“And emotions are off the charts,” Ted replied. “We need Drew Lopez and Josh Kinley alive. I’m calling the state police. I’ll fill them in on who you two are and that you’re working for me.”
Screw the law. If it came down to it, both of those fuckers would feel my wrath, in particular Josh. I didn’t give a fuck if I landed in jail as long as Grace and Fran came home to me. That was all that mattered.
Turning off my hazards, I flicked on my blinker then slowly navigated onto the highway.
I pressed my foot on the gas. The speedometer climbed, and the rain intensified, battering the windshield. I cranked up thewipers to the highest possible level, but they could barely keep up with nature’s fury.
“Plan,” Duke said as the Freetown exit approached. “You take Weeping Meadow, where Fran should be, and I’ll take the other, where Grace is.”
I wasn’t even thinking of a plan other than storming in and shooting people. Regardless, he was making the decision for me, knowing full well I couldn’t. HowcouldI choose between my daughter and the woman I loved?
I slowed as I took the exit. “Who would you choose in this situation?” I asked my best friend for nothing more than to feel like I wasn’t betraying either Grace or Fran.
“Tough question.” He gave me a pitiful sidelong glance. “But Fallyn would want me to save our daughter, and I know my sister. I heard the guilt in her tone. She feels responsible for Fran. That was the reason she told you that she was sorry. If you don’t go for your daughter first, Grace could never live with herself.”
“I want to marry your sister, man. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I’ve never experienced love before your sister. She makes me want to conquer the world, be a better man. I don’t know that I would survive if anything happened to either of them.”
“I feel ya. That love you feel is so strong that you want to kill anyone who harms them, which was why you and I had that motto—‘love gets you killed’—when we worked for the cartel.” He leveled a hard stare at me. “But right now, you need to be sharp. Ted was right. Emotions are high and will also get you killed if you’re not focused.”
I was torn between two magnetic pulls, both equally powerful, both equally devastating. But he was right. Fran and Grace were counting on me to be the man they knew me to be—a powerful man who took no prisoners and would bring them home.
“Up ahead.” Duke pointed out the windshield. “We’re approaching Weeping Meadow.”
I eased up on the gas. “You take the car to the other farm. I’ll meet you there.”
We both grabbed our guns, checked the clips, and readied the firearms.
Then I dove my hand into the duffel bag behind the passenger seat and retrieved two flashlights and two sets of night vision binoculars. “We’ll need these.” Duke and I were always prepared for anything.
“One last thing,” Duke said. “Share your location with me on your phone, and I’ll do the same. That way, if our signals hold, each of us will know the other’s location.”
I was stoked that he had his wits about him.
Armed and ready, we climbed out of the SUV.
Duke skirted around to the driver’s-side door, then we exchanged a bro hug.
“Stay safe,” he said. “Meet you on the other side.”
“Duke, save Grace for me, please.”
He gave me a weak smile. “If I know my sister, she’ll save herself.” Then he sped off.
In a lot of ways, Grace was so much like Duke. She didn’t want help. She was stubborn. She had fire in her. And she had a calculating way of handling things. But I wanted to be her knight in shining armor. I wanted to be the one to save her, to show her that she didn’t have to fight on her own. But Duke was right. Grace wouldn’t forgive herself if anything happened to Fran.
And right now, my daughter needed her father more than ever.
36
BRIAN
Alight glowed through the trio of windows on top of the farmhouse door as I climbed the steps to the rickety porch. Two cameras probably announced my arrival—one facing the gravel driveway and the other under the roof of the porch not far from the front door.
A woman answered before I could even knock, giving me hope that maybe Fran was inside and had called the police.
“Oh,” she said, fear in her hazel eyes. “I thought you were my husband. I couldn’t see clearly through the cameras.”
“Mommy, is that Daddy?” A boy, maybe eight years old, came running to his mother’s side. “You’re not our dad. Are you from the farm next door?”
