Page 86 of Montana Freedom

“I know. I’ll tell you as soon as I have more.”

Taking a deep breath, I heaved it out and turned to the window to watch the landscape fly by.

We had a chance. Not a large one, but it was a chance. That was all I could ask.

Hold on, Emma. I’m coming.

Chapter29

Emma

Simon looked down at me, and his eyes held no mercy. He could shoot me dead in this cage, and that would be the end of everything. I was surprised he hadn’t done it already.

“I’ve been looking for you. You’re slipperier than I expected.”

“Lot of good it did me.”

He smiled, and I felt sick. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. You couldn’t go against me having someone in the FBI. It was a good attempt, though, I’ll give you that. I wish I would have found you sooner to keep you from talking, but what’s done is done.” Pointing to the other man he hadn’t shot, Simon nodded to me. “Get her out.”

I fell painfully against the bars as the man heaved the cage upright where he could open it. What did I do here? If I ran for it, Simon would shoot me in the back. But I didn’t have a guarantee he wouldn’t shoot me anyway.

I was pulled from the cage, and I stumbled, still dizzy and in pain. The man now dead beside me had a hole straight through his forehead. “This isn’t North Dakota,” I said, betting I hadn’t been unconscious long enough for us to get over the border.

Simon laughed. “No, it’s not. Why?”

“Because.” I straightened and looked at him, pretending to be braver than I felt. “You promised me an unmarked grave in North Dakota. You’ve hardly fulfilled any of your promises as a father. You might as well keep that one.”

I watched his hand tighten on his gun before he holstered it. “I’ll see what I can do about that. But first, you’re going to help me do the only thing you’re still good for. Get her inside.”

The buildings in front of me were nondescript and ancient, just like everything I’d seen Simon favor. He used the natural abandonment of properties in barren locations to hide himself. I’d commend him if he weren’t a murdering psychopath.

“Do I get to know?”

“Know what?”

“What I’m still good for.” I swallowed. “We both know I’m not getting out of this alive. There’s no harm in telling me.”

“I’ll tell you things you should have known. Like the fact that I knew you were at that ranch the second Agent Jones found you there, and I’ve been watching you ever since. Of course you would go to them, after they managed to sneak up on me like that—something I assure you will not happen again.”

I didn’t contradict him and tell him I didn’t choose to go to Resting Warrior and only ended up there because of Daniel. “Was it you who shot at me?”

He scoffed. “If I had been the one there, I would neither have hesitated nor missed the target.”

“If you tried to kill me then, why am I still alive?”

Simon smiled. “Clever, bringing it all the way around to your original question. You don’t think I know the FBI will come after you? And your little band of soldiers? You’re my daughter, and they’ll do anything to take me down. So that’s what you’re good for, Emma. Bait.”

“You have Agent Jones in your pocket,” I said. “I’m sure he’ll spin it for you.”

“He’ll try. But you disappearing on his watch? With a tracker? They will know, and they will come after you, which is exactly what I want.”

I stopped walking, frozen in place. The man behind me tried to shove me forward, but I resisted. He knew? This whole time he knew?

Simon turned and looked at me. “Don’t be so surprised. I’ve been doing this a long time, Emma. You think I’m so naïve that I wouldn’t have my men check for trackers?”

He knew, and he wanted them to come after me. He wanted them here while I was here. So he could kill them? Take them hostage? Torture them? I didn’t know. With Simon, it could be anything.

“Why not just disappear?” I asked. “You had your chance.”

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