Tina managed to doze, leaning back against the wall. She’d considered lying on the floor, but after seeing the conditions in the bathroom, put the kibosh on that idea. Glimmers of light peeked through the edge of the blindfold, telling her it was still daylight, though she had no idea how much time had passed.
Stretching as much as she could with both her hands and feet wrapped with zip ties, she felt the nail still clutched in her fist. Thank goodness she hadn’t dropped it, because she’d never have been able to find it with her line of sight restricted.
A lowered voice penetrated her half-awake state, though she couldn’t make out the conversation. She figured it had to be Mr. Bad Dude, because he was the only person she’d heard a peep from since she’d been commandeered at the diner. Somehow, she got the impression he wasn’t talking to his boss, because there was a sense of intimacy about the call. A softness in his deep voice, as though he cared about the person on the other end of the phone.
When the talking stopped, she leaned her head back against the wall, and tested the give at her wrists. There was enough give she could slide them free, which meant she had to figure out a way to get her ankles loose.
Light footfalls sounded from across the room, followed by the closing of the door. Was Mr. Bad Dude in the bathroom? If he was, this was her best shot at getting away. If not and he caught her messing with her ties, she was royally screwed.
It’s now or never, girl. Go for it!
Reaching up, she ripped the blindfold down around her chin and blinked, her eyes adjusting from the darkness and pulled her hands free from the zip ties. Using the nail, she wiggled into the clasp around her ankles, working it like she’d done for her wrist, and within seconds, she’d moved the slide enough to get one ankle free, and then the other.
Jumping to her feet, she sprinted toward the only door she saw that didn’t belong to the bathroom. That one had a glow of light shining from beneath the bottom, so she discounted it immediately. Her hand slipped on the doorknob, and she wrestled with it to get it open, and flew through it the second it opened.
Daylight shone outside, and she took off running, knowing she only had seconds to put distance between her and her captor. Glancing over her shoulder as she ran, she noted the small cabin she’d been held in didn’t look like a den of evil. It resembled one of those line shacks she’d seen in movies, where the cowpoke ended up when he’d been working the range far into the night, and couldn’t make it back to the bunkhouse or got caught in a downpour. There weren’t any evil vibes or sense of menace. Honestly, it reminded her of a weather-beaten tiny house. Wooden slats, with small windows on either side of the front door.
She stumbled over something in her path and almost faceplanted into the dirt, but managed to right herself and keep running. Fear gripped her, knowing any second Mr. Bad Dude would notice she was missing and start hunting her. Right now, she was in the middle of an open patch of flat land. In the distance were trees, reaching toward the heavens, a place where she’d have a fighting chance at eluding capture, but only if she made it that far.
Putting on a burst of speed, she raced toward the tree line, praying with every step. A painful stitch in her side made her wince, but she refused to give in, placing one foot in front of the other. A shout from behind her had a rush of adrenaline pouring into her blood stream, and she refused to look behind her. If she saw Mr. Bad Dude closing the distance, she’d probably pee her pants.
“Come back here!”
Ignoring his shout, she kept putting one foot in front of the other, breath heaving in and out of her lungs. Her heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest, but she couldn’t give up. This was her only chance. When the sunlight dimmed, she glanced upward, noticing several big dark clouds had moved closer, making the air feel heavier, humid.
The pounding footsteps behind her sounded closer, and she wanted to scream because there was no way she’d make it to the tree line and be able to hide in the dense forested growth. A sob caught in her throat, though she refused to give in to the despair, because she couldn’t. She couldn’t quit, not until her last breath.
A string of curses sounded behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder, noting Mr. Bad Dude on the ground, hands wrapped around his ankle. His gaze caught hers, something unreadable in his stare.
Swinging her head around, she continued running toward the trees, hoping the fall would slow him down enough to give her a good head start. While she knew he’d probably catch up to her eventually, any chance at freedom was better than giving in and giving up.
A droplet of water landed on her forehead and she glanced toward the sky. The clouds were thicker and darker, the sun obscured behind their roiling beauty. As far as she was concerned, a downpour at this point might give her a ghost of a chance, because the rain and thunder could cover the sounds of her feet stepping on the fallen, dead leaves.
“Tina, be reasonable. You know I’m going to catch you, so what’s the sense in running? Use your head. Storms in Texas are dangerous. You’re going to get hurt.”
Does he really think I’m going to answer him? Does he think I have stupid tattooed across my forehead?
Weaving between two tree trunks, she paused long enough to see Mr. Bad Dude closing the distance between them, though he was favoring his left leg as he did a kind of hobble-run. His long-legged gait still ate the distance between him and the stand of trees, and she couldn’t afford to rest, even for a second.
Recognizing the trees as live oaks, because Chance had pointed some out to her around the Big House, she knew they’d provide some protection from the rain, but it would only be a stopgap measure. She still had no idea how far away from Shiloh Springs she was. Maybe she’d find a house somewhere close by, though judging from the fact the line shack didn’t look like it had been occupied in a while, she wasn’t holding out hope.
The stitch in her side got worse, and she knew she’d have to take a breather sooner or later, because it was slowing her down with every step. Her feet were dragging through the brush scattered across the forest floor while rain pelted her, drenching her within minutes. Though the temperature had been moderate for the past couple of days, being soaked to the skin sent a chill racing through her.
“Tina! There’s nobody around to help you but me. I picked this place because it’s so far off the beaten track, hardly anybody even knows it’s here. I promise I’m not angry. There’ll be no repercussions.”
“Yeah, right,” she muttered under her breath. “Thanks, but no thanks, I’ll take my chances out here.”
The ground beneath her feet made running harder and harder, her shoes sinking into the newly developed mud. The torrent continued and a loud rumble of thunder reverberated, making the ground tremble. Whipping her head around, she looked for the clearest path, and headed in the opposite direction. No way was she making it easy for her captor. Maybe if she was lucky, the hard rain would wash away her footprints, and he couldn’t track her easily.
Pushing her hair off her forehead, she jogged forward, each footstep taking her farther from the line shack. Farther from Mr. Bad Dude. Farther away from Jared getting his hands on her. The thought of being at the mercy of her ex-husband made her skin crawl, giving her a new burst of energy. The thought was abhorrent, filling her with dismay.
When long arms wrapped around her, lifting her from the ground, she screamed, struggling and fighting against Mr. Bad Dude’s hold. How had he caught up so fast?
“Stop fighting or I’m going to have to knock you out.” He muttered a curse when she reared back, trying to headbutt him. “Do that again, and you’ll regret it.”
Figuring it best to stop struggling, at least for the moment, Tina stilled in his arms. Felt him take a deep breath and loosen his hold.
“Tina, I don’t want to fight you. I like you; you seem like a decent human being, and they are few and far between. Let’s not make things difficult. I give you my word, I’m not going to hurt you, and I won’t let anybody else hurt you, okay?”
“Don’t lie. I’m nothing but a paycheck for you, and as soon as you get your money, you’re gone and I’m back in the middle of a living nightmare.”
He pulled in a deep breath and gave her an inscrutable look. “Things aren’t always what they seem. And for the record, I don’t lie. Ever.”
When he wrapped his big hand around her wrist, she didn’t fight, knowing it was useless. She’d taken her shot at freedom and fallen short. Didn’t mean she was giving up, simply retreating and determined to come up with a new plan.
Once they arrived back at the line shack, he scrounged around, finally locating a ratty-looking blanket, which he handed to her. She wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling it close. Now that she wasn’t moving around, the wet clothes stuck to her like a second skin, and she was freezing.
“If you give me your word, I won’t restrain you again.”
Tina’s head jerked up at his words. He looked serious and gave her a brief nod.
“I promise.”
“We’ll only be here for a few more hours anyway.”
The rain pounded on the corrugated metal roof, the sound deafeningly loud in the confined space. Though its interior was darkened because of the storm raging outside, she had sufficient light to study his face. Not because she wanted to be able to pick him out of a lineup later, though that did play a part, but because she found herself wondering about him. Tall, probably just over six feet, he was built like a football player, obviously fit and in good shape, because he’d chased her down pretty darned quick. Dark hair was plastered against his head, and surprisingly blue eyes held a word of weariness. An old soul in a young body. If she’d met him under different circumstances, and before she’d met Chance, she’d have probably gone out with him. Go figure.
“Where are we?”
The corner of his lip quirked up. “Where do you think we are?”
“Somewhere in Texas. I wasn’t out long enough for us to get out of the state, at least I don’t think so. Plus, those were live oaks out there, and I know they grow all over Texas.”
“Pretty observant. Yes, we’re still in Texas. I’m not going to tell you where.”
“Didn’t think you would,” she added with a smile. “I hope you can live with your conscious. You know what you’re doing is wrong.”
“I don’t have a conscious. It was killed a long time ago.” He pulled out his cell and glanced at the screen, frowning at whatever he read.
“Something wrong?”
“Isn’t there always?” He hit a key and put the phone to his ear. “What kind of game are you playing?”
She watched his face, his jaw tightening with every word said on the other end of the phone, the blue in his eyes growing colder by the second. Looked like somebody pulled the tiger’s tail, and was about to get a mouth full of teeth in their backside.
“No, I’m not changing the terms again. No, I am not driving to Dallas with Ms. Nelson. You will meet me, as we agreed, or the deal is off. Which means, I give all the information regarding your name, the amount of money you agreed to spend for her apprehension, and another few details you might not know I’m aware of.”
As he listened to the other person, he suddenly chuckled, the sound filled with humor. “You’d be surprised what I know. Unlike you, I do my homework, and I know exactly what you’ve done. Fulfill your end of our contract, and the information stays silent. Cross me at your cost.”
Without another word, he disconnected, and stuck the phone back in his pocket.
“Problems?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. I get annoyed when people try to change things mid-job. You make an agreement, you make your payment, you get your goods. It’s simple business.”
She shook her head, tugging the blanket closer. The clothing had started to dry, but still felt clammy against her skin. It sounded like the rain was easing a bit, but the lightning continued illuminating the shack, the flashes brilliant, though sporadic. Booms of thunder shook the walls, and she wondered how long before it rolled past. Chance had mentioned weather in Texas tended to be schizophrenic, changing several times a day.
“Gee, sorry I’m causing so much trouble. Easiest way out would be to let me go. Let me pay your fee, and you can walk away. I won’t identify you or press charges. You’ll have time to get out of the country. That’s what you said you were going to do anyway.”
“No can do, Tina. I have to see this through to the end.”
Raising her hand, she brushed the damp hair off her forehead. Though she’d given her word not to escape, any promise made under duress didn’t count as far as she was concerned. Her stomach rumbled and she blushed, knowing he could hear it all the way across the room, because he chuckled. Standing, he walked over to a cooler she hadn’t noticed before, pulled out two sandwiches, and handed one to her.
“Thanks.”
“Wish it was something a little fancier, but it won’t be long. A few more hours.”
“And I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Eat it anyway, you need to keep up your strength. You expended a lot of energy with that mad dash earlier. And your body needs the fuel to keep you warm.”
Unwrapping the sandwich, she bit into it, chewed and swallowed, though it tasted like sawdust. She knew he was right; she’d need all her strength to deal with Jared.
She leaned back against the wall and started making plans. Because she had no intention of staying within Jared’s clutches. No matter what it took, she’d find a way to leave him again. She didn’t belong with him. She really never had, her infatuation with him nothing more than a girlish crush, though she’d thought it was true love.
Now she knew better, because she knew what true love felt like. She’d found it with Chance, and it didn’t matter what it took, or how long, she’d find her way back to the man who’d made her realize that love was something she’d been missing her whole life, and she didn’t want to waste another minute without him.
People said home was where the heart is, and she’d found her heart in Chance, and she wasn’t letting go. She was coming home.