Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

Every time Jarom struggled against the men, they paused and hit him with the stun gun again. It was an exhausting and agonizing cycle. How could he fight his way free and get back to Autumn?

Finally, they reached a dirt road with three Humvees lined up. The men yanked him toward an older gentleman dressed in a suit.

“Jarom Love. It’s a pleasure to see you, son.”

“Wish I could say I felt the same,” Jarom gritted out.

Benjamin Oliver nodded to one of his captors.

The man hit him with the Taser again. He pitched forward and tasted dirt as small rocks dug at his face and arms. He was brought low, in pain and misery, stripped of all pride, but he wouldn’t bow to the foul Benjamin Oliver. He only bowed to his Savior and Heavenly Father.

The stun gun stopped, and he was ripped to his feet again. His limbs were shaky. How many times could a person be hit with a Taser and still recover? He was reaching his limit, but he’d go through any pain for Autumn. What if they’d already killed her? The entire nation knew Benjamin Oliver had no qualms about torture or death inflicted on anyone who defied him, and even some who didn’t. He was a foul behemoth dressed in … a Love Designer Wear suit. The gall of this foul scum.

“How did you find me?” Jarom asked, his thick tongue making the words slur. Would anyone come and help him find and rescue Autumn? Were Jared, Millie, and Easton alive? What about the other ranch hands and Walker? Chad and Brandon and others he’d never met. They’d have seen the explosion on the cameras. When Easton rode up on his horse, he’d known trouble was approaching. Were those men already dead? How long would it take Sheriff Clint to come? He counted seven men including Benjamin.

He prayed desperately for some help for Autumn and the Colevilles.

Benjamin smiled. “It does me good to see you like this—dirty, wearing inferior clothing, in pain, knowing you will die after you transfer a fortune to me.” His smile became a snarl. “You thought you could help my Elizabeth betray me and have no consequences. You were wrong.”

Jarom stood as tall as he could with the men holding him back. He despised this man and all the pain, death, and manipulation he’d instigated. Thankfully both of his daughters were safe. At the moment. If Benjamin could destroy the Colevilles’ fence and get to him, maybe he could find Elizabeth and Jacey and kill their husbands too.

“How did you find me?” he repeated, thankful his voice was more level .

“I’ve long been suspicious of this little picturesque mountain valley. Elizabeth, Jacqueline, and Thomas have all been here at one point or another. Aiden Porter thought he was too smart for me to put it together, but you helped me by making a mistake.”

“What mistake was that?”

Jarom had caused this nightmare? If Autumn or any of the Colevilles died, it would be on his head.

“One of my men befriended a waitress at the local diner. They keep in touch, and she shares all the local gossip. Coincidentally, her mother is the postwoman. Our mole let my man know about a box of cologne coming to Walker Coleville from Jarom Love’s company. How coincidental.” Benjamin smiled, obviously proud of himself. “We’ve been scouting the property from a distance all day. Your horse ride earlier gave us an idea, and the walk tonight was perfect. You played right into my hands.”

Tilting his head to his men, he said, “Let’s load up. Mr. Love can transfer money while we drive. Then we’ll leave his desecrated body and a message for the incompetent Aiden Porter.”

Jarom held the man’s gaze and prayed no fear showed. He didn’t look forward to his own death, but if Autumn was already dead, he wouldn’t mind going to heaven earlier than planned.

Please let Autumn and the Colevilles be all right.

“I’m going to enjoy carving you up and listening to you squeal,” Benjamin said smoothly as his men dragged Jarom toward him. “How long I do so depends entirely on how quickly you cooperate.”

“I’m sure you do enjoy being the devil’s henchman in that twisted little mind of yours,” Jarom said. “But you won’t have the pleasure of hearing me squeal.”

“The bravado is impressive.” Benjamin smiled. “You aren’t afraid of what I can do to you?”

“I fear no man.” He tilted his chin up. “As my Savior said, ‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’”

Benjamin’s smooth features twisted. “Your God can’t save you.”

“On the contrary. I’ve already been saved by Him. ‘Though after skin worms destroy this body in my flesh I shall see God.’”

Jarom didn’t often quote scripture, but it strengthened him in this dark moment.

“Hold your tongue,” Benjamin commanded. “Or I’ll have my men cut it out.”

One of his men produced a knife. Jarom’s stomach soured at the thought of that knife on his tongue, but he prayed for heavenly help and stayed straight and tall.

“‘The Lord is my strength and my shield’,” he quoted. Benjamin’s men could cut his tongue out, torture him, kill him, but they couldn’t take his true strength, his faith in the Savior, or his love of God, his parents, and Autumn.

“Cut his tongue out,” Benjamin snarled.

The man advanced as the other two pinned him between them. Jarom didn’t struggle. Quite the contrary. He felt peace and knew he would be strengthened through the torture. He may meet his Savior tonight. The idea brought reassurance that would carry him through the anguish.

The man with the knife grabbed his jaw with one hand and squeezed. Jarom gritted his teeth and kept his jaw clamped. He felt peaceful but he wasn’t about to willingly offer up his tongue. The man squeezed harder, forcing his mouth open. This was it. He steeled himself for the pain and prayed more earnestly.

A gunshot rang out, and the man on his right crashed into Benjamin, his grip on Jarom releasing. A bullet wound oozed blood right next to his ear. The man holding Jarom’s face backed away.

Benjamin cursed and shoved the dead body away from him, straightening. Another shot and the man on Jarom’s left was hit. He didn’t die instantly but clutched at his head as he sank to the ground.

The other four guards spun and opened fire on whoever had killed the men. Jarom’s hopes took flight. He prayed whoever was coming to his rescue would be miraculously protected from the hailstorm of bullets as he dove at Benjamin, knocking the man to the ground.

Benjamin squealed like a pig. Jarom drove his fist into the man’s face and then flipped him over onto the ground. He wrapped his arm around Benjamin’s neck, grasped his right forearm with his left hand, and tugged with all his might. His strength had returned, even with all the Tasing. Thank heaven above. It was a miracle. Someone coming to rescue him at that opportune moment was an even larger miracle.

Squeaking and clawing at him, Benjamin didn’t do much more than leave some ugly scratches on his arm.

The man finally stopped fighting and Jarom released him. He didn’t want to kill anyone, even Benjamin, but he wanted him out of commission. He hoped without their leader the men would be confused and flail like a chicken with its head cut off.

The shots slowed and stopped. The four remaining men looked at the nearby trees uneasily, but nothing moved in the dark night. Had they killed whoever had come for him? Autumn? Walker? Maybe Jared or Chad?

Jarom’s heart raced as he eased toward the man right in front of him, hoping to even out the fight. He wasn’t a trained warrior—Easton had proven that—but he could choke anybody out.

He leaped on the man’s back, secured his arm around his throat to cut off his oxygen supply, and yanked hard. The man flailed in surprise and then did the very move Eli had taught Jarom to do. He launched backward with Jarom clinging to him, intent on smashing Jarom with his bulky frame.

Jarom released him and rolled the other direction as they hit the ground.

Two more shots rang out. Two more guards hit the ground. The other guard shot blindly into the trees. Jarom jumped to his feet. The guard Jarom had tried to choke out leaped at him, yanking out his knife.

“You’re going to protect me,” he snarled, grabbing at Jarom.

“Not a chance.” Jarom slammed his fist into the man’s forearm.

The man didn’t release the knife. He sliced Jarom’s arm. Pain flared and something warm dripped down his skin.

The other guard kept shooting into the trees, pinning down whoever was trying to rescue Jarom.

An arm wrapped around Jarom’s neck from behind and the sharp edge of a knife pressed against his neck.

“Don’t move,” Benjamin Oliver snarled. “Or I’ll fillet you.”

Jarom froze, and he prayed.

“Kill whoever killed my men,” Benjamin commanded the man who’d cut Jarom’s arm.

The man nodded, pocketed his knife, and pulled out his gun. Jarom couldn’t just stand here and let them kill whoever had come for him. He prayed for strength, grasped Benjamin’s hand holding the knife with both of his, and yanked the hand and the knife away from his throat. He spun like Eli had taught him and Autumn and Easton had worked with him on yesterday, clinging to Benjamin’s forearm and yanking his arm up and behind his back.

Benjamin squealed.

Shots rang out from the road behind Jarom and Benjamin, not from the trees. The two remaining mercenaries both went down.

Benjamin cried out and tried to free himself. Jarom wrenched the arm harder. He never wanted to hurt anyone, but this fiend wasn’t getting free. Not on his watch.

Sheriff Clint Coleville strode into their line of sight, his pistol pointed at Benjamin. “Nice work, Mr. Love,” he said, nodding to him. He focused on Benjamin. “Don’t think of resisting. You killed my brother, and I wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet through your heart if you give me any reason.”

Jarom’s heart thudded dully in his chest. Easton was dead? He’d brought this upon the Colevilles. Not just because Benjamin was after him, but because he’d sent that box of cologne and tipped the man off. Remorse swirled through him.

Two shadows approached from the trees.

Clint swung his gun on the people. Jarom held Benjamin more firmly to make certain he didn’t try anything. He’d destroyed so many lives and families. Was there a prison dank enough that he couldn’t escape from?

“Clint?” Walker’s voice carried across the clearing.

“Jarom!” Autumn cried out.

Jarom wanted to release Benjamin and run to her, hold her close. He didn’ t dare move yet.

“Are you all right?” he called to her.

“Yes!”

Autumn and Walker rushed across the space. Walker started checking the downed men. Autumn came straight for him.

Clint pointed the gun at Benjamin’s head and said, “Face down on the ground.”

Jarom had no problem ‘assisting’ the man to the ground. Benjamin yelped. Jarom released his arm and stepped back. Autumn held her gun pointed at Benjamin and told Clint, “I’ve got him.”

“Thanks.” Clint holstered his gun and bent to cuff his hands behind his back. He recited his rights in a voice faster than an auctioneer and then stood and nodded to Autumn. “Good work. You killed all but the last two.” He tilted his head to all the downed men.

“Not the most important one.” She pointed her gun at Benjamin Oliver. “We need to finish this. Jarom, turn your back.”

Jarom’s eyes widened. Autumn had been the one in the trees and killed the four guards. Now she was going to kill Benjamin. He knew Benjamin deserved death after his many murders, but would Autumn shoot a defenseless man?

“Let him live a long, miserable life in the worst prison imaginable,” Clint said evenly.

Autumn looked from Benjamin to Clint. The seconds ticked by. Her jaw worked, but then she slid her gun into her pocket.

Jarom let out the breath he’d been holding.

Clint nodded. “It’s rough, but we can’t stoop to his level.”

Autumn only raised her eyebrows at that. “I only killed three of them. Walker came for the second round.” She nodded to Walker, who was approaching them. She was more serious than he’d ever seen her. Of course she was. Easton was dead .

Jarom wanted to gather her in his arms, but this didn’t seem to be that moment.

She looked to his arm that had blood trailing down it.

“Just a flesh wound,” he quipped.

She didn’t even smile.

“Easton?” Clint asked his brother. “Chad said the video showed him …” He stopped as if unable to say it.

Walker’s face pinched. “He’s unconscious, burned, but his pulse and heartbeat are strong.”

“He’s not …” The mighty sheriff leaned into the nearby vehicle. “Oh, thank the good Lord above. When Chad called …”

Easton wasn’t dead. Jarom did thank his Father above.

Red and blue lights approached, sirens announcing the officials’ arrival. It was over. Benjamin would be apprehended and Easton taken to a hospital.

Jarom focused on Autumn. Was their time together over? Would she stay by his side if he begged?

She glanced at him. Her golden eyes were dark, a shutter over them. What was she thinking and feeling?

If their time was over, how would he survive?