Diamond in the Rough (Diamond J #2) (20 page)

Aidan touched her chin with his finger and turned her face gently back until their faces were inches from each other. “I’m sorry I got carried away.”

She nodded. “So did I.”

Boy, did she. Her chest rose and fell with a deep sigh. Her whole body felt limp, satisfied, happy. She rested her head on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. He whispered, "I'm falling hard for you."

Her heart swelled with happiness. "Me, too."

They gazed out at the inky darkness of the lake. His fingers traced lazy circles on her bare shoulder.

Gradually, she became aware of a dog barking in the distance and cows mooing. A sharp cry shattered the stillness of the night. She jerked up straight and swiveled her head left and right, trying to determine the source of the sound. Her heart raced. Every nerve in her body tingled. Her ears pricked up and she was on high alert.

Aidan pulled her closer. “It’s okay. That was a screech owl.”

She sagged with relief.

Suddenly, Aidan stiffened and his eyes widened.

“What—?” Gina asked, but he clamped a hand over her mouth. She blinked in surprise.

Then she heard it.

Cows mooing. Hooves stomping in the dirt. A dog barking. The clank of a metal gate.

And a big truck roaring to life.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Rustlers

Aidan jumped to his feet and turned slowly in a circle, his head cocked to the side, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

“What—?” Gina’s eyes widened as she pushed to her feet. Sound carried out here. She couldn’t tell which direction the noise was coming from. The sound of mooing had stopped. The only sound was the slow rumble of an engine, a big engine jerking to life.

“Oh, no! No, no, no—” Aidan grabbed her hand and took off running. She struggled to keep up as he ran through the field. Weeds and tall grass whipped at her arms as her legs pumped madly. He dropped her hand and plowed ahead.

She squinted in the darkness, trying to keep him in sight. She could hear him crashing through the brush, cursing and breathing hard. Suddenly, a sharp pain sliced into her shin and she pitched forward, landing with a grunt.

Aidan spun around and shouted, “You okay?”

She waved him on. “I’m okay! Go! Go!”

She got to her feet and brushed her hands together. Her palms stung, but she swiped them down her thighs and hurried after Aidan. She found him at the edge of the road, hands dangling at his sides, breathing hard. He stared at two sets of taillights disappearing into the night. A semi and a pickup truck, by the looks of it.

He pointed to the side of the road without turning. Gina followed his finger and deflated when she saw the metal gate swinging freely in the breeze.

“Damn,” she groaned. She stepped forward and placed her hand on Aidan’s shoulder, panting from the run through the pasture. Rain drops began to fall, pelting them as they stood along the side of the road.

He nodded and spoke tersely. “Cattle rustlers. They hit this area last summer, but hadn’t been a problem again until just the last few weeks. That’s how I ended up with that little calf. Thieves stole the whole herd from Claude’s place and left that baby behind.”

Gina frowned. She’d assumed the mama cow had died or something. The thought of thieves being so callous as to rip a mother from her baby twisted her heart. How careless. How cruel. Her gaze swept the darkness. “They took the whole herd?” Shivers shook her body as the cold rain began to fall harder.

“Yup.” Aidan pointed at the tire marks in the dirt by the gate. “Pulled the semi trailer right up there to the gate and loaded them up in minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Are you insured?”

“Of course Beau and Beth’re insured, but that doesn’t help the cows or me now, does it?” He scowled at her. "My cattle were in that pasture, too."

She blinked rapidly, stung by his words. She opened her mouth to apologize, then closed it. Lightning bolted across the sky. A breeze ruffled her hair and cooled the sweat on her neck. A shiver ran down her spine. Thunder shook the ground.

He took a step toward her, then gathered her in his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m upset.”

She snaked her arms around his waist and squeezed. He seemed genuinely upset. She has to admit, it surprised her. She’d thought a man like him would be hardened to the fate of animals. Then again, he’d surprised her several times in the little time they’d spent together.

“Come on,” she urged. Let’s go back to the house, get out of this rain.”

He released her and twined his fingers with hers. “Right. I need to call the Sheriff.”

They walked along the fence and soon reached the driveway. The front of the house was illuminated with uplighting placed strategically behind shrubs and dwarf trees. As they got closer, the outline of the door became visible, spilling light from inside the home.

Aidan glanced around. “That’s odd.”

Gina said, “Maybe Charlotte heard something and came out to check.”

Aidan dropped her hand and took the porch steps two at a time. He ducked his head inside. Suddenly, Gina felt her stomach clench.

Toby.

Oh, God, she’d been so focused on Aidan—

She raced up the steps and through the open door. She heard Aidan’s boots pound down the hallway as he shouted for Charlotte and Toby. She looked at the television, which was nothing but blackness. The DVD case sat on the floor, open and empty. The cushion Toby had laid on was rumpled, still indented from his weight.

She spun around and yelled, “Toby!”

No answer.

Panic curled around her heart and squeezed as she fought to keep control of her emotions. She wouldn’t do him any good running around like a chicken with her head cut off. The kitchen. Maybe he went to get something to eat or drink. She ran to the kitchen, her wet shoes slapping against the wooden floor, then flipped the light on. Empty.

Think. She had to think.

She flew out the back door to the patio, shouting his name. Her little boy. He was alone. He was scared. He was in unfamiliar territory. Where would he go? Looking for her, most likely.

Aidan appeared in the doorway and stepped out. “Did you find him?”

“No!” Gina’s voice wavered. Sanity was hanging by a thread.

"The boy is missing?" Charlotte appeared in the doorway, pulling her bathrobe belt tight. “I’ll stay here and search the house. The two of you look outside.” She waved them away.

Gina nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. Right. Maybe he was playing hide and seek. Could it be that simple? Oh, please, please let it be, she pleaded with any power that might be listening. She spun around, unsure which direction to go.

Suddenly the area jumped to life and Aidan appeared from beside the house. He’d flipped on lights, which lit up the patio area, but created sharp, disorienting shadows. Lots of places for a little boy to hide.

He strode to her and placed a large black flashlight in her hand. “I’m going to go look by the lake. Maybe he followed us down there.”

She gulped and swiped the rain from eyes, hoping her son hadn’t followed them. If he saw them kissing — or doing other things — what would he think? Embarrassment burned her cheeks. Why hadn’t she stopped Aidan? Would Toby be angry?

Maybe that’s why he ran. The thought horrified her. She shook her head. No. He liked Aidan. He wouldn’t have run. He might’ve been confused, scared even, by what he saw. But it was dark. He couldn’t have seen much. She shook the worry away. There was no time for that - she had to find her son.

Maybe he took cover when the rain hit.

Her eyes widened as it hit her. The calf! She flipped her own flashlight on and skidded around the side of the house and toward the barn. Aidan pounded behind her, the beam from his flashlight bobbing along in front of them just like hers. The big sliding door was open a bit, a slash of black against the red siding. Hope buoyed her along.

She was right! He was out here, she knew it. She hurried down the aisle and slid to a stop in front of the calf’s stall. She jerked the door open and swept the light through the stall. The calf bawled angrily as she jumped to her feet, eyes wide with fear.

No Toby.

Gina dropped to her knees, water dripping from her rain-slicked hair.

Aidan squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Kidnapping

Rondo jumped into the truck, threw the transmission in drive, then stomped on the gas. He kept right on Lana’s tail as she pushed the semi hard. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a man in a cowboy hat standing on the edge of the road. Thank goodness they had a head start. Even if that guy went back to get a vehicle to chase them, they’d be long gone. Rondo grabbed his cell phone off the seat and punched in Lana’s number.

As soon as she answered, he said, “Somebody saw us.”

She scoffed. “All anybody could’ve seen was a couple of trucks. No way they could’a seen more than that.”

Lana was reckless, and he had to put a stop to her insolence. “They saw a semi and a pickup.” He gritted his teeth. He’d deal with her back at the compound.

Her voice was muffled for a moment, then she was back. “OK, instead of going all the way to a safe sale barn, let’s go to Brackston’s place.”

Rondo’s nostrils flared as he blew out a deep breath. “You sure it's safe? We've been using it a lot lately.”

She snapped, “Of course it is.”

Because her little pet Steve said it was. “They’re pretty rough with the animals there.” Memories of what he’d seen the last time they dropped off a load of cattle at Brackston made his stomach turn, and he wasn’t easily sickened.

She snorted. “Follow me.”

Rondo dropped his phone in the passenger seat and fumed. It was dangerous to work this part of Missouri anyway, with Lana’s nephew working at the Diamond J. He shook his head. That’s why she suggested they hit the ranch tonight. Lana convinced him it was a way to throw the authorities off the scent. He’d gone along with it.

Everything Lana wanted, Lana got. It had been that way since him and her hooked up. She knew how to work him. The woman was flexible as hell and up for anything when it came to sex. He ran the family, and enjoyed having a woman at his side.

But she was forgetting her place.

Raindrops splattered against the windshield, blurring the road. He flipped the wipers on and listened to the rhythmic squeak as he followed Lana and Steve. Might as well settle in. Brackston was a good two hours away.

By the time they reached the turnoff for the Brackston Meat Company, his eyes were gritty and dry. Lana slowed the rig as they drove down the narrow blacktop. The trees nearly touched overhead. Lightning streaked across the sky every few minutes, throwing shadows across the road.

The glow from the huge processing plant was visible long before the buildings were. That place was lit up like broad daylight 24 hours a day.

Lana pulled into the graveled lot and the semi shuddered to a stop. Rondo alongside her and put the transmission in park, but left the engine running. Normally, he’d turn the truck off to save gas, but the BMC gave him the willies. If anything went sideways, he planned to throw gravel and lay rubber.

He watched through the rivulets of water on the window as the passenger door of the semi opened and Steve dropped to the ground. The little weasel lifted his jacket over his head, glanced around the lot, then strolled into the building through a side door as if he owned the place.

That guy came out of nowhere, and ingratiated himself with Lana in no time at all. He seemed to know a lot of people, and Lana trusted him.

Didn’t mean he had to, though, Rondo thought.

The big garage door of the building yawned open, then Steve stepped out and motioned to Lana. The semi rolled forward, swallowed by the building, then the door closed. They were in.

Rondo looked down at his watch. The whole herd would be unloaded in a matter of minutes. Open the gates and down they come, one by one. Three sections in the trailer. Five minutes max per section to unload. Fifteen minutes.

Steve and Lana’d bullshit with the guys inside. Then they’d close up the gates, roll up the door on the other side and Lana’d pull out. She should drive around the side of the building and be ready to head out in half an hour, tops. He slid down in the driver’s seat and let his head fall back against the ripped vinyl of the headrest.

If Steve was such a great guy, why’d he drive a piece of shit like this? The old Ford had nearly 200,000 miles on it, the seats were worn and the transmission made a funny sound when it shifted sometimes. Rondo wasn’t sure how he’d ended up driving the little prick’s truck while Steve rode in the semi with Lana. It just ended up that way, somehow, when they had to take off quick.

A lightning bolt shot out of the sky, straight into the trees. Thunder shook the ground almost immediately. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine. That was close.

A mewling, sniffling sound caught his attention. He sat bolt upright, every sense on alert. His eyes swept over the parking lot. No sign of the cattle hauler yet. A quick glance at his watch told him it had been twenty minutes since Lana drove into the building.

Another muffled sound. It came from the back seat. He pushed himself up and peeked over the seat. The blanket in the back seat shifted slightly. He swung his door open, slid out and tugged the back door open. He grabbed the blanket and yanked, exposing a small boy with wide, frightened eyes set in a round face. His chubby cheeks were covered with bright red splotches, streaked with dried tears.

"I want my daddy."