“You don’t know the real Tabor McCoy, Sable.”
Her eyes darkened and she dropped her head. “No, Trevor. That’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it?”
When she lifted her head again, she said, “You don’t know the real Sable McCoy, the woman who spent years with a family that took her in and treated her like one of their own.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Thank you for showing up, Trev. Mighty nice of ya.” The jabs started as soon as Trevor showed his face. “We were beginning to wonder if you were fuckin’ or dead.”
“Maybe now you know the answer,” Trevor bit out, frowning.
“You don’t look freshly fucked to me,” Nicholas said, aiming his gun straight ahead. “What’s going on?”
“We’ll talk about it later. What have I missed?”
“Tabor McCoy’s boys are out front making their demands,” Mac said.
“Any of those demands have anything to do with returning Sable?”
“You got it,” Nicholas replied.
“That’s not an option,” Trevor said.
“As if,” Harley chimed in, loading his weapon.
“Any shots fired yet?” Trevor asked.
“No.” Nicholas stroked his chin. “Something on your mind, Trevor?”
“I said, ‘we’ll talk about it later’ and that’s what we’ll do.”
“Draegan is on his way back,” Harley announced, aiming the shotgun at the clearing in front of the guard shack. “Stand ready.”
Forty-plus guns were trained on the clearing as Draegan made his way back to the greenery, a line of trees and bushes located right under the guard tower. Nicholas was aware of seven snipers in the turret. He should’ve been up there, too, but when the McCoys had first arrived they’d caught them unprepared. Harley should’ve been in the turret as well. They were two of the best sharpshooters and they were ducking behind bushes and standing next to trees.
“I don’t like it,” Harley said, adjusting his scope.
Nicholas searched the McCoy crew’s faces. “They’re up to something. We gotta get Draegan out of there.”
“And just how are we gonna do that exactly?” Mac asked. “He was the stubborn-headed idiot who agreed to take a walk and talk to the old man.”
“Even if it went well, he still has another hundred steps to go.”
“He needs to stay low,” Nicholas said, looking through his scope and not at all relieved by what he saw. Even if the talks between Tabor and Draegan went well, they didn’t go well enough to suit the rest of Tabor’s crew.
“We’ve got too many twitching fingers, Harley,” Nicholas said.
“Damn it. I know!”
Mac clenched his teeth. His jaw flexed. His muscles bunched around his short-sleeve shirt as he clutched his automatic rifle. “We’re getting ready to have an outright war. They’re not satisfied with the old man’s negotiations.”
“Mac McCall!” One of their enemies bellowed. “Harley McCall! Allister! Are you all here?”
“This is Mac! I’m here!”
“Where are your brothers?” A burly fellow stepped away from the lead truck parked next to the first intercom station near the main road. “I asked you a question.”