Page 34 of Lone Star Target

“You do the same,” she insisted right back.

She wanted to say more. A whole lot more. But anything she said right now would feel like a goodbye, and she didn’t want that weighing either of them down. They stepped out together, both of them staying behind the cover of their respective doors.

From her phone, Kit heard what appeared to be a muffled conversation, and the alarm shot through her when she heard what she thought was even more alarm in Brandon’s voice.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Brandon didn’t answer, but the door opened on the driver’s side, and a man wearing a ski mask hurled out a burlap sack. It landed with a thud on the road halfway between the van and Jace’s SUV.

Her first thought, a horrible one, was that this was some body part that the kidnapper had taken from Brandon. But then the bag began to move.

And rattle.

Oh, God.

Rattlesnakes began slithering out. They were clearly agitated, coiling and striking at each other, before several of them started crawling away.

One was coming in their direction.

That sent her body into a tailspin, and she had to fight hard to stand her ground. And worse, her attention was now on the snakes instead of on the kidnapper and any possible hired guns that were hiding in the bushes.

“The rattlers are insurance,” the man called out from the van. “I don’t want y’all charging over here toward me.”

Kit mentally replayed his voice, but she was certain she didn’t recognize it. Still, with the snakes, she had to believe this was Rattler, AKA Arnold Cassaine.

“Now, transfer the money,” he yelled just as the passenger’s side door of the van opened.

Kit saw Brandon step out. Saw that he, too, was keeping a close eye on those snakes, and he looked just as horrified as she was at them moving around so close to him.

“Do the money now,” the man shouted.

Kit’s hands were trembling, and since her breath was way too short, she took a moment to use her inhaler. That steadied her some, and she managed to keep a grip on her gun while she went to the banking app and hit the transfer that had already been set up.

“Done,” she announced.

There was another murmured conversation that she couldn’t hear, and Brandon froze. Probably because that’s what the kidnapper had instructed him to do though there was a rattler only about ten feet away from him. The snake had coiled and seemed ready to strike.

“Checking the account now,” the kidnapper yelled back. “If it’s there, then Brandon can start walking again. Tread careful though, boy. That rattler’s mighty pissed off.”

Kit hated the flippant tone. Hated every second of this. And had time stopped? It certainly felt that way. How long did it take for this SOB to confirm that he now had the money?

Or rather his boss did.

She had to believe someone like Rattler hadn’t come up with this plan alone. Then again, he had a connection to Marvin so maybe the two were in on this together. Marvin’s share of a million dollars could pay for a team of lawyers.

Or be used to help him flee the country.

“Incoming,” Ruby said through the earpiece. That came a split-second before Kit heard the sound of a car engine. “Shit,” Ruby added. “It’s Ramsey, Trevor, and Deanna.”

“Damn it. What are they doing here?” Kit asked, but there was no time for Ruby to attempt to answer her question.

Her father’s sleek black Jaguar flew up the road, braking to a noisy stop right behind the van.

Her father bolted out from the driver’s side. Trevor came out the passenger’s. Deanna was in the backseat, and she got out as well, but then Trevor shouted for her to get back in. She did, but Deanna kept her gaze pinned to the window while she frantically shook her head. There wasn’t a drop of color in her face, and she looked horrified.

With good reason.

Trevor and Ramsey both had guns, and they hurried to the back of the Jag. Like Jace and her, the pair used their vehicle for cover.

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