Jackson, Dallas, and Phoenix were right behind him. They all froze in the doorway, waiting for an answer.
None came.
They quickly went through every inch of Austin’s home, even his dungeon. There was no sign of Jessie or Austin.
“Let’s check the tree,” Denver said.
They all shot out the back door and up the hill. When Phoenix saw Austin on the ground, dread filled him.
Dallas was the first to their eldest brother. He knelt down and placed two fingers to his neck. Phoenix didn’t see any blood on the ground. “He’s alive. Pulse is good.”
“We’re late.” Jackson held up an orange dart for them to see. “Our brother was drugged.”
Phoenix felt his jaw clench as he scanned the tree line. He and his brothers had all used darts on their property to tag endangered wildlife on their expansive ranch or to relocate bears and wolves to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. This was common practice with all the ranching families in the county. The dart Jackson had found hadn’t gotten them any closer to figuring out who might have Jessie now, but instead it had lengthened their list of suspects.
Dallas lifted Austin, who was still unconscious, off the ground. “You guys work the perimeter and see if she’s close. I’ll get him to the hospital. If she’s not, take his truck and find her.”
Without a word, Phoenix, Jackson, and Denver moved out.
* * * *
Jessie tried to beat down her panic as she struggled to focus. Her mind was still a bit muddled, but she was regaining the feeling in her arms and legs. She knew if she had any chance of surviving this evil, she needed to forget the recent horror and keep her head. She could fall apart later.
Taking a deep breath, she prayed that Austin would be okay. If Rich had drugged him, too, the other brothers might arrive in time to save him.
Jessie didn’t remember getting into a car, but hearing the engine and feeling the vibration of the road, she knew she had.
“Please, let me take the blindfold off,” Jessie pleaded. Her mouth felt desert dry.
As her mind cleared, Jessie became more aware of her surroundings. She was sitting up
. Front seat or back seat? She wasn’t sure. When the car’s AC hit her unclothed body, she knew she was in the front seat. Jessie wrapped her arms around her chest and crossed her legs, trying to create a protective barrier.
“No,” Rich stated firmly.
“I already know who you are. Why keep me in the dark?”
“Please, shut up. I need to think.”
“Okay. Don’t get excited. Did Paul put you up to this?”
“No.”
“Someone else, then.”
He didn’t answer.
She knew she was getting close to something. The kid was too anxious to be a coldhearted killer. “Then it’s not too late to fix this mess.”
“Really? How?”
“Let me take this blindfold off and I’ll tell you.”
“Fine. But remember, I have a gun. I’m not afraid to use it on you.”
She reached to the back of her head and untied the strip of Austin’s clothing that prevented her from seeing her kidnapper. The first thing she saw was the time readout on the dash panel—12:10 a.m. The brothers are together. They’ll make sure Austin is cared for. She knew they’d come looking for her immediately.
“So, you know how to fix things for me? Tell me, Ms. Greene.”