Tags:
Fiction,
General,
Romance,
Western,
Love Stories,
Western Stories,
Texas,
Christian fiction,
Religious,
Christian,
Kidnapping,
INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE,
Texas Rangers
"You
don't think I should blacken a few front teeth?"
Dakota put his arms up in surrender.
169
'I'm not going to live that one down, am I?"
"Oh, I don't know about that," Darvi said playfully. "If
you happen to see a certain uncle of mine and perhaps
mention to him that I was a perfect angel on this trip, I
might see my way clear to forget what you said."
Dakota laughed again.
"I'll do it"
Darvi smiled up at him. "Thanks for everything,
Dakota. I can't tell you how good it was to see Merry and
then hear of your revival as well."
"I like that," Dakota decided. "My revival. That just
about sums it up."
Darvi didn't want to get teary again, so she said
nothing. Not one who liked waiting for the train whistle to
blow, she said goodbye right then. Dakota gave her a great
hug, one that Darvi gladly returned, and then stood and
ATexasSky 93
watched her get on board. He searched the windows and
waved when he spotted her, but as soon as she looked
170
down at her lap, he turned away. It was going to be wonderful
to get home, but he hated to see Darvi go. He walked
back toward the hotel and livery, his heart a mix of emotions.
Halfway to the hotel, Dakota stopped in midstride. He
didn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner, but he
could keep in contact with Darvi. The whistle had already
blown, but he knew if he hurried he could get her address.
He arrived back in plenty of time, but she was not at the
window. Thinking she might have moved, he quickly
searched along the cars, surprised not to see her. When the
train began to pull away, he comforted himself with the fact
that he could get her address from Brace. Dakota turned
again toward the hotel but froze before he'd walked five
steps.
Moving along between two men was a woman: strawberry
blonde and wearing a navy suit. Dakota wondered if
he was seeing things even as his feet began to propel him
in that direction. He wasn't overly concerned. After all,
why would anyone take Darvi from the train?
His own teasing about trouble following her now came
171
to mind. With no definite plan, he picked up the pace just
as they entered a crowded area of downtown Aurora.
%r%r
Darvi could not believe this was happening. Where the
men had come from she couldn't say; she had looked up
and there they were, one of them already taking the satchel
from her side. Any protest she had died in her throat upon
seeing the knife. The man hadn't pulled it from its sheath,
but he'd made sure she saw it before their eyes met For this
reason, Darvi instantly obeyed his order to accompany
them from the train.
94 lori wick
She now walked between them, much faster than she
would have on her own, the town passing rather swiftly.
She nearly lost her footing at one point. Starting to gasp/
she felt something hard press against her side. That these
172
men meant business was more than clear.
Darvi was working to keep her head when they suddenly
turned down an alley. They were at the side and then
the back of a building almost before she could think.
Almost. Deciding that she wasn't going to comply any
longer, Darvi began to pull on the hand holding her upper
arm, just as she opened her mouth to scream. She didn't see
the fist that came down on the top of her head, so when
blackness crowded in she had no idea why.
"3'"'3'"
Dakota had spotted them again and even knew what
alley they turned down, but to his amazement, there was
no one in sight. He couldn't even find three distinctive sets
of footprints in the gravel. Sure that he'd misjudged, he
tried the next alley down but could see that it was too far.
"I know this is where they went," he said under his
breath as he continued to study the buildings. "I just don't
know for sure that it was Darvi."
173
Dakota had a look around that brought him to a door in
the back, but it was locked. Not a man given to flights of
fancy, he wondered what to do next. Finding out if Darvi
had actually left
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