And Jake was probably concerned before every one of his jobs. That was what made him so good at what he did, right?
Unless…
“Okay,” she said, swiveling back around in her seat suddenly. “But, just to clarify, what kind of general sense are we talking about? Would you categorize it as the bad gut feeling kind or more like the years of experience have trained me to be ready for anything kind? Because those are two very different things.”
Jake shot her a look out of the corner of his eye.
“You all right, Verity?” he asked.
“Fine.” Her voice sounded tight even to her own ears. “Mostly. I’m mostly fine.”
“Starting to have second thoughts?”
“Nope,” she said truthfully.
Sure, she was scared, but what else was new? Her knees had been shaking since the moment she’d opened Roman’s letter. She’d been nervous getting on the flight out here. She’d been terrified when she’d walked into the Crossroads. And, now that she was just minutes away from doing the actual deed, she was damned near petrified. But that didn’t mean that her resolve was wavering.
She couldn’t turn away from doing what was right just because she was scared.
Even if it did feel like her heart was going to pound its way right out of her chest.
At least, Jake seemed to accept her answer.
He uncurled his right hand from the steering wheel and laid it, palm up, on the armrest next to her. Verity looked down at it for a long second before slipping hers on top. A surge of warmth flowed through her as his strong, rough fingers closed around her hand.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re just going out there this morning to check the place out. We might not even get out of the car.”
“No?”
“Not until I am one hundred percent convinced that everything is cool,” he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Verity.”
The tightening coil in Verity’s belly eased up a touch.
She didn’t dare ask what was behind this unexpected display of compassion. Maybe he wasn’t a complete hardass, and he actually cared a little bit about her. Or maybe he’d just been concerned that she was about to freak out and ruin his plans.
Either way, it didn’t matter. The simple act of holding Jake’s hand was working wonders. Bit by bit, Verity’s heartbeat calmed. Her breathing slowed. Her anxiety didn’t dissipate completely, but at least now she could manage it.
She turned her palm slightly so that her fingers intertwined with his. He didn’t pull away from the added level of intimacy. If anything, his grip tightened.
Verity kept her hold on him as the small downtown area of Augustville gave way to mile after mile of rolling, golden hills. She turned her attention outside her window and watched the wide-open countryside pass by. She lost herself in the silence and the scenery as Jake steered the truck through every twist and turn in the road.
For a moment everything was almost peaceful.
Then Jake pulled the truck over, slowing to a stop on a wide gravel patch on the shoulder.
Verity turned her head toward Jake. “Why are you stopping?”
“Because we’re here,” Jake said. He pulled his hand away from hers just long enough to cut the engine.
Verity looked out her window. There was a steep embankment just outside her door, leading down to an open pasture below, and, sure enough, a few hundred feet away there was a large, two-story farmhouse right in the center of it.
“Are you sure this is the place?” she asked.
Jake nodded. “Positive.”
But it couldn’t be.
Sure, the location seemed to fit the satellite maps she’d pulled up. The grounds of the farmhouse certainly matched, and she could see outside the windshield where, about a quarter mile up, the road came to a dead end.
Still, Verity shook her head.
“But look at all those cars down there.” She counted four of them parked out front, all of them shiny and new looking. She had no idea how many more were parked behind. “Roman said he and his business partners wouldn’t be out here for another week.”
“Roman lied,” Jake said flatly. Once again, he didn’t seem at all surprised.
Her heartbeat kicked up again.
“Why would he do that?” she asked.
The line of Jake’s mouth tightened. He leaned across her, popped open the glove compartment, and he pulled out a pair of binoculars.
“Because whatever is going on here, he didn’t want you to see it.”
The spring in Verity’s belly started ratcheting tighter again.
“What do you mean?” Her voice shook as she asked. “What do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know,” he said, lifting the binoculars to his eyes. “But I’m pretty damned sure it doesn’t have anything to do with a few pieces of stolen art. There are too many cars down there, too many people for such a small operation. Whatever your brother has gotten involved in, it’s much bigger.”
Verity bit into her lip, trying to slow her breath. “Maybe it’s just a party.”
Jake didn’t even respond to her desperate try. He just kept his eyes steady on the house below.
She had no idea what he was looking for. She couldn’t see anyone down there. Not a soul.
Not until a few moments later, when the front door swung open and someone—a man—stepped out onto the porch. Verity squinted her eyes, and tried to make out his features. Nothing about him seemed familiar though.
But the man obviously wasn’t a stranger to Jake.
“Shit,” Jake muttered and tossed the binoculars down onto the floorboard. He turned around to face the steering wheel in a flash.
“What’s happening?” Verity demanded.
“We’re getting the hell out of here.”
Verity’s shoulders tensed. She felt her throat start to close up. Whoever that man was down there, he had Jake ready to run. And that couldn’t be a good sign. Not at all.
“Why?” Verity’s voice shook so badly she could barely get the words out. “Who is that guy?”
Jake didn’t answer. Instead, he reached up for the keys still dangling from the ignition.
Before he could turn them, a sharp tap sounded against the window.
Verity snapped her head toward the sound.
There was a man dressed in all black standing outside Jake’s door and he was holding a gun—the biggest damned gun Verity had ever seen.
Her eyes went wide and the breath froze in her lungs as she instinctively pushed herself as far back against the seat as she could.
Jake, on the other hand, didn’t seem to react at all. His head stayed down, half hidden in the shadows of the cab. His body went completely hard and still.
“J-Jake,” she stuttered.
“Everything is going to be okay, Verity,” Jake whispered under his breath.
“Hey you,” the man shouted from outside. “Open up.”
“I need you to listen to me,” Jake went on. “No matter what happens next, don’t get out of the truck, and stay down. You got that?”
The tap came against the window again, harder this time.
“Hey asshole,” the man shouted. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
“You got that?” Jake repeated.
“Yeah,” Verity said. It was shaky as all hell, but somehow she managed to get it out.
“Good,” Jake said with a slight nod.
And then he rolled the window down.
***
He should’ve never brought Verity out here. He should’ve left her back at the motel. He should’ve pulled over farther back on the road.
A hundred should’ves rushed through Jake’s brain all at once.
And not one of them did a lick of good.
It was too late for would’ves and could’ves.
If he was going to get Verity out of this mess safely, he had to concentrate on the here and now.
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And the asshole outside his door with the M4 rifle.
Silas’ man.
The second Jake had caught sight of John Silas stepping out onto the porch, he’d known he’d driven Verity right into the heart of a trap.
What he shouldn’t have been was surprised.
Of course, Silas was involved. It wasn’t like Roman Green had the brains to run an operation of this size on his own. Who else in the world was he going to follow but his old Special Forces captain?
And there was no doubt that John Silas knew what he was doing. He’d known Jake’s truck was coming. That much was certain. He must have had surveillance set up all along this lonely country road. How else would he be able to scramble together a welcoming party so quickly?
Shit.
He should have seen this coming.
Just like he should’ve seen the last ambush he’d been caught in.
The image of Charlie’s blood dripping from her fingertips, pooling on the floor, flashed in his mind.
That wasn’t going to happen today.
Not to Verity.
He wouldn’t let it.
“What do you want?” Jake made sure to keep his eyes pointed down as he spoke to the armed man.
“You’re on private property,” the man replied.
“Thought this was a public road,” Jake said.
“The road is the paved bit over there, buddy.” The man’s voice was familiar, but Jake couldn’t immediately match a face to it.
“Then I guess we’ll get back on it,” Jake said, struggling to keep his voice steady. It was almost impossible with all the rage boiling inside him.
Next to him, he could hear Verity’s frantic breathing. He felt her seat tremble. She was terrified. And for that alone, Jake was itching to rip the man’s head clean off his body.
But he wouldn’t. Not while he still had a chance to get Verity away from Silas’ crony peacefully.
Jake reached for the ignition, but felt the muzzle of the rifle press into his shoulder.
“Not so fast,” the man said. “What the hell are you doing out here anyway?”
“Just looking for a quiet place to spend some time with my girl.”
There was a slight pause and Jake glanced over at Verity in time to see her pushing back even farther into her seat. Jake’s fury grew even stronger. It didn’t take much of an imagination to guess exactly what kind of look Silas’ man was giving her.
“Hey, sugar,” the man said slowly. “You look kinda familiar. Do I know you?”
Verity shook her head. Her black curls tumbled over her face. “N-no.”
“You sure about that?” he asked.
All of Jake’s muscles tensed. She was shaking so badly now that she couldn’t speak. She could barely even nod.
“Leave her alone,” Jake growled.
There was another pause from outside. Then suddenly the rifle pulled away from his shoulder long enough for the man outside to open his door.
“You want me to leave her alone, eh?” the man asked. “All right, then. How about you step out here, and you and I can talk about that.”
Jake didn’t fight the dark smile that spread across his face. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”
“Jake,” Verity called out.
“I’ll be right back,” he said. “Promise.”
Jake lifted his face the moment both of his boots were on the dirt. The man’s eyes went wide.
“I know you,” Silas’ man said, his jaw dropping open.
“I remember you too, Norton,” Jake said as the man’s name popped up in his memory. “Still doing Silas’ dirty work after all these years?”
Norton didn’t answer, but lifted his rifle.
Jake’s hand shot out. He wrapped his fingers around the muzzle and thrust back hard, hitting Norton in the shoulder. The impact knocked him off balance and his arms shot out to the side as he skittered backwards.
It was all the advantage Jake needed.
He yanked the rifle forward, sliding the strap off Norton’s shoulder and tossing the weapon down on the ground behind him.
He didn’t need a gun to win this fight.
Norton quickly regained his footing and came at Jake fast, rearing back to throw a punch the second he was close enough. Jake deflected it easily with his forearm and pivoted out of the way, using the man’s momentum against him.
This is what happened when a man became too dependent on a gun to do his job. He forgot how to fight.
Norton came right back at him, but Jake didn’t bother moving this time. He balled his hands into fists at his side, and landed them, fast and hard, one right after the other in Norton’s left side.
Norton doubled over but Jake wrapped his fingers around his collar before he could fall. With a quick jerk, he hauled the man back up to his feet.
“What is John Silas doing out here?” Jake demanded.
“Screw you, Thorne,” Norton spat at him.
He didn’t want to talk? That was fine. Jake wasn’t exactly in a chatty mood himself.
“Fine,” Jake said, wrenching Norton up another couple of inches. “But just in case you wanted to know. The cracked ribs are for pointing a gun at me. But the broken jaw? That’s for threatening the girl.”
Norton’s eyes widened.
“What bro—”
Jake brought his fist down hard against the side of Norton’s face. A sickening crack sounded as bright red blood coated his lips. The man’s knees gave out underneath him and Jake gave him a slight backwards shove as he let him go.
Jake didn’t wait to see how far Norton’s crumpled body rolled down the embankment. Instead, he lifted his gaze toward the house.
Silas was still there, watching him, but now he wasn’t alone.
Half a dozen of his men had joined him out on the porch, all of them armed. It didn’t take a genius to guess what they were planning on doing next.
Jake didn’t waste any time heading back toward the truck. He’d just bent down to scoop up Norton’s rifle when the first bullet hit the side of his truck.
“Get down,” Jake shouted as he sprinted the last few feet to his open door.
But Verity wasn’t listening. She was still sitting straight up, staring out the window, as he jumped into his seat.
Bullets continued to ping off the metal doors as Jake started the engine. He threw it in gear and pressed the accelerator all the way down. The tires spun in the dirt for a second before catching, giving the shooters enough time to get a few more shots off.
“I said get down, Verity,” Jake tried again as he wrenched the truck around in a tight U-turn, but she still didn’t move. Judging by her wide-eyed expression, he doubted his words were even getting through.
No matter.
Jake reached over, grasped her shoulder and pressed her down.
“Let go,” she yelled as she struggled against his hold.
Jake shook his head. No way in hell. He didn’t care how panicked she was, he wasn’t going to let her back up until he was certain they were safe.
When he still didn’t see anyone on their tail a couple of miles down the road, Jake eased his grip.
She sprung up immediately, swiveling her head around to look out all the windows.
“It’s okay,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “I told you I’d get you out of there safe.”
Verity sat back in her seat. Her face was pale, and her lips parted as if she could barely breathe. Her eyes were pointed straight ahead, but Jake could tell they weren’t focused on anything in particular.
“Verity,” he said her name slowly, hoping to break through the wall of shock that surrounded her.
She slowly turned her face toward him, but her brows pulled together as if she were more confused than frightened.
“Roman.” She spoke so softly, at first Jake wasn’t sure that he’d heard her right.
“What?”
“Roman was at the house,” Verity said the words slowly, as if she cou
ld barely believe them herself. As if everything she’d ever been certain of had become unmoored and now she was forced to watch as it was swept out to sea. “I saw him come out while you were fighting.”
“Verity, I’m sorry.”
It was the truth. No matter how much he hated Roman Green, the man was still Verity’s brother. She loved him, just like Jake loved his own siblings. It was only natural. He couldn’t fault her for being disappointed even after all his warnings.
She turned and looked at him, disbelief shining bright in her wide dark eyes.
“You don’t understand,” she said. “He shot at me.”
Jake felt his blood turn to ice. “You sure?”
“I saw him,” Verity said, her voice cracking. “My brother shot at me.”
Chapter Six
Verity had no idea where Jake was taking her. All she knew was that it wasn’t back to the motel. Augustville was northwest of the farmhouse, and he was heading south.
Well, mostly south.
They’d been driving for over a half hour now and Jake kept getting on and off the freeway every few exits, just to drive around on country roads that led them right back to an on ramp.
She’d ask Jake what he was doing, but given the tight set of his jaw and the way he kept glancing in the rearview mirror, Verity was pretty sure she could figure it out on her own.
“I’m guessing that by now you’ve shaken anyone that might have been following us,” she said.
Jake turned and briefly looked her in the eye. He didn’t seem so certain.
But he obviously didn’t want to talk about it.
“How are you holding up?” he asked, looking back toward the road.
Verity drew in a deep breath. Speaking of subjects she didn’t want to talk about…
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to, it was that she had no idea how to answer.
She’d emerged from the fog of shock, only to find that she was still pretty numb inside. She could tell that all the expected emotions were there—anger, fear, disappointment—but it was as if they were locked up in a thick glass cage. She could see them, but she couldn’t quite hear them, touch them or get at them in any real way.
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