Chapter 36
There were half a dozen trucks that he knew belonged to the Hiller brothers parked in the drive when he pulled in. Kurt had seen them all before.
Great. The one thing he didn’t see was Greer’s little SUV. Just his luck, she wasn’t home.
Well, he would just track her down as soon as he could. He parked behind Gene’s truck and killed the engine.
“Why here?” Bristol asked. “We play again?”
“We are here to talk to Greer, and to eat dinner with her family. You remember Greer?”
“Greer pretty. Play Mari-in.”
“Yes, she is. Like Bristol and Bronte. I don’t know if Mari Lynn is here tonight, though. Calvin probably is.” He unfastened the baby first and slipped her into the carrier. He had learned his lessons with these two early. And it was just easier to carry both girls if one was strapped to his chest.
He’d driven straight home after Yunderhall’s little visit.
He’d wanted to see the girls, make certain they were happy and healthy, even though that had just been paranoia having him imagining something happening to them.
Yunderhall had a problem with Kurt…and the Hillers. That had been abundantly clear.
He knocked. The door opened.
Of course it was that cranky asshole Gene. “What do you want? Greer’s not here. Go away—we’re having a family dinner tonight and you aren’t invited.”
“I actually was invited, by Greer and her scariest sister. Where is Greer?” Kurt took a chance and stepped toward the other man—who had his own kid in his arms. Calvin just looked at Kurt and the girls. “I really need to talk to her. To all of you.”
He stepped inside.
“Maybe we don’t want you here,” Gene said. It wasn’t a question. “We can outvote Greer and Gia, you know.”
Someone said his name chidingly from behind him. A woman. There were several possibilities.
“Too bad. Something has happened that your family needs to know about today. But first, where is your sister? Is she safe?”
“What do you mean?” Gene handed the little boy in his arms to the beautiful redhead who’d come up behind them. “What’s going on? Is Greer in trouble?”
“Where is she?” He didn’t see her anywhere—just four of her brothers. And they were looking at him like he was about to be toast. There were women everywhere, too. “I really need to talk to her, to all of you.”
“She was at our mother’s this afternoon,” the little pixie one said. “She should be heading home soon, if she isn’t already. What’s this about? And boys—he was invited, so…best behavior, understood?”
She glared after she said it. Maybe she was the scary one? It was hard to tell with those beautiful Hiller women sometimes.
He wanted to wait for her but…they needed to know. “Dwayne Yunderhall is in Value. He’s been out for around ten months. Showed up at my office about an hour ago.”
“What did he want?” Gene asked, fury in his tone. “Why weren’t any of us told?”
“How did he make parole?” The twin he thought was Grady asked as he wrapped an arm gingerly around Greer’s little curly haired friend. The guy was sitting up at least. Still didn’t exactly look his best.
He probably couldn’t kick Kurt’s ass tonight, at least. And the others all looked a bit puny now, too. There was that.
“I don’t know. Just showed up at my office. I’m still not even sure what he wanted. But he was up to no good, that was for sure.” He handed Bristol to Greer’s sister. “Here, honey, can you hold her for me? I’m going to call your sister right now.”
“Is something going on where we need to call the police?” Hudson asked, his arm around Greer’s sister who looked a great deal like her. Hell, she was still wearing a sling—half the people around him were in casts or slings or had bandages.
This family had been through real hell lately.
He was going to get their sister back home where she belonged, and keep her there. Where she would be safe.
“I don’t know. That is something you’d know more than me. He just showed up in my office before I even got there. Said a few things that made my skin crawl. So here I am. I want to make sure she’s home and safe and you all will keep her here.”
“Do you know what he was driving?” Gene asked.
“You are not going out looking for him,” Chantal warned. Well, he’d admit it, Kurt had had the same thought. Grab a few of her brothers and go looking for Yunderhall themselves. Prove the point—that asshole was to stay away from her.
“Yeah, I know what he was driving. I took a pic.” He brought it up. “Got the license plate number, too.”
He handed the phone to the sweet little blonde with crutches next to him to pass it to Gene, as her sister reached for the baby in his arms. The woman looked at his phone. Her beautiful blue eyes widened. “Aub! It’s…the truck. This is the truck that hit Ronnie and George. I know it is.”
She handed the phone to the other blonde woman. Kurt recognized her as the woman who ran the ER. “That’s…it. That’s the truck that hit George. I remember the paint damage on the side. I saw it when he came through the stop sign. This is the guy who hit George that day.”
“And nearly killed Ronnie and the babies?” Gene asked.
Well, Kurt understood the fire in his words now.
“Yes. I’m absolutely sure of it. Genny?”
The little pixie looked at Kurt’s phone. “Yes. One hundred percent certain. It was big and old and ugly and loud, and it had that strange scratch all over the door. It was hard to miss.”
“He’s out there. And he’s attacked someone in your family once. I’m calling Addy.” Hudson was already pulling his phone. “There is an open warrant for the driver of that truck for fleeing the scene, as it is. I signed the paperwork in front of Judge Collins myself.”
“I’m going to go get Mom and Dad and Greer,” Gene said. “Bring them back here, until we know more.”
“I’ll call the hands. Get them armed. Just in case,” Grady said, pulling his woman closer. Kurt wanted his woman, back here where he could protect her. No matter what.
“Someone needs to call George,” the preacher brother said. “Let him know to get Ronnie and the kids here, as soon as they can.”
They were circling the wagons. Just like that. To protect their family. Hell, Kurt had known they did that all along. They protected each other. He had just been wrong about why they were protecting Gene so long ago.
“I’m going with you. Can someone watch my girls for me? Keep them safe?” He’d find Greer and get her back where she belonged, but…he needed his girls to be safe, too. They were his world. Bristol, Bronte…and that beautiful woman out there somewhere.
“Of course,” Chantal said, taking Bronte and holding the baby girl close. “Go. Just get Greer here. I’ll call Charlie and get him over here, too. He’ll be able to tell us what the next steps should be. None…of us are going to take chances now. Just…not now.”
“I’m driving,” Gene said.
“Be careful, boys. Just…be careful,” Genny said. “I think we all know people can do some really evil things to each other now. That’s a lesson we have all learned far too well lately.”
Kurt was already heading toward the door.