"Did you see Camille leave with him?"
Mrs. Blakely shook her head. "No. As a matter of fact, my husband said he saw the skinny fellow driving the wagon away about half an hour later. He was alone. I thought perhaps he was just resting here and then left. Later this morning, I came to ask Camille if she sold the wagon. That’s when I saw the note on the door."
Lucas stormed out of the shop, his soppy clothes and lack of sleep forgotten. He rushed to the jailhouse where Brogan and the other men where already dismounted and heading in separate directions.
"I believe Camille was kidnapped," he told Brogan, his voice breathless from running. "I have to go back out."
It was uncanny how spending years with someone meant no long explanations were necessary. Brogan took his arm. "Go to the house. Change into dry clothes. I'll go change as well." He looked to the other men who'd stopped and watched them. "Marcus, can you got to the stables and get us two fresh horses?"
"You got it, Sheriff."
A short time later, they were heading out of town in the direction of where Lucas had seen the simple-minded man. In his mind, he pictured the worst. Why had the man been alone when they'd come upon him?
CHAPTER EIGHT
CAMILLE HAD LOST TRACK OF TIME. All feeling in her arms was gone and her right leg throbbed from laying on it and bumping along for so long. She moaned when the wagon hit a deep indent and tried to swallow past the gag.
They stopped and the sound of footfalls leaving made her pray it meant she'd be released from the bindings. It didn't even matter to her at the moment that she'd be face-to-face again with the man she'd run from. The pain was intolerable and, surely, once the ties were removed, her arms would ache as she regained feeling in them. But it couldn't get any worse.
The damp blanket was removed and she blinked at the sudden sunlight. Several faces looked down at her. She was dragged to the edged and lifted. When they attempted to place her on her feet, she crumpled to the ground.
Snickers sounded above her, but she could only remain on the dirty ground, unable to move. "Cut her loose, idiot," a gruff voice said.
Someone picked her up and held her upright while another person untied the rope at her ankles and her arms. She was only aware of her arms being freed because they flopped to her sides.
The tingling sensation that came next was almost as painful as the bumping had been and she began to cry. Her right leg could not bear weight so she held it up and stood on the other.
"She's in bad shape," the same gruff voice stated as her mouth gag was removed. "You give her anything to eat or drink, Billy Charles?"
"I forgot," came the reply.
"Bill will be glad to see you." A bearded man leaned forward. His bushy beard covered most of his face, yet she recognized him as Bill Burns' brother, Randall. She looked away, unable to believe they'd caught her. After being free, returning to where her nightmare came from was unbearable. She let out a shaky cry, unable to keep the terror from seizing her so tight her lungs burned.
"What's wrong with her?" Billy Charles peered at her. "Is she crazy?"
"Probably," Randall replied, lifting her. "Let's get inside."
A few hours later, after eating a few bites of bread and drinking water, Camille began to feel human. She'd not spoken to the men knowing any requests to be freed would go unheard. They were too tightly aligned to Bill Burns. The man had a way of binding people to him. For whatever reason, people followed him blindly, not seeming to acknowledge how cruel he was.
Her own aunt and uncle were part of the group of people that lived in the secluded small town of Blairsville. A town ruled and controlled by Bill Burns. A few had left and never been heard from again but, for the most part, the townspeople remained by choice.
The door was unlocked and Billy Charles entered the small room they'd locked her in. "Pa's comin'. He'll be glad to see you." His wide grin made her skin crawl. Although the man was simple, it had not stopped him from groping her after tying her up.
"Go away, Billy Charles. Leave me alone." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You left Tim. You left us. Pa's gonna kill you." His grin became wider with eagerness. "I bet it won't be pretty."
"Shut up and go away." Camille ensured her voice was flat, not wanting to let him see how his words affected her.
Finally, with a look of disappointment, Billy Charles backed out of the door.
Bill Burns wouldn't kill her. At least she didn't think so. No matter how mad he'd be at her, Tim, her husband, wouldn't allow it.