Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Billy set his sandwich down. “That’s good, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I just want to find them. Find out why they brought Mallory to Montana and get some damn answers.”
Staring at my half-eaten sandwich, I picked it up and took a bite. Billy and I finished off our dinner in silence as we took in the view before us. The sun was slowly making its way lower in the sky. My phone rang, and I saw it was Chad.
“It’s Chad,” I said as I looked at Billy and then picked up my phone. “Hey, you back from Chicago?”
“Yes, I am. So does this mean we’re going to start talking to each other all the time again?” he asked with a slight laugh.
I cleared my throat. “Are you busy?”
He paused. “I just got home from the airport. Is everything okay?”
“Would you be able to come to my place? I need to talk to you. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.”
“Yeah, sure thing, can Krista come? I haven’t seen her in a few days, and she might be upset with me if I leave her again.”
“Yes, please bring her. Um, except Mallory is a bit…well, she’s passed-out drunk, so I don’t think they’ll be meeting one another.”
Chad laughed. “That’s okay. We’re about to eat dinner, so maybe a couple of hours?”
“Thanks, Chad, I appreciate it.”
“Sure, we’ll see you soon.”
I said goodbye and hit End before I glanced over to Billy.
“He’s not a part of this, Liam. I feel it in my bones.”
I frowned. “I wish I could say the same thing.”
##
MaryAnne had woken up and was sitting at the kitchen island, a cup of black coffee in one hand and toast in the other.
“When was the last time you drank that much, babe?”
Her response was a groan.
Billy and I both exchanged a knowing smile.
“I only slept for a couple of hours. I still feel a bit drunk.”
The doorbell rang and Piper made a beeline toward it, barking as she ran. I opened the door to see Chad and his wife Krista standing there.
“Come on in, and thank you for coming.”
Krista walked in and I kissed her on the cheek. “You look beautiful, Krista.”
She flushed. “Thank you. It’s the pregnancy glow.”
Chad placed his hand on his wife’s lower back and guided her into the kitchen where Billy and MaryAnne were.
“Billy,” he said, reaching his hand out. “Good to see you again.”
MaryAnne stood. “Hi, Krista, I’m MaryAnne, Billy’s wife.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Krista said as she placed her hand over her swollen belly.
“Something to drink?” I asked.
They both declined.
“Let’s head into the living room where Krista will be more comfortable,” I said as I motioned for them to head that way.
“Your house is beautiful, Liam,” Krista stated.
“Thank you,” I said with a polite smile.
MaryAnne stated, “I’m going to go check on Mallory. If I don’t come back, it’s because I passed out next to her.”
Chad frowned as Krista looked confused.
“They both nearly finished off an entire bottle of scotch earlier.”
Hiding her laugh with her hand, Krista took a seat on the sofa while Chad sat next to her. He chuckled and said, “I remember those days.”
“Me too,” Krista added. “No more drinking like that for me!”
I grinned and sat down opposite them.
Chad looked at me, then Billy, then back to me. “What’s going on?”
My neck instantly ached, and I rubbed my hand over it. “I’m not even sure where to begin, so I’ll just put it all out there. The woman you met, Mallory?”
“Yeah?”
“She was kidnapped by someone and held captive somewhere near here. She escaped, and I found her in one of my pastures, passed out from running for two days.”
Krista gasped and reached for Chad’s hand.
“What?” Chad said, sounding and looking utterly shocked. “She was kidnapped?”
I nodded. “Yes. But that’s not the worst of it.”
“Oh my God,” Krista whispered.
“No, she wasn’t harmed, other than being hit a few times,” I said as I tried to reassure Krista. I turned to Chad. “She was kidnapped from her hotel room in Chicago and driven here. She was held in a basement below a barn for a few days before she managed to hit the guy who held her over the head and ran. She said she ran as fast and as far as she could for about two days. We think she was being kept near, or around Old Baldy, or that area.”
Chad sat back and stared at me. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it.
I nodded. “I know, there’s more.”
“How could there possibly be more?” Krista asked.
“The guy told her he’d kept other women there, toyed with them for a few days before he did unthinkable things to them.”
Tears rolled down Krista’s cheeks. “Thank God she got away.”
I looked at Chad. “Mallory found a necklace in the dirt. She put it on, she doesn’t know why, but when I found her, I took it off of her.”