“Best guess?” Braden shrugged. “The others aren’t as easy to nab.”
“Sure they are. Damn Gemma sits at her kitchen table drinking away her days as if she doesn’t have anything better to do,” Kane said.
“She’s also seeing someone now, too,” Peyton said. “Maybe she isn’t spending as much time at home.”
“That leaves Drina.” Kane scratched the side of his face. “Damn it! Those girls are probably in more danger than we realize.”
“Hold on there, Kane,” Evan said, grabbing his arm before he stalked away. “From what you’ve said about the Blaziers’ place, it’s not the easiest property to enter without an invitation. So let’s assume Coco is safe. Brianna is closely guarded. Jax Jackson and his brothers rarely let her out of their sights.”
“Sounds familiar,” Peyton said, exasperated. They were wasting time trying to figure this all out. “We need to go, Kane. We don’t have to tell them why we’re there, but we need to stay at the Erwin farm in case Gemma or Drina has been staying there alone.”
“I doubt Drina is staying there at all now,” Kane said. “She was pretty hung up on one of Brandon’s brothers. What was his name, Peyton?”
“Zak.”
“Yeah, Zak.” Kane snorted. “If memory serves me correctly, he was a brute of a guy, real crazy about Drina, too.”
“Yes, but I don’t think she’s living with him,” Peyton said. “I wish I knew more. I should know more. I’d like to think she’s staying at the Blaziers’ farm. At least we’d know Drina, Coco, and Brianna were safe.”
“I thought Coco mentioned not long ago that her fellas had gotten out of the gun business,” Evan said. “If they’re out, I doubt they have guards on the property now.”
Kane shook his head. “Even if they’re legitimate businessmen now, they would still recognize the potential for old enemies to surface. Their place is on lockdown. I’d bet on it.”
“They’re very protective of Coco,” Peyton reminded them. “Plus, after their mother and brothers were killed, the Blaziers take a lot of extra precautions.”
“Then it’s probably safe to assume Coco isn’t a target right now,” Mitch said. “F
rom outer appearances, it appears they went after the weakest link—the sister with the least amount of security in place to protect her.”
Kane’s eyes watered and he glared at Mitch. Never quite his favorite son-in-law, Mitch called things as he saw them but that didn’t mean Kane appreciated his sidebar remarks. At the moment, Kane was undoubtedly blaming himself and he didn’t need Mitch to point out his failures.
“We’ll talk to the Feds and get some locals on this, too,” Evan said, slapping Kane on the back. “You can try to call Josh and Aspen but last I heard they were out of town for a couple of weeks. Your best bet is to get to Erwin as quickly as you can and at least have a presence there. Braden and I will cover everything here.”
Kane cursed under his breath. “We brought Nory here to protect her. Now her father’s enemies have the one Baldini sister who can’t protect herself. She’s sixteen years old and probably weighs a hundred and five pounds. How does a little thing like that fight back?”
Brock opened his mouth to speak a few times but didn’t utter a sound. Finally, he said, “Kane, you may not want to hear this but if Nory doesn’t fight, she may have a better chance at survival. Fighting men like those who abducted her isn’t always the best way in situations like these. If she uses her head, and we have to believe she will, then it’s very possible she’ll be okay.”
“Possible isn’t good enough. I want guarantees. And if any of you hear from Alberto, you tell him to find the men who took Nory and to pass along a promise. If one hair is harmed on her head, just one, I’ll spend the rest of my life seeking and delivering retribution.”
Chapter Four
The next morning—Erwin, Tennessee
“There’s something wrong with me.” Drina cupped her mug and greeted Coco as soon as she walked in the Blaziers’ kitchen.
Coco was unaccustomed to seeing her there in the morning, or at the Blazier farm at all, now that Drina had time to consider the few times she’d been there. Her older sister had reason to look downright surprised.
“Did you spend the night here?”
“Yes,” Drina replied, not offering anything more.
“And?” Coco excitedly hurried to the coffee pot and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “How was it?”
Drina turned sideways in her chair and threw her arm over the wooden back. “The sex?”
“Of course I’m asking about the sex. You and Zak have been playing this do-we-or-don’t-we game for several months now. If you spent the night with him—here—then I’m sure you were here for a reason.”
“That’s just it. I thought I was here for a reason.” Drina gnawed on her lip.