Losing Ladd (26 page)

A heavy silence permeated the stale,
dank confines of the living room. “What kind of
distraction?”

“
The kind that gets
people’s attention.”

“
I’m
listening.”

If Clem could kidnap Delaney, Jeremiah
could do one better. The fool had snagged her with the intention of
dumping her in the woods so he could steal the gold on Ladd
Springs, but her boyfriend stepped in, hunting them down, putting
an end to their plan. Jeremiah would grab Delaney’s daughter
without a worry. She didn’t have anyone watching out for her and
with Nick Harris at the hospital with his wife, the girl would be
easy to snatch. It was the first glimmer of hope he’d felt since
the local blue paid him a visit. Delaney might think she could pin
this fire on him and threaten his freedom, but he was going to
threaten her kid.

Hurrying through the empty house,
Felicity jogged down the steps to her car. Nick had yet to come
home except for one brief grab of clothing and a quick shower,
preferring to wait it out bedside with her mother. He believed she
would come to any minute, and he wanted to be the first thing she
saw when she awoke from her coma.

Felicity appreciated his devotion, but
she couldn’t share in his inactivity. She needed to do something.
She needed to get to the bottom of who did this to her mother. For
the first time in her life, she understood how her mother felt when
it came to protecting those she loved. It was fierce, demanding. It
was all-consuming. Felicity would stop at nothing until the person
responsible for this crime was brought to justice.

And that person was her father, Jack.
His nonchalant reaction yesterday sealed it for her. He couldn’t
have cared less that her mother lay helpless in a hospital bed. She
was fighting for her life against an invisible swelling in her
brain, yet all he could do was laugh and blame it on the help. He
was disgusting. The sooner he was put in jail for his crimes the
better. Right now, she had bigger things to worry about. Nick had
called this morning and said to come quick—the doctors were taking
her mom into surgery for a craniotomy, a fancy term for poking a
hole in her skull to relieve the building pressure.

Because the medication they tried
wasn’t working.

Felicity shuddered as she jumped into
her car and gunned the engine to life. With surgery came risk. If
it didn’t go well, her mom could have permanent brain damage. If
they didn’t perform the procedure, her mother could have permanent
brain damage. It was an awful choice, and all because she’d been
trying to save her horses from burning alive. Memories from the
evening flooded in. Horse shrieks mixed with the scent of burning
wood. Gray-brown smoke billowing through stalls, licks of bright
orange flames crawling up and over everything in sight. Felicity
shut her mind to the images, jamming her foot to the accelerator,
yet she couldn’t escape the sounds and sights from the stables. The
horrific trauma caused to the animals, the complete and total
devastation of the stables.

Those stables had been her mother’s
passion. She lived and breathed her horses, spent sun-up to sundown
with them... Felicity hated that someone had taken that from her.
She hated that someone had been so cold-hearted with regard to the
horses, the property.

Her mother’s life was in danger. Yet
her father hadn’t broken stride yesterday when she told him about
the fire, about her mom’s condition. He didn’t give a crap about
either one of them. It was all about him, and what he wanted.
Always had been.

As she peeled out of the drive of her
home, the sight of a black truck similar to the one Travis owned
reminded her of another man who cared only about himself. Travis
didn’t trust her. He didn’t believe in her. He thought he knew best
and she didn’t.

Well, he was wrong. She was taking the
reins of her life, and like her mother before her, Felicity would
take care of herself. A squiggle of nerves zipped through her as
she thought about the gun stowed away in her bedroom. In the wake
of Jeremiah Ladd’s last visit, her mom had taught her to shoot. She
wasn’t old enough to get a concealed weapons permit yet, but she
knew how to handle a gun now, knew how to hit a moving target. The
knowledge gave her a sense of power, like she could defend herself
if trouble came calling. Felicity had surprised herself with her
accuracy. Her mom, too. Recalling the pride in her mom’s face the
day she nailed the center bull’s eye tugged a small smile from her
lips.

Travis drove the country mile to Hotel
Ladd, more dazed than focused on the road. Felicity hadn’t returned
any of his calls. After leaving him standing outside her father’s
hotel like a fool with his heart in a handbag, she’d refused to
speak with him. She was angry. Angry because he cared about her,
was concerned for her welfare. Angry because he tried to
help.

What had gotten into her lately? She
was like a different person. Ever since Troy and Casey got back
together, it was like Felicity had turned on him. She’d taken up
with them, defending Troy at every turn, hanging out with Casey and
the baby instead of going riding with him. Travis didn’t get it.
What had he done wrong?

Nothing. For the millionth
time he reassured himself he’d done nothing wrong. She was stressed
out because of the thing with her father. She wasn’t acting in her
right mind. She’d nearly lost her horse—twice. Her mom was in the
hospital, the hotel was in a shambles over the fire. Travis
understood that stress could throw people out of whack, and despite
her claims to the contrary, Felicity needed him. This was her time
of need and Felicity needed
him
—whether she knew it or not. He
was going surprise her with an early visit. One way or another, he
had to get her to see more clearly.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Running on auto-pilot, Felicity drove
the tree-lined road, consumed with thoughts of her mother and what
the day held. Would she get a chance to talk to her before they
took her back? Would Nick make them wait? What if she didn’t make
it? What if Felicity missed seeing her mom before they wheeled her
into the operating room? Would they wait?

They had to. Felicity
grabbed her cell phone. Nick had to make them wait. Keeping one eye
on the road and the other on her touchpad, she scrolled through her
contact directory. She’d tell Nick she was en route and to please
make them wait.
Don’t let them take her
back without me getting a chance to say goodbye
.

Good
luck
, she corrected in a rush. Not goodbye
but good luck! Locating the number, Felicity barely registered the
red truck passing her on the left until it swerved in front of her.
At the flash of red tail lights, she cried out, “Oh!”

Instinctively she slammed
a foot to her brake. Her phone went flying as she jerked the
steering wheel hard to the right. Her small car skidded roughly
over the side of the road, narrowly missing a rear end collision.
Adrenaline sprayed across her chest and arms. Her heart pounded, a
cloud of dust billowed around her vehicle. Two men jumped out of
the truck, one in grubby jeans and T-shirt, one in a lime green
button-down and jeans. Alarm fired in her brain.
Jeremiah Ladd
!

She hurried to lock her door as the
dark-haired bearded charged toward her. But she was too late. He
yanked it open, scary black eyes boring into her.

“
Stop!” she screeched,
heartbeats pounding in her throat.
What
were they doing
?

Ignoring her, the stranger hauled her
from the vehicle. Felicity fought his iron grip, shouting. “Leave
me alone! Let me go!”

Leering at her, Jeremiah held the door
open as the man shoved her inside. Another bearded man inside
reached for her arm.

Travis’ heart kicked at the sight of
the stopped truck, the strawberry blonde head of hair ducking
inside. Felicity! Instinct took over, propelling Travis’ vehicle
hard and fast straight for them. Jeremiah Ladd spun around and
froze. In a split second, he jumped into his truck, but Travis
rammed into him, throwing his body forward and back upon impact.
The man by Felicity’s side was jettisoned from the
truck.

Travis leapt out and ran toward them.
“Felicity!”

Their eyes locked.
“Travis!”

Jeremiah shoved from his truck in a
rage. “Back off, Parker!”

“
Let her go!” Travis
returned.

“
Get lost.” Jeremiah
pulled a gun and leveled it at Travis.

The pistol drew Travis’ full
attention.

Felicity clambered free from the back
seat, her thoughts splintering. “Stop!”

Travis lunged.
“Felicity—no!”

The weapon discharged.

Felicity screamed. Travis
felt a punch to his chest. An engine sounded. Felicity raced toward
him, her pulse battering wildly. “Oh no—
Travis
!” Blood oozed from the wound,
forming a pool of red beneath the blue-gray plaid of his
shirt.

Behind her, Jeremiah bellowed, “Let’s
get out of here!”

Felicity heard the skid of wheels as
the truck lurched backward, then forward, speeding past her. A
beat-up farm truck traveling in the opposite direction slowed.
Inside, an elderly man looked down at her in shock. “Call 9-1-1!”
she shrieked. Panic clawed at her chest. “Call 9-1-1!”

Felicity didn’t remember anything
about the ambulance ride. She didn’t remember anything about the
man who called for help. She could only remember the grotesque
blend of red and blue and gray as Travis’ shirt became soaked in
blood. Too much blood. It was on her hands, her blouse. She’d
pressed her palms against the bullet wound to stem the bleeding,
but it seemed futile. The blood kept coming. Watching them load him
into the ambulance, she’d placed a hand to her mouth. The metallic
taste of it stayed with her.

Following the paramedics into the
Emergency Room like a robot, she remembered only the blood. “Is he
going to be all right?” she mumbled, transfixed by the sight of his
open shirt, the white square of gauze, the tubes running from his
arms.

“
We’re taking him to
surgery,” a medic replied briskly. “You can wait upstairs in the
waiting room.”

Surgery. Waiting
room.
Her mother
.
Felicity felt faint.

“
Miss.” Someone grabbed
her by the arm. “Are you okay?”

Okay? She looked around, the room felt
like a swirl of images. Was she okay?

No. Her head felt like it was
spinning. Her stomach was empty and raw. Pressure built in her
lungs. She wasn’t okay. Travis wasn’t okay. Her mother wasn’t
okay.

“
Get her a wheelchair,” a
voice shouted.

Felicity panicked as they rolled
Travis from her sight. “Wait!”

“
Honey, calm down.” A
slender hand pulled her down into a seat. “Everything’s under
control.”

“
No—you don’t understand.
I need to see him. That’s my boyfriend,” she cried, watching Travis
and the medical team disappear into an elevator. “I need to be with
him.”

“
I’ve got you. I’ll take
you up.”

Felicity glanced up. The
woman hovering over her had kind eyes. Friendly. Safe.
“Okay.
Okay
.”

The nurse wheeled Felicity
to an elevator, took her up to another floor. The ride felt like
she was floating.
Ding
. Metal doors slid open and the woman pushed Felicity out and
down a wide corridor. It was a hall of doors with a shiny floor.
Felicity’s gaze drifted to the end, landing on a set of double
doors. The nurse turned just shy of them. “Here you go, honey. You
can wait in here for word about your boyfriend.”

“
Felicity.”

Nick’s voice cut through her haze like
a steel knife. Grasping onto Nick’s imposing figure, she mouthed
his name.

Crossing the small room in seconds, he
demanded, “What happened? Why is she in a wheelchair?”

The woman replied evenly, “Her
boyfriend’s been taken to surgery. She’s—overwhelmed,” the woman
said, settling on a kind description of Felicity’s state of utter
shock and collapse.

Nick fired his gaze into Felicity.
“Travis?”

She nodded, the acknowledgement
drawing tears. Travis was in surgery. He’d been shot—by Jeremiah.
Focusing on Nick, she murmured, “How’s mom?”

“
They just took her back.
I told the doctors to wait, but...” He dropped to a knee and
finished, “They decided against it.”

The guilt in his eyes was misplaced.
It wasn’t his fault. It was her fault for not being here by her
mother’s side like him. Twenty-four seven, Nick had been here for
his wife. Felicity reached out for him. Her mother was lucky to
have him. Hot tears fell. She hadn’t been here and might not ever
be able to tell her mother she loved her.

Or Travis. A hard knot
formed in her throat. If anything happened to him after the way
she’d been treating him…Felicity didn’t know if she could ever
forgive herself. The two most important people in her life were on
the verge of losing theirs and she hadn’t been able to tell either
of them she loved them.
I love
you
. Tears blurred her vision.
If only I could have told you
.