Then he paused and listened. Nothing but wind.
He sniffed. Dirt, rain, and hay. He was alone? Somebody had gone to the trouble to knock him out, bring him to some barn, and then leave his ass? Oh, he didn’t think so. His left hand trembled—a condition he was becoming accustomed to.
What had awoken him? An engine, still running outside, caught his attention.
Then a door opened, and heavy footsteps pounded across the dirt. Something was hefted to the floor and then the footsteps rapidly escaped. An engine revved up outside and then a vehicle with a loud engine sped away.
What was happening? Raine reared up and paused as a scent hit him. A powerful one of female, honey, and pears. Everything inside him settled and then supercharged. “Mariana?” he whispered.
She screamed, high and loud.
He jumped to his feet and lowered his head, shaking wildly until the hood flew off. His hands remained bound, and he pivoted to take in the entire barn. It was empty except for the female sitting across from him, her hands bound in back of her and a hood covering her head. A lit lantern perched on a bale of hay to her right. “You’re okay.” He took a deep breath and jerked on his restraints, ripping them open as he regained his strength. He strode to her and crouched down, taking off her hood.
She shrank away and knocked her head against the worn siding. “Get away from me.”
He remained in place, his gaze searching. Power and strength flowed through him just from being near her for a few minutes. “Did they hurt you?”
She stared at him and then recognition lightened her stunning brown eyes. “Raine?” she croaked.
His lungs compressed and then heated with lava. “Yeah.” Whoever had done this to her would cry in pain. “Talk to me. Are you hurt?” He tried to keep his voice gentle, but the tenor lowered to gritty and hoarse.
She just stared. Her dark hair was wild around her heart-shaped face, but he couldn’t see any bruises on her.
“Let’s get these off you.” He angled to the side and gently pulled her forward so he could see her restraints. Simple ties. He broke them with one finger. Yeah. Her nearness already brought some of his strength back to him. The legends about his family were true.
The second her hands were free, she twirled away from him and leaped to her feet, backing away. “I can’t believe it’s you. All of this time.” Her voice shook as she reached in her waistband and came away empty.
He scratched his whiskered chin. “What’s me?”
She gulped in air, and her gaze caught on one of the silver restraints still hanging from his wrist. Then she swung her focus to where his hood lay near where he’d sat. “Oh, God. This is my fault. He got you, too?”
Raine paused and lowered his chin to better see her eyes. Was she concussed? How the hell was he going to explain this to her? “I was knocked out and just came to as you were brought in. I—”
“I’m so sorry.” She rushed for him and grabbed his hands. “This is my fault. But why you? Were you coming to my place? I don’t understand.” She released him and looked around. “We have to get out of here. How did you break your cuffs? They look solid. Even more than my ties had.”
The woman’s thoughts bounced around faster than his fury. He had to make her understand that he hadn’t asked for this clusterfuck. “Mariana—”
“Oh.” She slapped her hand over her mouth and then removed it. “You were bringing back that dish you borrowed right before you disappeared from town.” She shook her head. “Right? That’s the only way he could’ve seen you.” She swallowed rapidly. “Where did you go, anyway?”
Away from her. As far away from her as he could get—and he’d kept the dish like a moron just so he could remember her. It was plain and slightly pink, and she’d brought cookies on it to the first fundraiser for Evan Holden, who was running for sheriff. Raine had promised to return it to her, and then he’d split town. Fast. “I went home to Montana and had just gotten back to town this morning. I was on my way to your place when I was hit with a bunch of darts.” He hadn’t been able to stay away any longer, and look what that had gotten him. Yet it felt damn good to regain some of his strength. Because of her.
Her gaze darted around, and fear rolled off her. “He must’ve taken you before I even got home. I’m so sorry about this.”
“He?” Raine tried to get his brain to full power. “No one man could’ve taken me out, sweetheart.” Darts or not. He had a bad suspicion and hustled to the door to look out at the darkness. “Where are we?”
“If you were darted, one small child could’ve knocked you out,” she countered, her voice trembling. “Although it’d take a strong man, maybe two, to get you into the trunk of a car. He didn’t sedate me but did put me in the trunk of a car, and it had to be at least a two or three hour drive,” she said, moving to his side to look out at the slashing rain and dark night. “We have to get out of here.”
Wait a minute. He’d been out for hours after being sedated? What had been in those darts? Had he become that weak already without her? Oh, he was going to kill somebody. “Did they hurt you?” he growled.
“Not yet.” She manacled her nails into his forearm. “This is my fault. The guy has been stalking me forever, and he finally got me. I’m not sure where he is right now, but we have to run.” Thunder blasted high and loud, and she jumped but set her chin. “We have to go now, Raine.”
Wait a minute. Perhaps his brothers hadn’t just forced his hand with Mariana. Was there an enemy out there? A real stalker?
Chapter 2
Mariana watched the wind blow the slashing rain sideways toward more darkness. She could make out a muddy road with a thick forest on one side and what looked like weeds on the other that extended far into the abyss. It must’ve been a field at some time. She shivered. “If we stay to the trees, we’ll have some shelter.”
Raine remained silent at her side.
She could almost feel his mind working, and the tension pouring from him was actually speeding up her heart rate even faster, if that was possible. At the moment, she could barely breathe. She’d been taken, gotten him kidnapped, and they were now abandoned in this weird barn.
For now.
Her breath burst out. “They’ll be coming back. Or he will.” She ran through the issues even as her legs trembled with the need to escape into the storm. “He must’ve had somebody else kidnap us?” What did that mean? Did the guy want an alibi if she was taken? Or was he unable to kidnap somebody like Raine? If so, did that mean he was smaller than Raine? Or did it mean that her stalker was a woman? Her gut had always felt it was a man, but maybe she was wrong. “We have to go, Raine.” Yet she stayed in place. Was there more danger in the storm or in the barn? The barn. The kidnappers could return with weapons. They surely hadn’t expected Raine to be able to get out of his cuffs.
“We have to wait out the storm, darlin’.” Raine put one broad hand on the door as if to shut it.
She whirled on him, thankful to have a place to focus. “You don’t understand.”
“Yeah. We’re gonna discuss that.” He looked down at her, formidable now that the drugs had obviously exited his system.