A Lawman's Justice (Sweetwater Ranch Book 8) (3 page)

Shelby shook her head. “I’m pretty sure Hance murdered his wife, and I believe he’s capable of murdering again. But why would he possibly involve you in his mission to get back at me for those articles?”

Seth made a sound to indicate he was giving that some thought, and he walked around a rusted-out car. “The only thing that connects us is my mother’s trial.”

True. His stepbrother, Tucker, was married to her sister, Laine, but since Seth and his stepbrother were barely on speaking terms, that connection was thin.

But, for that matter, so was the trial.

“I believe Jewell’s guilty,” Shelby said, speaking out loud and hoping it made more sense than when it was still in her head. “You believe she’s innocent. So if our captors or Hance did this because of the murder trial, what could they possibly hope to achieve?”

“I don’t know why Hance would have involved me in this. But someone else could have wanted to use us for some kind of ransom.” He answered her question so quickly it was clear his head wasn’t as foggy as hers. “But not ransom for money. Maybe someone wanted to use us to try to sway the trial in some way.”

It didn’t make sense, but neither did anything else about this situation. Shelby didn’t have access to anything that could affect the trial.

Unlike Seth.

He probably could get at some evidence if necessary, but so far he didn’t seem to be the law-breaking type. Maybe because he thought he had justice on his side and that Jewell would be cleared of all charges.

And that brought Shelby back to a revenge theory.

Maybe Hance wanted revenge against her and Seth had accidentally gotten caught up in the plan? It’d be a weird coincidence since both Seth and she had gotten phone calls that’d brought them here, but nothing else made sense right now.

Seth came to a stop so quickly that Shelby plowed into him. He was solid, all right, and didn’t seem to notice she’d bumped into him. Instead, he just lifted his head.

“Get down,” he said, but he didn’t wait for her to do that. Seth jerked her to the ground amid the weeds and grass.

Shelby heard it then. The car engine. Or rather the engine of a big truck.

Oh, God.

This had to be the men who’d kidnapped them.

She sucked in her breath. Held it, waiting and praying.

Once the men were inside the barn, maybe Seth and she could make a run for it to put some space between them and these killers. There weren’t many places to hide, but she’d spotted some good-size boulders just ahead. That would give them far more protection and cover than the grass.

Shelby couldn’t fully turn her head because of the way Seth was holding her, but from the corner of her eye she saw the driver park the truck. Two men got out. She didn’t recognize either of them, but they were both armed with weapons not only in holsters but also in their hands. As she’d hoped, they went into the barn.

“Let’s go,” Seth mouthed.

He took her by the wrist and started running toward those boulders. She wasn’t exactly a slouch at running, but Seth was a heck of a lot faster than she was. If he hadn’t kept hold of her, she wouldn’t have been able to keep up with him. They were just a few yards away when Shelby heard something she didn’t want to hear.

“There they are!” one of the men shouted.

Her heart went to her knees, and Seth dragged her back to the ground. Probably to stop them from being gunned down.

But the men didn’t shoot.

There was another sound. The truck engine roared to life, and Seth’s gaze snapped right in that direction.

“Run,” Seth ordered, getting her to her feet again.

She did, but Shelby looked over her shoulder. And she heard the strangled sound claw its way through her throat.

The truck was no longer in front of the barn. Nor on the road.

It was coming right at them.

Chapter Three

Seth didn’t look back. He just tightened his grip on Shelby’s arm and kept running as fast as he could.

But the truck kept coming, too.

Just ahead were the boulders, and while they would have protected them from bullets, the truck would be able to drive around them and get to Shelby and him that way. Their best bet was to hide behind the small trees just ahead. The oaks were just large enough and close enough together that the driver should have trouble maneuvering around or through them.

Seth hoped so anyway.

The engine got louder. The truck, closer. So close he could practically feel the heat coming off the vehicle. And just when Seth thought the kidnappers would run them down, Shelby and he were able to duck behind the first tree. The driver slammed on his brakes but then darted into a small clearing to their left.

“He’s trying to run us over,” Shelby said, her breath gusting. “But why didn’t he just shoot at us instead?”

Good question. Seth didn’t have a good answer other than maybe the men still wanted them alive. They’d proved that by kidnapping rather than killing them at the warehouse. They were proving it now by not shooting at them. The problem was, Seth had no idea why someone wanted to put them through this.

Unless...

Maybe they wanted to set up Shelby and him to take the blame for that murder back at the warehouse.

Was that what this was all about?

If so that would explain why they’d both been lured to the warehouse with those calls. But it sure as heck didn’t explain why Shelby and he had been targeted in the first place. Other than their connection to his mother and the upcoming trial, they didn’t have anything in common.

Seth didn’t have time to give it any more thought because the truck turned in the clearing and came straight for them again. He kept hold of Shelby in case she fell, and they raced behind another tree. Like before, the driver adjusted and started getting into a position where he could come after them again.

Shelby reached down, grabbed a huge rock and hurled it at the truck. It smashed into the side window but didn’t break the glass. She tossed another rock. So did Seth, though he figured it wouldn’t stop the men. Still, it felt good to be inflicting some kind of damage.

The driver finally got the truck turned around and came toward them again. Shelby and he ran, ducking behind a small mesquite, and they hurled some more rocks. Seth sent one right into the windshield, and this time the safety glass cracked and webbed.

Good. Maybe it’d make it harder for the driver to see.

Or not.

Like before, the man threw the truck into Reverse and came right at them.

“We’re running out of trees,” Shelby said through the gusts of breath.

Yeah, they were, and that kicked up Seth’s heartbeat even more. He looked around for anything they could use for cover or an escape.

He saw something.

About twenty yards away was a heap of dirt that appeared to be a natural embankment. Maybe to a small creek or stream. Since he didn’t hear any water, Seth was hoping it was dry and too steep for the truck to go in.

“We’re going there,” he told Shelby, tipping his head to the embankment.

They raced to another tree, the final one, and Seth waited for the driver to throw the truck into Reverse before he started running. It didn’t take long for the driver to adjust his course and aim the truck at them again.

Part of Seth wanted to stop, face their pursuers head-on and demand some answers. But that could be suicide. Just because these idiots hadn’t fired shots at them so far didn’t mean they wouldn’t start now. Besides, he could demand answers once he caught them. And he
would
catch them. No way would he let them get away with this.

It seemed to take an eternity, but Shelby and he finally reached the embankment just a few seconds ahead of the truck. As Seth had hoped, it was a small creek bed, and it was plenty deep enough. At least five feet and dry.

Well, it was dry in this part of the bed anyway.

Just a short distance to his right some water pooled and the bed narrowed. To his left, the water was much shallower. And the truck would be able to get through there.

And it did.

The truck tore through the dirt embankment, dipped into the recessed area, but the huge tires got enough traction for the vehicle to make it to the other side.

Exactly where Seth had planned to go.

He’d already spotted a heavily treed area over there, but now he wouldn’t be able to get to it.

Time for plan B.

“Let’s go,” he told Shelby.

And they started running along the creek bed where there was some mud and water. If the men wanted to come after them, then they’d have to get out of the truck and go on foot or else risk the truck bogging down.

It didn’t take long for Shelby and him to reach the water. Thankfully, it was only ankle deep, but there was also soupy mud. Not the best running surface, especially since he was wearing cowboy boots and Shelby was in sandals. Still, they ran as if their lives depended on it because they very well could.

Even if this was some kind of kidnapping gone wrong, the men might want to cut their losses and just kill them. Shelby and he had to get out of their paths before that could happen.

“There they are,” Seth heard one of the men yell.

Seth didn’t stop running, but he glanced over his shoulder and spotted the two behind them in the creek bed.

Hell.

The men were now on foot and already too close. When they reached the water, it would slow them down as it had Shelby and him, but it wouldn’t slow them down nearly enough. All the idiots needed to do was get in firing range. Even if they didn’t have plans to kill them, they could still shoot Shelby and him to get them to stop.

“There’s more water,” Shelby warned him.

Yes, Seth saw it. Just ahead the bed not only widened, but the water got deeper. He figured that would only continue until they reached an honest-to-goodness creek.

“Are you a good swimmer?” Seth asked.

Shelby glanced at him. She was breathing through her mouth now, and her face was flushed from the exertion. “Not even close.”

Well, there went plan C. He didn’t want her to drown, and as exhausted as they already were, it’d likely take a strong swimmer for them to escape, especially if the men continued to follow them.

It was hard to think while running like a crazy man, but Seth forced himself to look around and see what their options were.

There weren’t many.

They could keep running and hope the water didn’t get so deep that it’d require swimming. But that was a huge gamble. Or he could stop and try to fight. If the men weren’t armed, that was exactly what he would do, but those weapons gave them a huge advantage. Again, it was a gamble.

Seth thought of one other plan.

It was risky, too, but it might be the only chance they had.

He looked ahead, spotted a place that might work. The water was deeper there, but the embankment wasn’t as high as in other places.

“When we stop,” Seth told her, “I want you to start climbing up the embankment on your right.”

“We’re stopping?” she said on a gasp.

Panic was in her voice. In her eyes, too, and Seth hoped Shelby could hold it together long enough to do this. He’d been an FBI agent for nine years now. Plenty of time for him to be in situations with armed men. Still, he’d never been in a predicament like this.

In hindsight, he should have forced Shelby back into her car the moment she’d pulled up to the warehouse. He should have threatened her and made her go. If he’d done that, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess.

He’d kick himself for that later.

Later, after he saved her.

Seth tightened his grip on her arm, stopping her in her tracks, and he shoved her onto the embankment. Shelby dug in her heels and scrambled over. Seth did the same, and the second he was over the top, he grabbed her hand again and took off running. Not away from the men but rather in their direction.

Toward the truck.

The men cursed and tried to scramble up the embankment, too, but they chose a spot that was steep and muddy. Seth took full advantage of that and went into a sprint. Just behind him, Shelby kept up, and they made a beeline for the truck.

“Get them!” one of the men yelled.

Seth glanced back again. The men were no longer in the creek bed but were in the same clearing as he and Shelby. Both were still armed and running way too fast. Seth figured it wouldn’t be long before they caught up with them.

The truck was just ahead, both the driver and passenger’s doors wide-open. Seth didn’t hear the engine running, but he hoped the guys had at least left the keys in the ignition. He knew how to hot-wire a car, but that took time. Time that Shelby and he didn’t have.

“Get in and get down,” Seth told her. This time she’d darn well better listen.

They scrambled toward the truck. Shelby toward the passenger’s side and Seth behind the wheel. The keys were in there.

Thank God.

While the men ran straight toward them, Seth started the engine and threw the vehicle into Reverse so he could turn around. Not easy to do with the trees and the embankment so close. It also didn’t help that the broken front windshield looked more like a spider web.

“They’re almost on us,” Shelby said. She’d gotten on the floor as he’d ordered, but she lifted her head to peer out at the men.

Yes, they were that close. “Check for a weapon in the glove compartment or under the seat,” he said.

That’d keep Shelby down and out of potential line of fire. And, besides, she might get lucky and actually find a gun or two.

Seth finally got the truck turned around and gunned the engine, but he didn’t get very far before he had to slow down to swerve around more trees. Unfortunately, there was no direct path to the road so that meant he needed to turn around yet again and go back to the low spot in the embankment where the men had first crossed.

He hit the brakes and took the turn as fast as he could. The men were there, of course, coming right at them. And while he wanted answers, it’d be safer for Shelby and him if he just ran them down.

“No gun,” Shelby said, rifling through the glove compartment. She was about to start her search under the seat, but she froze and her eyes widened. “You’re driving right at them?”

“Hold on,” Seth warned her, and he aimed the truck at the men.

They scattered, one going left and the other to the right, and they both hit the ground to get out of the way of the truck. Seth got a good look at them then. He didn’t recognize either man, but he did recognize something—their concerned looks. Judging from the expressions, the duo had realized that he’d now seen their faces.

That meant he could possibly identify them.

In his experience, once you had the names of the criminals, then the motive would soon follow. Seth needed that because these two had almost certainly murdered that man back at the warehouse.

“There’s no gun under the seat,” Shelby relayed. She lifted her head again, this time looking out the back window. “And they’re still running after us.”

Seth glanced at the side mirror to see just how close they were. Too close. But he couldn’t go any faster because he might hit a boulder or a tree. If that happened, Shelby and he would be sitting ducks.

Seth finally spotted the low embankment just ahead. A welcome sight. And a somewhat scary one if this plan didn’t work.

“Hang on,” he told Shelby.

She grabbed the door handle and the dashboard. Good thing, too. Because the impact tossed them around like rag dolls. Seth wasn’t wearing a seat belt so his head hit the ceiling. Shelby’s shoulder bashed against the door, causing her to make a sharp sound of pain.

But Seth didn’t stop.

If he did, there was just enough soft ground that it might bog down the tires. So Seth slammed on the accelerator, and they got another hard jolt when he came up the other side. He headed for the driveway in front of the house and barn.

“Oh, God,” Shelby said.

There was plenty of fear in her voice. Seth glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the reason for that brand new round of fear.

Both men had stopped and had taken aim.

Their guns were pointed right at the truck.

That barely had time to register in Seth’s mind when he heard the blasts, and the back windshield came crashing down on Shelby and him.

“Cover your eyes and stay down,” Seth ordered.

It wasn’t a second too soon before more shots came, slicing through the glass and metal frame and sending a spray of shards right at them. He felt one of those slice his cheek, but he still didn’t stop.

Didn’t slow down.

With the bullets slamming into the truck, Seth sped to the driveway and then onto the dirt and gravel road.