“Honestly, no. I don’t. But like I said before, it’s plain as day the guy is head over heels in love with you, so I trust him to do everything in his power to protect you.”
His comment about Jed being in love with me hurt, but I shoved it down. Now was not the time to think about my feelings. “Thanks, Joe. That means a lot to me.”
“But when this is all said and done, I won’t be so understanding, so don’t see this as me accepting him with open arms.”
“I wouldn’t trust you if you said you had.” I texted Jed and told him we had news about Branson meeting Franken in Ardmore. When he didn’t answer, I sent another text telling him that Joe and I were headed to the diner and would let him know what we found out.
The diner parking lot was crowded when we pulled in at 11:50, but it was a popular place known for its home cooking, so I wasn’t surprised.
“There’s no way we can see what’s goin’ on out here,” Joe said in frustration. “I’m going to have to go in.”
“Why you?” I asked in an accusatory tone.
“We can’t leave Muffy in the car, and I’m sure as hell not sendin’ you.”
“You want me to sit in the car by myself?” I asked. “Aren’t you worried Kate’s goin’ to snatch me while you’re inside?”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding irritated. “I am. We should have dropped Muffy off with Maeve.”
“It was my suggestion to bring her.”
He scrubbed his face with his hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take this out on you, of all people. You’re the…” His voice trailed off.
“The what?” I asked, getting pissed. “The victim?”
“Neely Kate,” he pleaded. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“The hell there’s not,” I said. “I did plenty of stupid things to get me in this situation, so don’t ever call me a victim again.”
He turned to face me with a serious expression. “First of all, whatever you think you did will never justify what happened to you. Do you hear me?” When I didn’t answer, he raised his voice. “Do you hear me?”
Tears sprang to my eyes and I nodded.
“As for the victim part.” A twinkle filled his eyes. “I’d like to remind you that I never said the word. You did.”
I smacked his arm and he laughed.
“You’ve got a lot of power in that tiny arm.”
“Tiny arm my behind,” I said. Then I saw a man in my peripheral vision. “That man looks familiar. Who is it?”
Joe leaned forward and squinted. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s Brox Collard.”
“One of those mountain men?” I asked.
“I guess you could call him that. His father is Gerard Collard, and before Mason hightailed it out of here the first time, we were both workin’ to put him away.”
“First time?” I asked. “Mason’s only left once.”
His face hardened. “And if I have my way, he’ll be leaving the second time soon enough.”
“Why are you after the mountain men?” I asked.
“Rumor has it that Gerard has a weapons stash that could arm the entire Arkansas National Guard three times over.”
“Is there some law about how many weapons a person can own?”
“No, but there’s plenty of laws against possession of illegal firearms. Rumor also has it he’s got plenty of high-powered weapons civilians aren’t supposed to have. But Gerard thinks he’s entitled because he considers himself and his boys a militia.”
“Where’d he get the guns?” I asked, regretting it as soon as the words left my mouth.
He gave me a dark look. “A reliable source tells me he got ’em from Skeeter Malcolm.” He paused, then said, “I think it’s only fair to tell you that Mason’s goin’ balls to the wall trying to take Gerard down. And he’s bringin’ down whoever sold him those weapons.”
“Jed,” I whispered.
“Don’t get too attached to him, Neely Kate, because I’m not sure how long he’ll be around.”
I stared at Joe in horror. “No. You have to stop Mason.”
“Neely Kate, Gerard Collard is a dangerous man.”
“Then arrest him and leave Jed out of it.”
“Neely Kate.”
“He’s changin’, Joe. Just like you and me. Please.”
He gave me a long look. “Seems to me that the both of us have paid for our mistakes, you a few times over. What has Carlisle sacrificed?”
I stared at him, unsure how to answer.
His face softened, then he turned to see Brox Collard walk into the diner. “We’ll talk about Carlisle later. Brox Collard showin’ up at the same time Franken was meeting someone is a little too coincidental for me. I need to go check this out. Lock the doors and call me if you run into trouble.”
He opened the driver’s door and got out, leaving the car running.
I spun around to face Muffy in the backseat. “He’s just gonna leave us out here?”
Muffy barked.
“Yeah,” I said. “You’re right. We’re take-charge women and we don’t sit around waitin’ for any man. Even my brother.” I picked up my purse off the floor and set it on my lap. “How do you feel about bein’ a purse dog?”
I hadn’t expected her to actually understand me, but to my surprise, Muffy jumped onto my lap and hopped inside my purse. Leaning over, I turned off the engine, then snatched up the key fob as I got out, carefully slinging my purse strap over my shoulder.
“This isn’t Walmart,” I told Muffy as I locked the car and strode toward the diner’s entrance. “So no hoppin’ out of my purse onto a counter this time. You have to stay put.”
She looked up at me through the purse opening with a look that suggested I’d insulted her. To get her point across, she let out a silent but deadly fart.
“Oh, my stars and garters, Muffy,” I choked out as I waved away the fumes in front of my face. “Never mind. Point taken. Now stay out of sight.”
I walked through the entrance, scanning the dining area for Joe and not finding him anywhere. Brox Collard was at the counter by himself and perusing a menu, but it was the guy in a booth in the center of the dining room that caught my attention.
My cousin Witt.
He looked downright pissed when he saw me, but I realized he could be my cover. “Long time no see, cousin,” I said when I reached the corner of his booth.
“What are you doin’ here, Neely Kate?” He sounded annoyed.
“Well, hello to you too,” I said, sliding into the bench seat across from him. “Gettin’ lunch the same as you.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m meetin’ someone, which means you have to go.”
I shot him a playful look. “Who are you meetin’?”
“I’ll tell you later. Now go.”
Just about to tear into him, I stopped as a horrible thought filled my head. Witt had a criminal record, but since he’d come home from prison, he’d insisted he was neutral in the criminal world. But lately Rose and I had been draggin’ him back in. He’d spent more time than I’d realized with Jed lately, and he’d also spent time with Dermot and his men. After the mechanic shop where Witt had worked suddenly shut down, he’d gotten it in his head that he wanted to open his own shop. But Granny had said his funding had fallen through, and last I heard, he still didn’t have a job. What if he’d gone back to the criminal life?
What if he was meeting Franken?
With my heart in my throat, I pushed out, “You need to tell me who you’re meetin’. Right now.”
“I don’t have to tell you nothin’, Neely Kate. Go.”
“Witt. Please.”
“Dammit, Neely Kate.” He studied me for a moment and said, “I’m meetin’ Barb Nelson. Now get out of here.”
My eyebrows shot up. That was the granddaughter of one of Granny’s archnemeses. They’d gotten into a scrap at bingo a year ago, something about a lucky dauber. But Barb was a few years older than us, and she didn’t seem like Witt’s usual flashy girlfriends. Barb was more suitable as the wife of a Sunday school teacher at the Henryetta Baptist Church. “Barb Nelson? Does Granny know? Do I need to remind you of the time Granny got kicked out of the bingo hall?”
He rolled his eyes. “I remember it well, which is why I need you to get out of here before Barb sees you and thinks she’s gettin’ ambushed. I already had a hard enough time gettin’ her to agree to have lunch with me.”