driven this way. Son of a bitch!"
"It involves that Lear that landed out at the airfield this morning?"
"Yeah. I checked that bastard out, too, and he came up clean. But I believe Hank. He says the man's dirty, he's dirty."
"What do you need from us?"
Julian had never seen his brother in "cop" mode. All signs of the younger brother he knew were gone, replaced by the face of a man Julian certainly wouldn't want to cross.
"They're a couple of hours out, yet. We need to secure the airfield. Their pilot is still with the plane and hell, I think Morgan and Henry were working on the damn thing for them."
Peter nodded. "Yes, they were. Figured it couldn't hurt to make a good impression on an international businessman."
"I'll just head out and grab that pilot. I'll call in backup. We'll come up with a plan to stop those perps and rescue the woman and child."
"You're not going out there alone." Peter looked over at Julian. Then he looked back at Kendall. "I know Matt is off today and he headed down to San Antonio, so he can't be your backup."
Adam smirked. "I can handle securing the pilot. Hank says the SUV carrying the baby and Jayne Sheridan are a couple of hours out, yet. We've got time to come up with a good plan."
"Jayne?" Julian had felt as if he was watching a play unfold before his eyes up until then, but the mention of Jayne's name pulled him right into the action. "That son of a bitch grabbed Jayne?"
"Oh, hell, she's the woman you told us about, isn't she?" Adam said. "The one who fainted in your arms at that nightclub when you and the twins went to look at that horse ranch."
Julian nodded. "The Dancing Pony, yeah. Christ, I bet her boyfriend is having a fit right now." Julian recalled his first look at the man with the tattooed arms and quiet but intensely territorial presence. When the man had looked at Jayne, Julian could see his heart in his eyes. The tenderness on his face had convinced Julian to hand over his precious bundle.
On his later visits to Divine he'd had occasion to grab a beer with Seth Carter, the man who had claimed Jayne Sheridan. He thought that, over time, the two of them might become good friends.
He looked up at Adam. "I'm pretty good with a gun, or playing a grease monkey, whatever else you need me to do."
He expected to get an argument. After all, he wasn't a cop, like the sheriff and Peter were.
Instead of telling him he was a civilian and had to stay back, Adam nodded. "Okay, then. Let's ride."
It only took a few minutes to arrive at the airfield. Broussard's plane was in what the families called the Lear hangar, as it had the best setup for repairs. The other two jets had been temporarily moved to allow room for it.
Julian had wondered exactly how wealthy the families of Lusty, Texas, were. He supposed he finally had his answer, as he caught sight of the spiffy-looking helicopter they had, too.
Adam looked for all the world like a man who was just dropping in to visit his brother. Julian watched as Morgan, sitting behind his desk in his glass-walled office, nodded to him.
The pilot appeared to be relaxed, sitting in the chair across from Morgan, chatting away. Adam went into the office and stood, his hand appearing to naturally rest on the butt of his gun.
"I wish I was armed," Peter said.
Julian nodded. "Me, too. But if the bastard runs, we can tackle him - hopefully without you getting shot again."
"Christ, that's all I'd need. Three times? I would never be able to live that down."
In the end, the pilot didn't run. In fact, it looked to Julian as if the man sighed in relief as he easily and without Adam pulling his gun, raised his hands in the air.
Since Peter headed toward the action, Julian followed along.
"You must understand. This man is evil to his core. Ma mere - sorry, my mother, she is very old. Henri Broussard would not hesitate to pick up the phone and order her dead."
"And if he's taken out?"
Guy St. Pierre shrugged. "If he is arrested, another will move in and take over his network, but I would be free of danger. Broussard has always kept those he considered his personal servants close."
"Are you expecting to hear from Broussard later today, say, as he gets close?"