Tangled (Steele Ranch 3)

“Schmidt, the club owner. He’s the one who she got the loan from, who was forcing her to strip to pay off the extra interest. We also arrested a guy named Richard Blade, his right-hand man.”

“Cricket said the two men who’d fucked with her were Schmidt and Rocky. I assume Richard’s nickname isn’t Rocky?”

I heard a big crash, as if Archer had turned over his desk, threw a chair against the wall or something similar. Yeah, I knew the feeling, but driving, I had no release for my frustrations. “It seems not. I need you to get over there. Now.”

I heard the panic in his voice, knew he felt as I did. Helpless, out of control. Too far away.

“Are the police on the way?” I weaved around a minivan with a South Dakota license plate.

“Yes. Penny called them first.”

“Wait, Penny’s with Cricket. Jesus, that’s not good.”

Penny was pregnant. While I was scared shitless for Cricket and Penny, but a baby? If this turned out okay—no, not if, when—Jamison and Boone weren’t going to let her out of their farmhouse of theirs and if she tried, they’d tie her to the bed. I wasn’t sure if they were into restraints and shit, but they’d be into it quick.

“She’s not.”

I exhaled. Thank fuck. But that meant—

“Cricket made her leave. I guess Cricket shoved her car keys at her and told her to get away to keep the baby safe.”

“Then where the fuck is Penny?”

“In Cricket’s car. Waiting. She’s on the phone with Jamison and he’s keeping her calm. I’m leaving the station now and I’m ninety minutes behind you. I called Lee, but he’s in Buffalo and losing his mind.”

Buffalo was in the middle of Wyoming, a five or six-hour drive from Missoula.

Our woman was being confronted by an asshole who’d threatened to rape her. She’d gotten away from him at the strip club. This guy wasn’t going to like that. He was pissed at her. Not pissed. Obsessed. Knowing the kind of men who ran shit places like the strip club, they were misogynistic assholes, thinking a woman was only as good as she looked in pasties or how skilled she was on her knees. Cricket had kicked him in the figurative balls, and while it made me so fucking proud that she’d taken care of herself, now I was scared as fuck for her.

“Even though some other asshole got arrested, he was still hiding from the police. And in the one place they wouldn’t look,” I told him. “He’s not going to let Cricket go.”

Archer didn’t respond. There was nothing for him to say to that because I was right.

“I’ll call you when I get there.”

I hung up on him and focused on driving. Once I hit the exit ramp, I had to slow down. Finally… fucking finally, I pulled into her lot. There were three police cars haphazardly parked, lights flashing. I slammed on the brakes, put the truck in gear and climbed out, not caring I left it in the middle of the lot running. I ran toward them, but slowed, not wanting to get shot by a trigger-happy cop.

There, standing with two police officers and Penny was Cricket. Whole.

I exhaled and my heart settled back in my chest. The panicked feelings I had lessened, but didn’t ease. My cell rang in my pocket. “Yeah?” I said when I put it to my ear.

“Penny says they have the guy arrested and on the way to the hospital. Cricket maced him, then kneed him in the balls. Cricket’s fine.” Archer’s voice was full of relief, but I doubted he’d be fully calm until he saw Cricket for himself.

“I see her. She’s with the police.” I hung up on him and went over to her. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and while she wasn’t panicked, she had the look of someone post-battle.

When she saw me, she practically wilted. She walked around the police officer and right into my arms. I held her to me, breathed her in, kissed the top of her head. I spied Penny and she was smiling, gave me a reassuring thumbs-up. I watched as she put her cell back to her ear. I had no doubt she had Jamison or Boone on there.

One of the officers walked by and I called to him. “That woman, Penny, she’s pregnant.” I tipped my chin in her direction. “She should be sitting down somewhere out of the sun. Get her some water.”

The guy nodded. “On it.”

Having her be fifteen feet away and with the police officers right beside her, I knew Penny was safe, knew this guy would tend to her. I could focus on Cricket.

Her hands went to my shirt, tangled in it and she held on for dear life. I didn’t mind. I didn’t want her to ever let go. She began to cry, and I felt the sobs through my palms on her back.

Shit. Fuck. I hated it when she cried, but this, she needed to do it, to bleed out the excess adrenaline, the fear. She needed to do so while she knew she was safe, that everything was going to be okay. It was the same for me. I needed to hold her, to feel her, breathe her in and know she was fine so that I could calm down, too.

Fuck, I’d almost lost her.