Chapter 32

Shane

Jake sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his fists over his eyes. “I don’t know if this is going to work.”

“It will. You can do it,” I assured.

Jake ran a hand through his fiery hair, leaving a portion sticking out at an odd angle, then sat forward and refocused his attention on the computer screen.

“I’m too amateur for a police database,” he complained a few minutes later. “This is going to take me ages.”

“Then take ages,” I replied.

I knew his real problem, and it wasn’t the level of difficulty involved in hacking the Sitka Valley police. Jake loved a good challenge, especially one that worked the part of his brain he almost never got to tap into at his hardware store job. His eyes lit up when I asked him if he’d be able to help me with a computer problem, but that light grew dim when I told him why.

I had a feeling things were about to come to a head.

Jake tapped away for a couple more minutes while I sat staring at nothing, deep in thought. When he stopped and looked at me, it took me a second to notice the darkness in his eyes.

“Shane, are you sure you shouldn’t just let her go?” he asked. “She’s made it this far, and there’s no guarantee that what you’re doing is going to help her. More likely than not you’re just going to end up dead.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Don’t be like that.” He frowned. “I just don’t trust Preston, and neither should you. Who’s to say he doesn’t just shoot you on sight when you show up? Why would he care about making a bet with you?”

“Maybe he will just shoot me on sight,” I shot back. “Maybe he won’t. Either way, I have to fucking try something, Jake. Dallas fears for her life, and I’m the only one who can help her. Now, are you going to help me or not?”

He sighed. “Of course I’m going to help you, Shane. You’re my best friend. I’ll do whatever you need me to do just please, be careful.”

“I will,” I lied, because I knew that I was going to have to risk it big time if I wanted even the smallest chance to save Dallas.

“What am I looking for, anyway?” Jake asked. “Once I finally get on here, that is.”

“Anything that could be used as evidence to implicate Preston in dirty dealings with the cops.”

“And you’re just going to balance this information against what?”

I still hadn’t figured out that part. If all went to plan, I would take my offer to Preston, and it would be juicy enough for him to accept. One wager—if he won, I wouldn’t pass on whatever evidence I had to higher authorities. If I won, I would, and I’d be taking Dallas with me. Those were the kind of stakes Preston wouldn’t be able to pass up, and they would also provide me a little security in case he decided to play dirty. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was what we would bet on.

“All I can think of is that we bet on the outcome of a fight,” I said. “Me against him, or whatever guy he prefers to fight in his place.”

“Now that’s crazy,” Jake said over the top of his computer screen, still tapping away.

“I can’t think of anything better. I refuse to leave this up to chance, and a fight is the only thing that Preston will think he can win. And he’ll be wrong.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because unlike Preston, I have something that I’m fighting for. He doesn’t have a heart so it won’t be possible for him to put his whole heart into it.”

We were interrupted by a metallic crash coming from downstairs. The back door.

I shot up from my seat and went to the door, but Jake called out and stopped me.

“I’ll get it. If it’s someone looking to beat you up, I’ll say you’re not here.”

I let him go first but followed down the stairs to the stock room, intending to stay close in case anything bad happened. Jake cracked open the door just enough to stick his face through.

The voice was familiar. “I need to speak to Shane.”

What the hell was Paul doing here?

“He’s not here,” said Jake, going to close the door.

I stopped him. “Let him in.”

Jake shot me an incredulous look, but I merely nodded. He reluctantly stepped back from the door and opened it for Paul. He was the last person I expected to seek me out, and I couldn’t help my curiosity.

“Did Wes send you?” I asked.

Paul laughed. “Wes would fucking kill me if he knew I was here.”

“Go on.”

Jake closed the door behind Paul and stood behind him with his arms crossed, like he was ready to jump in and remove him at the first sign of trouble. It was the first time I’d seen Jake try to be tough and I found it endearing.

“Look, we may have had our differences, but I’ve got my differences with the Gromleys too, and they’ve gone too far this time.”

Fear gripped my throat.

“Is Dallas okay?” I asked, panicked.

“For now. Preston gave her an ultimatum—marry Wes, or he’s going to kill her father and you. In other words, she’s getting married in the morning.”

I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t know how fucked in the head Preston was. That kind of cruelty could only come from the twisted blackness he called a soul. Anger flooded my veins, and I had to stop myself from crashing a fist into the cement wall.

“Anyway,” Paul said a moment later when neither Jake or I had spoken. “I just wanted to let you know. You’re up to something, and whatever it is, it’s now or never.”

He turned and walked around Jake to the door. A second later he was gone, and the silence in the airy back room compounded in my head and made me want to scream.

Jake spoke first. “Shane, I’m so sorry man, but there is no way I can get you anything that quick. Even if I worked all night, there’s just no way.”

I barely heard him. My mind buzzed with the realization of what I had to do. It might not work, but I had to try.

Some part of me had always known it would come down to this.

“I’ll offer them something else instead then,” I said quietly.

“But what?”

I chewed on my lip. “I’ll challenge Preston and Wes to fight me for Dallas and Randall’s freedom. And if I lose...If I lose, I’ll forfeit my own life.”