Accidental Knight: A Marriage Mistake Romance(104)

Just like a warped mirror image of Adam and Avery, I screwed up with Drake too.

I ruined our only chance at salvation.





18





One Last Rodeo (Drake)





“Ridiculous. A fucking snow-white BMW doesn’t just disappear into thin air!” My nerves are shot.

Gone. I want to grab Wallace by his bright-white shirt and fucking shake him, but I know it’ll put me in handcuffs for assaulting an officer.

I lost the car on the way to town, when it shot around that tanker truck.

By the time I got around it, cleared the congestion that crazy asshole created on the road, the BMW was gone.

But it has to be in town. The roads don’t go anywhere else. If Wallace can’t help me, then I have to get going right the fuck now.

“Every deputy I’ve got is out looking, Drake. Have been since you called. The car hasn’t been sighted since it drove past the implement dealer.”

I’d driven past there too, all the way to the park limits, where the road ends. Fucking ends.

They hadn’t turned on the East-West highway, either, I followed it in both directions, straight past the deputies parked there, watching the roads from both sides of the state line.

“What about Briar? Has anybody seen him?”

“Negative.” Wallace shakes his head. “Drake, you said Bella was upset with you and jumped into the car. She had to have known the driver. They’re probably just talking to her. I know we’re all a little stressed over what happened at the jail. The odds of a hit on my turf and a kidnapping in one day? That’s crazy.”

“It’s more than that!” My gut tells me something’s wrong. Very wrong. I’ve checked the camera data on my phone, but I can’t tell who was driving the BMW. “Gary’s not answering his phone.”

“Well, maybe he’s upset too. Didn’t sound too good when we talked earlier. Said he was real worried about Bella.”

“Yeah. Worried. For good fuckin’ reason.” I slap the hood of his car, which gets me a dirty look. I don’t care. “She didn’t have time to call her parents. The car was already at the end of the driveway when she stepped out, trying to reason with that goddamn horse.”

His radio crackles.

“Dispatch to Sheriff.”

He presses the button connected to the radio on his shoulder. “Wallace. Go ahead.”

“Erin Cassidy from the diner saw something suspicious. I gave her your cell number. She’ll be calling any minute.”

His cell phone rings. “Ten-four.”

He releases his radio and pulls his phone out of his side case. “This is Sheriff Wallace.”

I can’t hear what she says, but the change in his expression makes the hair on my arms stand up. “What?”

“Rodney...” I growl impatiently.

He holds up a finger. “When?”

I shift from foot to foot, standing on the side of the highway where he’d pulled me over. It feels like forever before he hangs up.

“What did she see?”

“On her way to work a couple of hours ago, Erin was stopped at the light in front of the hotel. Says she saw Molly and Gary Reed crossing the parking lot with Avery and another man. A guy with sunglasses and a baseball cap. She said she’d looked away because Molly waved at her, real friendly like. But after thinking about it, she decided to call. She didn’t think Molly would ever have a nice bone in her body for her, not since she was mixed up with Gary years ago. And because Avery and the other guy were walking right behind Molly and Gary. Close behind. Almost like they were making them walk.”

“Guns in their backs,” I say, nodding. “And then one of them took the BMW. That’s who’s got Bella.”

A horn blares from the road. A second later, there’s a squeal of brakes. We both spin around.

“What the fuck!” I’m not sure who says it first.

A black horse covered with sweat is plodding across the East-West highway.

“Isn’t that Edison?” Wallace asks.

“Yes.” The poor bastard looks like he’s almost dead.

He must’ve run all the way to town. I’d seen him by the Jeep, but had steered around him and her car.

“What the hell’s he doing?” Wallace does a slow blink.

Excitement hits me between the eyes. “He’s meeting Bella. Following her to the barn.”

“What?”

I slap his shoulder before turning to run to my truck. “Follow that horse! Get everyone you’ve got on his tail!” My heart thuds real fierce as I jump in the truck and whip a U-turn.

I catch up to Edison long before the park, but stay back, not wanting to distract him.

He doesn’t stop for a drink of water out of the pond, just keeps walking at a good clip, right across the parking lot toward the pavilion.

I steer around the metal posts and follow him.

When the gravel ends, I curse at the tire tracks in the grass. Why the fuck had I turned around in the parking lot? Damn!

Why hadn’t I just told Bella the truth? Winnie isn’t the reason I’m still here.

Hasn’t been for a long time.

Ever since I saw her pictures in Jonah’s house, and heard him hinting at the plan, I knew I couldn’t let her be alone. She needed someone to help, someone to fight, someone to save her.