed as the call abruptly ended and resisted the urge to smash the phone. Instead he texted the sheriff with Jen’s mobile number and a message.
Me: Can you track Jen’s mobile number? She called me but got cut off.
He ignored the horrific images of what Ryder might be doing to Jen that filled his mind. Anger wouldn’t help and neither would fear. Only rational thinking would find and save Jen. When the text sent, Ryder flicked back to the map app and waited the agonizing seconds it took to relocate him and bring up the map he needed before he continued into the darkness.
***
Darleen
Darleen stopped the truck a little way from the old ranch house buildings. Someone was following her, but there was no sign of her pursuer when she got out of the truck. No one would be able to track her in the darkness. She glanced down at the makeshift map she’d drawn from a visit long ago. Almost there. She tightened her fingers around her phone, imagining they were around Ryder’s neck, and a thin film of perspiration broke out on her skin. Her stupid brother had overstepped the boundaries yet again, and she would have to clean up his mess. They’d been so close to getting the money the oil would bring, but that was an unrealistic aim now. Jennie must be on to them, and she must have shared her suspicions with Jared for him to beat down her door and make such unreasonable demands. She’d masked her feelings and let nothing slip, but maybe Jared was watching the ranch and had pursued her when she left?
The realization that Jared wasn’t searching the barns as she’d hoped but using them for cover to follow her didn’t sit well. Darleen looked over her shoulder but saw no sign of life, not even the jewel-like eyes of the nocturnal creatures. If Jennie survived Ryder’s game, she would expose Darleen and Ryder, and they would have to leave and start again somewhere else.
Darleen shuddered and focused. She could savour her retribution later. First she must collect the documents they needed and find her wayward brother before Jared found them.
She opened the door into the largest of the abandoned buildings and waited. When she heard no footsteps behind her, she wondered if she was paranoid. There was no reason for Jared not to believe her, and he didn’t know about this place, so he would never think to look for Jennie and Ryder here. She closed the door, careful not to let it bang, and walked into the musty, dank hallway.
Light flickered under the doorway immediately in front of her. Now what should she do? Wait until Ryder had enjoyed his new plaything, or interrupt? She still had to find the documents, and Jennie needed to be in a lucid condition to sign them. Practicality overrode her promise to Ryder. There would be time enough for what he wanted when they had the oil-drilling rights. Darleen moved swiftly along the corridor, conscious that there was only silence coming from the room ahead.
***
Ryder
Ryder thought he heard the distinctive creak of the main door but didn’t hear the corresponding thud as it closed, so he decided he must be mistaken. His body ached from his abrupt contact with the hard ground after Jennie’s horse had unbalanced him. It was Jennie’s fault.
The ever-present, persistent ache between his legs focused his attention back to Jennie, who lay sprawled on the cold, dusty floor. Finally, his sanctuary was complete.
She must be hurt, though. He closed his eyes against the wave of panic. How could he hurt her when she was everything to him? He rubbed his throbbing arm, reminded that his anger was justified. Jennie had hurt him when she bit his arm, but his mental anguish at her verbal tirade outweighed his physical pain. He had almost dragged her to his shrine, uncaring of the rough, spiky ground.
Jennie had remained unconscious throughout, unaware of her punishment. Now she stirred and writhed restlessly on the floor in front of him. He stood erect like a guard and waited for her reaction to his unselfish gift, confident she would forgive his rough treatment and be apologetic for her unkindness when she saw how he worshiped her. If she didn’t open her eyes soon, he would shake her until she did. His time with her was precious. Darleen would know where to find him, and when she did, he would have to give Jennie up.
Tears wet his face, but he dashed them away. Frustrated and impatient, he closed the distance between himself and Jennie.
Chapter 16
Jennie
Jennie’s head pounded, her stomach churned, and images of the recent past flooded her mind: Annie and Ralf’s funeral. Her standing alone, tears in her eyes, as she threw the customary handful of earth into the dark grave. Riding away from the lightning tree on Fall with Jared’s body surrounding her, and kissing Jared in her bedroom, half-dressed.
Jennie moved restlessly on the hard floor. She didn’t much like this dream; why couldn’t she be in a nice soft bed? A bright light made her turn her head away, and the images disappeared.
“Stop it, you’re spoiling my dream.” Jennie half opened her eyelids.
“Wake up, Jennie. I have something to show you.” When Ryder’s excited voice flowed over her like a bucket of cold water, she sat up and focused.
It wasn’t a dream, she wasn’t in bed, and the images weren’t in her head but plastered on every available wall space in the dark, dusty room where she sat. Her bottom ached as she shifted on the hard, dirty floor. Ryder’s glazed stare, visible through the strands of white light, chilled her. This wasn’t a dream. This was her worst nightmare.
“Do you like my collection?” Ryder asked. “I hope you’re flattered. I wouldn’t expend such time and energy on just anyone. You’re special. You’re mine, even when you insist on wasting yourself on that no-good cowboy. He won’t make you happy. He doesn’t know how, not like me.”
Ryder came closer. His tall, rangy form blocked out the light’s glare, but in the semidarkness he frightened her. She couldn’t see his eyes, couldn’t judge what he would do next.
Jennie scurried back against the wall. It was dusty, and bits of cracked plaster dropped into her hair. She shuddered and flicked them away. If only Ryder was as easy to get rid of.
“Why have you brought me here, Ryder? To look at your photo collection? They’re good. You have a real talent for the candid shot.” Ryder stood up taller at her compliment. She almost expected him to take a bow. “I never saw you take them. Do you have one of those powerful telescopic lenses like the paparazzi? Is that what gets you off, spying on women when they’re unaware? Not very gentlemanly for a Texan rancher. You’re letting your side down.”
Jennie didn’t hide the disgust in her voice, even though it was dangerous to anger Ryder when he had all the power. Perhaps that was why she did it, to push him over the edge, make him mad at her carelessness.
Ryder looked crestfallen. She’d destroyed his enjoyment. Well, good. Maybe now he would let her go. “I’m leaving now, Ryder. You have no right to keep me here. You’ll be lucky to escape with your life when Jared catches up with you.”
Ryder’s expression hardened at the mention of Jared. “Don’t talk about him here,” he yelled as he stood over her. “Jared isn’t part of this. It’s all about you and me.”
Jennie stood up. Her weak legs ached. Ryder must have pulled her from Springtime’s back as he fell off. Her last memory was of the mare galloping away from her. Did she pass out? Or did Ryder hit her? She touched her tender skull. It was covered with small bumps but nothing to suggest Ryder had knocked her out.
Jennie walked over to the picture-laden wall. Maybe if she pretended to be interested, he would let her go. It was seriously weird to see herself in so many poses, but there were a few photos where she was conspicuously absent. Jennie leaned forward to get a better look. Ryder didn’t move, but she could feel his stare on the back of her head. There were photographs of the white invitation card with its blood-red threat, water gushing from the bunk house, the steps where she’d fallen and Harry had hit his head, Springtime’s saddle and the mare’s punctured back, the ranch kitchen full of smoke with flames licking up the cupboards, the creek with someone thrashing in the water, and the plane in the barn before the accident.
Jennie spun round, too angry to consider the wisdom of her actions. “It was you, all those accidents. You killed Harry, Annie, and Ralf.” She ran at Ryder, who seemed too surprised to evade the blows she rained on his body. Tears flowed down Jennie’s face as the reality of what he had done to her and those she loved resonated.
Ryder didn’t move until Jennie stepped back, exhausted. “Yes, I was behind the accidents. I only meant to scare you. I wanted you to leave the ranch so Darleen could marry Jared. In time, she would have persuaded him to let the oil company drill and we would all have been rich beyond our dreams. But you wouldn’t leave, and Harry saw me at the ranch after the funeral. I couldn’t risk him telling Jared. The plane was unfortunate, but Annie and Ralf were obstacles to overcome. It wasn’t personal. They wouldn’t let the oil company on the Unicorn’s land and they didn’t like Darleen.”
