Page 67 of CHASE: Captive to the Dark

Kit brushed her teeth, trying not to gag as she did so. I leaned forward, kissing her head before meeting her gaze in the mirror.

“I want you to hold your breath when you leave here. Head to the room. I’ll be there shortly. There’s some things I need to discuss with the men before I join you.”

She nodded and I stepped out, walking back to the kitchen. Weston’s frown was followed by him shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I was keeping my eye out for anyone who might be tailing me. I wasn’t thinking. How is she?”

“Better now, but I can’t stand to see her so sick. She can’t keep anything down but those damn crackers. And sometimes not even those.”

The men nodded and within seconds, Kit raced past, bounding up the stairs. I turned back to them, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box. “Okay, talk to me. Do we have any leads on Jim?”

Palo shook his head. “Nothing. No one’s seen or heard from him since he disappeared. You said Kit had a telephone number. Did you try calling it?”

“Not yet. She has some valid points. I think she may be on to something. I don’t want to jump the gun before I discover more of what he’s up to. He’s in deep, I just need to find out how much and with who.”

“I don’t know,” Weston said quietly. “I can’t see Jim wanting to kill you. He’s always thought of you as a brother. Even if you did want him to stop with the drugs, it’s just so hard to believe.”

“Agreed.” Palo finished off his piece, tossing the crust in the trashcan. “Let’s step out of the box for a minute, though. Let’s say he was fed up with you trying to dissuade him. We all know you were getting to the point of taking matters into your own hands—”

“I said as much that night,” I broke in. “I told Rory’s fucking bodyguards to kill him and report to the church the next morning. And they would have too if those motherfuckers wouldn’t have shown up and jumped me from behind.”

“Okay.” Palo pushed his hands in his pockets. “So, let’s say Jim was one of them, or had someone waiting to see if you’d go that far. They hear you state you’re going to lead and they perceive you as a real threat to their operation. Then, the unthinkable happens and they attack, trying to kill you. Not even with a gun or knife, but more personal…with their fists. Why does Jim run? If he plans to continue with his dealings, everyone will eventually know he didn’t go missing and he brings guilt on himself. I don’t get it.”

“By disappearing, Jim doesn’t necessarily bring guilt on himself. It wasn’t the first thing I thought. And you’re not thinking he’s guilty either. He could very well be hiding for his life. But if he did do this, that could easily be his excuse, too.”

“I’d believe if he said he was hiding,” Weston said under his breath.

Palo shook his head. “Maybe, but I don’t know. I think I’d question him coming back after so long. True, we weren’t close with him like you were. He has his own men. But that’s the thing. He has people to protect him.” He got quiet, obviously in thought.

“To make this more suspicious,” I said, eying Palo, “Jim tells her to make sure you drop her off in front of the airport so he can take her back with him. That she’s staying so she can help get Rory to come back. Rory, a coward to the core. Sure, he can act big shit, but we all know how he buckles when faced with real leadership. Tell me why Rory is so important? Is it Rory’s contacts? Is Rory just his cover? He can’t seriously think the bastard isn’t going to rat him out if the cops step in.”

“Fuck, you got me. I don’t know.” Palo glanced at Weston, who shrugged, just as confused as the rest of us.

“What if…” The front door opened and Ed and Max walked through, causing Weston to pause. Both men stopped, aware we were in the middle of something important.

“What did we miss?” Max said, following Ed to the kitchen area.

I didn’t want to start over. I’d already filled them in on the matter before, but I dreaded repeating everything.

“We’re wondering the connection between Rory and Jim. Why Rory is so important for Jim to get back.”

“Easy,” Ed said. “Jim’s going to kill him. Rory knows too much.”

We all grew silent, staring at each other. It made total sense and I couldn’t believe it didn’t dawn on anyone except Ed. Damn kid was smarter than I gave him credit for. Here we were trying to dig to the depth of a mystery when we should have looked at the obvious.

Palo jerked out his cell, cursing as he angled it to different areas. “Fucking service here is so bad.” He came to a stop, bringing the phone to his ear. “James, how is he?” A voice hummed through and he paused. “Don’t let him out of your sight. Period. He’s hot. Watch yourself, too. Trust no one. Not even Jim, if he appears.” A few seconds of conversation went by as Palo began explaining things. He paced, only coming to a stop before he hung up. “He says Rory moved overnight, deeper into Montana. The guy’s afraid, that’s for sure.”

“After what he saw happen to me, I bet. What about Dennis, he give us an update?”

A smile came to Palo’s face. “Flawless. Our new sheriff couldn’t be happier in his role.”

“Excellent. How’s Angie?” Even though I couldn’t stand the previous sheriff, I did care for his wife. Angie had been older than me, but I had known her growing up. Not to mention, she was a regular at the church.

“Taking things better than expected. Becky says she’s back to her routine already. There’s times she appears upset, but the rumor is her and her husband were already in a falling out.”

I nodded, stepping back. “Good. I’m headed up to check on Kit. Let me know if anything changes.”

I turned, heading up the stairs. When I entered the room, Kit was resting on the bed, watching television. Her eyes came to me and her unease was automatic, just as it always was when we were alone. She wanted me, but she was fighting it. Especially now since I’d denied her what she internally begged for the first night.

“Better?” I headed to the other side of the bed while she lifted to sit straighter against the headboard.

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