The Perfect Murder (Maximum Security #4) - Kat Martin Page 0,87

back more tears. He figured they wouldn’t want blood all over the cabin, so they would probably take him out into the woods to shoot him.

He thought about what might happen once he was out of the cabin, but instead of getting more scared, his eyes popped open. It was thick and swampy out there. If they didn’t tie his hands and feet, maybe he could find a way to escape. He was a Boy Scout. He’d been camping more than once, and he wasn’t afraid of snakes. Well, maybe the poisonous kind. But he could figure that out as he went along.

If there was any chance at all, he had to take it.

It was better than just dying.

* * *

Kenzie and Reese went back to the Holiday Inn to wait for Tabby’s call. As they approached the door to the room, Kenzie heard voices inside. Hawk would be meeting them there, but there was more than one person speaking.

Reese eased her behind him and pulled his weapon. It surprised her how naturally it fit in his hand, as if he had held it dozens of times. After watching him with Eddie, everything she’d thought she knew about Reese had changed. He was harder, tougher, less forgiving. And yet he was still Reese, the man she was so desperately trying not to love.

Using his key card, Reese turned the knob and shoved the hotel room door open with his boot, taking a shooting stance as he surged into the living room.

Three semiautos drew down on him at the same time.

“So I guess we’re all a little on edge,” Chase drawled as he holstered his weapon. Hawk did the same.

Kenzie recognized the third man as Brandon Garrett, youngest of the brothers. Dark brown hair and eyes a lighter shade of blue than Reese’s, his complexion less swarthy, though his carved features were no less handsome. Reese had once mentioned that Bran was a highly decorated former special operations soldier.

Seeing the dark look on his face and the hard line of his jaw as he holstered his weapon, Kenzie didn’t doubt it.

Then he grinned and the impression vanished as if it were never there.

“I thought you were in Denver,” Reese said to him, gripping his brother’s shoulder in greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“Chase has been keeping me up to speed. The way things were going, I figured you might need some help. Got to Dallas just in time to catch the jet.” He walked over and pulled Kenzie in for a quick, hard hug.

“It’s going to be okay,” Bran said. “We’re all here now. We’re going to find your boy.”

Her eyes burned. “Thank you for coming,” she managed.

Brandon grinned. “Are you kidding? Stay in Denver and let these guys get all the glory?”

The words made her smile, his confidence easing some of the fear inside her. Reese looked at his brothers and emotion surfaced in his face. Then it was gone, his control back in place.

He drew Kenzie against his side, an arm possessively around her waist. “We’re waiting to hear from Tabby. There’s a chance she’ll come up with Griff’s location.”

Reese went on to give them the kidnapper’s names and explain what had happened at the casino. He told them about Eddie’s cell phone and that Tabby was trying to ping Nolan Webb’s location.

“We’re working on the assumption Webb is still with Griff. If he is, we may be able to find him.”

“Amen to that,” Chase said.

The men began to mill impatiently around the room, waiting for a call that could still be some time away—if it came at all.

Then Hawk’s phone started playing some country tune. He stepped away to take the call, and the lines of his face turned grim. He said something Kenzie didn’t catch and the call ended.

Hawk turned toward them. “That was a guy named Buddy Brackett, one of my informants. I put word out it was worth big money for info on Jeremy Bolt. Buddy says he knows where to find him, but I need to get there now.”

“Bolt’s our ticket to proving Kenzie’s innocence,” Reese said. “Add to that, he shot your friend. If you’ve got a line on him—”

“Go,” Chase finished, his gaze going to Bran and Reese. “We’ve got this covered.”

The edge of Hawk’s hard mouth curved up. “Yeah, looks that way.” He turned to Kenzie. “With luck, I’ll solve at least one of your problems.”

“Be careful,” Kenzie said as she had before.

Hawk smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” Pulling his pistol, he dropped