Because there were still two men out there, he reminded himself as he ran through the pines. He’d known at once that the gun report had come from the spot where Brick had set up his booby traps. As he ran, he prayed for the sound of his brother’s meadowlark whistle. But it didn’t come to let him know that Brick was all right. Because in his heart, he knew he wasn’t.
He didn’t even consider that he might be running into a trap. All he could think about was getting to his twin. He’d felt that shot as if the bullet had entered his own body. Because they were identical twins, they’d always shared a special bond. Not that they’d dressed alike or were alike in so many ways. They’d never had a special language that was all theirs. Nor had they ever sensed when the other was in trouble. Until now.
Angus was almost to Brick when he heard the second gunshot. He burst through the pines, shoving aside boughs to find his brother lying on the ground next to two bodies. In that instant, he saw that Cash had been gagged and tied up but had managed to free himself.
At the sight of Angus, the man jumped up, ran to his horse and pulling the reins free, took off down the mountain as if the devil himself was after him. On the ground next to Brick, Royce lay dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. There was a gun dangling from the man’s fingertips even though his wrists were bound.
He saw what had happened as clearly as if he’d witnessed the whole thing. Royce had pulled a second gun that Brick hadn’t found on him before his brother had tied the cowboy up.
Angus dropped down beside his brother. Brick was trying to say something. There was a dark blood spot on his upper chest that was getting larger and darker. Angus quickly pulled off his coat and pressed it to the wound.
As he did, he heard someone coming through the trees. He didn’t go for his gun, knowing he wouldn’t have time to pull it. He picked up Brick’s gun and turned it as the figure burst through the pines.
Ella. He eased his finger off the trigger as she dropped to the ground beside Brick. “Help is on the way,” she said as she took over holding the coat to her cousin’s wound. “I was able to get cell service from the top of a pine tree.”
Angus felt a surge of relief. Help was on the way. But her next words turned his blood to ice.
“I think T.D. has Jinx,” she said. “She’s not where she’s supposed to be and there are drag marks going down the mountain. His horse set off my alarm. I had a bad feeling so I called for help, then climbed down the tree. I was on my way to check when I heard the second shot.”
His heart had dropped to his boots. Brick was shot and T.D. had Jinx?
“I’ll take care of Brick,” his cousin said. “Go find her. Before it’s too late.”
AS T.D. DRAGGED her through the woods, Jinx tried to fight him. He held her by the throat, his boozy breath next to her ear as he told her what he was going to do to her. When he’d first jumped her, he’d thrown her down, knocking the air out of her.
She fought him, scratching and kicking and biting, only to have him slap her so hard she saw stars. He’d sat on her and quickly bound her wrists and gagged her with her bandanna. He’d thought she would scream for help. She could see that T.D. was just hoping someone would come to her rescue so he could kill them.
With his arm locked around her neck, he dragged her. When she tried to fight him, he cut off her airway until she quit struggling. At first she’d been terrified, knowing at least in part, what he planned to do to her. But the more she fought him, the more furious she got. How dare he think he could treat her this way?
She knew she needed to save her strength for when she had a chance of actually getting away from him, but the mad she had going felt good. And it was so much better than terror right now.
He stopped under a large old pine tree far from the camp. Throwing her down, he climbed on top of her. She glared at him, putting all her disgust into the look.
“It’s not rape,” he said as if reading her gaze clearly enough. “You’re still my wife, which means you are still mine to do whatever I want with.” His idea of marriage astounded her. She tried to tell him what she thought of him through her gag but he only laughed, not understanding a word.
“Come on, you like this,” he said as if he could still charm her. “I love you. I just want to show you how much, remind you of what you’ve been missing. You have been missing it, haven’t you?” His gaze narrowed for a moment. “Don’t you remember what it was like with the two of us? You know you still love me. We can stop this right now. All you have to do is admit it was a mistake when you threw me out. It isn’t too late for us.”
She knew it was a lie, but she wondered if T.D. did. Maybe he believed everything he said. If she submitted to him, it wouldn’t be over. Even now, she could see that he didn’t trust her. Didn’t trust that he could charm her anymore. She could see the fear in his eyes. Even if she were stupid enough to
