Page 53 of River Justice

“You want this money or not?” Holden called back. “Harming Holly Jo won’t bring back your sister or her son.”

“Herson?” Darius let out a bark of a laugh. “See, that’s the problem. You never took responsibility. Danny wasyourson. Things could have been different if you had done the honorable thing and married her—or at least claimed your child. Now you’re not the only one who’s going to have to pay for your sins. Bring me the money or you won’t see Holly Jo again.”

Holden swore as he opened the SUV’s door, tucked his weapon into his jacket pocket and picked up the briefcase from the dirt. He itched to pull his gun and finish this, but common sense overrode his fury, telling him to not risk it. He needed to get closer. He needed to look Darius in the eye when he pulled the trigger.

Clearly anxious, Darius shifted on his feet. Maybe he was worried that Holden planned to kill him. He should be. Within six yards of him, Holden stopped.

“Open it on the ground so I can see the money,” Darius said, lifting his weapon and aiming it at him. “I’ll get her as soon as I see the money. But unless it is all there, she won’t be leaving this mountain.”

STUARTCLIMBEDUPonto the road in the dark shadow of the mountain, yards from the kidnapper’s pickup. He’d been listening and had hoped the two would keep talking. The noise would cover his footfalls as he hugged the mountain, and the added darkness it provided would enable him to work his way toward the white pickup.

He desperately wanted to end this before blood was shed, but he had to know if Holly Jo was in the truck. If the man Holden called Darius Reed hadn’t brought her, then Stuart needed to make sure the man lived long enough to tell them where he’d left the girl.

Once he knew she was safe—

“If I don’t see Holly Jo in the next few seconds, you’re not getting a dime,” Holden yelled. Stuart could hear him getting angrier. He doubted the rancher planned to let Darius walk away with any of the money. Not tonight. Not ever.

“I told you to open it so I can see the money,” Darius said, sounding like he was losing patience. Holden was already on edge, a loose cannon. Stuart couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t lose his temper and kill the kidnapper before they had Holly Jo.

The sheriff reached the pickup and edged along the side. If Holly Jo was in the truck and he could make sure she was safe before—

The pickup was empty. No Holly Jo. He felt his heart drop as he pulled his weapon and started to work his way to the rear of the pickup. He would have a clear view of Darius Reed’s back once he—

“You didn’t bring the girl, did you, you lying son of a—”

The sound of gunfire filled the air, echoing off the side of the mountain.

HOLDENHADN’TEXPECTEDhe would be the one to escalate things so quickly. He had tossed the heavy briefcase into the air at the man, pulled the gun from his pocket and begun firing. The first shot struck the briefcase. The second went wild.

He didn’t realize that Darius was firing back, even though the air seemed to fill with gunshots. Just as he didn’t feel the first shot that hit him in the shoulder or the next one in his side. He was emptying his gun in the direction the man had been standing. Unfortunately, most of the shots must have been going into the dirt, because when the dust settled, the man and the briefcase of money were gone.

As he fell to the ground, he heard more shots, then the roar of a truck engine that needed a good mechanic. By then, he was looking up at the stars—and Stuart Layton’s face.

“I thought I told you to stay out of this,” he said to the sheriff before everything went dark.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

AFTERHISATTEMPTto stop the kidnapper had failed, Stuart felt the rest of the night blur past, starting with a call to 911 for an ambulance to meet him at the turnoff to Suicide Pass. He’d done what he could for Holden, gotten him into his SUV and driven him down the road as the ambulance and EMTs arrived. From there, Holden was airlifted to Billings, while the sheriff made the call to the family.

“And Holly Jo?” Elaine asked after he’d informed her of Holden’s injuries.

“She wasn’t in the kidnapper’s truck,” Stuart said. “He must have stashed her somewhere. I’ve already sent deputies out to search for her in the ransom drop area.”

“What about you? Are you all right?” she asked, no doubt hearing the despair in his voice.

He’d been determined to take Darius Reed alive, afraid otherwise they would never find Holly Jo. He’d shot to wound the man, but unfortunately, Darius had pinned him down with gunfire. He couldn’t be sure that he’d wounded the man before Darius had jumped into his truck and taken off.

“As well as I can be with Holden fighting for his life and Holly Jo still missing,” he said in answer to Elaine’s question. “You’ll let the rest of the family know?”

“Yes. I’m headed to the hospital now,” Elaine said. “Thank God you were there, Stuart. Otherwise... You saved his life.”

That wasn’t the way he saw it. He’d failed, and the ransom drop had gone south. He knew he had to put it behind him. He hadn’t slept since Holly Jo had been taken. Getting so close and letting the kidnapper get away was devastating, but not as much as the thought that Holden McKenna might be dying.

As the sun rose, he knew the clock was still ticking. He had to find Holly Jo and the man who’d kidnapped her before it was too late. Unfortunately, Darius had gotten away with one of the briefcases full of money. He might decide that it was enough and take off, figuring to cut his losses. Where did that leave Holly Jo, if she was still alive?

CHARLOTTEHADPROVEDin her more than half century of life that she wasn’t above lying to get what she wanted. She was ready to do whatever it took to get into Holden’s hospital room short of taking a nurse hostage. But not even that was out of the realm of possibility.

When Elaine had called to tell her that he’d been shot twice, her heart had shuddered to a stop. All breath had rushed out. She’d had to sit down. “Is he—”

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