When they arrived at their campground she could hear the sounds of the rodeo next to them and her heart thundered. She loved everything about a good rodeo and Pendleton had an excellent one.

  After they got everything into the cabin, they walked hand-in-hand to the entrance of the fairground, people all around them.

  “The sounds, smells, and sights of a rodeo mean something different to every person who steps through the gates,” Darla told him as he pulled out his wallet to pay for admission.

  “I bet,” he said. “It’s like a county fair.”

  “No, it’s nothing like a fair. It’s all about pride and winning and skill,” she said. She felt pretty great in her snug Wranglers, worn cowboy boots, and ten-year-old tan hat. Crew looked so delicious in his jeans and blue fitted shirt that she wanted to jump him right then and there.

  “Being at a rodeo is like attending a great symphony. If you stop and take it all in, you can hear the music beating within you,” she said. Clanging metal, hooves stomping dirt, laughter, and cheers surrounded them.

  “I guess it could be compared to a symphony,” he said as he grabbed her hand. She loved how he pulled her close, knowing it was his way of keeping her safe in the large crowd of people.

  There was suddenly a stillness in the air, and Darla grinned ear-to-ear. “Hurry up. We don’t want to miss the opening,” she said as she tugged on him and raced to the stands. Neither of them spoke as they found a seat and looked around the arena. Everyone was standing in the full stands as a rider entered the arena, a flag billowing behind her as her horse galloped in a circle. The National Anthem began, and Darla would swear every person sang along, the moment nearly magical. Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight . . . Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave . . .

  It didn’t matter how many times Darla heard that song, or how many times she’d sung it, it still touched her, especially when surrounded by people who were just as mesmerized as she was.

  At the last words, applause erupted in the arena. It was time to rodeo.

  “Right now the bronc riders behind the chutes are talking about the draws they got, they’re talking about the road, hearts that have been broken, and bodies that have been beaten. And they do it all with a smile because they love what they do,” Darla told him.

  “Okay, so far, so good,” Crew said. “You might convince me to become a rodeo fan.”

  She cheered as the first evening event began. They’d already had the daytime events, and those were great, but once the night hit, it was magic.

  Crew managed to get Darla corn dogs, popcorn, nachos, elephant ears, and cotton candy. He laughed at her as she continued stuffing food in her mouth. When she was home she ate a lot healthier, but at rodeo, she wanted to taste it all. She washed it down with spiked cider and grew quite tipsy before the bull riding began.

  The crowd gasped as a cowboy was bucked and thrown against the fence. But the clowns managed to get the angry bull away, and the cowboy stood and waved to the crowd, though he was limping as he walked off the field.

  By the time their night ended, Darla was tipsy, smiling, and happier than she’d been in a very long time —and that was really something for a normally happy person. But bringing Crew into a new world, and him liking it, made her happier than she’d been.

  “I love you,” she told him as they made their way back to their cabin.

  “I adore you,” he replied, his arm tightening around her.

  The rodeo wasn’t over though. She kept that hat on him while they had their own rodeo later. And she was one heck of a cowgirl because he couldn’t buck her off.

  Crew promised the next day on their ride home he’d take her to at least two rodeos a year. He assured her he’d get her front row seats in Vegas. She knew right then and there she was going to marry the man.

  But the real world was waiting when they got back home. She had to figure out what she was going to do with her life now that it had changed so much. Crew went to work, and she searched her computer.

  On her third week since she’d quit, she was having a bit of a pity party. Crew had come home for lunch then rushed off for a meeting. He still wasn’t home so Darla walked to the barn. The kittens were big enough they were running all over the place. The horses tolerated the little munchkins, maybe even liked them a little, but she was sure they’d rather they were anywhere other than in the stalls with them. They were pretty hoity toity little things.

  The horses were thriving. Both the male and female horse were still a little wary, but it wouldn’t be long before they’d be riding them. The foals were completely acclimated. They loved attention and as soon as she came into the barn they whinnied at her to give them treats.

  They were out in the fields at the moment, so she went straight to the kittens. They spotted her in an instant and began climbing her legs.

  “I can’t imagine anyone not loving kittens,” she told the furry little things. “Have you found any mice yet?” She laughed to herself at what anyone would think if she was found talking to the tiny things.

  She stayed in the barn for about an hour, then walked back to the house. Crew still wasn’t home. She should’ve gone with him, but she needed to figure out what she was going to do. She was too restless to stay unemployed for long.

  Should she go to law school? She was a little old for that — an irritating thought. A person was never too old to pursue what they wanted in life. If she wanted to get a law degree when she was eighty, she could.

  But even as a lawyer her hands would be tied. She needed to have a talk with her bestie about the situation. Daisy had been a justice warrior for a very long time. Darla wanted to tell herself there was absolutely nothing she could do, she was just one person. But a stronger part of herself knew one person could make a difference. If she only saved one child, she was doing her part in the scheme of things. If every good person saved the life of another person there’d be a lot less senseless murder in the world.

  After wandering the house for a while longer, looking at her computer, then walking away from it, she was almost giddy when she heard her doorbell ring. A legitimate distraction was exactly what she needed.

  She threw open the door and froze. Before she could say a word, something came at her . . . and the world went dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Crew whistled as he opened the front door. “Darla, I have something for you,” he called. There was no answer.

  He moved into the kitchen and set down the huge bouquet he’d bought along with the box of chocolate-covered strawberries. He went to the coffee pot and poured a cup, then moved to the stairs and called her name again. No answer.

  He smiled. Her computer was on the counter so there was really only one place she could be. He walked out the back door and made his way to the barn.

  “Someone isn’t searching for her new career like she said she was going to do. You could’ve come to town with me,” Crew said as he walked through the barn doors. The kittens immediately attacked his legs . . . and he became concerned. Darla wasn’t there.

  He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, but it rang out until it went to voicemail. He sent a quick text. Where are you hiding? He waited. There was no response. What in the world was going on?

  He finally noticed how quiet everything was. It was so still around him, and he didn’t like the unsettled feeling washing over him. “It’s no big deal. Don’t be paranoid. I’m sure she went for a walk to clear her head,” he said to himself. But his heart was racing, and he felt as if something was wrong.

  He moved quickly back to the house and walked into their bedroom. Nothing was out of place. He went back to the kitchen and found her purse. Her car was in the garage, but Daisy could’ve picked her up. Maybe they’d been in a hurry.

  He pulled out his phone again and dialed Daisy. She answered on the second ring. “Hi, Crew,” she said in her sweet voice.

  “Is Darla with you?” he asked, trying to keep the panic from his voice.

  There was a pause. “No, but I talked to her earlier and she was fine. I haven’t seen her today,” she said. “Where are you?”

  “I’m home and her car’s here, so is her purse, she’s not answering her phone, and I can’t find her,” he told Daisy.

  “I don’t like this,” Daisy said. Her concern sent his own panic up several notches. What in the hell was going on?

  Daisy was still on the phone with him when he stepped into the entryway to his house. His throat closed. He’d come in through the backdoor and hadn’t noticed the front. The door was wide open, but more concerning were the drops of blood on the tile floor. He dropped down and felt that the blood was tacky as if it was pretty fresh. How long had he been gone? He had to think. It had been about three hours. Dammit!

  What was going on? Was this Darla’s blood? Had she been injured? Had someone taken her to the hospital? Had an ambulance been called? No. That was impossible. If that had happened, someone would’ve called him. His throat tightened. Had she been attacked?

  “Crew!” Daisy’s voice startled him out of his panic.

  “Sorry. What?” he mumbled. He was on his knees on the floor, trying to figure out what to do.

  “I’ve been trying to talk to you for the past minute. What in the hell is happening?” Daisy demanded. He could hear the sound of a car running.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Darla is just gone. I . . . the front door’s open. There’s, um, there’s some drops of blood,” he finished, his voice choked.

  “I’m driving there now. Call nine one one. I’ll call Hudson. He can call everyone else.”

  He kneeled there, not sure what to do. He didn’t say anything.

  “Dammit, Crew. Snap the hell out of this. Darla needs help,” Daisy said, tears clearly present in her voice.

  Her tone and words finally snapped him out of his paralysis. This was her best friend, and she was panicking but still moving forward. He owed it to Darla to do the same.

  “You’re right. I’ll call nine one one. Get here fast,” he told her.

  “Trust me, I will.” The phone went dead.

  His fingers trembled as he dialed the emergency line. He explained what he’d found and they said they’d send officers his way. He hung up the phone, not knowing what to do next.

  But then he did. He dialed Uncle Joseph. If anyone could get quick results, it would be his uncle. He’d keep a level head.

  The next twenty minutes might as well have been three hours, it seemed to take so long. Daisy pulled in at the same time as a county sheriff. She screeched to a halt, nearly swiping the side of the sheriff’s car. The men jumped from their vehicles, their hands on their weapons which, thankfully, were still resting in their holders.

  “It’s okay, I’m supposed to be here,” Daisy said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m not a bad guy. I just need you to find my best friend.”

  The police didn’t seem fully convinced, but since Daisy ran to Crew and flung herself into his arms, they seemed to decide she might be welcome. They knew Crew.

  “Have you talked to her? I’ve dialed her phone a dozen times in the last twenty minutes,” she said. “She never doesn’t answer me unless she’s in a meeting. And she’s not working right now, so there’s no excuse for her not to answer.” Daisy was talking a mile a minute, but he totally understood.

  “Mr. Anderson, are you the one who called nine one one?” one of the officers asked as he stepped up.

  “Yes, Chuck, my girlfriend’s missing. She won’t answer her phone. The front door was open, and there’s blood on the entryway floor. I don’t know anything else,” he said.

  “Have you gone through the house? Is anything disturbed or missing?” Officer Chuck asked.

  Before he could answer there was a loud noise. They all turned to see a chopper drawing near. “What the hell?” Chuck asked.

  Crew would’ve smiled if his lips would moved in that direction. “That’s my uncle Joseph. Apparently, he didn’t want to take the time to drive,” Crew said.

  There was a large open area in front of the house, and the chopper slowly lowered. It was only seconds before the door flung open and Joseph Anderson stepped out.

  “Do you have any news yet?” Joseph asked. The chopper shut down and the area went eerily quiet again.

  “No, nothing,” Crew said. “I’m scared. I don’t know what’s happening.”

  “It has to be that piece of shit guy who’s been stalking her,” Daisy said. “It has to be. There’s no other explanation.”

  Crew’s blood ran cold. “There’s no way he’d be that stupid. We know who he is,” Crew told them.

  “He’s a psychopath who thinks he’s untouchable. I think he’d be that stupid,” Daisy said.

  Another vehicle pulled up and Sheriff McCormack, a longtime friend of the family, stepped from the cruiser. He was out of his district, but it didn’t matter. The officers in all of the surrounding cities of Seattle liked and respected the man.

  “Any news yet?” McCormack asked.

  “Nothing. But maybe a lead,” Joseph said. “Some man’s been stalking Darla for a while according to her best friend.

  “Do you have his information?” McCormack asked.

  “Yes. I have it on my phone, just in case,” Daisy said as she pulled it up.

  “I’ll run him,” McCormack said.

  Another SUV pulled up, and five large men stepped from their vehicle, their very presence enough to make the first two responding officers take a step back, their hands immediately going to their guns.

  Crew had to admit he was thrilled these men were on his side. They didn’t necessarily look mean, they just looked capable — very, very capable. They were big, they were organized, and they seemed to see everything in a glance.

  “Thank you for coming, Eyes. Darla’s missing,” Joseph said as he shook the hand of the first man in the V-shaped formation of men.

  “Of course, Joseph,” Eyes said. “How long’s she been gone?”

  “I don’t know. I was gone for three hours, but the blood in the entryway of the house is still tacky so I think if she was taken, it was within the last hour,” Crew told him.

  “That’s a good deduction,” another of the men said.

  “That’s what I thought, Sleep,” Joseph said. “But we all know how important the next few hours are.”

  “Yes, we do,” Sleep said.

  “We’ll get her back, don’t you worry about it,” one of the men said. He was the largest of the group, his eyes deadly, his skin a nice light chocolate, his mouth in a firm line. Crew nearly smiled again. The man looked scary as hell, but he’d seen how he’d also become a big brother to his little cousin Jasmine, who idolized Smoke. He’d seen what a teddy bear he turned into when Jasmine was there.

  “Thanks, Smoke. Having you guys here makes me think that just might happen,” Crew said.

  “I’m going to do my own digging on this guy,” Brackish said. His computer skills might make or break the situation.

  “Thanks, Brackish. You’ve really helped me a lot these past few months.”

  “I’m glad to do it,” Brackish said. He left the group to set up his computer in the house and get to work.

  The other men organized a search party for the nearby property, going out in a grid pattern to leave no stone unturned. Thirty minutes later, there was still no sign of her.

  By the time they were done with their search, there were at least fifty people at his house, including his siblings and their wives. Several people went into the kitchen and put food and drinks together, while others splintered off into groups to try to figure out the best solution to finding Darla.

  Brackish walked into the room full of people with a smile on his face. It only took about three seconds for all conversations to stop as they looked his way.

  “I’ve got the bastard,” Brackish said.

  “Who is it?”

  “Where?”

  “Did you find Darla?”

  “Let’s go!”

  The questions and shouts all came at once and Brackish simply held up his hand and the voices quieted once more.

  “Please,” Crew said as he looked at Brackish.

  Brackish moved over to him and handed him a piece of paper. Both fury and panic filled Crew. Daisy was at his side in an instant as she looked down at the paper. Her eyes widened and then a mixture of confusion, fear, and anger to match his flashed through her gaze.

  “Let’s go,” Brackish said. He then turned to Joseph. “We’re going to need a few things.”

  Joseph nodded. “Whatever it takes,” he said.

  Crew’s brothers surrounded him, and he knew Joseph’s words were more than true. They’d get to Darla, and they’d truly do whatever it took.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Darla was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming, but she didn’t want to wake from the dream. She was on a beach in her tiny bikini, red and fitted, and she could see Crew off in the distance splashing in the water, laughing before he dove back into the water. She could hear the waves slapping the shore.

  It was a good dream.

  Her head hurt really bad, and she knew she needed to get up and get some aspirin, but she couldn’t seem to make herself wake up. It was too good there in her dream, even with her head pounding and her body aching. The longer she hung between sleep and consciousness the more aches and pains she felt.

  “Wakey, wakey,” a voice called to her from the sky.

  What was that? She shook her head. She didn’t want to wake up, didn’t want to go to that voice. She looked at the water and her brow furled when Crew didn’t emerge from the water. What was wrong? Was he hurt? She had to get to him. She jumped from her chair and her dream faded as she found herself sitting up in bed, her head pounding, her wrists on fire, and her body aching.