Faye was more concerned with Jackson being brought in alive. By the tightening of Hunter’s shoulders, so was he. Just how far would Jackson go for the woman? “Jackson’s mother died young, and he’s probably never really had a maternal presence in his life,” Faye said quietly. “He was only with Miss Angelina for a day, and by that time, he was already entrenched with Louise. The hold she has on him is hard to understand, but it’s there and it’s solid.” She had to give Hunter some type of warningto prepare him.
“I’m aware,” Hunter said, his blue gaze meeting hers in the rearview mirror. “But nobody shoots at that kid. Got it?” He looked to his side.
Raider nodded, not looking up from his phone. “Copy that. We duck and cover if Jackson comes out shooting. But chances are we won’t be the only law enforcement to arrive if there’s a showdown. We can’t control whatother cops do.”
Hunter’s hands tightened, and the steering wheel protested with a slight squeak. “We have to get to him before anybody else does.”
To do that, they had to find the kid. “There doesn’t seem to be a recurring time interval between robberies,” Faye said. No set time, or even ritual that she could see. “The only pattern is that the robberies are becoming more frequent. She’s escalating instead of taking time to enjoy whatever money she takes.”
Which meant Louise liked the act of robbing more than the spoils. That didn’t bode well for Jackson Holt.
Hunter increased the speed of the vehicle as they headed for the next small town. “Do you suppose there’s any way Jackson is innocent in this?”
Faye bit her lip. “Since he’s not at the crime scenes, it’s possible he doesn’t know the extent of the bloodshed.” She really wanted to reassure him, but she wouldn’t lie. “There’s no way he’s unaware that Louise is robbing to get money.” Did that make him an accessory? Probably. But they’d deal with the legal ramifications later. Right now, they just needed to save the kid’s life. Hunter couldn’t live with the guilt if his half-brother died so young. She knew Hunter, and the burden he already carried was unimaginable.
This would destroy him.
She should’ve been there for him before, but she’d had her own tragedy to deal with. Then Mark had died. But now, she could help Hunter. Even if it made her vulnerable, and even if it got her heart broken again. She could be there for him and help him through this.
Hunter’s phone dinged, and he pressed abutton. “What?”
“It’s Wolfe. A call just came in from Ferris City reporting a robbery in progress.”
Hunter swore. “We just passed that town.” He flipped an illegal U-turn, bumping the vehicle across the grassy area between the interstate’s west and eastbound lanes, and headed east. “We might get there in time.” He clicked off and sped up, passing a semi that honked in protest.
Wolfe gave the address over the speaker and a quick set of directions offthe interstate.
Faye’s breath caught, and she unbuckled her seatbelt so she could exit from the car quickly.
Raider took his gun out from his holster and reached into the jockey box for Hunter’s heavy black gun. Hehanded it over.
Hunter took the off ramp and ran a stop sign at the bottom, not slowing down.
“Force told the locals you were Feds and not to shoot you when you barreled into the middle of everything. Call me afterward,” Wolfe said, disengaging the call.
Hunter took another fast left, and the tires squealed but stayed on the ground. “Faye? You get down and stay down. I’m going to have to drive upto the front.”
No way. If there was a chance to talk Louise or even Jackson down, she was the only person with a minimal amount of training. She’d save Hunter’s brother if she could, and she had at least an idea of how to connect with Louise. But she didn’t argue. Just waited for Hunter to slam to a stop in front of a brick building with “Clara’s Convenience Store” lit up in bright blue lights.
Two police cars already flanked the parking lot, their lights on, the officers crouched behind their doors with guns pointed at the store.
Hunter and Raider jumped out, and Faye followed—whether they wanted her to or not. She had tosave that kid.
Chapter Ten
Hunter swung open his door and crouched outside the vehicle, his gun out. Apparently Force had gotten through to the locals, because nobody moved his way or tried to shoot him. He could see Raider taking up a similar position on the other side of the vehicle. “Status?”he called out.
“Hostage situation,” the nearest cop, a kid still looking fresh and pressed, confirmed. “The owner, Clara, is in there for sure. We saw her before she drew the blinds.”
“How many perps?” Hunter asked, his gut whirling. God, he hoped Jackson wasn’t in there.
The cop looked over, blue eyes wide. “We just saw one. A woman—the one that has been on the news.”
Good. Maybe Jackson wasn’t there. But he could’ve just been out of sight.
“We don’t have a hostage negotiator, and the chief is out of town,” the kid said, his hand shaking slightly on his gun. “You’re Feds, right?”
“I can negotiate.” Faye stepped up, her face so pale that the fine blue veins beneath her skinshowed through.
