Guarding Hope
“No, it’s fine. I know that I popped into your world uninvited.” She bit her bottom lip.
“You are more than welcome, Hope. In fact, I don’t want you to leave.” The tension between them grew with every word and look.
Unsure of what to say to his promise of keeping her, she muttered out a denial. “You’re going to want to send me packing when I become too much trouble.”
“We’ll see. Now, how about some food?”
“I can go for that.”
Chapter 8
Jimmy wrung his hands together, rocking from one foot to the other as he waited for Cummings to tell him to enter.
A roaring, “Enter,” ripped from behind the closed oak door. Jimmy stole a glance at his partner John and shook his head as he turned the knob slowly, hoping to delay the truth. He feared Cummings because a man willing to sell his child to feed his drug habit could do anything to someone. It pissed Jimmy off that he’d become so weak.
Cummings stood up and looked around Jimmy and John, then sat back in his chair and leaned on his elbows. “Well?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Jimmy responded, “Boss, we didn’t have any luck. We’re thinking she jumped on the back of someone’s pickup truck, but we don’t have surveillance footage, so we can’t tell where she went.”
Cummings slammed his fist down on his desk, then stood straight up while pulling a gun out. Both men took a cautious step back and waited for Cummings to get his breathing under control long enough to speak.
“Damn it. You were supposed to have her delivered to Navarro. She was handed to you on a silver platter, and you couldn’t pull her off the damn bus. I should shoot you both right now,” he snarled, walking around his desk and looking for control of his temper.
John pleaded his case, blurting out, “It’s not our fault. By the time we got there, she wasn’t anywhere to be found. The bus driver left her there, stranded as fuck. It should have been easy. There was only a handful of people around.”
Cummings lurched at him, grabbing John by the throat. “Whose fault is it? This is the second time you lost her.”
His grip tightened around John’s neck until he choked out, “Mine.”
“It’s both you motherfuckers’ fault. You better fucking find her before Navarro’s men do because she’ll be his for nothing then. He’s already asking for my head. If you don’t, I’ll be putting your heads on a platter. Understood?” He released his hold on John.
Jumping back and rubbing his neck, John’s eyes never left Cummings. There would be no way he’d turn his back to him. “Loud and clear,” Jimmy responded.
Both men fled the office as soon as humanly possible. Several of Cummings’s other goons shared commiserating looks with Jimmy and John. None of them wanted to be on that assignment.
The two hired goons walked out to the SUV while looking over their shoulders. There was no guarantee that Cummings wouldn’t kill them for failing. As they pulled out of the estate, Jimmy said, “We should check with the people of the town nearest the gas station.”
“Yeah, maybe someone gave her a lift,” John tossed out.
“I bet. Why the fuck can’t she just accept her fate and take the dick?” Jimmy banged the steering wheel in rage. Letting his anger come over him, he continued to rant, “Pussy’s pussy. I don’t know what the hell is so good about virgin pussy. They don’t know what to do with it and they fucking cry when you steal it.”
“Well, then we better get a move on. Navarro’s going to know she’s not cherry if someone else gets to her first. A tight-ass body roaming around alone, she’s liable to get picked up by a crazy fuck like you.”
They arrived in the first town east of the gas station, looking out of place with their well-tailored suits and catching glances of the residents. Getting nowhere, they moved to the next town. For six hours, they roamed two towns, questioning every soul around. No one had seen her and were genuinely surprised. That’s when they ran into the town Sheriff, Ray McCain.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?” he asked, sliding his hands along his gun belt.
Sensing the sheriff’s distrust, Jimmy blurted out, “We’re looking for my friend’s daughter. She went missing this morning, and we’re worried.” They handed the picture to the sheriff.
He took a thorough look at the photo and replied, “Sorry to hear that. She’s stunning, but I haven’t run into anyone I don’t know…well—except for you boys.”
His head tilted and his brows scrunched together as he took another look at the young woman’s picture. “We can put up her photo in our post office if you’d like.”
“No. If she’s not here, then she won’t be headed this way.”