Page 67 of Killer Honeymoon
Sawyer recovered his voice and said, “We were thinking Friday or Saturday. Would that work?”
“Um, I think so,” Chrissy replied. “I’ll need to check with Evan about what day we’re leaving. Can I get back to you?”
“Sure thing,” Royce said. “You know where to find us.”
“Night, guys.” Chrissy’s voice sounded small, and her eyes looked so sad.
She closed the door, and they joined hands and casually strolled toward their cottage as if they didn’t suspect something was off. Sawyer felt eyes on them as they walked away.
“I feel like we have the barrel of a shotgun aimed at our backs right now,” Royce whispered.
“Me too.” Sawyer squeezed his hand. “That remark about Evan was a code, right? He told them to find their own way home.”
“They could’ve made up, but I don’t think so. I agree with you. Chrissy mentioned Evan so we’d know something was up. Gary has no way of knowing about their personal business.”
“What do we do?” Sawyer asked. “Call the chief? The last thing we need is for this to turn into a violent hostage situation. What do you think Gary wants with the kids?”
“He wants Evan. He probably knows one of them is Evan’s girlfriend. I would bet money he forced her to text or call Evan and invite him over.”
“Fuck,” Sawyer said. “I bet you’re right. If Evan shows up, Gary will blow him away.”
“And the others because they were witnesses.” Royce took a deep breath. “We need to find some weapons and recon that house, then assess the situation and decide how to proceed. The chief coming in with lights and sirens blaring might have catastrophic results.”
“Agreed,” Royce said as he let them in the house.
They searched for anything they could use as a blunt object and came up empty until Sawyer remembered the golf clubs in the garage.
Royce scowled at the golf bag set against a wall. “We’re going to take golf clubs to a shotgun fight?”
“It’s not ideal,” Sawyer agreed, “so we need to be stealthy and wait for the right moment to strike.”
Royce nodded. “Right.” He picked up the driver and tested its weight in his hand. “I could do some damage with this.”
“We need to disarm, not maim,” Sawyer reminded him.
“Yes, dear.”
Even in such a shitty situation, Royce somehow made him laugh. Sawyer leaned forward and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “I freaking love you.”
“I freaking love you most.”
Sawyer smiled as he picked out a fairway wood and held it in the air. “This one will slice through the air fast, so I’ll have speed on my side while you’ll have whopping power on yours.”
“It’s the best we can hope for right now unless we want to call Chesterfield,” Royce said.
“We should,” Sawyer replied.
But they eased out the back of the house instead. Clinging to the shadows, Sawyer and Royce eased across the street to Frank’s place, which they knew was empty. They planned to approach the house from the rear to try to get a look at the situation inside. Sawyer and Royce paused in the shadows at the rear corner of Frank’s house. No lights were on at this side of the rental property, which kept the backyard black as pitch and aided their cover. A small shaft of light cut across the lawn. It came from the center of the house, and Sawyer figured the patio door curtain wasn’t pulled closed. It would probably be their best opportunity to look inside, but it also made them vulnerable to getting caught.
Royce tapped his shoulder. Since his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he could make out his hand signals. He pointed to the rear of the house with two fingers, then to his own eyes. Sawyer nodded, and they eased closer to the rental where they suspected Gary was holding Clint, Chrissy, and Jen hostage.
“Psst,” came a male voice from the shadows.
On instinct, Sawyer swung his club. Itwhooshed through the air and cracked against a tree, causing an explosion of bark to pelt his face.
“Don’t hit me,” the man pleaded.
Sawyer recognized the voice immediately and bit back a curse. “Evan!” he hissed. “What are you doing creeping around out here?”