“Yes,” Max said, getting to his feet and swaying unsteadily. “I promise you.”
Matthew called a family meeting. They sat down in the parlor, which Matthew had begun to see as a kind of courtroom. It was here that they’d decided on Jade’s desire to stay with the family. Here, they’d talked about and defeated Samuel West. Even though it had only been a few short weeks, it felt as though years had passed.
Matthew saw Kathleen give him a smile and then turn that smile into a supportive one to Max. Max didn’t return it, looking white as a sheet, and Kathleen frowned. Matthew reached out and took her hand. “What’s wrong?” Kathleen asked him in a lowered tone.
“Take a seat,” he said gently to her.
She did so next to Allison, her eyes flickering between Matthew and Max. Her hair was tied into a sturdy braid, and the dark circles under her eyes had lessened. Matthew knew the acceptance she’d cultivated regarding the things she had gone through on her travels to the hotel would soon be shattered.
“Where’s Patton?” Kathleen asked.
“Kathy, I gotta tell you something,” Max said in a rush, and even though the whole family and Jade had gathered together, it seemed he wanted to speak the truth only to her. “I…Kathy, I wasn’t released from prison. I escaped. The cartel were going to kill me. I was beaten up bad in prison. When the electricity started going out, guards started disappearing, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I ended up dead.”
Kathleen looked horrified.
“So I escaped,” Max said in a rush, “but then other people escaped, too. One of them, this guy named Colin, has had it in for me because of my plea deal. He’s with the cartel, and he wants my head. Well, he followed me here and this morning…” Max faltered, and he swallowed hard, as though finding his courage. “This morning he tracked me down and kidnapped Patton.”
David swore under his breath. Allison had gone pale. Jade’s mouth tightened into a thin line.
“This can’t be happening,” Kathleen said in a rush. “Patton’s been taken by the cartel? Max, how could you?”
“I’m sorry, Kathy,” Max pleaded. “I didn’t know. He wants to exchange Patton for me by sundown tonight, and I’m going to go to him, I swear, I’m going to get Patton back.”
“I can’t even look at you,” Kathleen hissed. “You lied to me. Again! Now my son is in the hands of some monster, and all you can say is sorry? He’s only a child, Max!”
“Kathy, I never meant for any of this to happen, but I’ll make it right. I’m going to make it right if it’s the last thing I do.”
“If you go to Colin, he’ll kill you,” Matthew said flatly. He studied Max’s face, looking for that overexuberance that indicated another lie, but instead Max looked solemn.
“I’ll do everything I can to get Patton back,” Max insisted.
“He’s going to kill you?” Kathleen asked, her voice rising into a screech of panic. A hand went up to rub along her eyebrow. “I can’t…Matthew, what are we going to do?”
Matthew bit his lips, resolved. He knew what they were going to do, and they’d do their best to save both Patton and Max in the process. He knew Kathleen would stop at nothing to get her son back, but losing her brother would do untold damage to her. He had to save his family—even if that meant saving Max so he could keep his wife. He turned to his father. “Do you think Wyatt Carpenter will still go for that trade? Water for ammunition?”
David’s face hardened with determination. “You bet he will. He’ll give us anything we need. He might even help us. We should try to convince him to come with us. He’s good people.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Matthew said and then turned to Jade. “Jade, I know you don’t think much of me, but you’re the best shot we have at getting Patton back. Please, I’m begging you. Stay and help me. You know Wyatt. You can help persuade him to come and help us get Patton.”
Jade studied him for a moment. A sinking sensation filled Matthew, and for a moment he was sure she was going to say no. She reached up and tightened her ponytail. “For Patton, I’ll help you.” She crossed her arms and fixed Matthew with a glare. “I’m still furious at you, Matt, but Patton deserves to be here with his family and not in the hands of some criminal. I’m doing it for him, though. Not you.”
“I’ll take it,” Matthew said. “Thank you.”
“I want to come too,” Max cut in.
Matthew shook his head. “I think we should stick with the three of us.”
Ignoring Max’s crestfallen face, he turned to his father, knowing they had a solid team to head into Carpenter Country with. “Let’s grab some supplies and head out to meet Wyatt.”
25
Max watched as Matthew, David, and Jade left the hotel through the front doors like heroes about to save the day. Now more than ever, he felt like the putz who ruined everything he touched. The laughingstock who ended up getting into more trouble than he was worth. Patton’s fate weighed heavily on him. He knew that even if—no, not if, when—they got his nephew back, Patton would still be traumatized. And all of that was Max’s fault.
Matthew was right to dismiss him. Even so, it didn’t stop the sting of rejection. He’d become a leper to the family and rightly so. First drug dealing, then prison, and now this. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kathleen chucked him out of the hotel right then and there. Closing his eyes, he cursed his stupidity. He should have been smarter and stayed away from everyone he loved. It was inevitable that he’d screw it all up and ruin everything, no matter his intentions. His heart climbed into his throat, and
