Page 67 of Claimed by the Lawman

“No, I won’t get in there.” Tyler gritted her teeth. “I want answers.”

“Listen, sweetheart. I admire that kind of spunk. Your sister had it too, but I’m not here to have a pow wow. Let’s make this easy on the both of us. It’s freaking hot.”

“You knew my sister? You knew Susy?”

“One last time. Get in on your own or I’ll make you get in.”

Tyler’s mind scrambled. She knew the statistics. If she got into the vehicle her chances of survival dropped drastically. “You won’t get away with this. The Sherriff will be looking for me.”

The redhead laughed. “You let me take care of that.” She gave Tyler a hard push, sending her partway into the trunk. “If it was up to me, I’d get rid of you right here and now. You’ve caused a lot of problems, bitch!”

Reluctantly, Tyler climbed into the back, hoping the woman didn’t realize that she still had her phone shoved into her back pocket.

“Hand it over!” the redhead hissed.

“What?”

“Do you think I’m stupid? The phone, bitch!” She stuck out her hand.

Reluctantly, Tyler pulled the cell from her pocket and handed it over. She realized her situation just became dire.

~~**~~

“Is he able to talk?” Kace asked the doctor who attended to Rogue Posey’s wounds.

The doctor shrugged. “I’ve given him some pain meds and he’s in and out. You can try but I can’t promise anything.”

Kace had no choice but to try. He started for the emergency room department.

“Sheriff?”

He turned back to look at the doctor. “Yeah?”

“I think you should see this.” The doctor held out his hand which held a shiny pink lighter. “Rogue had a death grip on it when he was brought in. I don’t know if it’ll help you catch who did this or not, but I have a feeling it holds some meaning.”

Kace recognized the lighter, and just as he suspected, Ruby knew more than she let on.

Taking the lighter, he dropped it into his pocket and hurried into Rogue’s room. Time was ticking and it was taking all of Kace’s control not to allow his emotions to bleed through. He was held together by a few strands of strength, but it wouldn’t take much to fray his seams.

Pulling a chair over to the bedside, he sat down. “Rogue, I know it’s hard to talk, man, but this is important.”

Rogue fluttered his eyelids and looked at Kace.

“Tyler left the hospital this morning and her car was found a few miles from the ranch, abandoned. I haven’t been able to get ahold of her. The person who did this to you must think you’re dead, and I’m pretty certain they have your sister. I need to know who it was that did this to you. And you had this in your palm.” Kace lifted the lighter from his pocket and held it up. “Look familiar?” His throat was tight and he’d been full of tension since he found out Tyler was missing. His first thought had been to rake the town up and down, wreaking havoc on everyone, until his brother, Cullen, reined him in, reminding him how important it was to stay calm and logical. Why did Kace ever leave her at the hospital alone? He was supposed to protect her, and he failed miserably. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

Rogue lay in the hospital bed, hooked to many tubes and wires. His head was bandaged and bloody, and bruises were all over his face. Both his eyes and mouth were swollen. Someone had done a job on him, leaving him for dead. Kace hated to push the man, but this was the only hope they had in finding Tyler.

“I knew him. From my wilder days.” Rogue’s voice was raspy and dry. “Frankie Lutz.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Rogue nodded. “H-he used a taser. “The woman. Red hair. Dropped the lighter. Thought I was dead.”

Kace put the lighter back into his pocket. “Did they take you somewhere?” It was in their favor that Frankie and Ruby thought Rogue was dead. He was the only one who could tell Kace where they’d taken Tyler and he had to get to her before they harmed her.

“I-I don’t know.” He coughed.

Reaching for the water, Kace helped him sip from the straw. “Anything will help, Rogue. Your sister is in danger.”

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