“So, what’s the news? Did the PI find anything on Lou and our good ole sheriff of Madison?”
Right. The sheriff. Lou, aka a dead man who put a knife to Anniston’s throat and threatened to take her.
My spine straightens in a defensive posture. “From what he can tell, Lawson’s claim that the sheriff is dirty is accurate. He hasn’t found a whole lot since the sheriff seems to be covering his tracks rather well.”
“Sounds like you got a bad PI, Jameson.”
Blood pounds in my ears as I pull to stop, rounding on Theo. “Do not start this morning. If you think you can do better at finding intel on this asshole then by all means go right ahead. Otherwise, shut the fuck up!”
A grin pulls at Theo’s mouth before he fishes in his shorts pocket and pops a piece of gum in his mouth. “Someone’s on the rag.”
Don’t hit him, Cade. Anniston will be highly upset.She’s still babying the hell out of him from his appendectomy surgery.
Inhaling a deep breath, I start walking again. “There was a note in our mailbox yesterday.”
Theo snaps around, his face suddenly serious. “What did it say?”
I pause. I’m not sure if I want to tell him. He will go ballistic. I did. Fuck, all of us did but we kept Anniston in the dark. We didn’t want to scare her.
“Well, it wasn’t a note exactly—”
“Jameson!”
“Calm the fuck down. I mean it, Theo. What I am about to tell you is most definitely going to upset you but I need you to act normal, especially with Anniston, until we get to the bottom of it.”
His chewing could almost be classified as violent. “Fine. Tell me. I’m calm.”
He’s not calm, the steady shake of his hand as he starts to pace in front of me gives it away. But he needs to know.
“It was a picture of Anniston sunbathing by the pond, right before the All-Star game.”
True to his word, Theo remains calm. He doesn’t speak or even look at me. If it weren’t for the heaving breaths and the steady tick of his jaw, I would think he didn’t hear me.
Under the sunlight, in what I thought was the safest place on Earth, Theo and I stare across the open hayfields, our eyes landing on the coveted landmark. The pond. Lou managed to breach our home base. He’s making a point that he can get to her with no problem. He knows taking her will end us once and for all.
Worry settles over us like a blanket of despair. Finally, Theo yanks at his hair, no longer able to hold it in and lets out a frustrated breath. I face him, prepared for some comment about how I let this happen, but instead, his eyes lock on mine, his face hard and serious. “How do we kill this asshole?”
Well, I’ll be damned. Now we’re talking! We move a little farther away from the house, toward the pond. “I have an old friend in the FBI that I’m trying to reach. He’s ex-military, served together when I first enlisted. I haven’t spoken to him in years but if he could get some guys on the case, they could catch this motherfucker and get Nicole out. We could stop sniffing around Lou and let the FBI take over. All we would need to do is keep Anniston safe until then.”
Theo nods, his eyes squint and he begins to crack his knuckles. “What about Lawson? Do you think he’ll go along with this plan?”
No. But I don’t tell that to Theo. God only knows what he may do to Lawson in Anniston’s defense. Instead, I go with, “I’ll convince him.”
“What’s your plan to keep Ans safe?” His fingers go to his lip as he starts bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“Do you want to run?” I ask him, not pointing out that he’s seconds from bouncing out of his shoes. I have become better at reading his ADHD. Anniston says he will start to fidget before he grows more anxious. The last thing we need today is to explain to her why he’s so anxious.
Theo ponders my question a minute before giving me a terse chin lift. “Yeah. A run would be good.”
I start out jogging slow, allowing Theo to dictate the pace. I should have known he would need to go full blast. I struggle to keep up as he darts behind the barn, running as if the devil himself is behind him. I fall back, it’s apparent his cardio stamina is much more advanced than mine. He’ll circle back once he tires out.
Like I predicted, ten minutes later, flushed and clad only in his shorts, he trots back toward me with a somber expression.
“You good?” I try not to make it a big deal of it. We all have demons and I know firsthand how embarrassing it feels for someone, especially a threat, to witness it.
He exhales a shaky breath. “Yeah. I’m good.”
With a clap on his shoulder, we start walking again.
