Twelve

WHEN FATE DECIDED TO

DUMP ON YOU, SHE DID IT WITH STYLE

A HUGE CHASM SPREAD OUT in front of us, deep in the bowels of a rocky cliff. It was located on the border of Craig’s and Boris and Natasha’s property. My mind couldn’t wrap around the size of it. An oily stench of rotten dirt and rancid water permeated the air, choking me. The walls were smooth, eroded over time by water, yet they sparkled in the dim light of the torch Alice carried. Gold, silver, and other minerals winked back at me like stars in a night sky, peeking out between the solid rocks like veins in an arm.

We’d traveled deep into the ground, winding through narrow passages until I was turned around, but I was sure we had crossed the Winkles’ property line. The gold had to belong to Boris and Natasha, like Alice had said. But even so, I was confused how Jennifer and Alice thought they would extract the precious metal from the walls without anyone noticing. It would take dynamite to bring the walls down, releasing the treasure from its eternal resting place.

Poppy and Cali let go of Jennifer’s arms, then bent at the waist to catch their breath. I turned to Alice as my heart thundered in my chest. Now that we were hidden away, she could dispose of us easily.

“Grab those shovels and start diggin’,” Alice barked out. “I don’t want her stinkin’ up the joint.”

Her lack of anguish over her friend’s death was disgusting. To Alice, Jennifer was only a partner in crime. One less person she had to share the bounty with.

I looked at the shovels. If we dug slowly, it would buy us time for the guys to find us. My stomach dropped at the thought. How would they find us? It took a geological survey to find the cave in the first place. I looked at the girls. It was up to us to save ourselves. When their eyes landed on mine, I mouthed, “Tybee,” then my eyes darted to Alice, reminding them that Poppy and I had taken out Gayla Brown with a heavy piece of driftwood.

They both gave me a sharp nod. My friends were nuts, not stupid. They’d figured out, like I had, that help would have a hard time finding us in the belly of the earth, and that if we wanted to live, we had to take matters into our own hands.

They moved to the two shovels, leaning against the rock wall, and picked them up. I took one of them from Cali. She was exhausted from dragging Jennifer inside, so I’d take the first shift digging.

I searched the floor looking for a large area where we could dig. Water had found its way into the caves from underground springs, or flowed in during rainstorms. After last night’s rain, water had puddled near a narrow fissure in the rock. The ground surrounding the opening was dark and muddy. It would make digging easy and quick. I turned my head and found a patch of dry earth that looked to be mixed with rocks. That area would take much longer to dig a hole deep enough to bury a body. Or four. I had no doubt when the hole was done; she would pull the trigger.

Pulling the shovel behind me, I walked over to the dry patch of dirt and drove in the edge of the shovel. It tore through the earth easier than expected.

Dammit.

I pretended to struggle so Alice would think the digging would take a while. We needed time. There would be no do-overs if we screwed up.

Poppy moved to my side and began digging next to me. I muttered, “Slowly,” under my breath, and she nodded that she heard.

“Alice?” Cali said. I stopped digging to look at her. “You do know that the only way to get that gold out of the rock is to blast it, don’t you?” Alice’s face shifted slightly in confusion, and she looked at the wall. “I saw the pickax when we first came in. Have you dislodged any of it?”

Alice stood up and touched the wall, running her hand along the surface, and I cursed. This was the opportunity that we were waiting for, and Poppy and I were too far away to hit her over the head with a shovel before she turned.

“Do I set it against the wall and light it?” she asked.

Cali looked at us and rolled her eyes. “I think you drill holes in the rock and insert the dynamite inside.”

Alice swung around. “How do you know this?”

“I read a romance novel once where the hero was a gold hunter.”

“What else did you learn?”

“The gold is threaded through the rock. You have to crush it to extract the metals,” I hollered.

The wheels turned behind her eyes, then she began to laugh. “Black was right. We do need to buy the Winkles’ land. There’s no way I can get the gold without them hearing.”

It hit me out of the blue. Clint would have known that the only way to get the gold out was to blast it because of his job. No wonder he didn’t tell her what he was doing. I had no doubt he planned to buy Boris and Natasha’s land if he was successful and claim the gold for himself.

Alice began to pace, so I kept my eyes on her as I pretended to dig.

“What do you think she’ll do now?” Poppy whispered, keeping her own eyes on Alice.

“I don’t know. I think it’s clear the jig is up. Two people are dead, and now she knows she can’t get the gold out without Boris and Natasha knowin’.”

Alice exploded in a hard, loud, “Son of a bitch!” causing me to jump. Poppy and I turned and froze, holding our breath.

Alice banged the gun against her head twice, and I flinched. I stared at her, speechless, as she took a long, shuddering breath and sobbed, understanding that she was finished. Panic grew across her features, and I held my breath. She was about to do something, and I was afraid to find out what.

Alice took a few deep breaths and then looked at us. Time stood still as we waited to learn our fate. We didn’t have to wait long. She raised her gun and began to back out of the chasm.

“Sorry, ladies. I can’t have witnesses.”

I expected her to start firing at us; instead, she ran through the only opening in the cave and slammed a door made out a sheet metal shut. We moved at the same time, running at the door, slamming into it with our weight. It held with a groan. A loud sliding noise, like metal on metal, echoed on the other side. We pounded, shouting at Alice, but she didn’t answer. The sound of pounding feet bounced off the walls until they disappeared, shrouding us in silence.

We turned and looked at the cavernous chamber. The light from Alice’s torch, shoved into a holder on the wall, flickered and dimmed a bit. Once the fuel burned off, we’d be cloaked in darkness. And with the exception of the fissure where the water escaped, there was no exit. We were caged like a fox in a hole.

When fate decided to dump on you, she did it with style. Twenty-five years I’d waited to be happy. Cali had waited twenty-seven years after losing her parents as a child. And Poppy. If any of the Wallflowers deserved to be happy, it was her, and now we were trapped deep beneath the earth with no escape. We had air, a little water on the floor, and no food. We could last for a week or more while Bo, Devin, and Nate searched for us, but I felt like our luck was running out.

Well, at least the air was cool. We’d be comfortable while we starved to death.

“Try your phones,” I said in a panic. “Maybe we can get a call out.”

“Down here?” Poppy replied, pulling out her phone. “It would take a miracle and a cell tower the size of Georgia.”

Cali already had her phone to her ear. She turned concerned eyes toward us and shook her head.

“We’re done for,” Poppy said a little hysterically. “There is no way they will find the openin’. Not if she puts that dead bush back in place. I couldn’t see the openin’ in all the undergrowth until she pointed it out.”

Her lungs contracted and filled in great gasps, and she began to pace.

“Poppy? Are you claustrophobic?” I asked.

“No. I’m deathrophobic.”

“We’re not gonna die,” Cali said patiently. “Devin won’t allow it.” To back up her assertion, she moved to a large boulder and sat down. “We might as well get comfortable while we wait.”

“You’re that sure he will find us?” Poppy questioned.

“They will,” I stated with authority. Like Cali, I felt it deep in my bones. Bo wouldn’t stop until he found us. Wouldn’t sleep until he had me back in his arms.

Poppy looked between the two of us, then walked to her purse and picked it up. She sat next to Cali on the boulder, then opened her purse and pulled out a book. “We might as well read while we wait,” she said, then flipped the book over so I could see it. Linda Howard’s To Die For sat in her hands, the edges singed from the fire. She grinned. “I wanted to research. See if Bo followed Wyatt’s train of thought. It must be a good sign that it made it through the fire.”

I sat next to her and pulled the book from her hands, smiling.

“I have a rule,” I began, quoting Blair Mallory from one of my favorite Linda Howard books. “Walk out, crawl back. If a man does the first, then he has to do the second to get back on good terms with me.”

“Bo didn’t crawl. He came ridin’ in on a stallion,” Poppy chuckled.

The image of Bo galloping toward me on Goliath flashed through my memory. He would come for me. I knew it. Bo didn’t back down. He didn’t stop until he’d gotten what he wanted, and he wanted me. Wanted us. No, he wouldn’t stop until he found us, and my heart rate began to slow with the knowledge.

Opening the book, I started to read chapter one. I paused when the torch flickered. Its light began to dim rapidly, then it hissed and went out. Darkness veiled us, and I grabbed Poppy’s hand. We moved closer together, then I turned my phone on to cast light in the chasm. “They’ll come,” I whispered.

Cali looked at us both and repeated my sentiment. “They’ll come.”

 

 

Bo waited as Nate rode up the rise. He’d gone down to check the old barn at the back of Craig’s property. By the look on his face, he’d found something.

“Poppy’s car’s hidden inside under a tarp,” he bit out. “No sign of the girls.”

“Did you see Craig while you were lookin’?”

He shook his head. “I crept up on the house and looked inside. No sign of him. Goat’s gone, too.”

Devin swung into his saddle and scanned the property. “We need to find them. If he’s spooked, then whoever has them is as well.”

Fear crept in for a moment, then Bo shook it off like water. Fear clouded his judgment, made him weak. He needed to be sharp if he was gonna find the Wallflowers. Find his sun.

“Head across the property to the east side,” he ordered Nate. “Devin, search the south side, and I’ll search the west.”

“They’re still here,” Devin growled. “I can feel it.”

Bo nodded. He felt it, too. They were waiting to be found. “Keep in touch,” Bo bit out, turning Goliath west, and took off.

Hours passed with no leads, and the fear Bo had been tamping down began to rise again with a vengeance. The sun was setting on the horizon, making it hard to see. Night was coming, and the thought of Sienna and the Wallflowers trapped someplace in the gloom of the darkness sat heavily in his gut. They needed flashlights to keep searching, or they’d never find them. Bo pulled out his phone and called Moore.

The sheriff answered on the third ring. “Did you get Hawthorne’s message?” Bo growled.

“No, what’s up?”

“The girls have disappeared. They came to Craig’s property to check on the man, and now their car’s parked in his garage covered by a tarp. He ran after we visited him. I need volunteers to search the property and plenty of light.”

“The old man is at the heart of this?” Moore questioned.

“Yeah. Now send me what I need.”

There was dead air on the line, then Moore sighed heavily. “I’ve got a six-car pileup, and people are trapped. I need the light to cut them out.”

Bo’s eyes closed, and he gritted his teeth to keep from roaring in frustration. “Send them when you can,” he bit out, then hung up and swiped ‘Call Bernice.’ He didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice. He needed light, and he needed people.

Bernice answered on the second ring. “We expected you back by now. What are you up to?”

“We’ve got trouble,” Bo started. “The girls are missin’.”

A long pause. “What do you mean, missin’?”

“Craig’s involved in what’s goin’ on over at the Winkles’ property. The girls must have figured it out. Now they’re missin’, and their car’s hidden in his barn.”

Bernice only hesitated a moment to take in all he’d said. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes,” she rushed out. “What do you need?”

“Lights. As many as you can find and the people to use them. My gut tells me they’re still here somewhere. We need to find them quickly, and we can’t do that without volunteers.”

“I’ll get right on it,” she mumbled, then, in a soft whisper, said, “Find my girl. Find them all,” before hanging up.

Sunset bled across the sky, beckoning in the night. Bo scanned the area looking for anything that would clue him in to where Craig was hiding the Wallflowers. He didn’t know why he was certain they hadn’t left the property, other than an ache in his gut any time he considered looking elsewhere. He could feel Sienna waiting for him. Could feel her presence on the property. And until he’d searched every inch, looked under every bush, he wouldn’t leave.

Crickets began to sing as he kicked Goliath and headed up the hill. He’d searched from the road to the house. Once the lights arrived, he’d fan the volunteers out, and they’d search from the house up. Until they arrived, he’d keep searching.

He stared at the fence between the Winkles’ property and Craig’s.

How the hell does ruining the Winkles play into this?

Pulling out his phone, he dialed Devin.

He answered on the first ring. “You got them?” he asked anxiously, his deep timbre deafening in Bo’s ear.

Bo’s heart skipped a beat. A part of him had held out hope that Devin had the girls and hadn’t called him yet.

“No. Not yet. Lights are comin’, volunteers, too. Let’s meet back at Craig’s house. I want to run this through from the top. I want to know why Craig went after the Winkles.”

“I’ve been thinkin’ about that as well. Why now after all the years they’ve been neighbors?”

“That’s what we’re gonna find out. I’ll call Moore back and find out if he found Black’s hotel room yet. Maybe the contents of his room can shed some light.”

“I’ll call Nate and meet you in ten,” Devin stated, then hung up.

Bo called Moore again. “Did you find them?” Moore asked after one ring.

He heard a loud screech from a siren and waited for it to fade. “Not yet. I’m comin’ at this from another angle. Did you find out where Black was stayin’?”

“My men found it. He was stayin’ out of town. They have his belongin’s, but I haven’t looked at them yet.”

“Are they on the scene with you?”

“Yeah. I’ll check and see if they have it bagged and tagged in their unit. Give me ten, and I’ll call you back.”

Bo hung up and then turned Goliath in the direction of the house. Ten minutes later, he pulled the stallion to a halt and slid off.

Devin and Nate rode up a few minutes later as Bo knelt in front of Craig’s front door picking the lock. He stood when the bolt slid into the doorframe.

“Did you reach Moore?” Devin asked.

“Yeah, he’s checkin’ with his men. They found Black’s hotel out of town. He hasn’t looked through his things yet.”

The three men scanned the living room. The furniture was old and worn, but clean. A newspaper was strewn on the arm of a recliner, and Bo stared at it. He lived in a technological world now. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d read actual print news.

“Let’s flip the place,” Devin growled.

Bo moved to the dining room table and began going through his mail. “Bills. Junk mail. Nothin’.”

He moved to the bedroom, while Devin tossed the living room. On the bedside table was a brochure for a timeshare in Aruba, and one for Chevy trucks. Bo picked up the timeshare and found a two-story condo circled on the inside flap. He glanced at the Chevy brochure and found a bright red dually cab marked with a star. Craig either expected to come into money or had come into money. Bo started to open the drawer to check the contents, when a picture frame caught his attention. He snatched up the frame and stared into the face of a woman with red hair. The same woman who’d danced with Sienna the night before.

Tossing the picture onto the bed, he pulled the drawer out and dumped the contents. Nothing of significance appeared, so he moved to the closet. He clicked on the light. The bars and shelves were practically empty. Exactly what he expected. He moved to the bathroom. Empty. No bottles of pills. No shampoo. He’d taken everything and wasn’t coming back.

He was certain, then, that dead or alive, the Wallflowers were still on this property. There was no way those three would have been taken by a fragile old man. They’d have clawed his eyes out before they would have gotten in a car with him.

Bo moved back to the living room. “Find anything?”

“Nothin’,” Devin growled.

Nate walked into the room from the kitchen holding a book and held it up. Bo read the title. “How to Prospect for Gold”

“Odd subject for an old man to study, don’t you think?” Nate asked.

“Could be an old book, somethin’ he’s had for years,” Devin replied.

“Was still in a box on his counter. Amazon order.”

“So it’s new.”

Bo looked at Devin. “Is there gold in Georgia?”

Devin nodded. “All over. My cousin took her kids pannin’ for gold.”

Lights flooded the darkness outside, and Bo turned for the door. Twenty plus cars lined the yard. Men and women of every age and size peeled out of their cars holding flashlights.

The cavalry had arrived.

Bernice and Eunice moved toward them, followed by Natasha, Troy, and Brantley.

“Have you found them?” Bernice shouted.

“Not yet. I’m waitin’ for Moore to call me back. He’s got Black’s personal possessions, so we might get lucky.”

“Where do you want us to start?”

Bo descended the steps and walked the group to the edge of Craig’s house.

“Fan out in a line until you reach the property line, then begin moving forward that way. If you find anything, call it in. We’ll join you in a few minutes,” Bo explained.

Bernice nodded and jumped into action, shouting at the volunteers to get their butts in gear.

Moving back to Devin, Bo pulled out his phone and dialed Moore again. He was tired of waiting.

Moore answered on the second ring. “I’m gettin’ the bags now,” he said without prelude. “We had a goat on the road causin’ problems.”

Bo paused. “Did you say goat?”

“Yeah.”

“Do any of the vehicles involved in the accident have an old man in them? About seventy, with a balding head?”

“Yeah. DOA. We haven’t pulled him out of the wreck, yet. The driver’s on a helicopter headed to the hospital, but it doesn’t look good for her.”

Bo’s heart raced. “Did you recognize her?”

He expected Moore to say she had red hair, but he described a woman who sounded like the one who’d danced with Calla.

“The old man is Craig. The driver, a friend of his granddaughter, if the pictures in his house are correct. I’ll send Nate to the hospital. If she’s coherent, he’ll get her to talk.”

Nate moved to Bo’s side. “Head to the hospital. The woman who danced with Calla last night was with Craig. He’s dead. She’s been life-flighted there.”

Nate peeled off their group and headed to Bernice. She gave him her keys, and then he was gone.

“I need you to look for anything that might pinpoint a location on Craig’s property,” Bo barked into the phone, returning his attention back to Moore.

“On it,” Moore answered. “Breakin’ the seal now.”

Bo waited. The sound of plastic and paper being shuffled sounded down the line. “I’ve got his clothes, toiletries, and a satellite image.”

Bo narrowed his eyes. “Did he mark the image?”

“Yeah. There’s a circle.”

“Can you take a picture of it and text it to me?”

“Affirmative. Sendin’ it now.”

“When you can, send one of your men with the original to me.”

“Will do. Good luck. I’ll get there as soon as I can,” Moore answered, then hung up.

Moments later, Bo’s phone vibrated. He opened the image and turned the phone until it lined up with the hillside. “That way,” Bo growled, pointing toward the direction Bernice and the volunteers were heading. Devin went into the house and came back out with two flashlights. He handed one to Bo.

“Let’s go find our women.”

 

 

“Cali?” Poppy whispered into the darkness. “Why are you so certain that Devin will find us?”

I could feel Cali smiling. “Because he said my only job was to love him, and that his job was to protect me. I’m holdin’ up my end of the bargain, and I know he will his.”

Poppy hesitated for a moment, then I heard her turn her head on the dirt floor and look at me. We had slid off the rock to lie on the floor. We didn’t know how long we’d be down here before someone found us and had decided to conserve our energy.

“Why are you so sure that Bo will find us?”

I thought about that a moment. “I suppose it’s because he never quits. Look at what he’s overcome. His mother abandoned him, leavin’ him to a father who drank himself to death, and he overcame all that to become a cop. He wears a badge every day, not carin’ he may be puttin’ his life at risk, just to keep people safe. He’s a hero, and heroes don’t quit.”

Poppy sighed into the gloom. “Okay, I feel better now.”

“When we get out, I’m gonna order a greasy hamburger and French fries from the nearest burger joint,” Cali said, yawning. “I’m starvin’.”

We’d missed lunch and dinner, and our stomachs were rumbling. Raising my phone, I pushed a button so it would illuminate the cave. It was one a.m., and my phone was at fifteen percent. Poppy and Cali’s phones were in the same condition. Pretty soon we’d have no light at all.

Time for a distraction.

I sat up and emptied my purse in front of me. I’d stopped at the liquor store in town and picked up a small bottle of green magic fairy potion, since we’d lost my other bottle in the fire. I’d meant to leave it in my room, but I’d forgotten about it in my purse. Now seemed as good a time as any to pull it out.

“Got it!” I cried out. “Anyone up for some magic potion?”

The girls sat up and stared longingly at the bottle like it was a lobster covered in butter. I unscrewed the lid, took a drink, and then passed it to Poppy. They each took a good swig, then we all lay down on the cold ground and smiled. Thank God for green happiness in a bottle.

“I think we should be makin’ noise,” Poppy said. “We heard Alice usin’ the pickax when we were outside.”

“I think she was tryin’ to draw us into the cave. I saw the pickax at the opening of the cave, not down here. I doubt they can hear us,” Cali said in defeat.

I turned and looked in the direction of the fissure. Could sound get out that way?

“There’s a fissure over there that may let out sound.”

“Should we try?” Poppy asked.

“We should save our energy and try in the mornin’. They’re probably restin’ right now, waitin’ for the sun to rise.”

“Then let’s get some sleep so we have enough energy to scream our lungs out,” Cali yawned, so I doused my light.

We scooted together for warmth, chests to backs, and I grabbed Poppy’s hand for comfort. Resting my head on my free arm, I closed my eyes and thought about Bo.

Was he sleeping?

Was he outside the cave right now trying to find a way inside?

Was he searching somewhere else?

Sleep claimed me quickly, thanks to the green magic fairy potion. The sound of water dripping into the puddle followed me under. Its plopping lulled me until nothing but the trickle permeated my awareness. Somewhere between consciousness and dreams, I felt warm arms wrap around me and breath, hot and sensual, hit my shoulder. Lips I’d recognize anywhere ran up my neck, nipping one spot then another, and then a warm, whispered voice rumbled in my ear, “Wake up, baby.”

I turned and burrowed into Bo’s body.

“Are you coming for us?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep.

“We’re comin’. Just hold on.”

“We’re hidden,” I said, kissing his chest.

“It won’t matter. I won’t stop until I’ve turned the farm inside out. I’ll find you.”

“Look for the gold.”

“Where?”

“Behind the bush.”

 

 

Bo jerked awake. It was five a.m., and he and the volunteers had headed back to Craig’s house to regroup and get some coffee. He’d dozed off for a minute, a cup of coffee perched in his hand, after little sleep the past week and a half. He was waiting for the sun to rise so they could search again.

He scowled at the yard, trying to remember what he’d been dreaming. Closing his eyes, he heard Sienna’s voice, and it curled around him like warm honey. His life had been gray until she walked into it. Her light had pulled him out of a half-life. Chased away the clouds. Now his past didn’t matter, because she’d erased all the pain. She was his once in a lifetime reward, and he wouldn’t stop looking until he was holding her in his arms again.

“Sun’s startin’ to rise,” Devin mumbled in the chair next to him.

Bo raised his hand and rubbed at his face. “Has Nate called in?”

“Yeah. Woman’s name was Alice. She died on the table. He’s on his way back now, and Moore’s headed to her house. With any luck, he’ll find a map that says ‘X marks the spot.’”

Bo’s head tipped back, and he closed his eyes. They couldn’t catch a fucking break. “Are we huntin’ in the wrong place?” Bo asked his friend, unsure. Panic was starting to cloud his judgment. “Did they get the girls off the farm, and we’re just spinnin’ our wheels here?”

Devin shook his head. “My gut says they’re here. I can feel that Calla’s close by.”

Bo pulled out his phone, found the picture Moore had sent, and looked at the satellite image again. “What did Black find?” he asked, staring at a dark space in the image.

“We’ve searched that area. There’s nothin’ but hills and rocky cliffs. Whatever’s on that image may have brought him here, but it doesn’t mean that’s where they’ve hidden the girls.”

“It’s the key to findin’ them,” Bo said. “I can feel it.”

Nate pulled in front of the house and climbed out of Bernice’s Jeep. His long strides ate up the ground in front of him. Stopping in front of Devin, he opened his hand and dropped a key on the table sitting between the two men. “That was in Alice’s pocket. I Googled the serial number. It belongs to an old lock they stopped makin’ in nineteen seventy-four. Whatever she was doin’ before she fled, she locked it up.”

“We’ve checked all the outbuildin’s,” Devin sighed.

“We’re not lookin’ for a buildin’,” Bo stated, looking at the map. “We’re lookin’ for somethin’ in the ground. Somethin’ only a geologist would see.” Bo’s eyes snapped to Nate. “Gold.”

Devin jumped up and went inside the house. A minute later, he exited carrying the book Craig had ordered from Amazon. Flipping through the book, he stopped and scanned the pages. Granite, quartz, iron ore, to name a few, were normally found with gold. He turned the book and showed Bo and Nate a picture of the rocks.

“If Black stumbled across gold while surveyin’ the Winkles’ property, that would explain burnin’ down their house,” Bo said. “If they were ruined, they’d have to sell to the highest bidder.”

“So how does Craig play into it?” Nate asked.

Bo looked at the book, then back at the image. “The gray area Black circled, it’s primarily on the Winkles’ side. But the property line is here,” he pointed, “putting a small amount on this side of the land. Craig must have known.”

“So we’re lookin’ for what?” Nate asked. “A hole in the ground?”

“No,” Devin said, looking at the book. “A cave.”

Bo turned as Devin flipped the book around. On the page was a black and white photo of miners standing at the opening of a cave. The picture looked to be at least a hundred years old. “Look for the gold,” he mumbled, remembering his dream. “Find Natasha. She’ll know what outcroppin’s are on both sides.”

“She’s at the hospital,” Bernice called out, standing in the doorway. “She didn’t want Boris to be alone. I told her I’d call her when we found the girls.”

“Call her. Ask her to come back,” Devin barked out.

“Do you know where they are?” Bernice asked, her voice trembling.

Devin moved to Calla’s aunt and wrapped her in a hug. “I’ll find her,” he vowed low. “I promise.”

“I know you will,” Bernice answered, returning his hug briefly, clearing her throat as if her moment of worry was an embarrassment. “You’re an Armstrong now, and we always win.”

A slow grin pulled across Devin’s mouth, and he winked at her.

The sun rose high enough in the sky that it bounced off the window, blinding Bo with its reflection. He turned and watched as the horizon blazed bright orange, then melded into a golden hue the color of Sienna’s hair.

“We need to move,” Bo barked. “Send Natasha to find us when she gets here.”

Nate took the steps two at a time, and Devin followed. They ate up the ground as they headed for the rise, then turned toward the fence line. “We fan out and keep movin’ until we find them,” Bo ordered.

“If we’re right about the gold,” Nate murmured, “that means the old man and his accomplices killed for it.”

“Troy said Craig was as mean as they come. That ramshackle house, this barren land, he must have looked across the fence at what the Winkles had built and choked on it daily. If the gray spot on the map is what we think it is, that means the Winkles own the gold. That must have sat like bad beer in his gut,” Bo grumbled.

“Considerin’ my woman’s missin’, I don’t give a fuck,” Devin growled.

Bo nodded. He completely agreed.

They worked their way slowly, stomping on any surface that looked like it could hide a cave opening. After an hour of playing whack-a-mole, Natasha showed up and began pointing up the hill. They moved to her and helped her climb the rocky surface. It took them ten minutes to reach the outcropping. It was covered by grass, barely visible from Craig’s side of the property.

Bo climbed the side of the grassy hill, looking for an opening. He made it halfway up when he stopped and listened.

“Do you hear that?” he shouted.

Devin and Nate followed him up the side, stopping next to him, neither talking as they listened to the wind whipping around them. Then they heard it.

“Are they singing?” Nate asked, looking at Devin.

A slow smile crept across his mouth. “The 99 Bottles of Beer song?” Devin asked Bo.

“Yeah. They’re at thirty-three,” Bo laughed, as the tension he’d been carrying for the past day melted away.

“They’re alive?” Natasha asked.

“They are right now,” Devin grumbled, jumping from the mound. “I can’t guarantee it once we find them. I may wring her scrawny neck for puttin’ me through this twice in one week.”

Bo slapped Nate on the shoulder and followed Devin down. They began searching the mound for the entrance. It took them five minutes to find the fake bush, and another five to find the sheet metal covering the opening. The girls couldn’t hear them over their singing. Bo smiled as he took the key from Nate.

When they slid the bolt free and swung the door open, the singing stopped abruptly. Devin rushed through the opening first, flashing his light in the huge cavern until he found the three Wallflowers. They caught Poppy with a green bottle halfway to her lips, frozen as she shielded her eyes from the light. Cali gasped, “Devin?” as she stumbled to her feet, then she shouted, with as much indignation as she could. “What the hell took you so long?” then covered her mouth with a grimace.

 

 

Tears began to well when Bo stepped through the opening. My muddled brain, thanks to the green magic fairy potion, wasn’t firing on all cylinders, so I stood there and stared at him like he was an apparition.

He looked exhausted. His hair was sticking out in every direction, but he still looked sexy as hell.

He began moving toward me, and I unstuck from my position on the boulder. Then I began running. I launched myself into his arms a foot away. He caught me, buried his face in my neck, and squeezed the life out of me.

“You found us,” I sighed into his ear.

Bo squeezed me tighter, then, in a low, growling voice, vowed, “If you ever put me through this again, I’m lockin’ you up and throwin’ away the—”

“I won’t,” I interrupted. “From now on, we’re listenin’ to you. We promise. No more takin’ risks. Only books and more books.”

His body relaxed against me, then he pulled back and cupped my face, kissing my forehead, mumbling, “Thank Christ,” against my skin.

I clutched at him, drinking in his warmth to ward off the cold that had settled deep into my bones.

A low rumble from Nate, its tone accusatory, broke the air, and I pulled back from Bo. “We’re up all night, worried you’re lyin’ in a ditch somewhere, and you’re gettin’ drunk?”

Poppy was reaching for the bottle of Absinthe when I looked in their direction. She snatched it from his hand and put the cap back on. “No reason we can’t die happy,” she bit out, then turned and picked up her purse, shoving the bottle inside.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Bo said, wrapping his arm tightly around my shoulders.

“Shine your flashlight over there so I can find my purse.”

Bo raised his light, and the minerals buried deep within the rock sparkled brightly like diamonds. “Jesus,” Bo whispered, moving the light slowly across the wall. “Boris and Natasha are sittin’,”—he smiled—“on a gold mine.”

Red hair caught my attention in the low light, and I closed my eyes. In the darkness, we’d forgotten about Jennifer.

“You need to call the sheriff,” I called out, nodding toward Jennifer’s body.

Bo swung the light until it illuminated her body. “Is that the granddaughter?”

I nodded.

“How’d she die?”

I looked back at the girls. “We were strugglin’ for her gun, and it went off. Are we in trouble?”

“No,” Devin barked out. “You were defendin’ yourselves. Justifiable if the gun proves to have any of your fingerprints on it.”

“It won’t,” Poppy called out. “Sienna tossed the gun by the barrel but never touched the trigger. Alice took it with her when she left.”

Nate shone his light on her as she spoke, and he froze. In the low light it was hard to see, so he’d missed the rust-colored bloodstain on the front of her shirt. “Jesus, you’re injured,” he growled low, a hint of panic in his tone, as he reached for her.

Poppy pulled back and shook her head. “It’s hers,” she answered, nodding toward Red.

“Alice and Craig are dead,” Bo announced, his voice rough and angry. “They fled together and caused a pileup in their hurry. Craig died at the scene. Alice died at the hospital.”

I blinked, and sat on the boulder to steady myself. If Bo hadn’t figured out where we were, nobody would have found us.

“We might have died if you hadn’t found us,” I mumbled, near hysterics. “They were the only ones who could have told you where we were.”

Bo heard the panic in my voice and moved to me, pulling me back into his arms. “We didn’t find you. You saved yourselves, once again. You and your horrendous singin’.”

That broke through my panic and I glared back at him. “We are not horrendous singers.”

“You suck,” Nate called out.

“We so don’t,” Cali snapped.

“Babe . . . it was caterwaulin’,” Devin chuckled.

Bo grinned. “Feelin’ better?”

I shrugged. “I was until you said my singin’ sucks.”

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Devin said.

Bo smiled and wrapped his arm around me. “Come on, Pavarotti, let’s get you home.”

 

 

Hours later, after a shower that involved lots of soap and lots of hands and tongues, we were back at Bullwinkle Ranch at Natasha’s insistence. She wanted to thank us for discovering the gold mine with an old-fashioned Bullwinkle Ranch campfire and cookout.

It felt like half the town wandered the property as music blared from speakers. I wasn’t sure how she managed it, but she had a full bluegrass band and a pig rotating on a spit. Ice-cold beer flowed freely, lightening the mood of all partygoers.

We may have lost out on our chance for a real cowboy adventure due to all that had happened, but we hadn’t missed out on the ‘End of the Trail’ bonfire and cookout.

We laughed and raised our glasses, reveling in the atmosphere. Boris was recovering, the ranch was safe, Bo and I were together, and once again, the girls and I had come out of a deadly situation unscathed because the power of friendship and love could not be defeated.

What more could a Wallflower ask for?

“I’m keepin’ the gold from Boris until he gets stronger,” Natasha said above the music. “He might have another heart attack if he knows we’ve been sittin’ on a fortune all these years.”

“I’d keep it from the son, too,” Poppy mumbled under her breath.

I nodded in response. How such loving people had ended up with a son like that boggled my mind.

Bo curled his arm around my shoulder and began to draw me away from the crowd. “Where are we goin’?”

“You’ll see,” he said, pulling me into the horse barn.

Inside, Goliath was saddled, and a large pack was laid out across his back.

Troy held his reins, grinning.

“What are you up to?” I asked.

Bo flashed me a quick smile, then stuck his left foot into the stirrup and climbed on the horse’s back. I crossed my arms and looked up at him, raising a brow. Bo crooked his finger. I stepped closer. In a single fluid movement, he reached down and picked me up, sitting me across his lap just like one of the heroines in my romance novels.

My white knight in Wranglers.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist as the other reached out to take the reins, then, with a, “Let’s go,” and nudge of his boot, he urged Goliath to take off into the pasture.

I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head on his shoulder. “I thought I wasn’t allowed on anything with four legs.”

A slow grin pulled against his mouth. “As long as I’m with you, you can do whatever you want.”

Such a Neanderthal.

The sun began to set as we made it to the top of the rise. Bo pulled Goliath to a halt, and we looked back at the ranch below us.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

I turned to look at Bo. His eyes were a sparkling silver, and they were staring at me instead of the view below. “Yeah. Beautiful,” he said, then brushed a kiss across my mouth.

We kept riding up the rocky hill until we came to a wide meadow full of endless pink and purple wildflowers. The sky above it bled from orange to red, kissing the field. As we rode across the meadow, the wind blew the flowers softly, stirring them until their fragrance filled the air.

Bo reined in Goliath near a babbling brook. The cool water washed over the smooth rocks, sparkling like crystal in the fading sun. I took in the scenery and filled my lungs. The air up here was as clean as the water trickling down the stream.

“You didn’t get your overnight underneath the stars,” Bo whispered in my ear. “So I’m improvisin’.”

I turned in my seat and smiled like a loon. “We’re campin’ out?”

“You’re cute when you’re excited,” Bo chuckled.

I felt carefree now that the mystery had been solved, so I batted my eyes like a Southern belle and asked, full-on Georgia peach, “When else am I cute?”

His smile widened. “When you’re flushed with passion after takin’ my cock.”

I gasped. Then I sputtered. “You are…are…”

“Yeah?”

“Naughty. Very, very naughty.”

Bo pulled me sharply into his chest. “You haven’t seen naughty yet.”

My breath froze in my lungs at the promise in his words. “I’m gonna climb off now,” I sputtered.

Smirking, Bo slid me slowly to the ground, then followed gracefully like he’d been born to be in a saddle.

“Do you miss bein’ on a ranch?” I asked as he pulled the pack from the horse’s back.

“Sometimes,” he answered. “Times like these,” he said distantly, looking around the meadow. “You can’t think in the city, not like out here.”

“Savannah’s not exactly a huge, sprawlin’ metropolis.”

“No,” he grinned. “It’s just the right size for a country boy like me.”

Bo started to lead Goliath to the water, but I stopped him with my hand.

“Teach me to ride?”

I expected Bo to say no. Instead, he grabbed my waist and lifted me onto Goliath’s back. Before handing me the reins, he looped a long rope, used to tie off the pack, into the horse’s bridle, and then walked him to the center of the meadow.

“Loosen your grip,” he called out.

I did as he said, then sat myself deeper into the seat like Boris had taught me.

“Now ride,” he said, smiling.

I gave Goliath a nudge with my boots, and he began trotting. Bo kept a tight hold on the rope, walking in circles as he watched me bounce on the horse’s back. My hair flew behind me as we picked up speed, and soon I was cantering. I felt free riding on the beast’s back, while Bo kept me safe, like I could spread my wings and fly. Laughing with the freedom that comes with being at peace with your world, I grinned at Bo as we circled wide. I was one with the arrogant beast. I had not a care in the world. No mother criticizing me. No father ignoring me. It was just me, Bo, and a beautiful sunset putting the world to bed.

“Sun’s settin’, rein him in,” Bo called out, so I pulled back until he stopped.

“I could do that all day!” I cried out. “How do you not miss this?”

Grinning at my enthusiasm, Bo led the horse near the stream and helped me down. “Growin’ up on the back of a horse, I never saw it as entertainment.”

“Tell me about your father,” I said softly.

He’d mentioned he was dead, while we lay together in the early morning light the day before. But I didn’t push him. We were happy, content in our cocoon, so I’d let it go.

“He was a proud man,” Bo began. “Too proud. He took my mother’s abandonment as a personal affront. He should have brooded over her for a month or two and moved on.”

He’d been taking off Goliath’s saddle as he spoke. Surprisingly, there was no anger in his voice, only resignation.

“Did you blame him when she left?”

He shook his head, then led Goliath to the stream to drink. He was making sure the horse was taken care of first like I’d read about in historical romance novels. Knights and cowboys alike knew their mount was the most valuable thing they owned. They took good care of them because their mounts were the difference between life and death most days.

I smiled at the thought. Bo was old school.

“Do you blame your mother for your father leavin’?” Bo asked, catching me off guard.

“Yes,” I answered immediately. I hadn’t thought about it. No searching my subconscious for the answer. I blamed her for taking him away from me, and I also blamed her for keeping my biological father away.

“Have you ever looked for your biological father?”

I shook my head. “All I know is that he was a gym manager. I don’t even know the name of the gym or if she was tellin’ the truth about the affair. She won’t talk about it.”

He searched my face, gauging my answer. “Do you want to know?”

“Of course. I have another family out there. I could have brothers and sisters who look just like me. Who act just like me.”

“I take it you don’t look like your siblin’s, and that bothers you?” Bo approached on silent feet, watching me.

I rolled my lips on my teeth, searching for the right words. “My whole life I wanted to fit in. My brother and sister made sense with my parents. I didn’t. Once I found out why I didn’t, all I could think about was finding those who were like me. I wanted to belong. To make sense.”

Bo’s eyes glittered, and he reached up and grabbed my neck, pulling me closer to his body. “You belong to me,” he ground out. “You make sense to me. My past haunted me for years, and in the stretch of a week, you made it all disappear. I keep thinkin’ it will end. That somethin’ this special isn’t meant for me. Hell, I keep lookin’ over my shoulder waitin’ for someone to walk up and take you away.” I opened my mouth, and then I shut it. I didn’t even know how to respond to that. “I’ll find your father if he’s out there,” he continued, “but even if I don’t, you belong. Don’t ever think you don’t.”

How could a man be this wonderful? I loved him. No ifs, ands, or buts. I loved him and his stormy gray eyes that brightened when he laughed at me. Loved the way his eye twitched when I’d pushed him too far. The way he came for me and never gave up. I. Loved. Him.

“I won’t disappear,” I whispered, running my hand down his face. That scared little boy who had lost so much stared back at me from inside Bo’s gaze. “I’m caught, and I’m stayin’ caught.”

“Damn straight you are.”

“And you’re caught, and you’re stayin’ caught,” I let him know.

He grinned. “A man would have to be nuts to walk away from you.”

“I thought you said you were nuts?”

“Nuts for you,” he whispered.

A falling star flashed across the sky, drawing my attention up. It reminded me of how I’d stared at those same stars a few nights ago, wondering if fate had finally smiled down on me. She had.

“So,” I said, snuggling in closer, “are you goin’ to feed me, or what?”

Bo looked at my mouth. “Or what,” he replied softly.

I mentally pumped my arm.

“Does it involve bein’ naked?”

He nodded.

“Does it involve ropes?”

He raised a brow.

“What? A girl can dream, can’t she?” I drawled, batting my eyes again.

“Naughty.” Bo grinned. “Very, very naughty.”