Divine Charity(Divine Creek Ranch 18)(103)

Charity keyed the remote on the trunk of her new vehicle as they walked up to it.

“You talking about that cute little Jessica Bright?” a man Charity didn’t recognize said as he climbed out of his truck and walked up as if to offer them a hand. He was dressed like a ranch hand but Charity didn’t recognize him. “Here, let me help you with these. They look heavy.” Charity didn’t release the bags as she looked him full in the face.

The man wore a cowboy hat, jeans, boots, a barn jacket, and a plaid shirt but something was off about him. The attire didn’t seem quite right on him. And no one in their right mind would wear a heavy barn jacket on such a warm day. He was clean cut but there was a wiliness about him and he held eye contact with them too long, which she found disconcerting.

Grace and Charity exchanged a look and Grace said, “I was talking about my sister who recently moved to Ohio.”

“Nice try, bitches.” The menace in his growling voice made shivers run up Charity’s spine, followed by cold fingers of fear when he parted the front of his jacket to reveal a gun tucked in his waistband. “We need to have a talk. You cooperate and you’ll both live, no problem.” His eyes shifted around the half-full parking lot as customers came and went.

“What do you want?” Grace asked in a measured tone.

“Jessica Bright. She have that baby yet?”

“Yes.”

“Boy?” he asked sharply.

“Girl,” Charity replied, frowning when he ground out a low, filthy curse. “We won’t take you to her, if that’s what you want.”

“Got no use for a girl. You Grace Warner?” he asked, peering at Grace’s abdomen. Charity wanted to stop her but Grace nodded. She had a really bad feeling about this.

“Perfect. You’re coming with me. Climb up,” he gestured toward his jacked-up truck.

Grace shook her head. “I can’t and why do you want me?”

“I did my research and had a backup plan in case that little bitch whelped a girl. I heard through the Divine grapevine that you’re carrying a boy. I’m not leaving this town empty-handed. Val Teller and Ransome Cross cheated me out of my kid so it only makes sense that I replace my kid out of their family.”

“Cheated you?” Grace slid both arms around her abdomen and gaped at him. “You’re not serious.”

“Serious enough to shoot you and your friend if you don’t cooperate,” he said, gesturing at his gun.

Grace gestured to the brace that was visible beneath the collar of her maternity blouse. “I can’t get in your truck. I have a broken collarbone. I can’t lift myself into that vehicle and it’s too high to climb.” Charity was grateful she was still in the brace.

He cursed again as if it was her fault he hadn’t planned his kidnapping very well and then finally said, “I’ll help your damn fat ass into the truck.”

Charity knew if they got in that truck, Grace was good as dead. She envisioned jumping in it and driving back and forth over his profane ass for insulting Grace’s body and threatening them both. “Why do you have to have her? Take me.”

“I plan to keep her until she pops out that kid. I can’t breed you so I don’t need you, bitch. All I want is the kid.” Charity recalled hearing that this asshole, for by this point she was sure they were dealing with Trevor Dornan, had been attacked and castrated by a fellow inmate while in jail.

“What happens after she has the baby?”

A nasty smile crossed the bastard’s face. “Wouldn’t you like to know? I know someone else who’d like a shot at a proven breeder. But you? You’re dead weight. I don’t need you. Now get her in the truck before I put a bullet in your brain.”

There was only one thing she could do.

“No,” Charity said, positioning Grace behind her.

“Charity, what are you doing?” Grace asked, fear resonating in her voice as she looked around the parking lot.

“Keep your voice down, bitch.”

Charity raised an eyebrow. “You’re not taking my sister. You can’t risk shooting her for fear of damaging the baby, and you won’t shoot me for fear of drawing attention. If you do, you’ll never be able to get her in the truck on your own and you can bet she won’t cooperate with you.”

“Nope,” Grace said from behind her.

“I’ll shoot her in the foot. That’ll motivate her.”

“No it won’t,” Charity countered, praying for enough time for someone to see them and get suspicious. “Then she definitely won’t be able to climb, and she could get an infection and lose the baby or die.” Just keep talking.