Page 56 of Peril in Piney Woods

“You’re going to sacrifice yourself to protect me and the others.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t sound all that smart to me. Based on your actions so far, I was expecting a far more ingenious plan. This one sounds a little like the easy way out.”

“Less complicated,” she agreed. “Not so much easier.”

She would not sacrifice him or anyone else who’d had the misfortune of landing in her path to save herself. No way.

He stepped closer. She had trouble drawing a breath.

“All right then. If you have to go, then I’m going with you.”

Damn it. What part of this did he not understand? “You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” His chin went up in defiance.

“Think about your family. Your mother. Your sister and her family. The animals. All those dogs, cats, horses...chickens.” She shrugged. “They’re all depending on you. You can’t just walk away.”

“Lonnie will see that the animals are taken care of,” he argued. “I’ll find a way to see my family when I can.”

He was serious.

“Griff.” She exhaled a weary breath, felt suddenly exhausted all over again. “This is on me. I have to handle it. I promise you that if I can find a way to come back, I will. But you cannot be involved in what happens today.”

“If,” he echoed, “you know they’ll kill you, then there’s no coming back.”

The tremor in his voice as he said the words ripped her apart inside. “They’ve tried before.” She forced an exaggerated smile and a lackluster shrug. “Killing me isn’t as easy as they’d like it to be.”

“If I can’t talk you into staying,” he said, “then at least let me help you.”

How could he be that sweet, that willing to sacrifice himself to help her? He could not be that dense. He surely understood that to go with her was pure suicide.

“I’m willing to listen to what you believe you can do to help.” It was the least she could do. He deserved her respect even if she would never agree to whatever he suggested.

Her tone no doubt conveyed the lack of confidence she had in the possibility that he or anyone could help her.

“We set a trap,” he offered, “lure them in using the two of us as bait.”

“We could do that,” she agreed. “If we’re lucky, we could take down Ridley and his crew.”

“Then why aren’t we planning that move right now?” He turned his hands up in question. “It makes sense.”

It did. To a point. Good men like Griff believed in standing on the side of right. Of fighting for truth and fairness. He couldn’t fathom the depths of depravity to which someone like Lorenzo would go. “Here’s the sticking point in your plan. Lorenzo will send someone else and then someone after that. He will keep sending hired killers to take me and anyone close to me out until the job is done.”

Griff turned his hands up, clearly out of suggestions. “Then we go after him.”

That wasn’t a suggestion; that was a death sentence.

“Many have tried,” she said with a genuine note of sadness. “All have failed. They either end up dead or working for him.”

He looked away. “I guess that’s a good enough reason to simply give up and let him win.”

Now he was just trying to anger her. “There are some wars that can’t be won.” She couldn’t keep doing this. “Goodbye, Griff.”

She turned back to the door.

Her cell vibrated. She started to ignore it. To wait until she was in the SUV and driving away to check the screen, but some deeply honed instinct warned that she shouldn’t miss this call.

She pulled it from her back pocket and checked the screen. Not a number she recognized. She hit Accept and pressed the device to her ear. “Yeah.”

“Long time no see.”

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