I was barefoot with a handcuff still attached to my left wrist, but I kept running. When I saw a car approaching from the other direction, I hurried into the road and waved both my arms, screaming for help.

  “I’m Winslow Greer,” I shouted when the couple in it stopped. “I need to get to the police.”

  The man and woman both got out, and while I knew they were asking me questions as they helped me into their car, I couldn’t focus enough to respond other than to keep repeating I needed to be taken to the police station.

  5

  COWBOY

  I was lying awake, studying Winslow’s photo like I did every night, when my cell phone rang.

  “Cassidy.”

  “Cowboy, this is Onyx. I heard from the sheriff a few minutes ago. He got a call from Lake Placid PD saying a couple just brought Winslow Greer into their station. You and Mayhem are still up there, right?”

  “Affirmative.”

  I was out of bed with my boots on by the time he instructed me to head there. When I raced out of the room, Mayhem came out of his.

  “Ranger just called.”

  “Onyx called me. Let’s go.”

  Just as we pulled into the PD parking lot, Mayhem’s phone pinged. He swiped the screen. “Ranger said they’re expecting us.”

  “Us?”

  “Two guys working with the FBI.”

  “Copy that.” Neither of us looked the part, though. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a haircut, to the point it hung past my shoulders. Both of us had visible ink and were dressed more like bikers than agents.

  “Cassidy and Gable?” asked a man in uniform who greeted us at the door. “Follow me.” He walked away without waiting for a response from either of us.

  “What’s Ms. Greer’s condition?” I asked when we reached a closed door and he put his hand on the knob.

  “She’s shaken but has no visible signs of assault.”

  “Visible?” asked Mayhem.

  “She doesn’t want to go to the hospital until her parents get here.”

  “They’re on their way?” I asked.

  “Should arrive within the hour.”

  “They aren’t here in town?”

  The man shook his head. “Don’t know. It’s just what I was told.”

  “Copy that.” I motioned for him to open the door. When he did, I went in first.

  The blue eyes I’d stared into so often over the last few days filled with tears when they met mine. I walked over and knelt down near her chair.

  “Winslow, my name is Garrison Cassidy, and I’m part of the team who’s been lookin’ for you. I sure am glad to see you, darlin’.”

  Her breath caught, and the tears in her eyes ran down her cheeks. When she leaned forward and reached for me, I took her into my arms and stroked her hair as she sobbed.

  “You’re safe now, sweetheart,” I soothed. “You’re safe.” I felt her nod, but until she let go, I wouldn’t either.

  Too soon, I heard a knock at the door and it opening. “Excuse me, sir. Ms. Greer’s parents are on their way in.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Winslow pulled away and wiped at her tears.

  I brushed her hair from her forehead. “Don’t be.”

  When I stood, my eyes met Mayhem’s. Thankfully, I didn’t see any judgment in them.

  “Winnie!” a woman cried as she burst through the door. I took a step to the side to give Winslow and her parents space, when I felt her hand slip into mine.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at me.

  I squeezed her fingers before I let go, and Mayhem and I left the room.

  His phone pinged. “Ranger’s requesting an update,” he said after swiping the screen.

  “Go ahead.”

  Mayhem gave me a nod and walked away. Once he’d gone out the door, I leaned against the wall and put my hands in my pockets.

  “She hasn’t reacted to much until you arrived,” the police officer commented. “Other than saying she didn’t want to go to the hospital until her parents arrived.”

  “She’s in shock.”

  He shook his head. “Hell of a thing.” The man looked up at the ceiling and let out a heavy sigh. “We haven’t questioned her yet. The boss told us this is FBI jurisdiction.”

  “Correct,” I said without looking at him. While I had no desire to put Winslow through the hell of recounting her ordeal, we couldn’t wait much longer to see if she could tell us where she’d been for the last few days.

  The door opened, and Winslow’s father stepped into the hall. “What are you waiting for?” he barked, looking between the officer and me. “Why aren’t you arresting the bastard who did this to my daughter?”

  “Sir, we—”

  “I don’t want to hear excuses. Go do your goddamn job.”

  I raised my eyes to his but didn’t respond. I understood every ounce of his anger. More, his feelings of helplessness.

  “We haven’t questioned your daughter yet, sir. Until we do, we have no way of doing as you ask.”

  Winslow’s father stared at the guy beside me, and I watched his fists clench in anger and his breathing accelerate with every word the officer said. Then his expression changed as acceptance gradually set in.

  “What are you waiting for?” he asked a second time, but with less of an edge in his voice.

  The cop turned his head in my direction.

  “For you and your wife to arrive,” I responded.

  “We’re here now,” he said at the same time Mayhem returned from outside. Winslow’s father looked at him, then at me. “Who are you?”

  “We’re with the FBI, sir,” I answered for both of us, introducing myself first, then Mayhem, by our given names.

  “Let’s get this over with.” He motioned for us to follow him into the room where Winslow sat, looking down at her hands folded in her lap, no longer crying.

  Her expression, her overall demeanor bothered me. Something was off here, but I didn’t have enough information to even guess at what it could be.

  Before her father had the chance, I stepped around the table and took the seat beside her. I moved the chair closer so our arms could touch if she moved even slightly. When she did, I rested my open palm on my leg, and she put her hand in it. Even without looking directly at her, I could see Mrs. Greer’s confused expression. I didn’t care what the woman thought. The minute Winslow’s hand was in mine, I felt some of her tension release. It was all I cared about.

  I kept my voice even, void of as much inflection as I could. “I understand the last thing you want to do right now is talk about what happened to you, but if you have any information at all that could lead us to where you were being held, we might have a chance to catch whoever abducted you.”

  Winslow’s eyes met mine, and I kept my gaze as even as my voice. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  “There was a utility bill on the counter, addressed to Craig Ferrone.”

  I looked up at Mayhem, who held up his phone.

  “How would you feel about us recording your statement?”

  Winslow nodded, so I set my phone on the table and pressed the button to record.

  “The place where he took me was on Main Street, across from the Lake Placid General Store. A basement apartment—in a brick house. The entrance is in the back, surrounded by evergreen trees.”

  When Mayhem immediately followed the police officer out of the room, Winslow’s grip on my hand tightened.

  “Don’t leave.”

  Her father cleared his throat. “Winslow, he has to—”

  “My partner and the Lake Placid PD have this handled. I’m not going anywhere.” I spoke directly to her rather than her father.

  “Garrison, right?” Winslow asked.

  “Yes.”

  She turned toward her mother. “I’d like to talk to Garrison alone.”

  “Out of the question. Your mother and I need to stay with you.” I didn’t like the edge in her father’s voice, particularly when Winslow’s gaze fell to her lap like I’d seen it do earlier.

  “Give us a few minutes,” I demanded more than asked.

  Winslow’s mother stood and led her husband from the room despite his objections.

  I squeezed her fingers. “Take your time.”

  She nodded and took several deep breaths. “He didn’t…”

  I waited to see if she could go on. “Assault you?” I asked when it didn’t appear she could.

  She nodded. “He kept me in handcuffs and my legs bound.”

  I looked down at the floor and noticed her feet were bare. No one had thought to give this woman a pair of socks? What in the ever living hell? “Be right back—”

  “No!” She clung to my hand with both of hers. “Don’t go.”

  “Okay. I won’t. I’m just going to remove my coat.”

  She let go, and I stood, removed my denim jacket, knelt down, and wrapped her feet in it. I silently cursed when I felt how cold they were. Why hadn’t someone brought her a fucking blanket? Why hadn’t I noticed when I came in the first time?

  As soon as I was in the chair again, I took her hands in both of mine. “I’m sorry. You’ve got to be freezing.”

  She shook her head. “I’m too numb to feel anything.”

  “Let me at least ask someone to get you a blanket. I won’t leave the room.”

  “Okay.”

  “Bring blankets,” I shouted through the door I’d cracked. Shortly after I retook my seat, a female officer I hadn’t seen until now came in with an armful.

  “Thanks. I’ve got this,” I told her when she stepped forward to hand one to Winslow. When the officer set them on the table and left the room, I wrapped one around Winslow’s shoulders. I put another over her lap and tucked it around the feet my jacket still covered.

  I sat beside her, and Winslow leaned into me like she had before. I could feel her body trembling, and put my arm around her. When she rested her head on my shoulder, I stroked her hair like I had earlier. “You’re safe,” I whispered.

  We sat for several minutes without speaking. When my cell rang, Winslow pulled back. I picked it up from the table and checked the screen.

  “I should take this,” I said when I saw it was Mayhem calling.

  “We found the house and a set of stairs leading to a basement apartment. No sign of Ferrone, though,” he reported.

  “Understood.”

  “Onyx has a team on the way to start a search for him and of the apartment.”

  “Copy that.”

  “One more thing.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Spider is on his way to the station. According to Ranger, he spoke with Mr. Greer.”

  My eyes met Winslow’s. She’d heard every word we exchanged. I ended the call and set the phone on the table.

  “Will you leave when Spider gets here?”

  “If you’d prefer it.”

  She nodded but just once.

  “If you’d like to wait before saying more, we can.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Please continue whenever you’re ready.” I hit the button to start recording again.

  Winslow recounted everything she could remember since her assailant put a gun to her head and forced her into a storage bin in the backseat of his car.

  “On the third day, when he brought in my breakfast, he mentioned someone named Brock. He said something about not leaving. Then he added, ‘He thinks it’s his turn. It’s not. You’re mine.’”

  She studied me. “You know who that is, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He’s dead. Did something else occur to make you ask?”

  “Later that day, he let me out of the one room I’d been in, other than to go to the bathroom, but he got a message on his phone and his mood changed. After dragging me back into the bedroom, I could hear him sobbing. In the following days, he rarely spoke. In fact, I can’t remember him saying anything at all. He also got progressively rougher with me.”

  “Based on your timeline, Brock’s death coincides with when he received the message you said upset him.”

  “How did he die?”

  “He committed suicide when he was about to be captured.”

  “The guy you were talking to…I heard him say Ferrone was gone.”

  “That’s right.”

  When Winslow hugged herself and shuddered, I put an arm around her. “You’re safe, Winslow. My team and I will ensure you remain so until we’re able to apprehend him.”

  “How?”

  “Will we ensure your safety?”

  She nodded.

  “Someone will be on your detail around the clock.”

  “Who?”

  “I can’t answer specifically, but typically, it’s a team of people.”

  “Spider?”

  I reacted similarly to when Buster told me Winslow and Spider had once been a “thing,” but like then, I hid it. “Yes. He’ll probably be the lead, given he already has a relationship with your family.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m not certain—”

  “I want it to be you. No one else.” She began to shake and hugged herself tighter. “No one else,” she repeated as I watched her eyes fill with tears.

  “Hey now,” I said, pulling her closer so she could rest her head on my shoulder. “The most important thing is your safety, Winslow. If you’d be more comfortable with me on your detail team, I’ll make sure the people I work for are aware of it.”

  “Not part of a team. I want it to be you.”

  6

  WINSLOW

  When Garrison assured me he would keep me safe, I believed him. I couldn’t explain why I trusted this man I’d met less than an hour ago, but I did. With my life.

  I’d overheard his partner say my dad had talked to Spider and he was on his way here. And, as Garrison said himself, it was likely he’d be responsible for my safety, given he already had ties to my family.

  His connection to us didn’t matter to me. How I felt did. Whether or not Spider could keep me safe wasn’t the issue. I wanted it to be the man seated beside me. I’d always prided myself on not becoming the “princess” people expected me to be because of my family’s wealth. This time, though, I intended to stand up for myself and get what I wanted.

  I looked up and realized Garrison was studying me. “What?” I asked.

  “You’re just as determined as I expected you would be.”

  I raised my chin. “It’s my life.”

  The man smiled, and I could swear I saw pride in his eyes.

  We both raised our heads when there was a loud noise outside the door. Seconds later, it flew open and Spider rushed in.

  “Thank God you’re okay.” He came around the table as if he expected me to stand and fall into his arms. Instead, I put my hand on Garrison’s arm. I watched Spider’s forehead scrunch and his eyes dart between him and me. “Winnie?”

  Garrison moved out of my reach.

  “You aren’t leaving.” It was a statement, not a question, and while it was unlike me to be so demanding, the fact that I’d survived being kidnapped made me feel entitled to be.

  The man put his arm behind me on the chair and leaned forward. “I’m going to step outside for a minute. I won’t be far.”

  “Why?”

  His eyes softened. “I need to see to the arrangements you requested.”

  “What arrangements?” Spider asked.

  Garrison went around the other side of the table and left the room without responding.

  I didn’t need to watch him walk out to know he was gone. A chill settled not just on the surface of my skin but inside me.

  “Winnie?” My name on Spider’s lips sounded like a plea. I was sure he wanted me to explain what he’d just witnessed between his colleague and me. Our relationship had always meant more to him than it did to me, and I had no doubt he was hurting.

  The day he’d asked me to marry him left us both devastated. The moment the words left his lips, he knew I wouldn’t say yes. I’d never say yes. I was a twenty-two-year-old skier. Those words alone defined me. I wasn’t anyone’s girlfriend, let alone fiancée or wife. At least not then and not with Spider. I’d never felt that way about him.

  As I stared into his brown eyes, I couldn’t think of a single thing I could say that would reassure him. I damned sure couldn’t explain something I didn’t understand myself. Garrison hadn’t even rescued me; I had. He’d walked into the room where I sat waiting for my parents. Truthfully, dreading my parents’ arrival. But in he’d walked, and when he did, my fear dissipated. When he’d held me in his arms and told me I was safe, I believed him.

  How could I possibly tell Spider any of this? He wouldn’t understand. Worse, he’d be more hurt than he already seemed.

  “Cowboy is…” Spider hesitated.

  “Cowboy?”

  “His…uh…nickname.”

  “He’s what?” I asked.

  “He’s not like us, Winnie.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I knew the look on Spider’s face, and I knew whatever he was about to say would be disparaging. I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my stomach, wishing I had another blanket. Or Garrison would return.

  7

  COWBOY

  Mr. Greer followed me outside. “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  “Staying with Winnie until Spider got here. My wife and I appreciate it, but we no longer require your services.”

  I thought about telling him I didn’t work for him. Instead, I walked away. When the man went inside, I called Mayhem. “What’s happening?” I asked when he picked up.

  “We have reason to believe Winslow wasn’t the first woman held captive here.”

  “The first victim—at least as far as this investigation is concerned—was also from the area.”

  “Emily.” The way Mayhem reverently uttered the victim’s name made me respect him all the more.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21