“She did it again?” Boone sighed. “I’ll call the doctor to reschedule, then I’ll head home right away. Are you sure you’re okay until then?”
“Yeah, I can handle it.” With each word, Luna sounded more confident.
“No, I don’t want you to risk getting hurt. Just relax, and I’ll deal with it.” Boone didn’t want her taking any chances. “I love you, pookie, and I’ll see you after I deal with the doctor.”
“I love you, too.”
The line went dead.
Dammit, why couldn’t his truck go any faster?
Boone’s concern for Luna and his anger toward Udall built with each mile closer he got to the ranch.
He clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I swear, Eddie, if he hurts her—”
“She’s smart, Boone,” Eddie said. “You have to believe she’ll come through this in one piece.”
Yes, she was brilliant, but Udall was a desperate man, a ticking time bomb that could go off at any time. And Luna was in the blast zone.
He pressed Lucas’s number, and Calliope answered.
“Well?” she asked.
“Luna called to say she needs me to come home, and I’m sure Udall was listening.” He told them about their coded conversation. “I’m going through the front gate.” Boone sensed Calliope ramping up to argue with him. “He’s after me, Calliope, so I’m going to give him what he wants.”
“He’ll be fine, babe,” Lucas reassured her.
“Well, excuse me for caring.” Snark was Calliope’s go-to response.
Boone recognized it for what it was—a defense mechanism she used to protect herself.
“Remember that gate I showed y’all before? The one at the far side of the main pasture?” Boone turned onto the country road that led to his ranch.
“The one between those two big trees, right?” Calliope asked.
“Yeah, you guys can park there and access the property without being seen. There’s a combination lock on the gate.” He rattled off three numbers. “That dirt road just before my main drive is where you want to turn.”
Ahead of them, a tractor was pulling a flatbed trailer loaded with hay across the road. There was a car in the other lane, so Boone couldn’t go around it. He slowed to a stop and checked the time as the green tractor puttered into the other field. He tapped his thumb against the steering wheel and checked the time again.
As soon as the tractor was clear, he jammed his foot on the gas, and they were pressed back against their seats.
They drove for another ten minutes, and he noticed an old car parked in some tall brush on the side of the road. He stopped, put the truck in reverse, and pulled off the road.
Eddie hopped out for a closer look. He tried opening the doors, but they were locked. He cupped his hands around his face to look in each of the windows, then hurried back to Boone’s window.
“The only thing in there is an old canvas seabag, like the kind you might get at an Army-Navy surplus store.” Eddie looked around. “I’ll hang here, just in case that asshole gets past you.”
He nodded, they knocked knuckles, and Eddie positioned himself behind a nearby tree.
Boone had no intention of letting Udall get away this time.
He pulled back onto the road, and a short time later, his white pasture fence came into view. He lowered his window, propped his elbow on the edge and turned onto his gravel driveway. He wanted to look casual and made no effort to hide his approach.
After all, Udall was expecting him.
He continued around to the back of the house, pulled up and parked next to Luna’s car. He shut off the engine, swung open the door, and slid from behind the wheel. He stood behind the door, using it as cover, and surveyed the area.
The screen door leading into the kitchen hung crooked, supported only by a single hinge, and the inside door was wide open. He turned to the barn and spotted a huge hole in the main door.
