The Marshal's Hostage

Chapter Four



Joelle heard the words come out of her mouth, but she couldn’t believe she’d actually said them aloud.

To Dallas, no less.

She’d spoken the truth—for one of the first times today—but it was a truth that Dallas shouldn’t have heard. It wouldn’t make things easier. Just the opposite. Because now Dallas would demand an explanation.

Something she couldn’t give him.

Joelle closed her eyes and tried to think. It was next to impossible. Everything inside her was spinning, and she doubted she could stand up, much less try to run.

“What was in that drink?” she asked.

“I think you know,” Dallas answered. “Someone drugged you. Owen, no doubt.”

Yes, and for her there wasn’t a shred of doubt. Owen had done this, or rather he’d gotten Lindsey to do it for him. That infuriated her. Joelle had known she couldn’t trust Lindsey. For Pete’s sake, the woman worked for Owen and was probably in love with him. But she hadn’t thought for one second that Lindsey would resort to something like this.

“How the heck could your marrying Owen save me?” Dallas demanded.

Joelle heard him moving around, and when she opened her eyes again, Dallas was right in front of her face. So close that she could see the flecks of gray in his mostly blue eyes. She could see the determination there, too, and knew a lie wasn’t going to fix this.

The truth wouldn’t, either.

If fact, the truth would make this situation explode like an oil rig fire, and finding a way to dodge that fire was going to be tough.

Dallas stared at her. Cursed. And moved back. “I need to get you to the hospital.”

That would only make things worse because it would get the sheriff involved. Joelle grabbed his wrist, and even though she didn’t have much strength in her wobbly grip, she pulled him back down so that he was kneeling on the floor beside her. Not exactly a brilliant move. They were touching now, and that was never a good idea when it came to Dallas and her.

Even in its drugged state, her body thought it might get lucky. It wouldn’t. And she was reasonably sure Dallas would agree.

“I don’t need to go to the hospital.” She hoped that was true, anyway. “Owen wouldn’t have given me a drug that could kill me. My guess is whatever was in that drink, it was meant to daze me so I wouldn’t be able to hear any argument you have to putting a stop to the wedding.”

Dallas stared at her from beneath the brim of his Stetson. Except it wasn’t just a stare. He seemed to be examining her. Maybe to make sure she wasn’t about to succumb to the drug.

“Clearly, Owen isn’t convinced of your love for him or he wouldn’t have thought I stood a chance of talking you out of saying ‘I do.’”

“Clearly,” she repeated in a mumble. “But you didn’t talk. You took me hostage, and that means the damage control I have to do is...massive,” Joelle settled for saying.

But the real word was impossible.

Still, she’d have to try because there wasn’t an acceptable alternative. As soon as she gathered her wits enough to confront Owen, she’d try to resume their deal or work out a new one. For now though, Dallas was one confrontation too many.

“I need some water,” she said. “And a few minutes to gather my breath. If I’m not feeling better soon, then I’ll go to the hospital.”

Dallas scowled as if he might refuse her on both counts, but it wasn’t a delay tactic. Her throat was parched, and apparently she had some explaining to do. Plus, if she didn’t start feeling better, she would indeed go to a hospital. But not the one in Maverick Springs and she wouldn’t use her real name if she got treatment. She couldn’t have this get back to Owen because he would retaliate in the worst possible way.

Cursing, Dallas went to the sink, got her the water, but as soon as he handed it to her, he went to the window and looked outside. Good move and something Joelle wished she’d thought of doing. Owen would indeed send someone to look for them.

“What are the chances Owen will find this cabin?” she asked, sipping the water.

“Extremely high.” Dallas shot her a glance over his shoulder. “That means you give me that explanation you owe me, and then I get you out of here. First to the hospital and then so you can file charges against Owen for drugging you.”

That got Joelle’s complete attention. Well, as much as her drugged mind would allow. “I can’t file charges against Owen.”

“Then I will.”

And Dallas would do exactly that if Joelle didn’t talk, and talk fast. But where to start? This was a tangled mess, and she wasn’t exactly at her best now when it came to winning an argument with Dallas.

“Remember when you were seventeen and Jonah Webb gave you a beating for sassing him?” she asked.

Dallas eased back around to face her, and his eyes were slightly narrowed. Probably because it wasn’t a good memory to bring up. But that incident, that specific memory, was where the tangle really started to get bad.

“I didn’t sass him,” Dallas growled. “Webb beat up Declan for sassing him, and I told Webb if he laid another hand on Declan that I’d kill him. Webb punched me, and I punched him back until his goons held me down and let Webb have a go at me.”

Yes, he had. And at the time Joelle had supported Dallas one hundred percent. Declan had only been thirteen and scrawny at that. Webb had been a hulk of a man. A brute and a grown-up bully who had no right or reason to assault any of the kids at Rocky Creek.

But Webb had done just that.

And often.

That day, he’d had Dallas beaten within an inch of his life. A strong motive for murder. It didn’t look good, either, that Webb had gone missing that very night.

“Owen witnessed the threat you made to Webb,” Joelle continued. “And he insisted I include it in my report to the governor.”

“Of course he did.” Dallas added more profanity. “Owen’s a snotty-nosed tattletale. But hell’s bells, tell me you aren’t marrying Owen because of that?”

“No.” Joelle needed another sip of water before she could continue. “When I started the report, I requested background checks on all persons of interest. Including Owen. One of his disgruntled business associates tipped off my investigator that Owen might not be the upstanding citizen he claimed to be. I personally did some digging and uncovered a few things, including some shady land and business deals.”

Dallas didn’t give her the surprised look she’d expected. “Yeah. Owen’s dirty,” he agreed. “I’d bet my favorite mare on that. And he’s used the money that he inherited from his late wife and in-laws to do plenty of things I wish I could arrest him for. If you’ve got anything of a federal nature that I can use, I want it.”

“I can’t give it to you.”

That earned her a flat look. “We’re going to the hospital. Obviously, the drug has affected you pretty bad if you’re covering for Owen.”

“I’m not covering for him.”

The flat look got flatter. “If it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.”

And with that smart-mouthed reply, Dallas came across the room, set her water aside and lifted her to her feet. The dizziness returned with a vengeance, and Joelle had no choice but to lean on him. This time she took in his scent. And the feel of the muscles in his arms and chest.

Heck, she took him in, too, because all the memories came flooding back. Not of the fight with Webb or the miserable times they’d had at Rocky Creek but other times, when she’d been in his arms for a completely different reason.

He made a sound, a sort of grunt, and she hoped that didn’t mean he was remembering things best forgotten.

Like the last night they’d had together at the creek.

No.

Best not to think of that.

“The hospital,” Dallas growled. He yanked out his phone, no doubt to call either the hospital or one of his brothers, but he looked at the screen and grumbled something about not having service. It made sense because the cabin wasn’t exactly on the beaten path.

He shoved his phone back in his pocket. “After I drop you off at the hospital, I can arrest Owen for trying to intimidate you into withholding evidence. Last time I checked that’s called obstruction of justice.”

“It’s the same as what you want me to do for Kirby by killing that report,” she reminded him.

“Yeah,” he readily admitted.

Dallas didn’t have to say more. He would put himself in the line of legal fire for Kirby—real fire, too—for the man who’d saved him from Rocky Creek. And that’s why Joelle dug in her heels when they made it to the door. She’d fought too hard for Dallas to throw himself under a bus that he didn’t even know was headed his way.

“There’s more,” she said, still leaning against him. Still taking in his scent. But she eased the memories onto the back burner. Way back. Because she couldn’t have that playing into what else she had to tell him.

Dallas didn’t roll his eyes, but he came close. “There’s nothing you can say that’ll stop me from going after Owen.”

“Yes, there is.”

That halted him for just a moment, but then he huffed and opened the door. He glanced around, those lawman’s eyes checking for any sign of Owen or his men. Joelle tried to check, too, but her main focus was getting Dallas through what she was about to tell him.

It would change everything.

“Owen has a knife locked away in a safe-deposit box,” she said. Dallas made a mild sound of interest and scooped her up, taking her toward the shed. “He said he got it from Webb’s office the night he disappeared,” she continued. “That it was lying on the floor and he took it.”

“Good, now I can add petty theft to the charges I’ll file against Owen,” Dallas mumbled. He opened the shed and climbed onto the four-wheeler with her, positioning her in his lap.

“The knife has Webb’s blood on it,” Joelle added. “And fingerprints. Yours.”

That stopped him from starting the engine. Even though everything was still swimming in and out of focus, Joelle tried to catalog every bit of his reaction. He blinked, drew in his breath and then shook his head.

“Owen’s lying,” Dallas concluded.

Joelle had had the same reaction when Owen had first dropped the bombshell on her. “He’s not. Not about this, anyway. I had the knife tested. It’s your prints, all right. Webb’s blood, too. His DNA was in the database because his wife had provided a hair sample to the cops when he went missing.”

With her arm and shoulder against his chest, she could feel his heart thudding. Hers was, too. But she could also see the wheels turning in his head, and Dallas no doubt knew what conclusions she’d reached.

She hadn’t wanted to go there, but the evidence was pretty damning.

“I had a friend run the tests,” she explained. “It’s all under wraps, and it’ll stay secret—”

“Owen somehow faked the prints,” Dallas interrupted. “Maybe the blood, too.”

Joelle shook her head. “My friend was thorough, and the prints were badly smeared, but they have the pressure impressions consistent with the knife being in your hand.” She had to pause again. “And the blood, well, it’s consistent with the blade being plunged into Webb’s body.”

She didn’t have to remind him that there had indeed been knife marks found on Webb’s ribs.

Dallas cursed. “You think I killed Webb.”

Joelle hated that she even had to ask the question. “Did you?” But she didn’t wait for an answer, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it anyway. “Webb was a horrible excuse for a human being. He deserved to die, and if he’d lived, he would have eventually killed you or one of the others.”

Dallas grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her up so they were facing each other. “I did not murder Webb.”

Everything inside her went still, and she stared at Dallas, trying to figure out if that was true.

“I have no reason to lie to you,” he added.

He did indeed have a reason because she would be duty bound to report his confession to the authorities. But she saw nothing in his eyes, his expression or his body language to indicate he’d killed Jonah Webb.

“Oh, God,” she mumbled.

“Yeah. Let me guess—Owen said if you married him that he’d keep the knife hidden away, that I wouldn’t be arrested for murder.”

She managed a nod.

But Dallas only managed a stare. He looked at her as if the moon had just come crashing down on her head. “Why the hell would you have done that for me?” he asked. But as she’d done, he didn’t give her a chance to answer. “You left me sixteen years ago without so much as a word as to where you were going or why I was no longer good enough for you.”

“It wasn’t like that,” she blurted out.

He waited, obviously hoping she’d explain further, but Joelle just shook her head. This was not the time to rehash the past, but she owed him something. “I just wanted you to have a fresh start.”

That didn’t ease the anger in his eyes. “And that couldn’t have happened if you’d stayed?”

“No.” And Joelle had no doubts about that. “You always talked about making something of yourself. About how important that was—”

“I could have made something of myself without you breaking things off.”

“Not true,” she argued. “You would have given me the time and energy you needed to devote to getting your life together. You’d been at Rocky Creek for nearly five years, you were about to turn eighteen and you’d just gotten a scholarship to college. I had another year of high school that I’d spend with a foster family over a hundred miles from where you’d be. I didn’t want to hold you back.”

“Admirable,” he said, his tone stinging with bitterness.

“Not really. It was a fresh start for me, too.” She met his gaze when she said that. “And I did come back, to try to mend fences with you.”

A horrible idea. She’d visited him the summer of her freshman year of college. Why, she didn’t know. Wait. She did know. She had missed him and wanted to say how sorry she was for the way things had turned out. Joelle had planned on using the young and stupid defense.

“It was too late to mend anything. I’d moved on by then,” he grumbled.

“Yes, her name was Sandy if I remember correctly.” And she hated that pang of jealousy even now. Hated that she was reliving things best left in the past. “You started this conversation, but is this really something you want to discuss?” Joelle challenged.

His jaw muscles stirred. His mouth tightened, and Dallas finally shook his head.

Good.

Because Joelle wanted it dropped now. It was hard to defend the decisions she’d made when she was seventeen.

“Even if Owen somehow managed to fake the evidence on that knife,” she said, getting them back to what they should be discussing, “he would use it against you. Against me, too.”

“You?” he snapped.

“Because I concealed the lab report. I didn’t intend to conceal it permanently,” she added quickly. “Just long enough so I could figure out who really did kill Webb.”

“And who did?” Dallas pressed.

She had to shake her head. “I honestly don’t know. But I worked out a deal with Owen,” Joelle explained. “If I marry him, I can’t be forced to testify against him regarding anything I learned during my investigation. And he won’t testify against me for delaying the release of any evidence I found.”

Dallas looked down at her. He didn’t have to voice his displeasure. She could feel it in every solid inch of him. He started cursing again, and he jabbed the keys into the ignition of the four-wheeler and started it.

“You were a fool to trust Owen,” she heard him say even over the roar of the engine.

They barreled out of the shed and onto the trail that she figured would take them back to town. Dallas was obviously still determined to get her to the hospital.

And then arrest Owen.

Then Owen would have Dallas arrested.

That would mean she would be exactly where she’d fought so hard not to be—with Dallas in jail and Owen pretty much calling the shots about the release of the knife and evidence.

“The knife looked familiar,” she said, but she wasn’t sure he heard her. Later, she’d have to make him hear.

She’d also have to put a stop to his plans to arrest Owen.

Somehow.

And maybe she could do that merely by describing the knife, by telling Dallas her suspicions about whose it was. Except it was much more than a suspicion.

Joelle was fairly certain, and if she was right, then all the evidence would only lead to multiple arrests.

“You have to stop this,” she begged Dallas.

He went board stiff, and for a moment Joelle thought she’d gotten through his thick skull. He threaded the four-wheeler into a cluster of trees on the banks of a stream, then stopped and killed the engine. When she opened her mouth to ask why he’d done that, he touched his fingers to his lips in a stay-quiet gesture. He also shoved her behind him on the seat and drew his gun.

Alarmed at both the gestures and the concerned look in his eyes, Joelle followed his gaze back to the cabin.

And that’s when she saw the two men.

They were dressed in dark clothes, and both were carrying rifles. It definitely wasn’t Owen or the armed assistants he’d had with him back at the church, but Joelle had no doubts that they worked for Owen. They’d come looking for Dallas and for her.

One of the men looked directly at them, and she sucked in her breath, waiting for them to demand that Dallas drop his gun so they could take her back to Owen. Instead, the man said something to his comrade.

And then they both trained those rifles on Dallas and her.