men.
“He’s not here. I thought he was meeting you.” She put a hand to her forehead trying to banish her sleep and remember what Sam said before he left.
“Shit!” Chance grabbed the gun from her hand. “Give me that.”
He looked at Mac. “I should have known he would go off on his own.” He started out the door again, but Mac waylaid him with a hand on his arm.
“Maybe Angel can help. Would you try to recall if Sam said anything about where he was going? While you’re doing that, I’m going to call Ben and the rest of the family.”
While Mac went to call the others, Angel confronted Chance. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you with Sam?”
“We don’t know what to think. Jax said he called Sam here at six forty-five, telling him about a conversation he overheard at a strip club in Alton.”
“Yes,” Angel nodded. “Something to do with a Conservation hut here.”
“Yeah, well, Sam was supposed to call Mac and Ben, but as usual, he went off like Rambo on a rampage and now we can’t find him. The shack’s locked up tighter than a python’s hug, and Sam is nowhere to be found.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
Angel jumped when Mac came up behind her. “Ben and the rest of the family are on their way. I hope you don’t mind. I told them to meet us here. It would save time.”
But nothing would save Sam if he had fallen in the river . Angel cringed as that thought flashed across her mind. “I think I’ll go put on some coffee.” She skirted around the men and headed for the kitchen.
It took her three attempts to measure the grounds and pour the water into the machine. Her hands were shaking so badly, she scattered the grounds across the counter. Grabbing a cloth, she wiped up the mess. “Calm yourself down, Angel. Mac and Chance do not need a hysterical female on their hands,” she mumbled. She needed a clear head if she was going to help find Sam. She reached for the aspirin.
She heard the front door open as she was grabbing a tray and cups. She placed the coffee in the center and headed down the hall into the living room. Everyone had arrived. Hank and Ginny were asking for explanations. Dixie was walking in the door with Brandon and Nick. Ben finished his call as she handed him a cup of the steaming brew.
“What’s going on, Mac?” Hank Coalson asked as he took a sip of coffee. Chance gave him their explanation. Angel tried to remain calm while he filled them in, but she couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. “If you got your information from someone at a strip club, let’s go down there. Maybe we can find someone who knows something.” She headed for the door, grabbing her coat off the stand.
“Whoa there, Angel. That is not the kind of place you can just walk into. They’d eat you alive. It’s a strip club, honey. The women there are strippers, hookers, or worse.” Chance grabbed her arm.
Ben raised his hands for quiet. “Hold on, folks. I just talked to one of our informants at the bar. He said that two of our suspects were seen carrying a man between them into the back storeroom. The man looked half-drowned, but from what he could see, he fit the description of Sam. I’ve got everyone on alert down there.”
He scowled at the brothers. “Now on top of everything else, I have to figure out how to rescue Sam without blowing our operation. Just what in the hell was he doing down there anyway?”
“One of Sam’s SEAL buddies overheard some talk about something going down in Grafton. He thought it might have something to do with our trouble, so Sam went to check it out. That’s the last anyone has heard from him.”
Angel nodded. “He got the call and left. I called Chance to let him know.”
Mac took the story from there. “I noticed the voicemail from Sam about a half hour ago. I headed over to the shack. Nothing there but a lot of muddy tire tracks.”
“It never occurred to you to call the police? Contrary to popular belief, we do a bit
“He’s not here. I thought he was meeting you.” She put a hand to her forehead trying to banish her sleep and remember what Sam said before he left.
“Shit!” Chance grabbed the gun from her hand. “Give me that.”
He looked at Mac. “I should have known he would go off on his own.” He started out the door again, but Mac waylaid him with a hand on his arm.
“Maybe Angel can help. Would you try to recall if Sam said anything about where he was going? While you’re doing that, I’m going to call Ben and the rest of the family.”
While Mac went to call the others, Angel confronted Chance. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you with Sam?”
“We don’t know what to think. Jax said he called Sam here at six forty-five, telling him about a conversation he overheard at a strip club in Alton.”
“Yes,” Angel nodded. “Something to do with a Conservation hut here.”
“Yeah, well, Sam was supposed to call Mac and Ben, but as usual, he went off like Rambo on a rampage and now we can’t find him. The shack’s locked up tighter than a python’s hug, and Sam is nowhere to be found.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
Angel jumped when Mac came up behind her. “Ben and the rest of the family are on their way. I hope you don’t mind. I told them to meet us here. It would save time.”
But nothing would save Sam if he had fallen in the river . Angel cringed as that thought flashed across her mind. “I think I’ll go put on some coffee.” She skirted around the men and headed for the kitchen.
It took her three attempts to measure the grounds and pour the water into the machine. Her hands were shaking so badly, she scattered the grounds across the counter. Grabbing a cloth, she wiped up the mess. “Calm yourself down, Angel. Mac and Chance do not need a hysterical female on their hands,” she mumbled. She needed a clear head if she was going to help find Sam. She reached for the aspirin.
She heard the front door open as she was grabbing a tray and cups. She placed the coffee in the center and headed down the hall into the living room. Everyone had arrived. Hank and Ginny were asking for explanations. Dixie was walking in the door with Brandon and Nick. Ben finished his call as she handed him a cup of the steaming brew.
“What’s going on, Mac?” Hank Coalson asked as he took a sip of coffee. Chance gave him their explanation. Angel tried to remain calm while he filled them in, but she couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. “If you got your information from someone at a strip club, let’s go down there. Maybe we can find someone who knows something.” She headed for the door, grabbing her coat off the stand.
“Whoa there, Angel. That is not the kind of place you can just walk into. They’d eat you alive. It’s a strip club, honey. The women there are strippers, hookers, or worse.” Chance grabbed her arm.
Ben raised his hands for quiet. “Hold on, folks. I just talked to one of our informants at the bar. He said that two of our suspects were seen carrying a man between them into the back storeroom. The man looked half-drowned, but from what he could see, he fit the description of Sam. I’ve got everyone on alert down there.”
He scowled at the brothers. “Now on top of everything else, I have to figure out how to rescue Sam without blowing our operation. Just what in the hell was he doing down there anyway?”
“One of Sam’s SEAL buddies overheard some talk about something going down in Grafton. He thought it might have something to do with our trouble, so Sam went to check it out. That’s the last anyone has heard from him.”
Angel nodded. “He got the call and left. I called Chance to let him know.”
Mac took the story from there. “I noticed the voicemail from Sam about a half hour ago. I headed over to the shack. Nothing there but a lot of muddy tire tracks.”
“It never occurred to you to call the police? Contrary to popular belief, we do a bit
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