“Since when did you become such a gentleman?” Brendan asked his brother.
“What, me?” Drake asked, sounding offended. “My mama taught me right.”
“She didn’t teach you to be such a smart aleck, though.” Peggy playfully cuffed him on the head and set the warm maple syrup in front of Toni.
Toni smiled with them as they continued to joke while cutting and consuming pancakes faster than she could’ve imagined possible. She’d been in a foul mood for having missed the meeting with Trent, but her crankiness was disappearing with the food.
“See,” Drake said. “We’re all vultures.”
She laughed, but the door opened and she spun to see Blake and Clay step in. Clay’s eyes were bright with excitement.
Peggy turned from the griddle. “Just in time for pancakes.”
Both guys went to the kitchen to wash their hands then settled at the table.
“So tell us already,” Toni said. “What happened with Trent?”
Clay reached into his pocket and held up a deputy’s badge. “Blake has one too.”
Drake’s eyes narrowed. “You stole badges to make it easier to get info?”
Clay rolled his eyes. “Trent deputized us.”
Toni gaped at Clay. “What in the world?”
“Was all Blake’s idea.” Clay forked a bite of pancakes and chewed contentedly.
Everyone looked at Blake. “With all Trent has on his plate, he needed help. I suggested he could deputize people with law enforcement experience to help. Then I might’ve volunteered.” He grinned.
Clay swallowed and took a long sip of coffee. “The rest of you guys are included in the plan. After breakfast, you’ll be sworn in, and we’ll meet with Blake to review leads for each investigation.”
“You said guys,” Toni said, trying to sound calm when her emotions were flaring. “Did you mean just your brothers?”
Clay looked at her, a hint of unease tightening his expression. “Sorry. Yeah. You’re already sworn by another agency.”
“Yeah, I figured.” She tightened her hands into fists under the table and gritted her teeth. She needed time to think before she snapped at him in front of his whole family. “So this means I’ll be cut out of the investigation while you all not only investigate but have inside information.”
Clay swallowed again. “It was the only way to get access to the things we need to move forward.”
“Ah, man.” Drake shook his head. “Not a wise move, bro.”
“I thought it was a genius idea.” Clay challenged his brother with a glare.
Drake gave Toni a pointed look. She was trying hard, but she wasn’t hiding her frustration. Clay was too excited by this new direction to see how making such a decision without talking to her would hurt. She wished Drake hadn’t caught on and wasn’t giving her a sympathetic look. His kindness brought tears to her eyes, totally unacceptable for an FBI agent. Especially in front of this group.
“Excuse me.” She hurried to the bedroom, firmly closed the door, and paced off her frustration.
A knock rattled the door. Had to be Clay, but she couldn’t talk to him right now. Not until she thought about what had just transpired.
“Toni, please.” He sounded desperate. “Let me explain.”
“Not now.” She turned her back to the door as if that would help.
“Please,” he said again,
His pain-filled plea got to her, and she almost opened the door. No. He’d hurt her. She remained in place until she heard his footsteps retreat down the hallway. The few bites of pancakes she’d eaten churned in her stomach. She didn’t know how long she stood there, but another knock sounded on the door, this one less insistent. Less demanding. Probably his mother. That would be even worse than talking to Clay. She was warm and wonderful and might be able to convince Toni that her son was sorry for his actions.
“Toni, it’s Drake.”
Drake?
“Can I talk to you?”
Unexpected. Should she let him in? She didn’t think he’d plead Clay’s case. If she’d learned anything about Drake, she’d learned that he knew his mind, and he understood that Clay had messed up. Plus, it would be good to have someone to talk to. Maybe it would also keep their mother at bay for now.
Toni opened the door and went to sit on the lower bunk.
Drake stepped a few feet inside the room and left the door ajar. “I wanted to check on you.”
“I’m fine. Mad, but needing to make a plan.”
“What kind of plan?”
“For starters, I can’t stay here.”
He didn’t speak for a long moment. “That bad, huh?”
“I don’t even want to look at him.”
“Ouch.”
“He brought it on himself.”
“If it helps at all, he tried to get Trent to call your office and ask for you to work a joint task force with them. Trent refused. Said if he did that he might as well call in the Bureau to start with.”
She liked hearing that, but it didn’t change the fact that she was out in the cold on an investigation involving her father and missing sister. Not to mention countless girls that she felt personally responsible for finding.
“And Clay said after watching the videos he had to do something,” Drake continued. “He couldn’t stand thinking about the girls Hibbard was holding in such deplorable conditions.”
Her heart softened another notch, and some of her anger vanished with it.
Drake shifted his feet. “Seems like that might’ve helped.”
“Yeah, a little, but I’m still leaving. For professional reasons I can’t stay here and have you all stop talking whenever I’m near, or worse, ask me to leave the room so you can talk. It could impede the investigation, and I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of finding the girls. And I also need to keep working things on my own. Find these girls and Lisa. And my dad’s killer.”
“Yeah…yeah. I get that.” His eyes narrowed. “Where will you go?”
“Hotel, or maybe my grandparents.”
“Want one of us to go with you? I mean, not Clay obviously.”
“I’ll be okay.”
Drake frowned. “Sharkey’s behind bars, but Hibbard isn’t. He could still come after you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
He took a step closer and locked gazes. “Then take pity on me. On my family. We won’t sleep at night knowing you’re alone. Let me come with you. I know I resemble Clay, but I promise to do my best not to look at all like him.” He made a funny face.
She laughed and felt instantly lighter. Maybe it would be good to have Drake with her. They could work this investigation together.
She stood and held out her hand. “Okay, you have a deal as long as we never talk about Clay.”
He shook hands, a cute grin on his face. “Clay who?”
22
In the entryway, Clay glared at Drake. “What do you mean you’re going with Toni?”
“I need to make sure Hibbard doesn’t get to her, and instead of glaring at me, I’d think you’d be thanking me.”
Clay curled his fingers. “You got a thing for her?”
“No way, man.” Anger darkened Drake’s eyes. “She’s your girl. Just doing a brother a solid, and I happen to respect her too.”
“She’s not my girl.”
“That’s your problem, not mine.” Drake shifted his duffel bag over his shoulder. “I’ll make sure she’s safe. I promise.”
“He’s doing the right thing,” his mother said from the family room, where the rest of his brothers were waiting to leave for Trent’s office.
She was the last person Clay wanted to hear from right now. In fact, he only wanted to hear from one person. Toni. And she refused to talk to him. His fault. He knew it. He’d put the investigation before her. Put these girls before her. Law enforcement officers often did that. He’d seen his dad do it enough. It was the sacrifice they made to help others in these demanding careers.
But Clay could’ve been smarter about his decision. Instead of running off to Trent, Clay could’ve talked to Toni first. Explained his reasons. And if he had talked to her first, he knew she would’ve understood because she had a heart for others too. She wanted to save these girls as much as he did. He should’ve woken her up. That would’ve been the smart thing to do.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and watched as Drake joined the other brothers. Thankfully, Sierra and Kelsey had gone with one of Trent’s deputies to Rader’s house, so they hadn’t seen the mess he’d made of things. And Blake had gobbled down his pancakes and gone to the bedroom to rearrange his schedule so he could play deputy. Clay figured the guy knew when to get out of the room.
The irony of it all was that Clay was the one with a trust issue from his last relationship, and he’d been the one to violate Toni’s trust, while she’d been straightforward and honest with him. Not wanting to lead him on when she wasn’t ready for more. And yet, here he was falling in love with her, and she didn’t even want to look at him.
“Maybe now would be a good time for prayer,” his mother suggested. “Prayer might be the very way to get Toni to soften her heart toward you.”
He didn’t feel much like praying, even if it could help, but he joined the family. She offered a genuine prayer. Right. This was why his mother was so special. In time of crisis, she held the family together with faith. Like the stitching when she’d mended their clothes, she patched their issues with faith-filled pleas. She’d always said prayer wasn’t just about asking God to help, but it was putting into words the unwavering belief that He would help. Maybe not as we wanted, but help would be forthcoming.
Blake came into the room. “We should get going. Trent’s waiting for us, and it’s not the best start to keep him waiting.”
“Let me say good-bye to Toni.”
“Sure you want to do that, bro?” Drake asked.
“She doesn’t want to hear from me. I get it. But I left this house once today without saying good-bye. Big mistake. I won’t make the same one again.” He took a long, cleansing breath as he headed down the hallway.
He knocked on the door gently. “Toni, it’s Clay. I know you don’t want to talk to me, but I wanted to tell you I’m heading over to Trent’s office. If you need me for anything, call. Stay safe, okay? I care about you more than you know.”
He waited by the door, hoping for a response.
“Good bye,” she said, and the finality of her tone left him wishing she hadn’t spoken after all.
Back in the family room, he tossed his keys to Drake. “You’ll need transportation.”
Drake held them out. “Dad said I could use his car.”
“The armored vehicle is safer for Toni. And thanks. You’re right. I will feel better if you’re with her.” Clay looked at his other brothers, his gut so tight he might hurl. “The rest of you ready to roll?”
They got to their feet, and without a word, followed Blake to the other SUV. Aiden unlocked the doors, and Clay climbed in the back with Erik and Brendan while Blake sat in front.
Normally Clay would fight for shotgun, but seating position seemed so irrelevant now. He would just have to pin his focus on finding those missing girls and Lisa and making sure Sharkey paid for killing Toni’s father. Then maybe she could at least stand to be in the same room with him. He could hope anyway.
Toni had taken her time packing her bag, waiting to hear the sound of the front door closing and the SUV taking off before creeping out of the bedroom she shared with Kelsey and Sierra. She was sad to leave them. Leave the whole family. But she had to get away to a place where there weren’t so many people who would advocate for Clay and cloud her mind and to allow them to talk freely.
She set down her suitcase at the door, plastered a smile on her face, and stepped into the family room. Peggy and Russ sat together, each reading a book, but Drake was missing. Maybe he was packing too.
She hated to steal him away from his family, and she really didn’t think she would need his protection. After all, no one had tried to kill her since the high school fire. But if it helped him and his family worry less, she would accept his help.
Peggy came to her feet. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry you feel like you need to leave.”
“It’s okay, really.”
“No, it’s not. You’re our guest, and we treated you badly.”
“You were wonderful.”
Drake came down the hall and joined them.
“Clay is sick over what he did,” Peggy went on. “But I won’t try to defend him to you. That’s his job.” She eyed her son. “And only his job.”
“I got this, Mom. Don’t worry so much.”
“Mothers are made to worry.”
Drake’s dark eyebrow went up in a perfect arch. “What about you always telling us to trust God?”
“Trusting Him doesn’t mean that one of you won’t go and do something to create a problem.”
Case in point, Clay’s recent decision, Toni thought and waited for Drake to say it, but he didn’t.
She looked at him. “I booked two rooms at the Rugged Point Inn, and they’ll let us check in now.”
“Great. After you.”
“Wait,” Peggy said, and Toni expected a plea to stay, but she hurried to the kitchen and came out carrying a few containers. “I packed some goodies and snacks for the two of you.”
Toni took the containers and smiled at Peggy. “That was very kind of you.”
Peggy stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I want you to enjoy them, but it’s for your self-preservation too. Drake gets a bit ugly when he’s really hungry.”
“I can hear you, Mom.” Drake grinned.
“Well, you do.”
“I do at that.” He kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thanks for the snacks, and I’ll check in routinely.”
“Which means don’t keep bugging him with texts and phone calls, Peg,” Russ said, his tone joking.
Peggy grabbed Toni in a hug. “I hope we see you again.”
Toni didn’t think it was likely, even if she’d been invited to Sunday dinner, she would never join them now. So she kept her mouth shut and tried not to cry over Peggy’s kindness and the way she reminded Toni of her mother.
Drake picked up Toni’s bag.
“We’ll come back for my boxes of records.” She hurried out the door with the containers still smooshed against her chest from the hug.
Drake inserted his key in the passenger door and unlocked all the doors. “I’m surprised you don’t have electronic locks on this fancy vehicle.”
“We did but found out they were hackable. So we replaced them with old-fashioned keys.”
She set the containers on the floor and turned back while he put their bags in the back. She went inside to move two of her file boxes to the door and took one last look around the dining room to be sure she had everything and that she was only leaving Ziegler’s and Clay’s files.
“That it?” Drake asked from the door.
She nodded and glanced at Peggy. “Thanks again.”
Toni rushed out and into the vehicle. Drake got behind the wheel.
She looked at him, her smile for Peggy still frozen on her face. “Do you know where the hotel is located?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He mimicked tipping a hat. “I’ll take you right to the front door, but I hope you aren’t expecting anything special.”
“The exterior pictures looked nice online.” She clicked her seatbelt into place.
“I think they were taken before I was born.” He laughed and pulled onto the main road. “Do you think it’s too early for one of Mom’s monster cookies?”
“For me, yes, but I can get one for you.”
“Let’s stop for some coffee to go with it, and I’ll have it while we plan our next move.”
“I didn’t ask if you’re willing to help me work the investigation without your brothers.”
“Sure. I won’t go against them in an
ything, but we can do a lot without that happening.”
“You really do have an amazing family.” She remembered thinking about being adopted by them and chuckled.
He glanced at her. “What’s so funny?”
“At dinner one night I thought I wanted your mom and dad to adopt me.” Her good mood vanished. “Losing my dad so suddenly when he was the only consistent person I had in my life was a big deal. I’m working through it, but I guess I was jealous.”
“Trust me, we have our issues too.”
“I know. But the love and faith you all share is something I would like to be a part of someday.”
“Too bad the guy who shall not be named blew it.”
“Actually, I don’t know if anything would’ve continued after the investigation ended anyway.”
“Why’s that?”
“Too complicated.” She looked out the window at the beach under spitting rain and heavy fog. “The weather reflects my mood.”
“Better change quick because the fog is predicted to burn off. We’re supposed to have a sunny day.”
Change her mood. No. She didn’t want to. She wanted to be mad.
That’s not what God has taught you. Forgive.
She ignored her own voice and pointed out the window. “Is that the hotel?”
“Yep.”
The three story rectangle was painted a calming beige with small balconies on the top floor. The building sat near the beach with rolling waves, and a portico covered the wide entrance.
Drake pulled under the overhang and killed the engine.
“I’ll grab our keys and be right back.” She waited for him to argue about going alone like Clay would do in this situation, but Drake didn’t utter a word. She climbed out, and surprisingly, she missed having Clay at her side.
Which was ridiculous. She was mad at him. Or more correct, hurt by him.
She stepped into the lobby, and an older woman with frosted short hair and a wrinkled face smiled from behind the desk. “Welcome.”
Her nametag read Joy Graber.
“Toni Long,” she said. “I reserved two adjoining rooms.” She got out her credit card, and Joy looked over her shoulder to the front doors, likely focusing on Drake, and frowned.
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