Hunted Love (A Dangerous Kind of Love Book 2) (23 page)

Phoebe leaned forward over Bess. “Isn’t it absolutely beautiful?”

“Absolutely beautiful,” Sarah repeated, instinctively leaning back in the saddle as lighting flashed through the clouds. She watched nervously as Phoebe urged Bess closer to the edge so she could look down at the river below. “Doesn’t it bother you to be this close to the edge?”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Phoebe said. “The horses will be careful. Besides, it’s not a straight drop.” She stood up in the saddle and leaned forward. “See, there’s a ledge a few feet below.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Sarah turned Jack’s head, preferring to look over the gorge from the safety of the trail behind her.

“Nervous?” Kristen asked, as Sarah moved her horse next to her.

“Just a bit,” Sarah admitted.

A cold gust of wind pushed Kristen’s hair forward. She roughly pushed it back. “Me too. I don’t trust Joker near that edge.”

A burst of static caught Sarah’s attention and she glanced over at George who was staring down at his walkie-talkie with a strange look on his face. She then turned in her seat to look for Sam. “What’s taking Sam so long to join us?”

Kristen glanced behind them. She turned back to George. “George! Where’s Sam?”

George lifted the device to his mouth and called Sam’s name. Another burst of static answered back.

A flash of light from an outcropping above Sarah’s head caught her attention. She shielded her eyes with her hand and looked up just as Fletcher swung his rifle around and pointed it at George.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“George,” Sarah screamed. She watched in horror as Fletcher began firing. She spurred Jack forward towards the outcropping as shots rang out.

Once safely underneath the rock, she turned Jack around. George lay on the ground, blood pooling under his head. Joker was on his hind legs, Kristen hanging on for dear life. Phoebe was turning Bess, her arm outstretched and reaching for Joker’s reins.

Sarah glanced over her shoulder as the sound of hooves hitting the ground behind her reached her, relieved to see Sam racing forward. He and Blondie sped past her towards Kristen as she struggled to get Joker under control. The horse turned in circles trying to buck her off. There was another shot and Kristen screamed as she fell to the ground.

Sam fell next. He rolled to the ground clutching his stomach. Joker bucked again, his hooves narrowly missing Kristen lying nearby. Bess skirted closer toward the edge to avoid Joker. There was another shot and Sarah turned her attention to Sam. He had crawled to a nearby tree, returning fire at the man above.

Suddenly, Phoebe screamed as Joker ran into Bess, causing the young woman to lose her grip. Phoebe tumbled to the ground and rolled to the side as the horses danced around one another. She screamed again as she fell over the cliff.

Free of their riders, Joker, Buck, Blondie and Bess took off back down the trail as the men traded gunfire.

Sarah struggled to keep Jack in place and from running after his friends. She turned her attention to Kristen lying on the ground, surprised to see the other woman crawling towards her. When she fell, Sarah had been certain she was dead.

Sarah waved her arms, trying to get Sam’s attention. When he looked her way, she pointed to Kristen, preparing to urge Jack forward, hoping Sam understood what she was about to do.

He nodded, bringing his weapon up.

Sarah took a deep breath and spurred Jack toward Kristen as Sam shot at the outcrop above, providing cover.

Once at Kristen’s side, she hurriedly slid off Jack and knelt, slipping her arm around Kristen’s waist. Using Jack as a shield, she then half-carried, half-dragged the nearly unconscious girl to the outcropping. 

Kristen hissed in pain, clutching her arm as Sarah dropped her to the ground.

Sarah next looked towards the cliffs, repeatedly calling Phoebe’s name. Her heart sank as the seconds ticked by with no response from the other girl.

She glanced back at Sam, motioning him to come closer.

He shook his head as he held up his gun. Tossing the gun to the side with a grim look, he then reached for the knife at his ankle.

Sarah felt her heart drop as dirt and rocks rained down from over the outcrop. She could hear Fletcher laughing as he walked along the edge.

Clutching his belly, Sam pushed himself away from the tree he was hiding behind, and half crawled to another.

Sarah glanced down at Kristen looking for where she had been shot, surprised to find no blood. “Where are you hurt?”

“My arm’s broken,” Kristen said through clenched teeth, her face pinched with pain.

Sarah reached into her pocket for her phone. When she failed to get a connection with her own phone, she reached into Kristen’s pocket. She stared in dismay at the smashed phone in her hand.

Behind her, another shot rang out and then Sam screamed out in pain. She glanced over her shoulder just as he fell unmoving on the ground.

“Come on,” Sarah said bringing Kristen up with her. She helped Kristen into the saddle. By the time she got settled behind Kristen, Fletcher had appeared. He grinned at her as he stood at the end of the outcrop, the rifle slung over his shoulder.

“Cinderella,” he crooned reaching for the rifle.

Sarah didn’t waste any time spurring Jack forward, using the horse to mow down Fletcher before he could get a shot off.

Fletcher leapt out of the way at the last moment as Jack barreled toward him.

She turned Jack down the trail towards the house, cringing at the sound of gunfire behind her.

“Where’s Phoebe?” Kristen asked, as Jack took off at a gallop. “Did she get away?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah said, praying that Phoebe had somehow managed to survive and was hiding on the ledge below the cliff.

*  *  *

Jamie slammed the door of his truck and walked over to Sarah’s car with a scowl on his face, wondering why she had come out all this way. He shook his head as he stomped across the driveway to the front door. When the doorbell failed to bring anyone running, he pounded on the door. When that failed, he opened the door and stepped inside.

He stood in the foyer as memories came flooding back one more painful after the next. He swore once he got out of prison that he’d never come back to this house, but here he was again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to put the past behind him.

Shaking his head trying to dispel the unhappy thoughts, he strode into the living room calling out Sarah’s name.

He moved throughout the expansive first floor, his unease growing with every empty room he encountered.

He walked into the foyer and started up the stairs, only stopping when his hand encountered something wet. He lifted his hand, shocked to discover blood coating his palm. Jamie felt his chest tighten.

His heartbeat went into overdrive as he raced up the stairs calling Sarah’s name. Now that he was looking for it, he could see the blood on the dark hardwood floors and the bullet holes in the wall.

He opened the first door he came to. A man he didn’t recognize lay in a heap in the center of the floor, dead.

Jamie quickened his steps as he made a sweep of the second floor. His worry for Sarah grew into fear as he encountered more dead bodies littered throughout the upper floor of the house.

He pushed open the double doors to the master bedroom, his gaze automatically turning to the pillows and duvet lying on the floor before rising to the bed.

A figure lay on the bed covered head to toe by a blood stained sheet. Rose petals from a vase of roses near the bed lay scattered along the body.

Jamie felt his stomach drop. He started to reach forward to pull the sheet off, but hesitated, afraid as to what he would find.

Closing his eyes, praying that Sarah wasn’t the one posed underneath, he forced himself to pull the sheet back and look underneath.

He opened his eyes. A combination of relief, anger and sadness swept over him as he looked into Holly’s blank eyes. He gently laid the sheet back over her before continuing his search for Sarah.

When he reached the last room on the second floor, he pushed the drapes aside and looked across the backyard to the stables just as Buck, Blondie and two other horses he didn’t recognize burst out from the woods. Their saddles empty.

He spun around and raced out of the room. Flying down the staircase, his hand instinctively reached under his jacket for his gun. He slid to a stop at the foyer when his fingers came up empty. No gun, he remembered. He didn’t need one anymore. Part of his new life.

His fingers twitched.

Spinning around, he entered Patrick’s study. He swiped the iron horseshoe paperweight off the desk and threw it into the glass gun case next to the desk. He quickly grabbed a handgun, loaded it and placed it into his waistband before reaching for one of the rifles. He breathed deeply, forcing himself to repress his emotions as he did when he was a teenager while he mechanically loaded the rifle. Once that was done, he reached for a hunting knife next, placing it into the pocket of his leather jacket.

A noise in the hall caught his attention and he spun around bringing the rifle up. Moose lifted his arms high in the air and looked at him in surprise.

“Hey Jamie.” He started to lower his arms only to jerk them back up as Jamie tightened his hands on the rifle. “Just me.”

“Take your gun, lay it down on the floor and kick it over here.”

“Jamie—”

“Do it, Moose. I won’t ask again.” When Moose did as he was told, Jamie said, “Now the one you keep at your back.” He nodded approvingly when Moose removed the weapon and kicked it over to him. “Good.” He knelt down and retrieved the guns. “Where’s Sarah?”

“I didn’t even know she was here. Danny and me just got here.” The big man pointed to the broken glass case. “Nathan’s not going to like that.”

“I couldn’t care less,” Jamie said stuffing more ammo into his pocket with one hand while keeping the rifle trained on Moose. “Where is Nathan?”

“I don’t know. Can I lower my hands now?”

“No.”

“Okay.” When Jamie packed as much ammunition he could into his pockets, he trained the rifle on Moose.

Moose shifted nervously from foot to foot. “What are you gonna do, Jamie?”

Jamie’s finger twitched. “I’m just trying to decide what to do with you, Moose.”

“Moose!” Nathan shouted from the front door. “Danny! Where is everyone?”

Moose looked to the door and then back to Jamie with a questioning look in his eyes.

Jamie nodded.

“In here, boss,” Moose called out.

Nathan’s footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway. “Those stupid horses are out again. They’re running all over the place.” He rounded the corner and stopped short. He stared at Jamie with wide-eyes. “Oh, hey, Jamie.” His gaze lowered to the rifle pointed at Moose. “Problem?”

“Where’s Sarah?”

“I have no idea. I just walked in the door. Last I knew she was planning on going riding with Kristen and Phoebe.” Nathan glanced out the window as Buck ran past. “I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. Moose, go to the stables and see if Sarah’s there.”

Moose started to move but froze when he saw Jamie’s hands tighten on the weapon. “What you want me to do, Jamie?”

Jamie smirked. People thought Moose was dumb, but he did have his moments.

“Jamie,” Nathan said bringing his hands up in a placating gesture, “why don’t you put the gun down. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“See those horses out there, Nathan?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re still saddled. No way Phoebe would have left them like that.”

Jamie shifted the weapon in his hands. “Moose, pick up the phone and call the police.”

Nathan reached across Moose and laid his hand on the big man’s arm as he lifted the phone up to his ear.

Jamie’s eyes narrowed. He brought the rifle up higher aiming it at Nathan.

“Whoa,” Nathan said raising one hand in the air. “Do we really need to get the police involved? The girls are probably okay. They probably got off their horses to take a walk and the horses took off. That’s happened before. I bet they’re probably walking their way back right now as we speak. That white mare out there is brand-new and the black stallion that’s chasing her is Joker. He runs off all the time. We’re always chasing him down trying to catch him.” He lightly elbowed Moose in the gut.

“That’s right,” Moose said. “Always having to chase him down.”

“Why don’t you, Moose, and Danny go out there and search for them,” Nathan said. “If you don’t find them in an hour, then I will personally call the police.” He looked helplessly at Jamie. “Come on, Jamie. We’re all friends. Put down the gun.”

“I will, just as soon as you tell me why you have blood on your shirt.”

Nathan looked down in surprise at the red stain on his crisp white shirt. Clearing his throat, Nathan pulled his coat closer to cover up the stain.

“Moose,” Jamie said.

“Yeah, Jamie?”

“Put down the phone.” Jamie took a step closer to them, his eyes blazing. “If you so much as touched Sarah, I’m going to rip you apart limb from limb.”

Nathan paled. “I-I didn’t, Jamie. I swear. I didn’t touch her. I got blood on my fingers somehow and wiped it off on my shirt. I didn’t hurt Sarah.”

Moose turned his attention to the window. “There she is. She and Kristen are riding in right now.”

Keeping one eye on Nathan and Moose, Jamie edged to the window.

Spotting Sarah racing past the stables to the gate, he pushed past Moose and Nathan and ran toward the kitchen.

He was there just as Sarah rode up with an unconscious Kristen in her arms.

He gently helped Kristen down, passing her to Moose before pulling Sarah from the saddle and holding her tightly against his chest.

“Fletcher tried to kill us,” she whispered into his chest. “I was so scared.”

He pressed his hands to her face and leaned back to look at her. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. We have to find Phoebe,” Sarah said as he led her back inside. “She said it wasn’t a straight drop from the cliff, that there were some ledges. Maybe she’s still alive.”

Nathan followed them into the living room, watching as Moose laid Kristen on the couch. He looked down at his unconscious wife in annoyance. “I thought you said Fletcher was in Ohio, darling? Moose, call the police. Tell them Fletcher is out there shooting at us.”