Too Close To The Fire/Too Hot To Handle (Montana Men 3) (24 page)

Lacey
nodded. She didn’t think it was possible for him to hurt her more. Inside, her
soul ached. She felt totally destroyed. Devastated. She couldn’t summon any
more anger. Maybe later, when the icy numbness around her heart thawed, when
the lack of sensation returned to her body and she started to feel again, maybe
then she wouldn’t feel so dead. “Yes. When did you stop loving me? I want to
know.”

“I’ve
never loved you. I wanted you. You gave me what I wanted. I was too stupid to
realize then it was only lust. I might have stayed married to you, but let’s
see, I stopped wanting you long before Jared told me he screwed you. So, for at
least a year, maybe longer, I’ve tolerated you, Lacey, but I’m so ready for you
to leave. You make me sick! I can’t believe it took you so long to catch on.
Are you such a fool not to realize if I’m not fucking you, then I’m screwing
another woman?”

Could
he humiliate her anymore? Everything inside her curled up and died. The light,
the warmth fled from her soul and left an empty shell behind. Up until now,
even with making the mistake of sleeping with Rafe, she’d fooled herself into
thinking there might be a way to salvage her crumbling marriage, but it was
dead, cold and shriveled as the winter landscape outside. “How long?”

“What?”
Danger frowned. “How long what?”

“How
long have you been…had someone else?”

“Since
way before your last trip to Alaska with Jared.”

“I
didn’t go with Jared.”

“It
sure looked that way to me. As I recall, he was waiting in Havre at the airport
for you.”

“Yes,
but—”

“Don’t,
Lacey. Don’t try to think up a lie to explain. I don’t want to hear your
miserable excuses. You sound just like my mother and all the lies and excuses
she made to Dad every time she took off with another man. I’m not my father. I
don’t believe a word you say. It’s over. Don’t try to hang on to something
that’s dead and ready for the grave. I can’t stand the sight of you. I sure
don’t want to hear anymore of your fucking lies. Just go. If Rafe will have
you, then I suggest you go to Texas. I don’t want to see you…ever.”

Lacey
nodded and swallowed back the pain. The hurt. She’d concentrate on the dull
ache that settled around her heart later when she didn’t feel quite so frozen
inside. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how his words cut
her.

She
needn’t have worried about sleeping with Rafe. It wasn’t what had destroyed her
marriage. No. Danger’s lack of faith and trust in her had been the culprit.
That and his determination to make her pay for something she’d never done.

She
wondered if there had been the tiniest niggle of doubt in his mind about her
innocence.

Was
that why he’d set her up with Rafe?

His
own conscience would be in the clear if she slept with Rafe?

Was
that the way he saw it?

Sleeping
with Rafe was proof of her guilt in his eyes and wiped away any lingering traces
of doubt. Boy, she’d fallen right into the web.

Lacey
fought to keep from doubling over with the blow he’d dealt to her heart. Almost
a year he’d been seeing another woman, sleeping with her. No wonder he hadn’t
been interested in touching
her.
Danger
was right—she was stupid. But she’d trusted him. Loved him. She hadn’t known
about the lies Jared had told, hadn’t suspected. She felt like an utter fool.

Why
hadn’t she seen the signs? Realized Danger was cheating on her?

“I
want a divorce, Lacey. The only thing that kept me from asking for one before
now was Joseph, but things have changed. Karen’s three months pregnant. I love
her. I want to marry her as soon as possible.”

Oh,
God. This mortal blow to her soul nearly knocked her to her knees. Lacey stared
at him dry-eyed, but inside, the tears were drowning her. “I see. Well…I hope
you’ll be very happy, Danger. I do.” She pushed her way past him in the hall.

“Where
are you going? Don’t you want to know who she is?”

Why? So he could add one more blow to heart?

She turned to face
him. There was something spiteful in his eyes, a triumphant gloat on his face.
He wasn’t finished ramming the knife through her heart. He wasn’t satisfied
with his victory. He wanted to twist the knife, break it off and leave it
inside her heart where she could slowly bleed to death. “You said Karen. The
only Karen I know around here is Karen Monroe, the new waitress at the diner in
Rimrock who moved here about a year ago, the diner where you spend a lot of
time. Her?”

“Yeah.
Her. She’s a lot more woman than you. Hell, she’s a far better fuck than you’ll
ever be. Rafe is welcome to you. Maybe he’ll get more pleasure from you than I
ever did.”

“You’re
disgusting.”

He
shrugged.

Lacey
quietly closed Rafe’s bedroom door behind her. Later that night, she moved her
things out of the bedroom she’d shared with Danger for three years and moved
into the guest room. They didn’t talk. What was left for either of them to say
except for hateful, hurtful words? She’d been accused, charged, tried and found
guilty of a crime she’d never committed. Danger hadn’t bothered to ask her if
she’d slept with Jared. He’d simply believed and punished her accordingly.

It
didn’t matter. She was guilty now of being unfaithful, and nothing would ever
change that fact or the fact her husband had been sleeping with another woman
for a long time. Her husband
loved
another woman and had loved her for quite awhile.

Danger
had deliberately led her into Rafe’s arms, then sat back and waited for her to
fall. Well, he could have his divorce. He’d earned it. She wouldn’t stand in
his way, but she wasn’t leaving the ranch until she was damn good and ready.

Lacey
tried to forget all the cruel things Danger had said, words that had hammered
the final nails in their marriage. She couldn’t drag her thoughts together and
make sense out of any of it. She had no clue how Jared knew about her tattoo or
why he’d told Danger such horrible lies. Of a sudden, she felt very old, cast
aside like a worn-out shoe, good for nothing or nobody.

The
weeks that followed Christmas passed in a blur. Lacey spent each day in a daze.
Danger and she lived like strangers. He left early, came home late, if he
bothered to come home at all. He didn’t take meals with her or speak when they
did see each other.

Joseph
was the only thing that kept her going. Nothing made sense to her anymore.
Except for two things—Danger wasn’t the man she’d always thought him to be. And
he’d trampled the love she once felt for him into the dirt. He’d ground it and
her spirit into dust as surely as if he’d pounded her bones to powder.

In
light of Danger’s confession that he’d someone else in his life, she needed
Rafe more than ever, but she simply couldn’t summon the energy to pick up the
phone and call him. She couldn’t bring herself to answer his frequent calls
either.

She
curled into a tight ball on the bed she and Rafe had slept in together and
spent hours sleeping. When the divorce papers were signed and filed, her mind
shut down. She felt useless, as limp as a rag, and too numb to cope with making
the decision to pack her things and leave. Rafe stopped calling. She couldn’t
bring herself to contact him or go to him.

He’d
known what Danger was doing, known her husband had simply handed her to him.
Rafe hadn’t hesitated to take advantage of the situation. She’d been an easy
target, easy and stupid.

God,
Lacey, you are so stupid!

Danger’s
words slashed at her mind, cutting it to ribbons. Yes, she was stupid. Her
husband had passed her to another man like she was a bargaining chip or
something or something not worthy of his time.

I
can’t believe it took you so long to catch on. Are you such a fool not to
realize if I’m not fucking you, then I’m screwing another woman?

Yeah.
She’d been too stupid to realize the trust she placed in her husband had been
foolish. His cruel words echoed in her head time and time again. They lingered
in her mind, eating at her, ripping her apart. They remained there, until the
day she realized she was pregnant with Rafe’s baby.

Chapter Thirteen

Courage
is being afraid but going on anyhow.

~Dan
Rather

Blackstone Ranch

February 7, Saturday

5:00 a.m.

Rafe
set his coffee cup aside and fumbled for his cell phone. Earlier, he’d set it
on vibrate. The soft buzz pulled his attention from the scrawling on Lacey’s
kitchen wall. Distracted from the gruesome scene, he glanced at the screen.
Duel.

Duel
wouldn’t call, except with bad news.

“Duel?”

“Rafe.”
His friend’s voice sounded shaky.

Rafe’s
heart plummeted. “What’s wrong? Is it Jace? Is he okay?”

He
heard Duel’s hard swallow and sharp intake of breath. “It’s Joseph. He died a
few minutes ago.”

“Oh,
dear God.” Rafe’s stomach clenched. Nausea bubbled in his gut. He couldn’t
breathe for the knot in his lungs. “My God.” His heart felt as if it had just
been ripped from his chest. Lacey’s son. Jesus. Tears stung his eyes. He
blinked, trying desperately to keep control. He couldn’t do anyone any good if
he fell apart. “Jesus. Where’s Danger?”

“He
left out of here like a madman. God, Rafe. I think he might have gone a little
insane. He blames Lacey for their son’s death.”

“What?
How can he blame Lace? Jesus. She
couldn’t stop Smitt from doing what he did.”

“I
know that. You know that. I don’t think Danger is thinking straight. Hell, he
left his new wife here. She’s fuming.”

“Shit,
we sure wouldn’t want her upset.” Rafe dragged fingers through his hair.
“Forget I said that. It’s none of my business who Danger chose to marry.”

Duel
sighed. “I offered her a ride to Rimrock. I told her one of the ranch hands
would fly her in the chopper. She agreed to the chopper ride, but declared
she’s coming there. She said Blackstone Ranch was her home now, and everyone
better get used to her being Danger’s wife, including Danger.”

Rafe
bit off an epitaph. In his opinion, Danger deserved Karen Monroe in large
doses. He thrust unsteady fingers through his hair. “How can Danger possibly
put the blame on Lacey?”

“I
don’t know, Rafe. I don’t understand what happened between Lacey and Danger.”

“Karen
happened.”

“Did
she now? I thought Danger had better taste than that.”

“They
fell out of love. People change and they fall out of love.”

Duel
snorted. “Man, love sucks. I am
never
falling into the mouse trap.”

Rafe
grunted. “Don’t say never, my friend. Love has a way of sneaking up on a man.
It hits you smack in the heart before you know what’s happened.” His breath
caught on a hitch. “I’m very sorry about Joseph. This has to be extremely
difficult for Danger.”

“I’m
sure.”

Rafe
frowned. He couldn’t think about Lacey and how all of it was going to damage
her, and there was no point dragging Duel into the mess of Lacey and Danger’s
turbulent relationship. “This whole thing has been a nightmare for Danger,
losing his sister, now Joseph.”

“And
Lacey. Where the hell was Danger when all this happened?”

Rafe
hesitated. “I’m not sure…work, I guess.”

Getting
married!

Rafe bit his tongue to keep from shouting
the words and placing the blame squarely on Danger.

Danger
was getting married when Lacey was attacked.

He swore softly. If
he’d
taken Lacey
with him in December, none of this would have happened.
He couldn’t lay
all the blame at Danger’s feet. The man had every right to re-marry if that was
what he wanted.

He
sure as hell wasn’t going to complain
that Lacey was free. He prayed she was alive. That was what mattered now, that
and finding her.

As
if reading Rafe’s thoughts, Duel echoed, “I suppose it isn’t important where he
was. What matters is that we find Lacey. I don’t think Danger’s going to be
much use in the search.”

“No.”
Rafe barely got the word past his lips. “I’m sure he won’t be. Are you on your
way here?”

“I’ll
be there in about thirty minutes.”

“Good.
I need help solving this damn riddle.”

* * * *

Blackstone
Ranch

6:00 a.m.

Duel
Remington entered Lacey’s kitchen less than an hour later. Rafe looked up and sighed
with relief. He desperately needed the agent’s help, but at the same time, he
felt dread, acutely aware that Duel was a neighbor of Danger’s, and a lifelong
friend.

He
was the intruder here.

But
Smitt Davis’s brain was like a sinkhole, dark and deep and empty, except for
the dirt in it. Rafe realized he didn’t know the man well enough to play in the
mud with him. He couldn’t solve the riddles of his insane mind without Duel’s
input. Shit. This had turned into such a frigging nightmare.

Duel
froze halfway across the room and looked around, his gaze settling on the wall.
“Jesus. The bastard has a lot to answer for. Has Danger seen all this?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Have
you seen him? Did he come here from the hospital?”

“Yeah.
He showered and changed clothes.”

“Where
is he now?”

“He
left for town, says he wants to be there early to make funeral arrangements for
Joseph. He and Anna Leigh’s husband left here a few minutes ago.”

“So,
he’s calmed down some?”

“Like
he has ice water in his veins. Calm. Collected. Angry. Pale as death. There’s
something wrong with him.”

“Yeah,
but getting him to slow down and see a doctor isn’t going to happen anytime soon.”
Duel moved closer to the wall and eyed the strange symbols. “The fucker used
her blood to paint the wall?”

“Yeah.
When he was here, everything was about Lacey. He could have raped Anna Leigh if
he wanted or tortured her. Instead, he gut-shot her and left her where she
lay.”

“What
else did Davis do?”

“It’s
what he didn’t do that’s important. He didn’t touch Anna Leigh in any other
way. He left her lying on the floor hanging onto life by a thread while he went
on with his cold-blooded plans and tortured Lacey. All his rage was directed on
Lacey, except…something about Joseph made him angry.”

“The
baby must have done something to enrage him. What?” Duel asked.

“I
don’t know. Maybe he was crying? Screaming? He might have been sleeping when
the attack on Lacey started. Maybe the sound of the gunshots woke him. Mom doesn’t
come to him, so he starts crying. Then Anna Leigh shows up and
pow!
Another gunshot sets the kid to
screaming. Smitt’s already enraged at Lacey. He loses all control and attacks
Joseph, then he returns to Lacey and finishes what he came here to do.”

“That
sounds like Smitt. All his time and attention focused on what he’s doing at the
time.”

“He
wasn’t in a hurry,” Rafe said.

“Did
he rape Lacey?”

“No.
I don’t know. I don’t think he did, not in the conventional way you mean. He…uh,
shit!
He’s insane, you know? He must
have had things with him to use to torture her.”

“Jesus,”
Duel said quietly. “He always was a perverted fuck.”

“She’s
pregnant.”

“What?
Who?
Lacey?
How do you know?”

“Danger
told me, but I already figured.” Rafe thought it best to have everything out in
the open.

“Why
would you already—?” Duel held up his hand. “Aw, shit. No. I don’t wanna know,
Rafe. Don’t tell me anymore.”

“I’m
not going to hide what’s between Lacey and me. I love her. It’s not something I
can conceal anymore. I don’t want to even if I could.”

“It’s
your baby?”

Rafe
stared at him tightlipped.

“You
don’t have to answer. I see it on your face. I thought you said it was Karen
who came between them.”

“It
was.”

Duel
snorted. “Somehow I doubt that. Lacey—”

“Don’t.”
Rafe raked fingers through his hair. “Don’t judge her. Danger slept with Karen
long before I ever touched Lacey.”

“Sonofabitch!”

“You
don’t know what happened between us.”

“The
hell I don’t! You fucked her. She fucked you. You both fucked over Danger. No
wonder he wanted a divorce.”

“It
wasn’t like that.”

“You’re
saying you forced her to have sex with you?”

“No.
Of course I didn’t rape her. I love her, for Christ’s sake. It’s just that our
relationship isn’t a typical relationship. We didn’t jump into an affair. I
spent one night with her. Before you say anything more, I plan to marry Lacey.
I want her for my wife. I want this baby we made together, more than I can
say.”

“Don’t
you think we have to find her first, before you start making wedding plans?”

Rafe scowled at
Duel’s obvious sarcasm. “Yes. And find her alive. Look, man, I don’t expect you
to be my best friend, and I’m not asking for your blessing. Things just
happened between us, but I’m not sorry. I didn’t break up their marriage. It
was already dead.”

Duel
held up a hand. “Okay. What’s between Lacey and you is your business, but you
need to understand, I’ve known Danger for years. This is his home.”

“I
know that.”

“Just
so you know. It’s going to get awful uncomfortable if you and Lacey decide to
settle in Rimrock. ”

“We
won’t live here. There’s nothing left here for Lacey. If she’ll have me, I’ll
take her away from here. We’ll live in Texas.”

“Yeah.
I think it’d be best.”

“Unless
she
wants
to live here. Since I plan
on spoiling her, I guess I’ll have to let her have her way. Wherever she wants
to live, it’s her choice. Just so you know.”

“Shit!
Okay. Now that we’ve cleared the
air, let’s see if we can figure out what this mess on the wall means and nail
this fucker.”

“I
hope you have better luck at deciphering this crap than I’ve had,” Rafe said,
ignoring the fatigue weighing him down.

Duel
faced the wall. Frowning, he rubbed his chin. “Hmm, that looks like a pig,” he
said, pointing to one of the drawings. “A pig in a pen.”

“Yup.
That’s what I thought, too, but it’s just plain crazy. Do you have any idea of the
significance of a pig to Smitt Davis? What it means?”

“I
have no idea, except, hmm….” Duel scratched his jaw. “Smitt’s grandma kept a
big hog in a pen behind their house when Smitt was a kid. She used to threaten
to feed him to it when he misbehaved.”

“Good
God. Can you imagine a little kid with that kind of threat hanging over his
head? He’d be scared shitless.”

“Yeah.”
Duel frowned. “As I recall, Smitt was terrified of that big old hog. The hog
must have some importance to him. It looks as if the figure outside the pen is
a young boy carrying a bucket of scraps to feed to the pig, only the scraps…”
he squinted, “are human parts, legs, arms, feet, hands. Jesus. You got a
magnifying glass?”

“Yeah.
Hang on.” Rafe rummaged through a kit he always carried for crime scenes and
handed Duel the glass. “What is it?”

“Did
you see the writing on the legs and arms?”

Rafe
stepped closer. “No. I didn’t. I thought it was blood running down the body
parts.”

“Hell,
no. He’s written
Mommy
on them.”

“What?
Jesus Christ. What a warped mind.”

Duel
handed the glass to Rafe. “Take a look, but I’m pretty sure that’s what he
wrote.”

“Why
would he write
Mommy
on the body parts?”

“I
have no idea, but…wait!” Duel snapped his fingers. He rubbed a hand across his
chin. “Surely…not.”

“What?
Did you think of something?”

Duel
nodded. “I’d all but forgotten—Smitt’s mother disappeared years ago. The old
lady always said she took off with some rodeo cowboy and never came back home.
What if—”

“What?”
Rafe frowned. “What if…what?”

“I
don’t know.” Duel paced. “I’m thinking and my thoughts are crazy, way out
there. What if the old woman murdered her daughter and…” Duel’s voice trailed
away at the gruesome thought.

“And?”

“I
don’t know. Something’s niggling at my mind.” Duel snatched up the stack of
pictures off the table of the crime scene. “Have you looked at these?

“No,
not yet.”

“Mommy.
There’s the word plain as
anything. See here?”

“This
is the first time I’ve looked at these new photos. They were dropped off a few
minutes before you arrived.”

Duel
returned to the wall. “Here, the boy is walking, but as he walks, he’s growing,
becoming an adult. There, he’s carrying a woman in his arms. Hell, that’s
it!
He tossed her into a well.
Sonofabitch! He threw Lacey into the well.”

“The
well?”

“Yes.
There’s an old open well on the backside of the Davis property. Smitt used to
kill small animals and throw them in it to hide his crimes. That’s what he did
with Lacey. She’s nothing better than an animal to him. Trash to get rid of
once he finished with her.”

“Fucking
bastard! Do you know where the well is?”

“Yes.
It’s been years, but yeah, I think I can find it. Are we gonna wait on Danger
to get back?”

“Hell
no! It could be hours. Lacey might not have that much time. Will you show me
where the well is?”

“Of
course. Let’s go.”

“We’ll
need rope.”

“No
problem,” Duel said. “There’s plenty of rope in my Jeep. We’ll stop by Dancing
Star and get the chopper. It’ll be faster, and I can fly her to Havre to the
hospital.”

“Good.
Blankets. If Lacey’s alive, we’ll need blankets.”