checked the small screen. "It's the one you sent that text to."
Betsy nodded, leaning in to look at the screen as well. "Another text?"
Ian nodded. "Derek wants to know if I'm still alive."
"That's not possible," she said, pulling back and shaking her head. "When I left him, Derek was hanging upside down bloody and unconscious at the bottom of a ravine. There's no way he could have survived it. No way."
"Did you check his pulse?"
Betsy tried to remember. Had she? She'd been so worried about getting out of there before the emergency crews arrived...and he'd looked pretty bad. She'd grabbed his phone and ran.
"I don't think so, now that you ask. I just had to get out of there. Away from him. And I knew that if the emergency crews caught me there, I'd be hauled off to the hospital or jail and I wouldn't be able to find you or check on...what is it?"
Ian's jaw tightened, and something in her gut told her this wasn't over yet. He turned the phone so she could easily read the entire screen.
"Kill the preacher. Meet at cabin 1 hour. D."
She sat up, regretting the loss of his warmth. "If he's still alive, Ainsley is still in danger. We need to find that cabin."
Ian frowned. "Who's Ainsley? And why is she in danger?"
Betsy froze. She'd forgotten he didn't know. Looking down at her hands, she tried to ignore the panic that made her hands shake. Would he think less of her for giving up her own daughter? Would he understand why she'd had no choice? The clock on the wall ticked away precious seconds she knew they couldn't afford.
"Ainsley is my daughter," she said, rising to pace in front of him. "It's a long story, but the short version is, I gave her up for adoption so Derek couldn't get to her. He found out, and now he wants her back. The adoption details were--"
"With the treasure." Ian nodded. "You should have told me. I thought we were better friends than that."
"I'm sorry. I'm not used to trusting people. But none of that matters now. Can't we talk about this later? What if he already has her?" She reached down to help Ian off the floor. "I called her adoptive parents, but I couldn't say much. We have to go now. What if we're too late? I should have destroyed those papers." She turned toward the door, her flight stopped only by Ian's firm grip on her arm.
"Hang on," he said, his hold unrelenting. "Running off in a panic isn't going to help. Call your daughter's family - there's a phone on the nightstand there - and tell them to get to safety. I'll see if maybe this goon was stupid enough to put the cabin's location in the GPS of this cell. Then we can decide where to go first."
Adrenaline flooding her system, Betsy balked at the wait, but she knew he was right. Calm and logical, as always. Reluctantly she nodded and then went to the phone, dialing the number as she watched Ian start searching through the cell phone programs.
After six unanswered rings, she hung up. "No one's answering, Ian. I don't know..."
He held up the cell phone for her to see. "The last destination this guy went to before the ranch seems to be out in the middle of nowhere. I bet that's where the cabin is. Lucky for us, he left the coordinates in his address book." He turned off the phone and shoved it in his pocket, then gave her a sympathetic look. "I know you want to go check on Ainsley, but I really think we should meet Derek at the cabin first. If he's got her, going to the house won't make any difference, and he'll probably bring her with him to meet us. If he doesn't have her, they're not home which will make them harder to find. Win-win."
She nodded, knowing it made the most sense. "You're right. Let's go. He took me in his car, so mine should still be in the lot. We can take that." Leading the way to the hall, she stopped abruptly, frowning.
"You really should stay here. You're hurt. Let me call Harley or someone else to go. Heck, we should call the police so they can meet us there."
"I'm going with you," Ian said, his tone firm.
Betsy nodded, leaning in to look at the screen as well. "Another text?"
Ian nodded. "Derek wants to know if I'm still alive."
"That's not possible," she said, pulling back and shaking her head. "When I left him, Derek was hanging upside down bloody and unconscious at the bottom of a ravine. There's no way he could have survived it. No way."
"Did you check his pulse?"
Betsy tried to remember. Had she? She'd been so worried about getting out of there before the emergency crews arrived...and he'd looked pretty bad. She'd grabbed his phone and ran.
"I don't think so, now that you ask. I just had to get out of there. Away from him. And I knew that if the emergency crews caught me there, I'd be hauled off to the hospital or jail and I wouldn't be able to find you or check on...what is it?"
Ian's jaw tightened, and something in her gut told her this wasn't over yet. He turned the phone so she could easily read the entire screen.
"Kill the preacher. Meet at cabin 1 hour. D."
She sat up, regretting the loss of his warmth. "If he's still alive, Ainsley is still in danger. We need to find that cabin."
Ian frowned. "Who's Ainsley? And why is she in danger?"
Betsy froze. She'd forgotten he didn't know. Looking down at her hands, she tried to ignore the panic that made her hands shake. Would he think less of her for giving up her own daughter? Would he understand why she'd had no choice? The clock on the wall ticked away precious seconds she knew they couldn't afford.
"Ainsley is my daughter," she said, rising to pace in front of him. "It's a long story, but the short version is, I gave her up for adoption so Derek couldn't get to her. He found out, and now he wants her back. The adoption details were--"
"With the treasure." Ian nodded. "You should have told me. I thought we were better friends than that."
"I'm sorry. I'm not used to trusting people. But none of that matters now. Can't we talk about this later? What if he already has her?" She reached down to help Ian off the floor. "I called her adoptive parents, but I couldn't say much. We have to go now. What if we're too late? I should have destroyed those papers." She turned toward the door, her flight stopped only by Ian's firm grip on her arm.
"Hang on," he said, his hold unrelenting. "Running off in a panic isn't going to help. Call your daughter's family - there's a phone on the nightstand there - and tell them to get to safety. I'll see if maybe this goon was stupid enough to put the cabin's location in the GPS of this cell. Then we can decide where to go first."
Adrenaline flooding her system, Betsy balked at the wait, but she knew he was right. Calm and logical, as always. Reluctantly she nodded and then went to the phone, dialing the number as she watched Ian start searching through the cell phone programs.
After six unanswered rings, she hung up. "No one's answering, Ian. I don't know..."
He held up the cell phone for her to see. "The last destination this guy went to before the ranch seems to be out in the middle of nowhere. I bet that's where the cabin is. Lucky for us, he left the coordinates in his address book." He turned off the phone and shoved it in his pocket, then gave her a sympathetic look. "I know you want to go check on Ainsley, but I really think we should meet Derek at the cabin first. If he's got her, going to the house won't make any difference, and he'll probably bring her with him to meet us. If he doesn't have her, they're not home which will make them harder to find. Win-win."
She nodded, knowing it made the most sense. "You're right. Let's go. He took me in his car, so mine should still be in the lot. We can take that." Leading the way to the hall, she stopped abruptly, frowning.
"You really should stay here. You're hurt. Let me call Harley or someone else to go. Heck, we should call the police so they can meet us there."
"I'm going with you," Ian said, his tone firm.
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