Page 15 of Austin's Answer
Vince swore and pounded the desk with his fist, and I knew he knew. “You shouldn’t have eavesdropped, Emily.”
“I didn’t.” My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and Ray snatched it. “Hey! That’s mine.”
He ignored me. “It’s that shifter. The rodeo one.”
“Check the phone.” Vince sounded tired.
Ray unlocked the screen with my face, making me regret setting up that feature. He scrolled through my messages. “Looks like she warned him about the saddles. Says nothing about us, though.” He shoved the phone into his pocket. “What do you want me to do with her, boss?”
“Do with me?” My gaze darted between the two. “I’m your sister, Vince. You won’t hurt me.”
“She’s just going to run back to those shifters and tell them everything.” Ray crossed his arms. “She always had the hots for one of them.”
Vince dropped his head in his hands. His shoulders rose and fell with his breath as we waited for him to speak. When he lifted his head and didn’t meet my gaze, my stomach dropped. “Take her to the cabin. I’ll hide her vehicle.”
“You’re not serious.” I stepped closer to his desk and laid my hand on his. “Vince, this isn’t you.”
“Big brother has changed, princess.” Ray snorted. “Now, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Vince shot a glare at Ray. “Don’t hurt her. I just need her out of the way while I fix this.”
“Of course, boss. Wouldn’t dream of hurting her.” Ray grasped my upper arm and dragged me out of the office toward the back door, his hands rough against my skin. I fought him,and he swore when my foot caught him in the shin. He slammed me against the wall with a force that stole my breath. He leaned closer as I tried to fill my lungs back up with air. “Your brother may not want you hurt, but I don’t care. Behave, or I’ll knock you out.” He chuckled. “Might do it anyway. It’d be easier for me if you were out.”
He tightened his grip and pulled me along next to him. My eyes darted around, searching for a weapon. Anything to get me out of this. I needed to warn Austin and his brothers.
We were in the kitchen now. My eyes landed on the knife block. The timing needed to be perfect.
As we passed the counter, I slammed my heel on his foot and his hold loosened, just enough for me to twist out of it. I lunged for the knives, my hand bumping the block and tipping it over. I trembled as adrenaline coursed through my body and reached for the closest handle, but before I could grab it, Ray was dragging me backward. A cry flew from my lips as his fingers caught in my hair, pulling a few strands loose.
“So, we’re gonna do this the hard way, huh?” Ray laughed, a dark sound that echoed through me. “Sounds like fun.”
EIGHT
Austin
I checked my phone again. Still no reply from Emily.
“Last one.” Luke grabbed the next saddle and started examining it. “Any word from your mate? What exactly are we looking for?”
“I don’t know. She just said it was urgent we check the saddles.” There was a pit in my stomach. Something wasn’t right. I tried calling her again. No answer.
Luke swore and turned the saddle toward me. “Look at the buckle.”
I had to lean in close to catch it. The buckle was damaged just enough that within a ride or two, it would have snapped. “That’s deliberate,” I growled.
“I agree.” Luke’s lips thinned. “And easy to miss. Whoever did this knows what they’re doing.”
“But how would Emily know?” I grabbed my phone. Still nothing.
“Could she have overheard someone talking about it? Where was she going?”
“The vet clinic and then to see her father. She didn’t mention anything else.” I stood, pacing as I whipped my hat off my head.“If she heard something she shouldn’t have, she could be in danger.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. She sent a text, so she was safe then. She might be out of range right now. There are lots of pockets around here where cells don’t work.” Luke grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to stop. “We’ll find her. You go to her family’s ranch, I’ll go to the vet clinic.”
The sound of laughter approaching had us turning toward the barn door. The guests were arriving. I grimaced. “The trail ride.”
Luke turned me back to face him. “You go. I’ll get Gabriel and Ethan to handle the ride, then I’ll head into town. Call me if you find her.” He walked over to the guests. “Hey, everyone. Change of plans. We need to push back the ride half an hour, and get you some new guides.”
