“Are you gonna go get her after you get the money?”
“Why do you care so much?” she asked, her voice full of suspicion. Then as we marched across the large backyard, up the slight incline to the barn, she said, “Does this have anything to do with your abortion?” She laughed. “Do you know how easy it was to make you think it was a good idea?”
Tears stung my eyes. I’d been so, so stupid. “Branson would have come after the baby.”
She released a bitter laugh. “Branson wouldn’t have given a shit about that baby. He doesn’t give a shit about Crystal. But he sure does give a shit about you. He made a buttload off you and couldn’t have sold you for as much if your gut was big with a baby.”
“He couldn’t have given much of a shit about me if he sold me to Pearce Manchester. Branson had to know he was gonna kill me.” We were about twenty feet from the barn.
“It was a calculated risk,” Stella said. “You were his in with Hardshaw.”
Kate appeared in the doorway again, tilting her head to the side as she studied my kidnapper’s face. “Aren’t you a complicated woman, Stella St. Clair?”
“How do you know who I am?” Stella asked in shock.
“I know many things. Come inside and we’ll discuss them.” She pushed the barn door wider and turned her back to us, walking back inside.
“She doesn’t have a gun,” Stella murmured. “She can’t be much of a threat.”
“Kate’s so evil she doesn’t always need a gun,” I said, hoping to spook here and the way she tensed, I was pretty sure it had worked.
Stella pushed me inside and I blinked as my eyes adjusted to this new darkness. Kate had a kerosene lantern set up on a rung of the ladder up to the empty loft. Branson was lying in the trough in the back corner, his legs bound at the ankles and his hands bound in front of him. His mouth was tied with a gag and a wild look filled his eyes.
Joe sat on a kitchen chair, about ten feet to the left of Branson, several feet from the open back door. I knew the woods at the back of Rose’s property were about ten feet behind the barn.
Joe’s eyes caught mine, but he didn’t say anything. The concern on his face was communication enough. His legs were tied to the legs of the chair and his arms were bound behind him. A trail of blood ran down his face from his right temple, and his left eye was swollen. While Kate was capable of many things, beating up Joe likely wasn’t one of them.
“Where’s your bodyguard?” I asked with plenty of attitude. “I’m pretty sure you couldn’t have managed this on your own.”
Kate laughed as she moved next to the ladder. “You’re right. I’m not capable of beating up men like you are. My strengths lie in other areas.” She rested her hand on the ladder, and I realized all it would take would be one good shake of the rickety thing to knock the lantern over.
I’d been right—Kate didn’t always need a gun. But I was sure she still had one close.
“Where’s my money?” Stella asked, grabbing hold of my hair at the nape of my neck and pointing her gun at my temple again.
My heart raced. Stella would think nothing of pulling that trigger, especially now that she was here.
“Don’t you want to say hello to your man?” Kate asked, then snickered.
“What’s so funny?” Stella asked.
Branson shouted into his gag, his words unintelligible, but it was obvious he was terrified or pissed. Probably both.
Kate gave her a Cheshire cat grin. “You’ll find out soon enough. Let’s talk business first. Kyle. Bring in the bag.”
A man who looked to be in his thirties appeared in the open back door, carrying a small black bag. He was dressed all in black, and the muscles on his arms and the look in his eyes screamed, Don’t mess with me.
“Set it on the floor.”
Kyle did as he was told, then stepped back.
“Stella,” Kate said in a dry tone. “I want my sister. You want Branson and money. There’s a bag of money on the floor. Take it and go.”
“Not so fast,” Stella said, gripping my hair even tighter, making me release an involuntary gasp. “How much money’s in there? Ten minutes ago, you said you didn’t have it.”
“That was before I realized I was workin with such a shrewd negotiator,” Kate said. “I just broke out of a psych ward. You think I’m going around the state using a credit card? Of course I have cash.”
Stella cocked her head, looking around me. “How much?”
“Five grand. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”
Stella hesitated, then started to advance toward the bag, dragging me along with her.
“Let go of my sister,” Kate said, sounding almost like she was bored.
“I don’t think so,” Stella said, tugging on my hair.
I released another involuntary cry.
“This is your last warning,” Kate said in a cold hard voice. “Let go of my sister or I’ll have Kyle shoot Branson.”
Stella stopped and turned to glance back at Branson. He was struggling with his restraints and crying out every time he moved, and his eyes were pleading with Stella to save him.
“Fine,” Stella grunted, then gave me a hard shove toward the front barn door, keeping the gun pointed at me. “But she stays over there.”
“That works for now,” Kate said with a slight grin, and I knew she had something devious planned.
Stella dropped to her knees, struggling to unzip the bag and keep the gun pointed at me.
“Need help?” Kate asked with a smirk. “How about I have Branson come over to assist?”
Stella gave her a suspicious glare. “Why would you do that?”
“As a sign of my goodwill. Kyle.” She gestured toward Branson.
The beefy guy stalked over to Branson, crossing in front of Joe, who was watching me like a hawk and likely trying to figure out how to get us out of this.
Kyle stopped next to the trough, and Branson shrank back, his body quaking with fear. Kate’s henchman grabbed Branson’s arm and yanked him out of the basin, none too gently, and dumped him on his feet.
Branson cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face as Kyle bent down to cut the zip ties at his ankles.
“Why’re his jeans all dark like that?” Stella asked, pointing to his crotch. “Did he piss himself?”
I stared at Joe in horror, wondering if he knew why Branson’s crotch was stained. The look in his eyes told me he did.
The only person in the room who didn’t know was Stella, and Kate was playin’ her like a fiddle.
“Go on, Branson,” Kate said. “Big tough man. Go unzip the bag. Just like I unzipped your jeans.”
Stella’s eyes grew wild. “You screwed her?”
Branson’s eyes flew wide and he vigorously shook his head, screaming his undecipherable words into his gag. He stumbled forward, clearly in pain, but Stella was too busy with her jealous fit to notice.
All I could do was watch in horror.
“I’m gonna kill you, Branson Desoto!” Stella shouted, and then she smashed him on top of the head with her gun.
Branson crumpled to the ground.
Stella quickly trained her gun back on me, and I realized I’d missed an opportunity to escape. Only I never would have left Joe in this mess. We were in this together.
“Temper, temper,” Kate mocked. “Now who’s gonna open that bag, Stella?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Neely Kate’ll do it.”
“No,” Kate said in a firm tone. “Neely Kate’s mine now. In fact, you’re free to collect your things and go.”
“I don’t even know if there’s money in there,” Stella said. “You think I’m gonna leave with no money?”
Branson was sobbing, begging Stella with muffled cries.
“Did I hear you and Neely Kate correctly?” Kate asked. “Do you have a baby?”
Stella sneered, “What’s it to you?”
Kate moved closer to me. “Neely Kate and I might be new to the sister thing, but she and I share a bond—our lost babies.” Cocking her head, Kate narrowed her eyes. “Did you force Neely Kate to have an abortion?”