Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
I’d risk myself in a second if it meant no one else would get hurt. I was sick to death of being the reason other people got hurt.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked West.
“I’m reluctant to expose the brewery,” he said, considering. “But he jumped you in the employee parking lot, away from customers. As stupid as he seems to be, I doubt he’ll make a run at you through the taproom. Too many people. I think he’ll try again. We’ll put you on closings. You appear to go in and out by yourself, parking in the dark lot. He’ll try again.”
“My guess is he’s local,” Hawk added, “for a few reasons. The main one being his skill set. Haywood hired him out of opportunity. If he was coming in from out of town, it’s unlikely he would’ve waited so long between attempts—”
“Or, frankly, been this sloppy,” West finished.
“I agree,” Griffen said with a nod.
I didn’t have their expertise. I’d take their word for it. I wondered how often I’d passed him in the street, how many other times he’d thought about coming at me and hadn’t. “So, what?” I asked. “We put the word out that I’m working nights? Closing up alone?”
“Exactly. Locally, folks are still interested in Ford Sawyer serving beer,” West said. “Word will spread.”
I still wasn’t comfortable with the attention, but I’d deal with the stares if it would help us catch Cole’s hired killer.
“You think Avery will be okay with that?” I asked. “She generally keeps me off nights for that reason.”
West raised an eyebrow in challenge. “She keeps you off nights for your sake, not hers. If you were working nights, she’d sell more beer, but she doesn’t want her brother to be a circus sideshow, so she gives you afternoons. Plus, Dave likes the tips when he closes, but we could talk them into swapping.”
“I don’t think it would take more than a week, maybe two, before he makes another run at you,” Griffen added.
“Do you have the manpower to set something up like that?” I asked.
West shook his head. “No. Not on our own.” He looked to Hawk. “Considering the circumstances, I’d be open to a joint task force if you can spare some of your team.”
“We’ll make it work,” Hawk said.
“And in the meantime,” I interrupted, “I want you to teach me how to defend myself. I don’t know why Cole hired someone who couldn’t get the job done. But if I was dealing with anyone more competent than this guy, I’d be toast.” I let out a frustrated breath. “I managed to keep him busy and away from Finn and Paige, but I’ve spent most of my life behind a desk. I’m in crap shape after the last year. I can throw a punch, and I can still shoot a gun, but that doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing. I know you can’t teach me everything in a few days, but there’s got to be something.” I exhaled again, my eyes locked on my feet. Unable to look at them, I said, “I couldn’t keep them safe.”
“You did,” West cut in. “You got a little beat-up in the process, but Finn and Paige barely had a scratch on them.”
I wanted to feel that was true, but all I could remember were their shouts, Paige’s frightened eyes, and the gunshot that had gone wild. Only sheer luck had kept the bullet from burying itself in Paige or Finn.
“We can teach you,” Griffen said, sharing a look with Hawk. “Enough to give you an edge. What happened to that nine millimeter you used to have?”
I looked to West. “I don’t know. West’s people confiscated it along with the gun that shot Prentice. I don’t know where it ended up. For all I know, Haywood has it.”
“I’ll look into it,” West said.
Griffen nodded. “We should get you time on the range. If you know what to do with it, you should be carrying it.”
I shrugged. I was a pretty good shot—we all were—but my definition of knowing what to do with it and theirs was not the same thing. “I feel pretty useless at the moment,” I admitted quietly. “I’m like a magnet drawing danger to the family, and I can’t do a goddamn thing to stop it. If I left—”
“So that’s it, then?” Griffen asked suddenly. “You’re leaving?” His chin was set, his eyes hard.
I froze, teetering back and forth between never and absolutely. Finally, I settled for the truth.
“I’ve brought enough harm to my family,” I said. “I can’t tolerate the idea of bringing more. What if this guy gets to the Manor? The kids are here.”
“That idiot is not getting through our security,” Hawk stated firmly.
“Maybe not this guy,” I said. “But once we get rid of this one, do you really think Cole is going to give up? If he’s found a way to communicate with this guy from inside the prison, he’ll be able to do it again. And the next time—”