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Pete grabbed it, stepping out of reach.
”Tell me where to pick him up,” she ordered.
“When it’s safe. He’s with friends,” he added hastily. “He’s fine. I told you. The people looking for me are smart. What if they follow you? I can’t bring that kind of danger down on my friends. Or Kellen. As soon as I know I’m in the clear, I’ll let you know where to pick him up.”
“You promised.”
“I’m well aware. But I didn’t say when. You’ll get him when I decide. Not before.”
Rage filled her, igniting like a gasoline hit with a match. She clenched her fists so hard her nails bit into her palms. Why hadn’t she told Bridger? He’d get the info out of her ex.
Despair quickly quenched the flames. Had her pride just gotten in the way of rescuing Kellen? Please, Lord that couldn’t be so.
She forced herself to nod. “I understand. It only makes sense. I want him safe.”
”Figured you’d see it my way. It won’t be long. You’ll be hearing from me.”
With a mocking tip of his hat, Pete strode away. Jane watched him go, unease swirling in her gut. Interesting that he forgot to mention a timeline for paying her back.
Not that she cared. The money was as good as gone. All she wanted was Kellen.
Please, Jesus, keep him safe until I can wrap him in my arms.
Thoughts whirling, she considered stopping by Jason’s property on her way back into town. It had been weeks since she’d been by. But just the sight of the bleached walls of the imposing old hangar hit her straight in the heart. She couldn’t. Not with Jason missing. Walking through the echoey old place wouldn’t calm her nerves. Not until she knew her brother was safely on his way home.
She pressed down on the accelerator, speeding straight past the turn off. Maybe she’d ask Bridger and his crew to keep an eye on the place. Although as soon as she considered the idea, she knew they already were. Bridger and Tai and their friends took care of each other.
No need to ask.
She dug her fingers into the steering wheel. Too bad Bridger wasn’t a mind reader. Not confiding in him about Pete had been a serious mistake. One she prayed Kellen wouldn’t have to pay for.
Bridger can find him.
The realization calmed her. Not bringing him in on Pete’s scheme from the beginning would make it harder, but if anybody could locate her stepson, Bridger could. Yes. If Pete refused to honor their deal, she’d ask Bridger for help.
It would be all right.
Heart far lighter than it had been since Pete walked back into her life, she pulled into the store lot and hurried inside. Wes would need a lunch break.
She actually welcomed the paperwork waiting on her desk in the back room. Anything to get her mind off the waiting. She hurried inside and sent her manager off for his break. “Take your time,” she told him, nodding at the diner up the street. “I think I saw Lulabell behind the register.”
Wes’s singularly large ears reddened at the tips. He stared hard at his work boots. “I’ll just head that direction. Tuesday’s pecan pie day.”
Jane turned away, hiding a smile. The man might like pecan pie, but the pretty cashier was the real thing he was sweet on. She waved him out the door and took a seat behind the register. “Have fun.”
Quiet reigned. The lunch hour was notoriously slow. With any luck, she’d have half an hour or so to herself before folks dribbled back in, running their afternoon errands.
She perched her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her hands, soaking in the silence. Comforting scents settled her nerves. Machine oil, lavender and the sharp tang of coffee from the pot at the back calmed her, priming her to turn her mind back to work. Once Bridger’s huge order came in, she’d need to ask if they intended to pick it up themselves or have Wes deliver the materials on the store’s flatbed truck.
Thinking about work calmed her. Until she remembered that she’d handed Pete her favorite camera bag along with her life savings.
Great. Just great.
The rumble of a big engine caught her attention. A big, black SUV pulled into the lot. Something about the vehicle set off alarm bells. It was too clean. Too new. And the four men inside looked way too menacing.
Stomach clenching, she braced herself, pulling her cell phone close. The cowbell over the door clanged, announcing their entrance. As they strode inside, she slid the phone under the counter, next to her trusty hammer.
Tall and broad enough to block her view through the glass doors, they entered one at a time, practically treading on each other’s heels. The first to enter was a man with a closely shaved head and a sharp jawline. He wore black sunglasses and a suit jacket over worn jeans and well-used cowboy boots. If it weren’t for the hard lines of his face, she would have guessed he was a local rancher heading to church, or a business lunch.
