AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jane’s hands stilled on the cutting board.Whatever it takes. The words hung heavy between them.
She dumped the sliced pepper into a pan. The sizzle and aroma filled the tense silence.
After a minute, she said, “That account Paige found is in my name. I can transfer the money, right? Those jerks can have it.”
Bridger shook his head. “We need to hand the money back to the authorities. It’s the only way we convince them you’re innocent.”
They didn’t speak again until two plates of stir-fried peppers and eggs sat cooling on the counter. The food was simple but smelled incredible.
Bridger’s stomach rumbled despite himself. Jane’s lips quirked.
“Go on then,” she said, sliding a plate toward him. “Can’t save the world on an empty stomach.”
He huffed a laugh. Leave it to Jane to mother him even now. He picked up his fork, gratitude swelling in his chest.
He offered a simple grace, then they ate in companionable silence. Outside, the temperature dropped, but inside, there was light. Hope.
Jane set her fork down, expression turning serious again. “I’ve been thinking more about the money. I’m fine with handing it over. I don’t care if I go to prison. I just want Kellen back.”
Bridger shook his head. “Absolutely not. Kellen needs you. Getting him back is priority one. Period. We can do that without handing over the stolen money. And...” He hesitated. “Your brother would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
He tried for a wry smile, hoping to lighten the mood. “So really, this is about saving my own rear end.”
Jane didn’t smile back. She studied him with those perceptive eyes, seeing far more than he wanted her to.
“You’re a good man, Bridger North,” she said finally. “Better than you know.”
Heat crept up his neck. He looked down, fiddling with his fork.
“I’m just trying to fix my mistakes,” he muttered.
Jane reached across the counter, grasping his hand. “What matters is how we respond. And you always respond by protecting people. Even at great cost to yourself.”
Bridger met her earnest gaze. His chest constricted. No one had looked at him with such open admiration in a long time. It terrified him even as it soothed an aching need.
Jane smiled like she knew exactly what he was doing. But she let him change the subject back to planning Kellen’s rescue. He was certain the kidnappers would call tomorrow. They’d want the money as soon as possible.
Later that night, after Jane fell into an exhausted sleep, Bridger stayed awake finalizing their strategy. Vowing he’d do whatever it took to keep her and the boy safe.
Even if it meant sacrificing any hope he had left of redeeming himself.
He rubbed his eyes, the words on the computer screen blurring. They had a plan. As soon as Jane heard from the kidnappers, the team would jump into action.
If the dirty agents had taken the boy hostage, they’d plan to arrest Jane––him, too for good measure––the minute she transferred the money. Or maybe they’d just shoot them. Killed resisting arrest. Yeah. That would be tidier.
Even local cops arresting them would work. Getting to Jane––or him––in a local jail would be laughably easy.
Either way, he had to figure the agents would be able to dig up small slices of his background. The unclassified part. The rest they might be able to guess at. But they’d have no idea he had a team behind him.
The element of surprise would win out. Always did.
He leaned back with a sigh, glancing over at Jane’s sleeping form on the couch. Even with worry lines etched on her forehead, she looked peaceful. Beautiful.
He turned back to the screen, fingers poised over the keys. His bank account glowed on the monitor, the sum making his lips twist. Blood money, every cent of it. But it would serve one decent purpose if it helped buy Kellen’s freedom. He wasn’t about to let Jane squander the stolen money, but he’d gladly offer up his own. The team had plenty of their own funds to keep Redemption Creek Inc. up and running.
Not that he’d need to sacrifice his stash. Paige had come up with a brilliant plan. He had no idea how it worked, but the hacker was confident she could make the kidnappers believe they were transferring the money from Jane’s account to theirs. By the time they realized they’d been conned, Bridger and the team would have Kellen.
Preferably before the kidnappers decided to take him and Jane out.
