He tapped none too gently at her face, then ripped the tape from her mouth. It took everything she had not to scream. Apparently satisfied, he threw her over his shoulder, and she forced herself to be deadweight, despite the steadying hand on her ass. Every muscle screamed at the awkward strain of the hold.
Steps moved from gravel to dirt. The scent of moldy hay tickled her nose. A sneeze built at the back of her throat.
No. No no no no. I can’t—
She sneezed.
Harley dumped her unceremoniously on the ground. “Glad to know you’re back among the land of the living. This will be a lot more fun with you awake.”
Miranda turned her head and tried to spit out the dirt in her mouth. “What the hell are you doing, Harley?”
“Just taking my due. You’re an interfering bitch, you know that? A man’s got rights to his wife. But you just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Had to go giving Rene ideas.” He said the last word as if pronouncing a venereal disease.
“You’re the one who beat her.” The words were out before she could think better of them.
Harley slammed his booted foot into her stomach in a swift kick that drove the air from her lungs and made her whole body seize up.
“You drove her off. She was a proper, well-trained woman.” He emphasized every last descriptor with another well-aimed kick to her gut.
Tears poured from her eyes, but she didn’t make a sound. Couldn’t. She couldn’t seem to suck air into her lungs. Not even when Harley yanked off the blindfold and she saw the knife in his hand.
This was it. She’d always been told her smart mouth was going to get her in trouble. Now it finally had.
Harley crouched down, turning the blade in the flickering light of the old barn, as if admiring its craftsmanship. Then he quickly sliced through the tape connecting her wrists and ankles.
If there’d been any breath left in her body, she’d have exhaled it in a gush. Instead, she wheezed.
Stepping over her, Harley opened another door. Scooping her up like a sack of feed, he carried her inside, dumping her into a chair. Her back almost screamed with relief. Using a length of rope, he attached her bound hands and wrists to the spindles of the chair. With her arms pinioned behind her back, her breasts were thrust forward.
Harley’s eyes raked over them. “You drove her off,” he repeated, following his gaze with a drag of the knife. The blade sliced open her shirt, revealing the swell of one breast. “So now you’re gonna pay. You and that chump cop.”
Ethan. Where was Ethan?
He’d know something was wrong. He’d been on the phone. He’d have been coming. How much lead did Harley have? How far away from home were they? He knew it was Harley. So he’d narrow his search from there. But how the hell would he find her?
He was a U.S. Marshal. He hunted fugitives for a living. He’s going to find you. You just need to buy yourself some time for him to get here.
“I don’t understand. You had an alibi for the clinic, and for the fire.” Play dumb, get him talking. TV villains always liked to talk about their superiority.
A satisfied smirk crossed his face. “I had my boy take care of that for me. He’s been getting ideas, too, but I set him straight. Reminded him who’s in charge in our family. Gave the little bastard my name. He owes me.”
“The harassment started before Rene left you. Was that you, too? The slashing of my tires?”
“Lot of fun, that one. It was a favor to a friend. You know Ralph. He was pretty pissed you denied him more drugs. So I helped him out with that—as I often do—as a thank you for being a good client.”
“You’ve been supplying Ralph with opiates?”
“Him and anybody else who doesn’t like the new laws. It’s a lucrative business. Had to do something once the factory closed, and I wasn’t much keen on traditional employment. Too much stress for too little pay.”
Was he involved with the drug thefts over in Lawley? Was that how he had the idea to trash the clinic?
“And the raccoon?”
“I thought that was obvious. Dead meat. It was a warning, after you’d moved my wife out of our house. Your cop boyfriend understood, but not you. You just assumed everything was fine. Stupid, naive bitch. Not that it would’ve made any difference. I’ve been watching you for weeks. Just waiting for my chance. And now here we are, all alone. No bodyguard in blue in sight.” He reached out with the tip of the blade again, drawing it down her cheek in a slow caress. “We’re gonna get to know each other real well, Doc. Just you wait and see.”
Ethan saw the fist flying at his face and made no move to stop it. Peter Campbell’s right cross slammed into his jaw, whipping his head back and rocking him back a step. Blood flooded his mouth. The older man had a helluva punch.
Several women gasped, and Liz Campbell tried to grab her husband by the arm.
“You were supposed to keep her safe!” Grief-stricken hazel eyes bored into him from a face reddened with anger. Fists still clenched, Pete took another step closer.
Reuben Blanchard, Ethan’s other reserve officer started toward them, but Ethan held up a hand, staying the former SEAL’s progress. He spit blood into a nearby trash can and turned back to Miranda’s father. “You get one for free because I understand you’re upset, and there’s nothing you can say or do to me that I haven’t wanted to do to myself. But kicking my ass the rest of the way is going to have to wait because I have a job to do, and I don’t have a moment to waste going over my failures.”
Liz stepped up beside Pete. “What are you doing to bring our daughter home?”
Ethan had dispatched a team to search Harley’s residence, another to his cousin’s place. Rene and Johnny were currently waiting in interrogation, and at least a half dozen county deputies were en route and awaiting orders. But Miranda’s parents didn’t need to know the details. “Everything.”
At the grim determination in his voice, Pete gave a slow nod and stepped back.
Ethan swept a gaze over the collected Campbell clan, knowing he wouldn’t be able to focus with all of them crowding his station. But before he could say so, Judd emerged from the back.
“I know y’all are concerned and you want to know what’s going on, but we have law enforcement personnel coming in from all over the county. It’s best if y’all go home and let us do our jobs.”
“But—”
A pale-faced Norah stepped up and put an arm around Liz. “He’s right. They don’t need us in the way. Let’s go back to the house. As soon as they know anything, I’m sure they’ll tell us.” She looked to Ethan for confirmation.
“Of course.”
They turned collectively, as Norah began to herd them toward the door.
Cam lingered behind, searching Ethan’s face. For what, Ethan had no idea. At length, Cam nodded, evidently seeing what he needed to see. “You love her, so I know you’ll do whatever it takes.”
The words twisted something Ethan had locked away at the scene. He shoved down the softer, painful feelings and felt the cold rage strain for release. “I swear on my life.”
Cam clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Bring her home.”
No other outcome was acceptable here.