As he drove, Brantley continued to eyeballthe man in the back seat. He didn’t trust Toby Land as far as he could throw the guy. The only reason he wasn’t cuffed to the headrest was because Reese was riding back there with him. Tesha was in her element, keeping the seat between them warm, while Cindy was in the passenger seat.
No one said a word during the entire drive. There really wasn’t much to say, he figured. They’d set out to find Toby, and they had. Taking him to the police would be the final step to conclude this wild goose chase they’d been on for a week. Aside from the fact Cindy had been kidnapped, it felt a bit anticlimactic. And for that reason, Brantley couldn’t help waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Thirty minutes later, Brantley stood outside the truck while Reese, Cindy, and Z were inside, relaying the events to Hugh. Tesha was sitting in the driver’s seat behind him, staring up at the house, likely waiting for Reese to return so they could get on with the rest of their evening.
“Someone needs to keep an eye on them,” Toby said from his spot in the back seat. “Sabrina will figure out she’s the key to finding me.”
Brantley turned around, glancing through the lowered window. “And why do you think that is?” He rested his arms on the door, glaring at Toby. “Could it be because you’ve led all your fuckin’ enemies right to her door?”
He could see genuine regret on Toby’s aged and wilted face. At one time, the man had been handsome. Based on the pictures Brantley had seen. But the years hadn’t been good to him. Or maybe recent events were what had aged him more than usual. Whatever it was, Toby looked defeated, as though moving forward wasn’t something he looked forward to.
“I didn’t mean to.”
Brantley snorted. “Do you mean to doanything, Toby? All I’ve heard outta your mouth are excuses. You won’t get any sympathy from me if that’s what you’re lookin’ for.”
“I’m not.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been lookin’ for sympathy since the moment we came through the door.”
Toby’s eyes narrowed on Brantley’s face, and for the first time since they’d found him in the cabin, emotion sparked in his eyes. “You can say it. I’d be better off dead.”
Brantley rolled his eyes and turned around to watch the house. He had no time or patience for whiny assholes.
As he stared at Cindy’s front door, willing Reese to emerge, Toby’s comment ran on repeat inside his head.
“You know what, Toby?” he muttered, not caring if the man could hear him or not. “You might actually be on to somethin’.”
***
Reese had known Hugh for a longtime. Not once in all that time could he recall a moment when he thought he would have to hold the man back. As soon as Hugh learned that Toby was outside in the truck, that was exactly what he’d had to do.
“I’ll kill him,” Hugh rasped, the words coming out softly but with a knife-edge of fury.
Reese figured he was trying to keep Cindy from overhearing. The man would never want to do or say anything that might hurt her. He was a good guy, and for that, Reese was glad he’d come into his mother’s life.
“He’ll be handled,” Z assured him. “Reese is gonna personally escort him back to Austin and turn him over to the police. He’ll have a new bed to sleep in for a while.”
Reese released Hugh and stepped back, glaring at his brother. “I’mdrivin’ him back? Why me? This is your case, not mine. We were doin’ you a favor.”
“There’s a bounty to be collected,” Z noted, mirth glittering in his eyes.
Reese found nothing funny about this situation. Based on what Toby told them at the cabin, there were some nasty people out to get him. Regardless of his idiocy or the cons he’d pulled on God only knew how many people, Reese didn’t figure he needed to die at the hands of wannabe mobsters.
“I’m not interested in the bounty,” Reese said with a sigh, his thoughts shifting in an entirely different direction.
“Maybe I should call Atticus James,” Z mused. “See if he wants to escort him back.”
Reese figured there was a good chance whoever took Toby back to Austin was in for a welcome home party from Hartwood and his trigger-happy goons. Since he had no intention of waking up dead, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea for them to call Atticus in. The guy had found Toby, after all. It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t anticipated Cindy’s wicked swing.
“Thank you,” Hugh said, sounding calmer than he had a moment ago. “Thank you for finding her. For bringing her back safely.”
Reese didn’t need thanks. He’d done what any son would do, and he’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“Well, y’all have a long way to drive,” Z told him. “Probably oughta hit the road.”
Reese wanted to hit something, all right. His brother’s smug face. However, he refrained because Z was right. They did need to get back to Coyote Ridge.
“You gonna be all right?” he asked his mother when she appeared in the doorway, a tissue clutched in her hand.
