A Texas Hero

She visibly paled.

“Go!”

She slid one long leg over the dust-covered ledge, balanced with her clasped hands and slid out kind of sideways, but she’d done it. Thank God she wore flats. High heels would have made running away impossible.

He followed and had to bend low to get his body through the hole. Then he was off running behind her. Shots rang out, disturbing the stillness of the trees. Disturbing his equilibrium. He caught up with her.

“I can’t breathe,” she gasped.

He had that problem, too. The heat was suffocating, and he knew they had to stop or collapse from it. They came to a gully and slid down it. He took her clasped hands and pulled her up the other side. They gulped in hot air.

Voices echoed through the trees.

“We have to go. Walk on the leaves. Try not to disturb them.” She followed orders easily and he liked that. The woods grew thicker and difficult to get through. “We have to find a hiding place.”

“Where?” She looked at the dense woods all around them.

He pushed through thick yaupons and saw a felled oak tree with more yaupons growing around it. “C’mon.” The tree was big and had been dead for some time. “We’ll hide behind this.” He pulled back some branches and they crawled in. “Lie lengthways against the trunk, your taped hands out in front, and don’t make a sound.” She stretched out against the trunk and he joined her—their hands inches apart.

Voices rumbled through the dense woods.

“Have you found them?” Rudy shouted.

“No, man. Let’s get the hell out of here. This ain’t part of our plan.”

“Screw the plan.” Rudy’s voice rose. “Shoot the guy. The woman is mine.”

CHAPTER TWO

ABBY HUGGED THE rotted tree trunk with her body. Dust clogged her nose, and dirt coated her skin and clothes. Vivid terror held her captive like a ball and chain clamped to her. It beat a rapid warning in her chest.

She inched her fingers along the ground, through the leaves to touch the man’s hands. He clutched hers. He was there...with her. The thought gave her courage, which she feared she would need in the next few minutes.

“They have to be here somewhere,” Rudy said. “Help me look.”

“I’m done, man. I’m taking the money and leaving.”

“You better not.”

“The woman’s only trouble. She’ll get us caught, Rudy, and I’m not going back to prison.”

“You sorry bastard.”

“So long, sucker.”

“Devon!”

A gunshot rang out followed by a curse. Then a barrage of bullets slammed into the woods. A couple of shots hit the tree and the dried wood splintered over them. Neither moved or made a sound, but she gripped the man’s fingers tighter.

“You sorry sons of bitches, I hope you die out here,” Rudy screamed, and then the pounding of footfalls receded into the distance. Still neither one of them moved.

Neither wanted to die.

Silence was crucial.

Creep-crawly bugs swarmed out of the tree, covering their arms. Were they termites? Did they bite? The feel of them on her skin made her want to scream, but she knew her very life depended on her not responding.

The silence stretched. A soft rustling was the only sound. Sweat ran from her hair onto her neck and the heat was stifling. Breathing was difficult. She had to get out of here. Away from the bugs. The heat. Panic rose in her chest, but reality kept her grounded.

She lifted her head from her arm. “Are they gone?” came out barely audible.

“I’ll check.” He looked over the trunk and surveyed the scene. Then they both heard the sound—the revving of a motor. “They’re leaving.”

“Both of them?”

“I’m not sure, but we have to get this tape off our hands.” They shook off the bugs and crawled through the yaupons into a small opening. They sat in the dirt while he kept one eye on the woods, in case Rudy was lurking behind a tree.

With his teeth, he caught the edge of the tape on his wrists and pulled. Scooting closer, she used her fingers to help undo it. Then he helped her free her hands. The tape left open welts on her skin, but she was glad to be free of it.

“Now what?” she asked, instinctively knowing he would know what to do.

“We start walking.” He rose to his feet, as did she. Slowly, they trekked through the woods, down the gully and back to the shack. The van was gone and the dried grass torn apart where the men had sped away. “They’re gone,” he said. “I guess Rudy decided to go with the money.”

Sweat rolled down her back and pooled at her waistline. She was miserable, but at his words relief washed over her.

They were gone.

All the courage she had mustered and the fear she’d bottled up inside burst forth into an array of weakness she couldn’t control. Her body trembled and tears rolled from her eyes.

“Hey.” He touched her arm. “No tears. It’s dehydrating. Take a deep breath and keep all that moisture inside. You can’t fall apart now.”

“I...I...” She couldn’t form a sentence and she felt so weak in front of this strong man.

“C’mon. Let’s sit under a shade tree and figure out what we need to do.”

She sank down under a huge live oak, willing the tears away as she tried to regain control of her emotions. “I’m so thirsty,” she murmured.

“Me, too.” He sat beside her and drew up his knees. His legs and arms had scratches from the trees and she realized her arms were scratched, too. Yet he seemed cool as ever, unruffled about what they’d been through.

“Who are you?”

He looked at her and his dark eyes were tired, the first signs of stress she’d noticed. “Ethan James.”

“Thank you” was all she could say. After a moment, she found more words. “I’m so grateful you insisted on coming. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I wanted to make sure I get my bumper fixed.”

Through all her agony, she smiled. “I’ll fix it with my own two hands.”

They stared at each other for a long time and Abby felt a connection like she’d never felt before—a connection of trust and friendship. And above that she knew she could depend on him. Words like honor, loyalty and hero floated through her mind. She didn’t think there were men like him left. Of course, she could be delusional. But she still wanted to know more about him.

“What do you do, Ethan James?”

“I’m a detective for the Austin Police Department. I work homicide.”

It fit. “That’s why you’re so cool and collected.”

“I was in the Marines, too. The first thing you learn is to never show fear.”

“You have that mastered.”

“On the outside. Inside is a different story.” He leaned forward, scanning the landscape, and she knew he wasn’t going to talk anymore about himself. “We have two goals—to find water and a way out.”

“The police will be looking for us.”

“Yeah, but they don’t have a clue where we are. Our only hope is that there are surveillance cameras in the bank and...”

“Inside and out,” she said.

“Good. Then maybe that van will show up on the cameras and the cops can trace it. But that doesn’t help us unless Rudy or Devon tells them where they left us. They’ll deny it at first. All criminals do. The detectives will have to apply pressure and that will take time.”

“You mean we could be out here overnight?”

“Yes.” He got to his feet. “I’m guessing this is an old deer-hunter’s cabin that hasn’t been used for a while. The gully is probably a creek that dried up from the drought. But I’m hoping the hunters had access to another water supply. I’ll take a look around.”

He walked toward the shack and she had the urge to run after him. But she knew he wouldn’t leave her here. Strange, how she was so sure of that. She leaned her head against the tree and wondered if her father had been notified. Her heart ached at what he must be going through. He was strong, though, and would take care of Chloe. She was sure of that. Just like she was sure Ethan James would get them out of this nightmare.

The hot sun bore down like a furnace and she guessed it had to be midmorning by now. She’d left the house in such a hurry earlier that she’d forgotten her watch. In the afternoon the sun would be unbearable, and they would not be able to survive without water.

She was tired and thirsty and a feeling of lethargy washed over her. If she closed her eyes, she’d wake up in her apartment holding Chloe and watching SpongeBob SquarePants. The morning would all be a bad dream. Because men like Ethan James only appeared in women’s fantasies. They didn’t exist in real life.

* * *

“YOU KNEW WE had plans for the day. Why did you agree to keep Chloe?”

Everett Baines looked up from his paper into the furious face of his wife. “Abby needed help and I’m her father. I will always be there for her.”

“But we had plans.”

“Picking out new patio furniture? We can do that tomorrow or the next day.”

“You always put them before me—your wife.”

“Gayle, I’m not having this conversation with you again.” He picked up his coffee cup. “I’m going to watch cartoons with my granddaughter.”

“I’m still going shopping.”

“Fine. Buy whatever you want.” He walked into the den, placed his cup on the end table, and picked up his granddaughter from the sofa. Abby had her dressed in pink shorts, a pink-and-white halter top, white sandals and pink bows in her blond hair. Chloe clutched Baby, her favorite doll.

“Is Daddy coming, Grandpa?” she asked.

“No, sweetiepie. Your mom will pick you up.”

“’Kay.”

Everett had offered to pay for a top-notch lawyer, but Abby always refused. Because of Gayle. This time he wasn’t taking no for an answer. Doug’s lawyer controlled the situation and the visitation set out in the divorce papers. Which meant nothing to Doug, who did as he pleased. When Abby complained, the lawyers talked but nothing changed. That wasn’t acceptable anymore.

Sitting in his chair, he cradled Chloe close. She looked so much like Abby had at that age, blond curls and big blue eyes. Thank God she didn’t look anything like her father.

“Aren’t you going to feed her breakfast?” Gayle asked from behind him. “Abby lets her eat all that sugary cereal. It’s not good for her.”

“Go shopping, Gayle, before I lose my temper.”

The doorbell rang before she could get in a retort. “I’ll get it,” Gayle said. “Maybe it’s Doug for Chloe and then we can have our weekend back.”

He hated to tell her but he wasn’t going shopping under any circumstances. Abby’s last words were for him not to let Doug have Chloe. And he would honor her wishes. Doug needed to be taught a lesson.

Two tall men with Stetsons in their hands walked into the den. One had a gun on his belt as well as a badge. A cop. Something was wrong.

“Everett, these men would like to talk to you.”

He got to his feet, holding Chloe.

“I’ll take Chloe and fix her something to eat,” Gayle offered.

“You don’t have to do that,” he replied, but didn’t object as she took the little girl from him.

“Have a seat.” He waved a hand toward the sofa and resumed his. “What’s this about?”

The men sat, but it was a moment before either spoke. “It’s about your daughter, Mr. Baines,” the one with the badge told him.

“Abby.” He scooted to the edge of his seat, the hollowness in his stomach telling him it was something bad. “She’s at work.”

“That’s why we’re here. I’m Ross Logan with the Austin Police Department and this is Levi Coyote, a private investigator.”

He shook his head. “What does this have to do with my daughter?”

“I don’t know how else to say this, sir, but the bank where your daughter works was robbed this morning.”

“Oh, God! My d-daughter. Where’s my daughter?”

“She was taken hostage.”

“What!” His chest tightened in pain and he leaned back, clutching it.

Both men were on their feet.

“Mr. Baines, are you okay?” Ross asked.

“Everett!” Gayle screamed.

He gathered himself and sat up. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. I’m calling your doctor,” Gayle insisted.

“Do not call my doctor,” he warned. “It’s just the shock.”

“Do you have heart problems, Mr. Baines?” Levi asked.

“No. I had a spell one time, but the doctor said it was anxiety. I have a lot of stress in my life.”

“Maybe you should get checked out,” Ross suggested.

“No. Tell me what happened.”

The detective hesitated.

“Tell me.”

Gayle handed him a glass of water. He took a sip and placed the glass by his coffee.

“The silent alarm went off at 8:14 a.m. this morning. Officers arrived at 8:17 a.m. to find the door unlocked and Frank Harmon on the floor in the vault.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s had a massive heart attack and is at the hospital. We haven’t gotten an update on his condition, but he’s critical.”

“Good God.”

“Your daughter’s purse and phone were on the floor of the vault. We’re assuming that’s where she pushed the alarm.”

“Oh, what she must have gone through.” Everett put his head in his hands.

“Does your daughter know Ethan James?”

Everett raised his head. “No. I don’t recognize the name. Who is he?”

“His truck was found at the bank.”

“So he’s involved with the robbery?”

“No, sir,” Ross replied. “He’s my partner and a detective. His wallet and phone were in his truck, but he’s nowhere to be found.”

He frowned. “What does this mean?”

“We’re thinking Ethan and Ms. Bauman were taken as hostages.”

“Why would the robbers do that? I’ve been in banking all of my adult life and robbers are not known for taking hostages. It’s excess baggage and slows them down.”

“We’re not sure about that, but we’ll known more soon.”

He looked them in the eye. “Oh, but you do know, don’t you? My daughter is very beautiful and they took her for dire reasons.”

They didn’t dispute that and his blood ran cold.

“Mr. Baines, Ethan is with her and if anyone can get her out of that situation, he can. He’s a former marine, tough and smart.”

“I admire your confidence, Mr. Logan, but...”

Levi squatted in front of him. “Ethan and I grew up together and I know him well enough to say he will sacrifice his life to save your daughter’s. Hang on to that. Be positive. We’ll keep you posted and notify you the moment we locate them.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. Could I please have a number to call to get updates?”

Ross scribbled something on a business card and handed it to him. “That’s my cell.”

“Thank you.”

“The investigators are going through the digital video from the surveillance cameras. We’re hoping to get an ID of the vehicle they used or anything that can point us in the right direction. We’ll be in contact.” They walked toward the foyer, but Ross turned back. “We found Douglas Bauman’s cell number in your daughter’s purse. He didn’t answer our call and we didn’t leave a message.”

“He’s her ex and not involved in her life in any way, except with their daughter. Do not waste your time on him.”

Ross nodded. “As you wish.”

With extreme effort Everett got to his feet. Gayle put her arms around him. “I’m so sorry.”

He pulled away. “No, you’re not. You’re finally going to get your wish, Gayle. The next call I receive might be to tell me my daughter is dead. She’ll be out of our lives for good.”

“How can you say such a thing?”

“Because it’s true.” He waved a hand around the room. “We have a four-bedroom, five-bath home and my daughter has never spent one night here. I’ve asked dozens of times, especially when I keep Chloe so Abby can go out and have fun like other young women, but she refuses. She knows you don’t want her here. You don’t want my only child in any part of our lives.”

“That’s not true! She doesn’t like me.”

“Oh, please. I’m tired of listening to that excuse. I’m just tired of the tension you create. Now I’m going to hold my granddaughter and pray like I’ve never prayed before.” He spared her a glance. “And you can go shopping.”

* * *

ETHAN CANVASSED THE place, but found nothing useful. Everything was old, rusted and bug-infested. He strolled back to the woman. She’d fallen asleep leaning against the tree, her head tilted to the left. Her hair, matted with leaves and dirt, hung in rattails around her face. The left side of her face was badly bruised where the bastard had hit her. Her arms bore scratches from tree branches and her clothes were filthy. Even with all that, it was hard to disguise her beauty.

He was good at reading people. He’d guess she was a sorority girl who’d led a privileged life. But that didn’t quite fit. She worked in a bank, so that meant she was a working girl, supporting herself or her family. And she had an inner strength he’d noticed right away. Not many women would have had the nerve to say to his face that they didn’t have time to deal with the wreck and to meet them at the bank. He’d thought of arresting her for being so damn cheeky.

Whoever she was, he knew someone she loved was getting bad news right about now, like his dad and Kelsey. The last thing his kid needed was to have her father go missing.

He eased down by the woman and she instantly woke up, blinked, looked at him and then closed her eyes tightly.

“This isn’t a dream, is it?” she asked.

“Afraid not.”

She opened her eyes and he was struck by how blue they were. He felt he could see all the way to heaven through them—and he wasn’t a poetic man. Since he’d sworn off women about two years ago, he found that odd and disturbing. He wasn’t interested in the woman. In his experience, even the nicest of women turned into a bitch once the honeymoon period ended.

“Did you find any water? Anything?”

“Nope. There’s an old well, but the rusted pump has caved into it. It’s useless.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We walk out of here and try to survive in this heat.”

“That’s impossible without water.”

“We have to stay in the shade and take breaks. Who knows—” he added at her despondent look “—there could be a convenience store just beyond those trees.”

“Yeah, right.”

From her tone, he sensed the woman didn’t want him to sugarcoat anything so he’d stick to the facts. “I’m guessing we were in the van from thirty to forty minutes so we’re out of Austin and apparently deep into deer country, but where I have no idea. We turned right from the bank. That means we headed south, and then we turned east, but there were so many turns after that I lost track.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Abby Bauman.”

“Of the banking Baumans?”

“I married Douglas Bauman, Jr., but we’ve been divorced for over a year.”

“And you have to work?”

“I didn’t want anything from him but my freedom and custody of our daughter.”

“How did that work out?”

She glared at him. “You’re...very abrupt. I guess it comes from your line of work.”

He studied the tight lines around her full lips. “I think you meant to say I’m a bastard, and you’d be right. A lot of my attitude comes from my job. I deal with the seedier, horrific side of life. And it isn’t pretty or uplifting.”

“Then why do it?”

“It’s who I am. A hard-nosed bastard who’s gonna get you if you’re stupid enough to cross a line to kill someone and think you can get away with it.”

Her baby blues opened wide. “I’ve come to the conclusion that all men are jerks and you’ve just proven my point.” She wiggled her hand back and forth. “With you, though, it might be borderline insanity.”

“You could be right.”

“I’m sorry. That was rude.” She changed her mind a lot, as most women were known to do.

“Ah, lady, you’re...”

“Don’t call me lady,” she snapped. “My name is Abby.”

“Well, Abby, it takes a lot more than that to hurt my feelings. You want to know what really gets me upset? It’s when an airhead stops in the middle of a damn highway.”

“Don’t call me an airhead.”

He shrugged, realizing they both were venting their frustrations of the morning on each other.

“I’m sorry I stopped like that. Doug has our daughter every other weekend and he pulled a no-show like he usually does. I had to scramble to call my dad to take care of Chloe and to get to work on time. I was fuming and missed my turn. I’ll admit I wasn’t thinking, but I’m really grateful you were at the bank this morning. And it was incredibly heroic of you to offer to take my place.”

She did the unexpected with her honesty, took him out of his don’t-get-involved comfort zone and made him see her as a person with everyday problems. He didn’t like that she did it so easily. “Lady, I—” He held up a hand as she made to object. “Abby, I’m not a hero. I’m just trying to get us out of this situation alive.”

One eyebrow arched. “You really are a bastard.”

“Remember that and you and I will get along fine.”

“Jerk.”

He scooted up against the tree, his shoulder touching hers. “Save all that energy for later.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have to walk out of here in the heat.”

“How will we know where to go?”

“We’ll follow the trail the van made coming in and out. Hopefully, we’ll come to a dirt road and we can flag someone down.”

“We can do it, right?”

“Yep.”

He looked into her concerned blue eyes and saw a lot more than he wanted to. Femininity. Beauty. Strength. Trouble. His defenses were rock-solid against the fairer sex. He’d been burned too many times to let his guard down. But there was something about her that made him feel weak. And that brought out the true bastard in him. There was no way a woman was taking advantage of him again.

CHAPTER THREE

WALTON JAMES GLANCED at the wall clock in the kitchen one more time. After eleven. Ethan had said he’d be home at least by nine and to make sure Kelsey was up and ready to go riding. The poor kid had been in the kitchen three times to ask if Ethan was home.

She didn’t call him Dad or Daddy and he supposed that was understandable since they’d just met two years ago, but it grated on the one good nerve he still had. It was just plain disrespectful.

The girl’s attitude was a little hard to take, but Ethan had asked him to make an effort to get along. And he’d do anything for his boy, even put the skids on his cussing. He was an old cowboy and cowboys cussed. That was just a fact. Facing seventy, he was doing his best to tame his colorful tongue.

He glanced at the clock again. Where was Ethan?

A knock sounded at the door and he ambled toward it. Ross Logan, Ethan’s partner, and Levi Coyote, a friend and neighbor, stood outside.

“What are you boys doing here? Ethan with you?” He looked around them, but only saw Rowdy, his blue heeler, wagging his tail for another biscuit. He’d already given him two. He wasn’t getting any more.

“Walt, could we talk to you for a minute?” Levi asked.

“Sure. Come on in.” He followed them into the living room and sat on the edge of his recliner while they eased onto the brown tweed sofa. Walt knew trouble. He’d seen it a lot of times in his life. And he was looking square at it in the eyes of Ross and Levi.

“Just tell me about Ethan. Where is he? I know that’s why you’re here.”

“Have you had the TV on this morning? Or a radio?” Ross asked.

“Nope. I had calves to feed and then I fixed breakfast for Kelsey. Ethan said he’d be here by nine and I’ve been waiting and waiting.” He looked directly at Levi because he knew the man would give him a straight answer. “What happened to my son?”

Levi twisted the hat in his hand. “There was a bank robbery off I-35 this morning. Ethan’s truck was parked outside, but he’s nowhere to be found. A woman teller is missing, too.”

“Holy...sh—crap.”

Levi’s lips twitched. “Still trying to curb those curse words?”