LLucy’s Revenge(Divine Creek Ranch 15)(131)

Emily Anne glanced at her in the mirror but otherwise kept the Escape between the lines on the state highway. The arm he had a hard hold of tingled and began to go numb and would be useless in a few minutes. She tried to relax against the seat to see if he’d let up some but he didn’t.

For good measure, he squeezed even harder and growled, “For a woman, you’ve got well-developed arms. Don’t get any ideas in your head once we get to where we’re going.”

The only idea in my head, motherfucker, is knocking your squinty-eyed ass out.

“Turn right at the next FM road,” Baxter said. “And don’t try to do anything funny. The first sign that you’re speeding up or doing anything you shouldn’t, I’ll put a bullet in your friend’s head. Got it?”

Emily Anne looked so scared and Lucy felt awful for her as she nodded. “Yes. I’ve got it.”

“You’re my insurance. I got to get the hell out of here. Secrets can’t stay buried forever. I knew they were watching me. I always know. But I’ve outsmarted them before. I can outsmart them again.” Baxter continued muttering to himself. Lucy watched him in her peripheral vision and could tell he was in an elevated state. He was flushed and sweaty and his eyes were not exactly focused and he kept shifting them around nervously.

Just you wait, you son of a bitch.

All she needed was a diversion.

Baxter kept mumbling at her side about needing insurance and having to make stops at the bank. She wondered how he planned to do any of that with two hostages and the thought made her go cold. She’d need to act quickly when she got where they were going.

Baxter must’ve snapped back to the present because he suddenly said, “We’re nearly there. One more hill after this one we’re on. It’s on the left just at the top of that hill. There’s a gate. You’ll have to stop, get out, and open it.” He raised the gun and pointed it at Lucy’s head.

Lucy noticed when a silver Lincoln MKZ approaching from the opposite direction slowed just a bit.

Emily Anne decelerated and Baxter yelled, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Trying not to ping the oncoming vehicle with gravel. Owner might call the cops.” Judging by the road noise, maintenance crews must’ve dropped loose gravel on the road while making repairs. The thin excuse must’ve worked because he didn’t seem too bothered.

“Oh. Okay. Good thinking. Guess you’re pretty scared.” He sounded happy at the prospect.

“Terrified.”

Lucy really wanted to kill him for toying with Emily Anne like that. She hoped it wasn’t just her imagination when the other driver scrutinized her vehicle with obvious interest. She hoped Baxter didn’t notice, but he’d gone back to muttering to himself. She didn’t dare look out the back window to see if the driver of the silver car slowed further or stopped. All she could do was pray.





Chapter Twenty-Two




It was nearly time for the Pony to open up and time for them to scatter. If Baxter was true to his routine, then they might be able to apprehend him that day.

Patrick hoped like hell that was the case. He hadn’t made much headway with his dad but he wanted to do what he could to help Chloe. The fact that he’d never met her didn’t matter. Beck cared, so he cared.

The conversation about the diversion Beck and Patrick would provide to keep Baxter in place if need be was just wrapping up when one of the men’s cell phones rang.

Ace reached into his pocket for his phone, laughing with Kemp over some remark Ethan had made, and then became dead serious as he answered his phone. His words got everyone’s attention when he said, “Do we know who else Smith grabbed? Fuck. Okay. What about Ms. Rhodes, then? Well, that’s something at least. All right, we’ll meet you there. Just wait for us, all right? No, we won’t go off half-cocked, Hank. We’re not amateurs. We won’t do anything until you give the word—not with those two women’s lives in jeopardy. Oh yeah, I believe in my gut they’re in real danger. We believe Bruce Smith has already killed once.”

Ace cast his gaze to Mel. “That was Hank Stinson. He just got a call from Adam Kendall. Chloe Rhodes was on her way here when she passed a car she didn’t recognize being driven by someone she did—your Emily Anne. She said Ms. Bancroft looked scared out of her mind, and there were two other people in the vehicle with her, in the backseat. Ms. Rhodes kept her cool, took note of the car license plate number, and called Kendall.” Mel and Connor both looked like they’d been sucker punched but they quickly recovered. When Beck asked, Ace told him that Adam Kendall was Lusty’s sheriff.