Linda Warren - A Texas Hero

“Shut up, you idiot. Now they know my name.”

“So? Dead people don’t talk.”

The stranger moved beside her. “Stay calm,” he whispered.

“What did you say to her?” Rudy demanded.

“It’s damn hot in here,” the stranger retorted. “Doesn’t this thing have air-conditioning?”

Rudy waved the gun. “Shut your trap.” He reached behind him and pulled out a roll of duct tape. “Tape his wrists together,” he said to her.

She didn’t move. The heat and gas fumes hampered her breathing.

“Now!” he screamed.

She dragged in air and reached for the tape. The stranger held his wrists together and she nervously wounded the tape around them. His hands were strong, his fingers lean.

“Tighter,” Rudy yelled.

She pulled until her arms hurt and then she used her teeth to rip into it. The stranger’s dark eyes watched her. There was something in them she couldn’t define. A message, maybe. Trust me. Or was she reading what she wanted to see?

“Holy shit, Rudy,” the driver called. “There go four police cars and a SWAT van. The old man must have woken up and called them. Too bad, suckers. We’re long gone.”

The van rolled to a stop.

“What the hell you stopping for?”

“Red light, dude.”

“Watch the man so I can tie up the woman.”

The vehicle was basically a shell with two seats. The driver pointed a gun at them and Rudy whipped the tape around her wrists. He still had on the mask and all she could see were his dull green eyes staring at her from behind a gorilla face. Goose bumps popped up on her skin.

“Hey, dude, we got a looker here. I might keep her.” He ran his hand up her arm and she jerked away. “She’s feisty, too.”

“Leave her alone,” the stranger snapped

“Shut up,” Rudy hissed, “or I’ll tape your mouth.”

“There’s a cop car behind us,” the driver said as they moved through the light.

“What the frickin’ hell?” Rudy looked out the small back windows. “His light’s blinking. Don’t stop.”

“No way. I can lose him,” the driver bragged.

“He’s going around us.”

“Yeah, Rudy. He’s turning around up ahead. Must be heading to the bank to give assistance. Sucker! Cops are idiots.”

“Turn off this damn highway,” Rudy ordered. “And follow the route I told you.”

The van swerved onto another road and then another and Abby knew they were miles away from the bank...away from safety. Suddenly they turned onto a dirt road and bounced along on uneven ground, knocking her against the stranger, except he didn’t feel like a stranger anymore.

He watched the gunman as if waiting to catch him off guard. But what could he do? His hands were tied, literally.

The van hit a pothole and her body slammed against the stranger’s. Her shoulder pressed into his and her thigh molded to his tight muscles. His strength radiated to her and her grip of fear lessened. She wasn’t in this alone. He was her ally. Her prince? Oh, God, had the heat twisted her brain? But he would be her only hope in the hours ahead.

And she didn’t even know his name.

* * *

ETHAN JAMES WATCHED the robber, reading him like he had so many other criminals. His teeth were yellow, his fingertips yellower and his eyes were dull and bloodshot. A drug-head. Which meant he was capable of anything—and he was dangerous. Ethan had to be careful.

The woman was holding up well. No crying, screaming or panic attacks. She had to stay calm if they were going to make it out of this ordeal alive. The odds were against them. Two armed druggies, and one of them had his eye on her. This was a highly volatile situation, and there was nothing he could do but try to protect her.

Would he risk his life for hers? He had a daughter at home to think about—a kid who was a stranger to him and seemed to hate him. But since he’d won full custody, he was trying to be a good father. He’d never had that chance before.

He promised to take Kelsey horseback riding this morning. Another promise broken. His whole life was riddled with them, and most of them were out of his control. Because he always put his job first.

He glanced at the woman who sat in a petrified state. Why in the hell had she stopped short? Now he might never see his daughter again. The woman was beautiful, he’d give her that. A blue-eyed blonde with inviting curves like he’d seen in numerous magazines—made to look at but not touch.

Her hair hung to her shoulders and dripped with sweat, as his did. A sleeveless green top was cut low, too low for guys with trouble on their minds. The filth in the van stained her white slacks. He was annoyed with her, yet empathetic at the same time. This kind of situation wasn’t easy for the strongest of women. Or even the strongest of men.

He tried to gauge how long they’d been on the road, but wasn’t quite sure. On and on they rode. Branches rubbed against the van so he knew they were in a remote area. That wasn’t good. Too much could happen away from civilization. They came to a sudden stop and the double doors opened. “Get out,” Rudy shouted.

Ethan scooted to the door and stood. He turned to help the woman but she was right behind him. After the semidarkness of the van, the sun was blinding. He blinked several times to adjust his eyes. The woman stumbled but maintained her balance.

A run-down shack was in front of him. Dried dead weeds surrounded it. No one had been here in a long time. Rudy shoved them toward a broken step. The door was half open, the lock rusted shut. Floorboards creaked as they went inside. A rat the size of a raccoon ran across the floor.

“Oh.” The woman stepped back, but didn’t scream or fall apart. He admired that. The rat was a little too big for his comfort zone, too.

“Sit down,” Rudy ordered.

The dirty floor was uncomfortable, but they were out of the hot van and able to breathe. Ethan took in the tiny room at a glance. Part of the roof had caved in over the sink. The refrigerator looked rusted shut, too. Two steel bunk beds with rotted mattresses stood in a corner. Junk littered the wobbly plank floor, and the glass in the two windows was broken out. An abandoned deer-hunter’s cabin, was his thought. How were the two hoods connected to it?

“Don’t even think about moving,” Rudy warned and walked out the door.

Ethan eased to his feet to listen and maybe get a glimpse of their faces. The masks had to be hot. He heard their voices.

“I’m sweating bullets in this mask.” That was the driver.

“Take it off. We don’t need them anymore,” Rudy told him.

“What are we gonna do?”

“This sounded good last night when I was high.” Rudy removed his mask. “Man, the boss is gonna be pissed.”

“Who cares? We’ve got the money and we’ll head to Houston and get lost.”

“I’m taking the woman with me.” Rudy made that clear.

“You’re stupid, man. I didn’t agree on no kidnapping. She’ll get us caught.”

“Shut up.”

Ethan took a quick peep. They stood by the van. Rudy was white, the other guy black, but he already knew that from their hands. He had to get the woman out of here and fast. Rudy was determined to have her.

He stepped over beer cans to the window and saw nothing but thick woods. This was their way out and they had to take it quickly.

“What are you doing?” the woman whispered.

“We’re crawling out this window,” he whispered back.

“Our hands are tied.”

“A minor problem,” he replied. “C’mon. We have to go before they come back.”

After a bit of a struggle, she got to her feet and walked to him.

“Balance with your hands and swing your legs over the sill. I’ll help.”