Page 89 of Anything for You
“I’m Jeb Johnson. Please.” He extended his hands to me.
Internally, I recoiled, but externally, I was still frozen. When his hands covered mine, they were soft and warm.
“Take a moment. Do you need anything? Some water?” His solicitous tone made no sense.
I’d had it. “Why am I here?”
“Did your brother not tell you? Hawk, come now.” He clucked at Hawk like an old man might, though he couldn’t have been much older than me. “One of my friends is in labor. She’s been struggling for the better part of a day. We’d like your help, if you’re willing. And after that, we’ve got a few other people who could use your attention.”
I blinked, absorbing this. “I’m here to help with medical needs?”
Some part of me relaxed, knowing this was actually something I could do. If the root of all of this drama came down to them needing medical care, I could handle it.
They wouldn’t have needed to kidnap me either. It might’ve taken some convincing, but didn’t Hawk know I’d willingly help if I could?
“Yes. What else?” Jeb looked truly troubled.
I shrugged, relief flooding me. “Never mind. Please show me towhoever needs help.”
And I would’ve taken that ease with me if I hadn’t seen an odd glint in Jeb’s eye as he cast my brother a look that chilled me to the bone just before he set a hand on my back and led me away.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Dorian
Ihadn’t heard a peep from Dove by nine the next morning.
Not that she’d said when she expected to be up, but she was naturally a fairly early riser. Since I was, too, we both enjoyed the pattern of a touch more sleep on weekends followed by breakfast and a lazy morning together.
I’d made quiche and a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. I generally preferred the brighter flavors of spring and summer, but the fall pumpkin and spice and richer palates were undeniably cozy.
By ten, I’d gotten restless. When no answer to my text came, I wondered if maybe she’d been out later than I’d realized. I’d passed out from exhaustion around eleven and she hadn’t gotten home. Usually, we texted goodnight, and when I woke up and saw she hadn’t said anything in response when she arrived, I didn’t let it bother me.
Except it did bother me because it was unlike Dove. Granted, if she’d stayed out late or maybe had a little too much champagne with her girls, maybe she was sleeping it off at someone’s house. It hadn’t happened before, but who knew?
Her friends would, and since I had Jo’s number, I messaged her to check in. When she confirmed Dove and Catherine had left All Booked Up around ten, I figured maybe she’d gone to Catherine’s. I didn’t know her as well, so when I asked Jo if she wouldn’t mind making sure they’d made it to Catherine’s house okay, she was kind enough to do just that.
But she didn’t hear anything.
And when, a half hour later, she called me to say she’d driven by Catherine’s place and didn’t see her car, I knew something was wrong.
My pulse spiked, and I had to take a seat and breathe through a blast of panic before I grabbed my keys, wallet, and Bear, and we ran to the truck. On the way, I called Kenny and in eleven minutes, I was pulling up in front of Saint right as Bruce’s SUV and Luc’s car arrived.
“Kenny’s almost here, and Adam’s already inside,” Bruce said, clapping me on the shoulder. “We’ll get this figured out.”
On the drive, I’d alerted the Silverton PD and called Sheriff Ryan’s personal cell to let him know. The obvious threat was Dove’s brother and that meant the Patriot Ridge compound.
Inside, Beast ran a trace on Dove’s cell to no avail, which meant it was off. Once Doc got Catherine’s number, they did the same, and same problem. The last pings on both phones had been downtown Silverton, which gave us no help.
“Call your contact at Patriot Ridge. Whoever you’ve talked to about farm stuff in the past,” Jaws said, his tone taking on full mission-command tenor.
Relief and focus hit. I could do this. I could focus on tasks in front of me instead of sinking into the worry absolutely gutting me as I thought about what might be happening to Dove. She’d been through more than any person should ever have to endure. The fact that her brother might be contributing to her pain, might be making her life harder or scarier or worse in any way, had me gritting my teeth as I connected the call.
“This’s Pole.”
The clipped tone came through as usual. Polard Smith had been my primary contact since Cordy and Maybell had been forced out of the commune months ago. He wasn’t particularly helpful, but the fact that he’d responded and confirmed they didn’t have Elise had put him in more favorable light… until now, when they likely had Dove.
“Do you have her?”
