easily shoot her as not.
Then his gaze focused on her. His expression softened a notch, and he slowly lowered the Kimber to his side.
“Friendly to whom?” he asked, his voice raspy and unsteady.
“To me. And you.” She held out her hand to him.
For a moment he looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. But she didn’t budge.
After a long, breathless moment, he turned the Kimber grip toward her and handed it over.
She slid the Kimber into the waistband of her jeans and turned to face the men from The Gates. “You should have brought Ava,” she said to the leader. “He knows her.”
“Yeah, well, she and Solano are down in Alabama. Solano’s sister had her baby a week early.” Sutton Calhoun shrugged and nodded toward the men flanking him. “Somebody go help Seth out. He’s too damn scrawny to be a pack mule.”
Hammond made a rude gesture at Calhoun, earning a laugh from Calhoun and the other guys on the squad. But he stepped forward and gave Sutton a downright brotherly hug. “How’d you know to come to our rescue?”
“We didn’t. We just knew from your last text that y’all were heading down the mountain in the morning, so we figured you might run into trouble here in the redneck red zone. Quinn asked for volunteers, but when nobody spoke up, he made us draw straws.” Calhoun grinned. “We got the short ones.”
“Funny.”
“This him?” Calhoun nodded toward Landry but looked at Olivia for a response.
“What, you don’t have my mug shot hanging on the office wall?” Landry’s sarcastic tone almost hid his underlying tension.
Almost.
“I’m Sutton Calhoun.” Calhoun extended his hand.
Landry ignored it.
“Manners,” Olivia murmured.
He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. When he answered, his coastal Georgia drawl kicked in. “This ain’t a cocktail party, darlin’.”
Calhoun shrugged and finished the introductions. “This is Fitzpatrick to my right. That’s Dennison on the left. Cooper’s the big guy. Jackson’s the guy on the end.”
“And I believe we’ve spoken before.” Nick Darcy stepped forward.
“You answered the pay phone at the Econo-Tel,” Landry said, showing the first hint of relaxing. “The guy with the British accent. You were protecting Rigsby.”
Darcy nodded. “You probably saved her life with that call. If we’d been even a few steps behind Darryl Boyle—”
“Olivia says Rigsby’s okay.”
“She’s splendid,” Darcy answered in a tone so besotted, Olivia couldn’t quell a smile.
“I see,” Landry murmured, glancing at Olivia.
“We probably shouldn’t stick around here much longer,” Calhoun warned. “Those fellows might have gone for reinforcements.”
“Don’t suppose you brought any skis with you?” Hammond muttered.
“You can’t ski worth a lick anyway,” Calhoun said, clapping his friend on the back before barking an order in the sharp tone he must have learned during his days in the Army. “Move out.”
* * *
T HE LITTLE TOWN of Purgatory looked like a Christmas card, covered with snow and sparkling with lights in the deepening twilight. The temptation to stop his weary trudge forward and just enjoy the sight was more than Landry could resist.
He’d been in and out of civilization over the past months, slipping into bigger towns when he needed supplies or information, but most of his time had been spent in the hills, bunking down wherever he could find a kind soul who would take pity on his homeless state and give him a hot meal and a place to stay for the night.
He hadn’t stayed overnight in a town since he’d got away from the BRI, and he’d begun to wonder if he ever would again.
“Can’t linger.” That was Sutton Calhoun’s voice, gentle but firm in his ear as he nudged Landry forward. “We’re almost home.”
“Home,” it turned out, was a deceptively shabby-looking mansion on a large, tree-shaded corner lot near the center of town. An engraved plaque near the large iron
Then his gaze focused on her. His expression softened a notch, and he slowly lowered the Kimber to his side.
“Friendly to whom?” he asked, his voice raspy and unsteady.
“To me. And you.” She held out her hand to him.
For a moment he looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. But she didn’t budge.
After a long, breathless moment, he turned the Kimber grip toward her and handed it over.
She slid the Kimber into the waistband of her jeans and turned to face the men from The Gates. “You should have brought Ava,” she said to the leader. “He knows her.”
“Yeah, well, she and Solano are down in Alabama. Solano’s sister had her baby a week early.” Sutton Calhoun shrugged and nodded toward the men flanking him. “Somebody go help Seth out. He’s too damn scrawny to be a pack mule.”
Hammond made a rude gesture at Calhoun, earning a laugh from Calhoun and the other guys on the squad. But he stepped forward and gave Sutton a downright brotherly hug. “How’d you know to come to our rescue?”
“We didn’t. We just knew from your last text that y’all were heading down the mountain in the morning, so we figured you might run into trouble here in the redneck red zone. Quinn asked for volunteers, but when nobody spoke up, he made us draw straws.” Calhoun grinned. “We got the short ones.”
“Funny.”
“This him?” Calhoun nodded toward Landry but looked at Olivia for a response.
“What, you don’t have my mug shot hanging on the office wall?” Landry’s sarcastic tone almost hid his underlying tension.
Almost.
“I’m Sutton Calhoun.” Calhoun extended his hand.
Landry ignored it.
“Manners,” Olivia murmured.
He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. When he answered, his coastal Georgia drawl kicked in. “This ain’t a cocktail party, darlin’.”
Calhoun shrugged and finished the introductions. “This is Fitzpatrick to my right. That’s Dennison on the left. Cooper’s the big guy. Jackson’s the guy on the end.”
“And I believe we’ve spoken before.” Nick Darcy stepped forward.
“You answered the pay phone at the Econo-Tel,” Landry said, showing the first hint of relaxing. “The guy with the British accent. You were protecting Rigsby.”
Darcy nodded. “You probably saved her life with that call. If we’d been even a few steps behind Darryl Boyle—”
“Olivia says Rigsby’s okay.”
“She’s splendid,” Darcy answered in a tone so besotted, Olivia couldn’t quell a smile.
“I see,” Landry murmured, glancing at Olivia.
“We probably shouldn’t stick around here much longer,” Calhoun warned. “Those fellows might have gone for reinforcements.”
“Don’t suppose you brought any skis with you?” Hammond muttered.
“You can’t ski worth a lick anyway,” Calhoun said, clapping his friend on the back before barking an order in the sharp tone he must have learned during his days in the Army. “Move out.”
* * *
T HE LITTLE TOWN of Purgatory looked like a Christmas card, covered with snow and sparkling with lights in the deepening twilight. The temptation to stop his weary trudge forward and just enjoy the sight was more than Landry could resist.
He’d been in and out of civilization over the past months, slipping into bigger towns when he needed supplies or information, but most of his time had been spent in the hills, bunking down wherever he could find a kind soul who would take pity on his homeless state and give him a hot meal and a place to stay for the night.
He hadn’t stayed overnight in a town since he’d got away from the BRI, and he’d begun to wonder if he ever would again.
“Can’t linger.” That was Sutton Calhoun’s voice, gentle but firm in his ear as he nudged Landry forward. “We’re almost home.”
“Home,” it turned out, was a deceptively shabby-looking mansion on a large, tree-shaded corner lot near the center of town. An engraved plaque near the large iron
Similar Books
