Sexual Affection (Contemporary Cowboys 3)

Braden walked away, apparently unable to hear the person on the other end of the phone thanks to Kane’s elevated voice. Evan’s fingers moved faster than a teenager’s as he replied to texts.

“Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” Peyton acknowledged several cops pulling in the parking lot then. This was definitely bad.

“How could you let this happen?” Kane’s voice was loud enough to stop traffic. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Put Ansley back on the phone.”

About that time, Brock’s phone rang and he waved his cell high in the air. “It’s Dennis Ferguson, Kane. He wants to speak to you.”

“Tell Dennis he might as well talk to the damn wall. He had one job. Only one. He and his team were supposed to keep an eye on Nory and make sure nothing happened to her.”

“What’s happened to Nory?” Peyton cried out, reading between the lines now. Someone had taken Norina, Kane’s second cousin, and a young woman who had not only taken her place in their family but also wormed her way into each of their hearts. Peyton considered her like a daughter and her own daughters thought of her as a sister. “Kane?”

He shook his head and walked away again, apparently determined to have a private conversation without interference. Seconds later, he was screaming into the phone. “I don’t care what you’re doing or where you are, you find her! Do you hear me? You find Norina Baldini and bring her back to us or I’ll have your job and make sure you never have another one!”

After the chaos calmed and Kane had threatened everyone from Fletcher, North Carolina to Erwin, Tennessee—which was where Norina and her older sisters, the Cartwells’ cousins, called home—Kane turned his attention to Brock. “Now tell me the truth of the matter. How bad is it?”

“Tristan says it’s pretty bad,” Brock admitted.

“Start at the beginning,” Kane said.

Evan and Braden stood at Peyton’s side. Kane kept her in his periphery, occasionally stroking the back of her head as if he were afraid she’d break at any moment.

“About fifteen minutes after Trixie picked up our kids from Ansley’s place, Tristan called us, frantic.” Brock recounted the evening. “According to Tristan, Ansley was outside with Nory when a black sedan raced down their driveway and came to a sudden stop in front of the house. Four men exited the vehicle with their guns drawn. One, apparently the driver, knocked Ansley out cold. She didn’t even have a chance to put up a fight.”

“Get me his name,” Kane said tightly. “He’ll die first.”

Peyton rolled her eyes and shook her head. If anyone ever overheard Kane in situations such as these, they’d swear he was an old badass who killed for sport. He was all talk. Well, sometimes. When it came to his daughters, grandchildren, and Ann’s daughters—the Baldini sisters—he would sure make an enemy beg for mercy. And no one messed with Peyton.

Come to think of it. Kane probably would kill for sport where she was concerned.

“Is Ansley okay?” Braden asked.

“She took a good lick,” Rory said. “But Tristan said she’s fine. She’s pissed, and worried about Nory, but she’s okay.”

“Tristan said he saw the whole thing from the barn. He said for a split second he thought it might have been someone from his past. According to Tristan, they arrived, took control of the situation, opened fire, spewed some threats, and were out of there before anyone could follow them.”

“That’s probably because he and Bailey would’ve been too concerned about Ansley to tail the car right away,” Kane said.

“Exactly,” Brock said. “Tristan admitted they didn’t know how bad Ansley had been harmed and they didn’t even try to go after the sedan.”

“Did they get a license plate or any other description of the car?” Braden asked.

“No,” Mitch replied, frowning.

Brock said, “When the car first pulled in, Tristan ran for the house. One of the bigger dudes shot at him and yelled, ‘Tell Alberto Baldini we want our money. Tell him he has seventy-two hours and then we’ll start sending him Norina back in bits,’ and then they sped away.”

“Nory’s father’s past finally caught up with her,” Peyton said quietly. “It was only a matter of time.”

“Not on our watch,” Kane said, yanking his cell from his jeans again. He punched some numbers in his phone and placed it to his ear. At the same time, he looked at Evan and said, “Get the McKays on the phone and see if Josh and Aspen will take a ride with me. We need to let the Blaziers and Jacksons know Alberto’s enemies are on the move again.”

“Is that really necessary?” Peyton asked, dabbing the corners of her eyes and praying for Nory’s safe return.

“What do you propose we do?” Kane asked, disconnecting the call and shoving the phone back in his pocket.

“Well I’m not sure,” Peyton said. “But it seems to me whenever we’ve shown up in Erwin, we’ve—you, in particular—have disrupted your cousins’ lives. Why not pay them a visit, look around, act inconspicuous, and see if someone shows up? It may be the only chance we have to save Nory.”

“Peyton’s right, Kane,” Braden said. “Whoever Alberto owes, they mean business. They won’t stop with Nory and if you let her sisters know what’s happened, they’ll be vulnerable.”

“Why the hell did they take Nory?” Kane sounded so sad, so heartbroken, and Peyton couldn’t stand to see him this way. He was blaming himself and that burden would be mighty heavy if something happened to Nory.