Page 87 of Desperate Justice

Rafe gently pushed her in back of him. “I’ll check things out. Stay back, just in case.”

“It’s my sister.” Allison pointed to the eastern corner of the barn. “If she sees you, she may not come out. Dad used to store water there and horse blankets. See if anything’s been touched.”

She climbed the rickety wooden ladder to the barn loft, the creak echoing through the abandoned building. The sweet smell of a hay pile below the loft mingled with the musky scent of abandonment and animal scat. Dust motes floated in stray beams of sunshine coming through the grimy window. Anticipation and worry raced through her. Di surely had to be here. As a child, her sister adored playing hide-and-seek in the barn.

As she climbed high enough to see into the shadowy loft, she spied farming equipment and old furniture. Something moved in the shadows.

“Di? Please don’t be scared. It’s me, Ally, jellybean. I’ve been so worried about you.”

Allison climbed a little higher, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.

Suddenly, a figure lunged from the shadows, and something kicked her in the head. Yelping with pain, she managed to hold on to the ladder, but the dim figure pushed the ladder over. Falling, she managed to aim her trajectory at the hay bale, where she landed with a poof.

Vision blurred, she heard boots on the wooden floorboards of the barn, and Rafe’s deep voice yell out.

As she struggled in the musty hay, Rafe freed her. He brushed hay from her hair and face.

“Ally, you okay? Did you get hurt?” he asked, voice thick with concern.

“I’m okay. My pride is hurt more than anything.” Wincing, she touched her head where the attacker kicked her. “Good thing I have a hard head.”

He gently touched her head. “You may have a concussion.”

“Doubt it.” She started to stand, but he put his hands on her shoulders. “Easy. Sit for a few minutes.”

“You should have run after the guy,” she told him. “He got away.”

“I’m more concerned about you.”

The proclamation made her heart beat faster, even as she winced from the pain. “Get a look at that son of a biscuit?”

“Medium height, build. Dressed in black. Stay here. I’m checking the outside.”

He returned shortly. “Found a ladder under the loft window. He must have used that to get away.”

“That car we saw was probably his, not Di’s.”

Rafe examined her head. “You’re not bleeding, but that was a nasty fall. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Allison swallowed her distress as she touched her head again. “Help me up, please.”

At his frown, she sighed. “Look, I’m a nurse. I know I’m okay.”

Rafe helped her to stand and put his hands on her shoulders. His touch warmed her and felt reassuring. Calm and collected, he was good in an emergency.

Good in everything, actually. The feel of his strong hands on her trembling shoulders reminded her of exactly how good he’d been when they’d made love.

Here she was, thinking of sex when Di was still missing. In danger. Allison trembled inside.

Rafe backed up. “I’ll have Jase run the plate on that sedan, see if it belongs to your family or someone else.”

As he called Jase, she leaned against a pillar. That was a sliver of hope at least. She glanced around the gloomy barn and shivered, thinking of her delicate sister sleeping in the loft, fearful and apprehensive. Maybe the person who attacked her had taken Di as well.

Rafe hung up and shook his head. “Plate belongs to a car reported stolen a few months ago. If that was your family’s car, someone put the stolen plate on it. I’m taking a look at that loft.”

As he investigated, she sat, holding her head. Soon he returned.

“I found this by a few horse blankets.” Rafe held up a tube of cosmetics.