Page 20 of Stalked at Rescue Ridge

Bree fought to stay awake as darkness descended around her. She needed to get out of there to find Kade before it was too late.

Fight,she thought. Break free from the weights pressing down on her limbs and making them so heavy that she couldn’t so much as wiggle a finger. Kade would help her.

Do something,she thought.

No amount of mental cajoling seemed to work. Dusk crashed down on her anyway. And just before she closed her eyes for what she feared might be the last time, the scuffing sounds came closer.

6

The night air chilled Kade to the bone as he exited his pickup. Tucking his chin to his chest, he walked toward Weezie, careful not to step on any tracks. Chloe had all but forced him not to sell his own truck while he’d been in the service, and as much as it burned him to admit, she’d been right. She’d promised to drive it once in a while and keep it parked next to her trailer ready so he could drive when he returned to Saddle Junction. She’d said it would be safer for her that way because strangers would always think a man was home. Kade had almost laughed out loud.Did strangers ever come to Saddle Junction,he’d teased. Not on purpose. The only folks in town either lived here or had a relative who did. Others traveled through, not to, the small Texas town.

This knowledge should reassure him in Bree’s case, but the hairs on the back of his neck pricked, and he had a bad feeling as he approached her abandoned vehicle. A tow would be here soon, no doubt. Time moved slower in a place like this. Folks weren’t in a hurry like in big cities. This frustrated him most times but benefitted him in this case because it gave him an opportunity to check out the scene before evidence could be disturbed.

Kade walked the perimeter, palming his phone with his flashlight app lighting the way. He gave a wide berth so he didn’t plant his boots on top of other tracks.

Based on tire track marks, a vehicle had pulled up behind hers. He snapped a pic of the tread marks in the gravel. A person had most likely gotten out on the driver’s side. On the road, gravel was spread thin making it impossible to grab an imprint, unlike on the shoulder where it was at least an inch thick.

He came around the front of Weezie after examining the back. Again, he took note of the busted back window. There were the usual nicks and dings but nothing that signaled recent damage to the bumper.

From the looks of the gravel, an altercation had occurred here. And then…

Hells bells.

There were drag marks leading down the side of the vehicle and running a couple of car lengths behind it. A snapshot of Bree being dragged to—what? a trunk?—flitted through his mind. Flames of anger licked through his veins.

Even to a civilian, it was obvious what had happened here. How had the sheriff missed this? Or was he downplaying the scene so no one would panic?

Kade raked his fingers through his hair and released a pained, guttural groan. His first thought was for Bree to come home safely. His second was for the baby to survive. In a matter of hours, parenthood had been given and possibly taken away.

Another thought struck. Bree could go into labor if she was put under too much stress. Being abducted certainly qualified. Trying to deliver a baby while being held captive could take both her and the baby’s lives.

Standing here wouldn’t do a lick of good, so he took another slow lap around Weezie. Bree’s handbag was inside, so he collected it. A question struck. Why hadn’t the sheriff or one of his deputy’s done the same? Wouldn’t a law enforcement officer collect the purse along with anything else useful as evidence?

Kade navigated back onto the gravel road toward town. The sheriff’s office was a good twenty-minute drive, according to his navigation system. He’d only had one beer, not even that much, so he was good behind the wheel.

He turned onto Farm Road 12 a few minutes later, his headlights illuminating a patch of road in front of him. Trees and underbrush lined the road due to recent rains.

A deer shot out of nowhere. Kade swerved and heard a thud. He was out of his truck and around to the passenger side in a heartbeat. The deer took a couple of steps back before regaining its senses and sprinting in the opposite direction.

Kade fished his cell from his back pocket and flicked the flashlight app. No harm. No foul. And the deer didn’t seem worse for wear. Lucky buck.

Climbing back into the cab, he shut the door and buckled in. There’d only be black-tailed deer where he was heading in a few weeks. It was strange to think of calling another state his home. Part of his soul would always be in Texas. So would all his memories, and many of those he could live without.

Being in Saddle Junction made him think of Zeke. The two had grown up together. They’d met in football practice, and Zeke had hated Kade the first time they’d met. Kade had strolled into the head coach’s office freshman year at six-foot-four-inches and with muscle to back up his tall frame. Having someone cut in on Zeke’s starting spot during freshman year in a town where Friday Night Lights was the way of life had seemed to set Zeke off.

From day one, the pair had butted heads, literally and figuratively. Then, one night, Kade had drawn the fury away from Chloe and had taken a beating from Beaumont.

The next morning, Kade had walked into the dressing room at five a.m. The welts on the backs of his thighs had made walking hard as hell. He’d made up an excuse before refusing to change out for football practice. Coach had bought the excuse too easily. No one seemed to want to rock the boat or risk losing the star quarterback if the state pulled him from Beaumont’s home. Plus, there was the added bit about no one wanting to go up against Beaumont. Teachers and administrators had turned a blind eye. Not Zeke.

Zeke had stood in the opposite corner of the dressing room, arms folded, staring Kade down as usual. An emotion had flickered across his face when Kade winced as he sat down.

Zeke walked over and sat down beside Kade. Neither spoke right away.

Kade leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands clasped. He readied himself for the insults Zeke should’ve hurled about Kade’s dedication to the team and how the star quarterback couldn’t afford to take a day off.

Instead, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. “My dad likes to use the belt buckle on me he won during his rodeo days. Says he’s making me a man.”

The words sat thickly between them. Kade didn’tdoemotion. Not then. Not now. If he did, he would’ve thanked Zeke for sharing what Kade knew firsthand was rough to talk about openly.

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