Deke scratched his scraggly beard, pulled his pistol, and pointed it at Jenny. “You know what’s good for you, girl, you’ll keep your mouth shut and do what Max says.”
Vince flashed Libby a lascivious glance as he lumbered out of the cabin. Deke turned his gun toward Libby while Max urged Jenny and the kids toward the bedroom.
Jenny paused long enough to hug her. “Sam won’t let you down,” Jenny whispered, her eyes full of tears.
“I know,” Libby said, her own eyes misting.
“Get in there,” Max commanded Jenny. “And don’t come out till Bridger comes in to get you.”
Jenny cast her a last worried glance and herded the kids into the bedroom.
“Leave the door open,” Max called out. “You want your man to stay alive, don’t untie him until we’re gone.”
Deke kept the gun pointed at Libby while Max made his way to the window to watch for Vince. The car must have been parked somewhere nearby. Libby heard the sound of an engine and the crunch of wheels rolling over the ground; then the vehicle came to a stop in front of the cabin.
Max opened the door. “Time to go.” He motioned with the pistol, which looked big and deadly. As Libby walked out on the porch, Max stuck the gun in her ribs. The Ford idled in front of the cabin. Libby’s heart jerked as Sam emerged from the house.
“Stay where you are, Bridger,” Max warned. “You try to follow us, she dies. You call the cops and they try to stop us, she dies. When we reach our destination, we’ll let her go.”
Sam’s hand balled into a fist. Libby knew he was holding on to his temper by a thread. Her heart was quaking with fear for him. “Do what they say, Sam. I’ll be all right.”
Sam took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Seems like I don’t have any choice.” But the look in his eyes said there was no way he was letting her get on that plane.
She wanted to tell him she loved him. There was a chance she would die, or maybe Sam would. But saying something like that might distract him from whatever it was he planned.
Max opened the rear passenger door, shoved Libby inside, followed her in, and slammed the door.
“Let’s go,” Max said, and the car rolled off toward the front gate.
Libby’s heart beat hard. She turned to look out the rear window for a last glimpse of Sam, but he was no longer there.
Chapter Sixteen
Sam raced into the house. The Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol he’d bought years ago waited on the kitchen table. Sam clipped the holster onto his belt, then grabbed his Winchester .30-30 hunting rifle lying on the table beside it.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the Dunbars,” Clara said. “You just get our girl back.”
Sam gave a quick nod as he ran for the door. His pulse was pounding. Adrenaline poured through his veins. He waited for the sedan to roll through the gate toward the single lane road leading to the highway. As soon as the car took the first turn out of sight, Sam raced for his truck. Behind him, Clara ran out of the house, heading for Cougar Cabin.
Sam trusted Clara and prayed the Dunbars were safe as he fired the engine on his big black Dodge, put the pickup in gear and drove away.
By now Big John and Kade would be in position. Sam forced himself not to slam his foot on the accelerator and rocket down the road after his quarry. The timing had to be perfect, or one of them could die.
Or Libby could be killed.
His chest constricted. He thought again of calling the sheriff, as he’d considered half a dozen times, but if the police got involved, anything could happen. He trusted Big John and Kade.
And he trusted himself. He would do anything to protect Libby. Even give up his own life.
He hit the button on his cell phone, and Big John picked up. “They’re on their way and I’m right behind them, close as I can get without being spotted. You both in position?”
“We’re ready,” John said. “Kade will be able to see the car before I can. Soon as it rolls around the curve, he’ll take the shot. Keep the line open. I’ll let you know when to move in.”
“Will do.” Sam drove at the speed he figured Vince would be driving, fast, but not so fast he’d lose control on the curvy mountain road.
The spot they had chosen was four miles from the front gate, so it wouldn’t take long for the SUV to get there. Sam maintained his speed, though every cell in his body screamed for him to catch up with Vince and drag Libby out of the car to safety.
Time seemed to crawl. A couple of deer leaped into the road ahead of him, and Sam swerved to miss them. The curve in the road was just ahead.
Sam’s phone came to life. “Kade hit the target. The tired exploded. The driver had to fight the wheel some, but the car is slowing, pulling to a stop. Kade’s on his way down the hill to his secondary position.”
“I’m on my way.” Sam drove the pickup to a stop off the side of the road and opened the door. Tucking the phone into his pocket, he grabbed the rifle and took off into the trees, careful to stay above the road, out of sight, as he moved into position.
So far no sign of the old Ford Fusion. Then he caught a flash of oxidized blue. The car had pulled off the road just as they’d planned.
Sam ducked lower and moved silently closer. Vince was already out of the car, swearing as he rounded the trunk to examine the right rear tire. Max stepped out on the passenger side, leaving Mitchell in the backseat with Libby.
Spotting the shredded tire, Vince swore a foul oath. “Looks like we got a blowout. A bad one.”
Max’s head came up. “You think it could be a trap?”
Sam ducked even lower as Max surveyed the area around the car. Vince followed Max’s gaze. Nothing moved but a few pine branches stirred by the afternoon breeze.
Vince grunted. “This old piece of shit car? Just bad luck, more likely. But get the girl out here just in case.”
Sam silently cursed. Everything never went as planned.
They would have to go to plan B. Which meant waiting for an opening.
Crouched behind a boulder, Sam wedged his rifle into a crevice in the shade where it wouldn’t reflect sunlight and give away his position. He leveled the barrel at Vince, who moved to the rear of the car and opened the trunk.
Deacon Mitchell hauled Libby out of the backseat, his pistol pressed into her ribs, head swiveling one way then the other, on the lookout for a trap.
Big John and Kade held their positions on the other side of the road. Sam sighted down the barrel, but as long as Mitchell held Libby at gunpoint, there was nothing any of them could do.
Vince reached into the trunk, pulled out the spare tire and the jack while Max kept watch.