Page 110 of Playing With Love

“Okay, darlin’,” Lenox murmured. “You’re there. Get eyes on the shop and call us back.”

“Copy.”

The interior of the car went silent.

No more background chatter of men at work trying to pull together a battle plan with no intel. No more Lenox or Brady to argue with.

Just me.

No backup.

My father’s nasty voice was pushing its way into my thoughts. All the times he told me I was lacking—never good enough.

What if he was right?

What if I screwed this up and made it worse for Tucker?

Was I rushing in alone to prove a point—play hero to show Tucker I was good enough for him?

“No.”

“No?” Allyson repeated.

Good Lord, now I’m talking to myself out loud.

“Don’t mind me.” I waved off my outburst. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Are you?”

“What do you see?” I asked when I slowed to pass the coffee stop.

“Black, jacked-up, four-door pickup,” she called out. “No lights on. And I don’t see any other cars in the lot.” Allyson twisted in her seat to look behind us. “No cars in the lot across the street, either.”

That’s what I saw, too.

But the Family Dollar and Dollar General were both still open, thus there were cars parked in their shared lot.

Still, the truck parked in the coffee shop parking lot, instead of hiding the fact they were there…

Five people tops could fit in the truck.

Tucker plus four.

Not great odds, but doable.

“Now answer me, Liza. Are you ready for this? And why haven’t you called the police?”

“They’ll slow us down,” I told her.

“You mean you. They’ll slow you down. But you don’t have backup.”

Her voice was rising, panic setting in.

“Everything’s gonna be fine.”

“Now you sound like my sister when she pulls the ‘I’m the big sister’ card.”

I parked in front of the DG, not directly under the light, but neither in the dark. I didn’t want Allyson in any more danger than she already was.