Chapter 15
With the abrupt entrance into the house, Webster and his buddy, Gary, managed to knock Myles out without much effort. While they were tying him to a chair, Annie came into the room with a baseball bat followed by Craig.
"Drop it!" Webster demanded aiming his gun in their direction. After she slowly lowered the bat to the floor, he growled, "Where's the woman?"
Craig opened his mouth to answer but Annie beat him to it, "She's not here. She got worse after you and the Doc left, so we took her to the improvised hospital in town."
"Sure she is," Webster sneered. "Gary, check upstairs."
With Webster's gun trained on them, the three stood silently waiting. Craig put a comforting arm around his sister. Neither of them was sure what Webster had planned, but they knew he was capable of just about anything.
All eyes turned to the stairs as Gary came back down. Craig and Annie breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he showed up alone. Where was Tara? they wondered, sharing a brief glance.
"And?" Webster questioned sharply.
"Nothing there."
"Tie Craig up too," Webster ordered, throwing Gary some rope before turning to Annie. "Make us something to eat."
"Make it yourself," Annie barked, her chin coming up defiantly.
"Don't upset me, Annie," Webster warned, pointing the gun he held at her brother's head.
The sinister look in his eyes made her cringe. While he bothered her when he was around, she never felt this kind of utter fear before. Reluctantly, she turned to the kitchen.
When she returned with the food, Myles was starting to come around. A trail of blood matted with his blonde hair dripping down his forehead as he groaned.
"Let me take a look at him, please," she asked Webster, slightly surprised when he agreed.
"Tara's gone," she whispered, kneeling down beside him. Pressing a cool cloth to the cut, she added, "We told them she was taken to the hospital after he left with the doctor."
Myles gave a faint nod indicating his understanding. He knew it was dangerous for Annie to give him that information, and he didn't want to make matters worse if the deputy and his sidekick ended up catching her.
"That's enough," Webster cried, jerking Annie to her feet and pushing her towards the couch.
Falling back against the cushions, Annie felt the blanket that previously covered Tara beside her. Pulling it into her lap, she thought, I hope she can get us some help.