Benjamin (13 page)

By shooting his hat off.

He chuckled and she stirred in his arms. Her blonde hair was spread out on his chest like a silky fan. He felt the texture between his fingers awkwardly because of the bandages on his hands. He’d lost control again, but this time she’d pulled him back from the edge of lost.

Not many people would have taken him on. Ben was no slouch when it came to throwing a punch or hitting a target. But this woman had slammed into him like she was a force of nature, pushing him into the dirt and knocking the fury from him.

Now she’d taught him so much more. Ben kissed her forehead and breathed in her scent. Not flowers or anything feminine, but wholly Grace.

“I’m not sure I gave you leave for such familiarity.” Her sleep-tinged voice cut through his thoughts.

“Shoot me.”

She laughed and rolled away from him. “Don’t tempt me.”

“We should get going. I think we’re only a couple days away.”

He heard the sound of a horse in the distance and got up in an instant. His heart slammed against his ribs. Perhaps it was nobody important. Perhaps it was the rider who’d been following them since the beginning of their partnership.

“Let’s move.” He yanked on his boots and packed up their gear in less than a minute.

Grace had already saddled the horses by the time he tethered their blankets and saddlebags. She threw herself up on Swift and waited while he did the same on Paladin.

As they rode off in the opposite direction of the rider, they rode as though the hounds of hell were chasing them. Both rode strong horses and rode with precision and skill.

Ben led for an hour while Grace followed behind. They rode through various patches of woods and roads until the horses were lathered.

“Ben, we need to rest the horses.” Grace’s voice broke the silence. “I don’t think anyone could have followed that route.” She was breathless and a sheen of perspiration covered her face.

Ben slowed Paladin to a trot and then a walk. He spotted a rock formation that blocked the view from the road they were on. He headed for it and was thankful to discover the spot was empty.

“We can’t let anyone get that close to us again.” He didn’t know if anyone was following them but he had learned to be more than careful. His life might dependent on it, not to mention Grace’s.

“You said we were only a couple days away.” She dismounted and reached for her canteen. “We can make it.”

He hadn’t believed it before, but he did now. They would make it to the compound no matter what waited for them.

The next two days passed in a blur. They rode hard, slept little, and ate while they were on the move. Grace never complained or told him to slow down. He was so used to his family where the women were tough but they sure as hell gave their opinion every two minutes.

When they arrived at another town, Ben’s calm acceptance of their journey came to a screeching halt. The familiarity of the surroundings and the buildings were a splash of cold water. Grace must’ve sensed something was wrong.

He wanted to vomit.

“Benjy?”

“We made it.”

Her eyes widened and he could see the impatience in her gaze. “Where’s the compound?”

“Outside town, over a big wooden bridge that’s guarded by armed men.”

She made a huffing sound. “How far?”

“Five miles, maybe less.”

Need and fear raced through her expression. “Can we go now?”

“We need to wait for dark. If they can’t see us sneaking in, they can’t stop us.”

She frowned but nodded. “I trust you.”

Ben wasn’t sure he’d earned the trust, but he accepted it, greedy bastard that he was. They rode through town and headed toward the backside of the compound. If he remembered correctly, there was a gate at the back of the wall they could sneak inside the compound.

Then hell would truly be breached.

*

The last two
days had been like living in a twister. Everything went by fast and furious, but she hung on as best she could. Ben had retreated back into his shell a little and she didn’t blame him. Somehow he’d found the way back to the compound he’d escaped as a child. Through it all they’d developed a bond that pulsed beneath the tension, strong and steady.

Everything else was chaos. They’d managed to bypass the wooden bridge and walk through the river because the water was low. The horses were able to make it through to the other side without panicking, once again proving their fine horseflesh stock. Grace managed not to panic herself, for which she was proud. This water was only waist deep and the current was almost nonexistence, a gentle lapping against her.

Wet and shivering, Grace walked beside Ben as they entered the woods again. The men guarding the bridge had been smoking cigarettes and Grace could still see the orange glow of the tips in the darkness behind them. Her stomach quivered from fear laced with anticipation. Soon they would reach the walls of the compound.

So very close to Henry.

Her dripping clothes chafed against her skin as she walked. The night was humid, which meant nothing would dry quickly. It didn’t matter, none of it mattered.

They walked in silence for at least fifteen minutes and then suddenly there it was. The wall that surrounded the Cunningham compound. Her heart thundered in her ears. She placed the palm of her hand on the stone wall and took a shaky breath.

“Now what?” she whispered.

“I have to find the door. It’s been ten years but it should still be here.”

Without a light to guide them, Ben would have to feel his way to the door he sought. Grace went the opposite direction, not knowing what she was looking for but needing to do something. Anything.

She moved to the right, running her hands along the wall. Grace thought perhaps something different than the patterns in the natural stone would tell her if the door was there.

What she didn’t expect was to run into a very warm, very hard man. Grace let loose an undignified yip and reached for her pistol. The man was faster than she was and had her arm behind her and a hand over her mouth.

She tried to bite the gloved palm but he held her too tight to do anything. Curses streamed from her mind, coming out as grunts beneath the leather.

“Gracie?” Ben was coming closer. “Where are you?”

The stranger leaned close to her ear, his hot breath making her cringe. “Be quiet and you save his life, you understand me?”

She nodded and readied herself to throw a punch as soon as she could.

“Gracie?” Ben’s voice was laced with worry.

Grace counted her heartbeats as the seconds ticked by. When Ben was only a few feet away, the stranger eased his hand away from her mouth, then two things happened at once.

She got one arm free and elbowed the man as hard as she could just as he said, “Ben?”

Grace stumbled away and fell on her ass in shock. Ben flew past her and landed on the stranger. Grace didn’t know what was occurring but her behind hurt and anger burbled. She hissed at the two men.

“Whatever you’re doing, stop it before I shoot both of you.”

The men, of course, ignored her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been following you for a while. You’re slippery and I lost you a couple times. When I realized where you were headed, I had to catch up to you quick.” This stranger had been the one chasing them this entire time? And why did Ben sound so excited to see him?

“Damn it, I didn’t want anyone coming near me. I’m poison. A wanted man.” The pain in Ben’s tone tugged at Grace’s heart.

She’d had enough.

“Can one of you shut up long enough to tell me what the fucking hell is going on?” Her whisper was too loud but she didn’t care.

“I like her.” The stranger sounded amused.

“Gracie, this is my brother, Caleb.” The love in Ben’s voice was clear. “And he shouldn’t be within a hundred miles of me. I’m a wanted criminal.”

“You’re not a wanted criminal, Benjy. There’s no warrant or bounty. You’ve been hiding for no reason,” Caleb continued. “I went back to the Rangers to look for you.”

“I’m a free man?”

“You’re only bound by your own chains.”

“Jesus.”

“Tell me where you’ve been. I’ve looked everywhere, incl—”

Grace had to get the conversation back onto Henry. “We can talk about the last four months later. Right now I want to find the goddamn door and get my son back.”

“Son?” Caleb asked.

“He was taken by the Cunninghams a year ago. We’re getting him back.”

“I wondered why you came back here. Knew it was nothing but trouble. Thought maybe it was to burn the place down.” Caleb knew Ben well. “What’s your plan?”

“Find the secret door in the wall, get in, find Henry, get out.” It sounded not quite right to Grace.

“And Dominic?” she asked.

“Who’s Dominic?” Caleb was obviously still trying to figure out what was happening.

“The youngest Cunningham brother. His mother runs the business and Dominic is now the only brother left to carry out her orders.” Grace knew a little of the history between these two Grahams and the fact they had killed two of the Cunninghams. Beyond that, the information was sparse.

“Bernadette. The housekeeper.” Ben’s voice had dropped. “She’s their mother.”

“Holy fuck.” Caleb put his hands on his knees and leaned forward. “All that shit about keeping the kitchen clean and taking care of Rory. She was behind all of their crimes?”

“Appears that way. I plan to have a conversation with her.” Something dark entered Ben’s voice when he spoke of Bernadette. There was much more there, but Grace was afraid of what it was so she didn’t ask.

“I’m here so we’ve got three men, so to speak, to get in there. I sent a message to the Rangers stationed near here before I left town but it’ll be a couple hours at least before they get here.” Caleb steered his brother away from what he’d do once they got in. He turned to her. “You good with a gun?”

“I can shoot the balls off a squirrel.” Grace was an expert marksman.

“Glad to know you can do that if necessary.” Caleb’s wry comment lightened the heavy air between them. “We find the door and head for the kitchen. Every time I saw her, she was there. Do you know if her sleeping quarters are near it, Ben?”

“Right off the back. I wasn’t allowed in her room but I know which door it is.” Ben must’ve hated every minute of this, to relive what he’d gone through. Grace almost told him to stay put but he wouldn’t listen to her anyway. He had the bit in his teeth and he was going to run with it no matter what.

“Good, here’s what we should do.” Caleb spoke quietly for the next few minutes. Since he’d been the one to rescue Ben as a boy, as well as the fact he was a Texas Ranger, she had faith in him as well as his youngest brother.

It was time to get Henry back.

*

It took another
twenty minutes of feeling the wall before they found the secret door. Vines had grown up around it, hiding the seam. No one had likely touched it since Caleb, Ben, and Rory escaped from the compound.

Ironic they were using the same door to sneak back in. It’s likely the very last thing Ben ever expected to do in his life. His stomach roiled as they cut away the vines to get the door open. Each inch that was freed made him feel sicker and sicker. He couldn’t be here but he
had
to be here.

For Grace. For Henry. For himself.

Ben was still the boy who didn’t speak for weeks after Caleb found him. He’d never told his family he had stopped speaking a year before that fateful night Rory was injured. Fate had given him a second chance at life but he’d been too hesitant to take it.

Now he was being forced to either move forward or die in the past. He couldn’t survive if he didn’t escape that darkness that shadowed him. Now was the time for him to stop being afraid and start living.

His anger was tied to the fear, entwined as much as the vines on the door. Ben cut faster until he made his way all the way around the bottom while Caleb had cut around the top. Having his brother there meant more to him than he could say. Finding him with Grace had nearly stopped Ben’s heart. Joy and relief had flooded him.

Now he couldn’t imagine doing this without Caleb. His brother had saved him before and now they could save Henry together.