Page 94 of In Hiding

“I walked.”

He swore. “From where?”

Erik turned and pointed. “Just beyond that rise. Your friend Hollywood has a place nearby. We should go and round up the troops. Ryan is out and he’s not far away.”

Jake groaned as Erik spun and stalked around to the passenger side. He climbed in the car and stared at Jake as if to ask what he was waiting for. With a grunt, Jake slid behind the steering wheel and got them on the road. Erik directed him toward the town before pointing out a mailbox on the right.

“Turn there.”

Set back from the road, a sprawling homestead rose from the green pastures. They crawled along a gravel drive lined with dormant roses until he parked at the foot of the stairs leading up to the house. Despite age having given Hollywood a few extra wrinkles, there was no mistaking the man who stood under the veranda. Jake could hardly believe how close this place was to Sarah’s. No wonder Erik had trekked up there on foot.

“Were you going up to the house?”

Erik pulled a face. “Not quite. I wanted to get a feel for the layout first. Haven’t been there since I was a kid.”

His delay in revealing himself to his sister annoyed Jake. “Why?”

The Great Dane grinned. “We’re going to set a trap for Ryan. Oh, don’t worry, Jake. No harm will come to her.”

Everything Sarah had told him about her ex-husband exploded in his head at once. Her words and the fear in her eyes had begged everyone to listen, to understand the threat Mitchell posed. The scar on Jake’s cheek tingled and it hit him hard how many people underestimated the brute. Even Erik, who thought he had the man’s measure, seemed overconfident, almost cocky in his assertion they would beat Mitchell at his own game.

Erik opened the vehicle door and Jake grabbed him by the shoulder before the big man could climb out.

“The only thing I care about is your sister’s safety. Nothing else matters.”

The Dane smiled at him and nodded. “You did fall for her. I thought so.”

“You never told me not to.”

“Would it have mattered? We love who we love, Jake. Come on.”

Within half an hour, Hollywood’s dining room looked more like a war room with its gathering of former soldiers and the town’s cops. A map of the area around Andersen House had been laid out on the dining table, along with a series of surveillance photos of Ryan Mitchell taken since his release. Jake didn’t want to know how they came to be. He was grateful to know Mitchell’s whereabouts and that he hadn’t made it to the Crossing.

Yet.

But he was on his way. That much was clear. Accompanied by a posse of half a dozen low life criminals he’d strongarmed into service, there was no doubt Mitchell had one goal in mind.

Sarah.

“He won’t go down without a fight,” Erik informed the group. “He is hell bent on getting to my sister.”

“Be that as it may,” Damien stepped up, “you and I have an agreement. You leave Mitchell to us.” He turned to Jake. “That goes for you, too.”

Jake looked directly at Wilson. “I know you think the law will protect her, but it won’t.”

The cop nodded. “If I’ve learned anything from these men, it’s that sometimes, the law needs a helping hand. The goal here is to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ryan Mitchell has not only come to Wills Crossing but has come for the sole purpose of hurting his ex-wife. We’re going to protect Sarah but we’re not going to hurt Mitchell in doing so.”

“You all think you’ve got it planned out.” Jake couldn’t believe it. “He’s not going to lay down and say oops, sorry officer. He is coming here for one reason and one reason only, and he’s prepared to die trying.”

Damien rounded the table and came to his side. “Sarah believes that but she is blinded by the past, Jake. Surely, you agree?”

Anger welled in his chest but arguing whether Sarah’s assessment of her ex was sound wouldn’t keep her safe. “So, what’s the plan?”

Damien smiled and patted his shoulder before pointing to the map. “As soon as we have word he’s in town, we’ll set up a roster of rotating shifts to watch the house and the road.”

Jake shook his head. “I’m not waiting for the maniac to get a jump on us. I’ll start watching over Sarah and Will tonight.”

“You won’t need to,” Erik said softly. “I’ll go and stay with them.”

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