Page 127 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

Kolby froze beside him when they heard her voice. “Ty!” The sound bounced around, echoing all over, seeming to come from above then from their left, then the right.

“Shay!” he shouted again, but this time only silence echoed in return.

They both stared up the trail ahead of them, then Ty started to run. He didn’t stop until the trail split. He skidded to halt, frozen by indecision. He wanted to shout again, but he knew that he’d screwed up badly by doing that.

That asshole would now make sure that she couldn’t shout back – couldn’t give away their position.

Kolby caught up with him and panted, “You take right, I’ll take left. No more than 300 yards. Then we meet back here. Promise me, Ty! You meet me back here and we compare notes.”

Ty nodded curtly and started running up the path to the right. He ran 300 yards, seeing nothing. No sign that anyone had been this way. He wished he was more of a tracker – there could be plenty of signs, but he wouldn’t notice them while he was running this fast. He slowed to a walk; he needed to go just a little farther before he could make himself turn around.

He kept his eyes on the ground, wishing that it was mud season, or that there was snow on the ground, and he’d be able to make out fresh tracks. There was nothing like that, just dust and … He frowned. That looked like the heel mark of a boot. He carried on slowly – he could just be fooling himself. Kolby might have found signs that they’d taken the left fork. He could be waiting for him, wasting time … A shaft of sunlight filtered through the trees and something glinted, catching his eye. He hurried forward and fell on his knees when he saw the chain – and the little beehive charm.

He grabbed it and held it close to his heart. “I’m coming for you, Shay,” he whispered. “Just hold on, sweetheart.”

He turned when he heard Kolby approaching. “I knew you wouldn’t … What’s that? Did you find something?”

Ty nodded as he got to his feet. “It’s her necklace. She came this way.”

~ ~ ~

Shayna’s heart had soared when she heard Ty shout her name. She shouted back at the top of her lungs. He was closer than shewould have thought possible. She’d set out early to go get Mateo and Maya, thinking that she’d be able to sit and read in the truck for half an hour before they came out of school. She’d thought it’d take ages before Ty figured out that something was wrong.

All the hope that she’d felt when she heard him had been dashed when Carey had closed his hand over her mouth. He’d stood behind her, his other arm around her waist and whispered next to her ear.

“You shout again, I’ll shoot you now. I can get away by myself and leave your body for him to find.”

She hadn’t dared to make a sound since. He was dragging her deeper and deeper into the forest and she was stumbling more and more often. She fell once, and he dragged her back to her feet, pushing her forward so that she almost fell again.

The next time she fell, he stood over her and pointed the gun at her head. “You’re not worth it. You wouldn’t scream for me when you could – and now we can’t risk them hearing you.”

As he held her gaze, she wanted nothing more than to scream long and loud, but she didn’t dare.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her back to her feet, turning as he did. A red-hot bolt of pain shot up her arm when she slammed into a tree. She bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming.

“Shit!” He glowered at her. “You’re too fucking fragile. I thought you were tough enough to take a pounding. Here, let me see – is it broken?”

He pulled her arm, and the pain was so intense that she saw black dots behind her eyes.

“Fuck!”

Everything went black, and the next thing she knew she was opening her eyes, lying on the ground.

Carey was sitting a few yards away, his pistol trained on her as though he was contemplating whether to pull the trigger.

He confirmed that impression when he said, “I should just off you now. Don’t want to fuck you if you’re not going to scream for me – and we can’t risk the noise.”

Shayna swallowed and tried to speak, she had to wet her lips and clear her throat before she could make her voice work.

“Wouldn’t they hear the shot?”

He stared at her for a long few moments before letting out a short laugh. “You’re right. They would. Can’t have that now, can we?”

He looked her over, making her skin crawl. “Maybe I should just leave you. You won’t make it through the night out here by yourself – there are wolves and bears around and all kinds of animals who’d love to eat you.”

Her skin crawled as he let his gaze travel over her. “Wanted to tie you up and eat you myself. I was in too much of a hurry. I might have to leave you and make a better plan. If they find you, I’ll know.” He smiled, seeming to warm to the idea. “Yeah, that might be fun. If they find you, I’ll come for you again when I’m ready. I’ll take my time, and that way you’ll have to live your life looking over your shoulder – knowing that the day’s going to come. Next time you see me, you’ll scream. I guarantee it.”

Shayna was starting to feel a glimmer of hope. If he left her, she stood a chance. She’d worry aboutnext timeif she survived this time!

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