Page 39 of Chance
Colt gestured to Chance. “Get my rifle.”
“I’m packing,” Blaze said, taking his gun out.
“Same,” Nash chimed in.
When they pulled up to the ranch, there was no one in sight. Before Colt even parked, Chance threw open the truck door and rushed to the house. He fumbled to unlock the door and walked inside, calling out, “Kelly? Kelly?”
His brothers came in behind him, all of them ready for an assault.
A piece of white paper rested on the counter, grabbing Chance’s attention. There was a broken arrow and the words, She’s with me now.
“Truman!” Colt shouted.
Chance stared down at the broken arrow. He was already turning back to go to his truck. “I’m going to call the police department and get every cop out there on this case.”
Before Chance could call anyone, a random number lit up his phone. His heart thumped loudly, and he answered it. “Who is this?”
“We don’t know each other,” an unfamiliar voice said. “But I’m Brian. I’ve been having a private investigator follow Kelly. Look, I know we have our differences, but she’s pregnant with my child, and I know you and your family are mixed up with some bad stuff.”
Chance’s mouth fell open. He’d never thought he would be talking to Brian.
“I’m concerned because she’s headed toward Windsong Reservation.”
Chapter 24
Kelly awoke, her head bobbing against the passenger door of a car. Pain wracked through her head. Blearily, she looked up at the driver. “Who are you?”
The man smirked, keeping his eyes on the road. “I’m not one of Brian’s guys, if that’s what you’re afraid of. But he’s been tailing you. One of his guys has, anyway. Maybe it’s a good thing I got to you first.”
“Where are we going?”
The man laughed, and the scar on his face contorted strangely. “You see, the Crosses and the Stones think I’m stupid. They think they’re untouchable. That’s been the number one problem this whole time. They don’t think their places can be bugged. That I know every move they’re going to make.”
Her mind raced, and she remembered hearing them mention Raine Birch’s brother. “Truman?”
A genuine happy look lit up his face. “You’re smarter than I thought. Good for you.”
Her mind whirled with confusion, and she tried to sort out everything she knew about the gold hunt and this Truman who had caused Chance’s family so much heartache. “I guess we’re going to Ms. Connie’s. You’re not going to hurt her, are you?”
“Listen, honestly, I don’t care about you, about Ms. Connie, about any of them. I just want to find this treasure. Because that’s the person I am. The person smarter than everyone else.” He scoffed. “That’s why they’re afraid of me, even my own brother. You should hear the stuff he says.”
They passed a big sign for the Windsong Reservation. Kelly had been here a handful of times while growing up. Her grandmother had been close friends with Ms. Connie. She could only imagine how old Ms. Connie was now; she’d seemed old back when Kelly was small.
She tried to think of a way out of this. “We don’t need to go to Ms. Connie’s house. I already figured out where we need to go. I don’t have any loyalties to anyone either. Just take me to those caves on the south part of the reservation. I’ll show you where the gold is.”
In all her life, she’d never thought about being so deceptive, about trying to trick a literal killer into going somewhere with her. His gun had been placed carelessly in the middle of the car between them. She looked around and noted the tarp and duct tape in his back seat. Wasn’t this the serial killer’s MO in every podcast she’d ever listened to? People who carry around a tarp and duct tape are basically guaranteed serial killers, right?
He laughed again. “Sweetheart, I know you’re caught in the crosshairs, but you’re really too nice for this. I don’t mind taking advantage of nice people. You might know I grew up in foster care, and I had a lot of people take advantage of me.”
Fear spread through her; the look in his eyes told her he might want to do something else. She reached for her pockets, hoping her phone would be in one of them. “Let’s just think about this. I don’t think this is a smart move. They’ll find you.” She hoped they would.
“Chance’s first move will be to call the cops and look for me. They don’t know that I know about the reservation and Ms. Connie. They’re idiots. You see, me taking you…distracts them.” He let out a villainous laugh. “It’s perfect.”
Truman pulled up to the reservation school, which was old and in shambles—a good representation of his dark heart. “We’re here. Let’s go see the old lady. I figure you’re good leverage.”
She didn’t move as he got out and went around the car to open her door. For the first time, she started to cry. “Please, let me show you where the gold is. Let’s not go see her. She’s a good person.”
Truman threw the passenger side door open. “You’re lying.” He yanked Kelly out of the car, and then he did something she would never forget.