&n
bsp; Pain shot like needles in her cheeks and fear came in uncontrollable rushes as her survival instinct came into play. With effort, Jenna rolled back her eyes and forced her muscles to go slack. They must not discover she had regained consciousness. Her only hope was to take them unawares. A rustling came close by then rough hands lifted her and dumped her onto a plastic sheet. A heavy weight landed on her back and air rushed out her lungs in a gasp. Face pressed against the plastic, she sucked in tiny breaths, enough to keep her going. Remaining relaxed when everything inside her was screaming, “Danger, run, you’re going to die,” took every ounce of willpower.
“Untie her. I want to see her face when she wakes up and feels me inside her.”
“Why do you get to go first all the time?” Dirk tugged at the ropes.
“Because I’m the eldest.”
Blood rushed into her hands in a painful surge and the rope around her neck slid away, burning her skin. Jenna clamped her lips shut to prevent crying out in agony. As the cords pulled away, she slid onto the mattress. She needed to remain lifeless and breathe steadily to keep up the charade. Dirk had moved away but she sensed someone close and opened her eyes a slit. As Dean moved into in her line of vision and started undressing, a deathly chill slithered down her spine.
Dean stood over her, big and menacing. He ripped open a condom packet with his teeth and grinned at Dirk. “Now roll her over and hold her down. I’m going to wake this bitch up, Dean style.”
Fifty-Six
Pulse racing fast, Kane shut the freezer lid and sprinted up the steps. He slammed the hatch shut then turned and grabbed Rowley by the shoulders. “What’s the quickest way to the Daniels’ ranch?”
“There is a gate along the fence line. It leads to a road across the back acres of their property.”
He sprinted for the SUV with Rowley at his side. “I want to know everything about the layout of the Daniels’ ranch, especially if they have any root cellars.”
“They have one in the barn and a survival shelter out back.” Rowley slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.
Kane started the engine then spun the SUV around and accelerated toward the open gate in the fence line. Ahead, the muddy frozen road split into two. “Which way?”
“Straight ahead. They use this track as a shortcut into town so it will be clear all the way. It takes about ten minutes longer but they won’t see us coming.” Rowley flicked him a glance. “What happens next? They’ll be armed—the place is built like a fortress.”
Kane slammed his foot down on the gas and the back wheels screamed before gripping. The SUV’s powerful engine roared and they sped down the icy road. As he drove at breakneck speed, pine trees and fences heavy with snow flashed by in a blur of colors. “They won’t be expecting us, so we have that in our favor.”
“They won’t come easy, and if they have Sheriff Alton, we’ll have a hostage situation.” Rowley cleared his throat. “Should I contact Walters for backup?”
Kane slid the vehicle around a tight bend in the road, fishtailed around a tree, plowed through bushes, then bounced back onto the track. “He is on the way to secure the prisoner and crime scene. We are on our own.”
“Have you handled this kind of situation before?” Rowley gave him a worried glance and gripped the edge of his seat.
Kane snorted. “Oh yeah. Many times. If they are holding Jenna against her will and have touched one damn hair on her head, I’ll take them down.” He swung the vehicle, barely missing the gatepost, and accelerated. The back wheels hit ice and the car drifted around a bend. He spun the wheel, sending snow flying, and took a shortcut through a row of pines before hitting the road. “Consider them dangerous; draw your weapon and use it if you’re threatened. Most important—stay behind me.”
“Roger that.”
Tree branches lashed the sides of the SUV and they bounced and slid along the uneven trail. Clues fell into place like completing a Rubik’s cube. “One thing.” Kane cleared his throat. “During the door-to door enquiries, the sheriff visited the Daniels’ ranch with Pete Daniels, is that correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you recall her mentioning anything about the visit when she got back to the station?” Kane slowed to take a ninety-degree turn into another gate, his attention locked ahead on the treacherous, winding road.
“Nothing specific.” Rowley tensed and gripped the door. “The next morning, she asked Daniels if the horse giving birth in the barn was okay. Apparently it was still having a hard time.”
Someone was, I bet. Although it was below freezing, a slick of nervous sweat trickled an annoying path down his back. After seeing the trail of battered corpses, instinct told him Jenna was in the hands of monsters. Alone, even with the extra moves he taught her, she would only be able to fight them for so long. He had to get to her—now.
“But why would they kill Pete?”
“If he mentioned he’d told us where to find Stan Clough and he was guarding the place this morning, they probably killed him to set up Clough for the murders. They would know we would find Mrs. Woodward in his freezer.” Kane slowed the racing vehicle to a crawl to lessen the noise of the engine. “They cut out his tongue because he talks too much.”
“Oh, shit.” Rowley shook his head. “The Daniels brothers are the last people I thought capable of torturing someone to death.”
“No doubt Jenna is of the same mind.” He wet his dry lips. “She insisted they are harmless. So much for intuition.”
The SUV skidded around the next turn, brushed against a fir tree, then continued along the icy road. Kane gritted his teeth and spun the wheel, gaining control, then gunned the engine. “I would bet the Daniels brothers arranged to meet Sarah at the Old Mitcham Ranch with the intention of torturing her to get information about what she’d discussed with the sheriff’s department. They would have gone there fully prepared to rape and kill her. Leaving her body was another warning to Jenna to keep her mouth shut.”