“Who?” Troy Davis asked sharply.
“Vladimir.”
“James!” Christie shouted as understanding came. “They have James and Rachel.”
Teri stared at her, then at Bobby. That was it—James and Rachel had been kidnapped. Whoever had taken them must’ve assumed they had Teri. If it was the two men who’d originally confronted her, they’d realize quickly enough that they had the wrong woman. The question was what they’d do once they became aware of their mistake. Terror froze her and she couldn’t breathe.
The ringing of the phone cut into the room, freeing Teri from her sudden paralysis. Dragging in a deep breath, she lunged at the jangling phone. Caller ID told her it was Bruce Peyton.
She couldn’t imagine why he’d called her unless he’d somehow heard.
“Bruce,” Teri said, picking up the receiver. It took all her strength to speak normally.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Teri, but do you know where Rachel is?”
“Ah. Was she supposed to see Jolene tonight?”
His hesitation was brief. “No. I need to talk to her and I can’t seem to find her. She usually has her cell phone but I haven’t been able to get hold of her.”
“Perhaps you should come to my house,” Teri suggested. She couldn’t very well tell him over the phone that Rachel had been abducted.
Again he paused. “Is everything okay?”
“Not … really. Could you stop by at your earliest convenience?” Then, thinking quickly, she added, “It’d probably be best if Jolene wasn’t with you.”
“This sounds serious,” Bruce murmured, but without quizzing her further, he said he was on his way. When she’d replaced the receiver, she turned to the sheriff, intent on hearing exactly what had happened. Bobby, not surprisingly, was an emotional mess.
Before she could ask a single question, the phone rang again. Teri would’ve been content to let voice mail pick up when Christie suddenly screamed, “It’s James!”
She would’ve grabbed it if not for Sheriff Davis. “Let me take this,” he said.
Nodding shyly, Christie backed away, her mouth covered with both hands. Teri noticed that her sister was trembling. At this point, she didn’t know whom to comfort first, Bobby or Christie.
“Sheriff Davis,” Troy announced. He listened for a minute, then said, “I’ll send a patrol car for you. They’ll be there in five minutes.” He immediately ordered a patrol vehicle to the Dairy Queen off Highway 16, then requested an APB on Bobby’s car. When he’d finished, he spoke to Teri, obviously considering her the most rational of the group. “It’s James Wilbur and Rachel Pendergast. I’m having them brought into the station for questioning.”
“You won’t keep them long will you, Sheriff?” Christie asked.
“No, they’ve been through enough as it is.” He frowned. “Apparently the two men in question pushed your friends out of the limo and made off with it. We’ll be on the lookout.”
He left soon afterward, telling them he’d be in touch soon, and Teri made a fresh pot of coffee. She was desperately in need of a heavy dose of caffeine laced with sugar, and she assumed the others were, too. The shock was just beginning to hit her; she couldn’t seem to stop shaking.
They were sitting at the kitchen table, trying to make sense of what had taken place, when Bruce arrived. Teri answered the door.
“What’s going on with Rachel?” he demanded as soon as he was inside the house. “Where is she, anyway?”
Teri released a pent-up breath. She wasn’t sure how to explain that her best friend had been kidnapped, that the men who’d been after her had mistakenly grabbed Rachel. Apparently they’d decided to grab James, as well; they must have overtaken him and stolen the car. Had they forced him to drive?
She glanced at her watch and tried to speak calmly. “My guess is that Rachel’s talking Sheriff Davis’s ear off right about now.”
“Sheriff Davis? Why?”
“She was kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped!” Bruce’s eyes widened and his mouth sagged open as if he couldn’t believe what she’d told him.
“Come with me,” she said, leading him into the kitchen. Christie poured a cup of coffee and then spooned in sugar, stirring it briskly before she handed him the mug.
“What’s going on?” he asked again, ignoring the coffee.
Bobby began to explain, but his version was confusing, and Christie’s attempted corrections didn’t help, and then Teri added her voice to the melee.
“Hey!” Bruce whistled loudly. “One at a time.” He pointed at Bobby. “You first.”
Bobby simply shook his head. “I can’t. All I know is that Teri’s safe. I’m sorry this happened to Rachel because of me.”
“It isn’t your fault,” Teri said, reaching for her husband’s hand. She chafed his cold fingers.
Finally Teri described the events of the night, insofar as she knew them.
“I’m going to the sheriff’s,” Bruce said. He got up immediately and tore out of the house.
“I am, too,” Christie said, following Bruce.
“We’ll wait here,” Teri shouted after them. Sheriff Davis had said he’d call the house, which was a good reason to stay. Besides, Teri doubted she and Bobby could contribute much to the investigation at the moment. The sheriff would have more questions for them later.
As soon as they were alone, Bobby stood and walked into the living room.
“Bobby!” Teri said, hurrying after him.
Then she was in his arms, and he was holding her and kissing her as if he never intended to stop. “I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered between kisses.
“Do what?”
“Risk losing you and our baby.”
“Bobby, we can’t let Vladimir blackmail you into giving up your title.”
“I’ll throw the match,” he declared. “I don’t care. Winning isn’t important anymore. I won’t put you at risk again.”
“Bobby, please.”
“No, Teri, the decision’s already been made. I’m going to play Vladimir. That’s what he wants. That’s what this whole kidnapping was about. He wanted to force my hand. And he did.”
Thirty-Five
Cold and shivering inside the sheriff’s office, Rachel clutched the thin blanket a
