Heap of Trouble (Trouble, Tennessee 2)

“Listen to me,” Justin grated out the words. “I don’t doubt that she is being held against her will now, but if this isn’t some kind of hoax and she’s there, remember this—she went there first of her own free will.”

“Then what are you doin’ draped in weapons, hon?” Markie asked.

Justin lifted his head. His nostrils flared. “I’m hoping she finally came to her senses. I gotta have some kind of hope. If she asked someone to call Bradley then maybe she’s ready to settle down and behave like a normal human being.”

Allister was afraid to ask what he meant by normal. “Why’s this mean so much to you?”

“Oh come on, sugar,” Markie drawled. “Anyone here can see what’s going on over there. Man is lovesick.”

“I haven’t seen her in over three or four months. Last time I did it was by a cell phone connection.”

“Then she did a right smart number on ya,” Markie pointed out. “Love is a beautiful thang.”

“Any idea what happened to her?” Allister asked, deliberately ignoring Markie again.

“What do you mean?” Justin’s brow furrowed.

“So far I’ve talked to you, Bradley, and Curt. Three men, three different stories.”

“And you’ll likely get another one from Gabe, too.”

“Gabe? What horse is he running here?” Harley asked.

“He saw another Heather.”

“Wait a minute.” Markie was piecing together what Allister had already thought about. “How old is Heather anyway?”

“Young,” Justin said, offering nothing more.

“We need to know her age,” Draegan said.

“She’s twenty-one. Gabe is a little older. Nothing happened between them, but it wasn’t for Heather’s lack of trying.”

“So what kind of story would Gabe give us?” Harley asked.

“He’d probably tell you she experimented with drugs, rebelled against her parents and society, and fought restraint. If he’s honest, he’ll tell you what Curt and I have always known. He’s spent the last four years waiting on her to grow up and come find him.”

“You’re shittin’ me,” Draegan said, seemingly in awe. “That’s the girl?”

“Yep,” Justin quickly replied. “As far as Gabe is concerned, she’s the one who got away.”

“How about you?” If the Vance brothers were as terrible as his brother made them out to be, Allister needed to know who was standing where and why. When they crossed county lines and stormed private property, he wanted everyone to know what they were fighting for.

“I care about her. Hell, maybe I loved her then. Maybe I still love her.” His upper cheek twitched and that spray of hair jerked again. A skinny little fellow, Justin had one thing working for him in a combative situation. If he fired a gun, he never missed his mark. How that worked out was the real question. He was a nervous and hyper kind of guy.

“Why would she be with the Vance brothers in the first place?” Draegan asked.

“You can guess.” His eyes darted and he shook his head a few times. “Heather had a fascination with the occult. Curt discouraged her. We all did.”

“Heather wasn’t interested in the supernatural, like ghost stories. She had this sick interest in cults and secret societies, but when she’d start researching on her own, she always uncovered the more dangerous elements.” Justin shrugged, dropped his head, and finally added, “I always said she would end up in the wrong place with the wrong people.

“My guess is she sought out the Vance brothers. She probably had no idea how close she was to getting all her questions answered until she saw those answers with her very own eyes.”

“When you say the occult…what are you talking about here?” Allister asked.

“I’m not talking witchcraft. Uh-huh. No. It’s deeper than that and in my eyes, it’s plumb evil. I’m talking devilry.” Justin swung his gaze at Draegan then leveled his stare on Markie. “You mentioned wells. How long were you there?”

“I don’t really remember. One minute I’m on my knees for Longs—that’s what we called Jims because the S on the end of his name, kinda unusual, ya know? Anyway, I’m on my knees and then all goes black and I wake up hearing Draegan scream my name. It was dark and I couldn’t see anything. I remember the chill like it was yesterday. I flicked my lighter and—” He gasped, stopped talking and studied Draegan. He then quietly added, “That’s all I remember.”