bad about claiming this as his heritage? What did he resent about it?
He liked it here, he admitted to himself. He liked the family and the location. Darcy loved it and them. She was…
Colleen touched his arm. “What are you thinking about? You’re smiling.”
“Darcy,” he admitted, wondering when exactly he’d let Darcy in.
“Really? I knew you two were getting along, but I didn’t think things were that serious. She’s the president’s daughter.”
“Yeah. I figured that out already.”
“I only meant that there will be complications.” She smiled. “We’re here for you, Joe. You know that, right?”
He nodded. “Okay, back to the fire. I’m going to check on the other teams.”
His mother hugged him. “On Darcy, you mean.”
“That, too.”
Suddenly he was eager to see her. This wasn’t the time or place to discuss anything, but he needed to hear her voice and know she was all right.
Darcy had never fought a fire before, and she made a mental note to keep it off her to-do list. So far the firefighters had kept them back, relegating them to behind the truck activities. Even so, carting water and supplies, showing the way to the next hose hookup was hard, hot work. The smoke made it tough to breathe easily, and even with the fog rolling in there were still sparks flying everywhere.
But she wasn’t going to give up, especially when it seemed as if they were making progress. The flames didn’t seem to reach as high, and every now and then she thought she could see a little farther into the vineyard.
She walked back to the trucks and reached for one of the sandwiches Paige and Lauren had brought. She’d just taken her first bite when Ian came running up.
“Joe’s looking for you,” he said.
“Really? Is he all right?”
Ian grinned. “I think he wants to make sure that you are. Come on. This way.”
He led her around the trucks and into the vineyard. They were heading away from the fire.
“Joe’s out here?” she asked.
Just then someone called her name. She turned back and saw someone running after them, but she couldn’t see who it was. A man, but who?
“Wait,” Darcy told Ian. “Is that Joe?”
Ian moved beside her and took her arm in his left hand. Then, before she realized what was happening, he pulled a gun out of his jacket, took aim on the approaching man, and pulled the trigger.
The world slowed. Later, Darcy would swear that she could actually see the bullet burst out of the barrel. She saw the man stop in midstride. He twisted and then he was falling to the ground.
“Joe!” she screamed in horror. Not him. It couldn’t be him.
She started to run but found she couldn’t move. She turned to see what was holding her in place. Ian had a grip on her arm. Other men appeared out of the darkness. There were four of them. Just like before.
“No!” she screamed into the night.
The men didn’t stop. One of them tackled her, and she found herself flat on her back. She couldn’t breathe, and no matter how she squirmed and clawed and kicked, they didn’t let go. Her arms were yanked behind her back, and ropes were fastened around her hands. More ties bound her ankles. She screamed again and one of them stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth. The dry, dirty cotton made her gag.
Joe! Joe! Was he shot? Bleeding? Dead?
Two of them half dragged, half carried her to a van. Past and present blended until she wasn’t sure what was real and what was from before.
She bucked and twisted and lashed out as best she could. One of the men released her. She hit the ground on her side. Pain shot through her shoulder, but she didn’t give in to it. Instead she rolled toward the vines, intent on hiding, on getting away.
Then the men were around her. They picked her up. One of them used bolt cutters to remove her security bracelet. Ian held a gun to her cheek.
“Try escaping again and I’ll splatter your brains all over the place. Got me?”
Ian, she thought. How could it be him? He was harmless. He was Mia’s annoying boyfriend. It couldn’t be Ian.
But it was, and the gun in his hand told her he was deadly serious.
“They’re right over here,” Paige said as she stopped the cart. “We should be able to find them by following Ian’s chatter.”
Joe nodded as he got out of the cart. He looked around. The firefighters were clearly visible, but not anyone else.
Without warning, his gut clenched. There was no reason, but he’d learned to trust the sensation.
“Something’s wrong,” he told Paige. “Get backup.”
“What?”
“Now,” he ordered, even as he headed out into the vineyards. “Darcy,” he yelled. “Darcy?”
It was hard to hear anything with the roar of the fire in the background, but he listened intently. A groan caught his attention.
He raced toward the sound only to find Mia on all fours. She’d just finished vomiting.
“My head,” she said weakly. “That bastard hit me on the head.”
“Who?” Joe asked, although he already knew.
“Ian. What the hell is wrong with him?” she demanded.
Joe felt her pulse, then touched the bump on her head. He stood and called for Lauren. “Mia’s been hurt,” he told her. “Get her to the cart.”
“Where’s Darcy?” Lauren asked frantically. “Where’s my sister?”
Joe didn’t know and thinking about the possibilities made his blood run cold. Who else had been part of the team? “Alex,” he yelled. “Alex!”
Paige joined him. “Where are they? Where are Alex and Darcy?”
Rather than answer, Joe hurried to the edge of the vineyard. There he saw the broken vines, ripped leaves. A struggle. He reached down and picked up Darcy’s security bracelet. Paige was behind him and to his left. She screamed.
“Alex’s been shot. He’s been shot.”
21
What was it with kidnappers that they couldn’t afford decent vehicles? she wondered, trying to be disgusted and angry instead of terrified. And if they had to buy some beat-up piece of crap, couldn’t they at least keep it clean?
The van took a corner at high speed. Darcy went sliding, along with candy wrappers, sheets of paper, and who knows what else. She didn’t want to think about things like rats and bugs, nor did she want to remember the easy way Ian had shot someone.
Not Joe, she prayed. Not anyone, but especially not Joe.
Ian! A kidnapper! It wasn’t possible. How had he ever shut up enough to plan anything? Oh God. Joe. Be alive.
She didn’t want to consider any other possibility, so she forced herself to think about something else. Like how
