Page 27 of Captive at Rescue Ridge

Annalee took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes for a second. Then, she fired off the question.

…

Coffee shop

“It’s her.”Annalee pinched the bridge of her nose.

“She must be somewhere in the area.” The gunman had shot at them earlier, so logic said the bastard had to be close. He’d abducted Owen, which made even more sense now. “The bastard wouldn’t likely let her out of his sight. The ‘us’ she referred to must be Owen.” Was it a sweeping generalization? He hoped not. Based on the heads nodding around the table, the others agreed.

“I need to update Travis.” Chloe reached for her phone. “Tell him to come here or meet us somewhere else safe. What do you guys think? Should we wait for him or get the hell out of here?”

Annalee stood up in half a second. “Not here. I’m ready. Where do we go? Her gaze had bounced from the window to the door more times than he could count. Was she planning to split and leave him in the dust again?

The thought was a knife stab to the center of his chest after what they’d been through today. He glanced at his watch. Actually, the sun would be up soon. It was a new day.

“Kade and I will head out together,” Chloe said. “Hudson and Beau should be up by now. We all agreed to take shifts.”

“I didn’t see anything on the group chat about this.” Archer shouldn’t be caught off guard that his family would have come up with a plan on their own. Besides, the plan was logical. And smart. That way no one got so exhausted they missed an important clue.

Chloe shot a look of apology. “We created one without you and Owen. We figured that he didn’t need to know how stressed we were while he was being held captive, and you have enough on your plate without trying to help figure out a workable schedule so we always have a couple of people available to you while searching for Owen.”

It was a protective move, so he wouldn’t complain despite the sting. This must be how Beau felt because he’d been left out of most family affairs until very recently, after he’d proved himself. Since Archer understood his siblings were acting in good faith, he let it go.

This reminded him to offer the damn thank-you that Beau deserved.

“All right then,” was all he said. “Let me know who’s on and who’s off in case I need to make an emergency call.”

“Will do,” Chloe said before standing up and offering a quick hug. She embraced Annalee next and whispered something that Archer couldn’t quite catch. Whatever was said would remain between the two of them. Annalee reacted by embracing Chloe a little harder. He assumed his sister spoke some magic words of encouragement. It was magic he didn’t possess. Words had never come easy.

“I’ll cover for you both,” Archer said, grabbing one of the shotguns before heading toward the door.

Kade fished in his pocket and produced a key before tossing it toward Archer. “Take my truck.”

Archer caught it and thanked his brother, realizing how damn fortunate he was to have a family that rallied around him during a time of trouble. He always had his twin’s back and vice versa, but this was different. This was starting to make Saddle Junction feel like Archer could settle here and be happy despite all the horrible memories of Beaumont.

This felt like a new era was emerging, an era in which he could see himself happy. Did being with Annalee influence his change of heart? Archer wasn’t sure. One thing was certain, the thought of being without her left an ache in his chest. Just like old times.

“We’ll start working on getting the funds together,” Chloe said to them as she gathered her things. “Post any other instructions in the new group chat, okay? I made one without Owen just in case the kidnapper has his phone and will see what’s happening.”

“Will do,” Archer said. “Hopefully, we’ll hear something soon.”

Chloe nodded. “Try to stall. It’ll take time to figure out how to get that kind of money together since our inheritance is still tied up.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Kade motioned for Chloe to give him her shotgun. “Just ask for as much time as you can get.”

“That’ll give Travis time to do his part.” Chloe shouldered her handbag and handed her weapon over. Her tight expression said she didn’t like being unarmed.

Archer didn’t blame her. “I’ve got your backs, Chloe. Plus, the bastard probably fled as far away as possible after the two of you chased him.”

“He’s a slippery sucker,” Chloe said with a small headshake. “We were so close.”

“He’ll turn up again, or Travis will get to him first.” The reassurance felt hollow. Archer repeated it in his mind to cement it, hoping that would make it come true.

Kade surprised Archer with a bear hug, as did Chloe. They hugged Annalee, too, and he could have sworn he saw more of that moisture gather in her eyes.

“I’ll walk you out,” he said to his siblings.

“Who will walk you out?” Chloe immediately shot back.

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