Page 85 of In Step

“Kane says the fucker has a shotgun stashed somewhere,” Leroy said casually, earning himself a whack on the arm from Morgan. “Ow. What?”

Judah’s face blanched. “You never told me that, Morgan. What the actual fuck?”

“That’s what.” Morgan drilled Leroy with a glare and Leroy bit back a smile.

“Oops.”

“It’ll be fine.” Fox rested a hand on Judah’s shoulder. “Abe and Kane will get Possum while the three of us watch his dad and each other’s backs and provide a distraction if it’s needed. Kane says Gerald is likely to be pretty pissed by this hour of night, and the trickiest part will be Kane getting his actual hands on Possum.”

Judah scowled at Morgan. “I’m still not happy. If you get so much as a scratch on you, I’m burning your favourite dance tights, all of them.”

Morgan popped a kiss to Judah’s thinly set lips. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

“Are you sure he won’t see that from the house?” Fox indicated Abe’s flashlight.

I shook my head. “The bush is too thick in this spot. But as soon as we leave here, we’ll light up like beacons, so we’re gonna have to get across to the carport in the dark. We pen the bulls in the paddock next door every now and then, and they cut up the ground, so you’re gonna have to watch your feet as you run.”

“We’ll follow your lead.” Abe’s gaze swept the group, and I took a second to admire that self-assurance again. “Is everyone’s phone on vibrate and somewhere you can feel it?” he asked in a whisper.

“Check.” The answer came one at a time and I fought back a smile. This whole thing was likely a godawful idea, but the humour went some way toward easing my jangling nerves and the inescapable cramp of fear in my stomach. If we didn’t get Possum out... if we got caught... if she was already dead—nope, I couldn’t go there.

Abe continued, “And we all follow Kane, understand? He knows the quickest and safest route. Once we know where Gerald is, you guys peel off and Kane and I will head straight for the tractor shed and barn. Text if there’s a problem. Have we got the cage?”

I held the cat carrier aloft. “Check.”

Abe shot me a grin. “Flashlights?”

We reached for the small ones clipped on our persons somewhere, and there was another round of “Check.” They’d been purchased on a covert-ops shopping trip led by our fearless leader, Leroy “Call Me Jason Bourne” Madden.

Abe stepped up and cradled my face. “You ready, babe?”

I nodded. “Ready. And thank you, everyone.” My gaze swept the motley crew assembled around me. “I never thought... I’ve never had... ah, shit.” I shook my head. “Just, thank you.”

Fox’s hand landed on my arm. “You’re welcome.”

“More than welcome.” Morgan ruffled my hair.

Leroy patted my back. “I’ll send you the bill.”

Abe kissed me and Judah groaned. “Enough already. It’s like the fucking musketeers with glitter and booty shorts.” He sent me a wink. “Now, let’s just do this so I can get the freaking-out part over and done with as soon as possible.”

Abe repeated the kiss. “You heard the man. Let’s do this. Operation Cat in a Cradle is go.”

“Such a cool name.” Leroy smirked. “I wonder who thought of that?”

Fox ruffled Leroy’s hair and pushed him to follow Abe. “You’re such a dork.”

And then we were off, running with our backs hunched—just like in the movies—over the stile built in the fence line and across to the carport and garage at the back of the house, where everyone came to a stop while I did a quick recce of the house to see where my dad was holed up.

Two minutes later I was back. “He’s crashed out in the lounge, asleep in front of the television,” I whispered. It was a cloudless night, still and calm. Crap for hiding even the softest of noises, and we all knew it. “There’s at least half a dozen empty beer bottles on the coffee table and an open bottle of scotch. That should give us an hour or so until he drags his sorry arse to bed.”

Abe blew a slow, calming breath and then rubbed his hands together. “Right. Ready?”

Everyone nodded and then split up and headed to their assigned positions while Abe and I made a beeline for the tractor shed, struggling to stay on the shadowed path, even with the weak moonlight, the gravel crunching like cornflakes under our feet. As we slowly jogged, I tried to ignore the roiling in my stomach as the reality of the risk we were taking truly hit home. If any of these men got hurt, I’d never forgive myself, and as we rounded the corner of the carport, I turned to Abe. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good—”

“Stop it.” He put a hand on my arm, reading my mind. “We all chose to do this with you. Wewantto be here. Let’s just stay focused.”

I gulped a cool breath of air and nodded. “Okay.”

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