Page 33 of Lone Star Target

Jace nodded and scrubbed his hand over his face. “We drive to the gate, and Kit and I can get out, using the doors and glass for cover.”

Ruby made a sound of agreement. “And by the time you get there, Angel should be in place, hidden away somewhere so he can give you backup. I’ve already texted him. I’ve deployed a drone, too, so we can get a visual on what you’re up against. If there’s more than one vehicle, or if the situation looks like a trap, don’t go through the gate. We’ll figure out another way to get Brandon.”

Kit hoped it wasn’t a trap, that it was an actual attempt for the kidnapper to get his ramson, release Brandon, and then try to get the heck out of there. Maybe Angel would be able to stop that. Because if they got the kidnapper, then they might be able to learn who’d hired him.

“Kevlar vests,” Jace said, going to a closet and pulling out two. He handed one to Kit and put the other one on. “And carry your gun.”

Kit vested up, too, and silently groaned at the pressure it immediately put on her chest. Her breath was already way too short, and her lungs felt as if they were being vised. Still, the Kevlar could save her life.

Once she’d finished with the vest, she hurried to the desk to put on her shoulder holster and weapon. And grab her inhaler in case her chest vised too much from the vest. She’d had a lot of firearms training, but she’d never been involved in a gunfight. Maybe it wouldn’t come down to that today.

“Both of you should use communication earbuds,” Ruby said, and Jace went to the supply closet to get two of those.

They were tiny, even smaller than her regular pods. She slipped it into her ear and immediately heard Ruby speaking through it.

“Go ahead to the SUV,” Ruby instructed. “The drone feed is coming in now, and I’ll put it on your dash monitor.”

Jace motioned for Kit to get moving, and she did. She didn’t want to waste any second getting to Brandon. They jumped into the SUV, and Jace turned on the monitor before he even started the engine.

Ruby’s image was in a small box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and the drone feed took up the rest of the space. The incoming feed showed an aerial view of a single vehicle, a beat-up van that had likely once been blue but it had now faded to gray, and the paint was scabbed in places.

“No sign of Brandon,” Kit muttered.

“No,” Jace agreed as he opened the garage and backed out. “Watch the drone feed but also keep checking around us.” He paused only a second. “Ruby, is Angel in place?”

“Not yet, but he should be in less than a minute,” Ruby supplied. “I’m using the tracker on his vest to keep an eye on his movements. He’s on foot and plans to duck down into a cluster of trees at what will be your three o’clock when you reach the gate.”

Jace wasn’t exactly speeding, but he slowed down even more, no doubt to give Angel time to arrive and get in place. She wasn’t sure what kind of visual Angel would have on that van, but maybe if it came down to it, he would be able to protect Brandon.

“The drone is checking the area to make sure no one is hiding and lying in wait,” Ruby added. “Of course, with all the trees and shrubs, it’s possible the kidnapper brought someone with him and the person could be in the van,” she tacked onto that. “The drone is running an infrared scan now.”

“Infrared?” Kit repeated.

“It’ll detect heat sources in the van,” Jace let her know. “We can see how many we’re up against.”

That made her chest tighten even more, and Kit forced herself to try to level her breathing. She had to stay calm and focused. She had to do everything right to save her nephew.

When Jace reached the gate, she saw the van. Not parked directly in front but off to the side. Jace opened the gate and inched through, staying close to the steel post that anchored the gate in place.

“Two heat sources in the van,” Ruby relayed just as Kit’s phone rang.

Unknown Number popped on the screen.

“Probably the kidnapper,” Kit said which meant the person had seen them as well.

“Take the call on speaker,” Ruby instructed.

Kit did, and like before, it didn’t take long for Brandon to speak.

“He wants to know if you’re ready to transfer the rest of the money?” Brandon asked.

“I am after you’re out of the van and walking toward me,” Kit answered.

“All right. So, open the SUV door and step out. I’ll do the same.”

Kit put her phone in her left hand and drew her gun with her right. She glanced at Jace, who gave her a nod.

“If anything goes wrong, get back in the SUV,” he insisted.

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