He picks up, sounding a little groggy. “Hold on,” he says.
I hear his footsteps. Then, a door shuts with a soft click.
“You got company?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he sighs. “What’s going on?”
I clear my throat. “She’s from Harlan. Brothers Boyd sent her to bring me back.”
“I thought something along those lines.”
“You did?”
“She’s got your same accent.”
Frustrated, I run a hand over my face. “You could have told me.”
“Suspecting is not the same as having proof. What do you need from me, Jensen?”
My mind turns, trying to come up with a plan. “I need two horses shipped to the Red River Gorge as fast as possible and a safe house waiting for us when we get there. We’ll travel up through eastern Kentucky to avoid the cities and Caudill territory.”
“And then?”
“Then, I’m getting her kid back,” I say.
“She’s got a kid?”
“She’s Leland Caudill’s ex-wife. He’s Matthew Caudill’s son, the guy who… You know what he did.” My throat tightens, blocking the words. “She’s trying to get her kid from him. I said I’d help.”
He releases a sigh, that sounds a hint judgmental. “Why?”
I could lie, but Jack knows me too well.
“Because I think me and her…might have a shot,” I admit.
“A shot? You’re hauling your ass across the country and risking your life because you think there’s a shot she might be the one?”
I look down at my boots, trying to sort through the emotions churning in my chest.
“You’re lying,” Jack says. “You’re going back to face him.”
“Two things can be true at once.”
He’s quiet for a while, and I know he’s sitting at his desk, staring into space.
“Jack,” I say.
“What?”
“Tell me the truth about something.”
“When have I ever lied?”
I can think of a few dozen times, but not when it comes to serious things. No, on those, Jack is a straight shooter.
“I have to deal with my shit, don’t I?”
He clears his throat.
