Page 26 of Pick Yourself Up (Heroes to the Core #3)

Up And About

G ray hammered another short stake into the ground.

He wanted them to last through the Vermont winter, so he’d chosen to use sturdy stakes rather than thinner dowels.

Some of them might fall over with the snow, but the overall plan would be there.

He’d probably tweak it over the winter anyway, but at least he’d have a base to work with early in the spring.

He attached the string to the stake and moved another few feet before repeating the process. In a space this large, it would be helpful to see the paths laid out rather than simply on paper or a screen.

The field had natural dips and valleys. Following those would be the best plan. Laying out the stakes and strings this way meant he’d be able to visualize things better and figure out what should go where.

He was sure the land between what had once been two kitchen gardens would work for one of the small ponds he had in mind.

Not a deep one like Jolie’s pond at the back.

A small one with lily pads and other hiding spaces for frogs and toads.

Maybe a waterfall feature using some of the large rocks they’d unearthed over the past few weeks.

He could install a pump to keep the water moving without it being visible and ruining the natural effect of the setting.

His phone beeped with a call, and he checked the display. Norm Cassidy. While Gray considered his former boss a friend, he wasn’t one to call much. Text? Sure.

The name had Gray’s stomach pitching, and he checked to see if anyone was around before he answered. Just in case.

“Norm. What’s up?”

Norm didn’t bother with pleasantries, either. “Potential trouble.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. Allard is out of jail. Worse, he’s been disciplined by the Lauzon family.”

Double shit. Disciplined by a crime family could mean anything from financial losses to losing a finger to being killed.

“He’s not dead?”

“No, but they beat the shit out of him. Not that he’s called the cops. But I’ve been keeping an ear out like you asked. There’d been nothing until he was released yesterday, then this news today.”

Gray didn’t waste time asking if Norm was sure of the rumors or how he’d gotten the information. His boss had dozens of sources, and his information was always good. “Has he been tossed out of the family? Is he looking for her?”

Norm hummed through the phone. “I hear he’s still working for the Lauzons, but he wants to fix the problem.”

Triple shit. “Which means he’s looking for her.”

“Or you. Or both.”

Gray should have expected that. Let Allard come for him. He’d be prepared. The man had better leave Amber the hell alone.

He thanked his friend, knowing he’d let him know of any further updates he heard.

Gray stared at the land, working to control the rage and fear. He couldn’t talk to Amber until he was under control. She’d have to know, but he needed to figure out the best way to tell her.

There was no real reason for Allard to track her down.

Why was he even out of jail? He was supposed to be inside until the trial.

Even if neither Gray nor Amber testified at the trial, there was overwhelming evidence from the security cameras.

Everything had been done by the book, and there was zero chance of Allard being found not guilty by either judge or jury.

Eliminating Amber and Gray wouldn’t help his cause at all.

Tracking them down to beat the shit out of them or kill them wouldn’t be smart. But that didn’t mean Allard wouldn’t do it. Would that earn him back some respect from the Lauzons? Or would they be pissed at him for stirring shit up again?

The family wouldn’t want murder charges added to Allard’s file. Attention was never something these crime families craved. They preferred to stay off the radar.

Checking the time, he realized the dinner bell would ring soon. It was Dodge’s turn to cook tonight.

As Gray was deciding how best to tell Amber and the rest, he spotted her and Boomer heading his way.

He crossed the garden to them and watched Amber’s smile dim. He was pretty sure his face hadn’t given much away, but she’d sensed it, anyway.

When he was close enough to hear her, her words confirmed it. “Are you okay? Anything I can do to help?”

No wonder he loved her.

He wrapped her in his arms. “Got some potentially bad news I need to tell you. Need to share with the others too.”

Her small arms squeezed him hard, and her body shuddered. After a few beats, she spoke, resignation obvious in her voice. “It’s about Chicago. Okay, let’s go to the farmhouse, so you only have to tell it once.”

But she didn’t move or press him for more information. Held him tight and waited for him to take the next step.

He leaned down and kissed her gently. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

She nodded, eyes serious. “Or you.”

When he let her go, he realized Boomer had caught on to their feelings. Ears and body alert, he stood with his back to them, scanning the surrounding area for threats. “Good boy, Boomer. Let’s go for dinner.”

Once they were in the kitchen, it didn’t take long for the others to pick up on the tension. As soon as they’d dished out the casserole Ford had made, Knox spoke. “Spill. What’s wrong?”

He didn’t waste time or make them wait. The men’s eyes were hard and steady. They’d been trained to expect the worst, and they were always ready for anything. The women hadn’t been through the training, but they waited stoically. Amber took his hand.

“My former boss from the bodyguard agency called me. The man who led the attack on The Sidderlight and Amber is out of jail. There are rumors the Lauzon family beat the shit out of him for failing in his mission to get through to my client that day. Further rumors say he might be looking for revenge.”

Amber shuddered and closed her eyes. “Revenge on you.”

He tucked her under her arm. “Or both of us.” Amber had been the one to derail their mission, so it was likely Allard was more pissed at her, but Gray didn’t say that aloud.

Annie and Dodge both put their arms around their women and pulled them closer. Annie’s eyes were dark and flat. “You think that bastard might try to find you? Might look for you here?”

Gray shrugged. “It’s a possibility. Norm will call me if he hears anything further, and I’ll put a call into the Chicago organized crime division to see if I can learn anything else.”

Dodge frowned. “He’d gain nothing by hurting either of you. His boss would want the situation to die down, not ramp up. He’d be pissed at Allard for stirring up shit.”

Gray appreciated his friend’s succinct summary and the fact that he’d avoided saying Allard might want to kill them rather than hurt them.

Knox continued. “We need to figure out if he could somehow trace you here. How many people know where you are?”

Amber shrugged. “I told my boss and staff I was leaving to visit with family. I didn’t specify which family or where.”

Gray nodded. He was in love with a smart woman. “Norm knows where I am. No one else that I know of. But rumors have a way of circulating.”

Jolie rolled her lips together. “I don’t use social media much, but I’m in a few loops and chats about regenerative farming. I wouldn’t have posted names, but I don’t know if any of the posts had pictures of either of you. It didn’t cross my mind to crop you out. I’m so sorry.”

Amber reached across and took her sister’s hand.

“No reason to apologize, Joles. No one asked you not to. There’s no reason for this jerk to come after us.

He’s already been charged, and the police have all the evidence they need.

I doubt he’s the type to visit online farming sites, anyway.

And there’s no reason for him to connect me with that either. ”

Thea leaned into Annie. “When Asshole Andy followed me here, he hired someone to hack into the phone company and find my location.”

Gray hadn’t known about the photos Jolie took, hadn’t yet considered social media photos and hackers.

“It’s probably safe to say that pretty much anyone is findable these days.

Hackers can find almost anything online.

We need to assume he can find us if he wants.

I guess the question is, what are we going to do about it? ”

Amber trembled under his arm, and he tightened his hold. Boomer rested his head in her lap, and she stroked him automatically.

Gray kissed her hair. “He won’t get to you.” He only hoped he could keep his word.

A mber stroked Boomer’s head as she sat with her family and tried to figure out how to thwart a thug from a crime family. She also battled to keep her fear under control.

Would Allard try to find them? To hurt them? Kill them?

No one had said the last out loud, but she knew it was a possibility, anyway. If Allard came after them, he wouldn’t want to leave witnesses. From his point of view, it would be better to eliminate them than to hurt them and leave them free to talk about it.

It had taken her so long to recover from the physical injuries the first time. She knew she still hadn’t recovered all the way emotionally. Would she ever?

How could she face it if Allard came here and hurt someone she loved? The man was heartless. She’d seen no emotion in his eyes when he’d struck her. It wouldn’t bother him at all to kill them all just to get to her.

She kept her fingers moving in Boomer’s fur so that she didn’t freeze. “I should go somewhere else. If he tracks me here, it’ll put all of you in danger.”

Gray’s arm flexed on her shoulders. “Not without me. You’re not going anywhere alone.”

She looked up into his serious eyes. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “We don’t know which of us might be his target. It doesn’t make sense for him to come, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

Knox leaned forward. “We’ve got security systems on both farmhouses.”