Lynette Eason - Holiday Hideout

“You got it.”

Zane didn’t waste any more words and hung up. A former special ops marine, Zane could take care of himself. Cal pulled his horse to a halt a few feet from Abby’s still form.

Bolting from the saddle, he knelt beside her. “Abby.” His hands ran over her, looking for any wounds. Nothing.

She moaned and he turned her on her back.

She shivered and her teeth began to chatter. Cal took a chance that nothing was broken and lifted her into his arms.

Spinning, he pushed open the door to her small apartment and stepped inside. Kicking the door shut behind him, he felt her start to struggle. “It’s me, Abby, be still.”

At his voice, she calmed.

Settling her on the bed, he took in her pale features. “Hey, what happened? Can you hear me?”

Puzzled, he looked her over again. No bruises anywhere, no blood. Then why wasn’t she responding?

Finally, her eyelids lifted. “Cal?”

“Yeah. Who was that guy?”

“I …” She licked her lips. “I don’t know. Think he had chloroform or something. I managed to avoid breathing most of it in. May have gotten a good whiff because I feel sluggish. Be all right in a little while.”

Cal heard a knock on the door, then Fiona’s voice, “Abby, are you down here?”

“She’s here,” he answered for her.

Fiona opened the door a crack. “Cal—oh, good, you’re here. I heard a gunshot. Is everything all right?”

Cal’s lips tightened at the worry on his sister’s face. “Everything’s fine now, but I think someone just tried to kidnap Abby.”

“What?” Her worry turned to outrage. “Here? On our ranch? But how did anyone know she was here?”

Cal thought about the man he’d chased outside of Dylan’s medical building. Was it possible he’d followed them home?

More than possible, he realized. It was the only reasonable explanation.

He turned to Abby. “Who is he? Who tried to kidnap you?”

She frowned. “I … I’m not sure. He grabbed me from behind. I never got a look at his face.” Her eyes shut and he watched her force them back open. Fear stared out at him and his gut clenched.

Cal wondered if she was telling the truth. “I didn’t, either. Even though I noticed he had dark hair, it was hard to tell his build through the heavy coat. I don’t even think I’d recognize him if I passed him on the street. Abby, if someone’s after you, I need to know who it is.”

She turned her head. “It’s no one. I can’t believe …” She sighed. “As soon as I can, I’ll be gone. I don’t want to bring any more trouble to you or your family.”

Cal took her fingers and squeezed. She didn’t flinch or pull away, but she didn’t look at him, either. “Abby, you’re not the first person who’s needed help around here. After today, your enemy just made the biggest mistake of his life.”

“You don’t mess with the McIvers or their friends,” Fiona stated, eyes narrowed as though imagining what she’d do to the creep who’d dared step foot on her property to cause harm to one there. She looked at Cal. “Sounds like we might need to keep the rifles a little closer.”

He nodded. “I’d say that for now.”

Abby’s gaze bounced back and forth between them and he smiled reassurance. “Don’t worry. Now that we know trouble’s here, we can keep an eye out for it.”

Cal’s phone rang and he pulled it off the clip on his side. He looked at Fiona. “It’s Zane.” Into the phone, he said, “Did you catch him?”

“Sorry, boss, by the time I got to where you said he was, he’d disappeared. I followed his trail for a while, then he started walking his horse in the river. Don’t know if he went east or west. It looks like west, but I never caught up to him.”

The river ran east to west dividing the property in half. About seventy-feet wide, it was one of the reasons Cal’s great-grandfather had chosen this piece of land. An endless supply of water. And either way, as long as the man stayed in the shallow edge, he would be able to get off the property by following the river far enough.

Cal blew out a sigh. “All right, thanks for trying. Tell the boys to keep their guns handy. I don’t want this snake anywhere near the houses. He attacked Abby and there’s no guarantee he won’t be back.”

Cal heard Zane’s swift indrawn breath. “We’ll keep an eye out. Might even need a night lookout.”

“Call a meeting. We need to discuss this and develop a plan.”

“You got it. I’ll be in touch.”

Cal hung up and looked at the women who’d listened to the conversation. “Well, guess you heard. He got away.”

Abby swallowed hard and her eyes closed again. “I’m sorry.”

Cal looked at Fiona. “Let her sleep. I’m going to gather the men and we’re going to cover the property. I want to make sure that guy is gone and gone for good.” Fiona nodded and Cal left, his fury at Abby’s attacker eating him from the inside out.

As soon as they finished the search, if they didn’t find the man, he’d return to the ranch and start digging a little deeper into Abby’s past. He refused to feel guilt at the thought.

If he didn’t know who he was fighting, it would be a lost cause from the very beginning.

And for Abby’s sake, this was one fight he was determined to win. Even if he had to enlist the help of every deputy on the force, he would keep Abby safe.

Abby heard the door open, then close. Cal had left. To track down the man who’d attacked her. She opened her eyes and squinted into the darkness.

Sitting up, she decided that other than a slight headache and the desire to take a long nap, she felt all right.

It was time to go to work. Before leaving home, she’d spent long hours at the office, on the computer, updating files and entering information. Some of it she’d done simply to escape her grief, keep her mind from her sister’s death.

As a result, she’d come across information that she wanted to look at again. Saving it to a flash drive had seemed the best way to do that at the time. Now she just had to find a computer.

She thought of her attacker and shivered. Was it Reese? And when she thought about that, she couldn’t stop her mind from going to one of the nights she’d worked late.

Her business partner, Dr. Randall Cromwell, had stopped by her office and compassionately told her to go home. She’d agreed. Only as she grabbed her stuff to walk out, she’d looked out the window.

And seen Reese leaning against his car, watching the building.

Waiting for her?

Obviously.

“Are you coming?” Randall had asked as she continued to stand and stare.

“I can’t go out there. Reese is there by his car, waiting. He scares me.” Her insides twisted in knots. “Look.”

Randall had walked to the window. “He’s just standing there.” A pause. “He has something in his hand. Looks like a folder or a file folder of some sort. Why don’t you just go out there and ask him what he wants? I’ll come with you.”

She’d sighed and shared, “He threatened me, Randall, so I took a restraining order out on the man. There’s no way I’m going to approach him.”

Randall had pulled out his cell phone. “Then call the cops and tell them he’s violated the restraining order.”

“No,” she’d all but shouted.

Her partner had slowly put the phone away. “Okay,” he drew out the word and she knew he thought she was crazy.

“But will you walk me to my car?” she’d asked.

Randall and Abby had walked out of the office, her partner acting as her bodyguard until she was safely in her car. Reese had watched them, frustration stamped clearly on his face.

Abby wouldn’t approach him, but he’d violated the restraining order by coming to her place of business.