Page 57 of Peril in Piney Woods

Ridley.

“Not long enough.” Why sugarcoat it? He was one of them now.

He chuckled; the sound held no amusement. “Look, I’ll cut to the chase.”

“Please do, I have places to go.” Except she had a feeling her travel itinerary was about to change dramatically. “You know, I talked to the boss about you. He was surprised to hear you were working for the other side now.”

“You see, Elle, that’s what happens when you stay out of the loop for too long. Things change. Maybe the boss didn’t mention it, but he works on this side too. He doesn’t like to talk about how the government has left him needing to plump up his personal retirement plan. You just can’t rely on anything anymore.”

Why wasn’t she surprised? “You can’t trust anyone either.”

“No,” he agreed, “you cannot. Speaking of which, several of your friends and I are having breakfast at the diner in this quaint little town you’ve been holed up in. We’d like you to join us, oh say, no later than eight thirty.”

Equal measures of fear and fury roared through her veins. “You know me, Rid,” she shot back, keeping all that fear and fury out of her voice, “I don’t have any friends.”

“Let’s see,” he mused, “we have Jodie.”

A squeal told Meg he’d nudged Jodie with his weapon or made some other thuggish move. Meg gritted her teeth to hold back a reaction.

“Dottie.”

Another yelp.

Meg flinched.

“There are half a dozen others sitting around waiting for breakfast. Including Deputy Battles and one of his little minions. I’d hate to see anyone get hurt, but you know how the boys I hang with can be sometimes. Oh wait, I should mention that the two deputies are a little worse for wear, but not to worry. It’s nothing a good ER doc can’t fix. Assuming they arrive in a timely fashion.”

Her rage mounted, searing away the fear. There were things she wanted to say to him. No, actually she wanted to shove her weapon into his mouth and blow his head off. That would make her immensely happy. But chances were, she would never get the opportunity. Not now.

She smiled sadly. This was the life she’d chosen. The one that had made her feel as if she were making a difference. Too late to regret those decisions now.

She glanced at Griff. Too late for a lot of things.

“I’ll be there,” she assured him. “By eight thirty.”

She ended the call. Stared at the screen for a long moment.

“Wherever you’re going,” Griff said as he tugged on a shoe, “I’m going too.”

He’d already pulled on his shirt. As she watched, her ability to relay the gist of the conversation suddenly unavailable, he slipped on the other shoe, then stuffed the tail of his shirt into the waistband of his jeans.

“Where are we going?” he asked, moving closer.

She cleared her throat, somehow found her voice. “That was Ridley. He has Jodie and Dottie and Ernie. Some others too. At the diner. He and his pals are holding them hostage until I show up.”

The look on Griff’s face lanced her heart. He understood just how bad this was.

“I’m calling Sheriff Norwood.”

Meg wanted to tell him it wouldn’t matter, but why bother? The debate would only waste time.

Griff held out his hand and she placed her cell phone there. He made the call and talked to the sheriff, giving her a quick overview of their state of affairs.

Meg listened to the way he framed the situation, to the things he said about her. The way he described Meg as a hero in need of backup. Her throat tightened; her heart expanded, making it impossible to breathe.

His words reminded her of something she’d almost allowed herself to forget: you could be down or you could be beaten. As long as you were still breathing, the choice was your own.

She smiled. She was down for sure, but she damned well was not beaten.

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