Page 142 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

Blane was scowling.“So, we think he’s taken her to get her to change Jim’s will?”

Trip hadn’t thought this could get any worse, but … “Has anyone seen or heard from Jim?He and Harper should be here by now.”

“Fuck!”Mav spun around and headed for the door, calling back over his shoulder.“I’m going to Jim’s place.”

“I’ll go with,” said Emmett.

“What about the girls?”Trav asked.

“I’ll go,” said Brooke.

“By yourself?”Blane asked with a frown.

“I’ll go with her,” Brody offered.

Trip pulled against Trav’s arm again.“I need to go find her.”

Trav eased his grasp as he said, “We’re going now.”He looked around at the others.“Has anyone called Cash?”

Tanner held one hand up—his other hand clasped his phone to his ear.

Chapter Thirty

Shelley climbed out of the truck and opened the door to help Jim out of the back seat.When his feet hit the ground, he was unsteady.Shelley wrapped her arm around his waist, and as he leaned heavily against her, anger and determination washed over her.

Moments earlier, her heart had been pounding wildly, and her brain racing.Now, it felt as though everything had slowed down.She wasn’t going to let anything happen to Jim.No matter what it took, she was going to stop Gavin from harming him.

“Bring him around,” Gavin called.

When they reached the back of the truck, Gavin jerked his chin toward the tailgate.

“Open it, and bring the boxes in,” he told Harper.

Shelley’s eyes narrowed when she saw Jim’s boxes of paperwork in the bed of the truck under the tonneau cover.She had to wonder what had happened at Jim’s place that Gavin had been able to take him and Harper and all the boxes without …

“Where’s Banner?”Her voice was unsteady as she asked the question.She knew damn well that if Banner had been able to stop Gavin, he would have.He’d reassured Shelley before she left them this afternoon that he’d be coming to Chico with them this evening, and he didn’t plan to let Jim out of his sight in the meantime.

Gavin’s laugh made her blood run cold.

“Get him inside,” he told her.“Harper can carry the boxes.I’m afraid my hands are full.”He waved the pistol around as if to prove his point.

While Gavin loosened the binding around Harper’s wrists, Shelley helped Jim inside the cabin and was relieved to see that it was furnished.She led Jim toward an armchair, then yelped in pain when Gavin pushed her.She fell to her hands and knees and turned in time to see him shove Jim roughly into the chair.

“Just because I need you alive for now doesn’t mean this is going to be easy, Uncle.”

Harper ran into the back of him with the box she was carrying awkwardly with her still loosely bound hands.

Shelley pushed to her feet, hoping that between the two of them they might be able to overpower him.But he was too fast.He stumbled but regained his footing and landed a resounding slap across Harper’s face.

“Bitch!I told you before—you try anything else, and I’ll end you.In fact, now that I have these two, I don’t need you anymore …” He raised the pistol, aiming it at Harper’s face.

“No!”Shelley spoke sharply but calmly.“Put the gun down, Gavin.”

He turned back to face her, still aiming the pistol at Harper.

“You’re right,” he said, sounding as conversational as if they were discussing the weather.“It’d be too disruptive and too messy to kill her now.We should go through the papers, and you can give me the original will.I know Cash MacFarland thinks he’s getting something, and I’m going to make sure he doesn’t.”

Shelley glanced at Jim, and he nodded.She could only hope he was agreeing with her plan to tell Gavin the truth.