Tiny Dancer(Divine Creek Ranch 13)(121)

“I’m not your baby,” she said, her syllables slurred. “I’m Quinten’s baby.” Her mind felt all fuddled and she wondered why she’d said that.

“Yeah, I know, and gonna have a baby, so I see. Let’s try this again.” He jumped down from the truck.

“Huh?”

He pulled on her arm to get her to sit up. “I found the paperwork on your desk for your prenatal testing and workup. I also saw some other very interesting paperwork. Turns out you’re worth a little money.” Bastard! So it was him who was behind all those break-ins!

“Not yours,” she said, refusing to hold herself upright for him so he could abduct her. She slumped to the ground again.

“Oh, yeah?” He pulled his booted foot back to kick her in the abdomen. “I’ll bet you’re willing to part with some of it in order to keep that brat safe.” She curled around her abdomen, whimpering, and he paused then squatted down. “Look. It’s real simple, Cami. I owe some very angry people a lot of money. They’ve been waiting a while, you see? You have something that belongs to me. Before we go get it, wherever it is, we’re making a detour to your bank. Once I have traveling money and the key, I’ll let you go back to that perverted…whatever kind of relationship you’ve got with those men.”

Her tongue was numb now. Otherwise she would’ve responded. She was almost glad she couldn’t because she knew that Tyler had a temper. She was afraid of passing out completely and being at his mercy.

“Now get your ass up, and help me get you in this damn truck! Why did I rent this big-assed motherfucker?”

To stall, she summoned up her force of will and pushed out the words, “Key? What key?” Swirlies whirled in her brain as she looked up at the parking lot lights, and she shook her head, trying to keep it together.

“The key to a safe-deposit box.”

She frowned and inhaled deeply. “I have no key.” Each word was a struggle.

“Yeah, you do. I taped it in your high school annual. The one from your senior year.”

She groaned pitifully. “Oh, no.” She laid her head back as her eyes rolled uncontrollably.

Tyler crouched down beside her where she lay on the pavement. “What do you mean, ‘Oh, no.’ I don’t need any more oh-nos. I just need the cash from that safe-deposit box. I need to pay those motherfuckers off before they kill my ass. Cami,” he said, lifting her head as her eyes rolled again, “I kinda loved you at one point, and I’d hate to have to hit you to wake you up, so you need to tell me what happened.” He glanced at his watch. “Shit, we’ve been out here too long.” He crouched down and pulled her arms over his shoulder and braced himself to lift her. She prayed like hell he wouldn’t drop her as she hung limply, not cooperating.

Talk, sister, before he gets you in that truck.

“Whatchu need cash for? Pay off who?”

“The guys I stole the money from. That’s the only reason my ass is still alive. They know I have their fifty thousand dollars.”

“You stole my house, why?”

“Huh?” He popped her cheek and the sharp sting startled her.

She did her best to make herself clear. “My h–house. You made a huge ol’ mess. But you din’t touch Mom’s asses.” Ashes!

“Asses? Oh, the ashes. I overheard you and Charlotta talking about them. You said you were uncomfortable opening them. I knew what they were, so I left them alone. See? I’m not such a bad guy. I just need that damned key, baby!”

“Not yer baby.”

She moaned when he turned and bent her arms the wrong way, trying to lift her over his back without much success. This was one time she was glad that he’d been short and not too buff. She wondered where Ben and Quinten were and prayed that the cavalry showed up soon.

“Why you have their money?” She’d cooperated fully with the authorities and followed his trial but knew nothing about him owing a debt he’d never paid.

“I was skimming a percentage off the cocaine I sold for them in the club. My nest egg. They caught on right about the time I got busted. Someone paid me a visit the day I got out of prison. Told me the clock was ticking if I wanted to live. I need you to tell me where the key is. It was supposed to be a simple matter of paying your house a visit, retrieving the key, and getting the money.” He grabbed her by the corset strings at her sides and used them to yank her up, making the corset unbearably tight.

She whimpered, cried out, and fought him. “It’s gone. I los’ that annual last time I moved, Tyler.”

“Well, shit,” he ground out. She was afraid that he’d let go of her now that she was upright. He reached into the truck and pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her. “Get in the truck. Stop playing around.”