Texans could be mean when needed; they could also be dangerous when someone they loved was threatened.
It was dark now, but they flew anyway, and the tension inside Brad clawed at his throat as they reached Howling. Jake had flares lit, plus the helicopter lights, and Ethan landed with ease. It was a grim-faced Jake McBride who opened Brad's door.
“No more news, but everyone is on alert.”
“Where's Macy?”
“With Newman and Annabelle, at Ethan's. Billy's sleeping, thankfully. Buster and Willow will take over from them soon, and then me in the morning. DJ is staying with Branna and Rose until I get back.”
“I'll stay with her now,” Brad said as they climbed into his pickup.
“Sure, but you'll get tired, so you need help, and you'll take it,” Jake said, stabbing his foot down on the gas so they reached Ethan's driveway in a matter of seconds.
Brad got out of the car as soon as it stopped and took the stairs at a sprint. He found Annabelle and Newman on the deck, but no sign of Macy.
“Where is she?”
“Just taking a call in the kitchen,” Annabelle said, getting to her feet. “I thought it was from you, because she just headed inside for some privacy.”
He didn't stop, just ran into the kitchen. It was empty. He then checked every room downstairs before he headed up. He knew she'd be up there, knew she would be checking on Billy, but still, his heart thudded so hard in his chest it hurt.
Opening the door to the main bedroom, he looked in and saw the boy sleeping, but no sign of his mother. Moving deeper into the room, he checked the en suite and wardrobes, but couldn't see her. Billy slept on as he left, shutting the door softly behind him.
Running down, he reached the deck seconds later.
“She's not here.”
All eyes turned.
“Of course she's here, she just walked into the house minutes ago.” Newman got to his feet and hurried inside.
“She's not here, so where the hell is she?” Brad's muscles clenched as he tried to think, tried to stay calm.
Ethan called Cubby as Jake took the stairs with Brad on his heels. He went left, McBride right, and they met at the rear of the property.
“Someone's been this way, and recently,” Jake said, looking at the ground. He had his torch on and was studying the dirt. “These are fresh and small enough to be Macy's.”
They both heard the shrill whistle and ran back around the front.
“She just called Cubby.” Newman met them at the base of the stairs. “Brian contacted her and said he was outside your house, Jake, and threatened Branna and Rose if she didn’t reach him in fifteen minutes. She called as she reached the end of the trail.”
Brad went cold all over.
“Cubby told her to stop, but she said she had to do this and couldn’t let Branna take another bullet for her.”
“He's a dead man,” Jake said.
“Amen,” Brad agreed. “I'm killing him.”
Chapter 20
Macy threw her phone into the bushes after disconnecting the call to Cubby. He would come here now, and hopefully Branna and Rose would be safe, and Brian hadn’t hurt them. She wanted to believe he wouldn’t, and that it was her he wanted, but Macy knew what he was capable of, and that he wasn’t a sane man.
Brian had called her and said he was outside the McBride house, and this time he was going to finish what he started unless she did exactly as he told her to.
He'd given her fifteen minutes to reach the McBride house before he went inside and started shooting. Macy had made it in ten.
She battled down the nausea as she thought about sweet little Rose McBride. Her sides ached from running, the breath rasping in and out of her mouth.
