“Suit yourself.”
Jace braced himself as the sounds of a busy highway soon filled his ears. Then he heard Cooper say, “Hey, Taryn.”
Chapter 11
Taryn whirled around at the sound of the voice behind her. She gasped at the sight of Cooper. There was no anger in his forest green eyes, only disappointment. Taryn looked away and put the nozzle in her gas tank to begin filling up. Something had told her to try and get farther out of town, but she had already been running on fumes. She was surprised she’d made it as far as she had with the meager fuel in her tank.
“I don’t think running is a good idea,” Cooper said as he came to stand beside her.
Flashing lights caught her attention. She turned her head to find two sheriff’s deputy cars, and one Clearview police department cruiser headed toward the gas station. Their sirens weren’t on, but that didn’t matter. She knew they were after her. And the only one who could’ve pulled a stunt like that was Jace.
Because he’d known she would run. It was how Cooper had found her. Taryn inwardly shook her head. So much for thinking she had gotten one up on Jace.
“It’s all right,” Cooper said, though there was alarm in his voice.
Taryn stopped the pump. There was no way she could get the nozzle put away, her gas cap on, and inside her car before the authorities were upon her. There was no reason for them to come after her. She had done nothing illegal. Well, nothing in Clearview, anyway. But she wasn’t entirely sure what might happen to Payton if Boyd discovered that she had been detained. For all she knew, Boyd would think she’d told the cops everything and kill her sister. The thought of that had Taryn looking around for an escape.
A sheriff’s deputy unfolded his big frame from the car, his gaze locked on her. When he started toward her and Cooper, the other two cruisers blocked the entrances so no one could get in or out. Taryn was trapped.
Suddenly, the deputy halted. He spoke into the radio on his shoulder, his gaze laser-focused on her. Taryn swallowed nervously, her palms sweating as she thought about all her plans going up in flames. Suddenly, the deputy did an about-face and returned to his car. He shut off the red and blue lights and pulled away. The other two patrol cars followed.
Taryn slumped against the Camry in relief as she dragged in huge mouthfuls of air to reinflate her starved lungs. She tried to continue filling up the gas tank, but her hands shook too badly to manage it. Cooper reached over and took the nozzle from her. He said nothing more until it had been replaced along with her gas cap. He had set his phone on the trunk of her car as he helped, and that’s when she realized he was on a call with Jace. Her gaze moved to him.
Cooper raised a brow. “You disappeared once. Did you really think he’d let you go again without a fight?”
“This isn’t his problem.”
“You brought it to him and asked for his help.”
She fisted her hands. “I asked for money. I didn’t want him or anyone else involved.”
“You know him. What did you expect? Besides, that’s what we do,” Cooper said with a shrug. “We get involved in the lives of those we love.”
“Like I told Jace, I already lost two family members. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Cooper braced a hand on her car and blew out a breath. “One way or another, Jace will find out who these people are. We’ll come up with a plan and go after them. Or, you can come back with me, tell us their names and locations, and we can come up with a better plan. Together. One that will ensure we’re more prepared and it’s less likely anyone will get hurt.”
“They have my sister,” she stated. “I know Jace thinks she might already be dead—and she very well could be. But I can’t make any decisions based on a might. I’ve got to continue believing she’s alive until I know otherwise.”
Cooper nodded as he listened. “I would do the same thing in your place. The difference is, I’d trust the people I turned to for help.”
Taryn brushed her hair out of her face when the wind lifted it. “I trust Jace. I trust all of you. But I know these people. I’ve seen firsthand how brutal and cruel they can be.”
“They allowed you to come by yourself.”
She snorted at that and crossed her arms over her chest. “If you believe that, you’re an idiot. And I know you’re not stupid.”
“No, ma’am, I’m not,” Cooper said with a crooked smile. “So, you know someone’s been watching you?”
She shrugged and glanced around. “I always assume they’re watching me. They always have been.”
“And yet you went to Jace’s.”
“They didn’t know who I planned to see while here, and I didn’t tell him. If I’m asked about where I went, I’ll come up with a story.”
“Him.”
She frowned, not understanding. “What?”
“You’ve said ‘they’ and ‘them’ numerous times. Just now, you said ‘I didn’t tell him.’ Who is he?”
Her stomach clenched painfully. Taryn shook her head and walked around the hood of her car to get to the driver’s side door. She had been so careful not to reveal anything about Boyd. How could she have been so stupid as to let something like that slip?
“Taryn,” Cooper called.
She paused as she got into the car and looked at him. He hadn’t moved from his spot. He beseeched her with his gaze. Then he lifted the phone and held it up so she could see the screen and a picture of Jace and Cooper smiling, reminding her of why Cooper was here—as if she needed the reminder.
Taryn sank onto the seat but left the door open as her mind raced. She had come to Clearview for help. Maybe she had known all along the answer was Jace. If anyone could get her out of this, Jace had the brains, guts, and heart to do it. That was until she determined exactly what he planned and realized that he could be killed.
Knowing that Jace had been in the military and hearing his stories was quite different from knowing that he intended to actively engage one of the States’ biggest drug kingpins. She loved Jace all the more for wanting to do it. But she couldn’t let him.
The sound of footsteps coming around the car had her looking up at Cooper. She shook her head and looked out her windshield at the people going about their lives. “So far, the only people who have been affected by all of this is my family. If Jace or any of you help me, more lives will be ruined.”
“That’s not on you,” Cooper told her. “It’ll be our decision.”
“None of you would be making such choices had I not gone to Jace.”
Cooper shot her a small smile. “Why did you go to Jace? Was it simply because you knew he’d somehow get you the money?”
“No.” Her gaze dropped to the phone in Cooper’s hand. “I went because I needed to see him, to talk to him. But more than anything, I wanted him to know why I left.”
“You could’ve called him.”
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “He was the only man in my life who never let me down.”
“We can get you the money. Come back with me to Jace’s so we can continue talking. Listen to what we have to say. If you still refuse to give us any information, then I’ll hand you the money and make sure Jace can’t follow you.”