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ChapterOne
SAVANNAH
“I’ve got a lead I’m following,” I bitterly told the man on the other end of the phone. “I’ll know more in a couple of days.”
“Fine with me, Darlin.’ You know the terms.”
“I do.” I also fought the need to tell him to go fuck himself while gripping my cell. “I’ll be heading into forest territory soon. Signal will be iffy. Don’t expect to hear from me for a while.”
“And don’t forget who holds all the cards, sweetheart. Your uncle’s life depends on it.”
“We negotiated the month. Either I come back with Warren Donovan within that time frame or my uncle’s life becomes forfeit. I get it. But I handle my hunt my way. I don’t need you to micromanage me.”
He laughed at that; laughter that chilled me to the bone. “I like you, Savannah. You’ve got some balls. And nice tits. That’s one hell of a combination. I also don’t believe you’ll skip town and leave your uncle to pay the price, so, because of that, I’ll wait patiently.”
“I’ll deliver. I always do. But if you harm him in any way—”
“You’re in no position to threaten me, darlin’ but I appreciate your bite. And you can get me what I need, so, for now, your uncle is safe. Your reputation precedes you. Don’t let me down.”
“I won’t.”You fucking prick.
I ended the call before vocalizing those thoughts and stared at the cell, blinking away the tears. I didn’t have time for those. I had to function, keep on moving, and try to get us both out of this mess.
Using the burner phone I’d picked up along the way, I dialed my uncle’s number. The only other number stored in there was Gideon who I’d listed as BASTARD FUCK in my contacts. With Gideon’s goons on my tail and my self-preservation, I’d left my cell at home.
It was safer that way.
Leaning into the soft padding of the seat in the diner booth, I waited for Will to answer. He did so after several rings by slurring, “Ullo.”
“Will, it’s me.”
“Savvy! Been ages. You okay?”
“Where are you?”
“I dunno,” he breathed, coughing some. “Trailer. I think. Had a late one last night.”
“Sure you did,” I laughed, no humor to be found, only exasperation. He always did this. Stirred the pot, then strolled off drunk and smiling. Anyone else with their life hanging in the balance would panic, and lay low, but not him.
“Are you being watched?” I asked.
“Wha’?”
“The deal with Gideon,” I snapped. “His goons. Are they still keeping tabs on you?”
“Oh, them. Yeah. Can’t go anywhere without them tailin’ me. But Gideon gave me some work in the casino to help work off the debt. I ain’t earning anything. You’ll send me a few hundred, won’t you, Sav? I got some good intel for the track.”
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“What?” I heard him rummaging around for something before striking a match and taking a puff of a cigarette. “What’s up, hon?”
“Oh, I dunno. Maybe you owing money to Gideon. Him holding a gun to your head until I agreed to grab a bounty for him? You dying should I fail? Any of this ringing a bell with you?”
He half-laughed. “Don’t worry about that, Savvy. You’ll find the bounty. You’re good at what you do.”
Closing my eyes, I prayed for patience. Will was always like this, so inoffensive after doing something so screwed up that I ended up feeling like a bitch. “You’re an asshole, sometimes. A complete and utter asshole.”
“Hey now. Don’t be like that. What do you want me to do? Sit here and mope while I wait for you to come home?”
