Page 116 of Blue-Eyed Jacks
“I didn’t stutter.Zoe?”
She glanced up.“Cara had the keys to the van.He could catch up to us on foot.”
My daughter had a point.“I don’t suppose that boyfriend of yours taught you how to hot-wire and drive his motorcycle?”
“I wish.If Dad were here…”
See which one fills up faster…“He isn’t.”
“Then maybe one of us should help him and the other one get the keys?”
That was a dilemma.Send Zoe upstairs to deal with a dead body?Or let her be close to an asshole biker with a gun?I’ll add, a place where she could be used as leverage?I opted for neither.
“Not until he’s tied up.Go in the office, see if there is any packing tape, cord, you name it, something.”
Zoe followed orders and came back out with a roll of clear packing tape.Probably not the best tool, but not completely worthless.
I approached Bandit cautiously.He might be faking.“Toss your gun into the foyer.”
His incredulous look was not comforting.“I’ll slide it, okay?After it’s unloaded.”He took his time, first ejecting the clip, then clearing the chamber.He tossed the clip to the floor by Zoe’s feet.It landed with a clatter, and one bullet inside popped out and rolled to a stop against Shock’s body.Bandit then held the empty gun out to me, handle first.“We’re cool, okay?”He held out his hands to be taped.
No, we weren’t.I passed the gun to Zoe, who picked up the clip and reloaded it.That single lesson with Gina was coming in handy for her.I grudgingly admitted she paid attention.If only that also applied to her schoolwork.
Which would not happen unless we got out of here and somehow magically made it home.And then, somehow magically stopped a bunch of bikers from tracking us down again.Maybe Cara had a good idea?
“Pass me that suitcase.”He’d landed within arm’s reach of it.
With a little more complaining and a very delicate hand off, I had the suitcase.I flipped it on its back and began stuffing papers at random into it.We were almost done when a noise above us made me freeze.
“Cara’s dead, isn’t she?”Zoe asked.
I sighed.“I fucking hope so.”
“Yay, Mom, way to get ruthless.”
I side-eyed my daughter.We waited—Bandit, Zoe, and myself for the next shoe to drop.
Chapter 33
Jackson
The first thing I saw when I peeked over the railing was Kate.The second?Zoe.Seeing both of them whole?Well, it fucked me up.I forgot to check the rest of the scene.The dead woman at the top of the stairs wasn’t moving, but a goddamn biker at the bottom sure was.
“Freeze, motherfucker.”
All three living people stopped mid-movement to stare up at me.
“Hi, Dad.”
I acknowledged Zoe with a dip of my head.“Kate?”
“About time you showed up.You’re late.”
Bandit had his hands taped but still tried to hold them in the air.He was the only one of them with any sense.
“Sorry about that.I’d have been here earlier if you’d kept your damn tracker on you.”
Kate sucked in a breath and turned red.
