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“I guess we go together,” JB said.
The man between them looked up at them, appearing as if he thought they were both insane, and then he looked over at Rowe who flashed him his most wicked grin. He hadn’t a fucking clue as to what JB and Noah were up to, but at least it was entertaining.
JB and Noah each kneeled down on one knee in front of the prisoner and stared at him, eyes narrowed and bodies tense. They didn’t say a word. Seemed to be barely breathing. Seconds stretched into minutes. The man shifted uncomfortably on the log, looking from one man to the other. He tried ignoring them, but his eyes kept getting drawn back to either JB or Noah. Sweat trickled down the side of his face and along his nose. He tried wiping it away by rubbing his face on his shoulder but couldn’t get to the spots near his eyes.
Rowe waited, curious as to their method.
“I’m not telling—” the man started to say, but JB was there, softly shushing him.
“Quiet now,” he murmured. “You had your chance to talk. We’ve got this.”
The man looked at him in dumbfounded shock. It was a strange course of action. They had taken him to get information out of him, but they didn’t want him talking.
“I know who he is,” Noah declared. “But you don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to tell us.”
“I bet I figured it out first,” JB jabbed.
The man’s face clouded with skepticism, but the anger was gone. He’d become calm watching the duo. His breathing slowed down so that he was almost in rhythm with Noah and JB. He was now watching both men with rapt fascination, as if hypnotized. Rowe had to wonder if maybe he partially was. Both men were talking in monotone but authoritative voices. Steady and firm. It was unsettling. But more unsettling was the way the man was looking at Noah. Like his eyes were trapped.
Was he hypnotized?
“You weren’t sent here to kill us. You weren’t even tasked to follow us. You didn’t talk to anyone about it because it was all your idea,” Noah started reciting in the same even tone.
“You’re here to help us out. This whole mess has been bothering you from the start,” JB added. The man blinked slowly, but he still kept his gaze on Noah even though JB was now talking.
“We’re so glad you came to us.” Noah extended his hand as if he wanted to shake his hand.
The man shifted, looking as if he was pulling against his bound hands. Before he could blink again, JB slammed his hand into the center of the man’s chest. A harsh gasp filled the clearing and the man sat up straight for a second.
“Sleep,” Noah commanded in a hard, monotone voice.
The man exhaled and his eyes fell shut. His entire body slumped, forcing JB to quickly catch him, steadying him on the log again.
“Holy shit,” Rowe whispered. They fucking hypnotized the guy. Everything about his posture was relaxed, and his breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm. He couldn’t believe it.
Noah looked over his shoulder at Rowe and gave him a quick smile before looking at his target.
“We’re so glad you came to us. You did come to help today, didn’t you?” Noah said.
“I did come to help,” the man said.
“What’s your name?”
“Jeff Hastings.”
“Do you know why Chris Perkins was killed?”
Jeff’s brow furrowed for a moment as if he was trying to remember something. “He recognized Dave Johnson from the Army. Dave was afraid that Chris would tell people. Put him in jail.”
“Was Paul Grimes killed for the same reason?”
“I…I don’t know him.”
Noah looked over at JB, who gave a little shrug but kept his mouth shut.
“Did Dave kill Chris?”
“No. He just told Erik about Chris. He was really scared. Panicked. Erik ordered people to get rid of Chris and keep an eye on his widow. Make sure no one came around asking questions.”
“What’s Erik’s last name?”
“Johnson.”
“Are Erik and Dave related?”
“Brothers.”
That was interesting. Had Erik cooked up some scheme years ago that roped in his brother while he was in the Army? Had Erik been behind the ambush that resulted in deaths and the disappearance of a cache of weapons?
“Has Erik asked you to kill anyone?”
“No, I’m just a lookout. I follow around Sally Perkins. Listen to her phone calls. Make sure she doesn’t think there’s anything strange about her husband’s death. Erik won’t tell me what’s going on. Don’t think he trusts me.”
JB’s grin grew huge and he nodded at Noah. Rowe couldn’t see Noah’s expression, just that he nodded to JB.
“Erik doesn’t trust you because you didn’t join Clayborne to hurt people.”
“No. I wanted to help.”
“That’s why you’re leaving Clayborne tonight. You know that something is dirty there.”
“Evil,” Jeff said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
