Deadly Revenge (Pearl River #3)

Chapter 67

67

“I told you that Phillip was in on it too.” Jenna felt in her pocket for the USB drive that had photos of Phillip and Sebastian together.

Max pulled her to him. “After tonight you won’t have to worry about either one of them.”

She leaned into his embrace, soaking up his strength. Jenna felt his lips moving on her head. He was praying for her. That was where her strength came from. When he finished, she stepped away from him with a sigh. “Time to go.”

“I know.” Max smoothed her hair back. “Alex deployed the rest of the deputies as soon as we disconnected. The others were already in place.”

She nodded and checked her ankle holster again. Not that she would get to keep it—pretty sure Sebastian or Phillip would check her for weapons once they were certain she wasn’t wearing a wire.

Maybe they wouldn’t find the Sig tucked behind her vest. It wouldn’t be easy to get to with the body armor on, but it made her feel better nonetheless.

She raised her gaze to Max again, drinking in his image. “See you on the other side of this.”

“Yep.” He cupped her face in his hands. “We won’t have time for this later.”

Max pressed his lips to hers, and she slipped her arms around his neck. When they broke apart, she gave him a shaky smile. “Thank you for having my back.”

“Always.” He bent and kissed her once more.

She climbed in the front seat of her SUV as he climbed in the back and lay on the floorboard. “I’ll repeat the directions he texts me, or if he calls, I’ll put it on speaker and you can send the directions to Alex.”

Darkness had fallen, and Jenna flipped on her lights before she backed out of her drive. A mile down the road, a text sounded on her phone, and she checked the message. “It’s directions but only to get me through town.” Evidently instructions would be piecemeal.

“Alex texted that if the route is toward the cabin, she and Nathan will be waiting at the intersection to the road it’s on. I’ll get out when you stop to turn.”

“Good thinking.” The GPS would show if her SUV stopped to let him out when she neared the cabin.

The directions in the next text definitely indicated they were taking her to the cabin. At the turn, she stopped just long enough for Max to roll out the back door.

She drove past Eric Darby’s and slowed when someone waved her down with a flashlight and then pointed toward the cabin. Thank goodness Max had already gotten out.

Jenna pulled as close to the cabin as she could and got out. The man with the flashlight checked her SUV, then patted her down and found the gun in the ankle holster. “Where’s your service pistol?”

“I didn’t bring it.” She tried to get a look at him, but he wore a hoodie and there wasn’t even a moon out.

“Get inside.” He pointed the way with his light.

Jenna slowly climbed the steps and stopped at the top by a post.

“Why are you stopping?”

“I’m dizzy.” She pressed the microphone against the post.

The door opened and Sebastian appeared. “Well. We meet again.”

“So we do. Where’s Phillip?”

“Oh, he’s inside, waiting for you.”

She didn’t doubt that. Jenna stepped inside the cabin, and another of Sebastian’s men ran a scanner over her. Max had been right.

She blinked at the brightness in the room. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around, her heart almost stopping at the sight of her dad bound in a chair. A gag covered his mouth, but he shook his head.

Jenna turned and gasped when she saw Phillip. Ropes bound him to a chair as well. She shifted a puzzled gaze to Sebastian.

He grinned at her, and now Jenna knew what Kirk meant by the creepy smile.

“Wasn’t expecting that, were you?”