Happy Cow Ranch

The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie

I hold my breath, trying not to fidget with the towel that wraps me up like a mouse in a snake's hold. Coincidentally, that's exactly what I feel like right now.

A quick glance at Jamie shows nothing different than the last fifteen "quick glances." I hold this one though, and after a minute he begins to tear his eyes away from the road, expression softening.

"You okay?" He asks, looking me over.

"Where are you taking me?"

Jamie straightens his spine, his expression hardening again as he swallows. His eyes are still wide and wild, but locked on mine.

"We're not going to the police station, are we?" I demand, working to the bone to keep my voice from shaking. His whole demeanor changes, and I'm suddenly shot through the heart with a battle of memories, everything flooding back to me as his chin tilts down, narrowing his eyes and cheeks. His jaw seems to be sharp as a knife, his brow furrowed deeper than it usually is. This man could kill me, and, by the looks of it, he wants to.

"We're going to a different station," is all he says. A tangled web of memories hooks me, and I can hear Mister Dutton speaking to Rip in hushed tones. 'Take 'em to the train station,' he says, and Rip knows what to do.

Jamie, the man who watched me grow up, cared for me like an older brother, sold me out, and tortured me, is going to kill me.

My mind is zooming at a million miles an hour as I try to puzzle out ways to get out of this alive. He doesn't know that I remember him, so maybe I could throw him off...

"I wanna see the person who took me, Jamie. I have to talk to him, ask him why he did it," I insist, brow knit together. Jamie hesitates, then looks over at me.

"What?"

"The guy who took me, they have him in the police station! Please, I promise I won't be stupid, I'll bring Weston—" I cut myself off when I see a snarl crawl onto his face, conscious now of the furtive glances he'd been casting my way. "Or you, in with me. I know you'd be able to protect me if anything went down."

There's a small rise in Jamie's chest, and I can tell that the ego fluffing worked. He shifts, thinking, then swivels his head in decision. In one quick movement he flips on his blinker, spins the car around, and pulls off the road. I grip the safety bar, grimacing as I nearly lose my hold on the towel. I shoot him a look of confusion as he puts the car in park.

"Get out of the car." He starts getting out of his side, then glances back when I don't move. "Now!"

I flinch, and pretend that I'm climbing out, watching him out of the corner of my eye. As soon as he's out I leap over the center console, slamming his door shut. He falls back, then stumbles back up to the door, staring at me incredulously.

"What are you doing, Maisie?" His muffled voice rises with aggravation. I lock the door as he reaches for the handle, and we both look down at it, then back up at each other. His eyes are wide with disbelief, mine with fear. "Maisie, I swear to God—"

I turn away, quickly trying to find the ignition so that I can turn the key and drive away. After a blind search yields nothing, I lean down, tensing when I realize that the key is missing. I sit back up and wince when I hear the sound of the door being unlocked. Slowly turning my head back to Jamie, I see him holding the keys up, jangling them with a tight lipped smile.

"Shit..." I mumble, trying quickly to get out of the other side. Jamie's quicker though, ripping open the door and yanking me out by my legs. I scream and kick and throw punches at him, but he just swerves his head away from my hands, grabbing my wrists and backing me against the tall truck. With one leg he pins both of mine, keeping me still.