Which was okay, but being the only one making decisions got exhausting.
And he was right. This was the best plan of action. It was one more reason Danny was definitely coming around to his way of thinking.
He could call it fate or say that she was meant to be his, but at the end of the day they were simply turning out to be compatible.
A team. Taking on everything they faced together with trust and respect.
Danny smiled. “I’ll be back.”
Frankie was sitting at her kitchen table when she walked in, all four of her Chihuahuas dancing around her feet. “Hey. Did you think of anything?”
Frankie lifted a brow. “What?”
“Something to help pick up this freaking polar bear. JD came down to ask for your help.”
“Did he now.” Frankie nodded slow and even. “Interesting.” She blew out a breath. “How big is this thing?”
“Two skids wide and almost ten feet tall.” She winced as Frankie continued to stare at her.
“Did you say it was two skids wide?”
“And ten feet tall.” Danny smiled. “Do you have any equipment that will move it?”
“I mean, yeah, but nothing that will get it through the doorway of your shop.” Frankie’s brows climbed higher on her forehead. “You need someplace with a bay door.”
Danny huffed as she sat in the chair beside Frankie. “I should have told them I couldn’t start it until we knew how this whole thing with Adam was going to go.”
Frankie shook her head. “No way. It’s too much money and could bring more work your way.” She grabbed Danny’s hands in hers. “Do you want to be stuffing fucking turkeys and mounting deer heads your whole life?”
“No.”
“No.” Frankie squeezed her fingers. “This is a huge opportunity for you and your business. We will make it fucking work.”
Danny chewed her lip. She and her sisters had always been a team. Them against the world.
But now she had a new team. One that was infinitely more intimate than a sisterly bond, and had the potential to be equally strong.
And this new partnership she was in made her feel a level of privacy she’d never even considered having.
Her sisters didn’t know Craig’s financial situation. That he could finish all they’d planned in one fell swoop if Danny was willing to let him.
She wasn’t.
And it was a secret she decided to keep. “Okay.”
“Why don’t we bring him down to the warehouse? I can find room for you to work on him there.”
“You sure I won’t be in the way?” The warehouse was home base for Frankie’s logging business, and it was always full of activity. Big rigs coming and going, hauling felled trees and equipment.
“Positive. The guys will probably enjoy getting to see it in progress anyway.” She rolled her eyes. “They seem all mean and grouchy, but they are the biggest batch of softies I’ve ever met.”
“Thank you.” Danny leaned in to grab her sister in a quick hug, freezing once she had her wrapped up. Frankie sat perfectly still, arms at her side.
Affection wasn’t something they’d been raised to show, and the automatic display seemed to catch Frankie by as much surprise as it did Danny.
After a few heartbeats Frankie’s tattooed arms came around her. “You’re welcome.”
****
DANNY STEPPED BACK to stare up at the bear. “It’s a mess.”
“It’s something.” Frankie stood at her side. She tilted her head. “Is it cross-eyed?”
“Yup.” Whoever did this bear should be shot and stuffed themselves.
Frankie squinted at the bear’s distorted face. “Shouldn’t he have a nose?”
Danny reached into her pocket and pulled out the plastic bag containing the missing feature. “The museum said it just fell off.”
“His nose just fell off?” Frankie took the baggie. “Is that supposed to happen?”
Danny shook her head. “No.”
This job was much bigger than she anticipated, which meant Danny now had to update her estimate and send it back to the museum for approval before starting.
And if they didn’t approve it, she would have to pack this thing back up and ship him home.
On top of all the ten million other things she and her sisters had to do this week before the special aired.
“I’m nervous.” Frankie didn’t look away from the bear.
“Me too.”
“Have you talked to Sam about it yet?” Frankie did look her way this time.
Danny and Sam had always been close. Probably because they were the two oldest when they finally broke free of their father. They were the only ones capable of even remotely understanding how the real world worked. “No.” Danny’s gaze dropped to her feet. “I know this isn’t what she wants, but I know it’s what’s best for all of us, and I don’t know how to make the two work together.”
Frankie lifted her shoulders. “You can’t. Someone has to be unhappy.”
Danny dropped her head back. “That’s not what I want to hear. I want Sam to be happy too.”
“You can’t make Sam happy. Only she can do that.”
Danny felt the sadness in Frankie’s tone deep in her soul. “What if she doesn’t?”
“Then we will love her anyway.” Frankie wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “Sam is strong, but she’s also stubborn. We just have to have faith in her.”
Sam had done so much for them. Stepped in when their mother died. Took on the position of legal guardian when they broke free. Stood strong and unbreakable during times that could snap the strongest of people.
Not Sam.
“I’m going to go see her now.” Sam needed to know that even when they were on opposite sides Danny still had her back. Still supported her.
It was quieter than normal outside as she walked back toward town. Frankie’s building was only a ten minute walk away, but the narrow road made it seem farther than it was.
An odd noise drifted on the breeze as it moved through the trees.
A familiar sound Danny couldn’t quite place, the memory of it sitting just out of reach. The sun was still in the sky, not quite setting, but low enough that the trees blocked out most of the light it provided, shadowing the road more with each passing step.
By the time she made it to town, the light was streaking in pretty pink stripes, cutting between bright oranges and pale lavenders. The kind of perfect sunset she and Jude used to watch together.
The bell on the door to the bakery tinkled as Danny pushed it open. Sam should be here, getting ready for the people who would be lining up first thing in the morning, waiting their turn for an allotment of the best bread this side of the Olympic National Forest.
But Sam wasn’t behind the counter working at the long stainless steel island where she should be.
The shop was empty.
Silent.
No. Not silent.
Breathing.
Someone was breathing. Short and choppy. Shallow and fast.
Danny took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of dusty flour and risen dough.
And fear. It was sour and sharp, making her nostrils flare.
She crept deeper into the space, searching for the source of the smell and sound. After a few steps a scent she knew well overwhelmed the other odors, sending her feet racing.
“Jude!” Danny spun, eyes moving as she breathed his air, zeroing in on her child.
The second she found him she ran, dropping to her knees in front of the cabinet and pulling it open, saying his name so he would know it was her. “Jude. It’s me. I’m here.”
He tumbled out of his hiding spot and into her arms, sobs wracking his body as he tried to talk.
“It’s okay, Ju-Ju. Everything’s okay.” She smoothed down his hair, holding him tight.
“It’s—” he sucked in a breath, “not.”
The door to the bakery slammed open. “Danny?” Charlie’s feet bounced a
cross the tile and she ran toward them. “What happened?”
“Jude?” Frankie was barely out of breath as she came through the door, full speed.
“He’s okay.” Danny rocked him, breathing against her son’s head, trying to sooth the fear and rage pulsing through her veins.
Alex was the last one in, her hair sopping wet and mascara running down her face. A t-shirt and sweatpants clung to her damp body as she scanned the bakery. “Where’s Sam?”
Danny looked at her sisters, their eyes passing from one to another.
Jude’s sobs dulled just enough for him to fight out three words.
“They took her.”
TWENTY-THREE
CRAIG SAT AT the island with his laptop open in front of him, sorting through the barrage of emails he’d gotten over the past few weeks. His cell started to ring. He frowned at the screen, swiping one thumb across to connect the call.
“Phillip Foster. It’s been a while.” Phillip was a fellow private investigator. One he crossed paths with in Greenlea of all places, when Phillip was hired to track down Joel’s now-wife by her off-his-rocker ex-boyfriend. Luckily Phillip was a decent guy, and came to Greenlea to warn Cora she was in danger.
Which made him concerned that Phillip was calling him now.
“You still looking for the family of that friend of yours?” Phillip didn’t waste time, which was a good sign. Meant he wasn’t trying to dig up information.
“Not anymore.” Craig waited. Phillip might not be trying to dig up information, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.
“I’m not trying to play games with you, Craig. I called because I think someone’s looking for one of his sisters.”
Clearly Phillip knew more than Craig anticipated. “Which one?”
“James.”
Shit.
Craig wiped one hand down his face. “Why?”
“Rumor has it she has something important.” Papers shuffled in the background. “Something that’s hard to come by.”
“Drugs?” He hadn’t met James, and with everything else happening around them, information on the youngest Karlson sister was not easy to come by. Especially from a group of women skilled at holding their cards close.
“Not sure.” Phillip blew out a breath. “Whatever it is, someone wants it. Bad.”
“How bad?” The pit in Craig’s stomach was growing deeper with each passing second. Danny and her sisters were already overwhelmed, the last thing they needed was to find out James might be in danger.
“Bad enough there’s a low-key price on her head.”
“Shit.” Craig rubbed his eyes. “How much?”
“Ten grand.”
Craig shook his head, worked his shoulders, and straightened in his seat. He thought his days of private investigation might be behind him, traded for a calmer, happier way of life.
Looked like that wasn’t going to be the case. “How’d you find this out?”
“I’m working for an investor in Vegas. Trying to find out where all his money’s going.”
“Vegas? James is in Vegas?”
“Was. Not anymore. Not as far as I can tell, anyway. All her accounts are gone. She walked off the job and never came back.”
“When?” Craig’s fingers flew across his keyboard as he started the process of tracking down another ghost.
“A week ago. Apartment’s empty. She just disappeared.” Phillip’s own keyboard clicked in the background. “I’m sending you everything I have now. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
“I really appreciate it, man.” Craig paused, eyes lifting from the screen. “Why are you doing this?”
“Rumor has it you’re out of the game. I’m looking to take over more of it. Thought maybe if I scratched your back, you’d scratch mine.”
“What makes you think I’m out of the game?” Phillip wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean it was common knowledge. Hell, Craig only decided for himself recently.
“You haven’t taken a new case outside friends in almost a year. It was basic math.”
“Didn’t realize you were watching me that close.” Craig clicked on the email from Phillip the second it appeared in his inbox.
Phillip snorted. “Come on. Did you think I wasn’t going to notice my competition fell off the radar?”
Craig clicked on a document and scanned the lines of information Phillip gathered. He made it halfway down the page before his skin went cold.
“Does this say payout is only for her and only if she’s alive?”
“That’s what it says.”
This was bad. Very bad. “Any guesses about who’s offering the money?”
“I could take a few stabs in the dark, but only if I know what they want from her, and so far no one knows.”
“Keep an ear to the ground and bill me for it.” Craig continued through the email, pulling up photos of a smiling young woman with dimples and a wicked gleam in her eye.
“I’m more interested in acquiring your client base.” Phillip wasn’t being shy about his motives, and it made Craig willing to trust him a little more. Phillip had something to gain from this, something he clearly wanted.
And that meant he would be willing to do what Craig needed him to do.
Be the eyes and ears where he couldn’t.
“I’ll hand it over as soon as this is settled.” He paused. “And by settled—”
“You want James back home safe and sound.”
“Ideally.” Whatever she was into, James was in danger.
“If not?”
It wasn’t an end Craig was willing to consider. It would destroy Danny and her sisters. “You help me and I’ll help you regardless of what happens.”
“Fine.” Phillip sounded satisfied with the deal. “I’ll be in touch.”
The line probably went dead. Craig wasn’t paying attention.
An odd sound had him on his feet and rushing to the door, whipping it open to step onto the porch just as a blonde-headed body ran down the road leading from Frankie’s warehouse, curls flying around her head as she pumped her arms for maximum speed.
Frankie was yelling something he couldn’t make out.
Didn’t matter anyway.
Craig raced down the steps and headed toward the same point of town it appeared Frankie was heading for. As the door to the bakery came into view, a disheveled-looking Alex darted inside, solidifying his destination.
The last few seconds seemed to take forever, as he ran across the street and into the still-open doorway of Sam’s bakery. He didn’t stop moving until he was on the spotless floor next to Danny. “What happened?”
Jude’s tear-streaked face turned his way. “I didn’t keep her safe.”
Craig’s eyes snapped around the room, bouncing from face to face.
There were only four.
“Sam’s gone.” Alex was fighting her sopping wet hair into a twisted bun at the top of her head. “It hasn’t been long.” Her eyes were soft as she came to crouch beside him, her attention on Jude. “Who took her, Ju-Ju?”
“The big men.” He hiccupped on a sharp inhale. “The two that look the same.”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “The Bellamy brothers.”
Alex and Danny stared at each other for a second, cool gazes unwavering.
“No.” Craig stood, ready to put a stop to whatever the sisters were trying to plot. “Absolutely not.”
Danny stood from the ground, not struggling at all with the added weight of the ten-year-old in her arms. “Ju-Ju, I need you to go stay with Aunt Kari and Vanessa for a little bit while I go find Sam.”
His blue eyes were on his mother as she settled him on his feet. “What will happen to those men?”
“We’re going to kill them.” Frankie didn’t even pretend she was kidding.
“You can’t kill them.” Craig glanced up as Lance busted into the shop. “Please tell them they can’t commit murder.”
“I’m not the boss of them.” Lance h
eld one hand out to Jude. “Come on. I need you to take care of Vanessa. She knows something’s wrong and she’s scared.”
That was all it took to get Jude’s shoulders straight and his feet moving. Lance glanced over one shoulder as he led Jude away.
“Don’t make a mess you can’t clean up.”
****
“YOU CAN’T KILL anyone, Danny. Please.”
She pulled the cap over her head, blocking out the pale color of her hair. It was the most important trick she and her sisters learned over the years.
Camouflage. How to move around a world you didn’t really belong in without being seen.
And it was time to put all they knew to the test.
“I don’t have time for this, Craig.” She shoved him out of her way and ran down the stairs.
The desire to immediately race out after Sam was almost overwhelming, but without being ready they would most certainly be discovered.
Especially if what she suspected about the Bellamy brothers turned out to be correct.
White hot rage licked across her skin at the thought of them. What they might be. “I won’t kill anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”
Craig caught her arm, swinging her to face him. “You have a son to think about.”
He knew her too damn well. Knew there was only one button to push right now and he just wailed on it. “I won’t do anything that could take me from my son.”
Craig’s dark eyes moved over her face for a split second before he gave her a single nod and released the arm he held.
Danny grabbed him, one hand on each cheek, pulling his lips to hers. “I won’t do anything to take me from you either, City Boy.”
“I’m still not happy about this.”
“I know.” She smiled as her sisters hurried toward her house. “That’s the best part.”
Danny stepped out the door and into the darkening night, joining her sisters as they silently crept toward the edge of the woods, following the unmistakable scent of their oldest sister.
Sam was mad. Angry as hell, and it made her heart beat faster. Made her sweat more. Her breath hotter.
And every bit of it made her path impossible to miss.
Years of playing in the woods as children and as adults, made them even more adept at navigating the surroundings.
Danny (Big Northwest Book 1) Page 23