Brody (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood Book 3) Page 17

  “Evan couldn’t have gotten onto the property. He doesn’t even know we’re here.”

  “Could somebody in town have told him? If they thought he was a stranger looking for directions?” Camilla sat on the bed beside Beth, and slung her arm around her shoulder. “He’s clever enough to try something like that.”

  “I guess it’s possible. Somebody might not have seen his picture broadcast all over the TV.” Beth jumped up, heading for the door. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing.”

  “You can’t leave, not until Brody or Rafe gets here.”

  “I’m going to check the barn. She might be there.”

  “I already looked there.” Nica trailed along behind Beth. “She wasn’t there.”

  Beth never stopped walking. “Well, I can check it again.”

  “Right, good plan. Let’s check the barn.” Nica lunged around Beth, and opened the kitchen door, holding it while Beth and Camilla walked through. “I’ve also called Dane, and he’s riding in from the pasture. He’s keeping his eyes peeled, in case she wandered farther than she’d intended.”

  Beth broke into a sprint, reaching the barn before the other two women, and flung open the open. No easy feat, but she felt supercharged, hellbent on finding her child. The barn cat snuggled on an old blanket, the tiny kittens nuzzled against her, feeding. She explored every nook and cranny, looking into stalls, even behind stacks of hay. No Jamie.

  “Gimme a second, let me look up there.” Nica started climbing the wooden ladder leading to the barn’s upper level.

  “Jamie knows she’s not allowed up there.”

  “She’s a kid. Kids love to go places where they’re not supposed to. It’s part of growing up.” Nica scampered up the rest of the way to the loft, her head raised high enough she could spy the entire loft area. Beth’s heart sank when Nica shook her head, and started climbing down.

  “Where is she? I swear if Evan has her, I’m going to kill him.”

  Camilla snorted. “Get in line, girlfriend.”

  Beth spun around and raced outside at the sound of her name being called. Brody was here! He’d find Jamie.

  “Brody!” She flung herself into his arms, her whole body trembling. Strong arms encircled her, pulling her against his warmth. Taking a deep breath, she fought back tears. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart, that could come later. Right now, she needed to be the fierce warrior he’d claimed, and move heaven and earth to find her child.

  “What happened?”

  “Jamie’s missing. I’d gone to see Camilla at Dane’s house. Nica was keeping an eye on Jamie. She called me, told me Jamie’s missing. Have you heard anything about Evan? Is he here? Could he have my baby?”

  “Calm down. Nobody’s seen or heard anything about your ex. Nothing new, anyway. We’ll find her, I promise.” Brody’s hand cupped the back of her head, and she leaned back, staring into his eyes, and reading his determination and promise.

  “I know.”

  Brody’s arm snaked around her waist at the sound of a car speeding toward the house from the front gate, followed by a second. Rafe’s truck screeched to a stop, and he jumped out, jogging toward Brody and Beth. Ms. Patti’s white Cadillac Escalade rocked to a stop beside Rafe’s truck. Looked like Nica’s call about rounding up the posse worked, because people suddenly seemed to be coming out of the woodwork.

  “Any word?” Brody asked as soon as Rafe was within speaking distance.

  “Remember I told you about the woman’s car being stolen at Beth’s old apartment complex? Turns out her cell phone is missing, too. She thinks it might still be in the car.”

  “Can you trace it somehow?” A tiny speck of hope blossomed inside Beth, despite knowing the chances of the woman’s phone being anywhere near Evan were slim to none. A slim chance was more than she’d had a few minutes ago.

  “Chance hauled his backside over to Judge Jenkins’ house with a warrant. We’ve got also got the owner’s permission. I’ve already called the phone carrier and alerted them a warrant is coming, and they’re ready to go the second we’ve got the judge’s signature. Fingers crossed the phone is inside the stolen car and Stewart hasn’t spotted it and tossed it.”

  “But we don’t know he’s got Jamie.”

  “True.” Rafe studied Beth’s face, and there was something indefinable in his eyes. He was hiding something, she could feel it.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Rafe?”

  He shook his head. “We need to search every place. Let’s round up everybody, and we’ll start doing a grid pattern search. Maybe she got lost, and can’t find her way back to the house. She’s not familiar with all of the property. Maybe she wandered a little too far, and we’ll find her.”

  “We’ve searched everywhere in the house, Rafe,” Nica spoke up. “I even looked in the attic, in case she got bored and went exploring.” She slapped her hands across her mouth, her eyes glazed with tears. “It’s my fault. I was supposed to be watching her. Instead I went chasing after that stupid donkey. If anything happens to her…”

  “Jamie’s gonna be fine. Nobody wants to hurt her. Even if Stewart somehow got hold of her, the man is her father. He won’t hurt her.”

  Ms. Patti stepped into the center of the gathered family. “Rafe’s right. Let’s regroup, see who’s here, and get everybody looking for Jamie.” Beth listened as Ms. Patti started listing off everybody. “Heath’s covering the road into town, doing a slow sweep. Dusty and Sally Anne have set up a command center at the sheriff’s office. Antonio’s on his way with Serena and Tessa. They should be here within the next fifteen minutes. Nica, Camilla, and Beth already started the search of the house. Dane’s riding in, should be—there he is,” Ms. Patti gestured toward a lone man on horseback, riding at a fast clip toward them.

  “Dad’s out on a job site with Liam. I talked to Liam, and they’ll be on their way ASAP.” Brody pulled Beth closer against his side, and Beth couldn’t help feeling a little bit better. He was her rock, her stability, her safe place, and once they found Jamie, she was going to tell him how she felt. Who cared they hadn’t had the traditional courtship with all the trappings? Her feelings were real and they were true. Brody had become her friend in the beginning, and every time she’d been around him, gotten to know him a little better, her feelings changed. Became more. She loved him with all her heart, and maybe, if she was really lucky, he felt the same about her.

  “We’ve checked the house and the barn.” Beth turned to Brody. “What should we do next?”

  Before he answered, Rafe’s phone rang, and he answered on the first ring. “Boudreau.”

  He listened, gave a brief nod to Brody, and hung up. “We’ve got the warrant. Chance made the call to the phone company, and they are pinging cell towers, trying to triangulate a location.” Turning to the assembled crowd, he barked orders, handing out assignments.

  “Nica, Camilla, you stay close to the house in case Jamie shows up. Beth, go with them.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. When Jamie’s found, she’s going to need her mother. Some place where she’ll feel safe.”

  “I understand.” She’d do anything Rafe asked, if it meant holding her baby in her arms again.

  “Momma, check around your gazebo, see if Jamie found it and she’s playing there.”

  Without a word, Ms. Patti disappeared around the side of the house. Beth pictured the magical gazebo Brody had shown her, its fairy tale setting, and hoped Jaime somehow found it and was playing inside, not realizing the worry she’d caused everyone.

  “Dane, since you’re already saddled up, ride the tree line behind the house and to the east, see if you spot anything. Brody and I will walk the supply trail behind the barn area. Keep your phones handy. Don’t hesitate to shout out if—when—you find something.”

  Beth followed Nica and Camilla into the house, but couldn’t stay still. She paced the living room, wearing a rut in the area rug. Arms wrapped across her middle, she jumped at every nois
e. Stand in the living room, she looked at everything, yet saw nothing except her baby’s face in her mind. Jamie, when she’d been born, screeching at the top of her lungs, with her squished red face, counting all her tiny fingers and toes. Jamie, smiling at her, as her front teeth came in, drool running down her chin. Jamie, when she’d taken her first steps. She’d barely crawled, simply pulling herself upright and going from standing to racing in no time. Or her second birthday when she’d blown out all the candles, and covered the cake with slobber. Nobody cared, they’d simply scraped off the frosting and celebrated.

  Nica knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around her, rocking her gently. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen to her knees in the middle of the rug until then.

  “It’s going to be alright, Beth. We’ll find her. She can’t have gone too far. Bet she’ll come racing in, like nothing even happened. Wait and see.”

  “She’s so little, and she’s never wandered off before.” Beth looked into Nica’s eyes, despair crowding out the fear. “He’s got my baby. Somehow, he found out we were here, and he’s taken her.”

  “Beth, don’t think like that. You don’t know your ex has her. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a possibility. A slim one, but I’m not going to try and sugarcoat things. You’re a strong woman, and Jamie’s going to need you to be strong, because when she comes home, she is going to need her mother.”

  “I swear, if Evan has taken her, I’m going to kill him.”

  Nica barked out a broken laugh. “Don’t say that in front of Rafe, because he’s the law, but if Evan took her, I’ll give you the gun.”

  Beth wiped at her eyes, determined not to cry. There’d be time for tears later. Right now, she needed to be calm. Be strong. For Jamie.

  “I can’t stay here, doing nothing. Where else can we look? I know Rafe said not to leave the house, so let’s look here. Start going room by room.”

  Nica stood and extended her hand to Beth. “Let’s start at the top and work our way down. I already checked the attic, but let’s look again.”

  Beth took her hand, letting the younger woman help her to her feet. “Let’s find my daughter.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Lady Luck was on his side today. First, he’d gotten the info of where Beth was hiding. He wasn’t surprised she was shacking up with one of the lousy Boudreaus, but then again, Beth was an opportunist, and beautiful to boot. She’d managed to twist him around her little finger at the beginning of their relationship too. Why wouldn’t she do it to another man? She’d use him and abuse him, toss him out like yesterday’s trash the minute she found something bigger and better.

  His luck continued when he’d found an isolated road, practically depositing him on the Boudreaus’ back doorstep. It looked like something used for loading and hauling ranching stuff. He didn’t care; it worked for his purpose, an unobserved spot to stay out of sight and provide a quick getaway if he was spotted. Dame Fortune continued shining down on him when he’d spotted Jamie from his hiding place, skipping out the back door, headed toward the barn. After that, it had been too easy.

  “Daddy, you promised Mommy could come with us to get ice cream.”

  Evan rolled his eyes at Jamie’s words. She hadn’t shut up from the minute she gotten in the car. When she’d spotted him in the trees, crouching hidden out of sight from those nosy Boudreaus, she’d raced across the grass, flinging herself into his arms. It was a true miracle nobody spotted her, practically doing cartwheels on her way toward his hiding place. He’d squeezed her tight, felt her tears against the skin of his neck as she blubbered about how much she’d missed him, and why had he stayed gone so long. Apparently, that was one thing in Beth’s favor—she hadn’t told the brat about him being behind bars. He’d love to know what story she’d concocted for Jamie about his long absence.

  “I’ll call her again in a little while, okay? She can meet us and we’ll go get your ice cream.”

  “We have to go back, Daddy. I’m supposed to help take care of the kitties. The mommy cat had babies!”

  “Kitties—you mean kittens? Why should you take care of them? Don’t they have people to do that?”

  Jamie squirmed around in the back seat, wiggling as much as the seatbelt allowed. “I like playing with the kitties. They’re little, and they squirm a lot when I pick them up, and they kiss me all over my face. And I get to chase them. It’s fun.”

  “Later, Jamie. You can play with them later.”

  “Where are we going? I’m not supposed to go any place without Mommy. I don’t want her to get mad at me. Maybe you should call her again.”

  It’s okay. I’ll let Mommy know where you are, baby. We’re going to stop in a minute, and I’ll call her.” Does this child ever stop talking?

  “Did you know I got to play with Otto?”

  “Who’s Otto? Does he work for the Boudreaus?” Evan maneuvered around a slow-moving truck pulling a trailer. Something inside reeked, and he held his breath. The stench was enough to bring tears to his eyes. How could people stand living with the stench? He punched the accelerator, speeding away from the truck, continuing north and east. According to his map, it shouldn’t be too much farther until he hit one of the big interstates. He’d have a much better chance of putting some distance between him and Shiloh Springs once he hit civilization again.

  “Daddy, is it time to call Mommy yet? She’s gonna be really mad at me. I wasn’t supposed to leave.” Jamie’s voice quieted, and he could barely hear her. “I disobeyed her, and went outside even though she told me to stay in the house. I wanted to see the kitties, but Nica told me to wait and she’d go with me, but she had to chase Otto. That was funny. I think Otto was laughing at her.”

  Right, Otto the donkey.

  A convenience store loomed up ahead in the distance, and within a few minutes, Evan pulled into the parking lot, easing the car around the side where no other cars parked. Jamie’s eyes darted around, taking in everything, but at least she’d stopped talking for the first time since she’d gotten in the car. He’d never realized how much the brat droned on and one. Then again, he’d stayed gone as much as humanly possible, so this might actually be normal behavior for her.

  It was now or never. If he made the call, the state would tack on a half dozen or more charges to his record, including kidnapping, felony escape, and a laundry list of foul deeds. Didn’t matter the brat was his, he was an escaped convict, no longer a custodial parent. He shook his head. Why was he even debating the situation? His path was set the second he’d climbed in the back of Axel’s girlfriend’s car. No turning back.

  Reaching onto the front seat, he picked up the cell phone and dialed. He’d been fortunate when he’d picked this car to steal. The owner’s cell phone must’ve slid out of her purse and wedged between the seats when she’d gotten out and got the groceries. He’d only found it when it rang. Scared the spit out of him, before he realized what it was. So, he had wheels and a means of communication. And now he had a hostage—his own daughter.

  Steeling his nerves, he dialed Beth’s number. He knew she had the same cell number she’d had when they were married. His attorney had listed it on some papers in his briefcase, and Evan had spotted it, making a mental note.

  He said a silent prayer Beth would cooperate—because there was no turning back now.

  Beth jumped when her phone rang, and she snatched it from her jeans pocket, and answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

  “Mommy!”

  “Baby, where are you? I’ve been so worried.”

  “We’re going for ice cream. Daddy said it was okay, because he hadn’t seen me in a long time, and he wanted us to have a special treat. Are you coming, Mommy?”

  A cold sweat broke out across her skin at her daughter’s words. Evan had Jamie! Her worst nightmare had come true. She watched Nica motioning wildly, trying to get her attention, but Beth ignored her, focusing all her concentration on her daughter.

  “Of course! I
want to have ice cream too, sweetie. Where are you? I’ll come meet you.”

  “Um, I’m not sure, Mommy. It looks like—”

  “Hello, Beth.” Evan’s voice was devoid of any emotion, monotone and cold.

  “Where’s my daughter?”

  “Our daughter.”

  “You have no rights to Jamie. You signed the custody agreement voluntarily when you went to prison, remember. You relinquished all parental rights without a single regret. Those were your words, Evan. Remember? Just tell me what you want.”

  “What do you think I want, Beth? I want what I should have had from the very beginning. Money. I worked hard for it. I’m the one who did all the research. I’m the one who figured out the bond was still valid. I’m the one who realized its true worth. I deserve every penny, and I intend to get what’s coming to me.”

  “Oh, trust me, Evan, I’ll make sure you get everything coming to you.”

  “Daddy, I think I want to go home now. We don’t need ice cream. I wanna see Mommy.” The confusion and fear in Jamie’s voice sent Beth to her knees. Her precious baby, in the hands of the man who’d tried to murder her sister, and had planned Beth’s own demise, had her daughter.

  Muffled in the background, she heard the sound of footsteps racing inside the house from outside, but refused to focus on anything but the phone plastered against her ear. The dead silence on the other end terrified her.

  “Jamie, sweetheart, can you hear me?”

  “She’s fine. I haven’t hurt a single hair on her head, and I won’t if you do what I tell you.”

  “Evan, so help me, I’m going to rip your eyes out with my bare hands. Give me back my daughter.”

  “I want my money.”

  “I don’t have it. Every dime went back to the county. You know Tessa and I donated the bond back to Crowley County. And you, you left me in debt up to my eyeballs. Mortgages on the house. Credit cards in my name I didn’t open. Bank accounts empty. Even Jamie’s college fund’s gone. What more do you want from me?”