Chapter 32 Indie groaned. Jesus Christ, her head ached. It felt like someone had taken a hammer to her skull. She scrunched her eyes before opening them. Darkness. It surrounded her. Then she noticed other things. The dull rumble of an engine. The gentle vibration beneath her. She was in a car. The trunk of a car...that was why it was so dark. How did she get here? Think, Indie, think! They were at the hospital for Sylvia. Colt and Ben stepped out, then... She gasped. Gordon. He'd been hiding behind the bathroom door. Dammit, why had she gone in there? Why hadn't she run out to Colt the second she'd heard something? Stupid. She lifted her hands and pushed on the roof of the trunk. Of course it didn't move. But she still pushed again and again, her movements becoming quick and desperate, until her fists were basically pounding at the metal. It was only when her hands began to ache that she dropped her arms and swallowed a sob. She was stuck. Stuck until Gordon decided otherwise. Panic clawed at her chest. She wasn't a claustrophobic person, but right now, the small space combined with the darkness and the knowledge that she couldn't get out made her want to crawl out of her own skin. Breathe, Indie. Just breathe. She closed her eyes, put a hand on her belly, and sucked in one full breath of air. "It's okay, Peanut. We're going to be okay." Her whispered words sounded loud in the silence. But they were also comforting. A reminder that she was strong, and she could figure her way out of this. She had to, for her baby. What she needed was a weapon. Blindly, she reached around the trunk. Her fingers ran over cables, clothing...when she touched what felt like a flashlight, she grabbed it, feeling for the switch. The second it turned on, light blinded her, causing pain to shoot into her skull and her eyes to snap closed. They remained closed for a few seconds before she slowly cracked them open. Finally, her eyes adjusted. She turned her head. So much stuff, but none of it looked useful. Hang on... She reached out and grabbed a spray cannister. It was about the size of a water bottle. She turned it around. Bear deterrent. Yes! This could work. If she sprayed it into Gordon's eyes, she might give herself time to get away. Plus, Gordon had just had major foot surgery. He wouldn't be fast. There was a chance she could outrun him. Hope began to bubble in her chest. But so did another emotion-fear. Not fear for herself, but fear for the baby. What if she fought him and didn't win? That could put the baby at risk. But then, not running could be just as much of a risk. No. She had to fight. She just had to trust that she was going to be okay. And the baby was going to be okay. The dull rumble of the engine stopped. Her breathing hitched, pulse taking off. This was it. She turned the flashlight off and pointed the cannister up, finger on the lever. Deep breaths. One...two...three... The trunk opened and she sprayed the repellent. Gordon cried out and grabbed his eyes. He keeled over and she forced herself up-until a wave of dizziness had her arms caving and her body falling back into the trunk. No! She had to get up! Go. Run. She pushed up again, this time locking her elbows. She stumbled out of the car, repellent still in hand, catching herself on a tree before she hit the ground. Trees. They surrounded her. She hadn't run far when a strong body crashed into her from behind, sending her to the dirt. She rolled to her back and lifted the repellent, but Gordon slapped it out of her hand before she could press the lever. Then he pointed a gun right at her stomach. "Move and I shoot," he growled, his eyes red and swollen. Her skin went cold. "What do you want with me?" He laughed, but the sound was manic. "I wanna see what you're worth to my son and ex-wife." He yanked her up and pressed the gun into her back. "Walk." She didn't want to. But she also didn't want to get shot. So she walked. "How did you even escape?" "How do you think? Chester and Roman." "The men you owe money to?" "The men I worked for." She frowned. "You worked for them?" "Yeah. Until Chester found out I stole from him. The only way to get out of that alive was to tell him about the gold mine my ex and my son were sitting on. So here I am. But they weren't happy when I got arrested." She glanced over her shoulder. He wasn't just limping from his foot injury-there was blood seeping through his shirt. "Did they do that?" "Yes." Gordon scowled before shoving the gun between her shoulders again to keep her moving. "Assholes fucking branded me. A warning to get them the money." She frowned. "Did they tell you which room Sylvia was in?" "Yeah. Smart bastard. Chester probably paid off some nurse. It's how he operates. I was supposed to grab Sylvia. But you were easier to grab. So this worked out better because I have no doubt my boy will pay good money for you." Anger flared within her. That this man had a son who was good and decent, yet he had a father who only saw what he could get out of him. "So what now?" Indie asked through gritted teeth. He shoved the gun into her again. "We keep walking. Although, I should shoot you just for shooting me." "It kept you out of prison a little longer," she retorted, suddenly remembering that he'd been cuffed to the bed. "What happened to the deputy on your door?" "Fuck if I know. I don't ask questions." "No, you just kidnap people." "If Sylvia and Colt get me the money I need, you'll be free to go." Would she? In every kidnapping story she'd ever read, the victim was never released once the bad guy got what he wanted. Something Colt would be aware of. When a small old, falling-down structure came into view, she frowned. "What is that?" "An old toolshed. It was part of the adventure park. When Colt kicked me out, I came here. They haven't touched it." That meant they were close to the adventure park. Was anyone still around from the party? Would they hear if she screamed? "We're too far," Gordon said, reading her mind. "And I'd shoot you and run before anyone got here. You're not leaving unless I get what I want." "And how much is it that you want?" He opened the rotting wooden door. Reluctantly, she stepped inside to see old tools, but also a makeshift bed with a thin sheet and a jacket rolled up as a pillow. Two cell phones sat on the counter. "How much do I want?" Gordon repeated as he stepped in after her and pulled the door closed. "Everything they have." Colt could barely think. Indie was gone. Someone had taken her from his mother's hospital room while he'd been right there by the door. It was a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. And the blood...Jesus Christ. They'd hurt her. He wanted to kill the asshole. But how the hell had his father escaped? Then how had he known which room his mother was in? While Jesse had taken him to the sheriff's station, Ben remained with his mother as well as two deputies. Noah paced beside him. They'd called Indie's brother the second they'd arrived at the station. Colt forced himself to suck in air even though every breath hurt. A physical ache that competed with the mental and emotional pain. "Got it," Jesse said from his seat behind his desk as he turned his computer screen. Colt and Noah stepped forward to see the footage of the hospital hallway. Wade stood by Gordon's door. At first, everything looked normal. Then the deputy glanced at his phone before walking down the hall. Just walked away. The fuck? Colt's eyes narrowed when two men passed Wade. Even from the back, Colt knew exactly who they were. "Roman and Chester," Jesse said under his breath. Colt leaned forward. "Stop. Can you go back slowly?" Jesse pressed a few keys. Colt saw it again. "Your deputy gave them a key." "The key to Gordon's handcuffs," Noah said quietly. A vein in Colt's temple throbbed. He watched as Chester stepped into the room while Roman took guard outside. Jesse sped up the video, and a few minutes later, Chester stepped out and the two men left. It was a few more minutes before Gordon came out. His face was pale, and he was holding his stomach. "How the fuck did no one stop him?" Noah growled. Not just because Gordon was a prisoner, but because he looked three seconds from passing out. "The hospital sent this one too," Jesse said, clicking out of that clip and into a different one. The next clip showed Gordon walking straight into his mother's room, and mere seconds later, his mother was wheeled in. "He knew she was going to be placed in that room," Jesse said quietly. "How?" Colt wanted to fucking roar the question. "They paid someone off," Noah said, the fury in his voice matching Colt's. Jesse's cell dinged with a message, and he lifted it. "They just arrived with Wade." "He's here?" Colt asked. "Yes, but-" Colt didn't listen to whatever Jesse said next. He stormed out of the office just as Wade was entering the building, a deputy on either side of him. Colt went to grab him, but Jesse and Noah each took an arm. "Don't," Jesse warned. "She's gone!" Colt shouted at the pathetic excuse for a deputy. "Indie's fucking gone and it's your fault!" "I don't know what you're-" "Don't lie," Jesse cut in. "We have you on video handing them the key to the cuffs." The guy's face paled. "He threatened my family! What the hell was I supposed to do?" "You were supposed to tell me," Jesse growled. "I could have protected you and your family. Now it's too late." The deputies pulled him down the hall while Jesse pushed Colt back into his office, and Noah closed the door after them. "So Chester and Roman drugged my mother at the party, probably bribed a nurse to tell them which room she'd be in, and freed Gordon so he could take her," Colt said, trying to piece together their plan. "Why?" Jesse asked. "That's so much effort for people who were just after Gordon for money he owed." "Because Gordon doesn't just owe them money...he works for them." It was the only thing that made sense. "He told them about my mother's wealth. This is a job to them." "If that's true," Noah said quietly, "then you're about to get a call." "I've already contacted one of our technology specialists." Jesse lifted his cell and called someone. "Claudia, you ready?" A short pause. "Good." Colt frowned when he hung up. "You think you can trace the call without a warrant?" "She's bringing a portable trace unit and a frequency scanner. They won't give us a GPS, but they'll tell us which tower Gordon's hitting, and it will narrow the location down a bit over one square mile." "That's nothing," Noah said. Colt nodded. "With Becket and Holden's help, plus the deputies, we'll cover that easily." A female deputy stepped into the room, laptop bag in one hand, map in the other. "Colt, Noah, this is Claudia. Claud, we're expecting the call to come to Colt's phone," Jesse said. "Got it. I've already circled the local cell towers." She handed the map to Jesse before taking out her laptop. "I'm going to connect the call-monitoring software to your phone, Colt, using Bluetooth." Colt didn't question the woman, just handed it over. She hit a few keys on her laptop before fiddling with his cell. "Connected." She handed it back. "I'll log the call's number and try to see the cell tower it came through using my mobile signal analyzer." Colt didn't have time to try and understand anything she was saying before his phone rang. His spine stiffened as he saw an unknown number. This was it. He hit answer and put the call on speaker. "Where is she?" The deputy silently started hitting keys on her laptop and the machine next to it. A deep chuckle sounded, and it made Colt's skin crawl. "You'll find out when you get me what I need." "How much?" "Ten million wired to an account. I'm going to give you thirty minutes, or I start shooting holes into your pretty wife." Ten million? Jesus Christ. His back teeth ground together. "I want to know that she's safe first." "You don't believe me?" "Not even a little bit." Another laugh from his father, then a shuffling noise. "Colt?" His eyes shuttered at her voice. The relief it brought him almost sent him to his knees. "You're okay." "I'm okay. But I'm really wishing we were back at the party. Or close to it at least. Somewhere big enough for just the two of us." He frowned at her odd statement. "I'm going to get you back, Cricket. I promise." Another shuffling noise, then Gordon came back on. "There, she's alive. Now you ready to get me my money?" "Give me the damn details. My mother and I will give you everything we own. Just don't hurt her." "That's the cooperation I was looking for." Gordon relayed the bank details. "Remember, within the half hour or your woman's going to get hurt." His father hung up, making Colt want to reach into the phone and tear out his fucking heart. "Got it," Claudia said quickly. She looked up and pointed to one of the circled cell towers. "He's closest to this one." Colt frowned. That was within three miles of their park. Indie's words came back to him. "She wished we were back at the party...or close to it." "And somewhere just big enough for the two of you," Noah finished. "I thought that was strange too," Jesse added. "It was a hint." Noah frowned. "She was telling us that they're near the cabins." "But where?" Jesse asked. Suddenly, it hit Colt. "Somewhere just big enough for the two of us... The old toolshed!" "Shit, you're right," Noah finished. "He's probably been sleeping there." Colt started running, sprinting out of the office and into the cool evening air. They were right about this. The shed wasn't too far. He just had to pray he wasn't too late.