Chapter 28 #2
“Stay here,” the officer directed, walking back to his car.
Owen rubbed her back as she trembled from the adrenaline running through her.
The officer handed their license back to them. “What business do you have here?”
“We’re visiting friends,” Gunny replied. “Last time I checked, it’s not against the law.”
Glancing at Owen, the officer asked, “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Owen gave the officer a play-by-play account.
His partner approached Leslie and handed her a ticket. “You must have your license on you at all times while operating a vehicle.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “We called you because someone repeatedly rammed into my car on a mountain, I might add. And you’re doing your due diligence by serving me with a ticket?”
“Calm down, ma’am, or we’ll be forced to take you in,” he warned.
“Leslie,” Owen whispered, letting her know to stay quiet.
“Do you have any idea who might do something like this?” the officer asked.
“Isn’t it your job to find out,” she said.
His partner wrote the report number down on one of his cards and handed it to Leslie. “For the insurance,” he directed. “Take it slow around these parts. You never know when someone will get hurt.”
Astonished, she watched them climb into their squad car and drive away. “Can you believe this?” she asked.
Placing an arm around her, Owen led her to the bullet-ridden vehicle and helped her inside. She trembled in violent shudders as the adrenaline dropped.
“My new car,” she cried. “It’s the first new thing I’ve owned in forever.”
“I’m sure the insurance will replace it,” he assured her as he drove them the rest of the way home.
Shaking in fear and watching her future flash before her eyes, Leslie pondered over Jeremiah’s last days. Something spooked him, and he tried to warn her in his own way. She felt sure he left her a clue.
“Do you feel all right?” Owen asked. “I asked Dillon to contact Charlotte. I want her to make sure you didn’t hurt your neck or anything.”
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’m only freaking out. Someone tried to kill us.”
They pulled into the driveway, and he helped her out of the car. As soon as they entered the house, Wyatt pressed a whiskey glass into her hands. “This will help.”
Tilting the glass back, she swallowed the entire drink, letting the burn and glow calm her nerves. The adults sat at the kitchen table.
“I gave Elias the plate number,” Gunny said. “Do you want me to call my friend? We can have more people here within the hour.”
“No. I don’t want to draw more attention. For some reason, they seem focused on Leslie. I’m beginning to wonder if the barn fire might’ve acted as a distraction,” Owen said, thinking out loud.
“You might be right,” Gunny agreed. “The faster we get the security system up, the better.”
Owen’s phone rang from a number he didn’t know. “Hello,” he answered.
“It’s Charlotte. Two men entered my lab and threatened my friends,” she said, her voice quaking. “I’m in a warehouse on Deadwood St., building fifty-eight. They think they took the files from the reports, but I have them.”
“Stay there,” Owen said, signaling to the men they needed to go.
“Do you have your gun?” Owen asked Leslie.
Nodding her head, she replied, “Yeah.”
“Keep it on you at all times. Elias and Wyatt will stay here. Don’t let the police or anyone inside the house,” he said before rushing out the door.
When they walked outside, Owen turned to Dillon. “It’s Charlotte. Two men came in and threatened her friends. She’s hiding in a warehouse, number fifty-eight. She sounds shaken. We need to get her and find out what she knows.”
Dillon’s face turned murderous as he jumped inside the truck. Mason and Cade slid into the back seats as Gunny, Jake, and Max got into their vehicle.
They drove down the mountain and stopped two blocks from the address Charlotte mentioned.
Recognizing the old industrial buildings from when his father picked up supplies, Owen made a crude map on the back of a fast-food bag from his truck.
“They used these buildings for shipping and processing meat. Do you know why Charlotte might hide here?” Owen asked, turning to Dillion. Then, they heard the dogs.
“They’re trying to track her,” Dillon said, his voice turning deadly.
“Then let’s find her first. Gunny, you and Jake take this entrance. Cade find a way to get in through the windows on the top floor and work your way down. Dillon, you and Max, start at the bottom, and Mason and I will take the middle,” Owen said as Max tested out the earpieces.
“Checking,” Max said, glancing around at the men.
Everyone nodded.
“All right, let’s get Charlotte,” Owen ordered as they drew their weapons and made their way to the building unseen.
Owen’s heart raced. They attempted to kill Leslie, and he left her at the house. Knowing Rucker and JoJo knew how to shoot, along with his brothers, he prayed they remained safe until they retrieved Charlotte and her friends. His gut twisted in knots, warning him this wouldn’t end anytime soon.