Matthew: The Circle Eight (23 page)

Read Matthew: The Circle Eight Online

Authors: Emma Lang

It was definitely the older Stinson’s office. The weak light from the cloudy day filtered through the large picture window. A huge wooden desk dominated the room, covered with papers, a few old cups of coffee, and a dark lantern. She sat down in the chair, which squeaked like a giant mouse. Hannah froze in mid-motion, waiting for someone to discover what she was doing.
Minutes later, which felt more like hours, she sucked in a shaky breath and started searching. There were plenty of papers: feed receipts, bills of sale, and letters from people like Sam Houston. None of it seemed to be illegal, and some of it was even impressive.
Frustrated, Hannah moved to the drawers, and after more fruitless searching, decided Mr. Stinson must not keep his illegal activities mixed with the legal. The bottom drawer was locked so she used a letter opener to pry it open. He would know someone had been there, but if he was in jail, it wouldn’t matter a whit.
Expecting to find a pile of evidence, Hannah was disappointed to find a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Why would he keep the liquor locked up in his desk? Perhaps one of the staff or even Jeb or Margaret had a problem with drinking too much?
It didn’t matter why; there was nothing here.
Nothing
to help the case against Frederick Stinson. She put everything back the way she’d found it and crept out of the room.
“Why, there she is!” Jeb’s loud voice made Hannah jump a foot in the air. “I think she must’ve gotten lost in this big house.”
She turned to find Olivia with a panicked expression, her arm in Jeb’s punishing grip. “Run,” she mouthed.
Hannah shook her head, unwilling to let her sister-in-law face whatever consequences she had brought on both of them. “Not lost, just being nosy.” Hannah managed a silly laugh. “I admit I wanted to snoop a bit. Sorry, Jeb.” Her grin felt brittle but she offered him one anyway.
“Oh, Hannah, now you know that’s not the truth,” he said in a startlingly cold voice. “It’ll be a sad day for the Grahams when you two go missing, or maybe even turn up dead. You shouldn’t have taken that shortcut through the ravine. The coyotes can be mighty hungry when they find a wounded animal.” Jeb, who had appeared so sweet and vapid, was finally showing his true colors, and they were as black as pitch. He didn’t appear to be loco, far from it. His gaze was clear and calculating.
Hannah had assumed Frederick Stinson was behind the attacks, as had everyone else. They’d been dead wrong.
She ran at him, ready to do what she had to to get Olivia free. To her surprise, Jeb was strong as an ox. He grabbed her braid and twisted it so hard, the pain radiated down her head to her feet. Olivia tried to push him and he retaliated by pulling her hair until she fell to her knees with a loud crack. She cried out in agony and there was nothing Hannah could do to help her.
“I can’t let you get in my way, ladies. I had hopes one of you could be the next Mrs. Stinson, but now you will simply be the dead Graham girls.” Jeb dragged them both down the hallway by their hair.
Hannah met Olivia’s gaze, her face wet with tears and covered with stark terror. She had to do something. Hannah would not be the Graham who let her family down, not when they needed her most.
Jeb dragged them to a dark room under the house. He threw Olivia against the wall and she landed in a soundless heap. Horrified, Hannah was too slow to act. Jeb backhanded her so hard, blood filled her mouth. She spat on the floor, and he kicked her in the stomach with a boot that felt more like a boulder.
“Don’t mess up the floor, Hannah. You know how hard it is to get blood stains out?” He pushed her to her back, then pressed his boot into her chest. “I could crush you right now and not have to worry about you anymore. I knew you were the smart one. Somehow Matt found you, hidden treasure that you are.”
Blackness crept around Hannah’s vision and for the second time in as many days, she faced death.
“Fuck you, Jeb.”
His face registered surprise before he threw back his head and laughed. “I knew I liked you for a reason.” His foot eased up. “I just may keep you for myself after all.”
Dazed and lightheaded, Hannah could only watch as he tied her up and gagged her, forcing blood down her throat from her mouth. She nearly choked on it before she was able to roll to her side and let it slide out of her mouth. After tying the motionless Olivia up too, Jeb leaned down and cupped Hannah’s cheek.
“Be a good girl now.” With that, he left them alone in the cold, dark room under the house. There was not a peep of light and the only sound was a scurrying in the corner. Hannah had to find a way to get free, or both she and Olivia could be dead by the time Jeb came back.
Hannah managed to get into a sitting position, and although her head swam for a moment, she stayed that way. Pride and determination coursed through her. She would make her husband proud and be a true Graham, no matter what.
 
Matt rode like the hounds of hell were chasing him. To his surprise, Stinson kept up with him. The horses were equally matched, although the older rancher bragged about his prize stallion to anyone who would listen. Appeared as though a gelding could give him a run for his money. Matt didn’t want to waste time stopping at his ranch, but knew he needed reinforcements if they were to gain victory. He rode into the yard in a cloud of dust.
“To the Graham!” It was an expression his father always used when he wanted all the children to come to him immediately. He explained that back in the day, it was a battlecry for the Graham clan.
It still worked and everyone came running, including Eva. The one Graham missing was Hannah.
“Javier, Lorenzo, Nick and Caleb. Saddle up and follow us to the Stinson ranch.” He speared Eva with a worried gaze. “Is Hannah feeling poorly?”
“No, she felt fine this morning. She went to tea with Olivia at the Stinsons.
¿Que pasa, hijo?
” Eva stepped toward him but before she even started talking, Matt had turned his lathered gelding east and kneed him into a gallop.
Hannah was there, at the Stinsons’ ranch. What was she thinking? She didn’t even like Margaret, so why would she have tea with her? Granted, it was safer to travel in pairs, but there was no reasonable explanation for Hannah to go with Olivia.
“Matt!” Caleb shouted from behind him, but there was no way in hell he was going to slow down.
His wife and his sister were in danger. Matt couldn’t lose the woman he loved or the sister he cherished because of his own lack of forethought. He leaned low and spoke into his horse’s ear.
“I can’t let her die, Winston. Help me save her so I can tell her I love her.” Matt’s heart thumped against his ribs, and cold fear crept into his bones with each passing minute.
Armstrong was supposed to be at Stinson’s house. Maybe he was there and would help the women stay out of trouble. This was Hannah and Olivia though, both of them stubborn and strong-willed as mules.
Matt hung on as his horse’s hooves ate up the miles. He knew his family and Stinson were behind him, but he had to arrive first. There wasn’t any other option.
Armstrong had been in the office reviewing every scrap of paper he could find when he heard a female voice in the house. It had to be Olivia, the outspoken woman had tried to get information from him last night. When he’d refused to give it to her, she’d warned him she wasn’t done with him.
Yet here she was in the Stinsons’ house, as he’d asked. Truth was, she was probably the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. Instead of talking to her like a gentleman, he’d been short and almost rude. But rather than wilting like a flower, she’d snapped to attention like a warrior.
Even though he told himself to focus on business, he found his dreams full of Olivia Graham. In the morning, he’d woken in his bedroll with a hard on. He’d shaken off the remnants of his erotic thoughts of her and gotten busy.
Now she was in the Stinsons’ house and he had to hope she would follow through on what he’d asked. When the door handle rattled, he disappeared out the large window and ducked into the bushes.
After a few minutes, he’d realized what he’d heard was someone else rifling through Stinson’s office. Damn Olivia! She was supposed to keep her hosts busy, not take it upon herself to snoop around.
As he rose to give her a talking to, he heard footsteps leaving the room and the door closing. Jeb Stinson’s voice was overly loud, enough so Armstrong heard him quite clearly.
Girls?
What girls? Was the man doing something to his own sister and Olivia? A woman’s cry of pain was followed by another and then a horrendous cracking sound. Armstrong had climbed back through the window, unwilling to allow Olivia to be hurt helping him. When he’d made it through the narrow window, he’d eased the office door open and peered out.
The hallway was empty. The only sign someone had been there was the bright scarf lying on the floor. He’d seen Hannah Graham wearing it the night before. Armstrong’s heart had slammed into his throat. Quickly, he’d searched the house but now he still had found no other sign of them.
Where were they?
Hannah worked at the gag with her teeth and tongue, fighting the pain until she managed to get it to her chin. She swallowed, almost choking on the blood. Jeb’s slap had loosened a few teeth and she’d cut her tongue. She spit out as much blood as she could before she scooted over to where she thought Olivia had landed.
“Olivia?” She moved to her right and sighed with relief when she bumped into a warm body. “Can you hear me?” Hannah heard a small groan and blew out a shaky breath of relief. “I’m going to try to get us loose.”
Lucky for her, Jeb had tied her hands and feet together in front, so she could lean down and gnaw at the knots. Her lips grew raw from rubbing against the rope but she finally managed to loosen the knots and slip one hand out.
She wiped the blood from her chin on her sleeve, then finished untying herself. Hannah reached for Olivia, who hadn’t made another sound. With shaking hands, she untied her sister-in-law, then reached for her face.
“Liv? Please wake up. I don’t think I can carry you out of here.” Hannah’s whisper sounded as desperate as she felt. “I don’t know when Jeb is coming back. We need to get out.”
“Hannah?” Olivia’s voice was slurred but it sounded like an angel’s singing to Hannah.
“Yes, come on. We have to get out of here.” Somehow she helped Olivia to her feet and the two of them hobbled to the door.
When Hannah tried to turn the knob, she realized the door was locked. She pressed her forehead against the wood, fighting the panic that clawed at her. There had to be another way out, there just had to be.
She guided Olivia back to the wall and helped her sit. “The door is locked.”
“Mm.” Olivia didn’t sound like she would last long. Jeb had thrown her so hard against the wall, her head was probably broken open. Hannah had never been around someone with such a serious injury, but she heard both Eva and Granny in her head, telling her to stay calm. She felt Olivia’s head and her hand came away sticky with blood.
Hannah ripped part of her skirt to make a bandage and wrapped Olivia’s head as tightly as she dared. It would have to do until they could get her real help.
“Stay here. I’m going to see if I can get us out of here.” She felt around the small room, finding vegetables, jars full of what was probably preserves, and a few baskets. Nothing helpful.
Hannah searched around the door and got nothing but a few splinters. There had to be something she could use to get out.
“Call for help.” Olivia’s weak suggestion surprised Hannah.
“I can’t do that.” Hannah had found an inner well of strength and she wasn’t going to abandon it just yet. She continued her journey to the right of the door and found a metal bar. With a triumphant grin, she went back to the door. Using all her strength, she pried the metal bar against the door until it splintered.
A shaft of light blinded her temporarily. She tucked the metal bar into her waistband and peered out the door. There didn’t seem to be anyone about, but that didn’t mean Jeb wouldn’t come back any second.
Hannah returned for Olivia and together they crept out of the small cellar room and started toward the stairs.

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