Something skittered across her leg and she kicked and screamed in sudden fright.
“Hey!Ain’t no need for all that screamin’.If you can’t keep your mouth shut, I’ll just have to gag you, too—you hear?”
Her voice was still shaking, but there was just enough indignation to get the man’s attention.“Something ran across my leg.”
“Probably just a lizard.They’s all kinds of water critters down here.Be glad it wasn’t no snake.”
She shuddered and thought of Ryder.Obviously, he hadn’t been in any wreck.They’d used that excuse to sucker her right into their hands.If she’d had a foot free, she would have kicked herself.And along with that knowledge, came a question she was afraid to have answered.If Ryder wasn’t in a wreck, then where was he?The thought of never seeing him again, of dying and not being able to explain to him why she’d done what she’d done was devastating.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
The man cursed.“I told ‘em not to leave me out here.I told ’em somethin’ like this was bound to happen.But hell no, did anyone listen?”
“Please.”
He yanked at the cord binding her wrists to get her attention, then untied her ankles, dragging her up from the bed and standing her on her bare feet.A few steps later, he gave her a push.
“You got a couple of minutes, no more.And don’t try nothin’, either.”His hand cupped her breast, and Casey could feel his breath on her face.“You’ll be sorry if you do.”
Casey wouldn’t move, wouldn’t let him know how scared she was, or how repulsed she was by his touch.
“Well, what the hell are you waitin’ for?”he yelled.
She held out her hands.“For you to untie me.”
He cursed, but moments later, she felt the rope come loose around her wrists and heard the door slam shut between them.
“No funny business,” he yelled.“And remember, I’m right outside this door.”
Her hands were shaking as she tore at the rag covering her eyes.When it fell free to the floor, she staggered from the unexpected glare of light.Quick to take advantage of the privilege she’d been granted, she did what she had to do, aware that it could be hours before he might let her get up again.
As she washed her hands, she searched her surroundings for something—anything, that might help her escape.But there was nothing in sight.Not even a window in the tiny, airless room.
The only remarkable thing she could see was a varied assortment of crocheted knickknacks sitting on floors, on shelves, even hanging from the walls.It explained nothing.
“Get out here, now!”the man yelled, and Casey jumped.“And put that blindfold back on your face or you’ll be sorry.”
She did as she was told, although she was already as sorry as a woman could be and still be breathing.If only she could start this day over.
Her hand was on the doorknob when the man suddenly yanked it open.He grabbed her by the hand, retied her wrists and ankles, and shoved her back down on a bed.
Loath to recline in a room with a man she could not see, Casey sat with her back against the bedstead, her knees pulled toward her chin.It wasn’t much, but it was as good a defensive position as she could manage.The urge to come undone was almost overwhelming, but she refused to give way.She was going to need all of her wits to survive.
CHAPTER 14
Just as Ryder had feared, Casey’s car was found at the location she’d written on the notepad.What broke his heart was learning they’d also found her shoes.For once, she must have heeded his warning and kicked off her shoes before trying to run.
Unfortunately, it had done her no good.There wasn’t a clue as to where she’d been taken.
Now, just like before when she’d gone to Chicago, Ryder sat by the phone, again waiting for word.Only this time, the phone had been tapped, and when they heard—if they heard—he knew the request wouldn’t be for a ride home.If Ryder’s fears were correct, it would be for money in return for his wife.
Eudora had been given a sedative and was in her room asleep.
Erica was curled in a chair in the corner with her head on her knees, trying to come to terms with the fact that a member of their family was a possible kidnap victim and trying not to let herself think that if Casey didn’t ever come home, everything that had been Delaney Ruban’s would then belong to her and Miles.It shamed her to realize that she’d already envisioned what she would wear to her sister’s funeral.She didn’t want Casey to be dead.Not really.Right now, she would be perfectly satisfied if Casey were back and being the constant source of discord in their lives.
Before Mason Gant had become a detective on the police force in Ruban Crossing, he had been a star running back on his college football team.He’d planned on a career in the NFL, not one behind a badge.But a single tackle had changed his plans and the rest of his life.Before he knew it, fifteen years had come and gone and he was now Detective Gant, and carried a notebook and pen, not a pigskin.
Because of the identity of the missing person, he knew that this could very well be one of the most important investigations of his career and was not giving an inch as to protocol.He’d interviewed all of the hired help and the immediate family, except one.Miles Dunn had been the last to come home and the last to be apprised of his sister’s situation.And as Miles slumped in a chair, it was Gant’s opinion that Dunn wasn’t nearly as bereaved as he would have liked.
