Finding Amy (20 page)

If I can get this far, I can find a way out.
With her hands at her back she slowly eased her bound feet, bumping into fallen objects and feeling items with her fingers. She had to find a door. If this is a tool shed, people don’t put objects in the doorway. When she found the empty space on a blank wall, Amy pressed her back against it and shoved with everything she had. At first it moved only slightly. Planting her bound feet, she put her back to the wall and pushed. A loud pop and the door burst open causing her to fall backwards onto a hard surface. Her elbows scrapped across the concrete, she didn’t care. Inhaling deeply, Amy breathed in the fresh air her lungs craved.

More shots rang out and she
rolled over, hugging the ground. The burning on her arms, chest and legs had increased and her medical experience told her it would make some nasty rashes if she didn’t get it off soon.

She
lay still for what seemed like hours listening to the bullets and praying she would be found soon. In the distance she heard approaching sirens and thanked God for recruits. Men were shouting orders all around her. She rolled over again, hoping to be spotted. Not knowing her location, Amy didn’t want to get too far away from the building. When the gun fire ceased, Amy yelled as loud as she could through her nose. People would be searching for her as soon as Carson gained control. She had no doubt he would be the one to come out on top.

The temperature started cooling off. It had to be getting close to sunset. The warm rays that had been beaming down on her face had diminish
ed. If nightfall set in, the chances of her being found in the dark would be slim. She had to do something.

Amy rolled back the way she came until she touched the buildin
g. Maneuvering her body, she positioned her back against the solid surface and inched her way up the side until she stood upright. Exhausted, she leaned her head against the cool metal. It would be easier if she could see. Shoving away from the wall, she took her first hop and balanced herself. Still standing. As her confidence grew, she tried again. This time her luck ran out and she tumbled into the grass. Amy didn’t have the strength to try again. She would have to leave it to God and luck.

As the wind picked up and the air grew cooler, Amy
noticed the gun fire had ceased and the whooping noise had stopped. The only sounds came from the leaves rustling in the wind and the crickets. She didn’t know whether to start trying to yell again or hide. Her throat hurt, her body burned and her arm felt like someone had filled it full of needles.

“Amy. Amy.”
The anxious calls from Carson sent a renewed determination through her.

She wanted to laugh out loud. Her energy level spiked a couple of degrees. She rolled toward the building until her feet hit the metal. Raising her legs, she kicked
the building and the loud bang of her feet connecting with the metal could wake the dead. She kicked again.

The vo
ices came closer. “Someone is inside the storage building. Get over here with some light. She has to be here.” Carson stated from a distance.

Carson!
Another burst of energy hit her and her fear turned to excitement. She started beating her feet against the wall and humming loudly through her nose.

“Oh my God. Amy. Over here.”
His boots stomped across a hard wood surface before reaching her. He lifted her head into his lap. “Let me get the tape off, baby. This is going to hurt. Are you ready?” Carson ripped the duct tape from her eyes.

The tape over her mouth concealed her muffled scream
. Amy blinked, trying to focus. Her eyelashes and brows had to be gone. Opening her eyes, she couldn’t bring anything into focus. She blinked again and Carson’s handsome face started to become real.

“I’m going to pull the tape from your mouth
now.”

Amy nodded and
Carson jerked the tape. She opened her mouth but her lips were glued together. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and her throat must be filled with cotton.

“Don’t try to talk. Let me cut the tape off of your hands and feet then we’ll get you inside.” After he had her free, Carson picked her up and carried her. Amy could move her arms enough to get them around his neck and laid her head on his strong chest. She inhaled the manly scent she had come to know and something else. Then she recognized the smell
of gun powder.

Carson set her on the sofa and disappeared. Before Amy could fin
d the strength to sit up, he returned with water and lifted her into a sitting position.

“Just sip it. Don’t try to drink too fast.”

She must have been in a desert from the way her parched throat scratched. But from her training, she knew better than to drink too much. After wetting her mouth and throat, Amy lowered the glass and tested her voice. Her words came out like she had gravel in her throat. “Jamie and Trish.” Her eyes widened. “Your Mom. What—,”

Carson put a fin
ger to her lips. “They’re all okay. Mom took them to the cellar and bolted that heavy iron door she insisted on installing when we had the house built. Thank God she did. The shooters couldn’t get through the door.” He chuckled.

“Martin?” s
he questioned.

Carson grinned.
“Got him. Also, Max Guthrie is singing like a canary. He even told the detectives where the body of Martin’s first wife is located. Looks like Martin will either get the death penalty or life in prison.”

“What about the noise that sounded like a helicopter?”

Carson shook his head. “We think it was the Columbians. They lifted off when back-up arrived. But not without extra bullet holes in the hull. I think Rex hit their fuel line.”

Amy fell back against the soft cushions of t
he couch and shut her eyes. They were safe. She licked her sore chapped lips and tasted the smell from inside the building. Her eyes flew open. The chemicals. “While I was locked in that building, something spilled all over me and it burns. I need to get a shower before it gets any worse.”

Carson picked her up and carried her
upstairs to the master bath. Sitting her on a chair positioned by the Jacuzzi tub, he turned on the shower. Amy worked on the buttons of her shirt but her fingers were numb. Carson knelt and undressed her.

With every touch, every caress of his fingers, Amy’s body
sizzled. Far worse burning than the chemicals. Her body ached for him. Raising her arm, she cupped her palm around his jaw and cocked her head. He leaned into her and placed a feather light kiss on her chapped lips. His arms circled under her legs and he pulled her naked body against his. The heat he generated surged through her, giving her a renewed energy. Carson lifted her with ease and set her feet down in the glass shower.

“Do
you want me to help you bath?” His soft voice excited her.

Amy kissed his cheek.
“No, thank you. I’ll yell if I need anything.”

A
rain shower of warm water covered her body and soothed her sore muscles. Amy leaned forward with her palms on the wall and raised her face to welcome the cleansing water. After letting the water soak her from head to toe, Amy opened her eyes and reached for the body wash on a ledge. Her fingers curled around a full bottle of Victoria Secret’s Mango Temptation sitting next to the Axe Shower Gel for Men. A burning sensation started in her chest and traveled into her stomach that had nothing to do with the chemical burns.

Either, Carson had another woman taking showers in his house or he had strange taste in shower gels. It had to be
a girlfriend that kept her personal belongings here. She hadn’t even considered that he might be involved with someone. What a stupid fool she had been for thinking there might be a future with him. Their incredible night together had meant nothing to him but sex.
I should’ve known a man like Carson would be in a relationship.
Chin up and a clenching of her jaw, gave her the courage she needed to face what had to be done now.

Chapter 3
0

Carson knocked on the bathroom door. He cracked the door and
yelled at Amy over the running water, “Amy I checked to see what the chemical is that spilled on you. It’s weed killer. I called poison control and it shouldn’t hurt you other than a little redness. They recommended you wash it well, use Neosporin, and wrap with gauze. I’ve brought the Neo and bandages along with some clean clothes Jamie gave me. She wants you to call her when you get out. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.”

“Thank you,
” Amy replied.

Carson shut the door and passed through the living room into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took out the eggs, cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms and smoked
ham Mom had stocked for him. While chopping the vegetables, he made up his mind to tell Amy how he felt about their relationship. He couldn’t deny or confirm that he had fallen in love with her, but a warm glow passed through him every time she crossed his mind. If she wanted to date for a while, that would be fine as long as he could keep her near. He’d find a way to convince her they were meant for each other. No prolonged dating, though. If it is love, and she needed more time, he could live with that. As far as he was concerned, their one night of passion had been more than he had ever experienced and he wanted her for the rest of his life.

Carson slid the omelet onto a plate as
Amy entered. Their eyes met for a second before she turned away. She busied herself by folding the dirty clothes she had already folded. That seemed a little strange but Carson passed it off as exhaustion.

“I’ve fixed us an omelet and toast. Are you hungry?”

“Famished.” Amy walked around the dining room and eased onto a barstool.

Carson halved the omelet and passed a plate to her along with a glass of orange juice. “How are the burns?”

Amy sliced the omelet with a fork. “I think they’ll be fine.”

She wouldn’t make eye contact and that
puzzled Carson. She had been through a lot. Maybe after a good night’s rest things would go back to normal and she’d feel like herself.

Amy looked up from her plate. “
I’m so glad that Martin’s in jail. He is, isn’t he?”

Carson nodded. “Yes, along with most
of his employees. We didn’t get the head of the organization but we sure put a dent in their workforce.”

Amy started to take a sip of the orange juice when the front door burst open. The glass fell from her hands and shattered on the marble bar top. Carson dropped his fork in his plate and stared at the door.

“Carson, baby. Why didn’t you let me know you were home? I had to hear about everything on the news.”

A tall blond with hair down to her shoulders crossed the tile entrance making her spike heels click with every step. She strolled across the carpet and into the kitchen where she threw her arms around Carson’s neck and kissed him.

When she finally released him, Carson tried to pull her arms from his neck but she held on. “Brittany. What are you doing here?”

Brittany smiled sweetly and moved
closer to mold herself against him. “Why, Darling I missed you and I have to see on the news that you were involved in fighting some druggies out here on the ranch. I got worried. I wanted to see for myself that you were all right.” She rested her head on his shoulder and glanced across the bar, noticing Amy for the first time. “Oh. Hello. I’m Brittany. Carson’s fiancé.” She held out a well manicured hand to Amy.

****

So this is Ms. Victoria Secret body wash. Amy thought her omelet might come back up. Her stomach churned. She reached across the counter and shook the blonde’s hand. “I’m Amy Summers. One of the women Carson rescued.” Now why did she feel the need to tell her that?

Brittany released Carson’s neck and smoothed her designer silk pants before r
eaching for a cup in the cabinet for coffee. It took Amy ten minutes to find the cups
earlier. Brittany opened the refrigerator, looked in and turned to Carson. “Honey, you didn’t get any Italian Coffee Creamer. You know I don’t drink my coffee without it.”

“Brittany
, I wasn’t expecting you. After—,”

Brittany
waved her hand, cutting him off. “Oh don’t worry about it.” She set the cup down and wrapped her arms around him again, planting a kiss on him that would heat the house. “I’m just so glad you’re all right.”

Amy had seen enough. She hopped off the stool
, grabbed her dirty clothes and walked to the front door.

“Amy
, wait,” Carson yelled.

Trying
to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over, Amy glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to you later.” She exited the house and shut the door as gently as she could then ran to Ms. Garrett’s house. She prayed she could sneak up the stairs and disappear into her bedroom without being seen. Wiping her face before entering, Amy eased the door open. Luck had frowned on her today. Ms. Garrett sat on the sofa, reading a story to Trish and Jamie peeped around the corner from the kitchen.

Ms. Garrett put the book down and
when Trish looked up and saw her aunt, she shot out of Ms. Garrett’s lap. “Aunt Amy.” She wrapped her tiny arms around her aunt’s legs, preventing Amy from moving. “I missed you. I worried.”

Amy
gently pried the hands away and knelt down, pulling the child into her arms. “I missed you, too. You didn’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”

Jamie
entered, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Your wrists are bandaged. What happened?”

The salve Carson had given her had soothed the pain of the burns
and the cuts on her wrist. She had forgotten about them. “It’s nothing. I used some medicine that Carson brought me.”

“Does it hurt?” Trish rubbed her tiny hand across the gauze.

Amy smiled at the little face examining the bandages. “Not anymore. I heard you went to the cellar.”

Trish beamed. “We did and Nana locked the big door and the bad man pound
ed and pounded and they couldn’t get in and we had some cokes and potato chips.”

“Wow. You weren’t scared?”
As much as the child had been through, she wondered if she would have some mental damage later in life. How can someone so young brush off the terror she had experienced? Amy loved this child as if she were her own and didn’t want anything to harm her, either physically or mentally.

“Nah. They couldn’t get the big door open so we were safe and then Carson came and Nana opened the door and let him in and I wanted to stay there and play with the dolls but we had to come back up here.” She turned to Ms. Garrett. “Can we go back and play sometime, Nana?”

Ms. Garrett rose and walked over to Amy and Trish, placing her arm around the little girl’s shoulder. “Of course we can. But I think it’s your bedtime right now and I’m sure Aunt Amy and Mommy are tired, too. After all, we’ve had a very interesting day, to say the least.”

When Ms. Garrett and Trish had disappeared up stairs,
Jamie walked over to her sister and engulfed her in a hug. “I am so sorry for what I said earlier. This has been such an ordeal, I’m not thinking clearly. If you hadn’t brought Carson to us, we would probably be dead. Amy, will you please forgive me?”

Tears filled Amy’s eyes.
Jamie had never apologized to her for anything much less something she said. She wrapped her arms around her sister. “I do forgive you Jamie, but I have to get some things off my chest and I may as well start now.”

Jamie
released her. “I deserve to hear anything you have to say. Let’s sit and talk.” She took Amy’s hand and led her to the sofa.

Who is this person who looks exactly like me?
Jamie has always been right and everyone else wrong. But for the next hour the women sat, talked, cried and hugged until both were at ease with each other.

Blowing her nose again, Amy took
Jamie’s hand. “Now I need a big favor.”

“Anything, sweetie.”

“I need you to borrow Ms. Garrett’s truck and take me to the airport.”

Jamie
’s mouth dropped open. “What in the world for? Where are you going?”

“I’m going back to Wyoming to ge
t my car and then I’ll be heading back to Galveston and work.”

“But
 . . .but I thought you and Carson had something going. I’ve seen the way he watches you. You don’t have any feelings for him, Amy?” Jamie questioned.

Amy looked out one of the windows beside the fireplace at the lights bordering the driveway. “I do,
Jamie, that’s the problem. I don’t think Carson feels the same.”

Jamie
shook her head. “Oh you are so wrong, sister. I’ve been talking to Rex lately and he has never seen his brother act the way Carson does when he’s around you. You should stay and give it a chance. I know it will work out.” She pleaded.

The tears ran down Amy’s cheek. “I can’t,
Jamie. Carson has a fiancé.”

Amy called the airport while
Jamie went upstairs to ask if she could use the truck. When she returned the keys were in her hand.

“There is one more flight out of Tyler this evening and we have just enough time to make it. What did you tell Ms. Garrett?” Amy asked as they climbed into the truck.

Jamie started the vehicle and backed out of the carport. “I asked if we could borrow the truck to run to the store for some personal items.”

When they passed Carson’s house, Amy noticed a red sports car
sitting under the carport. She reached for her necklace for strength and remembered she had yanked it off for Carson to find. The tears she had tried so hard to keep at bay, slid down her face.

Fifteen minutes later,
Jamie pulled the Dodge into the parking lot of Pounds Field. Amy had made reservations to Dallas. It wouldn’t be hard to make connections from there. If all went well, she could be in Cody by early tomorrow morning. That would give her time to see Stan and Bess, pack her meager belongings in the apartment and let the landlord know she was moving.

Amy hugged
Jamie at the check-in gate. “I have one more favor.”

“Okay.”
Jamie sobbed.

“Don’t tell anyone where I’ve gone.”

“Amy—,”

Amy interrupted. “No one,
Jamie. Promise me.”

Jamie
nodded.

Amy placed her purse and bag on the conveyor belt and stepped into the body scanner. Picking up her personal items from the belt, she turned to wave at her sister
. Jamie had a Kleenex pressed to her nose. Amy’s heart ached and her eyes clouded over. She hated leaving her sister upset. But she had vowed to turn over a new leaf. Jamie could take care of herself and she didn’t need Amy to console her. She climbed the ramp and boarded the plane.