Then I collapse against the pavement, barely feeling the arms that attempt to break my fall.
40
DUKE
If I ever let anyone think that I’m a good, stand-up guy, I’m proving how wrong they are tonight outside of an Oklahoma strip club.
It’s two a.m., and the rain has been falling in a steady drizzle since we got here twenty minutes ago.
Sam is to my right in the passenger seat, a bow in his hands.
“Don’t kill him,” I warn.
He nods, brushing his fingertips over the string.
I’ve watched him aim right for a man’s eye and shoot him at point-blank range. He never misses.
As we slowly approach the truck near the corner of the parking lot, I hear the distant sound of female laughter and the steady bass bumping inside the club.
Holden is on his way, but he’s an hour behind us. It’s just me and Sam here now.
We’ve been tracking Matt for days, ever since Sandy ghosted Dallas. We’re hoping he’ll have the boys with him,but this is the first time we’ve finally decided we had to escalate our efforts if we wanted to find them.
We followed the location of my phone, driving all the way to Oklahoma. Luckily enough, we found out it was still in Matt’s truck, which we’re walking up to now.
“When we find him, I need you to make sure I don’t kill him before we find out where the boys are. Got it?”
Sam nods again. I trust him with my life.
I’m assuming our target is inside, getting his dick wet, and to avoid witnesses, we plan to wait for him to come out.
But on the off chance there’s something of interest in his truck, we’ve decided to scope it out.
I feel for where the hidden key was last time, under the driver’s-side tire. To no surprise, it’s gone. My eyes travel over the passenger seat. All I see is a pile of fast-food bags and an empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s.
“Bust it out,” Sam says.
I shrug, figuring it can’t hurt. He won’t be capable of driving again anyway when I’m done with him. After the last four days of causing my girlfriend the pain and agony of thinking she might never see her sons again, I have big plans for her ex-husband and his family, who helped him kidnap her kids.
Big fucking plans.
I pull my pistol out and press it up to the glass. The silencer on the end will keep it from making a loud noise when it fires. I pull the trigger, shattering the glass and shooting into the passenger seat. I reach in and unlock the door and pull it open. I search through the pile, looking foranything of use, maybe a receipt for a motel where the boys might be.
After finding nothing, I move to open the back door, freezing when I see what’s inside.
Two sleeping little boys rise to the sound of the door opening.
“Cowboy?” Dawson whispers.
My heart nearly shatters inside my chest. I hide the gun behind my back, shoving it into my jeans.
“Hey, buddy. How are you doing?”
He looks down at his brother. Dutton’s pushing his bottom lip out, looking like he’s about to cry at any second.
“We miss Mommy,” Dawson says, and I can tell he’s trying to be brave.
“You know what? It’s your lucky day. I came to pick you up and take you to see your mom. Does that sound like a good idea?”
