Soon they were on the road. Not fast enough for Walker but Hawk didn’t want to draw attention to them. Walker kept looking at the time then the bag of money in his hands. He kept thinking about Danni and if she was okay.
As the sheriff approached Danni’s cabin, he slowed down, and Walker hopped out. He started jogging up the driveway to the front porch. Then he opened the door not sure what he expected to see. Jamison was sitting on the sofa with his arm around Danni. She was terrified he could see. Anger flashed in Walker’s eyes. He wanted to attack but he held onto the bag to keep from ripping Jamison’s arms off. That could get Danni hurt.
“I have your money now get the hell out of here.”
Jamison glanced at Danni. Walker looked at her too. She wanted to come to him, but she was too afraid to move.
“I said take your money and get the hell out of here.”
Jamison ran his finger down Danni’s cheek and she shivered. Walker wanted to jerk him off the couch. He remained where he was though. His boots firmly planted on the floor, his teeth grinding together in his mouth.
Then Jamison rose and went to Walker. He slipped the bag from Walker’s grasp. “How’d you make it so quick, Wild?”
“I have friends you know? This is my town, after all. Someone picked me up. He waited for me at the bank.” Walker didn’t let his gaze travel away from Jamison’s face. He wat
ched him look inside the bag.
“If it isn’t all here you know we’ll be back and that won’t be too good for Danni.” Jamison looked over his shoulder.
“I’m not stupid, Jamison. Get the hell out, now.”
“Robby,” Jamison said his cohorts name. He turned and headed to the door. Robby followed but he stopped in front of Walker who wondered what he wanted. He wasn’t prepared for the sucker punch to the gut. “A friendly reminder, Walker,” Jamison said. “That if you crossed me and one dollar is missing I will be back.”
He couldn’t breathe. He hadn’t counted the money himself, but he couldn’t imagine that Lydia Cross miscounted the money. When he straightened, he said, “I doubt the branch manager miscounted but I didn’t count it myself. If you’re missing money, I’ll complain at the branch.”
Jamison laughed at his audacity. “You do that, Walker.” He motioned for Robby to follow. When the door shut, he bent at the waist trying to catch his breathe. He didn’t realize that Danni had locked the door behind Jamison.
Then her arms were around him. He straightened and wrapped her in his embrace. “You, all right?” He asked. She nodded. “Did he hurt you?” She shook her head no. “Good, I would hate it if I had to go to Adams County and kill the son-of-a-bitch.”
She squeezed him tighter. Then he saw her father at the back door along with the sheriff, her brothers and Jackson Hand. “We have company.”
Turning away from Walker, she frowned. Then Danni went to the back door to let them in.
Chapter 14
She wanted Jackson to see Walker differently, but he didn’t. It didn’t matter to him that her brother had created this mess with Jamison Harrelson. The family had decided to let the entire thing go with Jamison. Her father knew retaliation was still possible from his family even if Jamison was behind bars.
It wasn’t against the law to loan people money but his tactics for getting it back when they defaulted were illegal. Hurting her and holding Danni and Walker hostage all night then terrorizing her while Walker went to the bank was sketchy as hell. Terrorizing her might be a strong word for what Jamison did but it was close.
He was vividly describing what he would like to do to her. She kept trying to tune him out. She kept thinking of Walker knowing that he was going as fast as he could. Thankfully her mother had come along and shortened the time that he was gone by nearly half an hour. She had been counting the minutes, watching the clock on the wall from the minute Walker left.
She still didn’t feel safe or settled. The threat hung over them because Danni didn’t really know if all the money was in the bag. What if Lydia had miscounted? Then Jamison would return. Walker and her father suggested that she move back home to her mother’s house if she was so uncertain, but she didn’t want to be away from Walker. She didn’t think he would feel comfortable being there especially not overnight, so she stayed in her cabin with Walker where she knew that she could be with him.
She missed work that day. Her Grandad insisted that she had enough for one person. She should take the day off. Everyone had left, and it was just her and Walker. He had showered and was wearing clean clothes that Matt brought him from his mother’s house. Danni was cooking dinner when her Granddad arrived, surprising them both.
Walker answered the door and was just as surprised as she was when he saw that it was Hal. He stepped back to let him in the cabin.
“Walker, nice to see you son.”
“Hal, good to see you sir.”
Danni’s grandfather was tall but not as tall as Walker. He no longer wore uniforms to work. His jeans were worn but clean because he no longer could work on cars. His hair was shorn short to his scalp because he was comfortable and now his wife was gone and couldn’t complain about how short it was. She had always liked it a little longer.
He kissed his granddaughter and held her close when she appeared in the entrance satisfied that their dinner wouldn’t burn while she greeted her grandfather. “Want to stay for dinner?” She asked.
“Nope, I’m going home to eat my usual.” She chuckled at him.
“Grilled cheese and tomato soup from a can.” She shook her head at him. “My dinner is much tastier.”