“Hey, Jed,” I said as I inserted Joe’s key into his lock. “I was just about to call you. Mr. Miller and Mr. Walsh just dropped me off, and I’m goin’ inside Joe’s house.”
The doorknob unlocked, and I quickly pushed the door open, giving them a wave goodbye, then shut it behind me.
“What happened?” Jed asked.
I locked the door and set my purse on the floor by the entrance of the dark house, purposely leaving the lights off. “I think I’m just spooked. They must have heard our conversation, because one of them offered to charge my phone, and when I asked for it back, he tried to convince me to leave it be. See? I told you I was bein’ paranoid.”
“But you’re at Joe’s now, right?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I peeked through the blinds of the living room window and watched the security detail car drive away. “And the security detail just left.”
“Let me talk to Joe.”
I held back a groan. “I thought we already had that disagreement.”
“I want to ask him whether he’s still plannin’ on goin’ to that benefit dinner.”
“Why don’t I get back to you on that?”
“Neely Kate. Put me on speaker if you’re worried about how the conversation’s gonna go.”
Damn it. I was gonna have to confess. “He’s not here.”
“What the hell do you mean he’s not there?” he shouted.
“Jed, calm down. He said he was at Rose’s house and that he was on his way.”
“I trusted him to be there.”
I trusted him too, and as paranoid as he was, I couldn’t come up with a single good reason for him not being here. My chest tightened. “I’ve gotta go. I’m gonna call him.”
Thankfully, Jed hadn’t picked up on my anxiety. “Call him, then call me back immediately. In the meantime, I’m on my way.”
“Jed. Just wait until—”
I heard the ding of his car door. “This is not debatable, Neely Kate. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”
“But it takes almost twenty to get here.”
“I’ll see you in ten,” he growled, then hung up.
“Twenty minutes is plenty of time,” a woman said from the back of Joe’s living room.
I flipped the switch by the door, expecting to see my sister.
I was very, very wrong.
Stella sat in Joe’s recliner, the footrest kicked up and a gun pointed right at me. “Welcome to your payback, bitch.”
Chapter 26
“Stella,” I gasped.
“Surprise,” she said in a singsong voice as she pulled the lever to lower the footrest and got to her feet. “Where’s Branson?”
My heart sank. “I don’t know.”
“That’s bullshit,” she spat out, then fired her gun into the ceiling.
I involuntarily ducked down, my heart racing. I had my gun at the small of my back, but she would shoot me before I could get it out and point it at her.
“That’s right, you bitch,” she said with a sadistic laugh. “I’m in charge.”
I held my hands out at my sides. “You’re in charge, Stella.”
“Damn straight.” She took a step toward me. “Was that your man on the phone?”
“How did you get here?” I asked. There was no car parked out front. Had she parked behind the house?
“I asked you a damned question,” she snarled as she moved closer, pointing the gun at my chest. It was a .45 and the likelihood of me surviving a shot to the chest this close was unlikely. Her eyes were wild, clueing me in that she was high, and I knew I had to tread lightly.
“Was that your man on the phone?” she repeated.
“Yeah,” I said. “That was Jed.”
“He’s the one who butt his head into my business, ain’t he?”
I shook my head, trying to keep it together. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
“The fuck you don’t.” She pistol-whipped me in the side of the head, dropping me to the floor. “Answer the question, bitch.”
The room spun, and I felt like I was going to throw up. I thought about trying to get my gun, but I was too uncoordinated, and she was too close. She’d shoot me before I even got it out of the holster.
She kicked my side. “Answer me!”
“Yes,” I grunted out through the pain. “He called DFS.”
I expected her to kick me again, but instead she laughed. “Stupid bastard.”
I pushed to a sitting position, feeling hopeful that Jed would be here sooner than Stella expected. Hopefully Joe would show up even sooner.
A phone started to ring from across the room, and I realized it was mine—I’d dropped it when she’d hit me.
Stella wandered over to it and picked it up. “Jed. The boyfriend.” She pressed a button on the side, and it stopped ringing. “We’ll see him soon enough. But we’ll have a chat before he gets here. Where’s Branson?”
“I don’t know. When was the last time you saw him?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, Neely Kate. I know you took him, only you were wearin’ a wig.”
I shook my head, sending a shooting pain from one temple to the other. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t even know he was here in town.”
“I never said he was kidnapped here, Neely Kate. How’d you know we were here in town?”
Thankfully, my head was clearing. “Jed caught wind of it. He heard Branson was out at the Broken Branch Motel.” I paused, hoping I didn’t look too suspicious. “Where was Branson taken?”
“At your farm, you stupid bitch. But then, you know that already since you’re the one who took him.”
“I didn’t take him. I swear. But I think I know who did.”
“Who?” she asked, sounding suspicious.
“My sister.”
She snorted. “Now I know you’re lying. You don’t have a sister.”
“I do,” I said, scooting backward. “She’s the one who was in Ardmore before Christmas last year askin’ around about me.”
That caught her off guard, and she seemed less certain when she said, “You never had a sister.”
“I just found out about her,” I said. “Her father had an affair with my mother. This is my half brother’s house. Surely you know about him,” I said. “You’re in his house.”
She gave me a confused look.
“How’d you know to come to Joe’s house, Stella?”
“Branson.”
Had Branson found out that Joe was my brother and not told Stella? Why had he brought her to Fenton County in the first place?
“I want the money,” she said. “Where is it?”
The money. Of course. Stella knew about the money, which made her a loose end as far as Branson was concerned. Had he hoped to pay her off? “Jed has it,” I said, “but Kate has Branson. Which one do you want?”
“I’m a greedy girl. I want both. How do we contact your sister?”
Introducing Stella to Kate would be like tossing gasoline onto a bonfire, but that could work in my favor. “Her number’s on my phone.”
Stella tossed the phone toward me and it hit the floor, skidding several feet away. “Call her but put it on speaker.”
I leaned over and picked up the phone, grateful it hadn’t broken. I unlocked the screen and pulled up Kate’s number, with Stella close enough to watch what I was doing.
“Let me see the name,” she said.
I held up the phone, and she laughed when she saw Kate’s name. “No love lost there, huh?” She gestured toward me. “Make the call.”
I pressed send, my heart in my stomach when the phone started to ring.
“Sister dearest,” Kate answered with a smug tone. She sounded wide awake for it being in the middle of the night. “Which of the many reasons I’ve given you finally inspired you to call me?”
Many reasons? That didn’t sound good. “I’m callin’ for a reason you probably didn’t expect. I have Branson’s girlfriend here, and she wants to see him.”
Kate began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Stella asked.
If Stella found out that Kate had castrated Branson, she would likely pull the trigger on that big gun that was still pointed at me. And I couldn’t help thinking that would ruin Kate’s big plans. “Kate, Stella is holding me at gunpoint and she’s a bit touchy about wanting her man back.”
“She may not want him back after she sees him.”
“What’s that mean?” Stella asked, getting pissed.
“It’s a surprise,” Kate said. “You’ll find out soon enough. And I must say I’m disappointed you haven’t discovered it already, Neely Kate. I left it special for you.”
Bile rose in the back of my throat as I dropped my gaze to the phone. “I found it.”