Now, how to lure more of them in?
Well, the way the patio overlooked Lynx Lake was perfect for romantic evenings.
Kit bit her lip. Would Hawk like to come here sometime? Maybe—although he was more of a homebody. She really liked that about him.
She rolled her eyes. Work, Kit.
Now, what would evoke romance? Perhaps flowers to scent the evening air? She glanced up at the starry night sky and the quarter moon rising in the east. There were white flowers that would glow in the moonlight. Maybe some twinkle lights?
Slowly walking the perimeter, Kit made plans and enjoyed the faint singing from inside. From the off notes and slurred words, she could tell which ones had imbibed more than others.
Sarah had been careful. Her children were overnighting with a neighbor so she could enjoy sexy times with Uriah tonight.
The B&B owner, EmmaJean, was feeling no pain, and Tina? Oh, boy, that woman knew how to drink. It was good Chevy was picking her up.
Kit smiled a little. Hawk had mentioned he’d see if Aric wanted to sack out on the floor in Regan’s room.
Who knew—maybe, she’d get sexy times too.
In the roadhouse parking lot, Hawk chose a space under a streetlight, fairly close to the door. The women would see his vehicle when they left—and he could intercept them if they chose to storm the town.
He got out and leaned against the pickup. Since they hadn’t texted for a ride, he’d stay outside and enjoy the night until they were ready. The air held the scent of an incoming storm. The forecast called for rain close to sunrise.
From inside the bar came the sound of women singing. Jesus. Having a pitch perfect ear, he was damned glad he wasn’t any closer.
He caught a few words of their song and grinned. Raymond must be getting quite an education—and might invoice Bull for hazardous duty.
Turning to scope out the parking lot, Hawk heard his name called.
“Evening, boss. You’re running late.” The parking lot light gleamed off a shaved scalp as Milo, one of his handyman hires, walked out of the shadows with another man. “Meeting someone?”
Hawk tipped his head toward the roadhouse. “I’m the driver.”
“From the sounds of it, they’ll need a ride,” Milo’s friend said. “Nice ride, man. I like the new F-150s.” He moved to Hawk’s left to look in the pickup’s side window.
“Hey, Hawk, did you see the crash just up there on Dall.” Milo pointed to the road to the right.
Even as Hawk turned to look, he caught a motion out of the corner of his eye and brought his arm up.
Too late.
The crowbar struck his head with a grisly thud. Even as pain exploded in his head, blackness sucked him down.
Audrey was the only one abstaining from alcohol at the table. Poor pitiful me, she thought.
Then again, Frankie’d been sipping one drink most of the evening. Kit stopped with two, saying she’d puke otherwise.
Lillian had nursed her drinks, saying that as the years crept on, the buzz wasn’t worth the ensuing hangover. And she didn’t appear to require alcohol for boisterous revelry.
“We should sing about babies.” Face flushed, EmmaJean gulped more of her drink. “Not a lullaby, but—”
The roadhouse door swung open so hard it banged against the wall.
Men flooded in. A handful headed straight toward the bar. The rest milled in the center of the room as if deciding where to sit.
“Boy, their evening is sure startin’ late,” Tina noted. “Oh shit.”
“What?” Audrey followed her gaze.
At the door stood a tall, rail-thin guy with a black beard.
Nabera.
Everything inside Audrey went cold. She turned to tell Kit to run.
Kit wasn’t there.
“Don’t move!” The captain pointed a pistol straight at Audrey’s table.
“You there. Put the gun down,” Raymond called from the bar. He was tapping on the cell in his hand.
The men who’d been seated at the bar jumped over it and attacked him.
Cursing, Raymond fought as they grabbed his phone, then clubbed him to the ground.
Audrey pushed her chair back, looking for somewhere to run.
“What is the meaning of this?” Lillian snapped, rising. “Are you stark raving mad, Nabera?”
“You wish, don’t you, Mayor Bitch? Lording it over the town.” The man’s gloating smile iced the blood in Audrey’s veins. “That stops today…and so do you.”
He motioned to a hatchet-faced man who shoved Lillian back down into her chair.
Audrey’s hands closed into fists. As several men surrounded the table, their firearms in their hands, she reached around to her phone in her back pocket.
A man kicked her chair. “Don’t move, bitch.”
Eff-it-all. Her hands curved over her lower abdomen protectively. Hang in there, baby.
“Shut the outside lights and roadhouse sign off,” Nabera called.
“Got it,” a man yelled back.
The parking lot went dark.
Several men loomed over the three women seated in the corner. One man yelled, “Captain, we got some fucking politicians here.”
As Nabera moved in that direction, Audrey managed to pull in a breath.
Across the table, Sarah was looking around, obviously evaluating what could be done. Erica looked terrified. Tina was—
“Well, well, we caught ourselves some state representative libtards along with our targets.” Nabera sounded elated. “It wasn’t as big a haul as I wanted, but they’ll make up for it. Secure them all.”
A man pulled out zip-ties, yanked Audrey’s arms behind her back, and bound her wrists together. The other women were being restrained too.
When one grabbed EmmaJean, she screamed and fought back. A second man backhanded her, and she hit the floor hard and lay crying.
Lillian cursed until one of them shouted, “Shut the fuck up,” and slapped her to make her stop.
Furious, Audrey yanked at the zip-ties until her skin ripped and blood trickled down her wrists.
Surely someone would come to the roadhouse and notice something, would call the police.
No help came.
A man with a shaved head was checking that each woman was bound. Audrey frowned. Wasn’t that Milo, one of the carpenters remodeling the downtown buildings?
“Good job.” Milo motioned to the women. “Stuff ’em in the transport.”
“Yes, sir, Lieutenant,” the man beside Lillian said.
Milo motioned toward the white van at the door. “You’re driving that one, Luka.”
“Got it, Conrad.” The man behind Audrey hauled her up and across the room like a child. The back door of a windowless cargo van was open, and he shoved her inside. She twisted to keep from landing on her belly and hit her shoulder so painfully that tears filled her eyes.
But her baby was safe. For now.
Her friends’ risqué singing had changed to…were those screams? On the back patio, Kit spun around as the hair on the back of her neck rose and goosebumps covered her arms.
She ran toward the back door and gripped the handle, then stopped. From inside came men’s loud voices. Shouts. Women were sobbing and crying out in pain.
The months in the PZ compound had taught her the sounds of violence.