Page 117 of Never Fall Again

“No idea.” Mo looked ready to spit nails. “She’s done a couple of those charity dental clinics up there in his neck of the woods. There’s no telling what she’s gotten herself mixed up in.”

Cal took a curve thirty miles per hour faster than he should have. “We’ll get Landry sorted. Then we’ll get Meredith straightened out.”

“Have you met Meredith?” Mo’s dry tone did nothing to hide his frustration—or his fear. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan?”

Mo turned in his seat. “Cal. A seriously deranged man has run a multiyear op that culminated in him nearly killing you, impersonating you to get to Landry and Eliza, and then disappearing with the two of them. What exactly do you plan to do? Drive upto the place, knock on the door, and say, ‘Yo, man, give me my woman back?’”

Cal scratched his neck. “I need to get close. Then we’ll reevaluate. But I’m not sitting on my thumbs waiting for a warrant. Gray can haul my rear to jail if he wants to. I’m getting into that house. Tonight.”

Mo’s phone chirped. He looked at it. Answered it with the speaker phone. “Mer.”

“Gray’s already got the warrant, and they’re on their way. Chief Kirby was on the other side of his county, but he’s on his way now too. I don’t trust Kirby, but I don’t think he’d allow this to stand. Not for an outsider like Ignacio.”

He had a lot to unpack there, but now wasn’t the time.

“Kirby told Gray that someone’s been doing a lot of work on the place off and on for over a year.”

“Thanks, Mer.”

“Mo? Cal? Be careful. Bring them home. Love you both bunches.”

“Love you.” Both men spoke in unison. The phone went dead.

They didn’t speak for the next twenty minutes. There was nothing to say.

All that was left was to get Landry and Eliza back.

They came around a bend and found the road blocked. Cal put the truck in park, then climbed from the vehicle. Mo joined him.

As they approached the nearest police car, Mo put his hand on Cal’s arm. “I think you should let me do the talking. I’m less likely to get thrown in jail.”

Landry had no idea how long she could expect the pain pills to keep Ignacio knocked out. Or if, heaven forbid, she’d given him so many that she’d killed him.

She didn’t want to kill him.

She tiptoed to the master bedroom. It had been twenty-two minutes since Ignacio had stumbled through the door and disappeared from view. She’d used the time to explain her plan, such as it was, to Eliza. They’d both used the bathroom, then they pilfered through the closet and dresser where they found a large selection of clothing in Eliza’s size.

Landry tried—and failed—not to be creeped out by that. But given that she had no idea what they were about to walk into, she helped Eliza put on several more layers under her jacket. She stuffed a few pairs of socks into her coat pockets, and then sent Eliza to wait by the door to the garage.

Now, she stood in the doorway. Ignacio lay sprawled across the bed. Face down. Snoring.

He was alive.

She didn’t know what to do. If an alarm went off when they exited the house, and she fully expected that to happen, then he would come after them. Or try to.

But staying wasn’t an option. They had to get out. And this was the best chance they would have.

She closed the door and scanned the hallway, looking for anything she could use to barricade him inside. But there was nothing she could move on her own without making a racket. She gave up on the idea and hurried down the stairs.

His phone lay on the end table. She took it. If nothing else, she could make an emergency call. She put the phone in Eliza’s jeans pocket, then held Eliza’s hand with her left and the keys in her right. She made eye contact with Eliza. “We’re going straight to the truck. We’re getting in and leaving. When I say go, we run. Are you ready?”

Eliza nodded.

“Go!” They ran for it.

An alarm sounded the second the door opened. She hit the button to activate the garage door, and ran to the driver’s side of the truck.

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