11

Pushing permed, short gray curls from her forehead, she replied, "I could ask you the same thing."

"I need to head back to the jail."

Still focused on the TV, she said, "Alice told me you’ve got some high-and-mighty city woman locked up."

"Yeah. I have to check on her."

"Go. Go." She waved him away. "I don't want to miss this scene with Ann-Margret."

She’d seen the movie at least a hundred times, but that was just Hae—living in an Elvis Presley dream world.

"If Alice wakes up, let her know I’ll be back soon."

"She never wakes up," Hae murmured, eyes fixed on the screen. "Viva Las Vegas."

He placed his hat on his head with a wry grin and headed for the back door.

His father, William John Stark, had passed away ten years earlier from lung cancer. He’d been a two-pack-a-day smoker up until the final month of his life. Stubborn, sure, but a loving father—though back when John was a teenager, he sometimes wished his dad had been a little less strict.

A highway patrolman, his father believed in rules and discipline—values John held onto himself. The difference was, John wasn’t as good at enforcing them when it came to his own kid.

His mother was very little help in that area. Hae Stark was an easygoing person who lived in the moment. Discipline wasn't high on her list of priorities.

She'd lost a son to meningitis when the boy was just five years old. That was before John had been born and his father had told him that his mother had never been the same afterward.

For a solid year she'd grieved and no one could reach her, his dad had said, and then one day she started singing "Kentucky Rain" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" She'd listened to Elvis's records over and over, and John’s father had let her be. She'd found her solace.

Her quirks only deepened over the years, but these days, she seemed at peace. John was grateful to have her around when life got tough. She looked at the world a little differently, but who was to say what was right and what was wrong?

She was probably the main reason he'd moved back into his childhood home. He needed a little of her kind of insanity in his life, Elvis songs and all. He slid into his car and headed for the jail.

There'd been too much dying in the Stark family. Maybe that was why he was so lenient with Alice. He wanted their days to be happy because life could be snatched away without a moment's notice. Every moment mattered. Every memory should be worth keeping.

When he walked into his office, he heard a faint moan. A flicker of apprehension shot through him. He ran into the jail and saw Adrian lying on the floor. Tosin was gone and so was Ms. Lily.

Damn it all to hell!

"Are you okay?"

Adrian rubbed his throat. "That bastard choked me."

"Tosin?"

"Yeah."

With John’s help, Adrian staggered to his feet. They walked into the office and Adrian flopped into a chair.

"What happened?" John asked.

"Tosin said he was sick and had a fever. I...I fell for it. He had me around the neck before I knew it. I'm...I'm sorry, John."

"Did he take Ms. Lily?"

Adrian stiffened. "She’s gone?"

"Yeah."

Adrian swallowed hard and rubbed his throat. "I heard them talking."

"About what?"

"I... Oh, Sheriff..." His hands trembled, his skin pale and clammy.

"Take a deep breath," John urged, already pulling out his phone. Holbrook didn’t have a clinic, so for medical emergencies—big or small—they relied on Becky Lilliard, the town nurse.

"Becky, it’s John. I need you at the jail. Now."

"Be right there."

John hung up. "Keep breathing, nice and slow," he told Adrian before dialing Arthur. No time for explanations. "Get to the jail. Now."

Adrian was slipping, barely able to sit upright so John urged him to stand, wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him to a cot in the back room.

"Relax and try to breathe normally."

"My throat hurts and...and I can barely breathe."

The door swung open. Becky strode in, medical bag in hand.

"Back here," John called.

She hurried over and checked Adrian’s pulse. "What happened?"

"Tosin damn near choked the life out of him."

She spared John a glance. "When are you going to do something about that man?"

"Tonight," John said, his jaw tightening. He’d let Tosin Oglo slide too many times because of his mental state, but this? Kidnapping a prisoner? That was a whole different level. Unless, of course, Ms. Lily had talked Tosin into letting her go. Either way, he had two fugitives now. And it wasn't good for his department.

Arthur barreled through the door, still tucking in his shirt. "What’s happening?"

John yanked open the gun cabinet and grabbed his rifle. "Tosin attacked Adrian and escaped. Ms. Lily is missing too. I don't know if they're together or not, but I’ll find out."

"Holy crap! We've never had a jailbreak before."

That didn't sit well with John, either. "Call Matt and get him to watch the office. Use your truck with the four-wheel drive and head to Jeff Oglo’s place and let him know you're going through his property to get to Tosin’s place. Tell him I'm going through the back way on horseback. It should be faster. I'll meet you at Tosin’s."

"Got it."

John handed Arthur a rifle. "Watch your back."

The quickest route to Tosin’s place was through the Machi’s property, which bordered the Oglo’s land. As John strode out, he pulled out his phone and dialed Collins Machi’s.

Collins answered on the second ring.

"It’s John. Hate to call this late, but I need a fast horse."

They’d gone to school together back when John’s family lived in Bramble to care for his grandmother. Collins had been a rodeo rider before settling down with his wife and kids.

"You got it."

John liked that about Collins. No questions. He knew John wouldn't ask unless it was important. "See you in about ten minutes."

John swerved onto the dirt road that led to the Lady Luck Ranch, hoping his instincts were right and Tosin had hightailed it to his shack and moonshine still on the river. He also hoped he hadn't taken Charlotte Lily with him. That would mean, though, that Ms. Lily had persuaded Tosin to unlock her cell and let her go. She would be an escaped prisoner. A huge knot formed in his gut. And it had a name. Charlotte Lily.

He had a feeling he was going to regret the day he'd ever set eyes on the woman.