Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
It’s definitely possible they may have taken Missy’s car and modified it. Given the timeline, she would have just given birth. She might have been in the hospital when they used her vehicle. “It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try. How long would it take you to take her junker apart?”
“By myself, it could be a while. If I bring my crew in, we can have it done within a few hours.” He folds his arms over his chest. “Reckon we could consider it our good deed of the week.”
Hours later, I blow out a breath as I survey Missy’s car. It’s been completely ravaged, stripped down to nothing but bolts. It was worth it because Zane was right. Everything we were looking for is inside.
I exchange a look with Luke. Now that I have something concrete, I know he’ll back my plan. “We have bait. All we have to do is get the word out.”
Chapter 12
Missy
I can tell something has changed the moment Griffin comes home. It’s funny that I’ve already started to think about this guest room as home. But that’s what it is because Griffin always spends the night with me here. Anywhere he is, that’s home.
I’ve put Daisy down for a nap with her blanket, but she’s fighting sleep. I’ve read parenting books that tell me she needs to learn to self-soothe. I get that it works for some parents. I can’t do it. I want her to know that if she cries, I’ll be here to comfort her.
He joins me in the bedroom, the sounds of his boot scuffing against the worn hardwood floors filling me with warmth. Every time he comes home, I get a little thrill. I think it’ll always be this way.
He joins me over the crib, putting a hand on Daisy’s belly. Her body relaxes completely like she knows her guardian and protector is here. She trusts him completely, and that tells me everything I need to know about the man beside me.
“Is everything OK?” I ask quietly. I suspect she likes the rumbling sound of his voice. She always drifts to sleep when he starts singing lullabies to her.
He says, “We found the drugs we were looking for in your car. It had been modified with several hidden compartments.”
“Wow,” I whisper, taking this new information in. All this time I’ve been driving around with a car filled with drugs. If a police officer with a K-9 had ever stopped me, no one would have believed I didn’t know they were there. It’s one more reason I feel fortunate to have landed in Courage County.
“I’ve arranged a meeting with Roulette and Jagger tomorrow. They think they’re coming to offer a small finder’s fee in exchange for their drugs.”
The weight of this news settles over me like a thick cloud. We can’t give it back and have it be over. I know that’s not the way the world works. Men like Roulette and Jagger will not hesitate to destroy every witness.
In this moment, I decide to accept my fate. There are no other good alternatives. As long as Daisy is safe, I can live with any other outcome, even losing my own life. “Tell me what time I need to be there.”
He swears under his breath. “You’re not going.”
“I have to go. It’s me they want. It’s the only way my daughter will be safe,” I protest.
“These are dangerous men. If something goes wrong, which I don’t think it will, you need to be here. Daisy still needs one parent.”
I swallow hard. “I have to do what’s best for her.”
“Staying here and protecting our daughter is what’s best for her,” he insists. I can tell from the hard set of the jaw that there’s no arguing with him. He’d give me the world if I asked him, but he won’t let me put myself in danger.
“Don’t get shot,” I whisper, voicing my biggest fear out loud.
He takes my face in his hands, his touch gentle for such a big, rough man. “You’re not going to lose me. I’m going to take care of this. Then we’re going to be together forever.”
I blink back hot tears that threaten to spill down my cheeks. “Promise that you’re coming back to me.”
“I promise,” he says the words solemnly as if they’re a vow. “I promise you I’m coming back home.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and stand on my toes to give him a kiss. The moment our lips connect, the familiar passion explodes. I kiss him with all of the fear and the sadness and the love I have.
He cups the back of my head, angling the kiss so he can deepen it. His tongue strokes along mine. I moan against him, curling even closer to his body.
He is my rock in the storm, my safe shelter. He breaks the kiss, and I blink up at him, sucking in oxygen and trying to figure out why he stopped kissing me. That’s when I hear the soft vibration of his phone.