Page 30 of Lone Star Protector

“What’s wrong?” Caroline and Slade asked in unison.

Nash’s gaze froze on the words, and he wished he didn’t have to tell her. But he couldn’t keep this from her. Even if seeing it was going to cut Caroline to the bone.

He held up his phone so she could read what was written there.

“Hello, darlin’,” she read aloud, her voice barely a whisper. “Watch the attached video for an important message.”

“I can have the video screened,” Nash was quick to say. “To check it for a virus.” Though he figured Bodie wouldn’t do that since he’d want Caroline to see it.

So he could taunt her.

And terrorize her.

“Play the video,” she insisted.

Nash debated it, and hoping it wasn’t a mistake, he loaded it onto the monitor so they could all watch.

Bodie instantly appeared on the screen, and Nash tried not to react to the gut punch of hatred that he had for this bastard. Impossible not to react though since Bodie was sporting that same grin as he had in the photo that’d been left in Caroline’s bedroom.

His brother’s black hair fell nearly to his shoulders, and his easy, careless expression made him look like some kind of seasoned rock star. He still had his looks, looks that he’d obviously used to convince Jordana to marry him.

Nash paused the frame so he could study Bodie’s surroundings to try to figure out where he’d been when this was recorded. But there was nothing to study. Bodie was sitting in front of what appeared to be a white bed sheet that had been nailed to a wall.

“Caroline,” Bodie purred when the video started up again. “I have so much to say to you. I really hope you’re having a miserable time right now, what with looking over your shoulder for me.”

“You sick sonofabitch,” she muttered.

Bodie laughed, maybe anticipating a more terrified reaction from her. “Now that I’m a free man, we’ll be connecting really soon.” He held up something.

A skinning knife.

“The cops took my other one,” Bodie went on. “But as you can see, I have a new one.”

Bodie ran the blade over his tongue and then turned back to the camera. Now, he was sporting a stone-cold glare. “Can’t wait to slice this right into you,” he growled. “This time, bitch, you’ll die.”

Chapter Ten

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Caroline watched as the video ended, and she welcomed the emotions that rolled through her. Not fear. Definitely not that. What she felt was an intense, raw anger that shot through every part of her.

She darn sure wouldn't be crying this time. Wouldn’t be going through that sickening dread as she’d done when she had learned that Bodie had escaped and was coming after her. Feeling that was over and done.

And now she was ready to fight.

“Text that sick SOB back and tell him to bring it on,” she snarled.

Nash closed his eyes for a second, and while he didn’t come out and sigh, that’s what he looked as if he wanted to do. Sigh and figure out a way to convince her not to throw down this kind of gauntlet.

“Leland was right to try to use me to draw him out,” she went on because clearly she had some convincing to do. “And what’s not right is for Bodie to hide like the chickenshit coward that he is and taunt me like this.”

“No, it’s not right,” Nash agreed. “But you have to see beyond what you want to do to this ass and try to think of why he would have done something like this.”

The answer seemed obvious to her. “He did it because he’s a sick bastard, and he wanted to terrorize me and send me into an emotional tailspin.”

“Maybe that’s what he had in mind,” Nash conceded, “but it seems, well, unnecessary to taunt you. So, what could he gain from doing it?”

“Or what could someone else gain from it?” Slade put in. He paused, and when he had Caroline’s attention, he continued. “It could be a distraction, plain and simple. We start chasing our tails, focusing on things like trying to triangulate the locations of the texter. But that will be a big-assed waste of time since it’ll be a burner phone, and I’m betting the sender is no longer in that area. He hit send and then got the hell out of dodge.”

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