***
“What the hell do you mean, Evan has Jacey?” Derrick roared, glaring at Connor who was ignoring him, his whole attention on the computer screen in front of him.
When he’d gotten the call from Hunter he’d driven over to the safe house like a maniac, thankful there seemed to be few cops out this evening.
“How the hell did he get to her?”
“He kidnapped your sister-in-law and her husband,” Hunter explained. “Used them as bait to lure Jacey out. She wasn’t stupid, she took Tiny as back-up.”
“So how is it that she’s now in a car with Evan?” Derrick shouted.
“Evan moved quickly. Tiny was scouting the area when Evan shoved her in a car. He’s following them,” Connor said. “I’m tracking her necklace.”
Thank Christ he’d had the foresight to put a tracking device in her necklace.
“Have you tracked Holly’s necklace?” he demanded. He’d sent a similar necklace to his sister-in-law and Ava at their men’s requests.
Connor nodded. “Gray took some of our men over there.”
“Jaron, you’re with me,” Hunter said. “They already have a head start. Connor, keep us updated on their location.”
Derrick followed them out.
“Derrick, it would be better if you stayed here,” Hunter said, not without sympathy.
“Like fuck,” Derrick replied. “I’m coming as well. Besides, my phone already has the program on it to track her. It’ll be quicker than relying on Connor.”
“I’m coming too,” Cady said, crossing her arms over her chest as they all turned to glare at her. “What? She’s my friend.”
“I need you here with Connor. You stay on the phone with us while he works.”
“Bullshit. Derrick has the program on his phone. I’m going.”
Hunter took a step toward her, looming over her. She swallowed heavily, but didn’t step away.
“You’re staying. In case you forgot, sweetheart, I’m your boss for the night and you do as I say. Jaron, Derrick, let’s go.”
Cady didn’t say anything more, just spun away and stomped into the house.
Derrick climbed into the front passenger seat. He was furious. How dare she place herself in danger this way? When he had her back safe and well in his arms he was going to beat her ass until she couldn’t sit down for a week.
***
“So how are you going to explain me being out here?” Jacey asked, looking around her as they drove further away from the city. They’d been driving for two hours now and the houses had become few and far between.
She hoped like hell that Tiny wasn’t far behind them. She didn’t dare look behind her, not wanting to alert Evan.
“Do you know that your old college friend, Suzy, has a ranch out here?” Evan said.
Jacey frowned. “No. What has that got to do with anything? I haven’t seen Suzy in years.” In fact, they hadn’t really been friends. Suzy’s mother and her mother had been close.
“Well, the last couple of years have been hard on the ranch; they’ve lost a lot of money and are near foreclosure. Something I’m sure you understand Suzy finds very humiliating.”
Suzy had always cared about appearances more than anything else.
“So she was very grateful for a little injection of cash. And all she has to do is corroborate Stephan’s story that you’ve been staying with her for the last week, since you returned from Europe. You borrowed this car from her to drive into Austin then on the way home; tragically, you had an accident, drove off the road, into the river and drowned.”
“This is absurd. There are so many holes in that story it’s laughable. There is no way anyone will believe it. And are you forgetting Derrick?”