Page 63 of Snow in Texas

…It also meant the mother chapter of the US arm of the club.

“What’s going on?”

Jinx shook his head. “Don’t know. They’ll fill us in when we get there.”

A lump formed in his stomach. “We?”

~*~

“For how long?”

Candy shrugged. “Long as it takes, I guess.” He reached for the cigarette in the ashtray at his elbow. A deep notch marred his sunburned forehead, brows tucked together with obvious worry. He’d sounded calm enough, but he couldn’t control his face; it reflected the troubled state of his thoughts.

Colin glanced over at Jinx beside him, frowned, and pressed on anyway. They were in the chapel – the first time for him – and all the sacred room’s charms were lost on him, drowned out by the worry pounding through him. “We’re just gonna leave? In the middle of…” He gestured, not sure what the hell to call this manhunt they had underway for Riley.

Candy took a long drag, sighing on the exhale. “We’re nowhere with Riley. We’re not in the middle of anything.”

“I’m sorry.” Colin had been standing, and sat now, leaning toward his VP. “But that sounds like a buncha bullshit. The second we leave – and my guess is somehow Riley’ll get word that we’re gone – he’ll move on Jen. On whoever we leave behind. You know that if you’re not around, bad shit’s gonna happen. So don’t gimme that shit about not being anywhere.” Belatedly, he added, “Sir,” on the end.

Candyman smirked. “You suck as a prospect, you know that?”

Colin tilted his head in agreement.

“Shit. Alright,” Candy muttered. “Since you’re gonna be a shithead about it. I’m putting something together that’ll get Riley off our asses for a little while.”

A relief to hear…and an insult, too.

“When were you gonna tell me about it?” Colin asked.

“When it was relevant.”

He lifted his brows.

“I’m telling you now, ain’t I? Prospects don’t get to demand information.”

“I’m not a prospect right now; I’m a guy worried about his girl’s safety.”

Candy snorted. “Your girl? Did you get that worked out, then?”

Colin ground his teeth together.

“Take that as a no.”

“It’s complicated.”

“It always is.”

Colin sat back in his chair, deflating. “So what’s your plan with Riley?”

~*~

Jenny

“No,” she muttered. “No. It can’t be.Ican’t be.”

But there on her bathroom counter, defying all logic – and her wishes – sat three early detection test sticks. All of them positive.

Jenny put her hands on her hips and stared at the offending items, shaking her head. “No. No, no, no, no.”

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