Page 19 of One Last Promise

She turned, stiffening, her eyes wide.

He let her go, hands up. “Listen. Dawson is my cousin. You can trust him.” He looked at Flynn. “Right?”

Flynn must have read his look, because she pocketed her phone. “Yeah. Just me and Dawson.”

Even he could tell she was making false promises, but if Moose could get there first . . .

That was it. He’d go with her, figure out a way to stall or even talk Rigger away from her kid—and yeah, even to his own ears it sounded half-cocked, but all he had to do was buy them time.

He lowered his hands. “I’m going with you. We’ll talk to Rigger. If all he wants is his money, maybe he can be reasoned with.” He didn’t believe a word of what he said, given the damage to Tillie’s face, but it also bought him time with her, to get Flynn and Dawson on site and some SWAT backup. . . .

“No way,” Flynn said. “I’m not going to let you walk into a possible kidnapping with an armed felon.”

“He’s not armed,” she said. “And I don’t think he’d hurt Hazel.”

“Except for the kidnapping part,” Flynn said.

“I think . . . I think we can solve this. Without the police.”

Flynn gave her a look.

“Please. If he sees cops, then . . . then things could get ugly.”

“No way I’m letting you walk in there?—”

“It’s not up to you.” Tillie, for the first time, wore an expression on her face that resembled a fight.

“The only one in danger here is me,” Tillie said softly. “And I want to keep it that way.”

Moose glanced at Flynn, saw fight on her face too, and stepped between the two women. Turned to Tillie. “Then we’re going to go talk to him. And Flynn and Dawson are coming as backup. Any sign that we’re in over our heads, we’re out.”

Moose glanced at Flynn, and she gave him a look that said she didn’t much like his plan. She opened her mouth as if to argue, but he held up a hand. “I promise. No one will do anything stupid.”

“Call me and turn your phone on speaker. And if he has a weapon, you leave.”

He nodded.

But Tillie was shaking her head. “I’m sorry I came here. I panicked, and . . . this was—I was really just hoping to ask you for a ride. A plane ride . . . to anywhere. I didn’t expect you to . . . This is too dangerous, Moose. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“This is the best thing you could have done,” Moose said. He put his hands on her shoulders. “I told you to find me if you needed anything. This guy hurt you, Tillie. And he has your daughter. Let’s go talk to him, at least. And if I’m with you, then maybe he won’t try anything.” His voice lowered. “If it goes south, Flynn and Dawson will be there. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Her mouth tightened. He didn’t look at Flynn.

“Okay,” Tillie said softly.

He reached for his jacket, shrugged it on, and then put on his boots. “Let’s go.”

Shep and London had already pulled out of the driveway in Shep’s Jeep. Now he opened the garage door and grabbed his keys from the hook. Held the door open for Tillie.

She came out, and he led the way off the porch, across the driveway, and to his truck. He spotted her Ford Focus in the driveway, the one with the dented bumper, and it raised more questions.

Too many.

He got in his F-150. She slid into the other side.

“You sure you want to do this?”

“Never been more sure about anything in my life,” Moose said as hefired up the truck.

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