Page 116 of Sing Me Home
“Yes, idiot,” Baldy said brusquely. “And her uncle is Ford Dupree, the country singer who plays Jack Steele. That’s why we’re here. These people are dripping with money.”
“Do you think you could, like, maybe, get me your parents’ autograph?” Lanky asked. “My daughter and I loved reading those books together.”
James and I exchanged glances—equal parts disbelief and disgust.
“You must be the dumbest human to walk the planet,” Bowen barked. “She almost died because of you.” James and I looked at each other again. These were the same guys who threw acid on Charlie and left her for dead? Oh, they were so going down. “You’re currently holding her hostage and you want her to get her parents’ autograph? Do you even hear yourself?”
James pointed at the stairs.We need to hurry.Before Bowen gets himself killed.
Once again, we crept down like ninjas in a world where squeaky floors were the enemy. Theo, Liam, and Griff’s eyes were wide with questions.
Find a weapon, James ordered. Theo was two steps ahead of him, already holding the dart gun that Gramps used to sedate horses and cows when necessary. He shook his pant leg, causing a soft jangle, letting us know he had extra CO2 cartridges in his pocket. He was the right one for the job—skeet shooting champion of the Dupree family.
James snagged Gramps’s horse whip off a nail. Griffin grabbed the lasso next to it. Oh, heck yes. Those boys had been roping since they could hold a sippy cup. Uncle Silas—who’d gone to college on a roping scholarship—made sure of that.
Liam held up his football like that was going to do some kind of damage. Then again, he’d done plenty of damage on the football field in high school as the Seddledowne Stallions quarterback.
I looked around for something I could use. James held up an electric cattle prod. He tossed it and I snatched it from the air.
How are you doing?Theo asked. Their eyes were all on me, like they were bracing for another panic attack. I waved that away. But the truth surprised me—I wasn’t unraveling. I only spiraled when I thought about Charlie not being with me and thatwasn’tgoing to happen today.
James found a notebook in the desk drawer and drew a diagram of the situation and how we were going to remedy it. Then he wrote the words:
This needs to be a synchronized attack. Keep your fingers ready. When we play the sound, it’s go time. Immediately. No hesitation. We have each other’s backs. Got it?
We all nodded and pulled our phones from our pockets.
“Enough of this B.S!” Baldy raged in the barn. “Five minutes! You don’t pay, I send him back to Canada in pieces! And your mouthy cousin is next!”
The five of us exchanged a glance, each expression lit with the same fierce resolve.
Send the text,James told Theo. We watched as Theo pressed send, alerting my dad, uncles, and Blue to what was happening. There was no going back now. We had less than four minutes to get this done before they arrived.
James gave us three sharp hand signals like gunshots in the air—Go. Go. GO!Griffin and Liam went outside to come through the door on the far end. James stayed with me while Theo headed upstairs alone.
James looked at his phone, waiting for their “ready!” texts. A moment later, Liam and Griff were in place. James mouthed the countdown.Three… two… one.We pressed the buttons together. I tried to brace for it, but the SOS alarm still made me jolt like I’d been shocked.
James threw the door open. At the other end, the sliding door slammed wide revealing Liam and Griff. We sprinted into the room, and the thugs looked around in surprise. Maisy bucked and neighed, kicking the wood of her stall, adding to the confusion and chaos.
Lanky and Stout raised their guns.
“Now!” James shouted.
Everything happened simultaneously. Liam’s football snapped through the air knocking Lanky’s gun from his hand. At the same time, the tranq gun popped with a shot. Stout stumbled, a dart sticking out of his right peck, his pistol falling to the floor. James threw the lasso, looping it around Baldy, yanking back with a hard cinch, knocking him off his feet. He hit the concrete with a smack.
Stout reached for his gun and Griff’s whip licked him in the arm, making him recoil with a shriek. Lanky was going for his gun too, so I ran over and zapped him with the cattle prod. He bit out a string of curse words and reached for the gun a second time. I zapped him again and again and again, until he finally got the hint. Liam kicked his gun away. It skidded across to the other end of the barn.
Bowen was on his feet, hands flapping behind him, zip-tied. “That’s what you get! You messed with the wrong family!”
All at once, our phones silenced.
“Seddledowne County 911,” a muffled female dispatcher sounded from James’s pocket. “We received an emergency SOS activation from your device. If you’re in immediate danger, do not speak. Remain on the line. Law enforcement is en route.”
“You hear that?” Bowen laughed. “They’re coming for y’all.” He walked over and nudged Lorne with his foot. “You too, you little weasel. I know you can hear me. You’re gonna be in jail for a very long time.”
Baldy spat another curse at James, his cheek smooshed against the floor—but it was hard to take him seriously with his hands and feet hog-tied behind him like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Charlie looked up at me, her big, brown eyes pools of melted milk chocolate. “Thank you.” Her bottom lip quivered.
