Finding Forever (Smoky Mountain Lawmen Book 1) (8 page)

Gemma’s
hackles rose.  “I’m sorry.  I wasn’t aware that my free time was being
monitored.  I’ll make sure you get a detailed itinerary of my day from now on,
down to when I think I’ll need to use the bathroom.”

Her
comments only seemed to make him angrier. 

“You
could have at least called him to let him know you were going to Asheville.”

She
lifted one eyebrow at him, barely hanging on to her temper.  She was so tired
of the men in her life treating her like a child!  “Again, I wasn’t aware I had
a keeper.  And I honestly thought I’d be home before him.  Mona and I didn’t
intend to stay out late.  You should know by now that I would
never
worry Tristan unnecessarily.” 

Once
he looked slightly chagrined, Gemma continued.  “Now what crawled up your
butt?”

Ben’s
gaze bounced between her and Mona, who looked on with avid attention.  Gemma
just knew she was soaking all this up for future reference and speculation.

Finally,
he took a deep breath and Gemma watched his anger fall away.  He motioned Gemma
to scoot over and sat down.  “You really didn’t know we’d called?” he asked.

Gemma
shook her head and grabbed her purse from beside her.  She pulled out her phone
and groaned.  “I left it on vibrate.  It’s so noisy in here I never heard it. 
I’m sorry, Ben.  What’s going on?  Why are you here?  And how did you find me,
anyway?”

“I
had the FBI techs ping your phone.”

Gemma
felt her eyes go wide, her anger flaring again.  And she thought Tristan was
bad.  Ben took the “keeper” thing to a whole new level.  “You
what
?  Why
would you do that?”

He
sighed and closed his eyes.  When he opened them, she could see the fatigue he
was trying not to show.  “Because Tristan got a call from Buncombe County
saying your car was wrapped around a tree and on fire and we couldn’t find
you.”

All
the air fled Gemma’s lungs along with her anger.  Stark fear replaced it. 
Oh
my God
!  Her gaze flew to Mona, who looked equally shocked.  “Stacy.” 
Gemma’s voice was a mere whisper, but Ben heard her anyway.

“Stacy?” 
He frowned at her and looked at Mona, whose pallor was as white as Gemma was sure
her own was.  “The woman you work with?”

Gemma
nodded.  “Her car still wasn’t ready, so she asked if she could keep mine
another night because she had another class.  I didn’t see why not and then
Mona suggested we go out, so I just went with it.”  She grabbed his arm as the
implications completely sunk in.  “Is she okay?”

Ben
covered her hand with his.  “We don’t know.  There was no one in the car, which
is why Tristan was calling you incessantly and why I tracked you down.”

Gemma
frowned and looked at Mona, who had an equally puzzled expression on her face. 
“Not in the car?  Did she get thrown?”

“The
sheriff’s department brought out some dogs to search for her, but I haven’t
heard anything yet.  If she didn’t get thrown we have no idea where she would
be.”  Gemma fought the urge to lean into his touch as his hand came up to cup
the side of her face.  “I saw your car, Gem.  If she wasn’t thrown and she did
indeed walk away from that, she wouldn’t have gotten far.”

Gemma
bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.  This was
not
happening.  Stacy
had to be okay. 

“There’s
another possibility,” Ben said softly, looking at both women.

“Another
possibility?” Mona asked through her shock.

Ben
nodded.  “She could have been taken.”

Both
women visibly started at his suggestion.  “Can either of you think of anyone
who would want to hurt her?”

Mona
and Gemma both quickly shook their heads. 

“No,”
Gemma said.  “Stacy’s the sweetest person.  Everyone loves her.”

“She’s
a joy to be around,” Mona said.  “All her clients and their relatives can’t get
enough of her.”

Gemma
felt the weight of Ben’s gaze settle on her.  He stared at her silently, mouth
opening and closing several times before he managed to get anything out.  His
fingers flexed where they laid against her head.  “Would anyone want to hurt
you, Gemma?  Could they have mistaken Stacy for you?” he asked quietly.

Gemma
inhaled sharply.  Oh, God!  Could she be the reason Stacy was missing, possibly
hurt or worse?  She could hardly bear the thought.

Schooling
her thoughts so she could function Gemma thought quickly.  “No one comes to
mind.  I don’t tend to go around making people angry, Ben.  And short of you
and Tristan, I haven’t argued with anyone lately.”

He
nodded.  “Okay.”  He slid out of the booth, breaking contact with her and Gemma
felt the loss deeply.  His touch had anchored her.  She fought for control.

“We
need to go,” he said, offering her a hand.  Gemma quickly grasped it, thankful
for the strength it offered.  Later, when she could think straight, she’d contemplate
how co-dependent she was becoming on him for her peace of mind.  Right now
though she needed to focus on finding Stacy.  She had to be okay. 

Ben
found a server so she and Mona could settle their tab then led both women out
of the restaurant.  Ben had luckily parked not far from Mona.  Gemma opted to
ride back with Ben and Mona followed close behind.  The miles sped by quickly
and they were on the accident scene in what felt like seconds to Gemma. 

“Oh
my God,” she breathed, getting her first look at her car.  It was a burnt shell
of what it used to be.  All twisted metal and charred paint.  The front,
driver’s side was crumpled back to the door frame, the driver’s door bent in
slightly where the car had spun into the tree after its initial impact.

“Gemma!” 

Gemma
tore her gaze away from the car at the sound of her name.  Tristan was
barreling toward her.  He scooped her off her feet and hugged her tight.

“Thank
God you’re okay,” he said into her hair.

Gemma
hugged her brother for all she was worth.  She was so sorry she’d put him
through so much worry.  He may drive her crazy, but she loved him.  She knew if
the situation had been reversed she’d have been a wreck too.

“I’m
so sorry, Tristan.  I didn’t hear the phone.”

He
pulled back.  “It’s okay.  You’re safe and that’s all that matters.”  Gemma
didn’t miss the nod of thanks he sent Ben’s way.  “Now we just need to find
your friend.”

“There’s
still no sign of her?” Ben asked, moving up behind Gemma.  She felt his
presence with every fiber of her being and just wanted to lean into his solid
strength.  She didn’t dare though.  It was too much temptation and right now
she felt very vulnerable.

Tristan
shook his head.  “The dogs have come up with zilch so far.  If she got out of
the car it wasn’t under her own power and there’s no sign she was thrown from
the vehicle.”

“So
she’s been kidnapped,” Ben stated.

“Looking
that way,” Tristan answered.

Gemma
felt her heart plummet. 
Poor Stacy
!  Why would anyone want to kidnap
her?  Gemma prayed they could find her before anything worse could happen.

Stupid
bitch!  Why did she have to lend her car out?  Now he had an unforeseen
complication and no leverage on that damned FBI agent. 

He
stared hard at the bound woman lying unconscious on the back seat of his car. 
He’d drugged her as soon as he’d come upon her in the car before he’d realized
that he had the wrong woman. 

He
had to decide what to do with her.

He
wasn’t into killing the innocent and he had no quarrel with this woman.  Could
he take the chance and let her go?  Use her as a warning for what will happen
to the woman he was really after if Agent Davidson didn’t back off?

Hmm…that
had possibilities…

Gemma
stumbled bleary-eyed into the kitchen the next morning.  Not even the shower
she had taken this morning had managed to wake her up much.  When she had
returned home around one a.m. she had fallen into bed sure that she would soon
be fast asleep.  Instead, she had laid there wide awake until she had heard
Tristan and Ben come in.  Only then had she dropped into a restless slumber. 
Her alarm clock had blared entirely too early for her liking.  She didn’t have
the luxury of staying home today though.  With Stacy gone, the therapy center
was down one therapist.  She knew Mona was going to shuffle as many of Stacy’s
appointments as she could between Gemma and the third therapist, Jennifer
Callahan.  The upside to all of it was that Gemma wouldn’t have time to think
about how tired she was or Stacy’s fate.

She
poured herself a cup of coffee and stared into the cupboards, trying to come up
with breakfast.  If the guys expected a big, hot meal this morning they were
going to be sorely disappointed.  She was not in the mood to cook today.  Deciding
that simple was the way to go, Gemma pulled down the box of instant oatmeal
packets.  She dumped two in a bowl and added water before tossing the mixture
in the microwave. 

When
Ben entered the kitchen, Gemma was staring numbly at the microwave waiting for
it to beep.  She mumbled a greeting just as her oatmeal finished.  Ben poured
himself a cup of coffee and settled against the counter.  Gemma was almost—
almost
—too
tired to appreciate the view.  His biceps bulged beneath the hunter green
oxford shirt he wore as he crossed his arms while sipping the hot brew and his
shoulders strained the fabric.  Dark denim clung to his strong thighs.

Gemma
turned away to stir her oatmeal.  She added a splash of milk to cool it down. 
“Do you want some?” she asked, reaching for the box again.

His
hand on hers stilled her.  “You don’t have to cook for me all the time, Gemma.”

She
smiled and used pulling two packets of oatmeal out of the box as an excuse to
remove her hand from his.  She was too tired to erect her defenses against him
this morning.  “This hardly counts as cooking, Ben.”

“True.” 
He took the packets from her and shooed her toward the table.  “Go sit.  I can
handle instant oatmeal.”

Gemma
wasn’t going to argue and sank into a chair with her breakfast.  “So did you
find out anything last night after I left?”

Ben
shook his head.  He shoved his bowl in the microwave and started it up.  “No. 
Everything led us to a dead end.  I’m hoping the forensic guys can pull
something from the car that will help.”

Gemma
felt like crying into her breakfast.  It was all so surreal.  She hadn’t
stopped praying her friend was safe since Ben had crashed her dinner last
night. 

Tristan
wandered in then and took one look at Gemma and Ben munching on oatmeal and
grabbed his own bowl from the cupboard.  Gemma was thankful for the measuring
lines on the packets.  It was Tristan-proof cooking.

Gemma
finished her breakfast and rose intending to say goodbye and be on her way
before she realized she didn’t have any transportation.  Tears welled in her
eyes and she blinked furiously.  Dammit!  She was stronger than this!

Gathering
her emotions, Gemma turned to the men silently eating, each lost in his own
thoughts.  “Um.  I need a ride to work,” she said softly.

Tristan
cursed while Ben just frowned.  “I’ll take you,” Ben said, rising with his
empty bowl and mug.  “We need to talk anyway.”

Flutters
started in Gemma’s belly.  She prayed he wasn’t going to bring up their kiss
from the other night.  He short-circuited her brain on a good day.  Today, she
was exhausted and her emotions had been put through the wringer.  No, today was
not a good day for her to talk about her feelings with this man.  He’d get much
more than he bargained for if he tried.

Ben
did his best to keep his eyes on the road on the drive in to Marshall with
Gemma.  He really did need to talk to her, but was loathe to start the
conversation.  She wasn’t going to like what he had to say and he didn’t want
to argue with her.  He was too tired.  He had hardly slept last night.  When
he’d arrived back at the Mabley’s, he hadn’t done more than strip down to his
boxer briefs before sliding between the cool sheets of his bed.  He had been
bone tired, but sleep had still been elusive.  He had willed his mind to shut
off but to no avail.  Details of Stacy’s disappearance had continued to run
through his head. 

Something
about the whole thing bothered him.  It was too close on the heels of Diana
Lowell’s murder.  Especially considering that Stacy and Diana knew each other. 
His gut was screaming that the two were connected.  He just didn’t know why. 
Stacy didn’t fit the profile of the other victims, but he knew that somehow her
disappearance was related.  They’d spent hours combing the woods for signs and
calling all her known friends and family, hoping they’d heard from her. 

They
still had nothing.

His
thoughts shifted back to Gemma.  If Stacy’s connection to Diana Lowell bothered
him, her connection to Gemma—and the fact that it was Gemma’s car—bothered him
even more.  If Stacy’s disappearance really was connected to his serial killer
case, then it made more sense that Gemma was the target.  She’d been more
involved in the investigation than Stacy.

The
thought that Gemma was the real target terrified Ben.  When he’d found her safe
and sound yesterday evening the relief had nearly made his knees buckle.  He
had wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless then hide her away where he knew
she’d be safe. 

He
knew he’d been a little harsh on her in the beginning, but the thought of
something happening to her had had a stranglehold on him and he’d taken his
frustrations with himself out on her.  Thankfully, she’d forgiven him even if
she had kept her distance.  She’d joined a search party soon after they’d
arrived at the scene and he’d hardly seen her until he and Tristan had had to
drag her away hours later when they’d finally called off the search.  They’d
covered over a mile in each direction on foot looking for Stacy and had even
sent up a helicopter with infrared trying to track her that way.  They’d found
a bunch of small game, but no people who weren’t already there searching for
the missing woman.  Ben had sent Gemma home with an armed escort after
threatening her with arrest if she didn’t cooperate.

Which
brought him back to what he needed to talk to her about.  Christ, this was
gonna suck.

“Gemma,”
he started.  She looked over at him and he almost lost his nerve.  She was
struggling with so many emotions right now and he was going to add a new fear
to them.  “Until we figure out why Stacy was taken I don’t want you going anywhere
alone.  I don’t like that it was your car that she was in when she was
kidnapped.  It has me wondering who the real target was.”

He
watched her eyes widen as his words sunk in.  “You think I’m in danger?  That I
was the reason Stacy was kidnapped?  Someone thought she was me?”

Ben
grabbed her hand.  “I’m just saying it’s a possibility.  You two share a
passing resemblance.  I’d rather not take any chances and have to be looking
for you too.  If you have to leave the center, call me or Tristan.  If neither
of us can get free we’ll send an officer to escort you.  Don’t even go outside
by yourself.”  His tone brooked no argument. 

He
could feel her eyes on him as she studied him.  Finally, she nodded.  “Okay.”

He
frowned.  Well that went easier than he had expected.  “Okay?  You’re not going
to argue?”

She
shook her head.  “No.  I just want you to find Stacy and catch the guy.  If
you’re worried about me being on my own and something possibly happening to me
then you’re not focused on Stacy or the investigation.  I just wish there was
more I could do to help you.”

Ben’s
felt his heart thud, trying to break out of the box he’d built around it.  This
woman was incredible.  Her number one concern was always for someone else.  She
was willing to live life in a fishbowl if it meant her friend could be safe
sooner. 

He
cleared his throat.  “You just stay safe.  That’s plenty.”

Thankfully,
he was saved from having her create more chinks in his armor as they arrived at
the equestrian center.  He pulled up right next to the back door and put the
car in park.  “I’ll walk you in,” he said before she could say her good-byes.

Gemma
used her keys to let them in.  Mona’s car was already parked near the door, but
for safety purposes the back door was always locked, he’d learned the other
day.  Only Mona and the three therapists had keys, for which Ben was grateful. 
It made the building that much more secure.

He
walked Gemma to her office where he told her to stay put until he’d checked out
the building.  Once he heard the door lock behind him, he headed to Mona’s
office to check on her.

He
knocked softly on her door, which was slightly ajar, before pushing it open to
see her sitting behind her desk, papers in hand.

“Agent
Davidson.  What a surprise.  Is everything okay?  Any news on Stacy?”

“No,
not yet.  I brought Gemma in and I just wanted to check out the building before
I left.  Did anything look out of the ordinary to you when you came in?” he
asked. 

She
shook her head.  “No.  It was all locked up tight and nothing seemed amiss, but
I haven’t been out of the administrative area yet.  Are you expecting trouble?”
she asked.  Ben could see the intelligence lurking in Mona’s eyes as she
probed.  He was glad this woman was here.  She’d be a good lookout for things
unusual.

“I
hope not.  We’re just being cautious since it was Gemma’s car that Stacy was
in.  I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for anything suspicious and
tell your other employees to do the same.”  He handed her a business card.  “If
you notice anything, give me a call.  If I don’t answer just leave a message
and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

She
took the card and nodded.  “For all our sakes, I hope it’s all just
precaution.”

“Me
too, Mrs. Roth.  I’m going to go finish my walk-through and I’ll be on my way,”
he said heading for the door. 

The
front offices were small and all the doors were locked tight.  Ben scanned all
probable hiding places before moving toward the arena.  He pushed open the door
to the cavernous space and slapped at the wall for the light switches.  Without
the barn doors open and the lights off the place was pitch black.  He walked
along the wall toward the stables while the stadium lights warmed up.  Curious
snickers greeted him as he walked between the rows of stalls.  Soft snorts of
annoyance at his lack of treats followed him down the aisle.

Stables
cleared, he walked back into the arena and stopped dead.

In
the center of the arena, naked and dumped in a heap like garbage, was Stacy
Mathis.