I was sick of the niceties. If I had any idea where Stewart Garvey’s place was, I would’ve already been on the way. “Every second we waste is a second Etta might not have.”
* * *
Etta – Shifter justice? Hell, yes.
I wokeup to the box rattling and shaking. Was it time? Had the whole night and most of the day passed by while I slept? My legs burned. I could feel that some of the blood had crusted dry, but some of it was still damp. I would like to say that I gathered my energy to prepare for the fight, but honestly, I didn’t have any left to give.
There was a hardthunkagainst the lid, then another. Then the top opened, and I began to sob as Jo Jo lifted me from the box. “You found me,” I cried. “Thank you for finding me.”
“You found yourself.” He cradled me in his arms and mashed my face against his chest. “I just followed the directions. Once we figured out the name of the boat, the rest was easy sauce.” He carried me out of the boat house and into the woods.
The cloudy sky made the night even darker, but after the fish box, it felt like someone had flipped on the lights.
I hiccupped against his neck. “Sunny called you.”
“She called Doc.” He nuzzled my hair as if checking my scent to make sure I was real. “I’ll admit, the clues were pretty out there without context. The important thing is that we found you. Gods,” he whispered harshly. “I lost my mind when you disappeared.”
“Not disappeared,” I amended. “Kidnapped.” Anger returned some of my energy. “I hope you brought bolt cutters.”
He took me to his truck parked near the highway. Chavvah and Billy Bob were waiting on the side of the road.
I’d wondered why they hadn’t been with Jo Jo for my rescue, but then Doc said, “They're staying in a house about a mile from the boathouse.” He’d scouted the area and found the bad guys. I liked the way he thought. “There are multiple points of entry where we can surprise them and get the upper hand.” He peered at me. “If your strong enough for the fight.”
“No,” Jo Jo said. “We just got her back.”
“And this is her fight,” Doc shot back. “Which means it’s her choice.”
“I won’t back down,” I told them.
Jo Jo’s eyes met mine, and they were full of determination. “Then I’ll fight beside you.”
“I never doubted it.” I held up my shackled wrists. “Bolt cutters?”
Doc beelined to the toolbox on the back and popped it open. After a few moments of rummaging, he said, “Here.” He held the bolt cutters out to Jo Jo, but my song dog wouldn’t take them.
“You cut them off her,” he told my father. “I’m not letting her go. Not yet.”
I choked back another sob. Jo Jo had told me several times that I wasn’t alone. For the first time, I believed him. He’d come for me. I pressed my face against his neck, and said, “My hero.”
He shook his head. “You do a pretty good job of being your own hero.”
Chavvah handed me a bottle of water once my wrists were free. “Let’s get her away from here,” she said. “Give her time to rest and recuperate until we have a solid plan.”
“We have to do this tonight,” I said. “He thinks I’m locked up tight and that you all are clueless. It’s our only chance to surprise him and get the upper hand. We can’t leave now. Not until William is done.”
“Shifter justice,” Jo Jo added.
I nodded. “And I want that son-of-a-bitch buried in pieces with his head and his body planted in two different states.”
Doc and Chavvah nodded. “Agreed,” they said in unison.
“But we still need a plan,” Chav said. “We can’t go in guns blazing.”
“I don’t know,” Jo Jo scowled. “That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Jo Jo - Time for William to get Scrooged.
