“No,” she replied. “I was just...visiting.” Her answer set off another furious round of whispering from the other four kids.
She’d picked up the ringleader’s name from eavesdropping. If she ignored the angry look on his face, he looked like he could have been one of the Farris grandchildren. Long-sleeved shirt, worn jeans, boots, and an air of wildness around him. “You’re Harry, right?”
He pointed a grubby finger at her. “You don’t talk unless I ask you a question.”
“Look,” she said, ignoring his command, “I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding. Why don’t you untie me, and we’ll forget about this.”
“I said don’t talk.” He reached into his pocket and drew out something dark and metallic. Something that reflected the light. Though she recognized it immediately, it still took her brain a second to comprehend.
A gun. He’d drawn a gun and had it in his shaking hand. Pointing at her.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.” Her instinct was to babble, keep talking until she’d figured her way out of this, but she clamped her lips shut and tried not to hyperventilate. He kept the gun trained on her until he was satisfied she would be quiet, then shoved it back in his pocket and returned to the group.
“Just let her go!” insisted the same voice that had spoken up before.
“Shut up, Lindy,” Harry snapped. “It’ll still work even if she’s not a shifter. She’s probably someone’s girlfriend or cousin.”
“This was a stupid plan,” one of the others muttered. “I wouldn’t have even come along if I hadn’t been drunk.”
“Tough shit,” Harry said. “You’re here now. Now someone has to figure out how to get a message to one of those shifters. Unless any of you want to go knock on the front door.”
No one answered. From what Hope could tell, Harry was the leader because he was the pushiest and most stubborn, not necessarily because he was the smartest.
“Hey, lady.” Harry stalked back over to her. She couldn’t help looking at the pocket where he’d stashed the gun. If she were someone else, maybe she’d be able to figure out how to get loose and get her hands on the gun. But her life definitely hadn’t prepared her for this kind of predicament. Arguing with the hotel’s front desk about unauthorized pay-per-view charges, yes. Armed kidnappers, no.
Keeping in mind his earlier admonition not to talk, she just met his eyes and waited for him to continue.
“You said you’ve been visiting them,” Harry said.
“Yes,” Hope replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“But you’re not part of the family. So what are you? Someone’s girlfriend?”
“Something like that,” she agreed.
“What’s the best way to send them a message?”
Her mind raced through possibilities and discarded them. Josh would obviously notice when she didn’t return. How long would it take him to figure out what had happened? She knew that he would come for her, as surely as she knew her own name. And the others would help. If she was lucky, they’d arrive soon. All she had to do was stall for as much time as possible, while not antagonizing Harry.
She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she wasn’t lucky.
“Who do you want to talk to?” she asked. Maybe knowing that would help her determine the best strategy.
“Anyone! It doesn’t matter.”
“It has to matter,” she argued. “Is it Rick? Allison? Jennifer? Josh?”
“They’re all the same to me. Unnatural animals.” He turned his head and spat on the ground.
Hope took a deep breath. If she seemed calm, it might help Harry be calm too. “Maybe if you tell me what you want to say, I can help you figure out who you want to talk to.”
“It’s about the ranch.”
“The Golden Horse?”
“Yeah. It belongs to us.”
Hope struggled to comprehend. “Us? You...you mean your family?”