“I have some stew and cornbread cooking now. It’s not much, but I don’t want to get out unless we have to.”
“You told me that already,” she said, smirking.
“Sorry, little bit. Been distracted since the shit hit the fan on Friday.”
She smiled. “I know. It’ll be okay, though. Viola will be here tonight and you can take a break.”
He nodded slowly and opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang. He pulled it out, glanced at the display, and silenced it. “I’ll check on the stew.”
He walked into the kitchen, looking at his phone.
Yes, the man was distracted, and she didn’t blame him.
For the next fifteen minutes, she heard his phone go off a few more times while he was in the kitchen and she in the living room, scanning the television channels for a distraction to watch. When he came back into the room, he carried two bowls of stew and some grilled cheese sandwiches.
“Yum,” she mumbled, taking the plate he offered. “This smells so good.” She stirred the contents in the bowl and spread her sandwich apart so it could cool. She took a sip of the broth and hummed appreciatively. Since it was too hot to dig right in and eat, she picked up half of her sandwich. “Any news yet?” She hadn’t kept track of the number of times she’d posed that question to him, but half the time it was out before she could stop herself from asking. She nibbled on the cheesy crust and looked at him expectantly.
“No news from Rick.”
Darrell’s phone rang again, and he silenced the call.
“Who keeps calling you?”
His head snapped up, and he stared at her two seconds longer than she felt comfortable. Did he think she was prying into his personal affairs? Was she? “I’m sorry. I just hoped it was related to the case.”
He rubbed his face and grabbed his spoon. “Yeah, it’s related to the case. I’ve put some feelers out on Showalter, but none of my contacts have come through yet.” He took a few bites of the stew. “Don’t worry. We’ll catch him.”
She wasn’t worried about that, but she was starting to be concerned about Darrell. “You’re working too hard on this.”
He shook his head, a smile tugging on his lips as he took another bite. “Anything for you, little bit.”
His phone rang again. This time, he accepted the call and left the room. Shelby pushed any worry for him from her mind and ate her stew. When he returned with some crackers, she’d already eaten most of her food.
He chuckled as he put the crackers on the table. “I guess you were hungry. Want more before I sit back down?”
She blushed, shaking her head. “No, you eat.” She was full, but the food was there and comforting her.
“We have a bead on Showalter.”
Shelby’s heart started racing. “Yeah?”
Darrell nodded and took a bite of his stew. She pushed the last of hers away, not able to eat anymore, snuggled into the couch, and turned down the television before giving him her attention again. “Yeah. He’s still in the state, but Rick wants me to bring you back now that they’re watching him. They’re not letting him out of their sight.”
“When?” she asked, sitting up straighter.
“As soon as we’re ready.” He dropped his spoon into his bowl and began stacking their empty dishes.
“I’ll pack the stuff I bought when we got here.” She stood.
The room spun.
“Whoa.” Darrell lunged for her and steadied her before she fell.
She rubbed her head. “I guess I stood up too fast.” Did her words just slur?
Why was the room becoming fuzzy? She was being lowered to the couch, and Darrell sat beside her, stroking her hair. What was wrong? Was she having a stroke? Had the stress been too much for her body?
“You’ll be okay,” he said softly. “You’re just taking a little nap.”
Nap? She wasn’t tired. She couldn’t move her limbs. Those were completely different things. “What’s hap-happening?” she asked slowly, trying with what little strength she could gather to get the words out.
“No time to explain. We have to go before they find us.”
“Who?” she asked, frowning. Hadn’t he said Mason wasn’t anywhere around here? She heard a door open but couldn’t see over the couch since she couldn’t turn her head.
His smile was sad. “I really don’t want to have to kill you, little bit. Be a good girl, and we might let you live.”
Panic shot through her at his words, but the face that came into view chilled her to the bone.
William Baxter.
“You’re in no position to make such a promise,” the man she’d only seen before in photographs and video said. “Everything ready?”
“Yep. We’ll be out of the country by this time tomorrow.”
She looked at Darrell and opened her mouth to begin asking him all the questions that bubbled up in her hazy mind, but the blackness surrounding her vision closed in, carrying her into an even darker reality.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mason killed the engine to his car and bounded up the steps to Viola’s house. Jedrek and Jerome Parker were behind him in Jerome’s car, but he didn’t wait on them. He pounded on the door three times before it was yanked opened. A tired-looking Viola stood in the doorway, gripping a gun.
When she saw who it was, she raised her weapon lightning fast.
His hands flew up. “Whoa.”
“Viola, don’t!” Jerome called out as he and Jedrek came running up the stairs. She glanced to the side, frowning at him.
“Parker? What the hell’s going on?” she looked at Mason and sneered. “What are you doing with him?”
“It’s a long story. Can we come inside? I’ll explain as fast as I can.”
She waved Mason in with her gun and kept it trained on him. He left his hands up for good measure, hoping it was proof she didn’t have to worry, but if Shelby believed he was a killer, then Viola did, too. Unless she was in on the real reason for their involvement. The way
