Page 55 of All Along The Watchtower

“Then why in the hell did y’all wait three months to talk to her?” I fought the urge to plow my fist into the nearest wall. If they’d thought she was a target and done nothing all this time…

“As I said, the possibility is remote, and if no one else had thought of it, we didn’t want to draw attention to her unnecessarily. We had been monitoring her through her foster family. But when she disappeared, we feared the worst.”

That mollified me somewhat. They hadn’t completely hung Peyton out to dry. “So when we contacted social services about her being here, y’all were notified.”

“We were. At that point, it seemed prudent to try to talk to her, just in case.”

“So, what’s changed? Why are you concerned enough to be violating direct orders to warn me?”

“Nothing overt. Our meeting just didn’t sit well with me. Based on what she said, Peyton probably doesn’t know anything. But we simply don’t know for sure, and I felt it necessary and reasonable to give you at least this much so that you can effectively protect your daughter.”

Appreciation mingled with frustration. “You expect me to be able to protect her when I have insufficient intel on who these people are? I have no idea what I should even be on the lookout for.” I could just imagine how well Peyton would react to a full protection detail. As if her classmates needed any further reason to gossip about her.

“I’ll be coordinating with local law enforcement, apprising them of the potential threat and the known actors of the organization. It doesn’t rule out that they could hire someone, but that’s the best I can offer for now.”

His best was a long damned way from actually being useful. What good did it do to know there might be a threat if I didn’t have any indiction at all about what it might look like? “What the hell am I even supposed to do with this information?”

“Be vigilant. In all probability, this is an overreaction on my part. There’s no legitimate reason for anyone to come after Peyton. They had ample time to try while she was still in Oregon. In the weeks and months after Casey’s death, no one broke into the storage unit where her mother’s things had been stored, which would have been the next logical move if they truly thought she had something.”

I stopped pacing. “I had all of Casey and Peyton’s things from Oregon packed up and shipped. The truck with the container on it was stolen yesterday.”

Langston’s voice went sharp. “From where?”

“I don’t actually know. A truck stop along the route. I can send you the name and number for the manager of the shipping company. He said a police report was filed and an insurance claim made. Do you think this has something to do with your case?”

He went quiet for several long moments, thinking. “It feels too fucking coincidental for my taste. But the good news is that if itisconnected, they went after the things, not your daughter. They may not even know where Peyton is, now that she’s all the way out there with you.”

“That’s not nearly the comfort I think you want it to be.”

“I’m sorry for that. Send me the contact info for the shipping company. I’ll follow up. If we find out anything else relevant to you, I’ll be sure to reach out again.”

“And if anything happens here?”

“You can reach me at this number.”

I supposed that was the best I was going to get. “Langston?”

“Yeah?”

“Do us a favor and catch these assholes. I’d like a chance to just get to know my daughter in peace.”

“We’re doing our best.”

But as I hung up the phone, I wondered if their best would be good enough. On the chance that it wasn’t, I had to be atmybest, and that meant circling the wagons and bringing everyone in my circle up to speed so we could make a plan.

CHAPTER 26

BREE

I didn’t want to see Ford. I still felt too raw from our encounter yesterday, and there hadn’t been time to rebuild any of my defenses. All through my shift at the Brewhouse last night, I’d felt like a giant exposed nerve, to the point that I’d shut myself into my office to work on tax shit rather than risk facing any actual people.

But Ford had invoked the one thing that would unequivocally override my reservations—Peyton. I might have thought he was abusing that fact, except that the 911 request had come via group text. If he’d tagged in Sawyer and Willa, Gabi and Daniel, both his moms,andme, something was up. I thought of what he’d told me about the FBI’s interest in Peyton and wondered if something else had happened there. I couldn’t imagine what other reason he’d have for bringing us all together without the girl herself. She was currently up at the Brewhouse, head to head with Pop, talking pirates again for her school project.

If Peyton was in some kind of trouble or danger, I wasn’t going to let my own complicated feelings for her father stop me from being there to help. That was the only thing that sent me across the patch of lawn separating our houses barely twenty-four hours after I’d banished Ford from my kitchen. Keeley trotted at my heels, tail a cheerful metronome.

Everyone else had already arrived. I’d waited until I’d seen the crowd of cars in the driveway to ensure I wouldn’t be stuck alone with him. I didn’t know what else he might try to say to me, and I wasn’t prepared for any more emotional upheaval.

I hesitated at the door before finally just opening it and walking inside. We weren’t that kind of friends anymore, but if everyone was talking, it was possible nobody would hear my knock. My dog bolted inside, making a beeline for Willa and Roy.

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