The crack of thunder jarred Kelsey awake and she bolted upright. “Kade,” she cried, holding her hand to her pounding heart.
Panic clawed its way up her throat.
She glanced at the digital clock on the bureau. Twelve thirty? How had she slept so late? She took a deep breath, then exhaled. Nothing was wrong. It was just the time making her nervous. She’d promised Kade she would go to Bisbee and she should have been gone already.
A flash of lighting and another rumble sent shock waves through her. Thunderclouds darkened the sky and rain poured in thick sheets.
She needed to call Kade. Let him know she was running late.
Still naked, Kelsey scrambled out of bed and grabbed Kade’s robe. His scent enveloped her as she tied the belt and looked for her cell phone. He’d just given it back to her... There. She snatched it up and called his cell phone. No answer. More panic grabbed hold of her, and she hurried to the study, where she flipped through the card file. She dialed his work number and tapped her fingers as she waited for an answer.
“Border Patrol. Daryl Jones here.”
“This is Kelsey Nichols. Is Kade Owen available?”
“Nope,” the agent said. “He’s out of the station right now. Do you want to leave a message?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes. “Please tell him I’m running late and probably won’t be leaving the ranch until after one. I’ll call him later.”
After Daryl repeated the message, she hung up and took another deep breath. Kade was fine. She just needed to get to Bisbee so he wouldn’t worry.
Kelsey hurried to take a shower and then packed enough clothes for four days. She French-braided her hair to keep it out of her face. After putting on her bra and panties, she pulled one of Kade’s blue T-shirts over her head. It was baggy on her but made her smile when she smelled his wonderful scent. Then she tugged on loose jeans, socks, and tennis shoes.
When she was ready, she grabbed her laptop bag, purse, and suitcase, locked the front door, and headed through the rain to Sadie’s SUV. The rottweiler trailed after her. Kelsey tossed everything onto the floorboard of the passenger side and slammed the door shut.
She rounded the vehicle and grabbed the handle to open the driver’s side door when Roxie’s bark caused her to jump. The dog bounded into the driveway and growled. The sound grew more ominous and threatening as Roxie stared down the road that led to the ranch.
Kelsey’s heart thudded as the dog’s deep-throated bark pierced the rain. Then she saw it. A car she didn’t recognize tearing up the dirt road, about a quarter mile away.
Oh, my God. What if it was the men who had threatened Kade?
She thought about jumping into the SUV but knew the car could cut her off before she made it to the main road. With only stunted paloverde and mesquite bushes surrounding the property, there would be no place to hide a vehicle, and they would see her before she had a chance to get far.
Kelsey spun and ran onto the lawn, toward the front door. No. Not the house. If those were the men after Kade’s family, the house would be the first place they would look. The ranch was so far from town that no one would have a chance to get there before anything happened.
She dodged around the house and eyed the barn. No, she was likely to sneeze so much they would hear her.
Trent’s hideout.
Wet leaves and branches slapped her face as she raced through the orchard and into the windbreak. Her foot slid on the wet grass and she tumbled to the ground. Without pause, she scrambled to her feet and hurried on until she reached the playhouse. She scurried through the door and collapsed onto the floor. Trembling, she struggled to catch her breath.
“Calm down, Kelsey,” she murmured as she wiped rain and mud from her face onto her sleeve. “It’s probably neighbors coming to visit Chuck and Sadie. You’re overreacting.”
But even as she said the words, her gut told her differently. The same instinct that told her Kade was in trouble.
“I need to try to call Kade—”
Kelsey put her hand to her forehead. Her phone. She’d left it with everything else on the floorboard of the SUV.
In the distance she heard a car’s engine and squeaking brakes. Roxie continued to bark, more ferociously than Kelsey had ever heard her before. A sound like a gunshot echoed across the yard and the dog yelped.
Silence.
Kelsey clapped her hand to her mouth. No.
Her entire body shook and she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. But she needed to see who was out there. Needed to figure out what to do. As she scooted closer to the window, she remembered Trent’s binoculars. Fortunately, she didn’t have to dig far into the toy box to find them. Kneeling, she brought the binoculars to her eyes and pushed open the shutters, just far enough to allow her to see.
At first Kelsey saw nothing, but as she adjusted the lenses, the image of an enormous man swam into view. It was the man who’d almost run her off the road on John Stevens’s ranch. The name Gordo popped into her mind—it had to be the man Stevens had been talking to on his cell phone.
Beside Gordo was a man whose face reminded her of a lizard. Lizard was waving a handgun and pointing to the house. Gordo shook his head and walked to Sadie’s SUV. He yanked open the door, searched the vehicle, then slammed the door shut again. Lizard gestured to the muddy ground. Gordo nodded and they both started across the lawn toward the house.
The two men reached the front door and jiggled the handle. Kelsey heard the faint sound of glass shattering as Lizard used the butt of his gun to break a glass pane in the door. He reached through the broken glass, unlocked it, and walked into the house.
Anger churned in her stomach. How dare they violate Kade’s home? She kept the binoculars trained on the house, occasionally catching glimpses of the men through the windows. Searching for her or one of Kade’s family members.
Kelsey set down the binoculars and pressed her palms to her temples. What should she do?
Rain beat on the roof of the playhouse and lightning struck so close that for a moment Kelsey was deafened by its thunder. A rain-drenched breeze swirled around her and chills crawled up her spine.
How was she going to get out of this alive?
The searing odor of ammonia assaulted Kade’s nostrils and his eyes snapped open. Blinding light caused him to shut his eyes again, but not before he caught the image of a hand waving smelling salts under his nose.
His temples throbbed as he struggled to remember where he was and what had happened, and he had a strange feeling in his head. Like he was underwater.
“Wake up, amigo.” Sal’s voice.
Kade brought his hand to his forehead and blinked until he was able to focus. He was sprawled on the floor of the Cantina’s office, Sal crouched beside him. In the background he heard the hum of voices, and vaguely made out an agent questioning someone in Spanish. It sounded like Don Mitchell.
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Sal asked.
“Three, to go along with your three fucking eyes,” Kade mumbled.
Sal grinned and pressed a cloth to Kade’s forehead. “Your pupils are dilated. You’ve got one hell of a lump and a bruise, but you might get lucky and walk straight in a few hours.”
Kade took the cloth from Sal and groaned as he eased himself up to sit with his back against the desk.
“Did you get a look at the guy who hit you?” Sal asked.
Pain slammed into Kade’s head when he tried to nod. “Damn,” he muttered. “I only got a glimpse, but the guy looked like those surveillance photos of Gordo. Big belly, handlebar mustache, enormous gold buckle.” Even as the words pierced his head, Kade said, “Jose Hernandez.”
“Miguel had Don and me drive by to keep an eye out for you. About twelve thirty I headed in to take a look. When I saw you weren’t in the bar, I called Don for backup and we found you back here.” He motioned to a pile of ropes beside Kade. “The SOBs started to bind you, but I must’ve spooked them. They managed to escape out the back door.”
“It was my own damn fault—I walked right into it.” Kade scrubbed his hand over his head and winced when his fingers brushed the bump growing at his temple. “What’s the time?”
Sal checked his watch. “Twelve forty.”
Kade’s shoulders knotted as he thought of Kelsey. She’d probably arrived at the bed-and-breakfast, so he shouldn’t be worried. He reached into his back pocket for his cell phone, but it wasn’t there. Probably left it in the truck.
“They pulled this off you but left it on the desk.” Sal handed Kade his Glock. “Must’ve been in a hurry to get out of here.”
Kade holstered the handgun at his side as he got to his feet. He still felt his second Glock secured at the back of his waistband but didn’t mention it.
He grabbed the phone on the desk and called the station. When he asked Daryl if there were any messages for him, Daryl said, “Yeah. Got one from a Kelsey Nichols. Said she was running late and probably wouldn’t get away from the ranch until after one.”
“What?” Kade shouted, the sound of his own voice splitting his head. “Never mind.” His hand shook as he hung up and dialed her cell phone. Went straight to voice mail. Then he called the ranch and let the phone ring at least twenty times.
No answer.
“Don called the paramedics,” Sal said when Kade slammed down the receiver. “They should be here any minute.”
“No time.” Kade headed toward the door. “I’m going to the ranch. I think Kelsey’s still there and I’ve got to make sure these bastards aren’t after her. Call the Sheriff’s Department and call for backup.”
He didn’t wait for Sal’s reply as he ran into the thunderstorm. Sirens approached as he jumped over water flowing in the gutter and stumbled into his truck. Gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain in his head, he started the vehicle and swung into traffic. His reflexes were off, causing him to drive erratically, and horns blared as he weaved on the road.
Cursing the distance to the ranch, he fought to maintain focus and control of the vehicle. He discovered his cell phone wasn’t in the truck, and he had no way to call Kelsey to see if she was still at the house. Even the pouring rain mocked him, the washes already running with water from the downpour, forcing him to slow down as he crossed them so he wouldn’t flood his engine.
When he finally arrived at the ranch, he took a back road and parked behind a clump of mesquite bushes, hoping the dark truck blended in well enough and couldn’t be seen in the rain. He grabbed his field glasses out of the glove compartment, pulled out his Glock, and hurried out of the truck, careful not to slam the door.
Rain poured and thunder rumbled as he waded through flood- waters and crawled to the top of the muddy dam. He prayed that he was wrong. That Kelsey wasn’t in danger.
But as soon as he looked through the binoculars, he saw the un-familiar car in the driveway—and Sadie’s SUV still parked there.
He swung the glasses to the house and glimpsed a man through a window.
Rage seared him and he had to force himself to think calmly. Two men stepped outside the house, and he recognized the first—Jose Hernandez, aka Gordo. The other was the man who’d knocked him cold. The bastard gestured to the yard.
Kelsey must be hiding somewhere. Where would she hide? Not the barn. Her sneezes would bring attention to her immediately. Possibly the garden, but not enough cover. Certainly not the plane. She was terrified of it. If it was Trent, he would know to go to the playhouse.
The playhouse. It dawned on Kade that Trent had told Kelsey about his dad’s instructions. Would she remember?
Gordo started searching around the outside of the house and the other man headed to the barn. Kade scrambled over the dam, slipping in the mud and sliding to the bottom of the incline. He fought another wave of nausea from the concussion, then crouched low and ran to the windbreak. The playhouse came into view. He raced toward it, then paused at the door. If Kelsey was in there, she might scream, thinking him one of the men hunting for her.
Lightning struck, close enough that the clap of thunder was unbearably loud to his pounding head. He pushed open the playhouse door and saw Kelsey on her knees, her back to him, her face in her hands. He eased into the doorway, and as she raised her head he clapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her close to him.
Terror ripped through Kelsey and she struggled against the hands that held her.
“It’s me,” Kade said, and released her.
Her limbs went slack with relief. She turned and threw her arms around him, pressing herself against his wet and muddy body. “Thank God you’re here.”
He kissed her forehead, but when he pulled away, his face was grim. “You were supposed to be in Bisbee by now.”
“I overslept.” She gasped when she noticed the wound on his head. “What happened? You’re hurt.”
Kade eased by her, mud covering the floor of the playhouse behind him. He picked up the binoculars and looked out the window. “Damn. They’ve spotted my truck.” He dropped the glasses and took her hand. “Keep low.” He pulled her through the doorway of the playhouse and into the storm.
While she crawled out, Kelsey wiped rain from her eyes and started to ask Kade how they would escape.
Her heart stopped as a figure stepped in front of them. She sighed with relief when she saw that it was Sal.
“Sal.” Kade put his arm out to block Kelsey from walking forward. “What the hell are you doing?”
It was then that she saw the gun.