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I kept my face blank, and he swore softly. “Why do I even bother arguing? Get in the car.”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure why he still argued with me about this.
Maxine grabbed her coat. “Mom, I’m heading out. Be back soon.”
Her mother scurried back into the foyer. “All right. Should I set the table for an extra two tonight?”
I shook my head. “No, thanks, Ms. Donovan. I’m hoping to have dinner with my mother tonight.”
23
Jake
Nikole’s clasped hands stood still in her lap. They weren’t shaking as before. Somehow, calming Maxine down had done the same for her. Or perhaps now that we knew where her mother was being held, she felt less hopeless.
I was restless. I wanted to put my hands on that son of a bitch and squeeze until his face turned purple. Only then would I allow him to breathe for putting us through this. And for bringing that poor woman who sat fidgeting in my back seat into this.
I glanced through the rearview mirror, but she stared out the window. Lost in her thoughts, as were the rest of us.
Jager and Will were on their way. While Christian was feeling better, we all agreed it was best for him to stay back. We knew if one of us wasn’t at his best, it could risk the lives of the others.
The roads leading to the old chicken farm were mainly deserted. Only a handful of cars drove past us on our way up. I hadn’t realized there was so much farmland in New York State, never having ventured so far west.
The GPS indicated the farm was the next exit to my right. When I pulled onto the long gravel road, I saw two police cars parked just down the street. I was surprised to see Commissioner Rodriguez standing by one of the cars, and then a splurge of heat crept up my neck and engulfed my face. That bastard.
I parked my truck and jumped out, heading straight for my nemesis. Disregarding the shocked faces of the officers around him, I grabbed Rodriguez by his uniform and pushed him up against the police car.
“You fuckin’ arrogant asshole,” I shouted in his face. “You let this happen. When I told you to look into those names, you let your pride get in the way. If you had done your job, this never would have happened.”
“Get your hands off of me,” he snarled back.
Two officers grabbed me from behind and pulled me off of him. Rodriguez straightened his uniform and speared me with a hard glare. “How dare you blame me for this? If you didn’t let your cock get in the way, you could have done your job and protected these women. Instead, you let both of them down.”
What was he talking about? How did he know about me and Nikole? I didn’t have the mental capacity at the moment to think about it. All I wanted was to punch him in the face. I struggled against the officer’s hold and they pulled me further back.
He leaned forward, his face only inches away from mine. “Get off the road. This is police business.”
Rodriguez turned his back and walked away. I stood on the street fuming until my brothers arrived and the officers left me in their care.
Stupid mistake.
I lunged forward, but Will held me back.
“Keep it together, Jake. We don’t have time for this pissing match right now.”
I ground my back teeth and growled like a wild animal. Between Janine coming back, Rodriguez blaming me, and the governor being kidnapped, I was ready to blame someone for all of it and Rodriguez was the perfect target for my wrath.
“He’s right. He can kick us out if you don’t settle down. So, settle the fuck down, all right?” He grabbed my face and forced me to look at him.
The red cloud that had formed around my vision began to clear. I could see Will’s flaring nostrils in front of me.
I closed my eyes and regained my composure. Turning toward the farmhouse, I tried to think of a plan.
Two more police cruisers barreled down the road, spewing dust in our faces and forcing us to turn our backs.
“He’s going to be desperate when he sees all the cruisers,” said Jager behind us. “Chapman may do something stupid if he thinks there’s no other choice.”
“We’ve got to talk to the police and come up with a plan,” said Will.
