Chapter 14
Amy walked away from the barn hoping that the gardener who was working on the shrubs around the barn hadn’t heard any of their conversation. It was embarrassing enough that Paige had slammed the door in her face, but she’d practically begged to be let in. Heading back across the yard, she saw Scott and Cooper heading across the yard toward her.
“What are you doing Amy? Since when is it good manners to go tramping through someone’s yard after you’d been told not to.” Cooper asked, barley masking the anger in his voice. He’d had enough of Amy’s snooping.
“I just wanted to look around, it’s so beautiful up here.” She said, trying to sound innocent. Then thinking this might be her last chance with Cooper, she stepped up next to him and rubbed her breasts on his arm, purring, “I’d really like to see the cave and the burial ground.”
Cooper stepped back from her as if she’d burned him, then shook his arm as if trying to rid himself of her touch. “That’s not going to happen. In fact, I think it’s time for you to go; I’ve had enough of you poking your nose into my business.” He said, nodding to Scott who took her arm and propelled her across the yard.
“This is Charles.” Cooper said, motioning to a security guard sitting in a golf cart. “He’s going to take you back to your car and see that you make it safely off the property. If you want to see Brandon contact my lawyer, otherwise stay out of the park, and don’t think you’re going to get in again by having sex with the guard.” Cooper said, shooting Charles a look, then nodded his head.
Cooper stood on the lawn watching the golf cart disappear through the trees. From everything he’d learned in the last few minutes, it was clear that Amy was here looking for information about what they’d found in the cave. Marissa had been right that she was working with someone else, but he couldn’t figure out who that could be. This was so different from her usual method of enriching her bank account, he wasn’t sure what to think.
Amy got in her car horrified that she’d just been escorted by security to her car and would now have to endure the embarrassment of an escort down the road. Her anger rising as she was forced to follow the golf cart down the road began to grow; it was not her fault that she was in this position. She, the master of manipulation had been manipulated right out all her money. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the snake had left her to deal with his huge gambling debt.
Slamming her hand on the steering wheel as the tears began to stream down her cheeks, Max was not going to be happy that she’d failed to find the gold coins or even any mention of them. She’d tried to buy herself some time, but it looked like her time was up, and the thought of what might be waiting for her at the motel was making her physically ill.
When she pulled into the nearly empty lot at the motel, Max came out of his room and stood waiting for her to get out of her car. He motioned her to hurry up, then locked the door once they were both in the room. He stood looking at her for a long time, his eyes roving up and down her body, his tongue darting out to lick his chapped lips.
“Well, do you have good news for me?” He asked, advancing toward her. “I almost hope you say no; I’m thinking I’d rather have a piece of you than a million dollars in gold coins.”
Amy shuttered, debating whether she should lie to him. “Well.” He shouted, closing the distance between them.
“I...uhhh...it didn’t go as well as I hoped.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Max got right up in her face and asked, “Have you been yanking my chain this whole time, because if you have I’m going to make you pay.” Then he reached up and grabbed a hand full of her hair and gave it a yank.
“No, I know it’s there. They have all that security; it makes no sense otherwise. Even if they don’t have gold, there’s got to be some valuable stuff from the cave. They were very secretive about it.” She said, hopefully.
Max gave her hair another little tug, then reached up and put his hand down her shirt and grabbed one of her breasts, “And what am I supposed to do with that crap? Sell it on the black market? That’s just not my style.” He asked, his fingers pinching her nipple. “I’m beginning to think there’s a good chance you’re going to be paying your debt on your back sweetheart.”
When his hand came up between her legs she jumped away from him and he let her go, rubbing his erection through his baggy shorts. “It’s there, I know it. Just give me one more chance.” She begged, trying not to gag at the sight of him.
“Fine, I’ll give you one more chance, but what’s your plan?” He said, actually pulling his erect penis out of his shorts and rubbing it with his hand.
Panicked, Amy blurted out, “Paige has a son; if we get our hands on him, I’m sure they’ll tell us where the gold is.” She said, looking at the ceiling.
Max chucked, then said, “I didn’t know you had it in you, but I think that’s an excellent idea. We’ll go up there together tomorrow. Now unless you’d like to join me, I’m going to watch a little porn and jack off thinking about fucking you.”
Amy scrambled to the door and was out of the room before he could turn on the television. She locked herself in her room and leaned against the door afraid she’d started something bigger than she could handle. But knowing what the alternative was, she squared her shoulders and got ready for bed, checking to make sure the door was locked once more before she got in bed.
The next morning, she opened her door to find the skies heavy with dark ominous looking clouds, and Max leaning up against her car. He had a bag of greasy food in his hand and two cups of coffee, “Let’s go. We need to get up there and come up with a plan, unless you’ve got something in mind.”
Amy didn’t say a word, simply got in the car and started it, repulsed by everything about Max, including the food in the bag he set up on the dashboard leaving, a greasy streak when he slid it across the leather. She took a deep breath trying to control her temper, but was immediately sorry, Max smelled like he hadn’t showered in days.
After several stops including one to the hardware store where Max came out with a shovel and some rope, making Amy shudder to think what he had planned for them, they headed for the park. It took far longer than she’d have liked to get to the park, Max cursing her when he discovered that she couldn’t even get onto the property.
But finally he came up with a plan, involving some fancy driving on a road he managed to find, and Amy getting one of the golf carts. Using an app on his phone, Max broke into Paige’s phone and sent a text message telling Clarissa that Amy was going to pick up the boys early from school because of the weather, which was looking worse and worse. Then using a different app, he sent one that looked like it came from Cooper’s phone with the same message.
When Amy showed up at the school in a golf cart she managed to steal from the shed behind Marissa’s house, Clarissa turned the boys over to her. As she watched them get into the golf cart and drive away, she had a terrible moment of clarity and immediately picked up her phone and called Paige.
Paige knew nothing about sending her a text message and was immediately in a panic, “Clarissa, we banned Amy from the park yesterday. This can’t be good. Did you see which way she went?”
“They were headed toward the new cabins on the hill behind the old mine. That’s what made me think something was wrong. They were going the wrong way. Oh Paige, I’m so sorry.” She said, suddenly as panicked as Paige.
“I have to call Cooper. You call Scott, whatever is happening we need his help.” Paige said, hanging up with getting an answer from Clarissa.
She tapped her phone to call Cooper, but it dinged signaling an email had arrived, she almost ignored it but opened it instead. Her breath coming in short gasps, she read the message which demanded that she give up the location of the gold coins or the boys would suffer. Sinking into a kitchen chair, she barely noticed the thunder rumbling in the distance or Calvin walking in the door.
He took one look at her and rushed to her side, “What’s wrong?” He asked, pulling her to her feet making her drop her phone. She stared at the phone in horror, so he picked it up and read the message. “Shit. Does Cooper know? Has anyone seen them?”
Paige managed to get her brain functioning again and quickly filled him in. “So they’re probably still on the property.” He said, when she’d finished. “I know where that cabin is. I’m going after them; call Cooper, tell him where I’ve gone. Then call Donovan.” He said, heading out the door.
“Wait.” She said, pulling on his arm. “I’m going with you, that’s my son up there.” Then she crossed to the gun cabinet and inserted the key she carried on a chain around her neck. Cooper had teased her about it, but she’d insisted.
She pulled out a hand gun, then a shotgun and looked at Calvin, handing him one of each when he shook his head in affirmation. After she’d retrieved the shells and bullets they’d need, she loaded her gun with a precision that amazed Calvin. If Paige hadn’t belonged to his brother already, he would have fallen in love with her in that moment.
Paige tucked the handgun into her jeans and picked up the shotgun, “Let’s go.”
Instead of getting out a golf cart, she motioned to the four wheelers parked on the other side of the garage. Without a word, they got on and were headed for the old mine in minutes. The weather had turned worse, lightening flashing above their heads and thunder crashing as they navigated the trail. The smell of rain was heavy in the air and Paige prayed that it would hold off until they got to the boys.
“They can’t be far ahead of us, let’s cut across the burial ground. I think the ancestors will forgive us this once.” Calvin yelled over the sound of the wind in the trees.
Paige just nodded her head vigorously and followed his lead; they hadn’t gone more than a mile when the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down. Hardly able to see, Paige followed Calvin, praying that Scott and Cooper were on their way. She hadn’t been able to reach Cooper, but had gotten through to Donovan who was immediately in action. Someone would find them and come to help.
When they reached the trail the led to the old mine, Calvin suddenly braked and pulled into the trees. Paige quickly figured out why, the trail was a river of mud, she hadn’t noticed because the four wheelers where equipped for the conditions. But the golf cart Amy had been driving was not, and it was stuck in the mud not more than 500 yards up the trail.
Amy and a man were standing in the rain yelling at each other, while Brandon and Justin were sitting in the back of the golf cart holding on to one another. Hoping they could sneak up on the cart, Paige shrugged out of her jacket, not even feeling the rain soaking her T-shirt. With the rain, they’d have to keep their weapons as dry as possible so she kept the hand gun in the back of her pants. The shot guns could handle the rain better, but they were too bulky to carry.
Following Calvin, they made a big loop around the golf cart until they were only a few steps away from the boys. The rain was so loud that Paige had to practically scream to get their attention, but when she had it, the boys quickly slid down and crept over to her. The man who had been arguing with Amy turned just as the boys disappeared into the trees, he pulled a gun out of his pants and fired wildly into the woods.
Calvin pushed Paige and the boys away from him, “Run.” He yelled over the storm. “I’ll cover you.”
Paige kissed him on the cheek and grabbed the boys and began to run down the hill. When they passed the four wheelers she thought about trying to get them all on one, but looked at the rushing mud and changed her mind keeping to the tail. As they ran and slid down the hill, Paige heard gun shots and was tempted to turn back, but with a small hand in each of hers, she couldn’t do it.
When they got to the bottom of the hill, the boys practically fell to the ground exhausted, and she knew that they couldn’t go on, but then she spotted a shack tucked into the trees. It was practically falling down, but when she opened the door it was dry inside which was good enough for her. She shoved the boys inside and told them to stay put, then headed back up the hill to help Calvin. It was probably a stupid idea, but she had so much adrenaline pumping through her blood stream that she didn’t stop to think.
When she got to the top of the hill, she saw the man pointing his gun into the forest and firing into the trees. She could barely see Calvin hiding behind a large tree, stuck where he was because of a cliff. Getting as close as she dared, she planted her feet and yelled to get the man’s attention, but when that didn’t work, she fired a shot into the air. Mentally marking the shot off in her mind, knowing that she had five shots left, she waved her arms and took off down the road.
Calvin heard the shots and poked his head out from behind the tree just as the man who’d been shooting at him fired off one more shot. He felt a stinging in his shoulder like he’d been stung by a bee, but then his shoulder began to throb and he put his hand up, surprised when it came back covered in blood even as the rain poured down. Stumbling behind the tree, he heard Paige fire off another shot, then she took off down the road.
The man so angered by her bravery took off after her, slipping and sliding as he went. Calvin already feeling the loss of blood, stumbled forgetting about the five-foot drop and tumbled down into darkness, landing with a thud. The pain in his shoulder blazed into an inferno and his vision began to darken until the world went black. When the rain on his face brought him abruptly back to consciousness, he was disoriented, but struggled to his feet and began to run through the forest.
Paige ran past the four wheelers then down the hill, no idea what she’d do when she got to the bottom, but then she slipped and went down in the mud. The man was quickly gaining on her and she couldn’t seem to get her footing, then suddenly he was standing above her, his gun pointed directly at her head. He seemed to feel the need to gloat because he stood above her a superior look on his face.
“You should have just told me where the gold is.” He shouted to be heard over the storm.
Just then Amy came sliding down the hill shouting, “Max don’t shoot her. You never said we were going to kill people.”
Keeping his gun trained on Paige, he turned to Amy and shoved her, then laughed when she fell down into the mud. “Stay out of this bitch. I’m done playing these games, I want that treasure no matter what it takes. If I kill her they’ll know I’m serious. Now get up and go find those kids, they can’t be far.”
Paige had her gun in her hand but it was trapped under her body, the man couldn’t see it, so shifting her weight slightly she waited for her opportunity. “I wouldn’t bother Amy, by now the boys are far away, they know this land and you don’t.” Paige said to Amy, then turned to Max. “I’m not going to tell you anything about the treasure, its safe where you’ll never find it. Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”
“It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.” He said, lifting his arm to fire, but a shout from farther down the road distracted him just long enough for Paige to pull her arm free and aim for his chest.
She didn’t hesitate, but pulled the trigger as her hand came up. Shocked, the man looked at his chest and sank to the ground. Paige quickly found her footing and kicked the gun away from the man’s hand, then pointed the gun at his head waiting for some sign he was still alive. But when he remained still, she reached down and felt for a pulse, finding nothing she sank to her knees and crawled away from the body.
Cooper watched horrified as Paige came flying down the road, slipping and sliding in the mud. Not far behind her there was a man with a gun firing wild shots in her direction. As he watched Paige slipped and seemed unable to get her footing. The man was upon her instantly, he almost closed his eyes expecting a gun shot, but Paige had managed to get the man talking. When Amy came sliding down the hill, it gave him just enough time to get close enough to be heard.
Desperate to get the man’s attention off Paige he shouted, then watched as Paige pulled the gun out from under her and shot the man square in the chest. Then he watched as she jumped to her feet and disarmed him, only stopping to check for a pulse when she was sure he was no longer a threat. When she collapsed on the ground, he was by her side scooping her up in his arms almost instantly.
“Paige.” He said, getting her attention over the noise of the storm, “Where are the boys.”
Paige raised a shaky hand and pointed to the shack, Scott seeing her gesture rushed over to the shed and threw the door open. The boys came shooting out and into his arms, relieved to see a familiar face. Cooper relived to see that the boys were okay, began running his hands over Paige.
“Are you hurt?” He asked, finally meeting her eyes through the rain pouring over their heads.
“I’m okay, but I don’t know where Calvin is. He may be hurt.” She said, her eyes widening at the sight of six four wheeler’s charging up the road.
“We’ll find him. He’s a tough guy, I’m sure he’s fine. Let’s get you and the boys back to Marissa’s.” He said, helping her to her feet, then taking the boys from Scott. “Go look for Calvin, the danger is over, but he may be hurt.”
The sun was just rising when the sheriff finally left with Amy in the back of his car in handcuffs. Paige was wrapped up in a blanket on the couch in Marissa’s sun room still feeling the shock of what had happened the night before. Cooper sat down next to her and handed her a cup of tea. She took a sip and set it down on the table.
“Amy is going to be charged with kidnapping, but the charges will probably be reduced so she won’t do any jail time. I guess she got mixed up with the wrong people, some man took all her money and left her with his gambling debts.” Cooper said.
“So she thought she’d get the money by stealing the treasure, no one even knew if the treasure was real or not. That’s just crazy, Cooper. What’s wrong with people?”
“Money will make people do crazy things. If she’d just asked me I would have given it to her.” Cooper said, putting his arm around Paige.
“Any news about Calvin?” She asked, looking into his eyes, knowing they’d tell her what she needed to know.
“They found his trail and followed it to one of the old farmhouses, he’s hurt but not badly. They’re going to take him to the hospital in town.”
Paige immediately tried to get to her feet but Cooper pulled her back down onto the couch. “We really should go see him.” She said, trying to get up again.
“Nope you’re staying right where you are, you had a rough night last night, I’m afraid it hasn’t caught up with you.” Cooper said, pulling her a little closer.
“Are you sure?” She asked, not at all sure she shouldn’t go see Calvin, without him who knows what might have happened.
“I’m sure, Calvin is going to be just fine. My brother Carter is going to meet them at the hospital, he’s a doctor he’ll take care of him. It’s my job to take care of you. Besides, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while, but I can’t seem to find the right time.” Cooper said, digging around in his pocket for something.
Paige looked at Cooper her heart hammering in her chest remembering the night on the porch when he’d told her that he loved her. When he opened his hand to reveal a velvet box, her heart stopped beating for a second, then started back up beating even faster than before.
“I love you Paige and for a minute there tonight I thought I was going to lose you. It made me realize that I’m never going to let you out of my sight again. Right time or not, I’m asking you to marry me Paige, spend the rest of your life with me. I want you with me forever, I want to grow old with you, watch our grandchildren play in the stream by the house.” He said, opening the box and sliding the ring onto her finger.
“I love you Cooper and nothing would make me happier than being your wife.” She said, reaching up and pulling his mouth to hers in a kiss that held all the love she felt for him.
“I never dreamed that I’d find a treasure when I moved here, but I found you Paige, you’re the treasure of my life.” He said, then picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom they always used.
As he settled down next to her, slowly peeling away the layers of clothes Marissa had insisted that she put on when she’d arrived soaked to the skin, Cooper kissed each bit of exposed skin making Paige squirm, “Oh, Cooper treasure comes in so many forms, but you’re by far the most valuable I’ll ever find.” She managed to say before she was unable to form words any longer.
The end.
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