“But no Rose. No Joe. No Witt.”
He gave me a solemn look. “Everything comes with a price.”
Joe had said he and I had suffered plenty for our mistakes, and that as far as he could see, Jed hadn’t suffered at all. But he was suffering now for mistakes that weren’t his own.
“What do you think Kate is up to?” I asked.
“Nothing good, because despite her note, Kate does not have your best interest in mind. Not a chance.”
“Agreed.”
“But as far as what she’s doin’? I haven’t got a clue. And that scares me.”
“What are you gonna do about this place?”
“Part of me would like to leave it, but I’m scared the sheriff’s department will catch wind somehow—even if it’s an anonymous tip from Kate.”
“You want to clean it now?”
He nodded. “But you’re not gonna be any part of it, so I want to send you back to Joe.”
I didn’t answer, just nodded. I agreed with him, but I still felt like a toddler being handed back and forth between divorced parents.
“You’re okay with that?”
“I’ll only be in the way here. And I understand why I need constant protection, even if it’s irritating as hell.”
He kissed me. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight, but this will go faster if you’re not here.”
“Okay.”
Pulling out his phone, he quickly called Joe. “A situation has arisen that I need to handle without Neely Kate around,” he said without salutation. “I’m gonna send her to you.” He paused for several seconds, then said, “Are you sharin’ everything with me, Simmons? No, I didn’t think so… Yeah, we’re on the same page here—protect Neely Kate—but we’re operating out of different books, and it’s time for me to diverge.”
I grabbed his phone out of his hand, ignoring his look of shock, and pressed the speaker button. “I’m a grown woman and deserve to be part of this conversation.”
“Are you okay?” Joe asked, sounding exhausted.
“I’m fine, but I’m almost as tired as you sound. Where are you?”
“Finishin’ up at your house and about to head home.”
“Then I’ll have Jed’s guards bring me to your house. I should be there in about twenty minutes. Sound good?”
“Sure,” he said, but he didn’t sound happy to be the one taking orders instead of issuing them.
“I’ll see you soon.” I hung up and handed Jed back his phone with a raised brow.
He looked embarrassed. “You’re right. I should have included you at the start of that call.”
“It’s okay. Just don’t make a habit of it or we’ll have a problem.” I glanced toward the open drawer. “Do you think Kate killed Branson?”
“No. I think she’s playin’ with him somewhere, and my gut tells me she’s gonna give him to you like a cat tryin’ to woo a human with a mouse.”
I shuddered, mostly because I suspected he was right.
“What are you gonna tell Joe?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. I want to tell him something, but I won’t tell him enough to get you into any kind of trouble.”
“I trust you, Neely Kate, but he’s close to cavin’ and involvin’ the sheriff’s department. You may have told him you’d consider it, but I won’t. I’m not gonna stand back and let you get railroaded for this. I’m about to start covering all of your tracks.”
“Joe won’t agree with that.”
“And there lies our problem,” he said. “He has a lot of faith in the legal system because he has money and clout. Not to mention his daddy got him out of most of his prior legal troubles. But we’re not lookin’ at Arkansas politics here, Neely Kate. We’re lookin’ at a crime syndicate that is ruthless. In no way, shape, or form will I let you become a sacrificial lamb.”
I gave him a soft smile. “I love you, Jed.”
“And I love you. I didn’t just get you to lose you. So tell Joe as little as possible, and as soon as I get this cleaned up, I’m actively lookin’ for Kate.”
I pulled my hood back on, and he walked me out to his car. After I grabbed my phone and my purse out of his sedan, he ushered me into the backseat of the security detail’s car. “Call me when you get there—don’t forget. What percentage is your phone battery at?”
I glanced at the screen. “Fifteen percent.”
He made a face. “Plug it in as soon as you get to Joe’s. We’ll arrange for that new phone as soon as the store opens.” He leaned in and gave me a warm kiss. “Be safe, Neely Kate.”
“You too.”
He shut the door, then banged the top of the car. As the driver backed out of the space, I opened Granny’s voice mail message.
“Hey, Neely Kate. I’m not sure if I’m doin’ this message thing right, but I’m gonna give it a try. You said to let you know if anyone came lookin’ for you, and right after you called, two people showed up askin’ about you. They said they knew you from Oklahoma. I told ’em to get the hell off my property, and my shotgun helped convince them.” Then she hung up.
If two people from Oklahoma had been lookin’ for me, I’d bet good money it was Branson and Stella.
The man in the passenger seat glanced over at me, and I realized he was the guard who had prevented me from walking out of Jed’s house. “We can plug your phone in to charge it if you’d like.”
I almost told him no, but I’d left Jed’s charging cord in his car, and I remembered that Joe had a different type of phone. “Thanks.”
The driver headed north, toward Joe and Rose’s farms. The car was stuffy, so I pulled off the hoodie and laid it down in the seat next to me. The movement of the car made me sleepy, yet I refused to go to sleep with these two strange men, especially since the driver kept sneaking glances at me in the rearview mirror.
“Could you hand my phone back?” I asked, my anxiety ratcheting.
“We’re almost to your destination, Ms. Rivers,” said the guy in the passenger seat. “Why don’t you take advantage of the time to charge it longer?”
He was right, but my instincts were pinging. Something was wrong. I just didn’t know what. “I need to text my brother to make sure he’s gonna be there to meet us.”
He pulled it from the charger and handed it to me.
“Thank you . . . what’s your name?” I asked.
“Chuck Miller.”
I took note of that. “Thank you, Mr. Miller. And I appreciate you and your colleague going to such lengths to protect me.”
“Just doin’ our job, miss,” the driver said.
“And what was your name?” I asked him.
“Justin Walsh, miss.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or concerned that they were so freely giving me their names. I unlocked my phone and texted Jed.
How carefully did you screen these security guards?
He texted back almost immediately.
Very. Do you feel unsafe?
I responded, I’m probably being paranoid.
You’re not paranoid. I’m on my way.
The turn off to Joe’s house was just up ahead and Justin was slowing down to make the turn, making me feel ridiculous.
Wait. I’m pulling into Joe’s farm. I’ll call you when I get inside.
Love you, he sent back.
Love you too. I was never gonna get tired of hearing Jed tell me he loved me, or of saying it back.
Justin drove down the short road to Joe’s house, pulling up in front, and I realized his car wasn’t parked out front, though his sheriff’s car was. Both men seemed to take notice. “Your brother’s a sheriff deputy?”
“The chief deputy sheriff,” I said, hoping if they were traitors, my brother’s position might make them think twice. “Joe Simmons. Have you heard of him?”
The two men shot each other a long look that made me uncomfortable.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said as I opened the back door, digging deep in my purse for my keys as I hopped out and shut the car door.
Chuck Miller opened his car door and got out, hollering at me. “We’re supposed to walk you to the door.”
“Sorry.” I was already on the steps and had my keys in hand. “I won’t tell Jed if you don’t.”
The guard started to protest when my phone rang, and Jed’s name popped up on the screen.