Jorje’s frown deepened when he recognized it.
“Do you have any idea where Ted might’ve taken her?” He hated saying those words out loud. It somehow made the impossible so scarily possible.
His heart fluttered rapidly in his chest as he waited for Jorje’s reply, hoping for a break that would lead him to Addie.
Jorje shook his head. “Ted wouldn’t take her. He’s a…un matón…a bully, but that’s all he is. Kidnapping doesn’t seem like something he’d do. He’d be more likely to do things he wouldn’t get caught doing, like scare her or something.”
Addie’s depictions of the noises she’d heard in the middle of the night several days ago and the voices that had told her to leave popped into Cade’s mind. I guess she hadn’t been dreaming after all.
“JR,” Jorje continued, nodding to himself. “I can see him taking someone, especially a woman.”
“Why would he take her?”
“JR’s a…bully too, but he’s also mean as a snake and doesn’t care what others think. Plus, he had a thing for her. Not sure if it was that he liked her or hated her, but he used to stare at her a lot when we were all working together and he talked—”
“You worked together? He worked here, with Addie?”
Jorje tilted his head. “Yeah, I thought you knew that.”
“No,” Cade said. “I didn’t. I mean, I knew Addie had another farmhand working here with you and Ted, but I didn’t know his name until just now—or maybe I just didn’t remember it.”
“Well, he’d be my bet if something bad has happened. El hombre está loco.”
Cade nodded. He’d gotten the impression JR was a little unhinged himself. He stared toward the hills, the adrenaline in his veins urging him to hurry up and start looking, his brain running so fast he felt a little out of control. But he had no idea where to start.
“Where would he take her?” Cade asked as he turned to Jorje and pinned him with his gaze. “JR, if he took her, where would he hold up?”
Jorje tilted his head. He stood silently thinking for so long, Cade wanted to shake him.
“The Mouse House,” Jorje blurted out a couple of heartbeats later.
Cade frowned. “The what?”
“The Mouse House,” Jorje said, his eyes grew wider as he warmed to his guess. “Yeah, he’s got a dumpy, mouse-infested trailer up on the Manastash.” He pointed over Cade’s shoulder to the northwest at the long ridge of hills in the distance. “But why would he even be angry at Addie? He never seemed to care that she fired him.”
“He’s Pete Larsen’s son, and he wants this farm. I think he’s the one who’s been harassing Addie, trying to run her off so the farm would revert back to his father. Then, he’d coerce the old man into either giving it to him or selling it again. Only this time, JR would be around to collect the share he thinks he deserves, all so he can pay off debts he owes to bad people. And now Addie’s missing and not answering her phone.”
Jorje’s face turned white under his naturally tan skin. “Dios mios,” he muttered.
Cade’s stomach dropped like a stone at his friend’s dismay. “What?”
“I’ll show you where to look.” Jorje turned and headed for his truck.
“Wait,” Cade called, reaching out to tug on Jorje’s arm. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“JR’s not a good guy,” Jorje said. “He’s the only one Ted will back down from, and Ted doesn’t pull punches. If JR took her…” He shook his head. “We need to hurry…and we’re going to need help.”
“What kind of help?” Cade asked as he started for his rig.
“The official kind of help,” Jorje said as he pulled open his truck’s door. “We should call the sheriff. JR’s got weapons up there and God knows what else.”
Cade hesitated as he opened his driver’s side door. Addie didn’t trust the sheriff and he had his own misgivings about the department. But was he willing to risk her life with a man who might kill her out of spite or for his own profit…or for fun?
He remembered the honesty in Mark Harden’s eyes when he’d said all he was to Addie was a deputy. The man had clearly not touched alcohol for over two months and showed every indication that he had nothing but remorse for the way he’d treated Addie. But did that make him trustworthy?
Not necessarily, Cade thought, but then again, if JR had guns, they wouldn’t stand a chance without Mark and his fellow deputy’s help. And he knew Addie was in danger. He’d felt it the moment he decided to come back, and it had only gotten worse since.
“Do you have their number?” he asked Jorje.
“Si.”
“Call ‘em,” Cade said. “Tell them where to meet us, ‘cause I’m not waiting for them.”
Jorje’s jaw tightened and he nodded. “I’ll call them on the way.”
Cade climbed behind the wheel and started his truck. One leg bounced anxiously while he waited for Jorje to back up and pull out of the way. Then he watched as the other man hopped out of his rig and jogged over to Cade’s. He yanked open the passenger door and crawled in.
“Makes sense to go together,” he said.
“Yeah,” Cade muttered as he threw his vehicle into reverse and headed for the driveway.
Hang on, Addie, he thought. I’m coming…
Chapter 33
The icy air in the small, messy living room prickled Addie’s skin. Not that the lower temperature had anything to do with her shivers or chattering teeth, or the cold ball of dread that sat inside her like a lump of lead. That was entirely the fault of the man who manically stuffed wood into an old stove, attempting to start a fire. His erratic movements and agitated mumbling sent chills up and down her spine.
JR grumbled a string of curses, and Addie pushed a
