“He wouldn’t tell me a single thing about how she or the kids are doing.”
Maybe she’d told him not to tell me. My jaw ticked with anger.
“He’s not supposed to contact me at all.” Holden leaned forward. “But he did say that Tally’s rapist still hasn’t made a single parole check in.”
“That piece of shiz is long gone,” Ford said, which was exactly what I’d been thinking. “Living his best life in the jungles of Brazil as a macaw matchmaker or sunbathing in Bora Bora, being paid to test overwater bungalows.”
Holden nodded. “One can only hope…” His brow crooked in an arch. “The agent wanted us to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”
I snorted. “So, we’re supposed to help him but he won’t tell us anything about Tally?”
Holden scowled, all lawyer. The law and the protection of individuals trumped any emotions. But if it were Christy, it would be a whole different ball game.
I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “I thought someone was following me home tonight. I’m probably being paranoid though.”
Holden took down the little information I could give him. “If the agent calls back, I’ll tell him.”
“He didn’t give you his number?” Ford asked.
Holden shook his head. “No. And it didn’t come up on the caller ID.” His lips pressed together, clearly holding something back.
“What?” I asked.
He sighed. “I hate to tell you this because I know it got your hopes up last time but…Tally took off again.”
He was right. My hopes shot up. Straight up, like a freaking space shuttle rocket launch. I slammed that mental airlock shut. The last time they’d told us Tally had taken off and to please keep an eye out for her, it had turned out to be nothing. She’d returned “home” a couple of days later. Wherever home was now. The only excuse he gave us was that she said she needed to be alone. The disappointment I felt that she hadn’t come here to see me was embarrassing. Heck, the disappointment I felt that she’d left and hadn’t asked me to come with her tried to chew me up and spit me out on a minute to minute basis.
Holden’s next words were the rap over the knuckles that he gave me weekly. “If Tally is in Witness Protection, there’s a reason, Ash. It’s to keep her safe.”
I stood. “I don’t need the lecture again.” I knew he was right. If she came here and that psycho was watching, it could turn out badly. But it didn’t make me miss her less.
“Hey,” Ford said. “Do you want me to sleep here tonight, in case?”
I shook my head. “Nah. I’m good.”
“Let me change the gate code?” Ford sighed. He’d been asking for months.
“No.” I shook my head. If Tally came home, she needed to be able to actually get onto the ranch.
Ford and Holden just looked at me.
Ford shoved down the foot rest and sat up. “Well, let’s at least hit the shooting range tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” I blew out my breath. “That’ll be good.”
Ford stood and stretched. “Let me put up those indoor cameras we were talking about. Then if anyone comes in the house, they’ll alert Jeff and he’ll send out the cavalry.”
“The cavalry?” I asked. “Who’s that?”
He waved a hand. “The sheriff.”
Holden snorted. “Ash could be dead by the time they got here.”
“True,” Ford agreed. “But Jeff and I will be here in a heartbeat and we’ll alert Dad.” Ford stood and raised a brow at me. “You text me if that psychopath shows up. 666.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I thought that was code for Mom.”
Holden released a sound that was half guffaw, half shock. “Y’all’s code for Mom is 666?”
