Page 8 of Guard Dog (Lonesome Garage #1)

Chapter Eight

T he bar has a postage-stamp sized dance floor, and after supper Violet insists that we make the most of it.

I’ve got her hand pressed against my chest, rubbing it gently as she sways to the music.

She looks amazing. I ache to tug on her ponytail.

It’s taking all my willpower to stop myself from dragging her out of here to my place and giving her that good night she talked about.

But I’ll give her this dance first. We’ve both walked a long, bloody road to get here. We’re going to enjoy the last mile.

The first time my pants vibrate, I think it’s because Violet is patting my ass again.

She’s a bit of a flirt; I never knew. Then it happens again, and I know both her hands are linked behind my head.

I fish out my phone and see that Romy is calling me.

She wouldn’t interrupt our date for anything less than Armageddon.

I can barely hear her over the music, but the words I make out are bad enough. “Need help. Bad shape. Rick took Peony.”

A familiar adrenaline surge hits, and then my emotions turn off. Bad situations are what I was trained for. I want to leave Violet here, in the safety of my family, but I have the feeling I’m going to need her for more information than Romy can provide.

“Come on. We’re out of here,” I whisper in Violet’s ear.

Her grin breaks my heart. “Your place?”

“No, yours.” She frowns. I have to give her enough to get her out of here without a scene, but not too much or she’ll freak out. “Romy just called with a Peony S.O.S. so I think we need to take care of that first.”

I playfully push Violet in front of me as we head out. On the way, I whisper to Bishop telling him to follow us to Violet’s place, then flash a sign to JD to do the same. They both respond with a nod, and head for the other doors so Violet doesn’t see them leave.

Violet twines her fingers in mine as I make the drive.

I raise her hand to my lips and kiss it gently before setting it on the console between us.

I can drive faster with both hands on the wheel.

When we arrive at the house, the front door is wide open, light spilling onto the steps.

Violet frowns. “Why did Romy leave the door open?

I’m out of the truck first. “Romy, can we come in?”

“Yep.” Her voice is so quiet I almost miss it.

The house is trashed. Every drawer in the place is upside-down, the contents strewn across the floor.

Cushions are cut open, tables overturned.

I see Romy sitting on the floor, one elbow on the seat of the sofa.

It looks like it cost her to be that upright.

Rick beat the hell out of her. One eye is swelling shut, her nose is bloody, and her lip is split.

I don’t know what bruises she’s sporting under her clothes but from the way she’s moving, there are plenty. “What the hell, Romy?”

“Where’s Peony?” Violet asks.

“Rick took her.”

I’ve heard SEALs take mortal wounds who didn’t make the same sound of pain that Violet did at those words.

“Bathroom,” Romy continues. She coughs and brings up a little blood.

Rick left a message on the mirror, written in Violet’s lipstick. “The kid for the key,” I read aloud.

“What key? Why would he take my baby?” Violet’s voice cracks. She’s barely hanging on, but she’s fighting to stay in control.

In between me going to the bathroom and coming back, JD and Bishop have arrived. Bish has helped Romy to a kitchen chair. JD has gone ice cold. He stares at me, waiting for instructions.

I pull out my cell and call Rick. No texts. I want to hear the fucker’s voice.

“What key?” I demand when he answers. No pleasantries. No threats. They aren’t needed. We’ll give him what he wants and get Peony back. Then that fucker is going to be buried six feet deep with no marker. Nobody here will object.

I have him on speaker. “The safety deposit box key,” Rick says.

Violet answers. “You already have the safety deposit key. You used it to access the box to get Keith’s will. Where’s Peony?”

“The other box. The one in the First National Bank in Baltimore. Keith stole it from me. I want that key, Violet. I gave you time, but you didn’t stop fucking around.

I don’t know where you hid it, but I need it now.

I want you to bring it to the garage at eleven-thirty.

Don’t do anything stupid and it will be an easy trade.

Try anything and, well, gasoline is flammable. So are little girls.”

The call goes dead. We have twenty-two minutes to find Rick’s key, and eight to get it to the garage.

“There is no other key,” Violet whispers.

“We banked at Arlington Trust. All our accounts and our safety deposit box were there. Rick was the one who emptied the box. He had access to all of Keith’s and our joint accounts as executor.

He went through our entire house when he helped me pack. He knows there isn’t another key.”

This makes no sense. Why would he kidnap Peony for a key? What the hell could be in a safety deposit box that he would be willing to risk jail time over? “He said Keith stole it. If Keith hid something, where would he put it?”

“In his locker on base,” she says without hesitation.

“Rick would have looked there. Where else would he have hidden a key?”

“God, I don’t know. My baby!”

I can see that she’s about to break down. I can’t let her. Violet will never survive it if something happens to her daughter. “Did you find any odd keys after Keith died? Any at all?”

“There was a whole drawer full of unlabeled keys. Romy and I had no idea what they belonged to. We put them on…oh my God. Peony’s princess keychain!”

JD locates the pink plastic purse in Peony’s bedroom, which she has carefully tucked under her pillow. He dumps it onto the kitchen table. Violet snatches the keychain. She fumbles through the keys and holds up an odd, flat one. “That’s it.”

I take a photo, showing the key with “FNB” stamped into the side, and text it to Rick. “We have fourteen minutes to get to the garage.”

“He’s had too much time to set things up. We won’t be able to rush him,” JD says. After years of working with him, I know his brain works the same as mine.

“I’ll hand over the key, get Peony back, and let him go,” I say. We know where he works and where he lives. And if he doesn’t go to either of those places, we know where he’s heading. If he gets away now, it’s a matter of when, not if, we find him again and make him pay.

“He said he wants me to do it. He knows I won’t try anything.” It’s the first thing Violet’s said since we found the key.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Vi.”

“It’s a terrible idea but she’s my daughter. I’m doing it.”

We don’t have time to argue. I give her instructions on exactly what to do.

“I’ll drive. You hand over the key. You grab Peony and climb into the backseat.

Don’t worry about seatbelts. I love you, Violet.

You can do this. If you do this one last thing, I promise nothing bad will ever touch you and Peony again.

This is the last trouble you’ll have. Lonesome and I will be a complete fresh start. ”

“I’m holding you to that. I didn’t dream that I’d fall in love again, Deacon Dobermann. That Peony and I would have another chance. Rick fucking Russo is not taking it away.”

Violet gets in the passenger seat of her car.

Much to Romy’s dismay, Bishop stays behind to make sure she gets medical treatment rather than go with us to help.

JD and his motorcycle have already taken off down a back road that will bring him into town from the other direction so he can approach the garage from the rear.

He’ll be able to cover Violet, and Rick will never see him coming.

Ten minutes until my life stops or starts again.