Page 41 of Safeguarding the Witness

This was not Mollie. He grabbed her wrist and held on tight. “Nice to meet you, Madison.”

His cowboy boots clunked with every step as Youngblood crossed the concrete barn floor and came closer to Mollie. He squatted down to her level and stared into her eyes. “You caused me a whole lot of trouble,” he said. “Before you and your dad came along, I had never lost a witness.”

“I had to leave. Leave Denver.”

Her voice came out garbled. She couldn’t control her mouth. Loose lips sink ships. Why did she think of that? Her mind wandered, following a path she couldn’t consciously navigate. If the hankie pressed against her nose had chloroform, that would explain her dizziness. She didn’t know much about the drug, but knew it caused hallucinating. That would explain the presence of Youngblood, who shouldn’t be in Oregon. And it would make sense of the lady in a hat who turned into a stout man.

Youngblood gripped her jaw in his fingers. “Pay attention, bitch. Why did you run?”

The pressure on her chin hurt, and the pain was real. Not an illusion. She tried to pull away but could only manage clumsy, ineffective movements. “Men with guns. Shooting at me.”

“Well, aren’t you the little drama queen?” He scoffed and loosened his grasp. “Nobody was after you. Nobody gives a damn about you. They were supposed to kill Spence Cameron before he sweet-talked you into coming to Oregon.”

“Why?” she managed to gasp.

“Julio didn’t want you to have top-notch protection. He’d already relocated to Cloverdell and didn’t want you to show up and contact your sister.”

“Inheritance,” she said to explain. Not that she needed to tell him anything. “Art gallery.”

“We heard you were coming into money.” He glanced over his shoulder at the two men who had dragged her into the barn. “Do you believe her? Does she look wealthy?”

The short, plump man had exchanged his little-old-lady dress and feathered hat for a baggy gray sweat suit. “This one is no beauty. Not like Princesa.”

“We’re identical,” Mollie said.

A burst of anger cut through the confusion clouding her mind. How many times would she have to hear how much prettier her sister was? Even though they were identical? Her fingers clenched into a fist, and she felt the rounded surface of the canister in her hand. A reminder that she wasn’t helpless. As soon as she was able to stand and run, she needed to use the pepper spray. There might only be one chance for her to escape.

Youngblood towered over her. “Nobody is going to hurt you. Julio Flores will be making you a proposition, and I’d advise you to accept his generosity. Do you hear me?”

She bobbed her head. She’d heard. And had no intention of going along with anything Julio said.

* * *

When Madison chuckled, Spence heard the difference between her and Mollie. Madison’s laughter skated at the edge of derision. It was the kind of laugh that came before I-told-you-so. Mollie’s giggles were without guile. She expressed amusement without sinister undertones.

“How did you know I wasn’t Mollie?”

Coldly, Spence said, “She’s a better kisser.”

“I doubt that very much.”

Spence had an incoming call. He touched his earbud to answer. “What is it?”

“Mollie escaped,” Quintana said. “She tricked Thornton and locked him in. He had to shoot the lock to get out.”

“Where is she?”

“Don’t know.”

He told her to contact Rossi and Jamison to organize a search. They had to find her. Someone must have seen her.

Spence yanked Madison closer to him and stared into the familiar face of this woman who was a stranger. “Where is she?”

“You’d better find her. Julio isn’t known for his kindness.”

“Why do you suspect Julio?”

“Why don’t you?” She tried to wrench away from him. “He planned this meeting at Irma’s house, didn’t he?”