could get used to this.” His two companions quietly agreed.
* * *
The trip back to the ranch went very well. Kelsey felt more relaxed than at any time since her escape from Chicago. Bonnie greeted everyone with a flood of rambunctious energy and everyone got back into their routines.
* * *
Two days later, Kelsey watched her men head out on their four-wheelers for a day of the never-ending-job of fence mending. She got busy preparing a dinner that would please both men and did not notice when a light airplane flew over the ranch and made a few circles. It was gone when she stepped outside for a breath of air.
In the early afternoon, she saw an unfamiliar pick-up driving up the dusty lane. Bonnie stared at the vehicle and let out a low growl.
“Take it easy, girl,” Kelsey said as she pet the faithful dog. “It’s probably just somebody needing directions. The truck had tinted windows, so she could not make out the driver when the truck pulled up. She had just stepped next to the door when it flew open.
Carl Barker jumped out and grabbed Kelsey before she could react.
“I’ll teach you to tell me to go to hell,” he roared. “Hell is where I’m going to take you!” She had no chance to escape, so she went limp. It was a tactic that had worked in the past, and it stopped Carl from hurting her this time too.
“You are so stupid!” he roared. “Didn’t you know my IT guys can trace any message you open? The hotel gave me the address here. That’ll be the last mistake you make! Who are these Whittington brothers? I never heard you mention them.”
“They’re just a couple of ranchers who hired me to cook for them and their hands,” she replied, hoping that Carl would leave Marcus and Quinton alone. “They don’t mean anything to me, and I don’t mean anything to them.”
Carl studied her face carefully for any sign of deceit, but he fortunately found none. “Well that’s a piece of good luck for them. I’d have no problem burying them in the same hole with you!” He grabbed her arm and started dragging her toward the truck. “I hired a pilot to fly over a little while ago. He spotted your employers. They are miles from here, so you and I will be long gone before anyone realizes you are missing.”
Kelsey knew that she would never survive a trip in Carl’s truck. So far, she had acted very passive to keep him off guard. Her only hope for escape would be surprise, and she would have only one chance. Just as she was about to attack, a loud sound changed everything.
“You need to take your hands off of that girl right now!”
Kelsey had never been so happy to hear Marcus’s gruff voice. Carl drew his pistol and turned toward the sound in one practiced move, but she was able to knee him in the groin before he could shoot. Quinton charged from the opposite direction, and the brothers were able to disarm and subdue Carl easily.
“You men need to back off before you get yourselves into a lot of trouble,” Carl blustered. “I am a police officer, and this woman is my prisoner!”
“Calling her your victim would be a hell of a lot closer to the truth,” Marcus said as he used Carl’s own handcuffs to manacle him. “We know all about the ways you’ve abused her, and she knows enough about your sweet deals with the mafia to put you away for a long time.”
Two sheriff’s cars arrived in less than thirty minutes to take the crooked cop away. Kelsey’s statement took much longer to take down at the station, and she was not back at the Rocking W. until well after dark.
* * *
A few days later, two FBI agents drove to the Rocking W. They explained that they had checked out every detail of Kelsey’s statement and could find no inconsistencies in her story. Carl’s tale was so clumsy and inconsistent that they could hardly believe that an experienced cop would try to use it.
The bureau had in fact been investigating Carl for months. His phones had been tapped, and
* * *
The trip back to the ranch went very well. Kelsey felt more relaxed than at any time since her escape from Chicago. Bonnie greeted everyone with a flood of rambunctious energy and everyone got back into their routines.
* * *
Two days later, Kelsey watched her men head out on their four-wheelers for a day of the never-ending-job of fence mending. She got busy preparing a dinner that would please both men and did not notice when a light airplane flew over the ranch and made a few circles. It was gone when she stepped outside for a breath of air.
In the early afternoon, she saw an unfamiliar pick-up driving up the dusty lane. Bonnie stared at the vehicle and let out a low growl.
“Take it easy, girl,” Kelsey said as she pet the faithful dog. “It’s probably just somebody needing directions. The truck had tinted windows, so she could not make out the driver when the truck pulled up. She had just stepped next to the door when it flew open.
Carl Barker jumped out and grabbed Kelsey before she could react.
“I’ll teach you to tell me to go to hell,” he roared. “Hell is where I’m going to take you!” She had no chance to escape, so she went limp. It was a tactic that had worked in the past, and it stopped Carl from hurting her this time too.
“You are so stupid!” he roared. “Didn’t you know my IT guys can trace any message you open? The hotel gave me the address here. That’ll be the last mistake you make! Who are these Whittington brothers? I never heard you mention them.”
“They’re just a couple of ranchers who hired me to cook for them and their hands,” she replied, hoping that Carl would leave Marcus and Quinton alone. “They don’t mean anything to me, and I don’t mean anything to them.”
Carl studied her face carefully for any sign of deceit, but he fortunately found none. “Well that’s a piece of good luck for them. I’d have no problem burying them in the same hole with you!” He grabbed her arm and started dragging her toward the truck. “I hired a pilot to fly over a little while ago. He spotted your employers. They are miles from here, so you and I will be long gone before anyone realizes you are missing.”
Kelsey knew that she would never survive a trip in Carl’s truck. So far, she had acted very passive to keep him off guard. Her only hope for escape would be surprise, and she would have only one chance. Just as she was about to attack, a loud sound changed everything.
“You need to take your hands off of that girl right now!”
Kelsey had never been so happy to hear Marcus’s gruff voice. Carl drew his pistol and turned toward the sound in one practiced move, but she was able to knee him in the groin before he could shoot. Quinton charged from the opposite direction, and the brothers were able to disarm and subdue Carl easily.
“You men need to back off before you get yourselves into a lot of trouble,” Carl blustered. “I am a police officer, and this woman is my prisoner!”
“Calling her your victim would be a hell of a lot closer to the truth,” Marcus said as he used Carl’s own handcuffs to manacle him. “We know all about the ways you’ve abused her, and she knows enough about your sweet deals with the mafia to put you away for a long time.”
Two sheriff’s cars arrived in less than thirty minutes to take the crooked cop away. Kelsey’s statement took much longer to take down at the station, and she was not back at the Rocking W. until well after dark.
* * *
A few days later, two FBI agents drove to the Rocking W. They explained that they had checked out every detail of Kelsey’s statement and could find no inconsistencies in her story. Carl’s tale was so clumsy and inconsistent that they could hardly believe that an experienced cop would try to use it.
The bureau had in fact been investigating Carl for months. His phones had been tapped, and
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