LITMIR.BIZ

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screamed as loud as her mouth.

      “Jenny, are you here? Make a sound, give us a clue, do something to show us you’re here,” Lucas called.

      Mariah had never been afraid of places. Scary movies didn’t bother her. Spiders, snakes and gators didn’t concern her. The only fear she’d ever felt was of the man she had married. Frank.

      Was he behind all this? Certainly a sadistic game of hide-and-seek wasn’t out of character. One of the deputies had called Lucas earlier to let him know that her news story had been picked up by the wire services.

      If Frank wasn’t behind this, and if he’d been watching television and had seen her, then he would know that she and Billy were in Conja Creek. She rubbed her left wrist—the wrist that he’d broken on the day she’d left him.

      The thought of seeing him again sent a shiver of fear through her and she moved closer to Lucas, as if he could keep all the boogeymen out of her life.

      As they continued to search, the hope that had filled her began to waver. Had they perceived the clue incorrectly? Where the cries of the dead ring loud and clear, that’s what the caller had said. Where else could that be but a cemetery, and this was the only cemetery in the town of Conja Creek.

      When they reached the last wide aisle between the tombs, despair quickly usurped hope. And when they reached the last tomb on that aisle, the strength that had been holding her together vanished.

      She fell to her knees, unable to take another step as the grief that she’d been shoving away since the moment she’d awakened from her nap and found Billy gone rushed in to consume her.

      Tears blinded her, and she was unable to control the deep, wrenching sobs that ripped from her throat. She collapsed to the ground, vaguely aware of Lucas holstering his gun and bending down beside her.

      “I know,” he whispered as he physically pulled her into his arms. “Shh.” He stroked her hair as she continued to sob, unable to stop.

      “They were supposed to be here,” she cried. “Damn him. Damn whoever has them, for putting us through this.” She clung to Lucas, surprised to find his arms provided the comfort she needed.

      As she remained in his embrace, she became aware of the frantic beating of his heart against her own. She realized at that moment that his despair was as great as her own, his disappointment was as black as the one that filled her.

      She raised her head and looked at him through her veil of tears. His eyes held the same rage that filled her, a rage at the man who had brought them here, the man who had ripped the very fabric of her soul.

      “Jenny didn’t do this,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “She’d never put us through this.”

      “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Mariah replied. She could tell by the dawning horror in his eyes that the realization that Jenny was in terrible trouble was just now sinking in.

      “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice filled with rough emotion. He stood and held out his hand to help her up off the ground.

      She had just stood when a crack split the air and Lucas threw himself at her, tumbling her to the ground as he covered her body with his.

       Chapter Five

      Lucas couldn’t tell where the gunshot had come from, but he heard the ping as the bullet hit the tomb behind where they had just been standing.

      His first impulse was to protect Mariah, and as he lay on top of her, adrenaline pumped through him. He tightened his hold on his gun as he scanned the area.

      Dammit, there were too many shadows where a shooter could hide, too many trees and tombs for him to discern the hint of a person. The shot had caused a cessation to the insect noise, but as the minutes ticked by the cacophony of bugs resumed.

      As time passed, in the back of his mind he became more aware of Mariah. Her hand grasped the front of his shirt, as if she was afraid he might jump up and run away. Her heartbeat raced against his own, and despite the circumstances, he couldn’t help but notice the softness of her lush curves under his body.

      Irritated by his lapse in concentration, he rose to a crouch above her. “Stay here and stay down,” he commanded. “I’m going to take a look around.”

      She tightened her grip on his shirt and in the faint moonlight her eyes shone more silver than blue. “Be careful. He could still be out there.” She reluctantly released her hold on him.

      Still in a low crouch, Lucas moved away from her, toward the area where he thought the shot might have come from. He didn’t think the shooter was still there.

      In fact, he didn’t think the shooter was still in the cemetery. It was a gut feeling coupled with the knowledge that if the man had wanted to kill one of them, he could have with that single shot.

      He might have missed because he was a terrible shot, but Lucas didn’t think so. He thought the bullet had missed them because it was just another game the kidnapper was playing. He was taking pleasure in terrorizing them.

      He straightened to his full height, making himself an easy target, but no other shots were fired. He walked back to where Mariah was still lying on the ground.

      “I think he’s gone.” He held out a hand to help her up.

      “Are you sure?” She didn’t move from her prone position.

      “As sure as I can be. If he wanted to hurt us, he could have shot us at any time while we were searching the area.” He grimaced. “I think that shot was just a playful reminder that we aren’t the ones in charge of this game.”

      She slipped her small hand in his and he pulled her up. “They aren’t here, are they? Billy and Jenny aren’t here and that clue was just part of his stupid game.”

      He nodded. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

      It was a long walk back to the car. Lucas kept his gun ready and every muscle tense as he watched for danger that didn’t come.

      They got into the car and he started the engine, immediately turning on the air conditioner to relieve the sweltering heat and humidity.

      As he pulled out of the cemetery, neither of them said a word. The adrenaline that had surged inside him eased away, leaving him not only exhausted but also defenseless against the dark thoughts in his mind.

      Jenny. Pain seared through him as he thought of his sister. He’d spent all his adult life trying to protect her, both from herself and from others. He’d tried to guide her, to make her better than she was, better than the mother who had given her life.

      “Are you okay?” Mariah’s soft, weary voice pulled him from his thoughts.

      “As okay as you are,” he replied.

      “Then you aren’t okay,” she said with a surprising touch of dry humor.

      “No, I’m not,” he agreed. “I’m frustrated and worried and I don’t think this is about a ransom anymore.”

      “Then what is it about?” she asked.

      Lucas frowned and tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “I think it’s personal. I think the perpetrator wants one of us to be afraid, to suffer.”

      She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Then he’s succeeded.”

      Those were the last words spoken for the remainder of the drive home. When they arrived at her place, the first thing Lucas did was check the phone messages as Mariah got them each a bottle of water from the fridge.

      The first message was from Mayor Richard Welch. “Lucas, I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’ve sent your men home, but Billy and Jenny are still missing. I hope you know what you’re doing. I need to be updated and maybe we need to put our heads together to see what’s the best way to

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