The Sheriff’s phone rang as he sat in his vehicle outside the nursing home. Smiling when he saw that it was his Deputy, Keith, calling, he answered it, elated. It was about time that things started going right and his town got back to normal. He had product to move, and he was falling behind.
“This is Dale,” he said, the air conditioning blowing so hard on his face that it pushed the hair off his forehead. “Did you get them?”
The silence stretched between them.
“What the hell happened?” Dale asked, trying to keep his temper under control.
A woman walked out of the nursing home, noticing the Sheriff’s vehicle and waving. He forced a smile and waved back, still waiting for Keith to explain what had happened.
“We went after them like you said, but we couldn’t catch up.”
“How is that possible?” Dale said through his plastered smile. “The rain would have made the cliff impassable, so they had to go all the way around to get to the river. That should have taken them at least an hour, and you were on four-wheelers.” He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You had one job, and you had the upper hand.”
“He shifted,” Keith said.
“How can you be sure? Were you close enough to see him do it? Was he on our side of the territory line when it happened?”
“I didn’t see him do it, but I’m sure he was on our side. There’s nothing like a werewolf print, and they went all the way to the river. And we found his clothes.”
“Are you sure they were his? Did you pick them up?”
“I’m sure that they were his, but I didn’t see them until one of the other Deputies ran them over.”
Dale held his anger in and managed to whisper the curse when he wanted to scream. Ty was becoming a thorn in his side, and he was tempted to take him out, treaties be damned. Ty had been a problem for as long as Dale could remember, and he was done playing by the rules. There had to be a way to get rid of him and the girl so he could go back to running his business and his town the way he saw fit.
“What about the footprints?” Dale asked as he let a long, slow breath of air out.
“Those were run over, too.”
“Any reason you didn’t take a picture?”
“I didn’t have my phone on me. I had to wait until I got back to the car to even call you and let you know that they slipped away.”
The more Keith talked, the angrier Dale was getting. Was there anything that his men could do right without his help?
“Why would you leave your phone in the car?” he asked, then thought better of it. “You know what? Never mind. I’m assuming that they’re in the preserve now and untouchable?”
“They are.”
“That’s fine. We’ll deal with them later. As long as they are there, at least I can get things running again. I’m falling behind, and the man in charge is getting antsy. If this goes on much longer, I’ll have to tell him that we’re having issues, and he’s not going to like that.”
“Of course not,” Keith said, and Dale could hear the weak man cowering on the other side of the phone.
Dale sneered, disgusted by Keith’s complete lack of backbone. Maybe he would kill the little weasel for fun, just for being the biggest pansy he’d ever met. The thought made Dale smile. He imagined Keith on the ground, begging for his life in a puddle of his own vomit, and he almost laughed outright. He bit back his good humor, then noticed that someone was standing outside the door of the nursing home, trying to get his attention. He waved back, then drove around to the side of the building while he waited for Keith to get ahold of himself.
He parked in the little carport, tucked away behind the building and between the trees that were planted close together to grant a measure of privacy at the back door. This was the door that was used to remove those residents who died in-house, and every bit of care was taken to make sure that the transfer of the body from the facility to the waiting vehicle went completely unnoticed. It made people feel better, and it kept the residents from having to accept that they were on the downswing on their long lives and on the way to meeting their Maker much sooner than anyone wanted to.
He stepped out of the heavily tinted SUV and through the door that was held open by the man who had waved him in earlier.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said to Keith.
He hung up before the man could say another word. It was just as well. He was beyond irritated with Keith and the rest of the men, and he was having a tough time being rational about how he should deal with their failures. He couldn’t really afford to kill everyone who pissed him off, and despite his flaws, Keith was one of his best and most loyal men. They were in deep. Together. And Dale couldn’t just kill Keith because the man had a bad day. He needed Keith.
He sighed.
“Long day?” Mark said lightly.
“The longest,” Dale said.
“Well, it’s about to get better.”
“That’s what I heard.”
They rounded the corner and walked into a quiet room at the end of a long hall. The lights were off, and a slender woman with long blonde hair sat beside the bed, crying softly in the darkness.
“Hannah?” Dale said as he gently touched her shoulder, then walked around to crouch in front of her.
“Hi, Sheriff,” she said, swiping at her tears and smiling.
“I understand that you need a ride to the hospital so you can make a tough decision, and I’d like to take you if that’s okay.”
Hannah nodded.
“Thanks. I just got my license, and my dad was all I had left. I don’t think I can drive all the way to Fort Worth right now. I’m just really-” Her face crumpled, and she burst into fresh tears. “Am I even old enough to decide to pull the plug? Do they know that I’m only sixteen?”
“They know,” Dale said softly. “They’re expecting you.”
“I just wish I had someone to go through this with me. I can’t make this decision alone.”
“You have us, Hannah. We’re family in this town, and we take care of our own.”
“Thanks, Sheriff,” Hannah said, taking his outstretched hand and standing from the chair. “I didn’t know if I would like it here when Daddy moved us here two years ago, but now I can’t imagine my life anywhere else. I’m just glad that we were here when Daddy had his accident and not in Dallas. Y’all have been like family, and I can’t thank you enough.”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about a thing,” Dale said with a roguish smile that drew a smile from the teen. “We’ll help you get through this.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can start to heal.”
“Are you sure he’s already gone?”
Dale nodded.
“Eric- I mean, your father - has been declared brain dead. But they can’t take him off life-support without your approval, and they want to talk to you about organ donation.”
Hannah nodded.
“They can take whatever they want. Daddy’s gone, and he doesn’t need his body where he’s going.”
“That’s a very mature and compassionate choice you’re making, Hannah. I would say you are wise beyond your years.”
Hannah laughed and got into the passenger side of the SUV, buckling her seatbelt and sitting back for the long ride ahead. Dale got into his seat and looked at the young girl sitting there, seat back, eyes closed, completely trusting.
Dale turned the engine over, hitting the locks at the same time to disguise the noise. He watched Hannah, who didn’t even twitch when he locked the doors and flipped the lockout button on his door panel. Now, even if she tried to unlock the door first, she wouldn’t be able to.
“It’s a long drive to Dallas,” Dale said. “Maybe you should try to get some rest.”
“Dallas? I thought we were going to Fort Worth.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, giving her that sultry smile he used on all the ladies. “We were just talking about you moving here from Dallas, and I misspoke. We’re going to Fort Worth.”
Hannah nodded, seemingly unbothered by his fumble.
“Was my father alone?” she asked, her eyes still closed as he took the winding road out of town and the sun set slowly behind them.
“Alone?” he asked.
“When he collapsed, was he alone, or was someone with him?”
“Mark was with him,” Dale lied. “He didn’t die alone.”
“But he’s not really dead yet?”
“Yes and no. He’s never going to get better than he is now, but he’s still breathing.”
At least that wasn’t a lie.
“I understand. I know he wouldn’t want to stay a vegetable forever. And if his organs can save a life, that would make him so happy.”
“Your father is a good man.”
“He’s the best,” Hannah said, a single tear sliding out from under her lashes and slipping over her smooth skin. “I’m going to miss him. I don’t even know how I’m going to take care of myself without him here.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Dale said as he pulled onto a dirt road.
At the first bump in the road, Hannah’s eyes flew open, and she looked down the road in the gray light, looking confused.
“Where are we going?” she asked, still not alarmed but definitely confused.
“There’s construction between here and Cleburne,” he said, the lie sliding smoothly of his seasoned tongue. “This is the fastest way to get around the construction.”
She nodded, leaning back and closing her eyes again.
Dale shook his head. She was so trusting, and it was going to be her downfall.
“Can you wake me up when we get there? I worked two twelve-hour shifts this weekend, and I’m just exhausted still.”
“Of course, I can,” Dale said.
Hannah turned in her seat, her back to him. It only took a few seconds for her breathing to slow and her body to relax. She was making this far too easy.
Dale turned the radio on, gradually edging up the volume so that she didn’t wake up. The road smoothed out and then gave way to the remnants of an old paved road that was still in good condition despite being forgotten years before.
Hannah was fast asleep when he pulled around the corner and the large barn came into view. Careful to keep the speed steady and to avoid the occasional pothole, Dale coasted up to the large barn and gently applied the brakes. Hannah stirred, but she didn’t wake up.
A door opened beside the barn, and two large, muscled men came out of the barn and approached the car, their menacing eyes locked on Dale. He nodded and tilted his head toward the passenger side of the car, and both men headed that way. Dale released the locks on the door as the first man’s hand reached the handle.
Hannah woke up, looking around and blinking.
“Are we there ye-”
She screamed when the first man reached in and grabbed her, his arm going around her and clamping her against his body. Hannah struggled mightily, kicking and thrashing. She hit the first man in the face with her head, but he didn’t flinch. He held her tight, and the second man advanced, a large needle in his hand.
Hannah bit the man who held her, her teeth sinking into the hand that was clasped over her mouth. He dropped her, and as soon as her feet hit the ground, she took off running toward the trees.
She’d only made it three steps when her body froze and her back arched at the most unnatural angle an instant before her body seized. Dale smiled at the satisfying crackle of the Taser he held in his hand. Hannah slumped to the ground and lay there in a twisted heap. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she was unable to move.
Dale moved to stand over her, smiling down at the girl.
“You’re going to make someone a feisty pet,” he said with a wide grin.
“Sheriff?” she said, the word trembling on her lips.
A tear slid down her cheek, but her eyes held his. Hannah was a feisty one, Dale admitted, and he was sad that he wouldn’t get to keep this one for himself. But the situation with Addie and a few other stumbling blocks had set him back, and his buyers were demanding more product. He either delivered or his body would be found in a ditch, dumped as unceremoniously as Addie’s had been. He couldn’t risk that, and he wasn’t about to get killed over the merchandise.
He waved one of the men over, and he stepped in with a syringe. Hannah’s eyes followed him as he moved to kneel beside her and inserted the syringe into her arm. Hannah winced when the needle went in, but she didn’t move a muscle otherwise. She was still paralyzed from the Taser and would be for a couple more minutes. By the time the Taser wore off, the drugs would be taking hold, and she would find herself drifting off to sleep.
Dale watched her for a few minutes, and when her eyes grew heavy and began to close, he smiled.
“Put her in one of the stalls, and make sure you lock the door.”
“Yes, Sir,” the men said in unison as they hoisted her up between them.
He almost laughed at the effort, but he knew better than most how heavy dead weight was, even in someone as petite as Hannah. Completely relaxed so that her body flopped and oozed as if it had no bones, he knew that it took monumental effort to move someone in a state such as Hannah was in. Still, the sight of the muscled men working together to lift her was amusing. At least part of his day was going well. Hopefully, his latest acquisition would soften the failure of Addie and Robin.
His client was going to love Hannah, and sweet, innocent Hannah was going to net a pretty penny at the online auction. Until then, he needed to keep her safe.
What happened once she left his care wasn’t his problem.