Settling her shoulders back against the seat, Jodi whispered, “You’re strong, too, otherwise you wouldn’t be crushing my fingers.”
“Oh, my God, I’m sorry.” Quickly she freed Jodi, and, as she’d assumed, Jodi was out of the truck in a heartbeat.
Kennedy heard Cade say, “Don’t make me chase you. It’s getting damned cold out here and cops could show up any minute.”
“Or more thugs,” Reyes added.
Kennedy slid across the seat to get out on Jodi’s side. By God, if Jodi took off, she’d chase her down herself.
Trying to be as casual as everyone else, Kennedy got close to Jodi, then asked over the truck bed, “The driver of the truck?”
“Dead,” Reyes said, already walking around to her. “We’ve made a plan.”
“My plan,” Jodi said, “is to get my car and get out of here.”
Cade casually approached around the other side, but Kennedy wasn’t fooled. There was a coiled readiness about both brothers, and she didn’t think it was on her behalf. Shoot, they both knew she wasn’t about to charge away from safety.
But Jodi? Yep, Jodi looked ready to take on the world. Alone.
“I know where your car is,” Cade said. “The plan is for me to take you to it—”
“No.”
As if Jodi hadn’t interrupted, Cade continued with, “—so I can make sure no one else is lurking around. Then I’ll follow you to a main highway. At that point, you can do as you please.”
“But Jodi?” Reyes gave her a long look. “You need some backup. If Golly is out there, he might be the one who set the fire to Kennedy’s apartment building.”
“To get to me,” she rasped, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her expression grim.
“It’s possible. I can’t go into everything now. We’re not safe standing here, so how about you keep us informed of where you’ll be at all times?”
“I don’t know.” She pushed her hair from her face. “I’ll think about it.”
“Think while I drive you back to your car,” Cade suggested.
Kennedy was impressed that Cade sounded so reasonable, so nonthreatening when anyone could see he was a walking weapon.
Just like Reyes.
When Jodi looked at her with indecision, Kennedy stepped forward. “Please? I won’t be able to bear it if anything happens to you. You’re like family.”
“Family,” Jodi repeated, as if weighing the word.
“Sisters,” Kennedy stressed.
Jodi’s mouth quirked. “I’d be the black sheep of the family, you know. The weirdo that everyone dreaded seeing.”
“Not true.” Kennedy moved closer, saying again, “Please, Jodi.”
It took her far too long before Jodi found a flippant way to give in. “Yeah, sure. Why not? These two can’t be more dangerous than Golly, or whoever is pretending to be him.”
Oh, Kennedy hadn’t even considered that. Someone pretending to be Golly? Was it possible?
“We need to roll.” Reyes took her hand and tugged her to the front seat.
“Come on,” Cade said to Jodi, gesturing toward his SUV. “Time to end this miserable night. The problems will still be there in the morning.”
Kennedy looked over her shoulder.
Jodi walked backward to keep her in sight.
Near her ear, Reyes said, “She’ll be okay, honey. I promise.”
Wondering how he could guarantee such a thing, Kennedy nodded. “We’ll talk in the morning,” she called to Jodi.
“Sure thing.” And with that, Jodi turned and fell into step beside Cade.
* * *
MISERABLE, INCOMPETENT FUCKS. Del glared as Golly disconnected his call and carefully set the phone on the table.
“What do you mean, they were both there but got away?”
At first, laughter was the only answer.
At the end of his rope, Del snapped, “Answer me, damn it!”
“He’s better than we thought.”
We? So far, Del hadn’t been allowed much input at all. “Yeah? How’s that?”
“We thought we had a setup, but it was the other way around. Somehow, that bodyguard of hers anticipated us being there.”
“I wasn’t anywhere except in this stupid dump!”
“It’s a lovely cabin, not a dump, and you complain too much.”
Del would have killed another man for that offhand insult, but this man? No, the way he watched Del made his skin crawl. “So what happened?”
“Shots were fired. My men were pinned down. The drivers I set to ambush them should have had it in hand, but that didn’t work out, either, apparently.”
Taking a chance, Del suggested, “So maybe I should plan the next—”
“No!” Slamming his hands down on the table, Golly rose to his feet and stared hard at Del, his protruding gut nearly busting the seams of his shirt. “She won’t get away again.”
“Jodi? Yeah, that’s fine for you. But I need to stop Kennedy before she gets the cops on my ass again.”
“I’ll get them both,” he promised, relaxing again, his twisted smile back in place. “Kennedy will be my gift to you.”
Fuck that. Del didn’t want to owe this man anything. It was past time he started making his own plans—separate from the lunatic. “Yeah, sure.” Del decided it’d be easiest to just placate him. “Sounds good. Thanks.” First chance he got, probably early tomorrow morning, he’d take off on his own. Once he did, he’d never again make a bargain with the devil—especially a devil who was bat-shit crazy.
* * *
ONCE THEY WERE ALONE, Reyes made haste getting them away from the area. He constantly checked the rearview mirror, regardless of how far they drove. Used to be, that would have made her nervous. Now she understood that it was just his way of using extra caution.
They were almost to his house when his cell rang. Driving one-handed, he held the phone to his ear and said, “All done? Great. Yeah, we’ll be home in five. Tell Madison thanks for me, too.” For a few seconds Reyes listened, then glanced at her and shrugged. “Sure, we can do that. All right, I’ll see you both then.”
“What?” she immediately asked.
“Cade tailed Jodi home. Jodi doesn’t know that, though, so don’t tell her. She thought he dropped back once they got to a more congested area.”