One of the stable hands finally appeared from their small office. "Can I help you?"
"Someone called and said there was a disturbance in the barn. Any idea?"
The guy shook his head. "I've been on duty all day. I haven't seen anything going on."
"Where are all the employees? No one at the desk, no one on the deck."
The guy grinned. "Mandatory staff meeting. Since I just work with the horses, I'm exempt from the boredom."
"Aren't you the lucky one?" Tyson checked all the latches on the stalls, and everything seemed to be in order. He was halfway back down the long corridor when the thought occurred to him that maybe the phone call had been a ruse. It may not have even come from the resort. A cold chill ran through him, and he suddenly had a strong desire to get home. He ran down to the door, but before he could get it open, something hard hit him across the back of his head.
Tyson tried to put his arms out to catch himself as the concrete floor rushed up to meet him, but his world went black before he hit the ground.
***
When he woke up sometime later, he was tied and laying on the cold floor with duct tape across his mouth. He tried to move, but his arms were zip-tied behind his back and then rope secured his arms to his zip-tied ankles. He shifted and bumped into another body. Fear coursed through him as he tried to adjust his eyes to see who it was. It was dark, but there was enough emergency lighting that he could just make out a few features.
It was a stable worker. Tyson glanced around and realized they were still in the barn. There was a bit of hay under him, and as he squirmed around, he saw that they were in one of the stalls. The other guy opened his eyes, but he was just as trussed up. Tyson felt a little bit of relief that the kid wasn't dead, but his fear for Valerie increased exponentially. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, and he needed to get home.
He tried using his dragon strength, but the way his shoulders were forced backwards, he couldn't get a good enough force to break the ropes. He thought about working together with the stable worker to get one of them free, but the guy was still so dazed that he wasn't moving much.
Beads of sweat broke out across his forehead as he tried to sit up, but the way his back was bowed, he couldn't get enough flexibility to make it work. Frustration brought tears to his eyes as he struggled, but he could make no headway.
"Tyson!"
Logan's voice cut through the dark. Tyson tried to make noise, but his throat was too dry behind the tape that he couldn't get any volume. The stall suddenly lit up as the lights were turned on. "Tyson, you in here?"
Desperation sunk in as Tyson tried to make noise. His back was up against the wall, and he finally managed to roll enough to knock his feet into the wall. The harder he rolled, the louder the thud. It only took a minute for Logan to yank the stall open and find them on the floor.
"Jesus Christ." Logan dropped to the floor and pulled his pocket knife out. After a couple of quick cuts, Tyson reached up and ripped the tape off his face. He ignored the pain as it pulled skin off with it.
"What time is it?"
"Just after eight."
Two hours. He had been in that stall for two hours. Anything could have happened, but Tyson tamped back his panic.
"Where's Colton?"
"Headed home. Who's this?"
"Guy works here. You have your phone?"
Logan handed over his cell while he cut the employee free. Tyson called for an ambulance and gave the dispatcher detailed instructions on where to find the guy. "I don't want to move him in case he's hurt, but I need to go."
"Sir, we need you to stay with the victim until help arrives."
Tyson ended the call and tossed the phone back to his brother. "There are going to be other victims if we don't get home."
It was dark when they got outside. Tyson instantly shifted and flew low and fast toward the ranch with Logan right behind him. Vinia was sitting on the porch holding a crying Londyn when they landed.
"Where's Valerie?"
"He took her."
Tyson already knew, but the word popped out anyhow. "Who?"
"My daddy took her. He told her she could see bubby if she went with him. I heard him." Fresh tears erupted. "Go get my mommy back."
