Page 45 of No Going Back

She hadn’t thought of that. “When do you think we can expect him to reach Vermont?”

Everyone shrugged. Marcus answered. “If he drives straight through without breaks from Jacksonville, he could already be in the vicinity.”

Branna tried to shove to her feet, but Sean’s arm kept her anchored in place. She turned to him. “We have to clear the diner. We can’t have him going there. We have to get everyone out of there.”

Sean placed his hand on hers. “We will, but we need a plan first. Rushing in there without one is the best way to get people hurt.”

Troy stood and reached down to kiss her cheek. “How about this? I’ll head over there now while you guys hammer out the details. I’m going to spill the beans about your situation and get people to head home instead of hanging out at the diner.”

Relief had her sagging against Sean. “Thank you. Be careful.”

He grinned. “I’m always careful. See you soon. I’ve got my phone on.”

Once he closed the door, Shanice spoke. “As soon as my agents arrive, they’ll head to the diner and act as customers. They’ll be armed and ready.”

Marcus nodded. “I’ll change out of the uniform and alternate between walking around town and being in the diner.”

Branna nodded. “I’ll act as the server. If he sees me working at the counter, he’ll come in.”

The arm that Sean had around her flinched, and he swore heartily. “What if he tries to shoot you through the window?”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m hoping he doesn’t do that. Don’t windows interfere with aiming? Wouldn’t he want to come inside first? When someone spots him, I’ll head to the kitchen as if I’m getting an order.”

Sean ran his hand over his face. “I hate this plan.”

Her heart dropped. “Because you don’t think it will work?”

His laugh was rough and raw. “Because I think it will.”

CHAPTER 15

Back Me Up

Sean struggled to contain his inner caveman. He wanted to toss Branna over his shoulder and head for the hills. He wanted to lock her up in a safe house somewhere and come back and deal with Hawley on his own.

At the same time, he wanted to respect her wishes and help her deal with the asshole. She didn’t want to hide. Instead, she wanted to stand up to the bully and show him he was nothing.

Brilliant plan. Except it scared Sean shitless.

He was used to working with a team, used to protecting the innocent. Used to being in the line of fire and taking out the bad guys.

He wasn’t used to someone he loved being in that line of fire.

Troy called in the Midnight Security team. Sean and Branna hadn’t met them all yet, but Marcus showed them photos of everyone so they would know who they were. Sam, Joe, Nico, and Flynn were former FBI. Mitch was a firefighter and a paramedic. Graham was former Army, and they already knew him.

The current theory was that Hawley would likely wait for Branna to be off-shift. Trying to snatch or kill her in the diner would be a dumb move, but they couldn’t rule it out. This man was used to running his neighborhood as he pleased.

Waiting in the parking lot for Branna to leave would be smarter. Even if she was with someone, it was easier to target her between the diner and the vehicles. Although most townspeople apparently walked everywhere because the town was so small. Which would be like an urban neighborhood, so maybe Hawley would be ready for that as well.

So far, they had to assume that Hawley wasn’t alone. At some point, he’d been in a car with at least one other person. There could be others in the back that the camera hadn’t picked up, as many vehicles had tinted windows in the back.

The Phail team would hang out in the diner and take up positions around it. There were good spots in the grocery store, with the moniker Phail Phoods, and in a few buildings they were apparently going to demo in the spring. Mitch, the firefighter, would observe from the firehall, as it had a good view of the south road into town.

Troy’s cousin Ginny and the cook, Manuel, refused to leave the diner and would stay to help provide cover and protection.

The offers of help overwhelmed Sean and he could tell Branna felt the same. These total strangers were helping them because they were friends of their friends.

In the end, Shanice decided to drive to Phail along with two more agents. They were all convinced Hawley would show today or tomorrow. Better to have teams in place than regret not having enough people. No one knew how many of Hawley’s herd were traveling with him.