Page 58 of Ransom

"So why is he gone now?"

"He had me send her new paperwork last week. He offered five million for that place. It's not worth even a tenth of that."

"And she said no?"

"She sent a very large man in a thong here. He had a boombox, and he danced and sang a song. Blair wanted to get the point across."

Jonas's eyes light with glee. "Do you think there would be security footage?"

Mav's lips quirk. "Colton already pulled it. He stored it in the cloud for now, but you can bet he'll be sharing that with everyone. He's only holding off right now out of respect for Ransom."

"I would like to see that. It sounds… enlightening."

"That's one word for it. Hilarious. That's another word."

Jonas rubs a finger over his lips, staring at the toes of his running shoes. "So that happened yesterday, and now today, Ransom's gone?"

I nod, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, that's about the size of it. He took off without a word to anyone."

Jonas finishes his banana and studies his fingers, then, staring straight at me, wipes them on my couch.Fucker. "So what's the plan?"

Maverick pushes off my desk. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Do we go after him or let him handle this on his own?"

"He's a grown-ass man," I say, but even I can hear the doubt in my voice.

"A grown-ass man who's acting like a lovesick teenager," Mav counters.

Jonas tilts his head. "Statistically speaking, men make poor decisions when emotionally compromised."

I snort. "Thanks for that scientific analysis, Jonas."

"You're welcome," he says, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. Fucker's trying to start a fight.

Mav paces the length of my office. "Look, I get it. We should respect his privacy. But what if he needs us?"

"What if he doesn't and we just piss him off by showing up?" I argue.

"Better pissed off than in trouble," Mav shoots back.

Jonas raises his hand like we're in grade school. "I vote we go. I've never been to Badger Falls. I would like to see a badger."

I roll my eyes. "This isn't a field trip, Jonas."

"Of course not. It's a rescue mission."

"He doesn't need rescuing!" Mav and I say in unison.

Jonas blinks at us. "Then why are we having this conversation?"

Mav groans, flopping down next to me on the couch. "Because we're worried."

"If you're worried, we should do something."

Groaning, I debate pulling out my hair, strand by strand. It would be less painful than this conversation.

We sit in silence for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts.

"What if we give him another day?" I suggest finally. "If he's not back by Saturday, then we go after him."

---