“You did your best, but I raised myself and took care of you half the time.”
Emma let the tears flow.Her shoulders hunched forward dramatically.“I’m sorry I let you down, Beau.You’re right.I should’ve done better.”
“You couldn’t always help it,” he said, his tone softening.“But there were times when you could, and you didn’t, like now.You’re a grown woman and shouldn’t rely on your adult son to get you out of trouble.What you did wasn’t just illegal, it was wrong on many fronts.”
“You’re right,” she said in a pitiful tone.
Ivy couldn’t get into it right now with the woman.She had an SUV clocking her every move.“Change of plans about the police substation.Where do we go next?”
Beau sat up straighter and took the phone from her dad.“I haven’t lived in this area since I was a kid and only come down these streets once in a blue moon.Let me see if I can navigate us out of here.”
“What do we do if we can’t bring in the law?”Ivy asked.
“To be honest, I have no idea.”Beau issued a sharp sigh.“We’ll have to bring them in at some point, considering we already talked to Travis.”
“Right.”In all the stress, she’d forgotten all about talking to the sheriff and the report that had been filed.
“I’m guessing Talon has been trying to bring us out in the open ever since you two disappeared,” Beau said, more of that frustration simmering in his tone like water about to boil over.
“Well, I didn’t know that would happen,” Emma said, twisting her fingers together in a knot.Downcast eyes, slumped shoulders—her body language said she was sorry.
Ivy wouldn’t trust the woman as far as she could throw her, but the emotion came across as genuine.Emma seemed like one of those people others might call a trouble magnet.She didn’t appear to think too much ahead of her actions or do a good job of evaluating consequences.Still, she’d raised Beau, and he’d turned out amazing despite all the challenges he’d faced.
The SUV jammed into her, knocking her head so far forward that it hit the steering wheel.
A red light ahead meant trouble.There were too many cars to go around.The sidewalk was too small, or she’d have hopped onto it to make a quick right turn.
With four lanes of traffic, there was no way she could push through all the vehicles.This is where it might end.
However, there would be witnesses.People had camera phones.Someone would record what was about to happen.
The guys she recognized as Clay and Royce jumped out of the SUV and came running toward the truck.
“Follow my lead, okay?”she asked.
Heads nodded except for Beau’s.He was already exiting the passenger side of the vehicle, hands in the air.
What was he about to do?
18
Beau had no plans to wait in the truck like a sitting duck.They were out of options.So, he stormed the SUV as two…no…three people were exiting the vehicle.Clay and Royce were there along with Talon, the last person to exit the SUV.It shocked the hell out of Beau to see him there.He would’ve thought the man would hide behind his thugs.Maybe the guy had a spine after all—unless he’d grown frustrated with the fact his men hadn’t already finished the job.
“Whatever you think Emma has…you’re wrong,” Beau said, his gaze zeroed in on Talon.
Ivy was out of the driver’s side, joining them in a heartbeat.“You see all these cars?”she shouted.“That light is about to change, and people will wonder what’s holding up traffic.They also have cell phones to record everything that happens.If you don’t go down for the other crimes you’ve committed, you’ll be nailed for this one if you attempt to harm any one of us.”
Talon looked to be in his early fifties.The man worked out.His nostrils flared, his jaw was tight, and the glare in his eyes indicated that he had a temper, and it was flaring.
“I need the evidence Emma has, and I’ll be on my way,” Talon said through clenched teeth.
“Be careful, you’ll crack a molar if you keep grinding your back teeth like that.”Beau’s comment was meant to stoke the fire.Was it the smartest idea?Probably not.But if he could provoke Talon enough, the man would come out swinging.Then, Beau could press charges, and the man would spend time behind bars.It wasn’t the same as him going down for his crimes, but this way, Beau’s mother stayed out of trouble.
“You think anyone will reportmein this neighborhood?”Talon asked.He nodded toward Clay, who reached behind his back and produced a weapon.
Shit.
Crime was more common in this area, and folks were more likely to stick their heads in the sand out of self-preservation.
