Pay the Price (Harmony Grove Book 3) by Carol Post (which ebook reader txt) 📕

moving soundlessly toward the back. The voices grew louder and closer. It was Hammy and Spike, and they seemed to be arguing. But there was no female voice.

Maybe Jess wasn’t here after all. A glimmer of hope flickered inside. He would check to be sure. Then he would leave and call the police. As much as he wanted to see what he could learn by eavesdropping on Hammy and Spike’s argument, Jess was still out there somewhere.

When he reached the back of the building, his heart stuttered. Spike had Jess by the hair, dragging her from the woods and toward the building. His other hand held a gun, cocked and ready to fire. It was pointed at her head.

A cold blade of fear sliced through him. He’d been in similar situations before, life or death showdowns where one or more people were likely to end up dead. But this time it was the woman he cared about, and that made all the difference in the world.

He drew his weapon and aimed. But he couldn’t get a clear shot. From his vantage point, Jess was in front of Spike. Besides, Hammy was probably armed, too. If Shane fired a shot, Hammy would too, maybe even shoot Jess.

He clenched his fist in frustration. Nothing was going as planned. He had no backup, no one that even knew he was here. His plan had been to find Jess, get her to give up whatever harebrained scheme she’d concocted and go back home.

Instead, he’d found himself outnumbered and outgunned.

Hammy stepped forward and grabbed Spike’s arm. “You can’t shoot her.”

“Wanna make a bet? She knows too much. Just like her sister did.”

“You better not do anything until the Big Guy gets here. He’s already not happy with you.”

Jess tried to turn around, but Spike only tightened his grip on her hair, jerking her head further backwards and twisting her neck into what had to be a painfully awkward position. She winced and dropped to her knees.

“Go ahead and shoot me.” Her words sounded strained. “You’re both going down. The FBI has had an agent assigned to Harmony Grove for the last month, and they’re closing in. You might as well give up.”

If her words shook Spike, he didn’t show it. Hammy did.

“See what you’ve done?” His voice was raised to an unnaturally high pitch. “Now the FBI is on our tail.”

“She’s bluffing, you idiot. The FBI doesn’t have anything on us.”

Hammy started to back away, hands held up in front of him. “I don’t go around killing people. That’s your deal, and I don’t want any part of it.”

“If you’re going to go weak on me, maybe I don’t need you around, either.” Spike aimed his weapon at Hammy’s chest.

Hammy shrugged. “Go ahead. I don’t care anymore.”

The hopeless tone struck a chord in Shane. The man had clearly loved Priscilla and his heart wasn’t likely to heal for a long time. Maybe someday he’d move past his loss, but he’d never forgive his brother. There was some serious bad blood between the two men—something Shane might be able to play to his advantage.

Spike waved the gun toward the door but didn’t release her. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

As soon as the three of them disappeared into the building, Shane whipped out his cell phone. He couldn’t chance calling 911. More than likely Branch would intercept the call. Instead, he pulled up his contacts and selected Alan, cell.

Alan answered on the third ring, his hello slurred.

“Alan, it’s Shane. I don’t have much time, so get something to write with.”

“What’s going on?” All traces of sleep had left his voice, and judging from the scrapes and bumps that came through the phone, he’d gotten out of bed and was complying with Shane’s command. “Is Jessica all right?”

“No, Spike has her, and he’s threatening to shoot her.” He continued right over the other man’s gasp and any questions he might have. “I need you to call this number. The name’s Ross, FBI. Tell him to get the team to Driggers Porcelain ASAP. Get the Polk County Sheriff out here, too. No sirens. And try not to alert your chief.” That last order was probably unnecessary, but he’d given it just in case. The factory was outside the city limits, but Branch seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere.

Shane frowned. Alan probably considered Jess a friend, and even though Shane didn’t ask him to come, he probably would. He might let Tommy Willis know, too. “If you decide to respond, don’t go inside until the other officers arrive.” He didn’t know if Alan would try to play the hero, but he didn’t want to risk getting the rookie cop killed.

“You got it.”

Shane ended the call, then tried to formulate a game plan. Whatever happened, he couldn’t wait for backup to arrive. Jess had gotten a reprieve, but it was only temporary. Eventually the Big Guy would arrive. Hammy and Spike were willing to leave her fate in his hands. Who was he? Someone higher up than Hammy and Spike, someone who was calling the shots?

Shane tried the door into the shipping and receiving area that Hammy and Spike had just entered. It was unlocked. But he couldn’t open it and march in without knowing where they were. Lights were on inside. He’d seen the glow when they’d opened the door to haul Jess inside. He strained to hear muffled voices. There were none.

He stepped away from the glow of the security lights and crept through the shadows behind the building. Farther down, the room with the boxes was lit. So was the production area at the end.

There didn’t appear to be any movement in the first room. He sprinted to the building and flattened himself against the wall next to the window. A quick glance inside confirmed that the room was deserted. He moved over to look at it more closely.

Fifteen or twenty of the boxes he’d observed the previous night had disappeared. What had happened to them in